be guilty of that degree of Madness, as to think Their Inclinations can alter the Nature of Things, and put God out of the World. Can any Man anfwer this Conduct to his own Reafon, or be excus'd from the Imputation of unexpreffible Folly,if he Eternally perish by it? There are indeed a fort of Men, that let their Works be what they will, think themselves Saints, and sure to be Sav'd, if they have but a ftrong Faith, and inward Perfwafion, that they shall be fo. This is a most Abfurd, as well as Dangerous and Destructive Opinion, to think, to be Sav'd only by a Strong Belief: but certainly theirs is full as Dangerous,and Foolish too, that can thus think, not indeed to attain Salvation, but to escape Damnation, by as strong an Unbelief.

But Secondly, The worst of it is, which further fhews the lamentable Folly of these Wretches, they can never arrive even to this, to an Unbelief ftrong enough for their Purpose. The thing that they fhun ftill follows 'em, Truth ever, as it were, ob truding itself upon their Minds, and not permitting 'em to be fo Ignorant as they would be. All their ftrugling to deface the Knowledge of a God, and Apprehenfions of his Juftice, and a Future Day of Recompence, by wilfully oppofing the Belief of them, will not do their Business; will

not

not quite Eafe, or Quiet their Minds here, will not give any prefent Satisfaction or Repose. At least never fo Effectual, so Lafting a Quiet, but that by Fits and Turns, fometime or other, on a Sick-Bed, or fome amazing Accident, these Natural Impreffions will return with greater Force, and ftronger Conviction. God's Vice-gerent in their own Breafts, Confcience, labour they never so much to flifle it, will rouse up and affert the Being of Him, that planted it in their Hearts: Will affert his Being, with all the Terrors of his juft Judgments, and reprefent Him in a much more Tremendous and Dreadful Figure, for having been fo long, and with fo much Contempt banish'd from all their Thoughts. For Wickedness, condemn'd by her Own Witness, is very timorous, and being preft with Confcience, always forecafteth grievous things, as the Wife Man tells us, Wisdom 17, 11. And of Epicurus himself, whom Lucretius magnifies fo much, and equals to a God, for this very Reason, For having got a Clear and Absolute Victory, as he speaks, over Religion, and all its idle Fears; Even of this mighty Boafter, Cotta, in Tully, affures us, that Never any Man in the whole World was known fo much afraid of thofe things, which he fo ftiffly maintain'd; no Man in his Senfes ought ever to fear Mortem & Deos, Death and

Divine Power. And it is well known, that the late great Contemner of Religion among Us, as Abfurd a Reafoner, and as Dogmatical an Affumer (for these two Qualities are feldom separated) as Epicurus himself, was as fearful too, even of those things, which he would have made the World believe, were Bugbears only to frighten Children, and keep the Vulgar in Subjection. Thro' Fear of Death, he was all his long Life time fubject to Bondage; and after all his falle Outward Confidence, was at laft forc'd to betray the Secret Misboding of His Soul, which he breath'd out with a Confeffion full of Horror, That He was going to take a great Leap into the Dark. So truly does the Character, that the Wife Man gives the Old Egyptian Magicians, fuit with both the Ancient and Modern Atheistical Philofophers, Wisdom 17.8. Their Vaunting in Wisdom was reprov'd with Difgrace; For they that promis'd to drive away Terrors from a fick Soul, were fick themfelves of Fear worthy to be laugh'd at. Worthy indeed, to be laugh'd at for the Folly, but feriously to be pity'd for the Misery of it. For is not this a kind of Hell already begun uponEarth,to live always wishing, that there is no God, nor fhall be any Judgment; and yet in perpetual Doubt and horrible Dread, that the One furely is, and the Other as certainly must be ?

But

But, Thirdly, The Folly and Unreasonableness of wilful Infidelity, will more eminently and confpicuously fhew itself, if we compare together the two different Choices, that the honest Believing Chriftian, and the Wicked Infidel make. The One cheerfully and conftantly trufts and depends upon God, for the Happiness both of this Life, and that to come: And by this means makes the good things of this World, which he thankfully Poffeffes, and innocently Ufes, yield the more folid Comfort and Pleasure; and even the Evil things thereof, when they fall to his Lot, he bears, not only with Content and Submiffion, but with Satisfaction, and Thankfulness too; having those Joys before him, in which all his Sorrows fhall End. This is a State, that gives fuch inward Repofe of Mind, fuch Peace of Heart, fuch Spiritual Confolation, as, if it were poffible to be falfe, yet is more valuable, and carries more present folid Satisfaction with it, than all the deceitful Pleafures of the most Voluptuous Life. The Heathen Philofopher could go thus far; The Belief of Immortality, if this be an Error, Libenter Erro," lerr

willingly and gladly. Who would part with fo fweet a Delufion, were it nothing else? Who would not cherish fuch an Opinion, that brings fo wonderful Confolation with it? But the chiefeft thing of all is, that if

1

this be an Error, yet there is no Danger in it. Unexpreffible Torment, and Unfupportable Misery, are not the difmal ConfeIf the Believer should hapquences of it. pen to be deceiv'd, no real Harm, no Mifery enfues; he refts as fecurely in his Eternal Sleep, as the most Confident Denier of Immortality; and feels neither Sense of his Lofs, nor Difappointment of his Hopes. But if the Infidel is Deceiv'd, and all the Judgments, and Eternal Vengeance, denounc'd against Impenitence and Unbelief prove true, as moft affuredly they will, what Words can Exprefs, what Thoughts Comprehend, the Mifery of his Condition? So that feeing the Cafe fo ftands, that even in this Life, all things confider'd, the Religious Man has the better of the Unbe liever; and that after this Life the Worft that can befall him, which is to be no more, is the Beft that can happen to the Other; One would think, it were not difficult to make the Choice which Side to be of, and that it is but reasonable to conclude, that He, that with a good Heart believeth untoRighteousness is the only Wife Man; and that He is guilty of the Desperateft and most Destructive Folly, who out of an Evil Heart of Unbelief departeth from the Living God.

I fhall