they have too long forgotten their Maker, and abused his Long-fuffering and Patience too much, to believe that he chaftens them as Sons, and not rather that he punishes them as Rebels; they have fo long flighted his Word, and difregarded his Providence, that they have now very little reafon to place any Confidence in his Wifdom, Pow er and Goodness, that all Things shall work together for their Good. When once they are made fenfible of their Sins under the Afflictions they endure, no question of it' but they would be glad at their Hearts to be capable of thofe Comforts which good' Men feel in Adverfity, of that Faith in God, and Teftimony of a good Confcience, which lightens the Burden, which fweetens the Cup of Affliction; but their Prayers and Repentance are too late to put them into this Condition, the Sins of their Youth, and of their riper Age, their Incorrigiblenefs under all the Inftructions and Advantages they have had, will not allow this Eafe and Refrefhment. And what is worst of all, they can take but little more Comfort in looking forward than they have by looking backward. Tho' their Prayers and Repentance may fignify much more in order to their Welfare in the World to come, than the recovering of Happiness in this, or to the giving of them prefent Ease, yet they cannot but greatly distrust their Repen

tance,

tance, and doubt whether it will be available for their Salvation. For what is the Hope of the Hypocrite, tho' he hath gained, when God taketh away his Soul? Will God hear his Cry when Trouble cometh upon him? Job 27. 8, 9. What Affurance can they now have that their Repentance is fincere, and fuch as God will accept? Or rather, what reafon have they to fufpect that it is merely extorted by the Dread of approaching Punishments, that they chufe Heaven now, if they might be admitted into it, for no other reafon but to avoid the Damnation of Hell? How can they be well fatisfied that their Prayers and Repentance proceed from a true Sorrow for their Sins, upon a Sense of their Ingratitude to their God and Saviour, and the Bafenefs and Filthinefs of Sin and Difobedience, upon any Love to Religion and Virtue, or any other ingenuous Motive, upon any Principle that fuppofes and infers a Change of their Wills and Affections, of their Hearts and Souls? Thefe Confiderations, with many more tending to the fame Purpose, cannot but make the late Prayers and Repentance of wicked Men in their Extremities very unprofitable, and unable to procure them the Comfort of reasonable Hope that God will pardon their Sins, and fave their Souls. All that can be faid to them is this, that the best Course they can now take, is to pray

as

as heartily, and Repent as earneftly as they can, to demonftrate their Sincerity by all Ways that they are able; and they do not know, but that their Repentance may be an effectual Change of their Hearts and Souls, and fuch as God will accept for their efcaping of Condemnation : But all the while the chearful Hope of a bleffed Imortality, which good Men are fupported by at the Hour of Death, doth not belong to them, their Prayers cannot bring them this Happinefs; they may fay, Who can tell, but Gid may turn from his Anger, that we perish not? Not one of them can fay, I have fought a good Fight, I have finished my Course, benceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteoufnefs.

Thus much concerning the Unprofitablenefs of a late Repentance in this World, under that Extremity of Affliction, which a Man's Vice and Wickednefs hath redu. ced him to. But to be fure in the

Second Place, The Repentance of the next World is utterly unprofitable. Then may the Wicked call upon God, but he will not answer; they may feek him never fo earneftly, but he will not be found of them. I fay, certainly the Repentance of the Wicked after this Life will prove unprofitable, and by being fo, doth it felf become a Pupifhment. We do not from hence remove

to

;

to a new State of Tryal; that State ends with this Life, the Next is for Reward or Punishment. Common Reason fhewed this, tho' fomething darkly to the Heathens; but We have fo clear a Revelation of this Matter by the Gofpel, that we can admit no reasonable Doubt of it; all the Promises and Threatnings concerning the Next Life, being made as our Behaviour is in This but there is not the least Shadow or Glympfe of Comfort to those that lose this Opportunity, nor the leaft Ground of thinking to escape by a Repentance after the Grave, or by feeking God's Mercy juft when we are led to the Bar of his Juftice Then, I fay, it will be moft certainly true of all that call upon God in the anguifh of their Minds ; Tho' they call upon. me, yet I will not answer them; though they feek me diligently, yet they shall not be able to find me.

Thus have I fhown with what Diftinctions and Limitations this and the like Places are to be understood.

And the Sum is this; That the Repen. tance of foolish and wicked Perfons under their Extremities, their extream Calamities in this World, is ordinarily very unprofitable for them in this World, either as to their deliverance from Pain or Poverty, or whatever Mifery is befallen them; or as to E e

the

Vol. II. the Comfort which a Man in his Distress would be glad to find from God and Religion : But as for them that Repent not till their Turn comes in the Other World, it will turn. to no account for them; they must hear the irreversible Sentence, and fuffer the unavoidble Effect of it for ever.

And all this implies no want of Goodness in God; for Goodness is fuch a Difpofition to communicate Happiness, as is guided by Wisdom and Juftice, and is not a fond Pity, or weak Compliance. It is as neceffary for the common Good of the Rational World, that there fhould be Punishments threatned, as that there fhould be Rewards promis'd; but if there were no Time fet beyond which Patience fhould no longer be fhown, when the Punishment should certainly be inflicted, the Threatnings of it would fignify little or nothing, and what force would it be of to restrain the Wills of Men? There must be fuppofed a Time, when the Juftice of God will be inflexible, and his Anger inexorable; for without this there could be no fteady Government.

More particularly; As to the Miferies that wicked Men bring upon themselves in this World towards the end of their Lives, have they any reafon to complain against the Goodness of God, if he doth not restore them to Plenty, and Health again, when they now feek him by Repentance and Pray

er ?