38 The Shalefalnef r of Sin, Vol. II. of the School-men ; (asone would guefs by theLatin of it) Every Sinner is either an ignorant, orincenfderatePerfon. Either Men do notandernand what they do; when they commitSin ; or if they do know, they do not aftually attend to, and confider what they know. Either they are habitually or aftually ignorant of what they do : for Sinand Confideration cannot dwell together; 'tis f'o very un- reafonable and abfurd a thing, that it requires either grofs Ignorance, or ftupid Inadvertency, to make a Man capable of committing it. Whenever a Man fins, he mutt either be denitute of Reafon, or mutt lay it afide of afleep for the time, and fo fuller himfelf to be hurried away, and to a& brutifhly, as if he had no un- derfianding. Did but Men attentively confider what it is to offend God, and tobreak the Laws of that great Law - giver, who is able to fave or to defiroy, they would dif- cern to many invincible Obje&ions againft the thing, and would be filled with fuch thong Fears and Jealoufiesof the fatalIffue and Event ofit, that they would not dare toventure upon it. And therefore we find the Scripture fo frequently refolving the Wickednefs of Men into .their, Ignorance and Incgnfideratenefs, Pfal. i4. 4. Have all the workers ofiniquity no knowledge ? intimating that by their A&ions one would judge fo. And the fame account God himfelf alfo gives elfe. where of the frequent Difobedience and Rebellion of the People ofIfrael, Deut. 2428, 29. They are a nation void ofcounfel, neither is there any underfianding in them. Oh I that they were wife, that they underfiood this, that they would confider their latter end ! Knowledge and Confederation would cure a great part of the Wickednefs that is in the World; Men would not commit Sin' with fo much greedinefi, would they but take time to confider, and bethink themfelves what they do. Have we not reafon then to be afhamed of Sin, which carts fuch a reproach of Ignorance and Rafhnefs upon us ? andof Imprudence likewife and Indifcretion? Since nothingcan be more dire&ly and plainly againftourgreateft andbelt Intereft both of Body and Soul, both here and hereafter, both now and to all Eternity. And there is nothing that Men are more afhamed of, than to beguilty of fogreat an Imprudence, as to a& clearly againft their own Intereft, to which Sin is the molt plainly crois and contrary, that it is poflible for any thing to be. No Man can engage and continue in a finful Courfe, without being fo far abufed and infa- tuated, as to be contented to part withEverlafting Happinefs, and to beundone and miferable for ever; none but he that can perfwade himfelf againft all the Reafon and Senfe of Mankind, that there is pleafure enough in the tranfient A&s ofSin, to make amends for Eternal Sorrow, and Shame, and Suffering. And can fuch a Thought as this enter into the Heart of a confiderate Man ? Epicurus was fo wife, as to conclude againft all Pleafure that would give a Man more Trou- ble and Difturbance afterwards; againft all Pleafures that hadPain and Grief còn- fequent upon them : and he forbids his Wife Man to tart of them, or to meddle with them ; and had he believed any thingof a future State, he muft, according to his Principle, have pronounc'd it the greateft Folly thatcould be, for any Man to purchafe the Pleafures and Happinefsof a few Years, at the dear rate of Eter- nal Mifery andTorment. So that if it be a Difgrace to a Man to a& imprudently, and to do things plainly againft his Intereft, then Vice is the greaten reproach that ispoflible. The 4th and laß Confideration, which renders Sin fo fhameful to us, is, that it is our own Voluntary Aetand Choice. We chufe this Difgrace, and willingly bring this Reproach upon our felves. We pity an Ideot, and one that is natu, rally denitute of Undemanding, or one that lofeth the ufe of his Reafon by a Difeafe or other inevitable accident : ,But every one defpifeth him who helots himfelf, and plays the fool out of carelefsnefs and a grofs negle&of himfelf. And this is the Cafe of the Sinner; there is no Man that finneth, but becaufe he is wanting tohimfelf; he might be wirer and dobetter, and will not; but he chu- feth his own Devices, andvoluntarily runs himfelf upon thofe inconveniences, which it was inhisPower tohave avoided. Not
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