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3. That this does prove, that God will judge the world, and render to every man according to his Works.

I. That it is fo; that all men have a natural Prefage of Judgment: There is indeed a very formidable Objection against this, That very few men live as if they did expect to be judged. But this is as good an Argument against mens belief of the Gospel of Chrift, and the express Revelation of a Future Judgment, as it is against the Natural Senfe and Prefages of Confcience; for there are too many who profefs to believe the Gospel, but do not live as if they did believe a Judgment: But Ineed not trouble my felf about this, because it is an Objection only to Atheists and Infidels, if indeed it be an Objection to them: Other bad men, who live as if they did not believe a Judgment, yet feel in themselves that they do believe it, and when they think of it, they believe and tremble too, as the Devils do; tho at other times they are overpower'd by theWorld and the Flesh, to act contrary to the Convictions of Confcience, and the Fears of Judgment.

The Heathens themselves, who had only the Light of Nature to direct them, were very fenfible of the private Judgment of their own Consciences,which did either accufe them when they did ill, and fill them with remorfe and fear of Vengeance; or excufe, commend and applaud them when they did well, and give them great and chearful Hopes of a Reward; as St. Paul tells us, 2.Rom.14.15. and is frequently obferved by the Heathen Philofophers, Poets, Orators and Historians, as a thing univerfally acknowledged: And indeed I know no man at this day who denies it,

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and therefore I need not prove it. All men feel this in themselves,even Atheists and Infidels,whenever they are serious and thoughtful; when the Judgments of God overtake them, or they see the near Approaches of Death, and another World: The greatest Power cannot defend men from these Fears; Princes and Politicians are equally expofed to them, with meaner Subjects: Thofe whom no Human Power can touch, are over-awed by an invisible Justice.

II. Since this is univerfally acknowledged, the only Question is, To what cause to attribute these Fears and Rebukes of Confcience? The Atheists will by no means allow thefe Fears to be natural, but only the effects of a Superftitious Education; as they say the belief of a God, and the differences of Good and Evil are. Men have been taught from their very Infancy, that there is an Invisible Power that governs the world, which will reward good men, and punish the wicked, and have been frighted with the Fairy Stories of Infernal Judges, and Styx and Acheron, or Hell-Fire; and this made fuch an Impreffion upon theirTender Fancies, as can never be wore out, at leaft not without great Industry and Refolution of Mind; and this, they fay, makes weak men conclude that they are Natural. But this is a very abfurd and ridiculous Account of the Matter, as wil appear, if you confider by what Rules we are to judge, what is Natural, and what not: For if thefe Prefages of Conscience have all the marks and figns of being natural, that we can have that any thing is natural, we must either say, that nothing is natural, or that we cannot tell what is natural, and what not; or we must confefs it great Perverseness of

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Mind,

Mind, to deny that to be natural, which has all the figns and marks of being natural, that any thing can have.

Now 1. That is Natural which is univerfal, or common to the whole kind; for we have no other way of knowing what the Nature of Things are, but by obferving what is common to all Creatures of the fame kind and Species; for nothing is common to all Individuals, but a common Nature And if what is univerfal, and common to all Mankind is Natural, thefe Cenfures and Rebukes of Confcience are Natural, for they are common to all Men: For tho we should grant that fome few Atheists have wholly conquered thefe Fears, and never feel the Lafhes and Rebukes of their own Confciences, fuch few and rare Examples ought to be looked on as the Corruption of Human Nature, not as the Measure and Standard of it; for it is no news to fay, that Human Nature may be corrupted, that the very effential Principles of it may be depraved; and in fuch cafes we always judge, and that with very good reafon, that what is moft common and univerfal, is natural, not what is as rare and as ominous as a Monftrous Birth.

2dly. Efpecially when we confider, that that is moft natural which is born and bred with us, and is the Original State of Human Nature; for Nature is before Art, and before the voluntary Corruptions and Degeneracy of Nature. This Atheists fee and confefs, and therefore attribute the Belief of a God, and the Checks of Confcience, and the Fears of Judgment, to Education; that thefe Principles were inftilled into us from the beginning, and grow up with us into confirmed and fetled Prejudices;

Prejudices; and I readily grant, that Education has a great ftroke in forming our Notions, and in awakening and cultivating our Natural Reafon; for tho we are born with a Power and Faculty of Reason, and our Minds are fo framed, as to understand and affent to fuch Truths, wher they are proposed to us; to know and acknowledge prime and original Principles at firft view, as the Eye difcerns Light,and diftinguishes Colours; yet we are not born with the Exercise of Reason, but it must be put into Act, and formed by Education: But this I fay, that it is an Argument how natural thefe Notions are to our Minds, that they are the first Principles all Mankind affent to without difficulty or difpute; and fuch Principles as when men grow up, they find lye even and eafy in their Minds: they are the first things which Atheists themselves do naturally believe; and that they do not believe them now, is the effect of great Induftry and Violence: It is a piece of Art to be an Atheist, which they are a great while a learning; which very few men, tho well difpofed to it, can ever learn; but to believe a God, and to fear and reverence his invifible Power and Juftice, is not Art, but Nature, and therefore common to all Mankind, and the first thing they learn to believe.

3dly. Another Mark of what is natural is, That it is abfolutely infeperable from Nature, or at least not without extream difficulty and violence; and this proves the Hopes and Fears of good and bad men to be very natural: For how impoffible it is to conquer thefe Fears, I appeal to your own Senfe and Experience: As many bad men as there are who would be ve

ry glad to get rid of these Fears, and to laugh them out of the World, there are but very few that can do it. Some men indeed ftifle their Confciences, and lay them asleep by the various Arts of Superftition, whereby they hope to appease God, and to keep their Sins ftill; or by the deceitful Vows and Promises of Repenting before they dye, or by perpetual Business and Entertainments, which employ their Thoughts, and keep off all melancholy Reflections; or by fuch perpetual Debaucheries as ftupifie their Minds, and make them. infenfible; now these Mens Fears are filenced for a while, but not conquered; whatever makes them reflect upon themselves, and confider their own State, awakens their Fears again, and makes them more outragious and tormenting than ever. The Atheist is certainly fo far in the right, that there is no way to get rid of these Fears, but by banishing the Belief of a God, and of another World, out of their Minds : But few Men can do this, and Atheists themselves, when they have impudently enough derided the Superftition of the rest of the World, and think they can anfwer all the Arguments for the Being of a God, and a Future State, yet cannot wholly deliver their Minds from these Fears; they ever and anon recur upon them, and after all their pretended Affurance and Confidence, they are very jealous what may be, and many times fome cross Accidents and Events, or the Approach of Death opens their Eyes, and makes them acknowledge a God, and tremble at the thoughts of Judgment, which they had fo long despifed.

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