are we captivated with a fair Complexion and grace. ful Form; efpecially, when fet off with the Decorations of Drefs. But how little affected with the Beauty of internal Character; with the Ornaments of Virtue, and the Graces of Christianity? Can it be fuppofed, that the Pulfe of the Soul beats regularly; when there is fuch a paffionate Fondness for fading Embellishments, and fuch a cold Indifference for the moft fubftantial Endowments? How ready are we to be enamoured with well-propotioned Clay; often to our apparent Predjudice; fometimes to our utter Ruin! Yet how backward to love that infinitely loving and lovely REDEEMER, who would die himfelf, rather than we fhould become a Prey to Death! Tinder we are, perfect Tinder to the Sparks of irrational and diffolute Affection. Harder than Ada mant, colder than Ice, to this heavenly Flame. Ther. If our Love is blind, our Fear has not loft her Eyes. Fear is quick of Apprehenfion: and, inftead of being ftupidly infenfible, is ready to “rife 66 up at the Voice of á Bird *." Afp. The Paffion of Fear is fufficiently active, but deplorably misapplied. We fear the Reproach of Men. But are we alarmed at the View of that everlasting Shame, which the LORD,. the righteous Judge, fhall pour upon the Ungodly? We fhudder at the drawn Dagger, and ftand appalled at the headlong Precipice. But how often have we defied the Sword of almighty Vengeance, and sported upon the Brink of irretrievable Perdition? Sin is the most pernicious of all Evils. Sin violates the divine Command, and provokes the Divine MAJESTY. Sin offers Despite to the Blessed SPIRIT, and tramples upon the Blood of JESUS For Sin, the Tranfgreffor is banished from the bliffful Prefence of God, and doomed to dwell with in extinguishable Burnings. Do we dread this grand Destroyer of our Happiness? Dread it more than any Calamities, more than all Plagues?-Take one of thofe fine May-dukes, which glow with fo beautiful a Scarlet on yonder Efpalier. Offer it to the Blackbird, that ferenades us from the neighbouring Elm. The Creature, though fond of the Dainty, will fly from your Hand, as haftily as from a levelled Fowling-piece. He fufpects a Defign upon his Liberty; and therefore will endure any Extremity, will even ftarve to Death, rather than taste the most tempting Delicacy in fuch hazardous Circumftances.-Are we equally fearful of an infinitely greater Danger? Do we fly, with equal Solicitude, from the delufive but deftructive Wiles of Sin? Alas! Do not we too often fwallow the Bait, even when we plainly discover the fatal Hook? Do we not fnatch the forbidden Fruit, though Confcience remonstrates; tho' GOD prohibits; tho' Death eternal threatens ! Ther. Confcience then, according to your own Account, has escaped the general Shipwreck. Confcience is GOD's Vicegerent in the Soul, and executes her Office faithfully. Even the Gentiles fhew the Work of the Law written in their Hearts, their Confcience alfo bearing witness, and their Thoughts the mean while accufing or elfe excufing one another +. Afp. If there be any Remains of the divine Image, pehaps, they are to be found in the Confcience. But even * The inftigating Admonition, tranfmitted to Brentius. by an anonymus Letter, when the Papifts had formed a Plot against his Life, fhould be the Rule of our Conduct on fuch an Occafion: Fuge! Fuge! cito-citius--citiffime. Rom. ii. 15. Methinks, I would not tranflate the Word lagu the mean while, but alternately or interchangeably accufing or excufing; fometimes one, fometimes the other; in Conformity to the different Circumstances of their Temper and Behaviour. even this is not exempt from the common Ruin. Confider its Light. It is like a dim Taper, feebly glimmering; and ferving only to make the Darknefs vifible. Or, if it difcovers any Thing, it is an obfcure Something, we know not what. Which, in ftead of informing, tantalizes us; and inftead of guid ing, bewilders us. As falfe and delufory Lights on the Shore, put a Cheat upon the Mariner, and lead him on to Ruin *.