either the phyfician to be a fool, or the evil to be incurable. Which of the two is the true cafe, will appear when we confider whether religion affords a proper remedy againft this evil or no.

Since death is inevitable, this world can afford no cure for the apprehenfions of it; nothing on this fide the grave can calm these fears of nature: riches and honours are not worth mentioning in this question; even the wisdom of the world, and all the folemn lectures of philosophy against the fear of death, are but like cordials given to criminals before execution, which leffen their fears only in proportion as they weaken their fenfe and underftanding. Since then we must neceffarily die, the fear of death can be allayed by nothing but the hope of living again: if we can have any good grounds upon which we may entertain this hope, it is evident what an alteration it makes in the case: death is no longer the fame thing; it is a fleep, from which we expect to wake to immortality: it is a ftep from a life of mifery to a life of peace and pleasure, attended with no fears but what are swallowed up in the bleffed expectation of eternity. This is the very hope which religion affords. The man who believes in God, and has a trust and confidence in his power, wisdom and goodness, fees manifold reason to believe that God made him for better purposes, than to live a few years upon this stage in mifery and affliction: he cannot fuppofe that a Being of fuch excellency of wifdom and goodness fent him into the world merely to live in perpetual fears of going out of it again. All the vifible works of nature are liable to decay and dif

folution; and in that we are mortal, we are akin to all things round us: but then, of all the works of God, man alone lives in continual apprehenfions of his diffolution: the material world is void of sense, and therefore void of fear; the brutes have so much fear of present danger, as is neceffary to their prefervation; but remove from them immediate danger, and they fhew no figns of the fear of death. This fear therefore, which is peculiar to man, if it ferves no purpose beyond this world, is an additional mifery, which makes the condition of man to be worse than that of the brute which perishes. What fhall we say then? that God has made all things perfect in their kind, and fuited to their natural enjoyments; and created man only for mifery and affliction? God forbid. The truth is, that the creatures, made for this world, have fuch fears only as are neceffary for their prefervation in this world: but man, ordained to eternal life, has fuch defires of life, fuch fears of death implanted in him, as are neceffary to preferve to him that immortality to which he is created thefe fears of death are perpetual calls to him, to fecure to himself that life which fhall never fail; they are conftant intimations to him to wean himself from this world, which will fo foon fail, and to look out for a more certain abiding place. This is the language of God, fpeaking to us by the fears and the hopes of nature; these are the comforts which refresh the foul in the multitude of thoughts which diftract it.

But does not this hope, you will say, bring with it a great increase of fear? The man who lives with

out God may shrink fometimes at the thoughts of death, and the apprehenfions of falling into nothing but the believer has a much greater terror, even the terror of damnation, to alarm every fear and fufpicion of his foul, and to keep him upon a perpetual rack. He lives in a state of insecurity; perfect he is not, but often fins; and every fin refreshes all his fears, and places the awful Judge, armed with anger and vengeance, full in his fight. Put this into his fcale, and fee which is the happier man, he who has only natural death to fear, or he who fears damnation also.

True it is, there is no comparison between the fear of temporal death, and of death eternal: Fear not them, says our Saviour, who can only kill the body, but fear him who can caft both body and foul into hellfire: a plain intimation, were any intimation wanting in fo plain a cafe, that there is no comparison to be made between the fears. But then it must be confidered, that the hopes and fears of futurity are not things of our own invention; they will not come at our calling, and go at our bidding; for men hardly fear death itself more naturally, than they do a judgment to come: and the difference between a religious man and an irreligious man does not lie in this, that one fears a future judgment, and the other fears it not; for, commonly fpeaking, both fear it, and he the most who has leaft religion. It is no unusual thing for men to deny God in their actions, who confefs him in their fears and apprehenfions: and the bravery of irreligion confifts more in hiding these fears from the world, than in being able to throw them out of the mind. This being

the cafe, it is very evident, that the natural fear of death is very much heightened by the fears of futurity; which are very corroding and exafperating, where there are no hopes to mitigate and allay them and this is the irreligious man's cafe; he lofes all the hopes of futurity by his irreligion, but cannot get rid of the terrors and apprehenfions of it. And though the religious man may often have reason to fear, yet even his fear is a symptom of health, and is working towards the repentance not to be repented of: for the Lord is his refuge, and God is the ftrength of his confidence.

But suppose the religious man to be furrounded with the fears of futurity, if he has reason for his fears he must blame himself, and not his religion : religion wants not its comforts, however fome who have a sense of religion may, poffibly, be too wicked to be capable of any. Be this as it will, certain it is, that the fear of death arifes from nature, and is common to all; but admits of no cure, but from the comforts and confolations which religion adminifters. But to proceed:

There are many other evils and calamities in life, which prove daily occafions of forrow and affliction to us; fo many they are, that it would be endless to enumerate them: these are so constantly near us, and do so often overtake us, that a wife man would, if it be poffible, always be provided with a remedy. In private life, we fuffer often unexpectedly in our fortune, in the lofs of acquaintance, friends and relations, and find ourselves bereaved of those comforts of life which were our greateft enjoyments; and not only fo, but given up a prey to forrow and vex

ation of spirit. What fhall we do in this case? where shall we look out for eafe? The world has little pity, and yet less help for fuch fufferers: much less help ftill has it for those, who are feemingly fortunate and profperous, and live furrounded with plenty and abundance, but are fecretly unhappy, restless and diffatisfied in their minds, and utterly void of that inward peace which is the only fource of pleasure. Thousands there are of this fort, who poffefs all the world can give, and yet have nothing to enjoy. Others, though they have nothing to disquiet them at present, and have all they wish for, have yet an heart to torment themselves, by raifing fad profpects at a distance, and bringing within their view all the calamities which a warm imagination can reprefent. Confider now upon what foot you will place human happiness: take the good things of the world, divide them as you please, and try how many you can make eafy. You will foon fee fome employing your gifts in the purchase of vice and diftempers; and growing extremely miferable, by having these means of happiness put into their hands. Some you will fee worn out with the care and anxiety of preferving, others tormented with lofing their fhare; fome restless and uneafy, whose minds no outward fortune can cure; fome fearful and fufpicious, with whom no peace can dwell; and all perhaps fecretly diffatisfied with the profperous condition in which you have placed them. If this be the condition of human life, and that it is every day's experience bears witness, we must look out for fomething more folid and lafting than this world affords, if ever we mean to be happy in it: we must