nothing incredible in what Religion teaches us, viz., "that our happiness or misery hereafter, depends upon

our conduct here."

Ir from Analogy, or any thing else, it appears that our happiness or misery hereafter, depends upon our actions here, the consideration of a Future Life is very important; and we should be actively solicitous to behave so, as to escape the misery and secure the happiness, which we thus believe to be put into our own power.

Now, in the present state, all we enjoy, and a great part (though not all) of what we suffer, is put in our own power. For pleasure and pain are the consequences of our actions, and we are endued by the Author of our nature with capacities of foreseeing those consequences. Our lives can only be preserved by care to provide proper sustenance; and objects of gratification can neither be generally obtained nor enjoyed, but by certain exertions on our part. By prudence we can enjoy tolerable ease and quiet; as by rashness, passion, or negligence, we may make ourselves utterly miserable.

Why the Author of Nature does not make his creatures happy without the instrumentality of their actions, and prevent them from bringing misery upon themselves, is a question that might afford ground for

a variety of speculations; but perhaps there may be somewhat in the end and mode of God's government of the world, beyond the reach of our faculties, and as impossible for us to have any conception of, as for a blind man to have conception of colours. However, it is matter of universal experience, that under the Divine administration, we have capacities of foreseeing that from certain modes of conduct, will result certain enjoyments or sufferings.

"But all this is to be ascribed to the general course of nature." True;-yet not surely to the mere words or ideas, "course of nature," but to Him who appointed that course of things, called from its uniformity, natural, and necessarily implying an operating Agent. If then the natural course of things be the appointment of God, and our natural faculties of knowledge and experience be given by Him; then the consequences which follow our conduct are His appointment, and our foresight of these consequences, is a warning given us by Him how we are to act.

Hence God having given us to understand that He has appointed the consequences of our actions, either to afford us pleasure or pain, according to the nature of those actions,—which consequences uniformly follow,—we learn that we are at present actually under His government; and that, in the strictest sense, He rewards and punishes us for our actions; the previous

C

notice and actual result, constituting government in the proper sense of the expression. And this is equally the case, whether He does it by His own immediate action, or by the operation of His regular laws. For if civil magistrates could make laws to execute themselves, or every criminal to execute them upon himself, without their interposition, we should be as much under their government as we are now, only in a much higher degree and more perfect manner.

Final causes then being admitted, all pleasures or pains, be they greater or less, must be admitted as forming instances of them ;-if God annexes pleasure or uneasiness to different actions, with an apparent design to influence our conduct; then He not only dispenses happiness and misery, but He rewards and punishes actions.

Thus we deduce that the Author of Nature is a governor or master; even prior to the consideration of His moral attributes,―(i. e. prior to our knowing what sort of master.) He exercises a dominion over us by rewards or punishments, in as strict a sense as children, servants, or subjects, are rewarded and punished by their respective governors. And thus the whole analogy of Nature fully shows, that there is nothing incredible in that doctrine of religion, "That God will reward and punish men for their actions hereafter."

But divine punishment is what men chiefly object against; and we, therefore, proceed to show that some circumstances in the natural course of punishments now, are analogous to what religion teaches concerning a future state of punishment, and render it

credible.

It has been shown, that certain miseries follow certain imprudent or wilful actions, as well as vicious ones; and that these consequences, when foreseen, are properly natural punishments. Now these punishments often follow actions procuring present advantage or pleasure; as sickness and death follow intemperance and jollity. They often exceed the advantages and pleasures: they do not always immediately follow, so that the delay is no evidence of final impunity; because, after such delay, they often come suddenly and violently. There being, however, no certainty of evil consequences, persons do not always entertain a distinct expectation of them; and, therefore, only a credibility exists, that they will follow, whilst the real probability often is, that men may escape them. But still things take their destined course, and misery follows crime at its appointed period, in very many cases. Thus, the thoughtlessness of youth doth not prevent the consequences of rashness and folly being felt in mature life; habits contracted at that age, are often their utter ruin; opportunities neglected do not return to them:

as in nature, if the seed-time be neglected, the whole year is lost. retrieve their affairs, yet evil consequences must, notwithstanding, be borne, proportioned to their inconsiderateness, folly, or wickedness. And, lastly, civil government being natural, its punishments are so too : thus, some are capital; just as the effects of some vices are mortal; and seem inflicted either to prevent the offender from being further mischievous, or as an example to deter others.

And though men may reform, and

These things are not occasional or accidental, but of every day's experience, and proceed from general laws of God's providential government; and they are so analogous of what religion teaches us of the future punishment of the wicked, that the same description will suit both. In the book of Proverbs, Wisdom is introduced as publicly offering herself to be the guide of human life; and upon her offers being rejected, she exclaims," "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh: when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind when distress and anguish cometh upon

1 Proverbs i. 24, &c.