and far beyond the utmost Perfection, that St. Paul bimfelf ever pretended to. But

(2.) The other Proof of the fame Affertion fhall be taken from the Practice of all the nated Lawgivers of the World; who have ftill found it neceffary to back and fortify their Laws with Rewards and Punishments; these being the very Strength and Sinew of the Law, as the Law itfelf is of Govern

ment.

No wife Ruler ever yet ventured the Peace of Society upon the Goodness of Mens Nature, or the virtuous Inclination of their Temper. Nor was any Thing truly Great and Extraordinary ever almost achieved, but in the Strength of fome Reward every whit as Great and Extraordinary as the Action, which it carried a Man out to. Thus, it was in the Virtue of Saul's high Promises, that David encountered Goliah: The Giant in. deed was the Mark he shot, or rather flung at, but the King's Daughter, and the Court Preferments were the Mark he most probably aimed at. For we read how inquifitive he was, what should be done for him. And it is not unknown, how in the Cafe of a fcrupulous Oath-fick Confcience alfo, Promife of Preferment has been found the ableft Cafuift

to

to refolve it; from which, and the like Paffages both Ancient and Modern, if we look farther into the Politicks of the Greeks and the Romans, and other Nations of Remark in History, we shall find, that, whensoever the Laws enjoined any Thing harsh, and to the doing of which Men were naturally averfe, they always thought it requifite, to add Allurement to Obligation, by declaring a noble Recompence (poffibly some large Penfion, or gainful Office, or Title of Honour) to the meritorious Doers of whatfoever fhould be commanded them; and when again, on the other fide, the Law forbad the doing of any Thing, which Men were otherwise mightily inclined to do, they were still forced to call in Aid from the Rods and the Axes, and other terrible Inflictions, to fecure the Authority of the Prohibition against the Bent and Fury of the contrary Inclination. And this Course, being founded in the very Nature of Men and Things, was, and is as neceffary to give Force and Efficacy to the Divine Laws themfelves,as to any Humane Laws whatsoever. For in vain do we think to find any Man virtuous enough to be a Law to himself, or any Law ftrong enough to enforce and drive home its own Obligation,

or

or laftly, the Prerogative of any Lawgiver high enough to affure to him the Subjects Obedience. For Men generally affect to be careffed and encouraged, and (as it were) bought to their Duty, (as well as from it too fometimes.) For which, and the like Causes, when God, by Mofes, had fet before his own People a large Number of the most excellent, and (as one would think) felf-recommending Precepts on the one hand, and a black Roll of the very worst and vilest of Sins on the other, (Sins that seemed to carry their Punishment in their very Commiffion;) yet nevertheless, in the Iffue, God found it needful to bring up the Rear of all with those Decretory Words, in Deut. xxx. 19. Behold, I have, this Day, fet before you Life and Death, Bleffing and Curfing. And what he then fet before the Ifraelites, he now fets before us, and the whole World befides; and when we fhall have well weighed the Nature of the Things fet before us, and confidered what Life is, and what Death is, I fuppofe, we shall need neither Inftruction, nor Exhortation, to which of the Two we should direct our Choice.

And now, to close up all, and to relieve your Patience, you have heard the Point

ftated

stated and argued, and the Objections against it answered; after all which, what can we fo naturally inferr from this whole Discourse, as the infinite Concern, lying upon every Man, to fix to himself such a Principle to act by, as may effectually bring him to that great and beatifick End, which he came into the World for?

This is most certain, that no Man's Pratice can rife higher than his Hopes. It is obferved in Aqueducts, that no Pipe, or Conduit can force' the, Current of the Water higher than the Spring-Head itself lies, from whence the Water firft defcends. In like manner, it is impoffible for a Man, who designs to himself only the Rewards of this World, to act in the Strength thereof, at fuch a Rate, as shall bring him to a better. And the Reafon of this is, because whofoever makes these present Enjoyments his whole Defign, accounts, them abfolutely the best Things he can have, and accordingly he looks no farther, he expects no better; and if so, it is not to be imagined, that he should ever obtain, what he never fo much as looked for: For no Man fhall come to Heaven by Chance.

As

As for Tryals and Temptations, (those fatal Rocks, which the Souls of Men are fo apt to dash upon) we may take this for an infallible Rule concerning them; namely, that nothing in this World can support a Man against fuch Tryals, as shall threaten him with the utter Lofs of this World. For the Truth is, it would imply a Contradiction, to fuppofe that it could; and yet these are the Tryals, which even wife Men fo much fear, and prepare for, and know, that they fhall fink under and perish by, unless borne up by fomething mightier and greater than the World; and therefore, not to be found in it.

What farther Tryals God may have in reserve for us, we cannot tell; only this we may reckon upon, as a certain, though fad Truth: That there has been a mighty growing Guilt upon this Nation for feveral Years. And as great Guilts naturally portend, as well as provoke great Judgments; fo God knows, how foon the black Cloud, which has been fo long gathering over us, may break, and pour down upon us; and how near we may be to Times, in which, he who will keep his Confcience, must expect to keep nothing else.