zoo. Ìhe W fdom of Religion ju/pifeed; in the Vail. $lafphemies, have been fo many ? When he is confcious to himfelf what a Life he hash led, and is throughly awakened to a juft Senfe of the Evil of his Do- ings ? And when Death makes up to him, how does he dread the Sight and Thoughts of it, and how does he hanker after Life, as if all his Happinefs de- pended upon it, and ended with it ? And at la(f, like the young Man in the Gofpel, he goes away forrowful, becaufe, perhaps, he had great Pofflifions in this World, and bath no Hopes at all in the other. This it the Portion of a wiled Man from God, and the Heritage appointed to him by God. There are, I confefs, fome Exceptions to the contrary on bothSides ; but they are but few in Comparifon, and by no means fufficient to infringe the general Truth at this Obfervation. On theone hand, force good Men are very melancholyand difpirited,when they come to die, and leave the World full of Fears and Jealoufies concerning their future Condition ; and this may proceed from feveral Caufes. Perhaps they are naturally f a dark and melancholy Temper, which is ufually heightened and encreafed by bodily Weaknefs and Diftemper; and in this Cafe it is no Wonder, ifthe Confiderationsof Religion be not fufficient to fcatter thefe Clouds, and to over-rule and corre& the Irregularities ofour bodilyTemper becaufe the Principles and Confiderations of Religion do not work naturally and by way of Phyfick, but morally, and by way of Convi&ion and Counfel. Sometimes this Fear and Dejeetion of Mind in good Men, proceeds from mere L'ownefs and Faintnefs of Spirit, naturally caufed by the Load and Continuance of the Di- . ftemper which they labour under, and by which the Mind is likewife in Come Degree weakened and broken; and when this happens, it is ufually very vifible, and confequently the Account of it eafie and obvious; and fornetimes perhaps we are charitablymil-taken in our good Man, and either he is not afincerely good Man, or not fo good as we took him to be perhaps,, his Life bath beenvery un- equal, and full of great Failings : And in either Cafe it is no Wonder, if the Man have not that Peace and Comfort, which is anfwerable to our good Opinion of him , if this Man be not fincerely good, there is no real Foundation of Peace and Comfort ; for the Hope of the Hypocrite fhall periJh: Whofe Hopefhall be cut of, andwhofe Trull shall be as a Spiders Web. He fhalllean upon his Houfe, but it (hall not Rand; he rball hold it fall, but it (hall not endure, asone of Job's Friends fpeaks, yob 8. aq, t5, And Verfe 20. Behold, God will not call awaya perfell, or fincere, Man; neither will he help, or fupport, the Evil Doers. Or tho' he have been in the main a good Man,'yet perhaps with a great Mixtureof Imperfe&ion, and many great Failings, and Negleds 5 and then it is no Wonder, if his. Mind be not fo calm, and clear of Doubts and Jealoufies concerning his Condition : For proportionably to the Breaches and Inequalities of our Obedience, and our more and greater Failings will our Peace and Comfort, living and dying, be na- turally abated and interrupted. But there Cafes are not many, it is fufficient that it is generally otherwife with good Men, and that their End is Peace. And this is fo remarkable, that Balaam, when he was reckoning up.the Blefíings and Privileges of the People of Tfrael, the Type of good Men in all Ages, he takes particular Notice of their happy End, as a moft frgnal and invaluable Blefling; which made him break out into that With, Numb. 23. to. Let me die the Death ofthe Righteous, and let my laßl End be like his. And on the other hand, it cannot be denied, but that Come very bad Men (as bad as we can well imagine) have pafs'd out of this World, not only quiet and undifturbed, but with a great deal of Courage and Refolution. And this I be- lieve in Pa& and Experience, at leaf/ according to my belt Obfervation, is the more rare Cafe of the two; fora notorious bad Man todie in perfe& Peace, than for a good Mad to die in great Trouble and Perplexity of Mind. But this, when it happens, may probably enough be afcribed to one or more of there Caufes;, either to the Miftakeof the By- Randers, who take Silence for Peace ; and be- cattle the Man is of a Rrong Refolution, nd bath a good Command of him- felf, and does not think fit to trouble o ers, in a Matter in which bethinks they can give him no Comfort and Relief; they interpret this to be Tranquility of Mind';
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