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SERM.

CLXXXVII.

may

bear up ftrength; end falfe principles are like anticks in a building, which feem to crouch under the weight of an arch, as if they bore it up, when in truth they are borne up by it. But when these men fall into any great calamity, or death makes towards them in good earnest, then is the trial of these principles, of what ftrength they are, and what weight they will bear; and we commonly fee that they do not only fail thofe who truft in them, but they vanish and difappear like dreams and mere illufions of the imagination, when a man awakes out of fleep; and the man that was borne up by them before with fo much confidence, can now feel no fubftance and reality in them; he cannot now be an atheist if he would; but GOD, and the other world, begin to be as great realities to him, as if they were prefent to his bodily eye. And now the principles of infidelity are fo far from ministering any comfort and good hopes to him, that they fill him with horror, and anguifh, and defpair; and are fo far from quieting his mind, that there is nothing but ftorm and tempeft there. "The wicked is

itself by its own natural force and

driven away in his wickednefs: but the righteous hath hope in his death." "The wicked," that is, the finner, the hardened and impenitent finner, "is driven away," which may either fignify the fudden and violent end many times of bad men, they are carried away as it were by a tempeft, anfwerable to that expreflion, Prov. x. 25. "As the whirlwind "pafieth, fo the wicked is no more: " or else the word may fignify to be caft down and dejected; and then it imports that trouble and defpondency of mind, that anguifh and defpair, which arifeth from

the

the guilt of a wicked life. "Is driven away in his SERM, "wickedness;" the word in the original is," in CLXXXVII. "his evil," which may either refer to the evil of fin, or of affliction and calamity, and it will come much to one in which fenfe we take it. According to the first fenfe of the word evil, the meaning will be, that the finner, when he comes to die, is in great trouble and defpondency of mind. because of his wicked life; hath no comfort, no good hopes concerning his future ftate, according to that other faying of Solomon, Prov. xi. 23. "The expectation of "the wicked is wrath." If we take the word "evil" in the latter fenfe, for the evil of affliction and calamity, then the meaning is, that bad men, when they fall into any great evil and calamity, more efpecially upon the approach of death, (for that, as the last and greatest of evils, is probably intended, as appears by the oppofition in the next words, "the

righteous hath hope in his death") I fay, that bad men, when they fall into any great evil or calamity, especially upon the approach of death, are full of trouble and difquiet, by reafon of their guilt, and destitute of all comfort and hope in that need ful time. And this is moft agreeable to the oppo fite part of this proverb or fentence, "but the righ"teous hath hope in his death;" that is, the good man, when any evil and calamity overtakes him, though it be the most terrible of all, death it, i full of peace, and comfort, and good hopes; wher there is nothing but ftorms without, all is caim within, he hath fomething which ftill fupports him and bears him up.

So that Solomon, in this fentence or proverb, feems to defign to recommend religion and virtue to us, from

the

SER M. the confideration of the different ends of good and CLXXXVII. bad men, fo obvious to common obfervation, and

generally speaking, and for the most part, which (as I have often obferved) is all the truth that is to be expected in moral and proverbial speeches; that for the most part, the end of good men is full of peace and comfort, and good hopes of their future condition; but the end of bad men quite contrary, full of anguish and trouble, of horror and defpair, without peace or comfort, or hope of any good to befal them afterwards. The righteous man hath great peace and ferenity in his mind at that time; is not only contented, but glad to die; does not only fubmit and yield to it, but defires it as much better. And fo fome read the words," the righteous defires 66 or hopes to die:" but the wicked man and the finner dreads the thoughts and approaches of death, quits life with great reluctancy, clings to it, and hangs upon it as long as he can, and is not without great violence parted from it. The good man goes out of the world willingly and contentedly: but the wicked is "driven away," not without great force and constraint, with much reluctancy, and in great trouble and perplexity of mind, what will become of him for ever.

You fee the meaning of the words, that they contain a great truth, and very well worthy of our most attentive regard and confideration; because, if this be generally and for the most part true, which Solomon here afferts, then this is a mighty teftimony on the behalf of piety and virtue, and plainly fhews, that the principles of religion and virtue are proof against all affaults to which humane nature is jiable; and that the principles of infidelity and vice

do

CLXXXVII.

do fhrink and give back when it comes to the trial. SERM. And this, to any wife and confiderate man, is as good as a demonftration, that the religious man is in the right, and proceeds upon principles of found and true wisdom, and " hath chofen the better "part:" but that the infidel and the wicked man is in the wrong, and under a fatal mistake, which he feldom difcerns till it be too late to rectify it.

Now in the handling of this argument, I fhall do thefe three things;

First, I fhall fhew that this obfervation of Solomon, concerning the different end of good and bad men, and the final iffue and event of a virtuous and vicious course of life, is generally true, and that the exceptions on either fide to the contrary are but few, and not of force to infringe the truth of the obfervation.

Secondly, I fhall confider whence this difference proceeds, and I fhall endeavour to fhew that it is founded in the true nature and reafon of things. And

Thirdly, That if this be true, it is a demonftration on the fide of religion, and does fully justify the wisdom of it.

First, I fhall endeavour to fhew, that this obfervation of Solomon, concerning the different end of good and bad men, and the final iffue and event of a virtuous and vicious courfe of life, is generally found true, and that the exceptions on either fide to the contrary are but few in comparison, and by no means of fufficient force to infringe the general truth of this obfervation; I fay, that this obfervation of the wife man, is generally and for the most part true, which (as I mentioned before) is all the truth that is to be expected, in moral and proverbial sentences.

And

SERM. And for this I appeal to the common and daily exCLXXXVII. perience of mankind, whether we do not generally fee religious, and good men to have great ease and comfort, and fometimes great joy and transport in their minds, from the reflexion upon an innocent and useful, an holy and virtuous courfe of life. David was fo confident of this, that he appeals to common obfervation and experience for the truth of it, Pfal. xxxvii. 37. "Mark the perfect man, and be"hold the upright; for the end of that man is 66 peace." Or as this text is rendred in our old tranflation, " keep innocency, take heed to the "thing that is right; for that fhall bring a man peace at the last." And he gives the reafon of this, ver. 39. because God stands by them to support them in this needful time, with the comfortable hopes of his falvation, "the falvation of the righteous is " of the LORD, he is their help in the time of "trouble." As they have fincerely endeavoured to ferve GoD, fo they have great hopes and confidence of his mercy and goodness to them, that he will stand by them, and fupport them in their greatest diftrefs, and guide and conduct them to happiness at the laft; and in this confidence they can fay with David, Pfal. xvi. 8, 9, 11. "I have fet the LORD "always before me: becaufe he is at my right

66

hand, I fhall not be moved. Therefore my heart

is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh alfo "fhall reft in hope." For "thou wilt fhew me the path of life; in thy prefence is fulness of joy, at

t

thy right hand there are pleafures for evermore." And Pfal. xxxi. 5. "Into thy hand I commit my fpirit, O LORD GOD of truth." And Pfal. xlviii. 14. This Gop is our Gop for ever and << ever,

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