-Confider its Operations. It is either dumb or dead, or both. Dumb; or elfe how vehemently would it upbraid us, for our thocking Ingratitude to the Supreme Omnipotent BENEFAC TOR? How loudly would it inveigh against our ftupid Neglect of fpiritual Interefts, and eternal Ages? Dead; otherwife how keenly would it fmart, when gafhed with Wounds numerous, as our repeated Violations of the divine Law-deep, as the horrid Aggravations of our various Iniquities. Ther. Do you call this an Anfwer to my Ob jection, Afpafio? if it be an Anfwer, it refembles, in Point of fatisfactory Evidence, the Light which you afcribe unto the Confcience. Afp. The Gentiles, you alledge, fhew the Work, but not the Love of the Law, written on their Hearts: Some leading Notices of Right and Wrong they have: fome fpeculative Strictures of Good and Evil. But without a real Abhorrence of the One, or a cordial Delight in the Other. Which, far from enno bling *This feems to have been the Cafe with the Bulk of the Heathen World. Confcience arraigned, and found them guilty. This put them upon practifing their abominable, fometimes their inhuman Idolatries. Nay, this induced them to give the most scandalous and impious Mifreprefentations of the DEITY. That they might heath the Sting of Confcience, and find fome Salvo for their own Iniquities, they made even the Objects of their Worship, the Patrons and the Precedents of their favourite Vices.. bling their Nature, far from vindicating their Practice, argues the exceeding Depravity of the former, and renders the latter abfolutely without Excufe. No; you fay, Confcience excufes the Heathens. Rather, their Confcience bears witness to the Equity of the Law, while their Thoughts make fome weak Apology for the Tenour of their Conduct. This is far from acquitting, far from justifying them.-Befides, these weak Attempts to excufe, are always founded on Ignorance. Did they know themfelves, their Duty, or their GOD, Confcience would, without the least Hefitation, bring in her Verdict, Guilty.-The Apostle affures us, that, till Faith, which is a divine Principle, takes place in our Breafts, both the Mind and Confcience are defiled +. Here, and elsewhere, very plainly intimating; that the Confcience is evil, and ever will be evil, till it is Sprinkled with the Blood of CHRIST‡ It accufes fome, I acknowledge; and it ought to accufe, yea, to condemn All. But even Here it evidences itself to be corrupt. For, its Accufations are fometimes erroneous ||, and no better than false Witnefs; * The Word is απολοδεμένων, not επιμαρτυρόντων, not δικαιωσάντων. + Tit. i. 15. † Heb. x. 22. Erroneous-What elfe was that grand Article in the Accufations of Confcience, mentioned, with fuck particular Diftinction, by Virgil; Phlegyafque miferrimus omnes Admonet, & magna teftatur Voce per Umbras, For Men to defpife fuch dunghil, worse than dunghil Deities, had been their Virtue if done, and was their Duty to do. What elfe was that Voice of Confcience, mentioned by our LORD, John xvi. 2. or that, confef fed by the Apostle, Ads xxvi. 9. Witness; fometimes partial *, and fuborned by Appetite; and very, very often ineffectual. Nay, when they do take Effect, they produce no Fruit that is truly good. They work not a genuine Humiliation, or an unfeigned Repentance; but either a flavish Dread of GOD, as a fevere Judge; or Hatred of Him, as an inexorable Enemy. Ther. Hatred of GOD Astonishing Impiety! Is it poffible for the human Heart to admit fuch enormous, almost incredible Wickedness? Afp. You may well be astonished, Theron; and GOD may justly demand; What Iniquity have my People found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after Vanity?" I created you out "of Nothing, and endowed you with an immortal "Soul. As a Father, I have provided for you. As 46 a Nurfe, I have cherished you.-I have configned "over to your Poffeffion the Earth, and the Fulness "thereof. All my Creatures do you Service, and ❝even my Angels minifter unto your Good. -Do "you defire greater Demonftrations of my Love? "I have given what was dearer to me than all An"gels, than all Worlds. I have given my SON "from my Bofom, to die in your Stead.-Would "you have farther Evidences of my tender, my "diftinguished Regard? Behold! I touch the Moun"tains, and they fmoke: I look upon the Earth, "and it trembles: I caft even the Princes of Hea (6 ven, * Partial-Otherwife, how could the most celebrated among the antient Heroes applaud and practise, that execrable unnatural Crime, Self-murder? How could their first-rate Hiftorians extol and almoft confecrate, that diabolical Principle of Action, Pride? And how could their ableft Teachers of Morality, not only tolerate, but establish the Error, by neglecting to find fo much as a Name for that amiable Virtue, Humility? * Jer. ii. 5. |