Tribunal in the world to come, where Rewards and Punishments fhall be more equally difpenfed.

But to difcourfe this more particularly; I obferve,that the external AppearancesofProvidence, prove that God does govern and judge the world at prefent, as much as is neceffary to the ends of Government in this world: I confefs, did it appear that God took no care of the Government of the world at prefent, I fhould very much que ftion whether he would judge the world hereaf ter; but when there are plain and evident proofs that a wife and juft Providence does govern the world; that God makes fuch a difference at prefent between good and bad men, as the good Government of this world requires; this is a fufficient reafon to expect a more exact, impartial, univerfal Judgment of good and bad men in the next world. To ftate this matter plainly, and to make a very fenfible Argument of it, I fhall 1. Shew you what evidence we have of a Divine Juftice and Providence which governs the world at prefent. 2. The Force of this Confequence, from the Providence of God in this world, to a Judgment in the next.

1. What evidence we have of a Divine Justice and Providence which governs the world; and I fhall begin,

1. With that Divine Juftice which is interwoven in the nature of things: For if God have fo contrived the nature of things, that wickednefs is a punishment to it felf; and wicked men a Plague and Scourge to each other, it is a plain demonftration, that when God made man, he intended to govern him too, fince he has annexed fuch natural Rewards or Punishments to a virtu

ous

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ous or vicious Life: I am fure this is as good an Argument for a Providence, as the wife Contrivance of things is for God's making the World. We think it very abfurd to fay, that the World was made by chance, or without a wife Creator,when there is fuch admirable Art and Curiofity in the Make of the meaneft Creature,as the wifest Philofophers are not able to understand,much lefs to imitate. And if all Human Art and Philofophy cannot make a Fly,nor fo much as understand the Make of it, how can we poffibly imagine, that fuch a world as this, which confifts of fuch infinite variety of Creatures, and every Creature made up of fo many Natural Wonders, and all fo admirably fitted to each other,as to make up an uniform, regular, and beautiful world, fhould own any other Author, but an Infinitely, Wife and Perfect Being, who has all Power, and all poffible Ideas of Usefulness and Beauty That is to fay, Since there are fuch apparent Characters and Impreffions of an excellent and unfearchable wifdom in the Frame of the world, a wife Being must be the Maker of it; And is it not as good an Argument, That if Human Nature be fo contrived, that Man who is a Free Agent, fhall be happy or miferable as he is good or bad, that God made him to be governed,and therefore intended to govern him; nay, did more than intend it, for he contrived his Nature fo, as to govern it felf? for tho he has made him a Free Agent, yet he has left nothing at his liberty, but whether he will be happy or miferable; the one he muft be, and he may indeed chufe which he will; but there could Anot be a greater natural Reftraint upon a Free Agent, than to make Happiness or Milery the re

ward

ward of his Choice; efpecially fince Nature teaches all Mankind to love themselves, and to be happy if they can.

That this is fo, is fo evident to our very fenfes, that it is a good Subject to declaim on, but needs no proof: What is there that can make any man miferable in this world, which is not the natural and neceffary effect of fome fome Sin or other?

Will irregular and furious Paffions make a man miferable a confounding fhame,diftracting and terrifying Fears,raging Anger, Malice, Revenge, great Perplexity,Solicitude,Anxiety of thoughts? if the pain and torment of mind is mifery, thefe Paffions muft make men miferable: Now all these are the paffions of a finful mind, Sin is the Parent and the Nurfe of them: A virtuous man, who always takes care to do his Duty, and what becomes him, knows not what shame means; if he be flander'd, reproach'd, and vilified, he may blufh a little to be thought a bad man, but his own Confcience does not reproach him: Nothing is truly infamous, but what is wicked; and therefore Shame can never disturb an innocent and virtuous mind. Good men may be afraid of fome Temporal Evils and Calamities, but it is Sin which diftracts men with guilty Fears, which are fo unfupportable to Human Nature. Nay, when our worldly fears are exceffive and tormenting, they are raised and aggravated by fome Vice or other, either by too great a paffion and fondness for this world, or a diftruft of the Divine Providence and Protection; which is the true Caufe alfo of that Thoughtfulness, Anxiety, and Solicitude, which the love of Riches, and the fear of lofing fuch uncertain Treasures create. A

raging Anger, Malice, Revenge, is owing to Self-love, Pride, Covetoufnefs, Injuftice, and fuch other Vices, as make men Injurious to each other, and impatient of Injuries. Man had been a Stranger to all these troublesome tormenting Paffions, had he continued Innocent: And whoever would enjoy Peace, and Contentment, and Satiffaction of Mind,quiet,and eafy,and chearful Paffions, muft root out thofe Vices which make fuch a Ferment, and raife fuch unnatural Tempests in our Breafts.

Is Pain and Sicknefs, Poverty and Difgrace, an Untimely or Infamous Death, a great punishment to men? These would be the punishments of fome kinds and degrees of Sin,though neither God nor men fhould judge Sinners. Drunkenness, and Gluttony, and Luft, will deftroy our Health, and afflict us with tormenting Difeafes, and fhorten our Lives, and waste our Eftates, and make us infamous: If you want a proof of this, go vifit the Hofpitals and the Goals; fee the miferable Spectacles of Rottennefs and Poverty there, and enquire into the Causes of them,and how many Martyrs and Confeffors there are to Intemperance and Luft, or fome other deftructive Vice: Enquire into the Decays of Noble and Flourishing Families; how goodly Lordships and Mannors come so often to change their Mafters; what makes Riches fuch uncertain and mutable things: Look into the Streets, and fee what Crowds of miferable and'diftreffed People, Sloth and Idlenefs,and other Vices, have fent thither. What loud Clamours fhould we have against the Justice of the Divine Providence, did men fuffer half fo much by Piety and Virtue,as they do in the fervice of their Lufts?

If mens own Vices be not a fufficient punishment to them, we may confider in the next place, how bad men punish one another. There are infi nite inftances of this even in well-governed Kingdoms, where the Vices of men are reftrained by publick Laws, and the fevereft Executions of Juftice; yet how many Outrages do they commit, Rapes, Murders, Thefts, Oppreffion, Iujuftice, and all forts of Violence! What work does Pride, and Covetoufnefs, and Luft make! especially when fuch Vices as thefe infect great men, and are armed with Power to do Mifchief; witness all the bloody Wars of Afpiring and Ambitious Princes, attended with the Ruins and Defolations of flourishing Countries, and all the Miferies and Calamities which the moft frightful Fancy can conceive, or the moft Poetick Wit defcribe.

But then on the other hand, Virtue has its na tural Rewards; it gives peace and fatisfaction to the Mind, governs our Appetites and Paffions, that they caufe no pain or difturbance to us; it is the beft means to preferve our Health, to encrease our Fortune,to procure Friends,to reconcile Enemies, to give us Credit and Reputation, to escape the Injuries of bad men, to pass through the world with as little envy, and oppofition, and juftling, as it is poffible; that is, it is not of it felf fufficient to make a good man compleatly happy in this world, for there is no fuch thing to be had here; but it is the only thing that can make him as happy as he can be here; it will prevent a great many mifchiefs which other men fall into and enable him to bear thofe patiently, which it cannot prevent.

This is the first step of God's governing Man