Guilty. The Apoftle 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, plainly intimating; that the Confcience is evil, and ever will be evil, till it is fprinkled with the Blood of CHRIST +. It accufes fome, and it ought to accuse, yea, to condemn All . But even Here it evidences itself to be corrupt. For, its Accufations are sometimes erroneous ||, and no better than falfe Witness; fometimes partial §, and fuborned by Appetite; and Tit. i. 15. + Heb. x. 22. very, The Apoftle, I think, intimates as much, in the very peculiar Turn of his Expreffion, n xai arohor, accufing or even apologizing. As though the latter was a frange Act; quite unexpected, and utterly unreafonable, in Creatures altogether become abominable. Erroneous-What elfe was that grand Article in the Accufations of Confcience, mentioned, with fuch particular Diftinction, by Virgil; -Phleg yafque miferrimus omnes Admonet, & magná teftatur Voce per Umbras, For Men to defpife fuch dunghil, worfe 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, confeffed by the Apostle, Aas xxvi. 9. - Partial-Otherwife, how could the most celebrated among the antient Heroes applaud and practife, that execrable Crime, Self-murder ?-How could their first-rate Hiftorians extol and almoft confecrate, that diabolical Principle of Action, Pride?-How could their ablest Teachers of Morality, not only tolerate, but establish the Error, by neglecting to find fo much as a Name for that amiable Virtue, Humility? Or, which is fill worse, by using the Word to fignify a difingenuous fordid Practice, 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, almoft 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 * ? "I created them out of Nothing, and endowed them with an immortal Soul. As a Father, I have provided for them. As a Nurfe, I have cherished them.-I have given them the Earth, and the Fulnefs thereof, for their prefent Accom<modation. I have prepared Heaven, and its un"fpeakable Happiness, for their future Enjoyment. "All my Creatures do them Service, and even "my Angels minifter unto their Good.-Do they "defire greater Demonftrations of my Love? I "have given, what was dearer to me than all Angels, than all Worlds. I have given my SON from my Bofom, to die in their Stead.Would they have farther Evidences of my diftinguifhed Regard? Behold! I touch the Mountains, and they fmoke: I look upon the Earth, and it trembles: I caft even the Princes of Heaven, when they break my Law, into Chains of "Dark 66 and an abject dafardly Spirit. Que omnia, partim infa mia, partim humilia, atque ab Honeftate remota. Corn. Nep. in Præf. Όπως αν ταπεινότατοι και εικαθεκλελαίοι είεν. Xenoph. De Inft. Cyr. Lib. vii. * Jer. ii. 5. * "Darkness. But to difobedient and rebellious "Men, I condefcend to act as a Supplicant. "Though highly injured, and horribly affronted, "I beseech them-again and again I befeech them-faying, BEYE RECONCILED TO GOD.": To hate fuch a GOD, is indeed the most deteftable Impiety, almoft incredible Wickedness. Yet Man, foolish Man, practifes this Impiety, whenever, for the Sake of a vile Luft, an ignoble Pleasure, or an unruly Paffion, He tranfgreffes the Command of his CREATOR. 1 Shall I exemplify the Doctrine, in another of the Affections? Ther. In Truth, Afpafie, I begin to be fick of the Subject. If human Nature is fo ulcerated, the less You touch it the better. However, let us not quite omit the irafcible Appetite. Afp. Of this We have already taken a Side-view; if You choose to fee it in fuller Proportion,, make your Obfervation on Fervidus.-Fervidus comes home in a Rage, See his fierce indignant Eye! Mark his wild irregular Gait! Now, his Cheek kindles into Flame; in a Moment, it is pale as the Corpfe. His Lips quiver, and Words are half choaked in their Utterance. Yet, though He can hardly fpeak, He vows Revenge, and utters Imprecations,What, I befeech You, is the Cause of all this wondrous Ferment? Why truly, a Neighbour Hatred of GOD is fo fhocking an Expreffion, that one would almost wish, never to hear or read it. But it occurs in our unerring Book; is too often exemplified in common Life; and is engraven by corrupt Nature on every human Heart. See Rom. i. 30. Exod. xx. 5. John XV. 25. Rom. viii. 7, bour has dropt fome reflecting Hint, or a Servant has blundered in fome trifling Meflage. Such Ufage, Fervidus fays, is intolerable; and fuch Negligence unpardonable. This fame Fervidus has offered numberless Affronts to his MAKER; He has most scandalously neglected the Will of his Almighty LORD; yet feels no Indignation against Himself. -He is all Fury, when his own Credit is touched. But when the Intereft of CHRIST is wounded, He can fit unconcerned, or pafs it off with a Laugh. -Anger, I acknowledge, is fometimes becoming and useful. But is this its right Temperature? This its proper Application? Ther. This is the Practice only of some few turbulent and boisterous Spirits. To faddle their Qua lities upon every Perfon, is a Procedure juft as equis table, as the Madman's * Calculation was reasonable; who took an Account of every Ship, which entered the Harbour, and fet it down for his own. Afp. The latter Part of my Charge, I fear, is ap plicable to more than a few. However, let Us confider the most calm and fedate Minds. How are they affected under Injuries? Do they never aggravate Failings into Crimes? Do they find it easy to ab. ftain from every Emotion of Ill-will? Eafy to love their Enemies, and do Good to Thofe who hate them? Thefe godlike Tempers, if our Nature was not degenerated, would be the fpontaneous Produce of the Soul. But now, alas! they are not raised, without much Difficulty; feldom come to any confiderable Degree of Eminence; never arrive at a State of true Perfection. An undoubted Proof, that they are Exotics, not Natives of the Soil.. *Thrafjlus, an Athenian, Now Now We are fpeaking of Plants, caft your Eye upon the Kitchen-garden. Many of those Herbs, will perfume the bard Hand, which crufhes them; and embalm the rude Foot, which tramples on them. Such was the benign Conduct of our LORD. He always overcame Evil with Good. When his Difciples difregarded Him, in his bitter Agony, He made the kindest Excufe for their ungrateful Stupidity *. When his Enemies, with unparalleled Barbarity, fpilt his very Blood; He pleaded their Ignorance, as an Extenuation of their Guilt +.-Is the fame Spirit in Us, which was alfo in our Divine MASTER? Then are our Paffions rightly poised, and duly tempered. But if Refentment kindles, and Animofity rankles in our Hearts; this is an infallible Sign, that We swerve from our SAVIOUR's Pattern; confequently, are fallen from our primitive Rectitude. Ther. What fay You of the Fancy? This fure, if no other Faculty, retains the primitive Rectitude. What Pictures does the form, and what Excurfions does the make? She can dive to the Bottom of the Ocean; can foar to the Height of the Stars; and walk upon the Boundaries of Creation. Afp. That the Fancy is lively and excurfive, I readily grant. It can out-travel the Poft, or out-fly the Eagle. But if it travel, only to pick Shells; or fly abroad, to bring home Mischief; then, I appre hend, though You should admire the Faculty, You will hardly be in Raptures with its Agency. This is the real Truth. Our Fancy, till divine Grace regulate and exalt its Operations, is generally employed in picking painted Shells, or culling venomous Herbs. Matt. xxvi. 41. . + Luke xxiii. 34. 5 |