he seems to have constituted in his works, or that he should have deprived himself of the power of giving happiness to those, whom he foresaw would make a right choice, because of the perverseness of those, who would abuse all his favours. It is very ungrateful in those to use such an argument, who, by that creative beneficence, are placed in a capacity to obtain the highest ends of their being; because they wish to subject the superior faculties of their nature to the inferior ones. And it is an objection which can be of no weight, till we know the proportion of those, who have pressed forward to the high prize before them, in comparison of those abject spirits, who have started aside. What will become of it, if it should appear that the number of the one is to that of the other as a drop to the ocean?

With respect to the other alternative, that these rational creatures ought to have been forcibly constrained to do right, nothing can involve a more flat contradiction. It is of the nature of a rational being to will and choose its own means of happiness, when different means are proposed to it; to compel it to choose one way, is to take from it the most essential of its properties, and would be so far from securing its happiness, that the very restraint, though to good, would deprive it of all satisfaction in the enjoyment. And under this

scheme, which God has established, of making his rational creatures happy by the instrumentality of their own will, we cannot pretend to say, how necessary the terrible example of misery brought upon themselves by the wilfully rebellious may be, to secure the perseverance of those who stand.

It is clear, from what our Saviour says, that these punishments were not prepared for men: but if men will join with those in wickedness, for whom they are prepared, they cannot complain, if the same ruin involve them both. And it is as clear, that he most unwillingly suffers that to take place, by the warnings which he hath given, by the offers of pardon accompanying every threat, by the sacrifices under the law appointed as commutations for punishment, and more strongly by the death of Christ, expressly held forth as the expiation for the sins of the whole world. Nothing can prove a more determined unwillingness to punish, where it can be avoided; than for him, who has appointed the punishment, to shew the offender how he may escape if he will. If then our reasonings be right, the doctrine of a judgment to come is so far from being an impeachment of the goodness of God, that it is really a vindication of it; since no happiness in another world, such as a reasonable man would expect and desire, could be enjoyed without it. To ensure real happiness

there must be a separation of the wicked from the good and the declaration made by our Saviour, that such a separation will take place, is so far from forming any argument that he did not come from God, that of itself it adds many strong presumptions to prove that he did. All 13 objections to the truth of Revelation on account of the express declarations of judgment and vengeance, which it contains, as if it exhibited a new scheme of things unheard of before, and inconsistent with formerly established notions of the goodness of God, dwindle to nothing; when we observe that misery follows wickedness by natural consequence; and when we consider, that the infliction of future punishment under the figure of human vengeance, as the effect of the anger of God, is so described only in order to make the terror of it strike our imaginations the more though at the same time the Deity feels no such emotion, but directs every thing in an uniform tenor of wisdom, justice and good

ness.

Moreover, if, as Paley well observes, every natural remedy appointed to counteract evils, which unavoidably arise in our present state, is a proof of goodness in him, who appointed those remedies; so in our spiritual concerns, every warning of the evils which await us, and every

13 See Butler, Part. II. c. 5. §. 2. p. 231.

step taken to prevent our incurring them, must be a proof of mercy in him who comes on this gracious errand, and of him who sends him; instead of being a sword sharpened for vengeance, as the shocking impiety of a poet, eulogized in a popular morning print, represents it. His purpose in coming was to deliver us from every pang, except that, which is sure to overtake those who pervert such offers of mercy. Surely his great care to leave no doubt upon our minds of the certainty of an event, in which we are so deeply interested, which we should not otherwise have so well known, and to which we should not so seriously have attended, is perfectly in unison with the other proofs, which he has given of his concern for our welfare; and one, which it must appear highly probable to our sober thoughts, that he should give in addition to the others.

The same conclusion results from the very imagery, under which the solemn scene, is described. Instead of being told it is entirely the inevitable catastrophe of those natural and moral causes, which are of necessity made to produce good or evil to each individual; it is spoken of, as a grand assize and process of judgment. This implies, that the judge will take into the account all those circumstances of extenuation, which can be urged to lighten the charge, and ward off the evil, which otherwise would have

certainly ensued. The terrors of this awful scene will also be lightened by the judge appearing in our nature, who knows from experience all the frailties and infirmities of it. So far is he from being the enemy of mankind, or the sharpener of their sorrows, that he hath done every thing which mercy could conceive or wisdom contrive, in order to lessen the misery of this life, and avert all misery from our future one; so far as the all-wise Governor of all judged consistent with the grand plan of providence, decreed before the foundation of the world.

The knowledge how liable we are to do wrong, and the dreadful consequence of sin, are topics so alarming, that it would be too much for a mind really impressed with the fear of God to bear; did it not look up with faith to that precious sacrifice, which will atone for all miscarriages repented of and amended: and did it not depend for present help in the conflict with temptation, on that Holy Spirit which has been promised. But still our situation is sufficiently tremendous, to make every wise man consider the business of life to be very different from that, which the outward appearance of the world presents: there every thing seems to be carried on, as if there were no future reckoning: but he, who considers the end, will judge himself every day and every hour for what he does amiss, that he