26 Motes'"s Choice of afflided Piety, Vol. . For all Mankind fhall then ftand upon a level, and thofe civil Diftinftions of rich and poor, ofbate and honourable, which feem now fo confiderable, and make fuch a glaring Difference amongft Men in this World, (hall all then be laid afide, and moral Differences (hall only take place. All the Diftin&ions which will then be made, will be betwixt the Good and the Bad, the Righteous and the Wicked ; and the Difference betwixt a good and bad Man, will be really much greater, than ever it feemed to be betwixt the higheft and meaneft Perfons in this World. And if this be fo, why Ihould we value the Enjoyments of Sin at fo high a rate, which, at the heft, are only confiderable (and that only in the Imagination of vain Men) during our Abode in this World ; but bear no Price at all in that Country where we muff live for ever : Or if they did, we cannot carry them along with us. The Guilt of them, indeed, will follow us with a Vengeance ; the Injuftice and all the ill Arts we have ufed for the getting or keeping of them, efpecially, if at once we have madefhípwreck ofFaith and agood Confcience. Ifwe have changed our Religion, or, which is much worfe, if continuing in the Profefhon of it, we have betrayed it, and the Intereft of it, for the gaining or fecuring of any of thefe things ; we fhall find to our Sorrow, that tho' the enjoy- ments offin were butfar a feafon, the Guilt of it will never leave us nor forfake us but will flick clofe to us,and make us miferable for ever. But this belongs to the IIid Thing I propofed to fpeak to, namely, The final Iffue, and Confequence of a finful Conrfe ; which is Mifery and Sorrow, many dines in this World; but molt certainly in the next, I. In this World, the very beft Iffue and Confequence ofa finful Courfe, that we can imagine, is Repentance : And even this hath a great deal of fenfible Pain and Trouble in it ; for it is many times (efpecially after great Sins, and a long continuance in them) accompanied with much Regret and Horror ; with deep and piercing Sorrow ; with difmal and defpairing Thoughts of God's Mercy ; and with fearful Apprehenfions ofhis Wrath and Vengeance. So that if this were the worft Confequence of Sin (which indeed is the belt) no Man that confiders and 'calculates things wifely, wòuld purchafe the Pleafureof any Sin, at the Price of fo much Anguifh and Sorrow as a true and deep Repentance will coft him ; efpe- cially, fence a true Repentance does, in many cafes, oblige Men to the Reftitution of that which hath been gained by Sin, if it bath been got by the Injury of ano- ther. And this Confideration quite takes away the Pleafure and Profit of ail ill-gotten Eftate. Better never to have had it, than to be obliged to refund it. A wife Man will forbear the nioft pleafant Meats, if he know before -hand that they will make him deadly fick, and that he Ihall" never be at eafe, till he have brought them up again. No Man that believes the Threatnings of God, and the Judgments of another World, would ever fin, but that he hopes to retrieve all again by Repentance. But it is the greateft Folly in the World to commit any Sin upon this Hope : For that is to pleafe ones Self for the prefent, in hopes to have more Trouble after- wards than the Pleafure ,comes to. But, efpecially, no Man would be guilty of an Aft of Injuftice and Oppreflion, in hopes to repent of it afterwards ; becaufe there can be no Repentance for fuch Sins without Reftitution ; and 'tis perfef Madnefs for a Man to run the hazard of his Soul to get an Efate, in hopes of reftoring it again; for fo he muff dothat truly repents of fuch a Sin. But, 2. In the other World, the final Brae and "Confequence ofall the Pleafures of Sin unrepentedof will certainly be Miferyand Sorrow. How quietly foever a Sinner may pafs through thisWorld, or out of it, Mifery will certainly overtake him in the next, unfpeakable and eternal Mifery, arifing from an Apprehenfion of the greateft Lofs, and a Senfe ofthe fharpeft Pain ; and thofe fadly aggravated by the Remembrance-of paff Pleafure, and the Defpair of future Eaf>. From a fad Apprehenfion and melancholy Refieftion upon his ineflimable Lofs. In the other World, the Sinner thall be eternally feparated fromGod, who is the Fountain of Happinefs. This is the firft part of that miferable Sentence which thall be. pall upon' the Wicked; departfromme. Sinners
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