Serro. CXXXIII. different Ends ofgoodandbad Men. 209 Acrii s advertuiit 'aninios all Relligioneiz, The Thoughts of it are thenmore pungent and powerful upon their Minds. Nam verse voces deml rn pet'iore ai imó Eliciuntur, & eripitur perfnna, manet res. " MensWords their come from the Bottomof their Hearts, the Maskis taken off; " and Things then appear to them As indeed they are: Now, that when Men are fo impartial and in good Earneft, when they ftand upon the Confines of both Worlds, and can view them at once, when they are leaving this World, and are now no longer in Danger of being blinded or flat- tered, or tempted by it, and are juff ready to pafs into the other World, and fo much the more likely to difcern the Realityof it, as they approach near to it; I fay, that in thefe Circumftances Mengenerallydeclare on the Side of Piety and Virtue, and declaim molt vehemently againft their Sins and Vices ; that gene- rally fpeaking, and according to what is commonly leen in Experience, the Man who bath led a Religious and Virtuous Life, is, when he comes todie, quiet and eafy to himfelf, bath no Regret at what he bath done, no fevere and angry Re- fle&ions upon the ftri&Courte of a Virtuous Life, his Confcience Both not accule or upbraid, or terrify him, for having livedfoberly and righteoufly, and godly in this World; nay, fo far from this, that if he have any Trouble, it is not hecaufe he bath lived pioufly and virtuoufly, but becaufe he bath not lived more fo, be- caufe he hath come fhort of his Duty, and bath been fo imperfe&ly and incon- ftantly good : That generally dying Men repent of their evil A&ions, and are troubled for them; but no Man ever repented himfelf of ferving God, and do- ing Good. This furely is a great Teftimony on the Side of Religion and Virtuè, becaufe it is the Teftinony not only of the Friends to Religion, but of thofe who have been the greateft Enemies to it, and at a Time when they are moll; likelyto declare the inward Senfe of their Minds, and to fpeak molt impartially without Defign or Difguife. When the ungodly Man and the Sinner comes to.lie upon a Death -bed, he bath then other Apprehenfions ofThings thanhehad, or would own to have in theDays of his Health and Profperity, and his Soul is full of Sad- nefs and Trouble, of Perplexity and Anguifh, of Fear and Defpair, becaufe of the wicked and lewd Life which he bath led. But whyart thou fo difmayedI Man ? Why fo troubled and caft down ? So millers and unquiet, fo wretchedand miferable in thine own Thoughts ? If thou haft done well in renouncing the Principles of-Religion, and breaking loofe from all Obligations of Duty and Confcience, in gratifying thine Inclina- tions and Lufts, why art thou now troubled at it ? If thou wert in the Right alt the while, why doff thou not now (land to it, and juftify thy A&ings, and bear up like a Man ? If the Principles thou wenteft upon were found and firm, why dolt thou not full take. Comfort and Support from them? Why does thy Heart faint; and thy Spirit fink within thee? How comes thy Imagination to be fo di- fturbed with:fuch frightful,Appearances, and to haunt thee continually with fuch vainand groundlefs Terrors? Whence is it that thofe who have taken a contrary Courte, and,lived a quite different Life, have fo much the Advantage of thee, in the Comfort and Peace, and Tranquillity of their Minds when they come to die? But if thon haft been ih the Wrong, and doff now dileern real Caule for fo much Trouble and Fear, why didit thou not confider in Time? Why: waft thou not troubled fowler, when Trouble would have done thee Good, and a great Part of theAnguifhwhich thou now'feele(l, and all the Mifery thou art fo afraid of, might effe&ually have been prevented ? E e I think
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