Mach. Difc. had more good Will than Machiavel had to on Lizy. beat down natural Confcience, but he is for

ced to acknowledge that it is Invincible, and is fuch a Restraint upon Men, that it spoils many a great Design.

When the Enemies of God and Religion have done their worst, Piety, and Virtue, and true and honeft Dealing will always have Friends in spite of the Devil *. They are ftill fecure, fo long as they can fafely make their Appeal to the common Senfe, and Reason, and Confcience of Mankind, where they will always have a fecret Intereft, even among worft of Men; and that notwithstanding that their Inclinations are fo contrary, so much more for Evil than for Good ; and notwithstanding that the Bad do fo much out-number the Good Men in the World.

the

Natural Confcience, whatever Attempts may be made upon it, will always prevail; and therefore, Goodnefs and Virtue will be in Credit and Esteem, fo long as the World endures: And Wicked Men do commonly not only give Quarter to Good Men, but even in fpite of themselves, they muft Think well of them, and muft and will always have an Inward Respect and Veneration for them. Ill Actions will always be ill fpoken of, and ill thought of;

Nunquam in tantum convalefcet Nequitia, nunquam fic contra Virtutes conjurabitur, ut non (Virtutis) Nomen Venerabile & Sacrum maneat. Sen.

but

but Good Deeds will always be of good Report; brave and generous Actions will always be praised, and admired, and honoured; they will be enrolled in the Records of Fame, and will be had in Honourable Remembrance in the Ages to come. Therefore Poets, as well as Hiftorians, have always chose to recommend their Heroes, and confecrate their Memories to Pofterity, not by their Vices, but by their Virtues; well knowing, that nothing but Virtue and Goodness are true matter of Praise and Glory; which fhed Luftre upon Men whilft they live, and embalm their Memories when they dye.

Nor does any Thing elfe win Men's Hearts, and gain their good Opinion, and Inward Efteem and Affection, like Virtue and Goodness. Thofe that defire to have a good Name and Credit in the World, never think of getting their Credit by Shuffling and Tricking, by Fraud and Perfidioufnefs, but by Probity, and Integrity, and Uprightness of Dealing; not by Loofenefs or Lewdness, or by any Vice or Villany, but by Virtue and Sobriety.

And This all Men are fo fenfible of, that Goodness and Virtue are Things well reputed and esteemed amongst Men, and have the common Vogue of Mankind, that those that will not Practise them, are yet generally ready enough to Pretend to them; St. Paul tells us, that Satan himself is transformed into an An-2 Cor. xi

gel 14.

gel of Light. No marvel therefore (fays he) if his Minifters alfo be transformed as Minifters of Righteousness; no marvel, if they affect to cloath themselves in the Mantle of Virtue, and Truth, and Sincerity; No marvel that they are willing to put on the Guife, and get themselves Credit from the Counterfeits of them. And this is the true Original of all the Hypocrify in the World, (which is fo hateful to God and Man.) Religion, and Virtue, and Honefty, are fo well known to be Characters of Reputation, that Men court the Name and Credit of them: But Cheating and Falfhood, Injuftice and Oppreffion, Vice and Debauchery, are likewife fo well known to be Characters of Ignominy and Scandal, that they generally endeavour to conceal and difguife themselves, as being afhamed to appear in their own Colours. For tho' Wickednefs and Vice have many Slaves, yet they have few True Friends; few that are willing to own them, and fewer yet that are hardy enough to justifie them, or open their Mouths in their Defence; but ferve them in Secret, and are always in Fear and Apprehenfion of Discovery*. But the Righteous (fays Solomon) is bold as a xxviii. 1.Lyon; he is not Guilty to himself, and therefore has nothing within, to quail or damp his Spirits. Innocence and Honefty do not need

Prov.

Tuta fcelera effe poffunt, fecura non poffunt.

"

to

to play cunning: They fear no Discoveries, and need no Excufes, no Palliatings, nor Difguifings; but can boldly appear, and fhew, and juftifie themselves to the World. Good and Virtuous Actions, are not afhamed nor afraid to be throughly scanned and fifted; they have nothing to apprehend, neither Punishment nor Shame. But Villany and Vice cover a Man with Difhonour, and with Shame and Confufion of Face, that he can never clearly lift up his Head. Thus David under the deep Sense of his Sins, complains how low they had brought him, and how much they had funk his Spirits; Pfalm xl. 12. My Sins (fays he) have taken fuch hold upon me, that I am not able to look up and my Heart has failed me. Where there is Guilt, there will be Fear and Failing of Heart. We have therefore a proper Remedy prescribed in Job for this Inward Fear and Sinking of Mind, Ch. xi. 14. If Iniquity be in thine Hand, put it far away, and let not Wickedness dwell in thy Tabernacle: For then shalt thou lift up thy Face without Spot ; yea, thou shalt be stedfaft and shalt not fear.

All This laid together is full Evidence, that Men have naturally proper Notions and just Sentiments of Good and Evil; and that tho' they will not Practife Honesty, Virtue, and Piety, yet they cannot but have a good Opinion of them. And in their cool and temperate Intervals, they will not stick to acknowledge

22.

knowledge and declare, that tho' they themfelves cannot live regularly and virtuously, yet they wish they could, and Happy are they that can. This is the most Honourable Testimony that can be given to Virtue and Goodness, a Testimony, extorted by the Force of natural Reason and Confcience, from the Mouths of their Enemies.

II.

Thus much for my firft General. I now

come in the

Second Place to confider, What the Motives and Reafons are, that can make Men Practife fo contrary to their Judgments. They live as in a natural State of War, always conRom. xiv. flicting with themfelves, and condemning themfelves in the Things which they allow. There is a Struggle betwixt Senfe and Reafon, betwixt the Flefh and the Spirit; but in the practical Refolve, the inferior Principles do very much prevail; Flesh and Blood commonly carry it. Which may be chiefly owing to thefe following Reafons:

Firft, This Life is a Life of Senfe; all the Concerns of it pafs under the Management of Senfe. All the Neceffities and Conveniencies of Life, all our Comforts and Enjoyments here, fo far as they concern the Body, are all Matter of Senfe: All which gives Senfe fo much the Afcendant over us, that it makes us fubject to be much governed by the Prejudices of Senfe all our Life long.