"ly circumftantiated, allowable to human nature; "fuch as the fweet reflexion on the fucceís of our "political management-the general tribute of "honour and refpect for our policy and wit, and "that ample teftimony thereof, our acquifition "of power and riches; that great fatisfaction of "foiling and bearing down our enemies, and obliging and making fure our more serviceable "friends: To which finally you may add all the "variety of mirth and paftime, that flesh and "blood can entertain itself with, from either "mufic, wine, or women.' Imm, of the Soul. L. ii. Ch. 18. Sect. 9. Dr. Goodman, in his Winter Evening Confer ences, a book received with general applause, and now in every one's hands, reprefents one of the perfons in his Dialogue fpeaking as follows: "It is plain, that nothing but the hope of another "and better world at laft, can enable a man tou "lerably to enjoy himfelf in this prefent-Nothing "but eternal life is a fufficient antidote against the "fears of death. And all these are the effects and benefits of religion. Therefore if this be "uncomfortable, mankind must needs be the "most deplorably-unhappy kind of Being in the "whole world. For though other fort of crea "tures are in fome fort fellow-fufferers in the "common calamities of this world; yet, befides "that their share is ordinarily not fo great as his, "it is evident that they fear nothing for the future, "but only feel the prefent evil; and they have "no reftraint upon them for what they defire, "nor any remorfe for what they have done. "Therefore, if mankind have not the glory of "his confcience, when he doth well, to fet "against the checks and girds of it when he doth "amifs; and if he have not hopes to counterbalance "his fears, and a reward hereafter for his Jelf"denial at pr.fent, his condition is far the worst "of any creature in the world." Part iii. p. 43. In like manner (Part ii. p. 114.) after allow ing, that "Several forts of brute creatures con"tinue longer in the world, and have as well a "quicker sense of pleasure, as a more unlimited "and uncontrolled enjoyment of it," he makes the fame inference from hence that I have done; "That upon thefe very confiderations, there is " great reafon to believe that there is fuch a thing "as another world, wherein man may have "amends made him, for whatever was amifs or "defective in this. For it is not credible with "me, that fuch power and wisdom, as is plainly "difplayed in the conftitution of man, fhould "be fo utterly deftitute of goodness, as to con "trive things fo ill, that the nobleft Being bould "be finally the most unfortunate." Bishop Wilkins, in his Princ. of Nat. Relig p. 159, 160. "There is a ftrong averfion among men against a dark state of annihilation, which no man can think of without great regret of "mind; and likewise a natural defire in all men "after a state of happinefs and perfection. And "no natural defire is in vain. All other things "have fomewhat to fatisfy their natural appetites. "And if we confider the utter impoffibility of at"taining to any fuch condition in this life, this "will render it highly credible, that there muft "be another state wherein this happiness is attainVOL. II. "able: "able: Otherwife mankind muft fail of his chief "end, being, by a natural principle, most strong"ly inclined to fuch a ftate of happinnefs as he can never attain to; as if he were purpofely "framed to be tormented betwixt these two paf"fions, defire and defpair; an earnest propention "after happiness, and an utter incapacity of en"joying it; as if nature itself, whereby all other "things are difpofed to their perfection, did ferve 6. only, in mankind, to make them mift milerable. "And, which is yet more confiderable, the "better and wifer any man is, the more "earneft defires and hopes hath he after fuch a "ftate of happinefs. And if there be no fuch "thing, not only nature, but virtue likewife, muft "contribute to make men miserable." I have fearched the Volumes of Sermons publifhed by Divines here in England, and find as yet but two on the fame text with mine; one preached by the learned and pious Mr. Pemble, the other by Dr. Straaling, the late worthy Dean of Chichefter; and both of them full of the fame points of doctrine, and the fame ways of explaining those points, as I have employed. I refer the reader to the Sermons themselves, and fhalk mention here but a paffage or two out of them. Mr. Pemble's firft pofition is, that "True "Chriftians are more unhappy than other men, if "their happiness be confined to this life only-are "in a worse state than Epicures and Atheists, and "other ungodly perfons, &.