I

Saints, to execute fudgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly amongst them, of all their ungodly Deeds, which they have ungodly committed; and of all their hard Speeches, which ungodly Sinners have spoken against him. Again, Why fhould its being Fufure be fuch a mighty Prejudice against the Belief of Judgment? None but Fools and Children look no further than their prefent Condition. A wife Man fets as real a Value upon what fhall certainly be, as if he were already in the actual Poffeffion of it. 'Tis true, our Religion teaches us, that we fhall not be Judged for our Actions till this Life be done, that the Prize fhall not be bestowed upon us till we come to the End of our Race but it teacheth us alfo, that the Ef fects of that Judgment, are fo confiderable either Way, that they are worth the Care and the Pains of our whole Lives, were they much longer than they are. But these Scoffers- urge further.

ut

66

Admit what you fay to be true, yet certainly it would have been a greater Encouragement to pious Care and Diligence; a ftronger Restraint from Sin and Wickednefs, had God either placed Judgment nearer us, or told us the Time when it would be. By no means, for if the general Belief of Judgment will not make us good Men; neither would the Knowledge of the Precife Time. Nay, our Saviour Founds his Argument

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Argument to conftant Watchfulness, in this very Thing, viz, in our Ignorance of the Mat. xxiv Time. Watch therefore, for ye know not what 42.43,44 Hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good Man of the Houfe bad known in what Watch the Thief would come, be would have watched and not fuffered bis Houfe to be broken up: Therefore be ye al fo ready for in fuch an Hour as je think not, the Son of Man cometh. And this was the unreasonable Requeft, that the Rich Man (in the Parable of the Sixteenth of St. Luke) beg'd of Abraham in Behalf of his five Brethren; that he would fend Lazarus to teftifie unto them the certainty of a Judgment to come, and the intollerable Scorchings of the damned in Hell. Why, Lazarus fure could have effectually convinced them of this, having feen their Brother frying, and tormented in that Flame. No; Abraham tells him fuch a Meffage, and Relation from the other World, would not Convince an Atheist: They have Evidence as good as that already, and they will not believe. They have Mofes, and the Prophets; and if they will not hear them, neither will they be perfwaded tho' one Rofe from the dead. But thefe Scoffers go further, and fay. "That "it is not only Future, but Uncertain; poffibly it may never happen; for no Man 4. ever look'd into the other World, or faw thefe Things, you require us to believe. What Nonfence is this? Never faw them

9

'Tis true; neither is it neceffary, nay, 'tis in
many Refpects incovenient any fhould. This
would take away all Faith; for Faith is the
Evidence of Things not feen; It would deftroy
our Hope; for what a Man fees and enjoys as
prefent, why doth be yet hope for it? it would
render the Patience, the Conftancy, and the
Sufferings of good Men, needlefs, and not half
fo rewardable. Befides, is there no Certain-
ty but what depends upon Sight? Is there no-
thing due to the Credit of Hiftory; to univer-
fal Tradition; to the Divine Authority of the
Holy Scriptures? Do we not receive many
Things upon the Veracity of others, which
we are as far from doubting of, as if we had
feen them our felves? If this be not fo, I am
fure our Knowledge must be drawn into a
very little Compafs; and no Man must pre-
tend to more of that, than he has feen tranf-
acted in his own Time: And how abfurd a
Pofition is that?
Who is there that doubts of
the Truth of those Transactions which have
been done many hundred Years ago? I con-
fefs, I never faw Julius Cafar at the Head of
his Armies; nor heard Tully pleading at the
Bar; but yet I am as well affured of the Va-
lour and Conquefts of the One; of the Learn-
ing and Eloquence of the other, as if I had.
I never had St, Auftin's Wifh; to fee our !
Bleffed Saviour in the Pulpit, but I am as
well perfwaded, that I have read his Sermon
and Exhortations to the People, as if I had
been with him upon the Mount. To come
M

fome

12.

་ ་ ་

fomething nearer the prefent Matter; I neve had St. John's Vifion, and Reprefentation of Rev. 20. the Day of Judgment, to fee the Dead, Small and Great, ftanding before the Throne of God; yet I do as firmly believe this fhall be, at the End of the World, as if I had already heard the Arch-Angel founding his Trumpet, and calling Mankind to this Glorious and Univerfal Appearance. In fhort, our Chriftian Faith in this Article, is fo well afcertain❜d to us, as nothing can be more; we have all the Evidence of its Truth, and Certainty that the Nature of the Thing is capable of; and fuch as, fuppofing it true, we could not poffibly have greater: So that the firft Prejudice in this Matter, drawn from the pretended Delay, or Distance, or Uncertainty of a Judgment to come, is altogether vain, unreasonable, and impious.

Secondly, Another Prejudice and Objection they frame againft the Belief of a Judgment to come, is; "That it is a very uncomfor"table Doctrine; that it ties Men that it ties Men up to fuch "Severities and Reftraints, as deprive them "of all the Pleasure and Felicity of Hu

man Life: for he that believes he muft "one Day give a ftrict and particular Account "of every Thought, Word, and Action of "his whole Life, muft needs be a very unfo

ciable, and a very fcrupulous Creature: "He cannot ufe that commendable Freedom "and Chearfulness, which is fo neceffary in "Human

"Human Converfation; but will ever, and anon be curbed, and check'd by the "Thoughts of that dreadful Day. Now in Answer to this, it is fufficient to reply two Things. First, That it is contradicted by the daily Experience of the World. And, Secondly, That it is altogether a groundless Suppofition.

1. It is directly contrary to the daily Expe rience of the World. For who are more pleasant and fociable, and innocently facetious? Who maintain more pure, and real Friendfhips? Who enjoy the Delights, and use the Bleffings of Providence, with a truer Tafte and Satisfaction? Who are lefs concerned at the Calamities and Afflictions of this Life? Who are more ready, and prepared to fubmit to Death, and to leave this World than holy and religious Men; who live under the Senfe of God, and the Awe of being called to an Account? 'Tis true indeed, this makes them ferious, but not fullen and Penfive; this checks the Extravagance of their Mirth and Pleafures this lays a Reftraint upon the Riotoufnefs of their Paffions and Lufts; but it is fo far from retrenching their juft Pleasures, that it is the only way to qualify them for them. It preferves their Bodies, in their natural Temper and Health, without which all the Enjoyments of this Life are naufeous and cloying. It fills the Mind with perpetual Light and Vigour, and diffufeth a joyful and tranf M 2 porting