SER M.

Acriùs advertunt animos ad religionem,

CLXXXVII. "The thoughts of it are then more pungent and powerful upon their minds."

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Nam vera voces tum demùm pectore ab imo

Eliciuntur, & eripitur perfona, manet res.

"Mens words then come from the bottom of "their hearts, the mask is taken off, and things then "appear to them as indeed they are."

Now, that when men are fo impartial and in good earnest, when they ftand upon the confines of both worlds, and can view them at once, when they are leaving this world, and are now no longer in danger of being blinded or flattered, or tempted by it, and are just ready to pafs into the other world, and fo much the more likely to difcern the reality of it, as they approach near to it; I fay, that in thefe circumstances, men generally declare on the fide of piety and virtue, and declaim most vehemently against their fins and vices; that generally speaking, and according to what is commonly feen in experience, the man who hath led a religious and virtuous life, is, when he comes to die, quiet and easy to himself, hath no regret at what he hath done, no fevere and angry reflexions upon the ftrict courfe of a virtuous life, his confcience doth not accufe or upbraid, or terrify him, for having lived "foberly, and righteously, "and godly in this world;" nay, so far from this, that if he hath any trouble, it is not because he hath lived pioufly and virtuously, but because he hath not lived more fo, because he hath come fhort of his duty, and hath been fo imperfectly and inconftantly good: that generally dying men repent of their evil actions, and are troubled for them, but no man ever repented himself of ferving GoD, and doing good.

CLXXXVI.

This furely is a a great teftimony on the fide of SERM. religion and virtue, because it is the testimony not only of the friends to religion, but of those who have been the greatest enemies to it, and at a time when they are most likely to declare the inward fenfe of their minds, and to fpeak most impartially, without defign or difguife, When the ungodly man and the finner comes to lie upon a death-bed, he hath then other apprehenfions of things than he had, or would own to have in the days of his health and profperity, and his foul is full of fadness and trouble, of perplexity and anguifh, of fear and defpair, because of the wicked and lewd life which he hath led. But why art thou fo difmay'd, man? why fo troubled and caft down, fo reftlefs and unquiet, fo wretched and miferable in thine own thoughts?

If thou haft done well in renouncing the principles of religion, and breaking loofe from all obligations of duty and confcience, in gratifying thine inclinations and lufts, why art thou now troubled at it? If thou wert in the right all the while, why doft thou not stand to it, and juftify thy actings, and bear up like a man? If the principles thou wentest upon were found and firm, why doft thou not ftill take comfort and fupport from them? Why does thy heart faint, and thy fpirit fink within thee? How comes thy imagination to be fo difturbed with fuch frightful appearances, and to haunt thee continually with fuch vain and groundless terrors? Whence is it that thofe who have taken a contrary courfe, and lived a quite different life, have fo much the advantage of thee, in the comfort, and peace, and tranquillity of their minds when they come to die?

But

SERM. But if thou haft been in the wrong, and doft now CLXXXVI. difcern real caufe for fo much trouble and fear,

why dost thou not confider in time? why waft thou not troubled fooner, when trouble would have done thee good, and a great part of the anguish which thou now feeleft, and all the mifery thou art fo afraid of, might effectually have been prevented?

I think it is faid by thofe who are concerned, to take off the force of this terrible objection against infidelity and a wicked life; that when men are in a dying condition, their spirits are low, and their understandings weak and disturbed, and their minds thrown off the hinges; and therefore it is no wonder if they want that firmness and refolution of fpirit, that confideration and courage, which they had in the time of their health.

This is fpeciously faid, and with some fhew and appearance of reafon: but it does by no means anfwer, and take off the objection. For if this were a true reason at the bottom, why is it not true on both fides? why are not both forts of men, when they are fick and near to die, thofe who have lived pioufly and virtuously, as well as the loofe and wicked livers, equally troubled? why are they not disturbed and afraid alike? hath not fickness the fame natural effect upon them, and does it not equally weaken and disorder their minds? But we fee generally in experience, a plain and remarkable difference between thefe two forts of men, when they come to die; fo plain, that it is not to be denied ; and fo remarkable, that there must be fome confiderable cause of it; and fo general and conftant, that it cannot without great folly and perverfeness be imputed to chance. Now what can we imagine fhould

fhould be the reafon of this palpable difference be- SER M. tween good and bad men, when they are under the CLXXXVI. apprehensions of death, but this, that a pious and virtuous life is a real ground of peace and joy, of comfort and confidence at that time; and that impiety and wickednefs are a real foundation of guilt and fear, of horror and defpair in a dying hour: in a word, that the different ways and courfes of good and bad men, do naturally lead to thefe different ends, and produce thefe different effects?

Either this must be granted, and then the whole cause of infidelity and vice is yielded and given up at once; or else men must fly to that which feems the most unreasonable and extravagant paradox in the world, and does effectually give up the caufe another way, viz. that a falfe opinion of things and a mere delufion, is more apt to fupport the fainting fpirits of a dying man, and to give him more comfort and hope in the day of diftrefs, than a right and well-grounded perfuafion.

But this (as I faid before) does effectually give up the cause another way: for if this be true, then certainly they are rightest that are in the wrong, and religion, though it were a mistake, ought to be embraced and entertained by a wife man, because of this great benefit and comfort of it. If this be truly the cafe, then every wife man must say, let me be fo deceived; let it be my lot and portion, to live and die in fo pleasant, and comfortable, and happy an error, as that of religion is.

So that whether religion be true or false, it must, according to this reafoning, be neceffarily granted to be the only wife principle, and safe hypothesis for a man to live and die by. And this very thing

CLXXXVII.

SERM. that it is fo, is a strong evidence of the truth of religion, and even a demonftration of the real excelJency of virtue; because no other fuppofition but that of religion, does fo clearly folve all appearances, and fo fully and exactly anfwer the natural defires, and hopes, and fears of mankind. If the being of GOD, and the obligations of religion and virtue be admitted, this gives an eafy account of the whole matter, and fhews us that fin and vice are the foundation of guilt and trouble; and that religion and virtue do naturally produce peace and comfort: for that is to be esteemed and reckoned the natural effect of any thing which doth generally belong to the whole kind. If those who live religiously and virtuously have generally peace and comfort when they come to die, and those who live wickedly are commonly full of guilt and remorfe, of fear and perplexity at that time; this is reafon enough to believe that these are the natural effects of thofe caufes: and that men when they come to die, are, according as they have lived, afraid of the divine juftice, and of the vengeance of another world, or confident of GoD's goodness, and the rewards of another life, is a strong argument of a fuperior being that governs the world, and will reward men according to their works; becaufe no fuppofition but this doth anfwer the natural hopes and fears of men. And this likewife is an argument of the immortality of our fouls, and of the rewards and punishments of another life; and as good a demonftration of the reality and excellency of religion and virtue, from these happy effects of it, as the nature of the thing is capable of.

And now to make fome reflexions upon what has been faid upon this argument.

First,