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without the Gratifications of Wickedness, odw byer

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in order to escape the future Torments of it.

For what Man in his

MC 1 6 275aque pens firm Senfes does not acatom paydasim

count it prudent to part with a little at pre

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fent for a much greater Advantage in Reverfion?

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And furely there is an End. A Day of Judgment, a Time of future Recompence is fixed as certainly as it is appointed to all Men once to die. If we go to Reafon, it will inform us that we are God's Creatures: And as we are reasonable Creatures, we are fubject to the Law of our Nature, and are liable to give a Reafon of our Ac dinë much to ring

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Revelation adds new Light and Strength to Reafon, confirms and extends all the

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Hopes and Fears of Nature, and affures

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(Acts xvii. 31.) that God bath appointed the Day in which he will judge the World in Rigbteousness; and that, after this general Judgment, the righteous fhall enter upon a State of

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endlefs Joys, and they that have done evil fhall go away into everlasting Punishment. And who to afasquoT 9001 cawan on tehlywo will envy Sinners a temporary Enjoyment of

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unfatisfying meagre Pleasures; who will not rather pity and lament their foolish Choice, who know that the Day is coming, when their lawless Enjoyments will add grievously to the Bitterness of eternal Sorrows? When the Diftinctions of this Life are at an End, and the Diftinctions of the next begin; those who had their good Things here,

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and enjoyed them in defiance of the Menaces and in contempt of the Promises of the Gofpel, will then feel a terrible Reverse indeed, and be ready to exclaim in the Anguifh of their Souls: What bath Pride profited us, or what have Riches with our Vaunting brought us? (Wisdom v. 8.) No Height nor Excefs of Wealth can indeed refcue the Abufers of Power and Wealth from the heavy Doom of thofe who trust in uncertain Riches, and forget the living God. Their Lot in this World fell, perhaps, in a fair Ground: But they abused their goodly Dd 2 Heritages

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bad dune aorth Way of Vice and Riot, Heritages in every

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In every Kind of Oppreffion and Infolence, or they remembered hot the Redeemer of their Souls from Death. They lived without God in the World, and made a Jeft of Religion; or had however no juft and serious Senfe of it, but walked in the Way of their bne suniy

Heart and in the Sight of their Eyes-for

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which Mifery at length becomes their Por---Mifery both fevere and endlefs,

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from a Confcioufnefs of the greateft Lofs, and a Senfe of the sharpest Pain; To brak and thofe fadly aggravated by the Remem

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brance of paft Pleafure, and the Defpair of -brow on Devistein od teds.

all future Eafe and Relaxation of their Tor2H TO HOVE A

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baa To the Evidence of Reafon and Revelation let us add the farther Teftimony of Experience Experience will furnish us with Proof abundantly fufficient to convince us, that good Men have no Reason to envy the Choice and profperous Lot of Sinners. Will you have the Sinner's own Account of the Matter?

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Matter? Go then, and vifit the Death-Bed of fome successful Profligate: Afk him, what he thinks of Vice and Virtue now ;--which he could rather with---that the Time part of his Days, had been spent as it was, without any Fear of God or Regard to Man, without Religion and without Shame,---or had been paffed in the Ways of Virtue and Sobriety. Afk him, what he now deems of

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thesis the Profits of a lucky Fraud, and with

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what Comfort he recollects the lewd Frolicks, and the wild Riot of his Youth. In

ftead of finding him delighted, that thefe

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Things were his Choice; inftead of feeing

itead of this you will

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him contented, that he preferred the Friendfhip of the World before the Favour of his Maker, or rejoicing, that he made Gold his Hope, and the fine Gold his Confidence ;---instead of this you will more probably find him lamenting, that he has furvived all his Enjoyments ;---you will fee him loft in hopeless Grief, wishing in the Agony of his Soul, and at the fame Time defpairing, to die the Death of the Righteous ---chufing the it lo tawoooA wearieft

weariest Life, that Pain, Penury, and Sicknels can lay on Nature, as a Paradife in comparison of what he feels, and what he 13.00MB or wotrod for bluc fears from Death. "When the Pleasures" of

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**

Life" are paft and gone, and the dear Price comes to be paid down" for these Things, and our Souls are leaving this World to take Poffeffion of that everlasting "Inheritance of Shame and Sorrow, Tri"bulation and Anguish, which we have purchased to ourselves by our Folly;" -what fenfible Heart can forbear to grieve over that Bargain, which we have fo madly made, but can never be released "from?" t

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It is molt certain, that the fuccefsfulleft Wickedness gains no more than the Pleafures, and Profits, and Honours of a very fhort Life, that i meafured by Days, and Years. But foon is this Scene to change, and quickly does another fucceed it, "fo "unlike it, fo oppofite to it, that the same Riches are no Riches, the fame Honours

† Abp. Tillotson, Vol. HI, P. 634.

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