can be gratified by the relishes of another's palate. 5. The more infenfible a finner grows, the more intolerable is the diforder and dif traction which fin produces in his affairs. While men are under any little restraints of confcience; while they are held in by fcruples, and fears, and fits of regret; while, in a word, they fin with any mo defty, fo long fin will tolerably comport with their intereft and reputation; but as foon as they grow infenfible and impudent, they pass all bounds, and there is nothing fo dear and confiderable to them, which they will not facrifice to their wickedness. Now wife and children, friends, eftate, laws, vows, compacts, oaths, are no stronger ties to them than Sampson's withes, or cords. Such a one as this is very well defcribed in the prophet; Thou art a fwift dromedary, traverfing her ways; a wild afs ufed to the wilderness, that fuffeth up the wind at her pleasure, in her occafion who can turn her away? Jer. ii. 23. And again, he is fitly represented to an horse rushing into the battel. He has as much contempt for his Safety and happiness, as for reafon and religion; he defies fhame, ruin, and death, as much as he does God and providence in one word, with an impudent and lewd ftupidity he makes all the hafte he can to be undone and fince he will be fo, it were well if if he could be undone alone. I am fure we have too many inftances at this day of the miferable and fatal effects of atheism and deifm, to leave any room to doubt whether I have ftrained the point here or no. Upon the whole it does appear, that fin is a great evil; and that the evil of it is not leffened, but increafed by obduration. And from hence the propofition inferred does naturally follow, that deliverance from it is a great good; fo great, that if we estimate it by the evil there is in fin, health to the fick, liberty to the captive, day to the benighted, weary, and wandering traveller; a calm, a port to passengers in a storm; pardon to men adjudged to death, are but weak and imperfect images or resemblances of it. A difeafe will at worft terminate with the body, and life and pain will have an end together: but the pain that fin causes will endure to all eternity; for the worm dies not, and the fire will not be quenched. The error of the traveller will be corrected by the approaching day, and his weariness refreshed at the next stage he comes to; but he that errs impenitently from the path of life, is loft for ever when the day of grace is once fet upon him, no light fhall e'er recall his wandering feet into the path of righteousness and peace; no cafe, no refreshment fhall e'er C'er relieve his toil and mifery. Whilft the feet of the captive are loaded with fetters, his foul may enjoy its trueft liberty; and in the midst of dangers and dungeons, like Paul and Silas, he may fing fongs of praise and triumph: but the captivity of fin defiles, oppreffes, and enflaves the mind, and delivers up the miferable man to those intolerable and endless evils, which inexorable justice and almighty wrath inflicts upon ingratitude and obftinacy. A ftorm can but wreck the body, a frail and worthless bark; the foul will efcape fafe to fhore, the blessed fhore, where the happy inhabitants enjoy an undisturbed, an everlafting calm: but fin makes fhipwreck of faith and a good confcience, and he that perishes in it does but pass into a more miferable state; for on the wicked God will rain fnares, fire and brimftone, form and tempeft; this shall be their portion for ever. Pfal. xi. And, laftly, a pardon fends back a condemned criminal to life, that is, to fins and fufferings, to toils and troubles, which death, if death were the utmoft he had to fear, would have freed him from: but be, that is once delivered from fin, is pass'd from death to life; and from this life of faith, of love, of hope, fhall foon pass to another of fruition and glory. §. 2. A 2. A fecond fruit of liberty is good works. Here I will fhew two things: First, and this but briefly, that the works of righteousness contribute mightily to our happinefs; and that immediately. Secondly, That deliverance from fin removes the great obftacles and impediments of righteousness, and throws off that weight which would otherwife encumber and tire us in our race. I. Holiness is no fmall pleasure, no fmall advantage, to him who is exercifed therein. When nature is renewed and restored, the works of righteousness are properly and truly the works of nature and to do good to man, and offer up our praifes and devotions to God, is to gratify the frongest and most delightful inclinations we have. These indeed are at first stifled and oppreffed by ori•ginal corruption, falfe principles, and vicious cuftoms: but when once they have broke through thefe, like feeds through the earthy coats they are enclosed and imprisoned in, and are impregnated, warmed, and cherifhed by an heavenly influence, they naturally fhoot up into good works. Virtue has a celeftial original, and a celeftial tendency: from God it comes, and towards God it moves and can it be otherwife than amiable and pleafant? Virtue is all beauty, all harmony and order; and therefore we may view and review, confider and reflect upon it with delight. It procures us the fa vour vour of God and man; it makes our affairs naturally run smoothly and calmly on; and fills our minds with courage, chearfulness, and good hopes. In one word, diverfion and amufements give us a fanciful pleafure; an animal fenfitive life, a fhort and mean one: fin, a deceitful, falfe, and fatal one: only virtue, a pure, a rational, a glorious, and lafting one. And this is enough to be faid here the loveliness of holiness being a fubject which ever and anon I have occafion to engage in. 2. I am next to fhew, that deliverance from fin removes the impediments of virtue. This will eafily be made out, by examining what influence felfifhness, fenfuality, and the love of this world, which are the three great principles or fources of wickedness, have upon the feveral parts of evangelical righteousness. 1. The first part is that, which contains thofe duties that more immediately relate to our felves. Thefe are efpecially two, Jobriety and temperance. By fobriety, I mean a ferious and impartial examination of things; or fuch a ftate of mind as qualifies us for it. By temperance, I mean the moderation of our affections. and enjoyments, even in lawful and allowed inftances. From thefe proceed vi gilance, industry, prudence, fortitude; or patience and feadiness of mind in the pro fecution of what is beft. Without thefe |