CHAP. dition; without any carnal Affections, and with XI. Luftre and Glory equal to one of the celeftial Luminaries: When there will be to both Body and Soul, Enjoyment of eternal Life in Heaven, in the Glories and Felicities of that Place; immortal Happiness given through the second Adam is tranfcendently greater and more complete in celeftial Heaven, and better tafted from the Foil of felt Mortality, paft Grief, Disturbance, and Tribulation. Whereas in Paradife, there was no Promife, unless imply'd, or Affurance of any more than an inferior, perpetuated Life upon Earth. Man is therefore a Gainer every Way by the Fall, if it is not his own Default, i. e. if he will not still continue the Fall of our first Parents, by the Favour of our Redeemer, and by the Providence of that Almighty and moft merciful Father, whofe fole Prerogative it is to bring Good out of Evil, and make the arifing Good surpass the Evil: All the time the Aim and Effence of the Devil is to pervert Good always, and endeavour to bring Evil out of it continually.

CAN'T the Deift then bear the Burthen of Obligation, and Dependance upon Heaven, in being overcome with Kindneffes; is that a proper Return, ubi multa beneficia antevenere, pro gratia odium redditur? whilft the prefent inflicted Labour and Travail serve to keep the Body in breathing Health, during its Stay here below: Civil Government, that arifes out of the Disorder of Paffions, teaches Subjection to Laws, and reftrains from many enormous Tranfgreffions: And the Train of natural Evils, promifcuously distri buted, weans the Mourner from the Love of this World, cures him from difquieting himself in vain in feeking after Good in its Poffeffions, or

any

XI.

any of its Magnificences, and fends him to his CHAP. Prayers to that fuperintending Being, who will fhew them Good, Solid, Stable, Satisfying, that fhall be proper for their State, for ever. And that abfent Good will make them more fubject to, and dependant upon God, on whom they rely for their Happiness. A Failure in which Dependance first introduced that Evil, out of which arose that wonderful (and otherwise undiscoverable) Display of the Divine Goodness and exuberant Excellencies through the Mediator, for advancing Man to higher Happiness from his Fall. What was faid upon another Occafion, may be apply'd to Eve: Si non erraffet, feceret illa minus.

IF the Deifts therefore have any true Respect for their old Friend, and dear Favourite, the Body, they would come into this Method, for the Sake of its glorious future Improvement. Or, if they have any Value for eternal Life in Heaven, as who in their Senfes, in this Vale of Mifery, will not pant after that? Here is the Door to enter in; and it is mine, and I hope every Christian's hearty Defire, and Prayer, that they may enter in, before the late Hour comes, when it will be shut against them. For such is the Misfortune, or rather Malediction on their prefent groveling Principles, that they have no Regard what shall be the future State of their Body; its Refurrection to them, not believing in their Redeemer, must be full as great an Abfurdity as it ever was to all Heathen Reafoners. And the future State of the Happiness of their Soul, as defigned and intended by them, feems to be a very precarious Hope and Confequence from their Principles: And fo they are falfe to both Cc 2 Parts

CHAP. Parts of that Nature, which they carry about with them, and adore.

XI.

THEY don't deny the Immortality of the Soul, rather give out general Words of leaving the Providance for its Condition hereafter to God. But their Principles don't allow them to be very follicitous, how they fhall fare in another World. For as they generally found their Law of Nature in the Confideration of God having made Man a rational, and a fociable Creature, a Member of a Community; the Duties which flow from that, may all be directed and intended to terminate in this World only: Self Prefervation, Government of the Paffions, Temperance, Fortitude, Fidelity, Truth, Juftice, Peace, Mercy in forgiving Enemies, and relieving the Neceffitous, and Benevolence, in wishing well to all. And for thefe Obligations, they make themselves accountable only to the co-temporary Reason of others of the fame Society; not to the Heavenly Founder and Governor of that Society diffus'd as it is over the face of the Earth.

BUT how little do they confider themselves as made for Religion, or accountable to God hereafter for their Actions here: That would introduce pofitive Rewards and Punishments; which can't be admitted into their Scheme, as long as they reject Revelation, whence only they can be certainly known.

"THOUGH human Law-givers (fays the Au"thor of Christianity, &c. pag. 22.) are forced "to have Recourfe to Punishments, which are "not connected with the Things they forbid ;

66 yet

yet a Being of infinite Power is not thus CHAP. ftreighten'd, but may make one the neceffary XI. Confequence of the other: And, indeed, how "can it be otherwife, fince Good and Evil have "their Foundation in the effential Difference of "Things, and their Nature is fix'd and immove"able: And confequently our Happiness depends on the intrinfick Nature of the one, and

our Mifery on the intrinfick Nature of the "other." And pag. 332. "'Tis the View with "which an Action is done, that makes it mo"ral: He who pays his Debts out of a Principle of Honefty, does a moral Action; while "he, who does the fame for fear of the Law, "can't be faid to act morally: And can he, "who does a Thing to avoid being punish'd, or "in Hopes of being rewarded hereafter; and "for the fame Reason is ready to do the contrary; "Merit, at least, equally with him, who is in "Love with his Duty, and is govern'd, not by "fervile Motives, but by the original Obligation "of the moral Fitnefs of Things, in Conformi

ty to the Nature, and in Imitation of the per"fect Will of God? They who do not act "thus, deferve not the Title of true Deifts ;" where it appears they pretend to Merit of Heaven, by their Conduct of being Deifts. And, indeed, they must be allow'd to have a great Share of Merit, fo long as they continue to make a Merit of their Vices.

AND as they neither observe the Law of Nature, nor perform moral Virtue, with respect to another World; nor place them to God's Account, as Obedience to his Laws requiring it, with no Intention to his Service, nor any Prospect of his rewarding Favour; what Regard

Cc3

fhould

XI.

CHAP. fhould God and another World have to them hereafter, when they have fo little to either of them here? They please themselves in doing what they do, as rational, fociable Creatures; They receive not the Law of Nature from Heaven as a Rule of Duty, or as any Prescription for bringing them thither; nor does their Syftem put them in Mind of any fuch Hopes, or oblige them to any fuch Thoughts, of exprefly pursuing a future Felicity after Death. They can't bear to be told by their own Servants, that there is no need of their Interpofition, when thofe Servants are actually doing their Work wrong, or by Halves: Yet they expect that Heaven will not only bear with the Mockery of their Remonftrance, and the Ridicule of their Refufal of its kind Interpofal, for conducting them thither, and informing their Actions aright; but also find them a Place there moreover, and put them into a Poft to dispute against God there, as they do here.

If this is the Secret of modern Deifm; these the best Prospects drawn from the natural Goodnefs of God; it would be happy for every Body to keep out of it, and defpife thefe low Offers made to human Nature, as many as have the Light of the Gospel, and the Glory of the Divine Goodness, and all the Divine Attributes, fhining in the Face, or Perfon of Jefus Chrift*, and may behold the Glory of the Lord with open Face †. How happy is it for Chriftians, that by his Mediation, the Glory of God, and their own eternal Good are fo infeparably connected together, that while they pursue the Qualifications for their future Felicity, according to his Directions, they at the fame time, and by the very fame Obfervances, act for the Glory of God? FOR