men to follow, with a willing mind, thofe unerring guides, is an attempt, I fear, too arduous and difficult to be accomplished:fhould our utmoft endeavours, however, but call one finner to repentance, we shall in no wife lose our reward. That I may contribute what little is in my power towards the attainment of so valuable an end, I shall beg your ferious attention, whilft I lay before you; not only the hazard, but the folly of Practical Atheism.. Though every one here prefent will, I doubt not, very readily declare, that he believes there is a God, who will hereafter reward the just, and punish the wicked; yet upon a strict examination, it is to be feared that too many will find, they only fay so, because they have been accustomed to fuch a conceffion from their infancy; and that bare acknowledgment has been all, for perhaps as they imbibed thofe notions upon the credit of others, they never gave themselves the trouble to examine into the truth or falfehood of them; but fitting down contented with paffing for nominal Chrif tians, pursue every idle fancy with avidity, that feems to look like pleasure; and whether they shall live hereafter, or not, and how it will fare with them, when this world fhall pafs away, are articles; which they conceive to be no concern of theirs. Now can any man be faid properly to believe a thing, of which he has only heard fome imperfect account, and that too with fo much coldness and indifference, as not to think it worth his care to enquire into the reality of the fact? No furely! for to believe we must have all the evidence that the nature of the thing will bear: It is no unnatural affertion, therefore, to fay, that the true reafon why men do not reform their lives, is, because their belief is unfettled: for is it credible, that fuch numbers could have the least apprehenfions of leaving this world in a few years for a state of the most confummate mifery, and yet be easy, whilst they were running headlong into fo deplorable a state?-1 would ask any man, did he believe that the house he is compelled to inhabit would, in a few years, be confumed by fire, and that he fhould hould inevitably perish in the flames; unless he was continually upon his guard, and used his utmost endeavours to prevent fuch a misfortune, whether this would not make him for ever uneafy? Whether he would not exert himself to the laft degree, in hope to avoid fo deplorable a fate? And whether he would not esteem that perfon as his dearest friend who fhould point out to him an infallible method to preferve him from fuch deftruction? If then the greatest care is thought too little to fecure us from temporal calamities, how much more will the fincere believer do to fkreen himself from the wrath of an offended and almighty God? It is therefore plain to me, and muft, upon the least confideration, be fo to every one, that either thofe, who live in a conftant courfe of fin, do not believe; or else, that they must be to the last degree prefumptuous, mad, and foolish. Now I am charitable enough to think, that the want of confideration is the principal cause, and the best reason that can be given, why fo many in these times fall into Practical Atheism. I would therefore advise such a set of unthinking men to recollect, that their fecurity and eafe will never quench the flames of hell; and, as a very little reflection will convince them that there must be a place of punishment referved for the defperately wicked they will experience the intolerable pains of it, when it is too late to repent and if a fevere fit of the gout, or ftone, be fuch agonizing pain; if poverty and contempt prove fuch infupportable burdens, that men have preferred death with all its horrors and uncertainties rather than endure them; think, O! timely think, what torments the wrath of a juftly offended God may produce! As a convincing proof of the truth of thefe reflections, let us look back to the infancy of Chriftianity, and we shall find almoft incredible numbers fo firmly perfuaded of the being of a God, as to forego, not only all the alluring pleasures that the world could afford them, but life itself, with the nobler profpect of an ever bleffed immortality, Thefe chriftian heroes, before their converfion, reflected as little,, t little, perhaps, on a future ftate, and were as remifs, as the generality of mankind are at prefent; but truth is so prevailing, that we need only fhew it, in order to convince the moft obftinate that fome danger awaits their temerity. Now what exalted ideas of God's goodness, and awful fears of his displeasure, muft poffefs the fouls of those, who, to purchase his favour, patiently endured the feverest tortures, that the cruelty of man could poffibly devise; who, when they were beheaded, burnt, flead, or fawn asunder, rejoiced that they were thought worthy to fuffer. These confiderations fitly weighed, will furely awaken us from our lethargy; and as they fo nearly concern us, muft undoubtedly prompt us to examine whether they be true or false; and I am fully perfuaded if once we fet heartily about fuch an important enquiry, and use all poffible means to fucceed in it, we shall first