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proper difquifition of this caufe?' I anfwer, in a few words. Confider the importance of it: confider, I intreat you, that it is an eternal concern. Were this duly con. fidered, it would be impoffible for you to content yourfelf in such a state, wherein there is fo much as a peradventure as to the dreadful and aftonishing confequences of a difappointment.

You may perhaps have hitherto concluded all revealed religion to be but a meer cheat and imposture -You may have borne your part in the converfation at taverns or coffee-houses, against priest craft, cant, and enthufiafm.-You may have ridiculed all pretences to vital piety; and exploded all the Gospel-doctrines refpecting future rewards and punishments, as unreafonable, or unintelligible dreams and fictions.-Well! fuppofing you were in the right, what happiness, what comfort, or fatisfaction would your infidelity afford you ?-What rational man would envy you the confolation, of imagining yourself upon a level with the beasts, and of expecting, that death will terminate all your hopes and fears!

What believer would part with the glorious hope of eternal and inexpreflible happiness and joy, for the gloomy profpect of annihilation!

It is certain, upon this fuppofition, the believer can be in no danger; he has nothing to lose, or to fear: but has every way the advantage of you.- He has the prefent fatisfaction of being a favourite of heaven.-He has a continual fource of support and comfort, amidst the darkeft fcenes of providence, from the gracious promifes of the Gofpel. He can overcome the miseries of life, and the terrors of death, with the ravishing view of bleffed immortality.-And it is certain, if miflaken, he will never lament his difappointment: but fleep as quietly in a state of non-existence as you can do.

But perhaps I have miftook your fentiments. You may poffibly have given into an opinion of a future exiftence, though you have called the truth of the Gospel into queftion. Be it fo. Yet upon this fuppofition alfo, the believer has vaftly the advantage of you. He has all the happiness in this life which Chriftianity affords; and this you must be a ftranger to. He can live in com

fort, and die in peace. His religion deprives him of nothing, which can any way contribute to his rational happiness and delight; but every way tends to subserve and promote them. And certainly (even upon your own principles) he may have as fair a claim to fincerity, in his endeavours to approve himself to the glorious author of our being, as you can have; and confequently as good a profpect of future bleffednefs. So that, upon the whole, it is evident that he has nothing to fear from his principles, whether they be true or falfe. He has no caufe for thofe ftinging reflections; what if I am mistaken! What if my fentiments should prove false, when it comes to the decifive trial!

. And now, let us turn the tables; and confider the bitter fruits of your fatal mistake, if Chriftianity should at laft prove true. You can't but acknowledge, that there have been great numbers of men of the best moral qualifications, whofe intellectual powers were no ways inferior to theirs on the other fide of the queftion, who have profeffed the truth, and experienced the pow er of that religion, which you have despised. How ma ny most excellent perfons, of the greatest integrity, learning, and fagacity, have at their peril appeared to ftand by this caufe; and have facrificed their estates, their honours, and their lives, to the defpifed and perfecuted doctrines of the cross! It's certain, that you can't have a greater affurance of being in the right, than these men have had; and confequently there is at least a probability on their fide, as much as on yours. You yourself therefore, and all the unbelieving gentlemen of your acquaintance, who have any degree of modesty left, must neceffarily own, that the caufe poffibly may turn out against them. And what if it should! I am even afraid to reprefent the confequences in a proper light; it will poffibly be efteemed preachment or cant; or be voted har fh, uncivil, or unmannerly treatment. But, Sir, I would pray you to confider this matter, without any refentment of my ruftick method of addrefs.. Confider it only as it is reprefented in the fcriptures;. and in that view it will appear, that the dreadful confufion, the amazing horror, and the eternal mifery,

which will be the confequence of your infidelity, will be vaftly beyond the utmost stretch of your most exalted apprehenfion or imagination. As foon as your fout is feparated from your body, it will become the immediate object of the divine wrath; and how lightly foever you may think of these things at present, you will find, that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. When the great Judge of the world fhall defcend from heaven, to take vengeance on all thofe, who do not obey the Gospel of Jefus Chrift, where will our unbelieving gentlemen appear? Won't their mirth be quite fpoiled, their farcaftick flouts and fleers be for ever over, when they muft ftand trembling at the left hand of their Judge, having no poffible refuge to betake themselves to, no plea to make for their infidelity, no place of retreat in a diffolving world to hide their heads! What comfort will it then afford them to fay, Alas! how have we been deceived! We never thought it would have come to this? Now we have found to our cost, that there is fomething more in the doctrines of a final re tribution, than fable or fiction, prieft-craft or fanaticism, however we have in the gaiety of our temper rejected and defpifed them.' Will they then be poffeffed of a fufficient bravery and presence of mind, to out-face their glorious Judge; and to hear with intrepidity the terrible fentence, depart, ye curfed, ints everlafling fire, prepar ed for the devil and his angels? Will they with their ufual frolick humour, endure the execution of this fentence; and with fport and paftime, welter in the eternal flames of that furnace of fire, that is the defined abode of every final unbeliever?