-in regard to the "nature of true religion which they profefs, "which agrees not with the good liking of the "world, and therefore it [the world] cannot 66 agree "agree with that, nor with them that fincerely "profefs it.They are men of another gene ration, their lives are not like other men's, and "therefore the world wonders at them-and "always fees, in their well-doing, a reproof of "their own evil-doing," &c. He concludes thus "We fee then the point to be plain enough, that true Chriftians, barred in their hope in "Chrift for the life to come, are more miserable than other men; because all are alike hereafter; and for this life, the godly mifs of thofc con66 tentments which the wicked enjoy; nay, are "more miferable, not only than men, but than beafts "alfe."-p. 480. * Dr Stradling's fecond head is, That, upon "fuppofition of no better hope [than this life affords] "all good Chriftians should be not only miserable "but of all men m ft miferable-more unhappy than "the most brutish men, yea, than the beafts that "perib. For whereas these feel their misery when "it comes, but do not anticipate it, &c. p. 474. "Chriftians make themselves yet more miferable, "by their fevere principles of mortification and ❝ felf denial, debarring themselves of those com"forts and fatisfactions which others enjoy. p.478. "They lose the good tidings here, and fail of "thofe hereafter." p. 479. To thefe modern inftances from our own writers, I fhall add that of Mr. Calvin, who fays +, "That d 2 P 453. + Sapientiffime apud Plutarchum Gryllus ratiocinatur, dum homines affirmat, fi ab eorum vita femel abfit religio, non modo brutis pecudibus nihil excellere, fed multis partibus effe longe "That Gryllus, in Plutrach, reafons wifely, "when he affirms, that men, who live without "religion [i. e. without a sense of God, and a be"lief of future rewards] do not only not excel brute "beafts, but are by many degrees far inferior to "them, in as much as they are liable to various "forts of evils, and live always in a tumultuary "and reftlefs ftate." And again,-"There is none of us but who would be thought, through❝out the whole courfe of this life, to afpire after "immortality. For we arc afhamed in nothing to excel the brute befts, whole condition would "be no ways inferior to ours, if we had not the "hope of eternity a ter death to support us *.” I fhall trouble the reader with one citation more, out of athenagoras: because the words of that ancient writer are very fulll and expreffive. "If "(fays he +) human actions were not to be judg"ed, Men would have no advantage over beafts: ipnge inferiores, ut qui tot malorum formis obnoxii tumultuariam et irrequietam vitam perpetuo trabant, &c. Instit. Cap. i Sect. 10. Nemo quidem eft noftrum qu non videri cupiat ad cœleftem immortallitatem toto vitæ curriculo afpirare et en ti : pudet enim nos nulla re antecellere brutas pecudes quarum conditio nihilo noftra inferior foret nifi fpes æternitatis post mortem nobis fupereffet ib Cap xxi § 26 + Ει μεν μηδαμια μηδαμη των ανθρωποις πεπραγμένων γιγνοιτο κρισις, «δεν εξυσι πλείον των αλόγων ανθρωποι μάλλον δε κακεινων πράξεσιν αθλιώτερον οι τα παθη δυλαγώγοντες, ο φροντιζε νέες ευσε Τέλας, και δικαιοσυνης, κ της αλλης αρετης. Ο δε κίκυαδες βιος κα περιώδης ερις αρετη δε ανοι1α δικησ δε ακαλησ γελωσ πλατυσ το δε πασαν θεραπεύειν ηδονην, αγαθόν το μέγισιν δογμα δε κοινον αυτών απαντων. ν νομοσ εισ, το τοις ακόλασοισ ε λαγνοια φιλον Φαγωμεν κα πιωμεν, αυριίν γας αποθνησκομεν Περί Ανας. ΟΧΟΙ, Ed. p. ass. "indeed, |