our vices. Nay, what is worse yet, I could fhew that fin converts our good things into evil, and our enjoyments into punishments: that it renders the flightest evils intolerable; turns fcratches into wounds, and wounds into gangrenes. But this is too copious a fubject; and would infenfibly render me voluminous, when I would be as short as poffibly I can. A fecond effect of fin is guilt; which is nothing else, but a confcioufness of having done ill, and an obligation to punishment refulting from it. And tho' men often fin with hopes of impunity; yet it is hard to imagine, even on this fuppofal, that they fhould fin without fuffering the reproaches of their own minds; which furely must be very uneafy to them: to be perpetually vexed at one's own folly; to commit thofe things which we inwardly condemn, and be in continual pain left they fhould come to light; to be always difpleafed at one's felf, and afraid, not only of the reflections of others, but our own: this is, methinks, a great evil, did no other attend our fin. But, thirdly, fear is almost inseparably joined with guilt: for guilt does not only damp the chearfulness, and enfeeble the vigour of the mind; it does not only destroy that confidence man would otherwise naturally have in God, and render him cowardly and pufillanimous; but it terrifies his foul with melancholy apprehen

fions, and makes him live continually in fear of death and punishment. And thus fcripture reprefents the ftate of a finner : The wicked flee when none purfue; but the righteous are as bold as a lion, Prov. xxviii. 1. If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things, 1 John iii. 2. There is no peace to the wicked, faith the Lord, Ifa. xlviii. 22. To deliver them, who through fear of death, were all their lifetime fubject to bondage, Heb. ii. 15. The finners in Zion are afraid, fearfulness has furprised the hypocrites; who among us fhall dwell with the devouring fire? who amongst us fhall dwell with everlasting burnings? Ifa. xxxiii. 14. Nor let any one wonder, that notwithstanding the outward gaiety of the finner, the Spirit thus defcribes the inward condition of his foul. As long as men retain the belief of a God, it is impoffible they fhould wholly free themfelves from the fear of him. They may indeed forget him in the fits of luft or paffion: but in their intermiffions his terrors will return upon them with more violence. Again, as long as men retain the common principles of truth and justice; if they acknowledge but the obligation of that univerfal law, Thou shalt do to others, as thou wouldeft they should do unto thee, 'tis impoffible they fhould reflect on their fins without regret and uneafiness; for there is no fin but has more or less,

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repugnancy in it to truth, juftice, and goodnefs. Finally, As long as men are perfuaded that there is fuch a faculty as confcience, that God has prefcribed them a law, and that they are accountable to him; the natural confcience cannot chufe, but by fits, and upon occafions, fcourge and torture, lance and gash them. And 'tis a hard matter to wear out thefe notions: they are fo natural and obvious; the proofs of them are fo clear; their reputation and authority in the world is fo well established; and the providence of God fo frequently inculcates them. Men may eafily wear out all fenfe of the beauty, and of their obligations to their heights and perfections of virtue: but they cannot fo eafily do this in reference to virtue in general; because 'tis tempered and accommodated to human nature and fociety; and neceffary to the tolerable well-doing of the world. Men may foon, I confefs, extinguifh their Chriftianity, but not humanity: and while this remains, fin will leave a ftain and guilt behind it; and guilt will be attended by uneafiness and fear. The very pagans, who had advanced fo far in wickedness, as to be given up to all difhonourable paffions, and to commit all uncleanness with greediness, had not yet fo mortified and ftupified their confcience, but that it gave much diftur-· bance, Rom. i. ver. 32. 'tis faid of them, that

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that they knew the judgment of God, that they which committed fuch things, were worthy of death. And Rom. ii. 15. Their confciences are faid to accufe and condemn them. And 'tis of very wicked men, that the author to the Hebrews affirms, that through fear of death they were all their life-time fubject to bondage.

But are there not, will fome fay, many ingenuous and brave fpirits, who have dif perfed thofe vain spectres, and burst thofe fuperftitious fetters, by which you labour to feare and enflave the world? I do not doubt, indeed, but that there are too many who have vigoroufly endeavoured to cafhier all principles of natural and revealed religion, and utterly to extinguish all confcience of good and evil. But this is fuch an attempt, in which, I confefs, I could never have believed, that the most daring finner could have proved fuccessful, had not the fcriptures told me, that there are fome who are paft feeling, Eph. iv. 19. of a feared confcience, 2 Tim. iv. 2. who are not afhamed when they have committed iniquity neither can they bluf, Jer. vi. 15. who call good evil, and evil good; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for fwect, and feet for bitter, Îlai.

V. 20.

Such finners there are then: but what does this amount to? what can their fenfe or example weigh? I am fure these

poor

poor wretches are as far diftant from any true happiness, as from fenfe; and deferve our pity, not imitation. As will eafily appear from these following confide

rations.

1. 'Tis true, confcience depends upon opinion but what if this opinion depend upon fenfe and truth? what if it be built upon the demonftration of the spirit and of power? in what a deplorable condition are thefe men of wit? the fear of an angry God, a judgment to come, and an hell, is no common or ordinary fear. "Tis not the fear of a feratch or wound in the body; of a baffle in the pursuit of preferment, or a disappointment in that of pleasure; 'tis not the loss or the forfeiture of eftate, in part, or whole 'tis not a blot upon our repu tation; 'tis not the death of a child, a brother, or, what is more, if he be fuch, a friend: 'tis not any thing of this kind that is the object of this fear; but mifery pure and unallayed; complicated, accumu lated mifery; mifery unalterable, incurable, and lafting as long as eternity. Methinks, before one fhould venture on a fin, which is threatened with fuch a ftate as this; and much more, before one fhould refolve to continue in it, it were reasonable to be ve ry fure, that the notion of a hell were falle, and the doctrine of eternal punishment a mere bugbear. Nay, I protest, in a Q 2

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