CHAPTER X. 7y pearances of the moral world in every part of it ? Can he not direct every thing in nature, which is but his servant, to act in perfect agreement with his eternal prescience of our sins, or of our piety ? And hereby all the glory of providence, and our ne- cessary dependence upon it by faith and prayer, are as well se- cured, as if he interposed to alter his own scheme every moment. Let me ask again : Did not he in his own counsels or de. crees appoint thunders and lightnings, and earthquakes, to burn up and destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, and turn them into a dead sea, just at the time when the iniquities of these cities were raised to their supreme height ? Did he not ordain the fountains of the deep to be broken up, and overwhelming rains to fall down from heaven, just when a guilty world deserved to he drowned ; while he took care of the security of righteous Noah, by an ark which should float upon that very deluge of waters ? Thus, hecan punish the criminal when he pleases, and reward the devout worshipperin the proper season, by his original and eternal schemes of appointment, as well as if he interposed every moment anew.. Take heed, Fidens, that you be not tempted away by such sophisms of Fatalio, to withhold prayer fromGod, and to renoìtnce your faith in his providence. Re. member this short and plain caution of the subtle errors of men. I.,et a snake but once thrust in his head at some small unguarded fold of your garment, and he will insensibly and unavoidably wind his whole body into your bosom, and give you a pernicious wound. XI. On the other hand, when you havefound your oppo- nent make any such concession as may turn to your advantage in maintaining the truth, bewise and watchful to observe it, and make a happy improvementof it. Rhapsodus has taken a great deal of pains to detract from the honour of Christianity, by sly insinuations, that the sacred writers are perpetually promoting virtue and piety by promises and threatenings; whereas, as nei- ther the fear of future punishment, nor the hope of future re- ward can possibly be called good affections, or such as are the acknowledged springs and sources of all actions truly good." Ile adds further, that " this fear, or this hope, cannot consist in reality with virtue or goodness, if it either stands as essential to any moral performance, or as a considerable motive to any good action ;" and thus he would fain lead Christians to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, because of its future and eternal promises and threatenings,,as being inconsistent with his notion of virtue ; for he supposes virtue should be so beloved and practised for the sake of its own beauty and loveliness, that all other motives arising from rewards or punishments, fear or hope, do really take away just so much from the very nature of virtue as their influence reaches to ; and no part of those good practices are re-
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