XIX. CHAP.lously plying their future Objects and Concerns? But how easily, fociably, and familiarly does the five Talents, HELPS and INSTRU MENTS, added to the other four, produce five Talents more, where any tolerable Care and Fidelity is prefent to fuffer the appointed Helps and Inftruments to remove all Obstructions, and push their Skill and Abilities in fructifying each of the Talents, to the Joy of the Lord, that gave them, and the much greater Joy of the Servant that used them? They bounce, and riot even to Licentioufnefs, in the Argument of God's Natural Goodness, yet, when that Goodnefs has abounded from Heaven, explicitly and most evidently Four-fold more than the common Bleffings of Nature, to lead them to Repentance; they trample that augmented confpicuous Goodnefs under Foot, fcorn the moft Divine Invitations to Repentance, and hate the Light of the best Method, that the Reason of Heaven could concert, or Earth approve of, for their Reconciliation to God, and Righteousness. AND therefore the Conclufion both in Heaven and Earth, rifes up in Judgment against them, in all Charity, as well as Juftice, pronouncing their Friendship and Zeal for Natural Religion all Sham, and Hypocrify; and that the true Tendency of their affected officious Zeal, in all its Operations, (according to the late Endeavours of fome of them, who beft understand their own Schemes and Views, for destroying the Liberty of Human Agents, and likewife the very Diftinction between Good and Evil, inherent in the eternal Law of Reason and Morality, a Scheme that dethrones God, and villainizes Human Nature at once; makes Virtue, and Vice a Creature of Human Laws, vagrant, CHA P., mutable, whimsical, like the Fashions of CounXIX. tries) the true Tendency, I fay, of their Pro. ceedings most manifeftly is, to fubvert and dif annul Natural Religion, as well as Chriftiany, and to effect the former through the Sides of the latter. III. I OBSERVE to them, that they have receiv'd the five Talents, and bury all five in the Ground; and therefore are in a four-fold worfe State, than those who receiv'd but one Talent, and did in like manner. Thefe laft argued their Excufe from the Austereness of God; which being an egregious Fallacy in Reafoning, as well as a prodigious lazy Deceit and Treachery to themselves, they were juftly condemn'd out of their own Mouths. The modern Deist steps up, at the Day of Judgment, and according to his ufual Fallacy, argues his Excufe from the Goodnefs of God." Lord, if thou hadft not "been fo very good to me, I had been a better "Man! 'Tis true, you preach'd in our Streets, "and laid down your Life for Sinners, and I "was fufficiently acquainted with your Gofpel, "but I did not think you was in earneft, neither did I care to be oblig'd te Duty by too many "Reasons and Arguments, or to run thofe Hazards of being good!"-To whom the Lord may be fuppos'd to reply; "O thou moft wicked Servant, thou condemneft thy "felf out of thine own Mouth: Is thine Eye evil, because I am good? Thine Iniquities are ❝ enhanced from my abundant Goodness! To "all thy Sins thou haft added the blackest In"gratitude against Heaven, and the horrideft Impiety upon Earth, in denying any Poffibi 66 lity XIX. CHAP." lity of any Revelation or Commerce from "Heaven, between God and his Creature Man, 66 a Father and his own Children! Five Talents "thou haft receiv'd, and for the Abuse of every "one of them thou fhalt anfwer! Thou vainly "thoughteft thy felf an Angel in Underftand"ing! Go thou therefore to the Flames, the "hotteft Flames, prepared for those Apoftate "wicked Spirits! Ignorance may move Pity, "but CONTEMPT of Goodness can de❝ferve no Mercy!" FOR indeed, the true Argument of the Hazard from the Advantages of the Gospel, above mention'd by the Author of Christianity as old, &c. turns wholly against themselves. When God gives a Man a great Eftate; and there is a Hazard in not ufing it well; where does it lie? In the Estate? or in the Ufer and Occupier of it? If it is in his Power to improve and raise himself upon the Occasion, and by good Ufe lay up a good Foundation against the Time to come, ought he to reject the Bleffing, or refuse the Truft? Or, if à particular Body of People receive a Charter from their Sovereign of fingular explicit Grants and Privileges, upon very eafy Conditions; is it right in any of them, to fpurn at it, or take Occafion from that particular obliging Goodness and Foundation of Gratitude, in being fo particularly favour'd above others, ungratefully to arraign the Sovereign, because the fame Charter is not as explicitly given to all the World, and all at once; or to draw up a Manifefto, as they have done, to the reft of the World, that they look upon him to be very filly and impertinent to offer them fuch a Favour; that they will run no rifk of any ex traordinary traordinary Obligation from him, and therefore CHA P. throw it back in his Face. BUT, if there is a fevere Penalty annex'd to fuch a brutish and inhuman Ufage, ought not the true Rational, instead of the falfe Panick Fear, to feize fuch Wretches? What a dreadful accumulating Hazard they muft needs run, by fuch a Treatment of their moft benign, potent Sovereign! In this Country how fhould they blefs and confider themselves as born to Virtue and to the best Religion of the Means for attaining it? under Difadvantages and Incumbrances of Inclinations to the contrary, it is fome Degree of Virtue in the Heathens to ftrive after the Religion of the End; but for the other not to endeavour after it by the facilitating Means of Christianity, must be extreme Damnation at that Day, when their Iniquities will convince them to their Faces. THEY give all Heathens a Claim of Merit to the Means of the Gofpel, yet themselves enjoy it, alas! beyond their Merit, only to make a Mock at it, and receive eternal Scorn for their Pains. And therefore the Virtues of an honeft Heathen doing their beft in Repentance, and Prayer, and fincere Obedience with an Intention of pleafing God, in the Influence of that Belief, that be is a Rewarder, will be made acceptable to God thro' the unknown Mediator, who died for them; whilft the Repentance and Prayer of those who disdainfully reject him, where he is propos'd, and vouched by the ftrongest Testimonials, will not be accepted of God, nor recommended by the Mediator. For thefe Men to hope Acceptance, as long as they continue XIX. CHAP. in the fame Mind, is to make thofe equal in XIX. God's Favour, whofe Actions and Behaviour are unequal: It may be charitably expected therefore that the Virtues of the former will be Chriften'd with Acceptation, whilst the feeming Virtues of the latter, I mean the Infidel Deift, deftitue of, nay fcorning the real Principle, will be difdain'd by him, who only gains Admittance to, and Acceptance with their God. AND that the Sins of the former will be but obfcure, and to be winked at; at the fame, the Sins of the other are splendid with a Witnefs, even unto Infamy, calling to Heaven for Vengeance; which feems to make that Pofition, that Man in bis Natural State, can't turn, or prepare himself for good Works, to be remakably trueft with refpect to modern. Deifts, who refolve to adhere to their Natural State, in defpite of the Christian spiritual one, which the Revelation of Jefus Chrift would put them into. IF they had any Senfe of Gratitude, they fhould thank God, that they were born fince the Advent of Christ, in a Chriftian Country, and a Proteftant Nation; if it was but in Imitation of Plato, who thank'd Providence, that he was born in Greece, and not among the Barbarians; and in the Days of Socrates, from whom he receiv'd that Knowledge and Inftruction which render'd him fo eminent; and, I hope, was (a Preparative for another World. And confe quently, that the Degeneracy of many Heathens funk even into fome Degrees of Stupidity approaching to Brutality, is not fo bad, as the others INFIDELITY, and APOSTACY from Christianity. For thefe fee, and have the beft Opportunities |