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fes of this, 1. That the Thoughts of Judgment are very uneafy and troublefome, and that makes men afraid and averfe to think of it. And 2. That Judgment is out of fight, and they have nothing to mind them of it; and their Thoughts are fo taken up with other Matters, that they forget it, unless they happen to hear a Sermon about it, or fome accidental mention of it; which when they return to their worldly Affairs and Business, they quickly forget again.

ift. Men are very apt to avoid all Thoughts of Judgment, because they are very uneafy and troublefome; they ftartle at the mention of it i at least do not love to talk too long, nor think too feriously of it; för it awakens their Consciences, and makes them think what a fad Account they have to give; how many things they have done, and daily do, which they can never answer to God, when he comes to Judgment; and therefore they chufe to live quietly, without disturbing themselves with fuch terrifying Reflections, and the amazing Thoughts of what is to come. Now methinks it is no hard thing to convince thinking men of the Danger and Folly of this, and to reconcile them to the Thoughts of Judgment: For,

I.,

Todrive these Thoughts out of our Minds, though it may give us prefent eafe, yet it will not mend our Accounts, nor prevent our being judged: God will judge us, whether we will think of being judged or not: Were no men to be judged but those who think of it, there were as much reafon to ftupify our Confcien

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ces, and never to think of Judgment, as there is for fick men to take Opiates to fleep away their Pain and their Diftemper together; but this would be thought a very ill Remedy for their prefent Pain, were they to fleep away their Lives: And yet this is the Remedy these men chufe, to fleep away their Souls; to fleep away the Fears of Judgment, till Judgment awaken them and their Fears, never to fleep

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2. How frightful foever the Thoughts of Judgment are, it will be infinitely more terrible to fee and feel it: And there is no way to avoid that terrible Condemnation, but by thinking of it; the Fear of Judgment, if once it throughly poffeffes our Souls, will conquer this World; difarm all its Terrors, difcover its Cheats and Impoftures, wash off its Paint and Varnish, pluck off its Vizor and Difguife; it will teach us to fear God, which is the beginning of Wisdom, the Guide of Youth, and the Counsellor of Age; And would not any Wife Man rather chufe to preserve himself from Danger and Mifery by fearing it, than to live without Fear, and to perifh by his Security? In this World men love to know and fee their Danger, that they may avoid it, how difmal foever the Profpect be; and it is very unaccountable, that men fhould chufe rather to be damned, than to prevent it by a timely Forefight, and a prudent Fear and Caution.

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For 3. That Fear of Judgment which is ne ceffary to govern our Lives, and to prevent our

final Condemnation, is not fo amazing and terrifying as thefe Men apprehend it; it is not the Fear of a Man who is going to Execution, but the Fear of Prudence, Caution, and Forefight, which makes Men wife and circumfpect, but don't Diftract them: We have as many Demonftrations of this, as there are Men who govern their Lives under the Fear and Senfe of a Fu ture Judgment; are there any Men in the World who live more chearfully than they, who converfe more pleasantly with their Friends, and enjoy the Comforts of Life with greater Innocence and Freedom? Do you find any Disturbance in their Looks, any Symptoms of an uneafie and frighted Imagination? And yet these Men all this while live under the conftant Awe and Fear of Judgment: And therefore the Senfe and Fear of Judgment is confiftent with a conftant Peace and Serenity of Mind.

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That which diftracts and terrifies Men, is not the constant Awe and Senfe of Judgment, but the Condemnation of their own guilty. Confciences, which threaten the Judgments of God; against them; and when Men apprehend themfelves a falling into Hell, and fear their Cafe is hopeless and irrecoverable, it is no Wonder if the very Pains of Hell take hold of them; and not being able to bear thefe Horrors, they filence or ftupify their Confciences with the Noife, and Bufinefs, and Diverfions, and Pleasures of this Life, and can never endure to entertain the leaft Thought of Judgment, and imagine that all who do, live a miferable Life, are as melancholly and difturbed as they are, when they think of Judg

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ment: But this is a great Mistake; it is their Guilt which makes the Thoughts of Judgment fo terrible, and their not thinking of Judgment betrayed them to that Guilt, and nothing but a conftant Senfe of Judgment can now expiate their Guilt, and conquer their Fears by Repentance and a new Life: And as terrible as this is for the prefent, it is more defirable than to be Damned. But would Men accuftom themselves betimes to the Thoughts of Judgment, and govern their Lives under the Senfe of it, Judgment would never be terrible to them, no more than the Affize is to Men who have an Awe and Reverence for the Juftice of their Country, and obey its Laws.

Nay, 4. When we govern our Lives under the Awe of a Future Judgment, it is fo far from being terrible, that it fills us with great and joyful Hopes; for when God judges the World,he will reward good Men, as well as punish the wicked: And if the Fear of a Future Judgment makes us truly and fincerely good, we fhall long for the Day of Judgment as the Husbandman does for the Harveft; this will be our great Support and Comfort under all the Calamities of Life, and be a perpetual Spring of the moft Sincere and Divine Joys.

This may fatisfy us,that there is no Reason to be afraid to think of Judgment; that to live under the conftant Senfe of it, as it is the only way to make us truly good Men, fo it will deliver us from all guilty Fears, fupport us under all prefent Troubles, and delight us with the Hope and Expectation of Glorious Rewards.

2dly. As

2dly, As for those who out of meer Carelef nefs and Inconfideration, never think seriously about a Future Judgment, who employ all their Thoughts about prefentand fenfible Objects, but do not concern themfelves about what is abfent and unfeen, or think very feldom, and very coldly and tranfiently of it. It is a wonder to me, how men need be put in mind of a matter of fuch vaft concernment and importance to them, as a Future Judgment is: Does not the happinefs of your Immortal Souls depend on it? Iscito poffible to conquer the Temptations of this World, to refift the Sollici tations of the Flefh, the Courtship of Richés and Honour, thofe gilded Vanities of this Life, without remembring, that for all these things God will call us to Judgment 2: Methinks men fhould as foon venture themselves in: a Rocky and Tempeftuous Sea, without Rudder or Pilot, or Compafs,nor Ballaft, or Ancher, as to think to pass fafe through this World without a conftant Awe and Senfe of a Future Judge ment. Such Men are very carelefs of their Souls, and they muft lofe them; for they will never get fafe to Heaven; they can never give a good account to God when he comes to Judgment, who never think of any account they are to make...

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But befides this, as one would think that Future Judgment is of that great moment, that no man who is at all concerned for his Future Happiness, could fuffer it to go out of his Mind; fo there is little reafon in

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