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down and worship him for all the Kingdoms of the world, and the Glory of them, were he not to lofe a brighter and richer Crown for it? Sometimes indeed God does blefs good men with great Plenty and Honour, but he has no where pro mifed to do fo in the Gospel of Chrift; fometimes he does it not fo much to reward good men, (for Temporal things are not the proper Rewards of Piety and Virtue) as to ferve the ends of his Providence in the world: he takes care of good men to fupply their Wants and Neceffities here, which is all that a perfect Virtue requires, but he rewards them hereafter and yet this is not abfolutely promised neither, for our Saviour teaches us to take up his Crofs, to expect Sufferings and Perfecutions for his Name fake; and then we muft be contented to want Food and Raiment, to part with Houfes and Lands, and Life it felf, for his fake; and our Condition may be fo afflicted, and calamitous here, that it may force us to fay, as St. Paul does, if in this life only we had hope, we were of all men the most miferable: and who would be the Difciple of Chrift upon these terms? To fuffer fo much for him in this World, and to gain nothing by it in the next...

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Thus on the other hand, there is a terrible Vengeance threatned against wicked men in the next world, Lakes of fire and brimstone, blacknefs of darkness, the worm that never dieth, and the fire that never goeth out; but the Gofpel threatens no Temporal Punishments against Sin: Bad men are very often punifhed in this World, when the Wisdom of the Divine Providence fees fit, and they very often efcape too, and are much more profperous than good men are here:

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that there is no Threatning in the Gofpel to reftrain the Impieties of men, but only the Fears of the other World, and a Future Judgment; and if you take away thefe, you deftroy the Gofpel of our Saviour.

2. Many of our Saviour's Laws are founded on the fuppofition of a Future Judgment, and are extreamly unreasonable, if there be no Rewards or Punishments after this Life; that if we will but allow him the ordinary Prudence of a Lawgiver, a Future Judgment muft be the Foundation of his Religion.

If there were no other Life after this, the only Rules of our Actions would be to live as long, and to enjoy as much of this world as we can. But Chriftian Religion in many cafes will not allow of this, and therefore is no Religion for this World, were there not another World to follow.

To begin with the Enjoyments of this world: How many Restraints does the Chriftian Religion lay on us, to leffen the Pleasures and Satisfactions of this Life? It teaches us a great Indifferency to all the things of this World; but how unreafonable is that, if this world be our only place of Happiness? For who can be indifferent whether he be happy or not? It commands us to mortifie our Senfual Appetites, to crucifie the Flesh with its Affections and Lufts, to live above the Pleafures of the Body, to pluck out our Right Eyes, and to cut off our Right Hands; but what reafon can there be to deny our felves any of thefe Enjoyments, as far as is confiftent with preferving our Health, and prolonging our Lives, if we have no expectations after Death? Nay, if men

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are contented to live a fhort and a merry Life, what hurt is there in it, if Death puts an end to them? It forbids us to lay up for our felves Treafures on Earth, which were a ftrange Command, ' were there not greater Treafures to be expected in Heaven: It forbids Earthly Pride and Ambition, an affectation of Secular Honours and Power; but why muft we fubmit to Meannefs and Contempt in this World, if this be the only Scene of Action we fhall ever be concern'd in? for a mean and base Spirit is no Virtue; and for the fame reason it can be no Virtue to be contented with a low Fortune, to be patient under Sufferings, which if they will never be rewarded, is to be patiently miferable, and that is Stupidity and Folly; but to have our Converfation in Heayen, to live upon the hopes of unfeen things, is madness and Distraction, if there be no Heaven, no unTeen Things for us.

The Laws of our Saviour require us in fome cafes to facrifice the dearest Interefts we have in this world, and Life it felf, for his fake; which is a fenflefs and unreafonable Command, if he does not intend to beftow a better Life on us: If there were no other Life after this, no wife man would forfeit more for any Religion, than it is worth in this World, and that would reach but a little way in Sufferings: Nor is our Saviour fo unreasonable as to require it upon these Terms; but tells us plainly, Whosoever will fave his life, fhall lofe it; and whosoever will lofe his life for my fake, fhall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole World, and lofe his own Soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul? 16.Matth.25,26. The Reafons of moft of the Evangelical Com

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mands must be fetched wholly from the other World, and a Future Judgment; and therefore we fhould have had the fame Evidence for a Judgment to come, that we have for the Chriftian Religion, tho there had been no fuch express mention made of a Future Judgment.

I cannot but obferve here the true Reason of the Corruption of Chriftian Morals, which are as much corrupted as the Chriftian Faith is: That in expounding the Laws of our Saviour fome men have no other regard, but to fit them to the ease and the conveniences of this Life; and therefore reject any Interpretation of them, which is fevere to Flesh and Blood, or will hazard their Eafe and Fortunes in this World. It is fufficient to Confute any Law of our Saviour, or to Interpret it away, to fhew that there are great Temporal Inconveniences in it; that to obferve fuch Laws in fuch a fenfe would, be very injurious to mens prefent intereft, and deprive them of many Pleasures and Advantages of Life.

It were easy to give many Inftances of this, but it fhall fuffice at prefent to confefs, that confidering the state of this World; and the Propensities and Inclinations of Human Nature, fome Laws of our Saviour are very unreasonable, were there not a Future Judgment to reward the Severities and Sufferings which good men muft undergo in obferving of them: and therefore we must have a care of rejecting any plain and express Law of our Saviour, for any Temporal Inconvenience which attends it, or to think that the best sense of the Christian Law, which is most for the ease and comfort of this Life.

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This may ferve for the Proof of a Future Judg ment, for if this will not prove it, nothing will. There are indeed another fort of Arguments to prove it, but they principally relate to the Perfon of our Judge, or who fhall be our Judge, viz. The Son of Man, Chrift Jefus, who is God Incarnate, and to which St. Paul refers, 17. Acts 31. That God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteoufnefs, by that man whom he bath ordained; whereof be bath given affurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead; but I fhall defer that, till I come to fpeak of the Perfon of our Judge.

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The Improvement of this Doctrine in fome Practical Inferences; as, 1. Tolive as it becomes those who fhall certainly be judged. 2. To keep our Eye upon a Future Judgment for the Government of our Lives.

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Aving thus proved the Certainty of a Future Judgment, both from Reason and Scripture; before I proceed, it is neceffary to confider, how we muft improve this Belief for the government of our Lives; for that is the only end of Faith and Knowledge; and if we be never the better men for our Faith, we may as well be Infidels; and this I fhall do in these following Particulars:

L. To live as it becomes thofe who fhall certainly be judged. I fuppofe I need not prove this Confequence, that those who must be judged, ought to live as those who must be judged; for

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