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reason, and effaced every senti

principles of his ment of humanity.

This question is not only of the utmost moment with respect to a life after this, but it is also of great influence upon, our conduct whilst we live here on earth. For, if we can persuade ourselves that there is a supreme Almighty Being, and that our souls are immortal, and that we shall be rewarded or punished according to our actions; we cannot without the greatest madness and stupidity, venture the rage and vengeance of that God who, we must be sensible, knows the most secret intentions of our hearts, and is acquainted with all our ways. And as our life is so uncertain, and we know not how soon we shall be called to this place of eternity, how vain must it be to set our affections upon things in the earth.

The rich man in the gospel never thought of a future state; he filled his barns with próvisions for many years; hugged himself with the thoughts of taking his fill of voluptuous pleasures, and set his heart upon his beloved pelf. But when he was surprized with the arrest of death, what became of all his fine schemes? his hopes of pleasure, and all his treasures that he had hoarded up? How must ̧ the miserable man have dreaded his fatal doom, when God said unto him, " Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee !" But when his poor soul was beset with devils and the ghosts of the damned, it was too late to bewa his folly and madness.

This is the case of every worldly minded

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man; he imagines himself the only wise and notable person, prides himself in the conceit of his own cunning and sagacity, and looks upon others as weak people, misled by the cheats and impostures of priests. But what is the reason of this? It is because he never examined into the merits of Christianity, but brought strong prejudices against it, imbibed by means of bad company, or bad books; or else condemned it because he found it inconsistent with the indulgence of some favourite vice which he was determined not to part with. But if he acted rationally, he would attend to the evidence, and not have suffered himself to be biassed to infidelity by his carnal inclinations. If he wishes Christianity may be an imposition, such a wish, like the jaundice that gives a false color to every object, will certainly hinder him from seeing any argument in its favour in a proper light.

But religion will not be the less true for his wishing it were not so. And it will be but a poor comfort to a wicked man to find his mistake in a state of misery.

The most shrewd man, with all his boasted reasoning, can never disprove that there is a state of happiness or misery hereafter. He can never make it appear that he shall not be for ever happy, or for ever miserable, in another life, according as he demeans himself in this. But in a matter of such infinite moment as that of eternity, he should act upon the surest side, where he ventures least if he should happen to be mistaken. And which is the surest side?

to believe or disbelieve this great truth? Surely to believe it, and to regulate his conduct accordingly.

If he is one who never troubles himself to look into these points, nor think them worth his consideration, but lives an extempore life, and follows the impulse of every passion that happens to move him, in this case he acts below the conduct of the brute creation. The beasts of the field, as far as instict teaches them, are ever studious of their own preservation; for when they are alarmed of any danger they carefull avoid it. But such a man as this acts without any regard to his own safety, and as if he had no principle of rationality in him.

But how melancholly must it be to behold. the numbers of people who profess their belief of this religious truth, and yet daily, hourly, and deliberately, contradict their faith by their practice? To what an amazing degeneracy and corruption do men run, who will think of any thing rather than eternal life!

But a man that has some expectations beyond 'the grave, who is satisfied that there is a state of everlasting happiness and misery, must be guilty of the greatest act of folly if he will forego the hopes of eternal life for the sake of any vice whatever.

What! though virtue should be attended with hardships and difficulties, a constant war with the world, the flesh, and the devil; yet when he thinks of an endless reward, he will go on with patience and courage: or else he must have a very mean, opinion of heayen and

happiness, if he thinks them not worth the obedience of a few years, though ever so difficult.

The hopes and expectation of future rewards will always be matter of confidence and courage to a good and virtuous man, and will support him under every misfortune and suffering in this life, for that which Christ has promised to his faithful followers in the world to come. This the discreet person in my text seemed to be very sensible of; therefore, in the prime of his youth, in the flower of his age, and in the higher tide of prosperity, he considered of it. It was not a sick-bed meditation, for he was in health---not a melancholly qualm of old age, for he was young---nor the effects of being discontented and out of humour with the world, for he was rich and prosperous; but it it was the effect of manly sense and wisdom; it was the eager desire of enjoying that happiness, and avoiding that misery, which are to be the rewards of virtuous or bad actions. Which leads me,

Secondly, To consider, that being once satisfied, that there is such a state as a life hereafter, he must be divested of his reason who does not earnestly desire to obtain it.

This is so clear to every intelligent person, that I need say but very little about it, because a man must be supposed to hate himself to the utmost degree who can do otherwise than desire it. For can any one wish to be eternally extinct, or at least to be everlastingly wretched and miserable? No man can think of either of

them without horror; nor, consequently, of eternal life without a kind of ecstasy and desire. When the multitude (which followed our Saviour only for the loaves) began to forsake him, he turns to his disciples, and saith to them," Will ye also go away? Lord, saith St. Peter, whither shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." As if he had said, " If it were possible to be so destitute of grace and gratitude as not to adhere to thee for thine own goodness and excellency; yet can we be so void of all sense and self-love as to farsake thee and eternal life together?"

The Patriarchs of old, the Apostles and Evangelists, and many others of the primitive Christians, underwent the greatest dangers and difficulties for that recompence of reward which God has promised to such as are faithful unto the end. And what is that recompence of reward? Is it not the blessings of heaven in an eternal future state? "Abraham looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder is God." Heb. xi. 10. "David was persuaded that God would shew him the path of life, and bring him to a place where there is fullness of joy, and pleasures for ever more." Psal. xvi. 11, "And many took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing that they had in heaven a better and enduring substance." Heb. x. 34, By all which it appears that eternal life is so infinitely desirable, that, as I said before, there needs but little to be said to prove it; and therefore, upon supposition of the belief of it, the only thing

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