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porting Gaiety upon their Spirits. It comforts them with the fweet Reflections upon their Innocence. It enkindles that Holy Fire, thofe ardent Affections, which continually breath after the Joys of another World.

2. The Suppofitions is altogether groundless, For tho' Religious Men always live under the powerful Senfe of Almighty God; though they are always apprehenfive that there is an All-feeing Eye upon them; and confcious that a Judgment muft pafs upon them at the End of this Life; and therefore they dare not allow themselves in any wanton, or unlawful Dalliances; yet their Religion does not enjoyn them to be always poring upon thefe Things, or to be engaged upon the actual Preparation for them: Religion it felf has its lucid Intervals; its reasonable Intermiffions, and its innocent Festivities. So gracious is our God, that he requires nothing of us which is inconfiftent with the chearfulness of our Minds, the Health of our Bodies and the Intereft of our Teinporal Affairs; provided we always keep a good Confcience, void of Offence towards God, and towards Men; and obferve our conftant Seafons of Devotion and Prayer: We may enjoy as much of this World as is needful; as much as a wife and virtuous Man would defire. True Piety is neither fcrupulous, nor rigid, it is wife and confiftent with it felf; it keeps a conftant, an even Temper, never exalted into the wild Freaks and Extravagancies of Vice, nor depreffed

preffed into Melancholy and Difpair. And tho' it may happen fometimes, that a Man fincerely Religious, may fall below the Dignity of his Hopes and Profeffions; be overwhelm'd in Doubts and Scruples; yet that is no Effect of his Religion; it is indeed his great Infelicity, or it may be his Error; it may proceed from the natural Temper and Conftitution of his Body, from the Darknefs of his Imagination, or from the Mifperfwafion of his Mind; but this I conftantly, and with fome Affurance, affirm, That there is nothing in true Religion, which gives juft Occafion of Scruple to a good Man; that the firm Belief, even of a Judgment to come, with all its Circumftances of Solemnity and Terror, is a Doctrine of Infinite and unfpeakable Comfort. And this brings me to the 2d Thing propofed, viz.

Secondly, The Infecurity, and Danger of denying, and the infinite Comfort of believing a Judgment to come. It is apparent, that the Atheistical, and Prophane Men of this Age, pride themselves in their Infidelity chiefly upon this Reason; that thereby they can fhake off the Reftraints and Fetters of Religion; and the flavish Fears, which the Dread of an After-Account raifes in the Minds of thofe they call credulous and believing Men; that they are fecure in their Lufts and Pleasures, because they can laugh at, and droll down a Judgment to come: Take their Fill of Voluptuousness here, without being interrupted there

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in, by the Mormo's, and frightful Bugbears of Religion. Well, but can they withal laugh down the Thoughts of Death? Can they fay, they fhall never die? No, that's too plain, and certain to be denied. And what's become of them then? Why, one of thefe Things muft of Neceffity follow; that they muft either for ever fleep, and rot in the Duft, or they muft rife again to Judgment. Chufe which of the two you will, neither of them will afford any tolerable Comfort: If you chufe the Firft, is it any Comfort to think that when we are dead, we fhall pafs into a State of everlasting Slumber and Inactivity? Do not our Nature abhors an Annihilation? Do they not ftart back at the Thoughts of lofing all the Faculties of Senfe and Reafon; all the Pleasures of Understanding and Memory; of Knowledge and Happiness? Is it any Comfort to think that like Beafts, we must be buried in Silence be eaten up of Worms and Infects? Certain it is, that this is not only the moft Abfurd, and Unphilofophical, but the most fottish, and debafing, and uncomfortable Opinion in the World. But what if the other Opinion prove true; (as moft certainly it will) that after Death the Judgment; "that they muft rife a gain, and give an Account to God, as for all their other Sins, fo in particular for their Infidelity, in denying and disbelieving his Revelations: And what Comfort will this afford? If it then appear that there was fufficient Rea fon to believe the Gospel, they must then con

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fefs that they deferve to be damned for their Unbelief. If it then prove true, it will be too late to dispute with God, whether they had fufficient Evidence of it; it will be too late to make Excufes, when there are Thousands prefent, as Wife, and Cautious as themselves, who will witness against them, that there was fufficient Evidence for their Faith. This may be fufficient to convince us, that the Denial of a future Judgment is no fuch comfortable Doctrine. If there be no Judgment, everlafting Darkness and Oblivion must cover the Sons of Men; and who can think of this without Horror? If there be a Judgment, Atheists and Unbelievers are yet in a worfe Condition: If there be a Heaven, they fhall be excluded from it: If there be a Hell, they fhall fall into it. And would the Scoffers of our Days seriously confider this, they would not take fo much Pains to make themselves Unbelievers, and then value themfelves upon, their Attainments. But to leave these Men to their Danger and Mifery, let us confider a little the Security, and the infinite Comfort of believing a Judgment to come. Were it not true, yet it is an innocent Miftake: The Belief of it can do us no harm; it has no evil Confequences attending it; fhould we chance to have washed our Hands in vain; fhould we not meet with our expected Reward, yet we are no worse for it; we fhall be in as good a Condition as Atheists and Unbelievers; we fhall both pass into a State of Non-Exiftence, M 4

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and there's an End of all. But pardon me Heaven; why do I make fuch a Suppofition? 'Tis a Reflection upon Religion, to allow fo much in this Argument, as the poffibility that there will not be a future Judgment; or that God will ever deceive thofe that believe and truft in him: Religious Men may be affured, that there will be a Day of Account, and that their Redemption draweth nigh. And what a comfortable Thought, what a refreshing Confideration is that? To be able to look the King of Terrors in the Face; to fee Light through the dark Vault of the Grave; to be fecured against the Terrors of the Day of Judgment! What a ftrange Alteration will this make in a Man's Countenance, in his Spirit, in his Defigns, and in the whole Management of himself! How little will he fear the Face of Man; how unconcerned will he be at the Flouts and Infults of Atheists ; how contented under all the Providences and Calamities of this World, who is under juft and good Hopes of being acquitted and approved at the Judgment of God? His Confcience is at reft; his Life is comfortable; his Death transporting! Oh! what a mighty Support is it, at the Approach of Death, to look forward to a bleffed Refurrection! to reafon our felves out of Fear and Diffidence ; to get above the Thought and the Terror of of our Diffolution; and to ftrengthen our felves in the View of all that Glory which is to come! Happy Day! when we are brought

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