and yet may enjoy a better when they die. God is infinitely good, but he is also true to his Word. He has reveal'd his Will; and will infinitely reward all those who do it. But he never promis'd Heaven to fuch, as either will not take true Pains to find it, or will not facrifice their most darling Paffions to procure it, or who are not afraid to wreft his Words to their own Perdition. Let bis Word be our Rule, and his Church our Guide, and we have nothing to fear.

3. S. Paul gives us, more than (1) once, a large Catalogue of Sins, which, without Repentance, exclude Men from the Kingdom of God. And yet into how many Follies do we fee them ran in this licentious Age? It is a rakish Opinion, that all Men go to Heaven: And I am willing to believe, that none but Rakes and Infidels can entertain a Fancy, fo directly oppofite to the Word of God. For if all Men go to Heaven, how came the (2) rich Man into Hell? Why is Capernaum to be caft down (3) into it? Why is be, who calls his Brother, Fool, lyable to (4) Hellfire?

4. To this they tell us, that no one is damn'd to Eternity: that after a certain Time, all Sinners, bow wicked foever, will be releas'd from Hell, and carried into Heaven. It seems, eternal Torments are the only Things, which Rakes and Infidels dread. But it is not plainer in the Scripture,that there is either a Heaven or a Hell, than that

(1) 1 Cor. vi. v. 9, 10. Gal. v. v. 19, 20, 21. (2) S. Luke xvi. v. 23. (3) S. Matth. xi. v. 23. S. Luke x. v. 15. (4) S. Matth. v. v. 22. But fee Gal. iii. v. 1. and S. Luke xxiv. v. 25. For in Cafes to call one, Fool, is an Act of Juftice, and no Sin at

that the Torments in the latter fhall indure to Eternity. For how do the Sins, mention'd by S. Paul, exclude Men from the Kingdom of God, if all Men fball at length be plac'd in it? And how does this agree with the Account, which the Judge himself gives us of the last Trial? For (5) when the Son of Man fhall come in his Glory,all Nations fhall be brought before him,and he will feparate them one from another, as a Shepherd divides his Sheep from the Goats. And he will set the Sheep on his right Hand, and the Goats on his left. To thofe on his right Hand, he will give the Poffeffion of his Kingdom; and will fay to thofe on his left, Depart from me, you accurfed, into everlafting Fire. And left Sinners might think, that the Fire is eternal, but not the Punishment; be adds, (6) And these fhall go into everlasting Punishment; but the Righteous into everlafting Life. So that either the Gospel is falfe, or the Punishments of Vice are as endless as the Rewards of Virtue.

5. But leaving Rakes and Infidels: There are fill vulgar Errors, relating to Salvation, which deferve our Notice.

FIRST VULGAR ERROR.

The firft is, that it is Charity to fuppofe all Men fav'd, whofe Life is morally boneft. True, if Chriftian Religion acknowledges nothing necef fary to Salvation, befides moral Honesty.

A 3

But,

(5) S. Matth. xxv. v. 31, &c. (6) Ib. v. 46.

if

if this, and many other Duties are equally neceffary (as we shall fee hereafter) it is against common Senfe to fay, that Charity fuppofes all Men fav'd, who have common Justice or moral Honesty in regard to others. Charity defires the Salvation of all Men; but it does not think that all are fav'd; or that that all are fav'd, who comply with one Duty necessary to Salvation. For the divine Revelation and common Sense are the only Rules, by which true Charity judges of the Salvation of Men. To these falfe Charity has no Regard; and therefore fhe difpenfes her imaginary Favours with a more liberal Hand. But Hell and the Fool's Paradife are the very fame Place, and differ only in Name.

SECOND VULGAR ERROR.

6. It is alfo a vulgar Error, that the infinite Goodness of God will not fuffer the greatest Part of Mankind to perish. No one perishes, who fears and loves God above all Things. But that the greatest Part of Mankind are indued with this Fear and Love, is a great Mistake. For nothing is plainer in the Scripture, than that, in regard to thofe who perish, few are fav'd. (7) Many are call'd, fays our blessed Saviour, but few are chofen. And, (8) Enter, fays he, at the ftrait Gate: For wide is the Gate, and broad is the Way, which leads to Destruction, and many enter at it. How ftrait is the Gate, and narrow the Way, which leads to Life, and

(7) S. Matth. Ch. xx. v. 16. Ch. xxii. v. 14. (8) S. Matth. vii. v. 13, 14.

and few they are who find it! Few therefore comply with the Conditions, on which Heaven is promis'd. Few are faithful in the Discharge of all Duties neceffary to Salvation. Few fear and love God above all Things. Few are either fo innocent, as never to have fall'n into a State of Sin, or fo truly penitent, that they abhor nothing fo much as their past Disorders.

7. But did God make the greatest Part of Mankind, to be for ever miferable? No. He neither made the greatest, nor any Part of Mankind, for fo ignoble an End. He made us to be happy for ever in the Enjoyment of himself. For this we were all defign'd by his Mercy. And this merciful Design (which nothing but Sin could binder from having its full Effect) has peopled Heaven with innumerable Saints, a glorious Army of Conquerors gather'd from all Nations under the Sun. For tho' the Number of Saints is fmall and inconfiderable, if compar'd with the reft of Mankind; yet it is very great in it felf. For the Catholick Church, which is the Communion of Saints, has been, or will be, in all the Parts of the Earth. And S. John faw in Heaven (9) a great Multitude, which no Man could number, of all Nations, and Kindreds, and Peoples, and Tongues. But if the greatest Part of Mankind will not obferve the Conditions, on which Heaven is promis'd; if they will abufe their Liberty, and rebel against God, if they will fight against their own Confcience, and against the Almighty, under the Banners of Lucifer and A 4

(9) Apoc. vii. v. 9.

bis

bis wicked Affociates; if neither Allegiance, nor Faith, nor Reafon, nor Confcience, nor Benefits, nor Threats, nor the Paffion of the Son of God, nor endless Torments, nor infinite Rewards can binder them from engaging in a War against their Maker, their best and only Benefactor, without Repentance, and without a Poffibility of Success in this most villanous, and most outragious Attempt they must fuffer, as their Folly and their Crime deferves, that is, eternally. For there is no middie State for ever. And every deliberate mortal Sin, if weigh'd by the offended Majesty of God in the Weights of the Sanctuary, is High Treafon against the King of Kings, and of infinite Malice in his Sight. And when by divine Juftice the Sinner is cut off without Repentance: As the Guilt of his Sin remains for ever, fo muft the juft Punifhment of it remain without End:

THIRD VULGAR ERROR.

8. It is a vulgar Error, that it is Charity to believe, that Jews and Turks are fav'd. For the Chriftian Revelation gives us no Affurance, that any one of riper Years is fav'd, without Faith in Chrift. S. Paul every where reprefents him as our (10) Propitiation by Faith. And S. Peter tells us, that (11) there is no other Name under Heaven given to Men, whereby we must be fav'd

FOURTH

(10) Rom. iii. v. 25. Gal. ii. v. 16, &c. (11) Acts iv. v. 12.