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of the other fort many die in the flower of their youth, and go down to the grave in forrow: and if after this scene nothing remains, then is there no justice with the Moft High; the wicked have the advantage, and the righteous has juft caufe of complaining, that he cleanfed his heart in vain, and washed his hands in innocence. But can this be agreeable to his wisdom, who himself has taught us to think it disagreeable to all the rules of wisdom and juftice? Is it poffible to fuppofe that a God of truth and justice should teach us those lessons of justice which he never intended to fulfil? that he fhould train us up in the expectation of rewards and punishments, and purpose never to dispense them? If this be, as it is, very abfurd, the confequence must be, that he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness, and give to every man according to his works. You fee then that the common fenfe and expectation of mankind, with refpect to the rewards and punishments of another life, is fo far from being the effect of weakness and fuperftition, that it is the immediate refult of that reason which God has given us: fo ftrong a result is it from our reason, that it is not poffible to justify God and the methods of his providence by the reason which he has given us, without maintaining the certainty of a future ftate, in which fin fhall be punished, and righteousness rewarded.

Those of a contrary opinion may have perhaps fome notion of an overruling fate and neceffity, to which all things are fubject; or, if they go farther, and conceive that there is a rational Being at the head of nature, who is author and governor of all

things, yet can they hardly allow him any thing but will, and power, and understanding; for moral attributes can never be discovered in the Deity by those who leave no room for the exercise of them, or rather who introduce a fort of government into the world inconfiftent with all moral attributes and perfections. We are most certainly, if we can judge any thing from our own feeling and consciousness, accountable creatures; all our notions of right and wrong, of justice and equity, all our thoughts, reflections, and forebodings of mind confpire to fix the expectation upon us, that one day we must give account of ourselves and our doings. Our natural notions of God point out to us our judge; on our own part we find reason and freedom, which makes us fit fubjects of judgment; on the part of God we find wisdom, and mercy, and juftice, and every other perfection that may adorn the Judge of the univerfe and if, after all, we are not to be judged, there must be fomething very wrong in these notions of mankind. We cannot be mistaken in those relating to ourselves, those we feel to be true: the mistake then must be charged on our notions of the Deity, and we must cease to think him a moral agent, at whofe hands no juftice is to be expected: we muft cease to think him good, who has tormented us in vain with the fears of futurity, and deluded us with falfe hopes of a better life; but has not himself fo much regard to virtue or vice as to answer either our hopes or our fears. Judge now whether the expectations of futurity are the dreams of fuperftition, or the neceffary refult of thought and reafon. But we have one step more to take, and to fhew,

Thirdly, That these common notions are the foundation of all religion, and therefore must be supposed and admitted in revealed religion, and cannot be contradicted by it.

Some there have been, who, finding no hopes for impunity to finners under the light of reafon and nature, have taken fhelter in revelation; not defiring to correct and reform their vices, but to enjoy them, and yet to hide them from the wrath to come. These are great extollers of the mercy and goodness of God difplayed in the Gospel, great affertors of the extenfive and unbounded merits of the blood of Chrift; fo far as to think it a reproach to their Saviour for any one to teach, that the hopes of Chriftians may be destroyed for fin, fince Chrift has died to make an atonement for it. Such as these are much pleased with the thought, that they do great honour to God, by opening to the world the inexhauftible treasures of his mercy, the attribute in which he delights; and think they have fome merit and service to plead on account of fuch pious labour. They imagine they pay great regard to our Redeemer, and are the only true believers in the efficacy of his death; the virtue of which was fo great as to draw out the fting of fin, and leave all the pleasures of it behind to be enjoyed by the world.

But would these men confider, they would find that they are offering up to God the facrifice of fools, whilft they diveft him of wisdom and justice, and all other moral attributes, in compliment to his mercy; and represent him to the world as a goodnatured, indolent, inactive Being, unconcerned at

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what paffes among his creatures, and prepared to receive to equal degrees of favour the righteous and the finner. The image of fuch a Being as this carries with it no terror like to that which arises from the character of a tyrant and oppreffor, and therefore does not equally fhock the minds of men: but if we examine to the bottom, fuch a Being is as void of morality as a tyrant. For morality confifts in a juft diftinction of good and evil, and in treating both according to the rules of equity but he who is equally good to the righteous and the unrighteous, makes as little diftinction between them as he who is equally fevere to both. One is a good-natured, immoral Being, the other a cruel one, but both equally void of juftice and morality. This is the honour done to God by afcribing to him a blind mercy, that knows no diftinction between the good and the evil. And like to it is the honour done to our bleffed Redeemer by the forementioned doctrines, which do in truth make the Son of God to be the minister of fin, and establish the kingdom of darkness upon the merits of the death of Chrift.

It is befide my present purpose to shew, how inconfiftent these notions are with the true doctrine of the Gofpel; and yet I cannot fatisfy myself without obferving, that all the precepts, all the reprefentations of Scripture, all the hopes and fears propofed to Chriftians, teach us another leffon, and confirm to us this great article of all religion, That God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness.

This is the Gospel doctrine; nor can a true revelation poffibly teach otherwise, for God cannot

contradict himself, nor gainfay by his prophets that common light of reason which he has planted in men to be their guide and director. Natural religion is the foundation and fupport of revelation, which may fupply the defects of nature, but can never overthrow the established principles of it; which may caft new light upon the dictates of reafon, but can never contradict them. I cannot listen to revelation but in confequence of the natural notion I have of God, of his being, his wisdom, power, and goodness destroy then the principles of reafon, and there is no room left for revelation. I fee and feel the difference between good and evil, virtue and vice: what spirit must that be which teaches me that there is no fuch difference? Shall I believe it to be a fpirit 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 difown God for my creator, or to reject the fpirit which contradicts the law of my creation, and the light of reafon 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 refult of reason, and of the common light of nature, it is impoffible that it fhould be fuperfeded by any revelation: for if God

has

taught the world that fin deserves to be punished, can he be fo inconfiftent as to teach the contrary? or to affure us, that although it be highly becoming his wifdom and juftice to punish fin, yet he means to have no regard to wisdom and justice, but to let fin go unpunished? He might as well

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