CLXXXVII. hath been a continued affront of the divine majefty, SERM. and an infolent defiance of his juftice; and what hopes can he now reasonably have of his mercy?" of the "GOD that formed him, he hath been unmindful,” and hath used him with all the despite he could; and therefore he hath all the reafon in the world to conclude, that he that made him will not fave him, " and he that formed him will have no mercy on "him." And this is the natural confequence of impiety and wickedness, it fills the foul of a dying finner with trouble and anguish, with guilt and despair, when he is leaving the world, and puts him into the most dismal condition that can be imagined on this side hell, and very like to it, without comfort, and without hope. I proceed to the Third and last thing I propofed, viz. that if this be true, it is a demonstration on the side of religion, and doth fully justify and acquit the wisdom of it, and that upon these three accounts: I. Because the principles of religion, and the practice of them in a virtuous life, when they come to the last and utmost trial, do hold out, and are a firm and unfhaken foundation of peace and comfort to us. II. That they minifter comfort to us in the most needful and defirable time. III. That when men are commonly more ferious, and fober, and impartial, and when their declarations and words are thought to be of greatest weight and credit, they give this teftimony to religion and virtue, and against impiety and vice. I. That the principles of religion, and the practice of them in a virtuous life, when they come to the laft and utmost trial, do hold out, and are a firm and unfhaken foundation of peace and comfort to good SERM. men, at that time. The belief of a GOD, and of his pro- er of them that "diligently feek him;" the perfuafion and immortality:" I fay, the belief of these things, is commonly moft ftrong and vigorous in the minds of good men, when they come to die; and they have then a more clear apprehenfion, and firm perfuafion of the truth and reality of these things, than ever they had in any time of their lives, and find more comfort from them, more peace and joy in the belief of them. And this is the great time of trial, when death presents itself to us, and the terrors of it compafs us about, whether upon occafion of perfecution or sickness. These are the rains, and ftorms, and winds," which will try upon what foundation our peace and comfort is built; and nothing but the principles of religion, fincerely believed and practifed, will make us firm and impregnable against these affaults. So our SAVIOUR affures us, Matth. vii. 24, 25. "whofoever heareth thefe fayings of mine, and doth them," that is, believes and practiseth my doctrine, "I will liken him to a wife man, which built his houfe upon a rock, and the rain defcended, and the floods came, and the winds "blew, and beat upon that houfe, and it fell not, "for it was founded upon a rock." And on the contrary, the principles of infidelity and vice, are moft apt to fhrink and give back at fuch a time: nay, for the most part they vanish and disappear, CLXXXVII. disappear, and upon the apprehenfion of death, a new SERM. light as it were springs up in their minds, and things appear quite contrary to that scheme which they had form'd, and which they had taken fo much pains to maintain and make probable to themselves; and that hypothesis which they had been fo long a building, appears now to have no foundation, and falls at once and all their hopes together with it. And now the infidel" believes and trembles," is fenfible of his wicked life, and of the vengeance that hangs over him, and was never in his life half fo well fatisfied of the principles of infidelity, as he is now convinc'd of the contrary, to his infinite trouble and confufion, that there is a GOD, and another life after this, and a terrible punishment to the workers of iniquity. And daily experience confirms to us the certainty and truth of this matter, and that there is this difference for the most part very visible in the temper and carriage of good and bad men, when they come to die. II. The principles of religion and virtue do minifter comfort to us in the most needful and defirable times; and on the contrary, the principles of infidelity and vice do not only fail us in this day of dif trefs, but give great trouble to us at the most unfeasonable time. And this makes a mighty difference between the condition of these two forts of perfons; for when would a man defire to be at peace and quiet' in his mind, but when his body is reftlefs, and in pain? When would a man with for " strong confolation " and hope," that anchor of the foul, fure and "stedfast," as the apoftle to the Hebrews calls it, but in that laft and terrible conflict of nature with "the SERM." the last of enemies," which is "death?" And CLXXXVII- when would a man dread trouble and anguish of mind, but at such a time, when he is hardly able to fustain his bodily pains and infirmities? If it be true of every day of our lives, "fufficient for the day is "the evil thereof;" much more of the day of death it is enough furely to have that one enemy to encounter, at which nature ftartles, and our best reafon can hardly furnish us with force enough for the conflict, even when "the fting of death" is taken away, I mean the guilt of an evil confcience: but when all evils affail a man at once, pains without, and terrors within, a weak body, and "a wounded fpirit," an incurable disease, and intolerable defpair, death ready to affault us, and hell following it, how unfeasonable is the conjuncture of so many and fo great evils? Wife men are wont to provide with great care against such a time, that they may not be oppreffed with too many troubles at once; and therefore in the time of their health, they fettle their worldly cconcernments, and make their wills, that when fickness or death comes, they may have no care upon them, nothing to do but to die. This is a time, when all the force of our reason, and all the comfort and hope that religion can give, will be little enough to give us a quiet and undisturbed paffage out of this world into the other: and we fhall be very miserable, if the terrors and stings of a guilty confcience, and the pangs of death, do feize upon us at once. And therefore a wife man would make it the business of his whole life, to prevent this unhappy concurrence of evils, fo unfupportable to humane nature; and to render death, which is grievous and terrible enough of itself, as comfortable and easy as CLXXXVII. as 'tis poffible. For if there were nothing beyond SERM. this life, yet it were worth the while to provide for quiet death; and if men were fure to be poffeffed of these paffions of hope and fear, of comfort and defpair, which usually attend good and bad men when they come to die, there is no man that calculates things wifely, would, for all the pleasures of fin, forfeit the peace and comfort of a righteous foul, going out of the world full of the hopes of a blessed immortality; and endure the anguish and torment of a guilty confcience, and the amazing terrors of a despairing and dying finner. This is a condition. fo fad and fearful, that a wife man would avoid it upon any terms. III. When men are commonly more serious, and fober, and impartial, and their declarations and words are thought to be of greatest weight and credit, they give this testimony to religion and virtue, and against impiety and vice. It is generally seen, when men come to die, that the manner of their death is anfwerable to the course of their life; that the reflexion upon a holy and virtuous life, is a great eafe and comfort to mens minds and on the contrary, the guilt of a wicked life is apt to fly in their faces, and to disturb their minds, and fill them with horror. And this is a critical time, when the consciences of men are ufually awake, and apt to pass an impartial judgment and cenfure upon themfelves. And for this, the infidel may believe one of his own great authors, I mean Lucretius, who obferves, that when men are in diftrefs and the apprehenfions of death are upon them, religion doth then fhew its force. |