348 Thecounterfeit of Inherent Grace. Sr cr.lI man, why art thou afraid theMagiftrate fhould fee ? Thou feareft hiseyes, Is it not becaufe of an implanted principle, That good is to be incouraged , and evil to be avoided ? and thevery fear of the Magiltrates fword, keeps a world of people from that aftual wickednefs, which otherwife they would beplunged ipto: So thatif you lookoverall the Societiesof men in the world, that have aGovernment, wherein fome command, and fome obey, you will conclude, All this ptoclaimeth to the world, men have thoughts there is a God, and that wicked aftions deferve jolt punifhments. 3 3, This Law is declared by anacknowledgement of a God, andthefolemnWorfsip- Bytheir ac- ping ofhim. Their Polytheifmor multitude of gods, though itdifcoverethhor- knoadedpc- rible blindenefs and ignorance upon them, yet withal it argueth, a fenfe of ment of God. Deity. The Romans had a im seov, aTemple for all gods, thinking themfelves herein Religious, that they did not refufe the Religion of anynation : Their Temples, their Altars, their Sacrifices, their Reverenceto their Priefts, the ex_ ceflive charge and colt they were at in keeping up their Religious Worfhip, though they befpake miferable madnefs and confufion upon their fpirits; yet they alto demonfirate innate apprehenfionsabout a God, and that Divine ho- mage we owe to him. Andas for Tome, who were called Acheifts, its thought therefore they had thatbrand on them, not that they were again(' a God, but becaufe they derided the multitude, and the fuperftitious obfervations of the gods thenworfhipped. Its plain, Seneca thought theRomans guilty of much ridtuloufnefs in their DivineWodhip, and wrotea Book about it, as Auf in faith, which is loft; and although he thus was convinced of their vanity, yet he diligently performed that external Worfhip, Tanquam legibue:infant, non Diisgratam; As a thingcommanded by theLaws and Cuftomsof men, not at all acceptable to thegods. As they were frequent thus in Adoration, fo they . performed it after a grave and folemn mane! ; witnefs that cryof the Priefts, Hoc age, minde this onely: and certainly the reverence, attention and dili- gence of Heathens to their Idols, will condemn the fluggifhneft, dulnefs and drowfie irreverence, which Chriftians fhewto the true God, in theirWorfhip of him. 4. 4. Theydeclare this Law Written in them, by the Wark..of confcience terrifying The terror of thorn upon any evilaifione: What fearand horror bath been upon heathens con- Confcience fciences, though they have had noScripture to accule them ! Hiftories declare, upon fin com- upon unjuft, unclean and injurious alts, they have not been able to reif or mitred. fleep, and eat Why is all this ? butbecaufeof theirjudge within; which hath made even Heathens, fomuch admire a good confcience, and fee outthe mifery of an evil one. Alas, we would think inch things fhould be fpoken of onely. among Chriftians, andwhere the word that is preached, is thedifcerner and dif- covererof the thoughts and aftions of all men; but even among them that neverfaw this Sun, there are divers fayings, commending and admiring the bleffednefs of livingfo, as not being confcious toour (elves of any grofs finful ways : Nil confcirefiibi, &c. Tobe confcious unto a mans felfof no evil, or un- juft affirm, is that onely thing which may make a man happy : Hic mortis ahencue efto; that is a brazen wall to beat back all darts ; As the fweetnurfe in old age, as Pindar calls it. Oh that Chriftians fhoulddo fo many things, thatraife up confcience like a Lyon and Bear, to roar within them ; when even Heathens havebeen afraidtomake their confcience their enemy and adverfary. If the fire bath fo quickly burned the green tree, how willthedry tree indure? Oh think not tbefe phrafesof Confcience, and trouble for fin, unquietnefs and terror in a mans breaft, to be fiftions andvain fcare-Crows : No, men have had them, that have lived onely in a wildernefs, that had noother Book to read then thatofthe Creature ;they have feared a terrible jult God, ready to berevenged on them whitherfoever they went : And doett thou lye, and Real, and commit ,whoredom, and thinkeft not that God beholdeth thee, with a fparkling et e, full of vengeance?
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