themselves to this Contempt of the Divine Authority and Laws. And therefore this is their Condemnation, that in the midst of Light they choofe Darkness rather than Light, becaufe their Deeds are evil.

And as they can have no juft Foundations for Hope from the impartial Dictates of their own Minds, Revelation, how filent foever of the State of those who could not know it, is very express in affigning to Condemnation those who wilfully reject it, in the most terrible and awakening Terms.-To them muft our bleffed Lord be understood to speak when he pronounces, that be that believeth not shall be damned.-And to fuch must belong the Declaration of the Baptift, that he that believeth not the Son of God fhall not fee Life, but the Wrath of God abideth on him.-Thefe Men are of the Number of those who were once enlighten'd, and have tafted of the heavenly Gift, and of the Powers of the World to come, and yet have fallen away; and theirs is that Sin, of which the Apostle to the Hebrews declares, that if Men fin wilfully after they have received the Knowledge of the Truth, there remaineth no more Offering for Sin, but a fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery Indignation, which fhall confume the Adverfaries of our Lord Jefus Chrift.

Such is the prefent unhappy State, such will be the future inexpreffible Mifery of thofe, who, profeffing themselves to be wife, are

L 2

mani

VIII. manifeftly guilty of the most unparallel'd Folly, in rejecting that Salvation which God offers them by his Son.-In doing this, they forfeit their Title to that Satisfaction for Sin which infinite Goodness has provided for them; when at the fame Time they pretend not to make any Satisfaction for themfelves.-They despise the meritorious Sufferings of the immaculate Lamb, without any juft Pretences to any Merit of their own-They must acknowledge themselves to be Sinners, and liable to Divine Vengeance, whilft that Reason, on which they pretend to rely, can give them no certain Affurances that they fhall escape that Vengeance; and that Revelation, which they contemn, moft terribly denounces that it will infallibly overtake them.- So far are they from having any well-grounded Hope of obtaining the Remiffion of their Sins; and fo much farther from any just Expectation of any Happiness in the World to come.

And the Ufe which I am defirous should be made of this View of their deplorable State is not to excite any Hatred or Malice towards them; but, as far as in me lyes, to put all Believers on their Guard, left they also be bardened through the Deceitfulness of Sin.And I fhall therefore conclude with inferring, from what has been faid on this Subject,

1. The prefent Uncertainty and Misery of Infidelity.

2. The present Joy and Comfort of a steady Faith. And,

3. The Neceffity of our being watchful, and always on our Guard, left we also fall from our own Stedfaftness.

1. The prefent Uncertainty and Misery of Infidelity.-The Advocates for Reason, if they adhere only to it, can have no great Certainty even of a future State, and much lefs that they themselves fhall be happy in it. The wifeft and beft of thofe, who knew little or nothing of Revelation, have spoken with great Doubt and Uncertainty about it; and if the Moderns reafon better, and more forcibly, concerning it, they owe their Light to that Revelation which they ungratefully labour to decry. And if it be allowed to be a certain Principle, that God will reward and punish us hereafter; it will ftill be very uncertain from Reafon only how great thofe Rewards, and how lafting that Punishment will be; and confequently the Infidel can only hope for he knows not what; and defpife a Punishment, which, for aught he knows, may be inexpreffibly great, and may laft for ever.-And fince it must be granted upon rational Principles, that he only can hope for any Happiness hereafter, who approves himself to God by a right Ufe of his Abilities and Opportunities; that Unbeliever only can have any juft Grounds of Hope, who has impartially weighed all the Evidences

L 3

Evidences of the Chriftian Faith, and can af fure himself in his own Confcience that they are abfolutely false. And fince they cannot but allow it poffible that they may be true; how wretched muft be a State of Doubts and endless Uncertainties, in Things on which all reasonable Comforts and Pleafures depend?How deplorable must be their Mifery in Life, who can have no juft Foundation for one Hour's Peace? How inexpreffible their Anguish when they come to die, and the Terrors of God fet themselves in Array against them?

2. The second Inference is the present Joy and Comfort of a steady Faith.-Christianity refufes us no Joy which a wife Man would choose; whereas no whereas no lafting and fubftantial Comfort can be had without it.-As long as Men can only look on their Maker as an offended Being, they must be perpetually dif quieted, if they have any Confideration, with the Fears of his Power and Refentment; but when, upon a steady Adherence to his Gospel, they know his Anger is appeased, all within will be Peace and Serenity, and there will arife in the Soul an inexhaustible Fund of Joy and Confolation. As the Mind is enlarged with these noble Views, the good Chriftian's Comfort muft rife in Proportion to that Enlargement. He knows and is affured, that the God of Heaven is his Protector, his Guardian, his Friend; that he fends forth his holy An

gels

gels to minister to him; that the Eternal Son has appeared and fuffered for him; that the Holy Ghost will illuminate, fupport, and quicken him; and that all these are but the Foretaftes of that endless Glory to which this infinite Goodness will infallibly conduct him.— And what then can be wanting even to the present Satisfactions of this faithful, peaceful, happy Man?-How sweet must be his Repofe! how enlivening his Confidence! how chearful his publick Hours in his neceffary Intercourse with the World! and how exalted his Joys when he retires from it, and converses in Secret with the God he loves, in the fervent Prayers and Praises of an inflamed Heart!

And if his Happiness be thus truly, thus inexpreffibly great, even this may lead us in

the

Third and laft Place to be watchful, and always upon our Guard, left we also fall from our own Stedfaftness.-There is no Abfurdity fo great, but Men may bring themselves to embrace it; neither is there any Crime fo horrible, but it may gradually infinuate itself into an open and unguarded Mind. - And fince Temptations even to Apoftafy are to be expected from the great Infidelity of the Age, it is every Christian's great and indifpenfible Duty to put on him the whole Armour of God, that he may be able to withstand in the evil Day,

L4