T!Je Nawral Gr'illmd; of.ll\fligioll.(t1ppafed,yt e-vhrc,ed. 1, --------------------~---------~~~----- earth by the Hopu and /ed;t ofa11otlm life, .he do!h ~ot d;l;.4e the!tj int_o fuch ~pn o~ fe.zrr ; and. a.s he doth not procure obedience ~y any Rcw.Jrdr or Punijhm~~~~ w tbu life, as the ~flnc~p:~l mean; ( the wicked profpering, and,the bet[ being perfecmcd.and atiltcted h<re ) therefore hJS R~f!'Jrd, anJ Pmtijhmentl muft needs be prindfttlfy he:!:zfttr in the ptc to come: For 1f ~e have po Rcn:.Jrds o_r f;s. .. nifomcntt, he h~th no Judgement : and 1t he ~a~e :na ~udg~mmt. he _hlth no LawJ ~ or elfe no Jujlt~·e: ) and jf he have no Law1, ( or noJttjlicc,) be IS noGovernotlr of ~\1.111, . (or no~ a r:gbt(oJH Gvver~1tr i ) and jf he be.not our GuverxoHT { andjt~f) he is not QHt God ; !lOd if he were not IJUr God, we had never been /Jil Cte.ztl!rtt, nor had a being,or been "!f.n,• .. ~·. , , _ ,, · . •· ~· 12 • 9 • 1 fuppofa thou knowefi that if God had not .difcovercd what he would,do wjth us, in the •· Th" m'n life to come, yet man is bighlirjl buund to Obey and Love his ~l.Jkpt ; ~ec.:aufe he. is Our Abfolut~ Lor4, ~;~~~~C~b~~J1 Our hi"!Jcft Ru!er,and our cbitfBtne{allor, and all that we are Qr have IS from h1m. And ~hat 1f man cbry Get\ be bou':ut tofpenJ his life in the fervice of hi< G•d, it is ccttain that he lhaU be no Lif'cr by him, no aboye ,u, ;, not by the cojllieji Ob1ditnce that we can perform; for Gad cJHHIJt appoint us any thing that is k"aiH : hotJ~J r~ dlol nor can he be worfe to us than an honeH man, that will fee that we lofc not by his tCrvicc : there· no.tlur.gwmha.t fore th.r God for whom we mull Jp'"d ar.d f()ffak! this life, and all thofe pleafurcs which !enfualifis ::;";,~opt 1 be enjor, hath certainly fome greater thing to give w, in another life. , lofer~ .by h11 9· r3• re. lnuy take it tOr gra_nted at t"e w.":Jt, that nei~her t~y felf: nor any Infidt! ht tbeworld, :~\~h':1t .;.., Can fay that you are fore that tim-e u not anotbtr life fo:r man, mw.h1ch h1s preftnt obed1ence 01:ll be lntid,d ran ra 1 rewarded, and difobt:dience punilhed. The worft that ever lntidc:l could f•y was, that He tbmk$th He i~ !urc tbtre if 'IO otbtr lift : None of you dart deny the Poffibility of it, nor can with any reafon deny the t~l;'te is.no prsbabili1y : \Veil then : Let this be rtmembred while we proceed a litt~~ fmther with you. hf.e eo ~ome. 1 9; 14. r r. I fuppofe or expefr that you h1ve fo much Ufe of fenfc and reafun, as to know the Bre- :r~·f~ e~f~h~ viry andVanity of all the glary and ph•fruer ofthe fojh; and that they are all fo quickly gone, that h<"ity w.l wete they greater than thty are, they can be of no conlidtrable value : Alas, what is T~me ~ How ~anity of rhis qui~kly. gone, and thenit'snothingl ~nd all things then are nothin$ which a.re paffc::d w1th It! So;~;: r~~~u:~:a_c that the JoJtS or Sotrotvl of fo jhurt a hfe, are no great matter ofG.Jm or Loji. t Sr pu!libi- [ may therefore fuppofe that thou cant\ <lfily conclude, that the bare pr;bJbilit) or pof!ibility of an 1~ yof,., ena,· Endlcfi I-l•ppinefr, !hould be infinitely preferred before fuch trJnfitory Vanity, t vcn the grwet\ mat- lds )oy. w- ,, tcrs that can be expected here; And that the probability or poffibility of endlefs mifexy in }UI, fl10uld m<fczy ~'" ~ engage us with far greater care and diligence to avoid it, than is due for the avoiding any thing that ~~1~;~~n ;:u~· you can think to fcape by finuing; or any of the futferings of this momentany lite. If you fe~ not cl1ligence t~f :~ this, you lu.ve loft: your Rea[on; that the mcer probability or poffibility ot' a Hr.J'VW and HeY, flrouid Rark~al · lll~Ch more c<;nnm'lnd our care and diligence, than the fading vanitiesof this drearning tranfitory life. Cr~.:1rur:' · p. 15· s2. Well then; We have got thus far in the cleuen light; You .fee that a RtJigiouJ holy 01f~wtt :aLl be life i1 every maJtJ dmy, not 