or unfit; therefore has he graciously made our CHA P. Duty as to the latter, to be our Intereft as to XVI. Pleasure and Pain, in the trueft and most lafting Senfe, wifely and conftitutionly connecting them together: And in order to move and excite us to the former, commonly approaches and interests himself in us, by Motives drawn from the latter; a very good Argument that the Author of Revelation was alfo the Author of our Nature. But to derogate from these unquestionable right Motives of Revelation, fo furely founded in our Nature, is to impeach God, as if he did not know the Principles whereof he hath made us; or was not privy to the Degeneracy, approaching near to a moral Impotency, into which we are fallen. Tho' Motives, or Aids, don't alter the nature of Virtue, yet they fo ftimulate and affift the weak Nature of Man, and the ineffectual looking-on Power. of Reason, as to render that practicable and prompt in Performance, which would otherwise hardly be feasible. To be wholly influenced by present Pleasure or Pain, is to act not like a moral, but a natural Agent, or Brute; but if we duly used our Reafon to weigh and adjust the fleeting, infincere, and foon after repented Pleasure that tempts to Sin, with its everlasting Pain hereafter; or the fhort painful Endurance providentially attending upon Virtue and a good Confcience in this Life, with the ever-over-flowing Rivers of Pleasure in that which is to come; which is moft reasonable, and most for the Interest of our Being to be prefer'd, we fhould never mistake, nor fail of pleafing God; tho' in our uneducated Underftandings we happen'd not to make out à priori the Obligations to Virtue from the eternal Reafons CHAP. of Right or Wrong; or not perceive enough XVI. the charming Beauty of its Practice from the Relations and Fitnefs of Things, or Perfons. Because God has been fo exactly careful in cofulting the Salvation of all, in the Revelation of his Will, as to affix that, which all underftand, (the Ignorant as well as the more knowing) eternal Happiness and Mifery, to the Things that are pleafing, and difpleafing to him. And he has not only encourag'd, but commanded our Hope and Truft in the one, and Fear in the other; as the final Effect and Adjudication of his Favour and Friendship, his Anger and Difpleasure. And it is in this way he commands us to fhew our Wisdom; which begins in his Fear, and is perfected in his Love. EARTHLY Paffions in fact often over-bear Reason with Refpect to wife Conduct for this World, much more to the Prejudice of the Wifdem that is from above; Hierocles reprefents the Mind carried by its Paffions inclining to Sin, like fo many Weights of Lead hanging upon it, ὥσπέρ τισι μολυβδίσιν ὑποφέρεται πρὸς κα niav. A Weight which the Apoftle advises to lay afide. And therefore there ought to be the greater Weight of more precious Things to poife, and recover it out of that finking Condition, viz. the exceeding WEIGHT of Glory. The Duration and Greatness of REWARDS and PUNISHMENTS hereafter are revealed accordingly from Heaven to be an Over-balance for the irregular Paffions of this Life; that no Hope, nor Fear, Joy, nor Suffering, Love, nor Hatred, may ftand even in the Scales with what is to come; but be weighed down always exceedingly, with the exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory and this Counter-balance of what is to come come when this fhort Life is ended, from anta- CHAP. gonist Objects certain to our Belief, is that which XVI. is ordained of Heaven, beyond all the Rules of human Philofophy, for fecuring the Tranquillity of Life. And thefe being adjufted to our prefent Nature as a prefent neceflary Difcipline, are not only true genuine Motives, but fo abfolutely neceffary, that there would be very little Confideration of our Ways; lefs Virtue, and no Endurance of Difficulties for its fake, without thofe Sanctions to the Laws of it. " THAT fome Virtuous fhou'd fall fhort and be disappointed of the external Favour and Bleffing of God in this World, is intended to preferve our Faith in another, in due Health and Vigour, by keeping up its Pulfe in a breathing Exercise after a better State of Things: For, if every righteous Perfon was to be infallibly profperous, and exempt from the common Hardships and Oppreffions of Life, Virtue would become a worldly mercenary Thing. Where would Patience, or Trial of Perfeverance, or Victory over the World appear, or the particular Crown for fuffering wrongfully be look'd for? If no righteous Perfon was to be profper'd, but wholly and univerfally neglected, where would be the Appearance of Providence left for fuccouring fuch in Diftrefs? But if fome Care, and very often fignally too, is taken of them here, that is ample Confolation, there will be more taken of them in an after-State. Therefore are they required to caft the fure and ftedfaft Anchor of their Hope, within the Vail*, to enable them to ride out the Storms, and ftem the Tide of worldly Affections and Defires impetuously rolling XVI. CHAP. this way and that way; and to make that their Stedfaftnefs, that their Stand to Perfeverance, bolding the Poffeffion of it immoveable *, because, the Things themselves are fo, having God, not Man, for their Builder and Maker; whereas Hope in the uncertain future Things of this World is but a Name, and the Poffeffion of them little better. St. Paul exercised himself in this very Hope to keep a Confcience void of Offence and the Ground of living foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent World is laid in the fame t. BESIDES, if God in his great Condescention to our future Happiness, and to our present Imperfection and Ignorance, wherein it really confifts, has made his Laws and Commandments fo many Directions and Qualifications for it, in the future Fruition of the Society of himself, and of good Spirits: And if that is the real Design of prefent Obedience to the fociable Laws of Virtue; why fhould we forget the Defign, whilst we are practising the Qualification? If the Commandments are Directions to our Happiness, it muft neceffarily follow, That in keeping of them there is great Reward. WISE Men fhew their Wisdom generally by beginning at the End of the Action. The efcaping the Pollutions that are in the World, and being made Partakers of the Divine Nature; the cleanfing ourselves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit, and the purifying our felves as God is pure, are committed to the Efficacy of this hope, in Promifes, exceeding great and exceeding precious; for which caufe we are faid to be faved I Tit. ii. 13. *Heb. x. 23. by XVI. by it. Why then should any be induced to fuf- CHAP. pend their Hope in another Life, whilft they are doing the Will of God in this? It is to all intents and purposes invidioufly taking away that Spring of motion, which the Conftitution of our Nature and the Wisdom of God have put into us towards virtuous Living, and then bantering and bidding us move in the ways of Virtue, heartless, and unconcern'd; which is the fame thing as to ftand ftill. That Man was at first made prone to Good, appears from the first Law or Covenant, whereof Punishment is only exprefs'd as the Sanction. But fince the great Change in his natural Tendency to Evil, REWARDS become neceffary to be exprefs'd as a Sanction of the fecond Covenant, to animate and recover him to his Good; and likewife PUNISHMENT, to awaken his Confideration, that he might not imagine that the whole of his Evil consisted in miffing that Reward. WHEREAS it is the important Concern we have in the final Iffue, and everlasting Result, that interefts us fo much in the Ways of Virtue; and the Hope of the Prize fet before us, that quickens us in the Race, and gives Caution to our Feet. The Author of Christianity as old, &c. acknowledges + "the Spring of all the Actions "of the Creatures is their own Good: We love "God, fays he, from 1 John iv. 19. because he first loved us; and confequently our Love to " him will be in proportion to our Senfe of his "Goodness to us." Yet, according to his ufual Fairness, fhamefully mangles the Argument of the Apoftle, and fuppreffes the Senfe of the divine Goodness, the very Meaning of the Words, * Rom. viii. 24. + Pag. 13. D 4 which |