Serm. CXI. An Argumentfor Repentance. himfelfof hisLiberty, or to deny his Pleafure, or to check his Appetiteor Luft, for the greateft Reward that God can promife, or the fevereft Punifhment that he can threaten ; can any Man reafonably think, that this Man is perfwaded of any fuch Happinefs or Mifery after thisLife, as is plainly revealed in the Gofpel, that verily there is a reward for the righteous, and verily there is a God that jsdgetb theEarth ? For what can he that believes notone fyllable of the Bible do worfe than this comes to ? A ftrong and vigorous Faitheven in Temporal Cafes, is a powerful Principle ofA&ion, efpecially if it be back'd and enforced with Arguments of fear. He that believes the realityof a thing, and that it is good for him, and that it may be attained, and that if he do attain it, it will make him very happy, and that without it he fhall be extreamly miferable ; fuch a Belief and Perfwafion will put a Man upon difficult things, and make him to put forth a vigorous endeavour, and to ufe a mighty induftry for the obtaining of that, concerning which he is thus perfwaded. And theFatthof the Gofpel ought to be fo much the more powerful, by how much theObje&s of hope and fear, which it prefents to us, aregreater and more confiderable. Didmen fully believethe Happinefs of Heaven, and the Torments of Hell, and were they as verily perfwadedof the truth of them, as if they were before their Eyes, how inliignificantwould all the Terrors and Temptations of Senfebe to draw them into Sin, and feduce them from their Duty? But altbo it feems very ftrange, and almoft incredible, that men should believe thefe things, and yet live wicked and impious lives ; yetbecaufe I have no mind, and God knows there's no need to increafe the number of Infidels in this Age, I shall chufe rather to impute a great dealof the wickednefs that is in the World, to the Inconfideratenefs of men, than to their Unbelief. I will grant that they do in fome fort believe there things, or at leaft that they donotdisbelieve them; andthen the great chufe ofwens ruin muff be, that they do notattend to the Con- fequence of this Belief, and how Men ought to live that are thus perfwaded. Men ftifletheir Reafon, and fuffer themfelves to be hurried away by Senfe, into the embraces offenfual Obje&s and Things prefent, but do not confider what the end of thefe things will be, and what is like to become of them hereafter; for it is not to be imagined, but that that Man who (hall calmly confider with himfelf what Sin is, the fhortnefs of its Pleafure, and the Eternity of its Punifhment, fhould ferioufly refolve upon a better Courfe of life. And why do wenot confider thefe things, which areof fo infinite Concernment to us? What have we our Reafon for, but to refle& upon our felves, and to mind what we do, and wifely to compare things together, and upon the whole matter to judge what makes moll: for our true and Idling Intereft ? toconfider our whole felves, our Souls as well asour Bodies; and our whole duration not only in this World, but in the other, not only with regard toTime, but to Eternity? to look before us to the tall Ifíue and Event of our A&ions, and to the farthelt Confequence of them, and to reckon upon what will be hereafter, as well as what is prefent; and if, we fufpe& or hope or fear, efpecially if we have good reafon tobelieve a fuparkflate after Death, in which we fhall be happy or mile- table to all Eternity, according as wemanage and behave our felves in thisWorld, to refolve to make it our greateft Defign and Concernment while we are in this World, fo to live and demean our felves, that wemay be of the number of thofe that fhall beaccounted worthy to efcape that Mifery, and to obtain that happi- nefs, whichwill laft and continue for ever. And if men wouldbut apply their Mindsferioufly to the Confideration of thefe things, they could not a& fo imprudently as theydo; they would not live foby chance and without deftgn, taking the Pleafurethat comes next, and avoiding the prefent Evils which prefs upon them, without any regard to thofe that are future, and at a diftance, tho' they be infinitely greater and more confiderable: If men could have the Patience to debate and argue there matters with themfelves, they could not live fo prepofteroufly as they do, preferring their Bodies before their Souls, and the World before God, and the things which are Temporal be- fore the things that areEternal. H 2 Did
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