fome Nights, for Months of Vanity, and Years of Sorrow? Is it not to fell the most valuable Bleffing of a Sound and Healthful, for a Difeafed and Rotten Conftitution; to give away the Calm and Refreshing Confolations of our Virtue, for a brutifh and tormenting Sensuality? Which expires and dies in the Womb that conceived it; which leaves behind it nothing but the long Remembrance of an abused Nature, and a wounded Spirit. Believe it, whatever present Relish there be in Sin, it will afterwards fting as doth a Serpent. Expect to feel the Perturbation and Terror of your Thoughts; the fmart Lafhes and Gripes of your Confciences, which are nothing else but the Prologues to the Day of Vengeance, and the Anticipations of the Righteous Judgment of God. Further,

ام

2. He pretends moreover. That God hath put fuch Affections and Defires in Men, as neceffarily incline them to Sin; that when they alt according to thofe Defires, they a&t most agreeably to Nature.

This is falfe: 'Tis to reproach the Dignity of Human Nature, and to lampoon the Rational Creation of God. Man is indeed a Compound Creature, he confifts of Body and Soul, Flesh and Spirit, Senfe and Reafon. Now the Mind or Spirit is that which is properly his Nature, and the diftinguishing Character of hiss Kind, and to that, Sin is the most unnatural and deftructive Thing in the World; whenever he commits it, he affronts his Reason, and degrades himself into a Beast.

The

1

4

The Short of the Cafe is this. We do indeed confift of Flesh and Spirit; and betwixt these there is a continual struggle and conflict; now in the Victory of either of these, Virtue or Vice, our Reward or Punishment is placed refpectively. If by the conftant Exercifes of Fafting and Prayer, and Repentance we keep under our Bodies, and bring them into Subjection, then do we difcharge our Duty, and approve our felves to God: But if we apparently Side with our Lufts, and pamper the Corrupted Inclinations of our Flesh; then do we lofe our Innocence, and forfeit our Reward. Had we no Paffions to fubdue; no Appetites to deny, no Lufts to contend with, Virtue would not be half fo Rewardable Eternal Life would not be our Option, but our Deftiny. In much Wisdom therefore, hath God made these the Trials of our Faith, and the Occafions of our Piety. He hath left us in the Hands of our own Council; put it to our Choice, whether we will exercife fome hort Penances and Self-denials upon our felves, and for these be everlaftingly happy, or elfe enjoy the Pleafures of Sin for a Season, and for them be condemned to a Black and Miferable. Eternity. So that the Confideration of Human Nature, with all its Defects and Imperfections, is fo far from being an Argument to Sin, that it is indeed, one of the ftrongest Motives to Holiness and Virtue. But,

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Secondly, Another of his Impoftures, is, by pleading the Validity and Sufficiency of a

Late,

Late, or Death-bed Repentance; when in all probability they will be better difpofed, do it more ferioufly and more effectually,

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For fuppofing the Neceffity of it, yet to every Thing there is a Seafon and a Time for every Purpose under Heaven. A Time to Weep, and a Time to Laugh; a Time to be Born, and a Time to Die. Surely Old Age, and the convenient Receffes, and with Drawings from the World which that affords; when Grey-Hairs are here and there upon us when Infirmities and Aches, and the fenfible Decays of Nature admonish us that Death and the Grave wait for it. These are much fitter Seafons for Repentance, than the active and bufy Part of our Life, when the Pleasures and Occafions of the World, divert our Thoughts, and engross our Time.

I am fenfible that this is a very common and trite Subject; yet being this is one of the moft fatal Cheats of the Devil; and I believe (would Sinners fpeak the naked Truth) that chiefly which gives them Encouragement and Security in their Sins, I will crave leave, very briefly, to fuggeft a few Things to your Thoughts. And

1. First, I would ask any Man that gives himfelf the Liberty to commit any prefent Sin upon the Prefumption of a future Repentance; what Ground he has for that Prefumption? Has he any good Affurance against fudden Death? May he not be inftantly deprived of his Reafon and Senfes, and Spech by a Palfie,

or

or an Appoplexy? May not the Effects of his Luft, or his Intemperance choak him in the Night? May he not drowze away in his un chaft Embraces; or be carried off by the Violence of a drunken Frenzy? If thefe Things be incident to Mankind; if there have been Examples of them; if no Man can say, this shall not be his own Cafe; certainly it is Folly and Madness, to venture the greatest Interest to the World upon fuch Prefumptions and Uncertainties. But,

2. To put the best of the Cafe: Suppose God vifits us with a Cronical and lingring Diftemper; and gives us Time, and Leisure, and fair Warning: What if we will not take that Warning; what if we will fay, this Sickness is not unto Death; and ftill flatter our felves with vain and delufory hopes of Life? In this Cafe, though Death falutes us fomewhat more civilly, and makes towards us by flow and gradual Advances, yet the Blow, when it comes may be as Fatal as in the former. Farther.

3. Let it be confidered, That tho' we do forefee, and apprehend our Danger; tho' we are convinced that our Disease is Mortal, and defies all the Methods of Art, and Physical Prefcriptions; yet are we fure we shall then be under a fit Difpofition to repent? Repentance and the Divine Grace, are no more in our Power than our Lives. Except the Spirit of God first moves and foftens our Hearts, we fhall find our felves under invincible Difficulties and Averfi

ons.

ons. And methinks, the Acquaintance and Familiarity we have contracted with naughty Habits; the Deceitfulnefs, and Impenitence of our Hearts; the Confufion and Astonishment of our Thoughts; the Deliquium and Faultering of our Spirits; the Violence and Torment of Bodily Pains, render that but a very indifferent, and improper Seafon for a fearching Repentance, And therefore, farther,

4. The Nature of Repentance it felf ought to be confidered in this Matter. Indeed, were Repentance no more than a bare Ceffation from actual Sin, I confefs Old-Age, or the Time of Sickness, with the Infirmities and Terrors of Both, are the fittest Seasons in the World for it. Because then we have no Inclinations to Sin; the Powers of our Nature are difabled our Lufts are languid and feeble; Hell lies open to our view; and the Apprehenfions of Judgment are ftrong and preffing upon our Minds. But alas! Repentance amounts to much more than this comes to; viz. To a thorough Search and Examination of our Lives; a real Love of God and Goodness; a perfect Hatred and Abhorrence of Sin; actual Reformation, and fome good Proofs of the Sinceri

ty

of our Converfion. From these Confiderations, I prefume, it appears how vain and false the Plea of Satan is, from the Validity and Sufficiency of a Late or Death-Bed Repentance. And fo I have done with what I pro-, pofed from thefe Words. It only remains now that I fhut up the whole Difcourfe with a very hort and plain Application. Let