CHA P. fome habitual Wickedness in Flesh, or Spirit, XVIII has not feiz'd upon their Wills, and warpt its Choice? as it is a great Pravity of Mind to act contrary to a known Duty, ftill refolving fo to do, and they receiving the Knowledge of this fame Faith as a Judgment impending over their Actions, breaking the Peace and Tranquillity. within; whether in order to reftore that Peace, and patch it up as well as they can, they do not really make a Dupe of their Understandings, purpofely fetting it to work to reverfe that Judgment, by all the Witticifms, Luftre of Words, artificial Exceptions it is Mafter of; and the Spirit of Difpute (from which nothing is exempt) foon helps them to it, when it turns itself against the plaineft Works, or Words of God, notwithftanding there is a peculiar kind of Self-Evidence in both of them; efpecially, if they can form any more agreeable Project from a Notion of God's Goodness with regard to the Pardon of Sin, which fhall, at the fame Time, be more easy and indulgent to Sin? This is a ferious Truth, and it imports them to lay their Hand upon their Heart; because it can be proved upon them by Variety of Inftances; and it is pity they fhould fo greatly contribute and fubmit to the worst of deceit, Self-deceit, and yet be the laft in the Kingdom that don't find it out.

If they would please to study a little better the Mystery of Iniquity, how it is allow'd of, and cherish'd in their own Bofom; how it makes them fuch a Mystery, hid indeed to themselves, but fufficiently reveal'd to others; they would presently understand all the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. They would feel the first to be their Difeafe, and find the Mystery of Godliness

Godliness and of Faith for a pure Confcience to CHAP. be their only Remedy; and the only fafe Clew XVIII. for leading Human Nature out of the Labyrinth They, and it are bewilder'd in. That Secret of the Lord is with the Righteous only, fuch as are righteously disposed to the Religion of the End, to fuch only does he fhew his Covenant in the Mediator: That will fhine out and comfort their Hearts as the only fure and profitable Philofophy *. It being the Defign of the Gofpel, in order to heal them freely, and friendly, to discover them to Themselves, and redeem them from Themfelves, by redeeming them from all Iniquity of Flesh and Spirit; which tyrannizes over the Will and Affections, cheats and perverts the Understanding in its perceiving, judging, and inferring the things that make for its Peace, and belong to the true End and Intereft of Man; at the fame time, its Difcernment and Acuteness in Civil Affairs is as bright as ever.

BUT whenever the Proffer of that falutary Design is feen and disliked, and the Service of Sin is ftill refolv'd upon, then the Will fends but its Commands to the Affections to hate the Light, that makes fuch difagreeable Discoveries; and at the fame time Orders are iffued out to the Understanding to use all its Arts in raifing Objections, and crying it down as a Fiction, and give it all the foul Play of Ridicule; Arbitrarinefs in the Author of it; Nonfenfe, Contradiction in its Mysteries; Satire upon the Priests; Needleffness of the whole, and every Misreprefentation of every Part, that Partiality, Preju

* Ταυτην μόνον εύρισκον φιλοσοφίαν ἀσφαλῆ τε καὶ σύμφορον. Juft. M. Dial. cum Tryph.

VOL. II.

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dice,

CHAP. dice, and inveterate Enmity can fuggeft. And XVIII. all this for what? For no other Cause in the World, but because their Deeds are Evil; the bidden things of Darkness loath Day and Difcovery, nor can they endure to be molefted in their fecret Faftnefs. They hate the Sight of their own evil Deeds, therefore hate the Light which brings that Sight; the whole Course of their Life reclaims against fuch reforming Light, they can't endure to come near it, or hear its Perfuafions with any Patience, tho' it is guilty of no other Wrong towards them, but perfuading them with all Tenderness and Refpect, to forfake those evil Deeds that will be their Ruin.