'only as theyowe it toGodas their Cre.ttor,their Owntr,Govtrnour, and BCnt- :er·\~:~nll it fJllur ; but aHObecaufe as Lovers of o«r filvu, our Reafon cornmanduh us to h:1ve un rhoufand fold n. The 1 t'ore : more regar_d·of a Prob11bleor Poffible Joy andTormcm which are End/r{s, than of any that is fmaUand ~,har :t holylife of flJort continuance. And if this be io, that a Holy £ife is ever) man1 duty, with refp·efr·to the lift J 5 cmy mans. 1h11t Uta comt, then it is rr.oli evid~nt,. ~h_at there Hfuch a life to come indec.d, ~nd that ic js mote tb(JJI b~~y,c:~h~ ~t p.,obablt or pnf!ible, tven ctrtain. For 1f Jt be but M!lnl dNIJ to manage tbu life, by the Hopu ant! ;r,qcuot of – Fc3rl of anotber life, then it mufl: follow, that either there iJ fucb a life tocpmt, or d[e tha; God hat" f~ch ;t poffibi 4 • made it man! d11ty to hopr, and fear, and care, and !Jbour, and live in vain ; and ~hat he himfelf doth ~~J.or ?rcb~.. Tanta.lizt and Chtat his creatures, and rule the world by Motivc:s of deceit, an.cl make Religion and ~h~~'lr~·;/:h!t· Obedt<nceto our Maker to be a life of folly, ddufion and ou( lofs. And he th'at believetl> this of real:y <hctc is God, dorh fcarce bciie.e him to be God. Th0ugh I have m(ntioncd this Argum~nt in another Trea- fucn' joy '"d tife, I think it not unmect here to repeat it for thy benefit.. _ . m1fery~ue-f. ~- r6. 13. And feeingl fuppo(o thee to be copvinced of the Life to come, and that in~~s &ppi- g~~ • .r,"~~~ ~•fs and 'Mifiry is there, I mu!\ ne<ds fuppo(e .that thou doll contefs, that all things in thi< life, whe- make 0 ,. ra– ther projpcrity or adverfity, hOnour or dijhonDHr, are to be tji'ecmed and H{cd as they ttfrt to ,tht! lift to culric;- inv.ain~ come: for n.othing is more plain, than that the Mta'iiJ arc to have all their cjlemz. and 11[e in order to nor makedus their ~nJ • . ~hat o~ly is. G?Cd in this life, whkh teud,eth to the Happinefs of our Endllfs life: And ~~i~;~~~ li~s: that IS EvzJ mdeed m tbu lift, that tendeth to ou~ end~cfi hurt; apd to dlprive ijS of the cverlaftint 'J· Tha ;all Good. And therefore noprict or motivt fhould hue us, to fin againfl: God, and to forfeit or hinfjet r:en·auen of our tndlefs happinefs. · rhis tr;nfitory 1· I-J• 14· I may fuppofe if thou have reaG:>n, that thou wjlt conftfs that G9d cannot he tso mttch Ii~~· 2.rtdto be lot~td nor obt.Jcd too tXJllly, nor fe~vcd. too diligeritly ( ~{pt:chlly by fuch backward frnners, that have ~h:;'~f~r ~~ fcarce any mmd to Love or Wor{lup hun at all ) 1 and that no. man can rn1ke too fure qf Heaycn, or rhe li:'e to pay too dear for it, or dotoa much fot his (alV.ation~ if it .be bur that which God hath appointed corn:. hiHI to do. And that you have nothing elfe dlat i~ fa much wonh your Time, and Love, a·~ C:ue, ~{;nT~~~~~·e and Labonr. And therefore though you h~vj! 'l~ea to be tlopt ln yqur love, and care, and labour God 100 for t~ wor.Jd? be~u{e for it you lt;Jay eaft.lfp~;~ to.odear, <Jnd do too ffil.tch 1 )'tt there is nQ need 9i much, nor floppmg men m thm love, and care, and lah0u1 (or God and thei,r falv~tion ; which J• worth more mak; '"':fur< than cv.er we can do, and where the btjf af\!,apt to·do 1qo little. 1 ~~ha f:~.Jva- ~• rS. I 5• I alfo fuppofe thee to be oneflw.t _k_nowetl, that thi$ prefint lift is given, us on IIJ~I, to ·:~~-That tbi: prepare for the life that !hall come after : ·an? that '!S men hvc he1<, I)Jey fball fpe~~ (o~ ever ; and'that life ;,_gi•m . .U us forl!yal 2-nd ,prepatauon ,to r~e life to come. _No-t H,mo•€ llfC fortlli!o•.f:~ri p mm! [111mtf; fedp~o[cflo (nit 1111td4m .'lli,c, 'lM.t tw» wfolmt b~aman~.i •u Jd gg~trct a~r almt, q11odc;an txant(fl.viffit omnn !abo:u,!u"'.':mdn~t J•J M(JilU mal'mJ {ftllpf/lt41Ni. Cic. r. T1,1f. ul. 1ft~ 1111q11Art1 hno~·~~ 'l;.·~m mlfl tvtmtrotr{l,mc11wt'ife&11lo1.fil,, Ne~ru-qu.s4Duo nt(.ll&~1t, I~$ffl.I. T!Jf. tlill~
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