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Mens words then come from the bottom of their "hearts, the mask is taken off, and things then appear 66 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 juft 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 these circumftances, men generally declare on the fide of piety and virtue, and declaim moft vehemently against their fins and vices; that generally speaking, and according to what is commonly seen 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 reflections 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, fo far from this, that if he hath any trouble, it is, not because he hath lived piously 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. This furely is a great teftimony on the fide of 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 sense of their minds, and to speak moft 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 fadnefs and trouble, of perplexity and anguish, of fear and defpair, because of the wicked and lewd life which he hath led. But why art thou fo difmayed, man? Why fo troubled and caft down, fo reftlefs and un

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quiet, 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 now stand to it, and juftify thy actings, and bear up like a man? If the principles thou wenteft upon were found and firm, why dost thou not still take comfort and fupport from them? Why does thy heart faint, and thy fpirit fink within thee? How comes thy imagination to be so di fturbed with fuch frightful appearances, and to haunt chee continually with fuch vain and groundless terrors? Whence is it that those 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 if thou hast been in the wrong, and doft now difcern real caufe for fo much trouble and fear, why didft thou not confider in time? Why waft thou not troubled fooner, when trouble would have done thee good, and a great part of the anguifh which thou now feeleft, and all the mifery thou art fo afraid of might effectually have been prevented?

I think it is faid by those who are concerned, to také off the force of this terrible objection against infidelity and a wicked life; that when men are in a dying condition, their fpirits 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

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This is fpeciously faid, and with fome fhew and apof reafon but it does by no means answer, and pearance take off, the objection. For if this were a true reafon at the bottom, why is it not true on both fides? Why are not both forts of men, when they are fick and neat to die, thofe who have lived piously and virtuously, as well as the loofe and wicked livers, equally troubled? Why are they not difturbed and afraid alike? Hath not fickness the fame natural effect upon them, and does it

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not equally weaken and disorder their minds? But we fee generally in experience a plain and remarkable difference between these 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 some confiderable cause of it ; and fo general and conftant, that it cannot without great folly and perverfenefs be imputed to chance. Now what can we imagine fhould be the reason of this palpable difference between good and bad men, when they are under the apprehenfions 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 wickedness 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 cause 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 righteft 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 fay, 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 religi gion is.

So that whether religion be true or falfe, it must, according to this reafoning, be neceffarily granted to be the only wife principle, and fafe hypothefis for a man to live and die by. And this very thing, that it is fo, is a ftrong evidence of the truth of religion, and even a demonftration

demonftration of the real excellency 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 efteemed 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 thofe 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 cons fident 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 because no fuppofition but this doth answer the natural hopes and fears of men. And this likewife is an argu ment of the immortality of our fouls, and of the rewards and punishments of another life; and as good a demonstration 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 some reflections upon what has been faid upon this argument:

First, The confideration of the different ends of good and bad men is a mighty encouragement to piety and good life. Nothing in this world fhews us fo remark able a difference between the righteous and the wicked, as a death-bed. Then a good man moft fenfibly enjoys the comfort of a good life, and the peaceable fruits of righteoufnefs; and the finner then begins to reap the bitter fruits of fin. What a difference is there then, between the comfort and trouble, the compofure and difturbance, the hopes and fears of thefe two perfons? And next to the actual poffeffion of bleffeinefs, the

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comfortable hopes and expectation of it are the greatest happiness; and next to being plunged into it, the fearful apprehenfions of eternal mifery are the greatest torment. The wicked is driven away in his wickedness, is violently hurried out of the world, full of guilt and trouble. What storms and tempefts are then raised in his mind, from the fear of God's juftice, and the defpair of his mercy? But the righteous hath hope in his death. The reflection upon a holy and virtuous life, and the confçience of a man's uprightness and fincerity, are a fpring of joy and peace to him, which refresheth his mind with unfpeakable comfort and pleafure, under the very pangs of death. With what triumph and exultation of fpirit doth the bleffed Apoftle St Paul, upon the review of his labours and fufferings for God and his truth, fpeak of his diffolution? 2 Tim. iv. 6, 7, 8. For I am now ready to be offered up, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my courfe, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day. He fpeaks. with, fuch a lively fenfe of it, as if he had his crown in his view, and were just ready to take hold of it. And what would not a man give, what would he not be contented to do and fuffer, to be thus affected when he comes to leave the world, and to be able to bear the thoughts of his death and diffolution with fo compofed and chearful a mind? And yet this is the natural and genuine effect of a holy and useful life. And that, which the fame Apoftle tells us was the ground of his rejoicing under fufferings, is likeways the comfort and fupport of good men at the time of their death. 2 Cor. i. 12. Our rejoicing, faith he, is this, the teftimony of our confcience, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, we have had our converfation in the world. All the holy and virtuous actions of our lives are fo many feeds of peace and comfort to us at the hour of our death, which we shall more fenfibly enjoy, when we come to depart this life. For then the confciences of men are apt to deal moft freely and impartially with them; and if our hearts do

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