confider'd in their publick Capacities. A Prince, a Magiftrate, a Paftor, a Parent, or Mafter of a Family, have many more befides themselves to answer for: Abuses in a Government or Community, that might and ought to have been reform'd, will be charged upon the Magiftrate or Superior, by whom they have been tolerated or connived at; finful Disorders not corrected in a Family, will be placed on Account to the Master or Mistress of it, tho they were not perfonally guilty of them; Children loft by the Neglect of their Parents will be required at their Hands. And fo it will be in relation to all the refpective Duties of the Station in which God has placed us.

Hence it appears, how terrible a Thing it will be for a Sinner dying in Impenitence; to fall into the Hands of an omnifcient Judge, who with a Ray of that infinite Light in which he dwells, will diffipate in an Inftant all the Darkness he has not only lived in but indulged, and discover to him, at one fingleView, the whole State of his unhappy Soul. Oh! what a dreadful Sight will it be for an unfortunate Criminal to fee, not only all his own perfonal Sins committed from the first Ufe of Reafon to his dying Day, all the Abuses of God's Favours, and all the Omiffions he has ever

been

been guilty of, but over and above all, the Sins of others,to which he has been acceffary, placed before him, all at once, in fo clear a Light, that it will be impoffible for him either to deny, excuse, or answer any one fingle Point laid to his Charge.

We may in fome Measure conceive the Terror, Confufion, and Despair this will cause in a criminal Soul, if we but confider, what a Torment it is to a Conscience charged with many Crimes, to enter seriously into itself, even in this Life. For fince Men are ufually afraid to look their Sins in the Face, and do what they can to turn their Thoughts away from them; fince it is evident from Experience, that a guilty Conscience, whofe Remorfes cannot be avoided, is a kind of Hell upon Earth, and that the Anguish and Terror of it has driven fome to the most violent Extre mities even in this World, where there is always Hope of Mercy, where there are many Intervals of Eafe, where no Man can fee the whole Number of his Sins at once, nor any one of them in it's full Deformity: This, I fay, being the Case of a criminal Confcience, even in this World, what an unspeakable Torture will it be to a Sinner dying in Impenitence, when in the Moment that Death clofes the Eyes of his Body, and opens those of his Soul, he

fees,

fees, at a fingle View, that vaft Multitude of Sins, with which his Confcience stands charged, clearly and diftinctly before him, attended with all the aggravating Circumftances, which are often more enormous, and cause a heavier Load of Confufion, than the Sins themfeves; and all this without any Hopes of Mercy or Comfort! Because the fame Light, which discovers to him the Number and Enormity of his Sins, makes him also clearly fee his Doom, and everlafting Exclufion from all farther Share in the Mercies of God.

1 fhall conclude this Difcourfe with two practical Reflections. The first regards thofe, who feem to be well enough at ease, fo they can but hide their Sins from the Knowledge of Men, and therefore stick not to do thofe Things before the all-feeing Eyes of God, which they would certainly forbear to do, if they but fufpected that they were within the Obfervation of the meanest Creature upon Earth. Now, tho' we must allow that this cautious Way of finning is at leaft a Mark that they who practise it have not loft all Shame (which is always a commendable Quality, and prevents the Guilt of publick Scandal) yet we cannot but fay, that their proceeding is very unaccountable, in that they are fo much aw'd by meer human Refpects, and the Fear of Confufion

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Confufion before Men, and have at the fame time no Regard to the Knowledge and Judgment of God, whom they know to be actually prefent to, and an Eye-witness of, every Sin they commit.

Thefe therefore ought to reflect frequently and feriously upon the following Truths: 1. That whenever they fin, tho never fo fecretly, 'tis in the Prefence of Him who is one Day to be their Judge. 2. That he not only knows all their Sins, but keeps an Account of them, and lays them up against the Day of Wrath, to be then brought to light, to their eternal Confufion. 3. That it avails them nothing to keep up a Reputation with Men, whilst at the fame time they forfeit the Favour and Efteem of God, by whofe Judgment alone they must stand or fall. Lastly, That after all they will be difappointed, even as to what they feem to take most to Heart, viz. the Concealment of their Sins from Men. Because, in the laft General Judgment, every thing will be made known, and even their moft fecret Sins expofed to the View of all Mankind. If thefe Truths were deeply imprinted in Men's Hearts, and not only believed, but fenfibly felt by them, which can only be the Effect of a long and ferious Meditation, it is not to be doubted, but they would by Degrees become a hap

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py Restraint even upon the most violent Inclinations, and make Men at least as much afraid to tranfgrefs in the Prefence of Almighty God, as before a Perfon for whofe Judgment and Esteem they have a real Value.

My fecond Reflection regards those, who through Shame either lay afide the Use of the Sacraments, or, what is worse, become guilty of Sacrilege, by the Concealment of fome Sin in Confeffion. I own, fome Tempers, naturally bafhful and reserved, are much to be pitied in this Point; but whatever their Difficulty may be, it must be overcome: And it is hard to fay, whether the Sin or Folly in being overcome by it be greater. I fhall hereafter treat both the one and the other at large; at prefent I fhall only touch upon the latter, as it has a Connection with the great Truth I have laid before you, which fets the Folly of this Sin in it's strongest and clearest Light, and fhews plainly that the Perfons guilty of it are no lefs wanting to Reafon and good Senfe, than their Duty: For afk but a Perfon of the meaneft Capacity, when the Choice of two Evils is propofed, which of the two is to be prefer'd, the leffer or the greater? And he will certainly anfwer, the leffer. Afk a Criminal, whether he will rather choose a private Disgrace,

or