it not animate the fainteft heart, and feeblest hands to the combate? What Lions can we fear in the way which this hope is not Sampson enough to encounter? How light are our heaviest, how momentary our most lasting Afflictions, if balanced with that eternal weight of Glory? Are we fpoil'd of our goods, here is a referve of treasure which no Thief, neither the flye, nor the avowed, the pilferer, nor the fequeftrator can invade, Are we reduced to our Saviours deftitution, not to have where to lay our head, yet we have a building of God, an houfe not made with hands eternal in the Heavens. Are we reproacht for the name of Chrift, that Ignominy ferves but to advance our future Glory, every fuch Libel here, becomes Panegyrick there. Nay, are we perfecuted to death, that fends us but to take poffeffion of the Crown of Life. Upon fuch fure grounds does our Christianity fet us.While we make good its condition it puls out the fting of all that is moft deadly. And in a more comprehenfive fenfe, poffeffes us of the priviledge promised the Disciples, that nothing should by any means hurt them, Mar.16. The moft adverse chances being but like the ploughing and breaking the ground, in order to a more plentiful harveft. And yet we are not fo wholly turned off to that reverfion, as to have no fupplies for the prefent; for befides the comfort of fo great and certain an expectation in another life, we have promises alfo for this. Even of all those internal and spiritual fatisfactions which attend the practice of piety. The feast of a good

Confcience

Conscience is the true Chriftians daily diet, and fure whatever the rich men of the world think, he only can be faid to fare deliciously: nay, he has yet more fupernatural food, Manna rain'd down immediately from Heaven: the Holy Spirit fent on purpose to refresh and support him: those Joys which differ rather in degree than kind, from those which are to be his final portion. And that the Soul may not be too much incommoded in her house of clay, there is provifion made for that also, fuch neceffaries fecured to the body, as may keep it in Tenantable repair: we have Chrifts exprefs promife for it, that to those that Seek the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness, all thefe things fhall be added: if not that fuperfluity which may opprefs and load, (render the body rather the Tomb than Manfion of the Soul) yet fuch as may sustain and fupport us: and fure 'tis eafie to decide which is the happier lot. In fhort, we are fure of enough to defray the charge of that voyage, which lands us at Eternal Bliß: and certainly he must be of a very fluggish or querulous humour, that fhall demur upon fetting out, or demand higher encouragements.

AND as the nature and value of the Promifes render them moit proper engagements and incentives to all vertue; fo if we confider the manner of propofing, we fhall find them in that refpect alfo highly contributive to the fame end. For first, they are clear and exprefs, not wrapt up in dark enigmatical infinuations, wherein men must exercise their fagacity afwell as their faith: but revealed

B 4

1

revealed with that plainnefs, that 'tis impoffible for any who knows but the letter of the Gospel to be ignorant of the Eternal rewards it proposes. And herein the difference belongs to Chriftianity above all other Religions, fome whereof have left men fo much in the dark, that many Sects among them have denied the immortality of the Soul, and fure they were but faint encouragements they could propofe unto that vertue which was to perifh with them. What fhould animate them to the rugged fevere tastes of restraining appetites, fubduing paffions, eradicating habits who difcerned no rewards for blamelefs Souls. 'Tis true indeed vertue is in her felf perfectly amiable, though fhe brought no dowry, but experience fhews us fhe has not many Platonick lovers: and when fo few are ambitious to wed Her, when the brings an Eternal inheritance with her, we may cafily guefs how little fhe will be taught without it. When men once conclude that their Spirits fhall vanish into the foft Air; the inference is very obvious, Come on, let us ufe the creatures as in youth; as we find it elegantly purfued, Wifd, 2. But of those who acknowledged a future being, their preceptions were very mifty and obfcure. The Heathens had fuch confus'd notions of their Elyfium, that the Epithet of spades belong'd more properly to the darkness than the refreshment, and was a reward fit for the votaries of those ambiguous Oracles they confulted. And proportionably to the obfcurity of their hopes were the Exercifes of their vertue: their Piety was even overwhelmed

and

and confounded by the multitude of their Deities; nay, which is yet ftranger, their Gods themselves feem to have been loft in their own croud: elfe fure the Athenians would never have infcrib'd an Altar to the unknown God: and indeed their offices were generally fuch, as if they had been devoted to no other, they having as little discerning of their Worship as of their God. 'Twas wrapt up in clouds and darkness; had mysterious receffes to which the common worshipper had no admittance; fuch as were to acquire a veneration only by not being understood: and though this must needs deprive their fervices of that spirit and quicknefs, which conftitutes the vertue of devotion, yet alas their Religion had more than that negative contrariety to Vertue. Many of their worships being nothing but a folemnity of the fouleit vices: and their Divinity taught them to violate Morality. A deceit Satan could not probably fo long have triumpht in, had they had the Gofpel notion of Heaven, for fure they could not have fuppos'd their Gods of fuch mutable inclinations, as to affect purity in their cohabitants, and pollution in their Votaries: or fuch incongruous difpenfers of rewards, as to apportion an impeccable state hereafter to the most flagitious criminals on Earth.

AS to the Jews 'tis true, they derived their light from a clearer Fountain, were under the Oeconomy of immediate Revelation, and therefore might be fuppos'd to have had a freer profpect into that Heaven, from whence their Lam defcend

ed,

ed, yet even they were in this, as in many other particulars, under Mofes his veil, had rather dark adumbrations, and thofe too overwhelmed with the multitude of exprefs temporal promifes. The earthly Ganaan lay fo fair and open to their profpect, as eafily intercepted their view of the Heavenly; and their faith must remove, at least overlook, that mountain before it could come to any fight of the Horizon and extended Sky. Nay, when 'tis remembred that the Sadduces a great and learned part of their Doctors denied all future being, we must think the intimations of it were very obfcure; it being fcarce imaginable, that any confidering men fhould think the Souls expir'd with the Body upon any other ground, but that they knew not what after State to affign it. So that though they wanted not figures and shadows, or as the Apoftle calls them, patterns of Heavenly things, Heb. 9. 23. yet they feem'd not to have been well understood, and the generality of men were not only in their Perfons, but their Understandings denied entrance into the holy of holies; penetrated not that myftical reprefentation, which was within the Veil: and answerable to this dimnefs of their perceptions, was the whole fyfteme and body of their Religion, which rather entertain'd its felf in thofe external bodily performances, which affected the sense, than in thofe Divine and Spiritual raptures, which purified and elevated the Soul. 'Tis the Apostles affirmation, Heb. 9. that the facrifices there offered could not make him that did the service perfect, as

pertaining