of all be convinced of our danger, and then, unless we are stupid and infenfible to the last degree, fhall cry out, as the converts of old did to the apoftles ;-" Sirs, what must we "do to be faved?" I hope the few obvious reflections which I have offered to you at this time, are fufficient to convince you of the danger and folly of Practical Atheism; I propose therefore, in the next place, to enquire how it happens, that men are so careless and remifs in a point of such importance, and where their future felicity is fo nearly concerned. The fource of this unhappy fecurity, and indolence, in affairs relating to another world, I take to be the little care that parents and masters take to instil betimes into the minds of youth the principles of their most holy religion. I shall therefore beg leave to make a digreffion on this fubject, and fhew the ill confequences, both as to their spiritual and temporal welfare, that attend fuch a Thameful neglect. I shall then, by way of application, represent to you the anguish and remorse which the Practical Atheist must experience, when overtaken by a violent fit of fickness, or overwhelmed with the in firmities firmities of old age ;-and, on the other hand, the joy which the virtuous man poffeffes in the laft ftage of his life, when he finds death making his gentle approaches towards him. To begin with the fource, or firft caufe of Practical Atheism, I mean the mistakes into which many run with regard to the education of their children. What I have to offer upon this article will confift chiefly of a few general obfervations, in which I shall address myself in a more particular manner to parents; fince the negligence of fuch near relations may render the labours even of the most skilful mafters ineffectual. He who has the welfare of his child at heart, will not think all the pains he can poffibly take, in order to procure any valuable bleffing for him, too great. The most desperately wicked are seldom infenfible of that tenderness for their offspring, which the infinite goodness of God has fo strongly impreffed on the heart of man. I would therefore offer the following reflections to the confideration of thofe, who have the leaft regard for the prefent or future happiness of their children.. Every one must allow, that the prejudices we imbibe, or the evil habits we contract, in our infancy, and younger years, are very difficult at least, if not impoffible, to remove ;-that those who have: had the happiness of a virtuous and liberal education, though they should for a time be carried away by the fire of youth, or the violence of any temptation; yet they very feldom continue long in fo unfortunate a courfe; the virtuous principles they received in their: childhood, will, in every fober hour, revive and reproach them, as. it were, for their ill conduct; and it has been often obferved, that: after a short struggle, Virtue has gained the victory, and they have: followed her paths with more eagerness and delight than ever. On the other hand, those whofe parents have not only neglected them, in their early days; but by their own bad examples have encouraged and cherished their difpofitions to evil; if ever it should so hap- pen, pen, as I believe it very rarely does, that they are awakened to a fense of their danger, and refolved to feek the ways of wisdom and truth; how hard is the conflict! How liable are they to be overcome by every temptation that is laid before them! Parents therefore ought to undertake the task of forming the minds of their children betimes; their care ought to begin at the very cradle; or, at least, as soon as they are capable of making any reflections. We very jufly call thofe times when the light of the Gospel was hid from the world, the days of ignorance and darkness; and we may with great reafon rejoice in fo invaluable a bleffing as the knowledge of the true God, and the certain methods of attaining his favour, and thereby procuring to ourselves an heavenly inheritance. We can likewife add to these privileges the most perfect morality, and the best rules for the direction of our conduct throughout the whole courfe of our lives: We have not only the advantage of the labours of all the philofophers, but their errors and mistakes amended, and such improvements as all their boasted wisdom could never attain. Since this is the cafe, and fince we have fo many helps and guides which they wanted, would it not be the greatest difgrace imaginable to us, fhould we yield to them either in wifdom, prudence or virtue? Should we not, on the contrary, be stirred up to imitate, to excel them in every praife-worthy undertaking. SECTION II. It may be no unprofitable digreffion in this place, to give chriftian parents a tranfient view of the more than common pains which the heathens themselves took in fo important an affair, as the lation of their children. regu Their first concern was to procure fuch fervants for their attendants, as were esteemed perfons of fobriety and good morals. The neglect of parents to preferve and cultivate in their children the ineftimable treasure of modefty, they looked upon as the origin of all diforders. |