PRESENT Confcience being the present Opinion a Man has of his own Actions *, it comes to pass that Faith and Works mutually match, and juftify each other in their Choice of one another. If there is a wrong Choice of Works, there will be a wrong, yet fuitable Choice of Faith; and if the Will fuffers not the Deeds to fquare with the Faith, the holy Faith muft either buckle to the Deeds, or be banish'd quite away from the Obfervation of thofe Mifdeeds. As the Sight of the Eye depends upon the right Difpofition of the Organ, fo the Judgment of the Man depends upon the inward State, Condition, and Difpofition of his own Mind; which fees, argues, and judges of Objects, Things, and Perfons, juft as it is difpofed and stands affected.

* Tho' Confcience is an internal Judge of Man's Actions, yet, like all other Judges, it ought to judge and determine according to Rule and Law prescribed to it, and not pretend to be a Rule and Law to itself: Still the Opinion and present Understanding of the prefcribed Law governs the Man; but whilft it governs, is obliged to learn and ftudy its Duty, as a. Judge.

So

CHAP.

So the Badness of the Deeds having got the XVIII. Mastery over the Will, the reafoning Faculties are fet to work to get Maftery over the Faith; a prompt willing Undertaking to get rid of a Belief which they can't think of without Pain! The Pain of parting from their Lufts, or the Grief of not being able to enjoy them under that Belief. And having play'd the Fool in being a Slave to their Sins, muft needs be fo wife to give the World a Reason to justify themselves in Print; to make a Party, and gather the Votes of fuch as are as bad, or worse inclin'd than themselves.-They animate one another.Thus practical Infidelity becomes fo fruitful a Source of fpeculative controverfial Infidelity; which is making bad worfe, and doubling the Folly, by ftanding to it, and rendring themfelves incurable, and unperfuadable; unless, perchance, fome Remains of Honour and Ingenuity are left to read and weigh the Arguments on both Sides; there being Shelter in Deifm for Sin, and several flattering Covers for Iniquity, but none at all in real honeft Chriftianity: They who would leffen the Civil War in their own Breafts, whilft they are determin'd to have Pleafure in fenfual Irregularities, are therefore eafily profelyted to have no Pleasure in the Truth as it is in Jefus Christ.

BUT the Mischief grows defperate by perfevering long to have no Pleafure in that Truth for the Amendment of Life; for the God of that Truth, not caring to be mock'd for his Kindness, turns the Mock upon them, and gives them up to believe a Lie, that they may be damned to gnashing of Teeth, 2 Thef. ii. 10,

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&c.

CHAP. &c. For this Caufe, (because they received not XVIII. the Love of the Truth that they might be faved)

God fends ftrong Delufions that they should believe a Lye, that they all may be damn'd who believe not the Truth, but have Pleasure in Unrighteousness, ¿v rỹ ádınía, i. e. in Falfhood (the Oppofite of it) for being unjust and false to the most inftructive faving Truth. Do they pretend to be an Exception to that common Human Falacy, facile credimus quod volumus? Do they deserve to have Eyes, or the Ufe of Eyes, who hate the Light of the Sun? This judicial Blindness as to moral and fpiritual Truth, is evident both from the Nature of Things, and Matter of Fact. For the Will controuling all, and that being bent upon Works of Darkness, the Understanding is made a Vaffal and a Pimp to its iniquitous Purposes, and fo by long Slavery lofes its Diftinctions and Direction in moral, or divine Things; puts Darkness for Light, and Light for Darkness; its natural Power of judging what is fit to be believed is inverted, and the Will takes its Place, and believes what it pleases; which accounts for another Paffage, By hearing ye shall bear, and fhall not understand, and feeing ye shall fee, and not perceive. The evil Heart of Unbelief with regard to enlightning directive Truth, is naturally addicted to believing the reverse, which is the Lye, or Darkness; and fo being perfuaded of the Lye, what is utterly falfe in Nature, and ruinous withal in its Confequences, it fhall become a moral, but a ftupid fenfeless Truth to them; and fo by long continued Prevarication, and Unfaithfulness to the Light of Truth, Darkness and Light fhall be both alike to them. When the Will leads the Understanding, it is a Wickedness punish'd with Blindness; when the Understanding