virtue and vice: what spirit must that be which teaches me that there is no such difference? Shall I believe it to be a spirit come from God, when I know that the spirit he has placed within me speaks the contrary? In which case there is only this choice, either to disown God for my creator, or to reject the spirit which contradicts the law of my creation, and the light of reason which God has placed in the minds of men.

From this way of reasoning then it is evident, that if the expectation of rewards and punishments for virtue and vice is the result of reason, and of the common light of nature, it is impossible that it should be superseded by any revelation: for if God has taught the world that sin deserves to be punished, can he be so inconsistent as to teach the contrary? or to assure us, that although it be highly becoming his wisdom and justice to punish sin, yet he means to have no regard to wisdom and justice, but to let sin go unpunished? He might as well teach us that he has no wisdom and justice, and then we should be soon agreed what regard ought to be paid to his revelation.

The conclusion of the whole is, that without holiness no man shall see God; that Christ has, by redeeming us from sin itself, and sanctifying us to be an elect people peculiar to God, redeemed us from the punishment of sin : if we refuse the redemption from sin, we shall never partake in the redemption from the punishment of it. All the arts and contrivances of men to atone for their sins without forsaking them, are affronts to God, contradictions to reason, and such as would effectually overthrow the credit of any revelation which should profess them, but cannot possibly be supported by any; and in fact, are utterly inconsistent with the doctrine of the gospel.

Let us remember then, that he only is righteous who doth righteously;' that those only shall be truly happy who shall do the works of God; whilst the hopes and confidence of those who lay great claim to the merits of Christ, but seek not after the righteousness of Christ, shall in the end be vain and delusive for the word of the Lord shall stand, and be confirmed at the great day: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven.'

SUMMARY OF DISCOURSE XXXIII.

PROVERBS, CHAP. XIX.-VERSE 27.

By the words of knowlege we are to understand the principles and dictates of virtue and religion: this being admitted, the advice in the text amounts to this; that we should guard against the arts of such as set up for teachers of infidelity and irreligion. These teachers are spoken of, not as men of excessive profligacy and guilt, but as instructors and reasoners against the words of knowlege. Two things on this subject recommended to our consideration: I. the several temptations which men lie under to listen to such instructors: II. the great danger there is in listening to them. First: it is one step towards security to see the dangers we are exposed to, that we may double our diligence against surprise. It will be of service to us therefore to know the weaknesses of our own minds, and understand the prejudices and passions which conspire to give us up to those who wish our ruin. Infidelity has no rewards or punishments to bestow it affords at best but a very hopeless and comfortless prospect, and the passion which some men have to maintain and propagate it is surprising: wicked men indeed are under some temptation to wish well to its cause, because it sets them free from the dread of futurity and the rebukes of conscience: since then the fears and apprehensions of guilt are the strong motives to infidelity, the innocency of the heart is absolutely necessary to preserve the freedom of the mind: which, if duly weighed, is a good reason why a man, as long as he finds himself swayed by appetite and the pleasures of vice, should suspect his own judgment.

We should also consider that, in the unhappy circumstances of sin and guilt, religion opens to us a much safer and more certain retreat than infidelity can afford, and will far more effectually extinguish our fears and restore our tranquillity; for after all our pains taken to subdue the belief of an overruling power and a future state of retribution, we cannot be secure of enjoying long the comforts arising from infidelity in this life; for we may not always have strength enough, in the loss of health or fortune, to subdue natural sense and reason: this topic enlarged on. Since then the hopes which sinners entertain from unbelief even in this world are so very uncertain, and since they cannot alter their condition, except for the worse, in the life to come, it must needs be allowed that they make a bad choice when they sacrifice the powers of the mind to the passions of the heart.

But vice is not the only root from which infidelity springs : it sometimes happens that, whilst we act with a superiority to the vanities of the world and the allurements of pleasure, reason is betrayed by the vanity of our hearts, and sinks under the pride and affectation of knowlege. He who would appear to know more than other men, is ready to contradict the sense and reason of all men; as he who is desirous of being thought more courageous than others, is ready to fight with every one he meets and to this temptation many sacrifice the innocence of their minds, whilst they wish to recommend themselves to the world as persons of more than ordinary discernment.

He who sits down to examine truth and search after real knowlege, will equally sift all his opinions; will reject none that he has been long possessed of without good reason; will admit no new ones without sufficient authority and weight of argument. But when men aim at being thought more knowing than others, and labor only to spread an opinion of their own sagacity, they can have no satisfaction in discovering the truth and reasonableness of any opinion that is commonly received in

the world for how will they appear wiser than other men by professing to believe what others believe as well as they? This point enlarged on other sciences are the attainments of only a small part of mankind; and to triumph over their errors is at best but a limited glory; whereas, religion being the general persuasion of the world, to conquer in this cause looks like universal monarchy, &c.: and thus weak and vain men often make profession of greater infidelity than in truth they are guilty of. Let this case be considered well, in the instances which we meet with; and let the folly of others teach us wisdom.

Another temptation is a kind of false shame, which often, in young people especially, prevails over the fear of God and the sense of religion. When they find what honor is often paid to unbelievers, while religion is scoffed at as ignorance and superstition, they grow ashamed of their profession, and by degrees are hardened so far as to deny their God; and encouraged by example and precept, to brave his vengeance.

These are the most common temptations that betray men to those instructors which cause to err from the words of knowlege. How it concerns us to guard against them, will appear when we consider, secondly, the danger there is in listening to them.

And here those only are addressed who have not yet made shipwreck of their reason and conscience; for though the hardened unbelievers are in greatest danger, yet they are farthest removed from the power of conviction. It is unpardonable folly and perverseness for men to forsake religion out of vanity, as if irreligion were a mark of honor and distinction. To fear where there is just cause of fear, where our souls and eternal happiness are at stake, is not below the dignity of a man. To outbrave God and his justice is a sad instance of courage. We must answer for the vanity of our reasoning as well as for the vanity of our pleasures: if we take pains to invent reasoning to oppose the plain evidences which God has given us of his being and power, we shall not go unpunished: if we debase

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SUMMARY OF DISCOURSE XXXIII.

reason, which was given us for a guide, and force it to submit to our unruly appetites, much more shall we be liable to the venof Heaven.

geance

How far men of irreligious lives and principles are chargeable with these abuses they can best inform themselves: and surely the hopes of immortality and fears of hell should drive them to ask the question. If there really be a future state of retribution, both the punishments and the rewards must be very inconsiderable indeed not to make it worth a man's while to live up to the conditions of being happy. Allowing the punishment less than it really will be, still it must in all cases exceed the advantage gained by transgressing the law; or else there would be encouragement for men to offend: therefore we may be sure that God, who is the wisest of lawgivers, has taken such care to guard his laws and statutes, that there shall be no encouragement to offenders: so that all sinners must be guilty of folly in choosing the sin with the punishment, when this must of necessity exceed the advantage of sinning.

These are the easiest terms that sinners can flatter themselves with; and yet, even on this view, the pleasures of sin will prove a dear bargain. But should the punishments of another life be what we have reason to fear they will be, words cannot express the folly of sin. Short are our days in this world; and should religion prove a deceit, we know the worst of it: it is an error for which we cannot suffer after death; nor will the infidels be able to reproach us with our mistake: but should our hopes and their fears prove true, what miserable torments must they then undergo! this subject enlarged on. Let us consider therefore, when we judge of religion, that something more depends on our choice than the credit of our judgment and the opinion of the world. Let us trust ourselves with ourselves, and retreat from the influence of dissolute companions, and take the advice of the Psalmist, stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart, and in your chamber, and be still.