Serrn. III. rather than a Kingdom. Sinners are not now fnfb1e of the Joys of Heaven, and the Happinefs of that State, and therefore are not capable of eftimating the greatnefs offuels a lofs : But this 4upidity and ínfenfblenefs ofSinners, continues onlyduring this prefent fiat; which affords Men varietyof Obje&s and Pleafures to divert and entertain them : But when they are once enter'd upon the other World, they will then have nothing elfe to take up their Thoughts, but the fad condition, into which by their own wilful negligence and folly they have plunged themfelves. They (hall then, lift up their Eyes, and with the rich Man in the Parable, at once fee the happinefr of others, and feel their own mifery and torment. But this is not all. Betides the apprehenfion offo great a Lofs, they (hall be fenfible of the foreft and fharpeft Pains ; andhow grievous thofe (hall be, we may conjefture by what the Scripture Pays of them in general ; that they are the Effefts of a mighty difpleafure, of Anger and Omnipotence met together, far greater than can be defcribed by any Pains and Sufferings which we are ac- quainted withal in this World : For who knows the Power of God's anger, and the utmoft of what Omnipotent Jullice can do to Sinners ?, It is a fearful thing to fill into the hands of the living God. One would think this weremifery enough, and needed no farther Aggravation : But yet it bath two terrible ones; from the remembrance of pá4 Pleafures, and the defpair of any future Eafe and Remedy. The remembrance of pall Pleafure makes prefent Sufferings more (harp and fenfible. For as nothing commends Pleafure more, and gives a quicker Relifs to Happinefs, than precedentPain and Suffering : (for perhaps there is not a greater Pleafure in the World, than in the fuddeu cafe which a Man finds after a fharp fit of the Stone) fo nothing enrageth Af li&ion more, and fets a keener edge up- on Mifery, than to pafs into great Pain immediately out of a State of Eafe and Pleafure. This was the flinging Aggravation ofthe rich Man's Torment, That in bis life time he had received his good things, and had fared fo delicioufly every day. But the greateft Aggravation of all is, the defpair of any future Eafe and Re- medy. The duration of this Mifery is fet forth to us in Scripture, by fuels Ex- preflions as do fignifie the longeft and moll interminable duration. Depart ye canfed into everlaffing fire, Matth. 2 5. and Mark g. 43. Where the wormdies not, and the fire is not quenched. And in the Revel. it is füd, that the wicked (hall he tor- mented clay and night, for ever and ever, without intermiflion, and without end. And this finely is the Perfeétion of Mifery, for a Man to lye under the greatefl Torments, and to be in defpair of ever finding the leali eafe. Let us now compare things together ; on theone hand, theSufferings of good Men, for a good Confcience, and the Reward that follows them ; and on the other hand, theEnjoyments of Sin, with the Mifchief and Mifery that attends them, and will certainly overtake them in this World, or in the next : And then we (hall eafily difeern which of tliefe is to be preferred in a wife Man's choice. And indeed the Choice is fo very plain; that a Man muff be 4rangely forfaken ofhis Reafon, and blinded by Senfe, who does not prefer that courfe of Life, which will probably make him happier in this World, but moo certainly in the next. W. There remains now only the Fourth and la4Particular to be fpoken to ; viz. Suppofing this Choice to be reafonable, to enquire whence it comes to pats that fo many make a quite contrary:Choice. How is it thatthe greateft part of Mankind are fo widely iniftaken, as to prefer the TemporaryEnjoyments of Sin before Con- fcience arid Religion ; efpecially, if it be attended with great Affliftions and Sufferings ; And of this I (hall give you as brief an account as I can, and fo con- clude this Difcourfe. This wrong Choice generally proceeds from one or both of tilde two Caufes; front want of Faith ; or fromwant of Conuderation ; or of both: 1 One great Reafon why Men make fo imprudent a Choice, is Unbelief; either the want of Faith, or the weaknefs of it. Either Men do not believe the Recoin- pcneea of another Life, or they are not fo firmly pertwaded ofthe reality of them. E a If
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