SERM. The Way that every wife Man takes in XII. his Affairs, is to make a Provifion against Accidents. He manages his Affairs in fuch a manner as to expect fuch things. 'Tis true, when this Opportunity comes, a Man may poffibly lay hold of it, and improve it to his Advantage: I fay, he may poflibly do it; but there is only a bare Poffibility of it: For he can't be fure that what hinders him now will not do fo then too. Yet, befides all this, as there is but a Poffibility 'neither whether this Opportunity may ever come or no, (for what may be may not be too) 'tis very abfurd to leave it to that, especially when on the other hand he may have a Certainty. Befides, what do we get by this Delay? We get Time to fin indeed: But is not this adding ftill to the Account, and making the Sum larger? We find it so in other things: The longer we defer a Work, the more it grows upon our Hands, and confequently the lefs able fhall we be to accomplish it: For that which at firft might be mov'd with one Finger, will, when the Weight is increas'd, require the Strength of the whole Body. But there are too many that think it is time enough to think of thefe Things when they are on their Death-Bed, that 'tis time enough to amend

amend their Lives when they are going to SERM. part with them, and relinquish their Sins XII. when they can keep them no longer. But what is this a convenient Seafon? Will a Day or a Week be time enough for a Work of thirty, forty, fifty or fixty Years? We may make Refolutions indeed, and promise what we will do, but whether we shall certainly perform or not, will require Time to fhew; which in this Cafe is not to be had, and God only knows whether we fhould perform them if it was. 'Tis to be fear'd, it is more than probable, that Promifes made in time of Danger or Extremity, by Fear, will be but little regarded when that Fear and that Danger that caus'd them are remov'd. Take away the

Caufe, and

For if you

the Effect ceases of course.
fuppofe no Senfe of Fear or Danger, or,
which is the fame, that these have not their
proper Influence upon the Mind, you can't
well suppose any Reformation.
And that
this might be the Case of a Person suppos'd
to be on a Death-Bed, fhould he recover,
is not impoffible, because it certainly has
been. How many do we meet with in the
World, of whom one might truly say this is
their Cafe! Who have been in the fame
Danger, and made the fame Promises, and

what

SERM. what has been extorted from them by SickXII. nefs, has been forgot in Health! I don't fay that this is always fo. But, however, there can be no fufficient Foundation for Dependence or Truft in fuch a Cafe.

Upon the whole then: If there is fuch a thing as a Punishment due to Sin, and if the Conscience informs us of this, let us give it a proper Attention. Attention. We allow the Gratification of our Defires, our Pleasures and Amufements their Seafon; let not then the Happiness and Welfare of another World be the only Thing that shall be depriv'd of a convenient Seafon. Let us confider, that if our Repentance reaches no further than the Defign and Intention, if it is not to be fet about at fome certain Time in this Life, there is no doing it any where else; there is no Repentance in the Grave, whither we are going. People of narrow Minds, who confine their Views within this Circle of things here below, may poffibly think lightly of these Things, who know no other Pleasures but those of Senfe, nor any other Torments but the short momentary ones of this Life. But if we carry our Views beyond the present State of things, and look into Futurity, however these Things appear in this Life, there they must have an

other

other Afpect. When we confider Pleasure SER M. and Pain, not as precarious and momentary, XII. but certain and eternal; whoever confiders

thefe things rightly, will give them their due Weight. And indeed People cannot want Motives to this; the Scripture abounds with a Multitude of Paffages, that represent thefe Things in a true Light, and with a Multitude of Arguments and Perfuafions to a right Conscience. It conftantly teaches us that Vice is odious, paints the Deformity of it, and that it is attended with a certain Degree of Punishment here, but will be punish'd eternally in another State; that Virtue is attended here with a certain Degree of Happiness, and an Eternity of it hereafter, and Arguments drawn from the Nature of these things, from the Happiness on one fide, and the Torments on the other. And can we now, after all, think that a few momentary Pleasures bear any Propor'tion to the Pleasures that are to have no

و و

End? Is an heavenly Felicity nothing? Is it nothing to fee the Face of God, and enjoy him to all Eternity? To have our Hopes and Defires compleated and gratified to the utmoft Perfection? If all this is nothing, is it alfo nothing to be evermore shut out from the Prefence of God, and to live in

endless

SERM. endless Torments, and be for ever tortur'd, XII. without even the Hopes of any Relief? How should we then wish to begin again, and have a fecond Trial! How should we improve thofe Fragments of Time that now die upon our Hands! But, alas! there is a great Gulph fix'd fo that there is no paffing from thence. Now we have it in our Power to prevent these fruitless Wishes, let us prevent the melancholy Reflections upon what we would have done, by doing it. If Happiness and Mifery are worthy our Concern, their being eternal does not make it lefs fo, I fuppofe. Let our Regard to thefe Things be proportion'd to the Value Importance of them, that, when Time is fwallowed up in Eternity, our Happiness may partake of the fame Perfection, and .continue without End. Amen.

SER