think it a very great happiness to be loved and rewarded by him.

Once more: if we confider religion as an imitation of God, which is a notion of it as beautiful as it is juft; ftill peace and joy must be the confequences of it. For how can I choose but be contented and pleased with myself, whilft I copy after the most perfect being, and practife those things which are the glory of the deity itself? Religion improves our joys, and calms our forrows. A religious man, if he is in profperous circumftances, and enjoys an abundance of the good things of this life, hath plainly the advantage of a wicked man in the fame circumftances; because befides those worldly pleasures which he hath in common with him, he hath alfo more and greater, viz. thofe pleasures which refult from communion with God, and a sense of his favour, to which the wicked man is an utter ftranger, But if we turn the fcales, and fuppofe them both to be in adverfity; ftill the good man is in a better cafe than the wicked man, because he hath fome.. thing within him to relieve and fupport him. He hath the teftimony of a good confcience to comfort and refresh him,

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him, and the profpect of a future happiness to cheer and revive him: but the wicked man hath the fame forrows, and hath no antidote against them, nothing to mitigate or affwage them. On the contrary, his forrows are multiplied upon him: befides those outward evils which he fuffers in common with the afflicted righteous man, he hath more of another fort, and which are more terrible too; viz. the wrath of God, the anguish of a guilty confcience, and the distracting fears of eternal torments. But farther: fuppofe the wicked man to be in profperity, and the religious man in adverfity; yet upon the whole, I know not whether the latter may not have more peace and fatisfaction of mind than the former. I am rather inclined to think that he will becaufe virtue and goodness have a strange power in them to calm and compofe, to ftrengthen and fortify the mind, and to make men quiet and eafy; but vice and wickedness naturally tend to create horror and confufion in the foul. And tho the sense of guilt may be diverted for a while, by fenfual pleasures; yet it cannot be totally fuppreffed, but will ever and anon return,

and

and be the occafion of trouble and forrow: and, which is worst of all, it will torment men moft when they stand most in need of comfort, viz. at the hour of death. That is a feafon which requires extraordinary fupports and happy is the man who hath any thing to relieve him in that time of extremity. But, alas! what can an irreligious man have to fupport him in that hour? The review of his past life can minister no comfort to him; for that has been a series of vice and wickedness: much less can the profpect of a future judgment; for that will fix him in a state of mifery, and bring on him indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish. But it is otherwise with a religious man. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace. His rejoicing is this, even the teftimony of his confcience, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God he has had his converfation in this world: and he looks forward with pleasure to the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jefus Chrift, who will render to him a crown of righteousness.

(4.) Practical religion is wisdom, because it is aiming at a good end, and ufing proper means to attain it. The ends which a virtuous man aims at are the favour of God, and a glorious immortality. And can he propofe to himself better ends than these? He is folicitous to approve himself to that being who is his creator, and will one day be his judge. He is not fo much concerned about a temporal as about an eternal duration. The thing that he principally intends, and is moft eager in the purfuit of, is the happiness of a future ftate. He is anxious about the welfare of his better part, viz. his foul. That, he knows, will furvive his body, and live for ever in another world; and therefore he is intent upon this, that that life may be happy and glorious. These are his designs: and are they not wife defigns? I appeal to the judg ment of any rational man. And then he uses proper means to attain them. The favour of God is no otherwise ta be procured than by the practice of religion and virtue. Those who honour me, I will honour, faith God by his prophet, 1 Sam. II. 30. And they who deSpife me shall be lightly esteemed. The

way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord; but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness, Prov. XV. 9. Truly God is good to Ifrael, even to fuch as are of a clean heart, Pfalm LXXIII. 1. And the happiness of the future state is limited to good men. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man fhall fee the Lord, Heb. XII. 14. And faint John fpeaking of the heavenly Jerufalem fays, that there fhall in no wife enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lye; but they who are written in the lamb's book of life; Rev. XXI. 27.

(5.) Practical religion is wisdom, becaufe by it we avoid the greatest and moft intolerable evils. 'Tis a mark of wisdom to look before us, and confider what evils may probably befal us in the courfe of our lives, and make the best provifion we can against them. A prudent man forefeeth the evil, and bideth himself; faith Solomon, Prov. XXII. 3. but the fmple pass on, and are punished, i. e. a wife man forefees dangers, and endeavours to fhun them, and shelter himself from them; but filly and foolish men go on in a careless, thoughtless

way.