Now, Sir, does it not infinitely concern you, to confider the cafe before you in this awful view, to compare and make a proper estimate of the inconceivably different states of the believer and the infidel, both with respect to time and eternity; and to enter upon the difquifition you propofe, with a mind duly impreffed, with the vaft importance of your coming to a fafe conclufion?

You tell me, that you can't from the nature of things fee any neceffity of fuch a way of falvation, as the Gofpel propofes. The light of nature teaches us,

that God is merciful; and confequently that he will pardon finners, upon their repentance and amendment ⚫ of life. Let us then confider this cafe impartially.

I think, there is no need of arguments to convince you, that you are a finner. Do but confider the natural tendency of your affections, appetites and passions; and review the paft conduct of your life; and a demonstration of this fad truth will unavoidably ftare you in the face. Let any man enter into himself; and seriously confider the natural operations of his own mind; and he muft neceffarily find, that inftead of a frequent and delightful contemplation of the perfections of the divine nature, inftead of a thankful acknowledgment of his obligations to the divine goodness and beneficence, and instead of that fublime pleasure and fatisfaction,. that should flow from the remembrance of his Creator and Benefactor, his affections are naturally following: mean, low and unreasonable, if not vile and wicked en-tertainments and gratifications. He will find, that all communications with his glorious Creator are naturally painful and uneafy to him: while every trifling amufement, and the vileft fenfual object of his thoughts, fin.l. a more eafy entrance, and a more peaceable reft in his foul. From hence it is most evident, that the heart is: revolted from God; and that we have substituted the creature in his stead, as the object of our pursuit and delight. And befides this; who are there among the beft of the children of men, whose consciences will not charge them with innumerable actual tranfgreffions of the law of nature? From this view of the cafe, you mu't therefore certainly find yourself in a state of moral pol. lution and guilt.

And can you in fuch a ftate as this, reflect upon a. God of infinite purity and juftice with comfort and courage? Won't confcience fly in your face, and upbraid' you with your guilt and danger? don't your reafon telli you that the great Creator and governor of the world is too holy to approve, and too just to overlook fuch a fix** ed averfion to him; and fuch numerous fins and provc-cations against him, as you cannot but charge to your own account?

But God is merciful.' True, he is fo, to all proper objects of mercy; and in a way agreeable to the laws of his immutable justice and holiness. But can you fuppofe, that God will give up his juftice and holinefs, as a facrifice to his mercy, out of compaffion to those, who deferve no pity from him, to those who refuse the offers of his mercy in the Gofpel, because difagreeable to their finful defires and imaginations ?

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But Repentance will entitle the finner to pardon, < without any other Atonement.' Are you fare of this? Certain it is, that mankind, have always, in all ages, thought otherwile. What else was the meaning of those facrifices that have every where obtain'd; and what the meaning of thofe fuperftitious aufterities, and fevere penances, that have been fo commonly practis'd in the heathen world, if fome atonement befide repentance, was not thought neceffary to pacify an offended deity? Confider, I intreat you, that as fin is contrary to the divine nature, it must be the object of God's displea fure. As it is contrary to the rules of his governing the world, it must deferve punishment. If God be the rector and governour of the world, he must have fome laws to govern by. If he has laws to govern by, they must have fome penalties to enforce them. If his laws have penalties annexed to them, thefe must be executed; or elfe they would be but scare-crows, without truth or juftice. I-entreat you alfo to confider, how the repentance of a guilty criminal can answer the demands of juftice. What fatisfaction will our forrow for fin afford to the divine being? How will it repair the dishonour done to the perfections of his nature? How will it rectify our depraved appetites and paffions; and qualify us for the enjoyment of his favour? How will it vindicate his holiness; and difcover to the rational world, his na tural averfion to fin and finners? Or how will the fear of God's difpleafure be a fufficient reftraint to men's. lufts and vitious appetites, if finners may fuppofe, that when they have gratified. their lufts, and taken their fwing in fin, they can repent when they please; and thereby have an cafy accefs to the favour of God? In a word, what evidence: can you poflibly pretend to from

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