out God may shrink fometimes at the thoughts of death, and the apprehenfions of falling into nothing but the believer has a much greater terror, even the terror of damnation, to alarm every fear and fufpicion of his foul, and to keep him upon a perpetual rack. He lives in a state of infecurity; perfect he is not, but often fins; and every fin refreshes all his fears, and places the awful Judge, armed with anger and vengeance, full in his fight. Put this into his scale, and fee which is the happier man, he who has only natural death to fear, or he who fears damnation alfo.

True it is, there is no comparison between the fear of temporal death, and of death eternal: Fear not them, fays our Saviour, who can only kill the body, but fear him who can caft both body and foul into hellfire: a plain intimation, were any intimation wanting in so plain a case, that there is no comparison to be made between the fears. But then it must be confidered, that the hopes and fears of futurity are not things of our own invention; they will not come at our calling, and go at our bidding; for men hardly fear death itself more naturally, than they do a judgment to come: and the difference between a religious man and an irreligious man does not lie in this, that one fears a future judgment, and the other fears it not; for, commonly fpeaking, both fear it, and he the most who has leaft religion. It is no unusual thing for men to deny God in their actions, who confess him in their fears and apprehenfions and the bravery of irreligion confifts more in hiding these fears from the world, than in being able to throw them out of the mind. This being

the cafe, it is very evident, that the natural fear of death is very much heightened by the fears of futurity; which are very corroding and exasperating, where there are no hopes to mitigate and allay them: and this is the irreligious man's cafe; he lofes all the hopes of futurity by his irreligion, but cannot get rid of the terrors and apprehenfions of it. And though the religious man may often have reason to fear, yet even his fear is a fymptom of health, and is working towards the repentance not to be repented of: for the Lord is his refuge, and God is the firength of his confidence.

But suppose the religious man to be surrounded with the fears of futurity, if he has reason for his fears he must blame himself, and not his religion : religion wants not its comforts, however fome who have a sense of religion may, poffibly, be too wicked to be capable of any. Be this as it will, certain it is, that the fear of death arifes from nature, and is common to all; but admits of no cure, but from the comforts and confolations which religion adminifters. But to proceed:

There are many other evils and calamities in life, which prove daily occafions of forrow and affliction to us; fo many they are, that it would be endless to enumerate them: these are so conftantly near us, and do so often overtake us, that a wife man would, if it be poffible, always be provided with a remedy. In private life, we fuffer often unexpectedly in our fortune, in the lofs of acquaintance, friends and relations, and find ourselves bereaved of thofe comforts of life which were our greatest enjoyments; and not only fo, but given up a prey to forrow and vex

ation of spirit. What shall we do in this case? where shall we look out for ease? The world has little pity, and yet lefs help for fuch fufferers: much lefs help ftill has it for thofe, who are feemingly fortunate and profperous, and live furrounded with plenty and abundance, but are fecretly unhappy, restless and diffatisfied in their minds, and utterly void of that inward peace which is the only fource of pleasure. Thousands there are of this fort, who poffefs all the world can give, and yet have nothing to enjoy. Others, though they have nothing to difquiet them at present, and have all they wish for, have yet an heart to torment themselves, by raifing fad profpects at a distance, and bringing within their view all the calamities which a warm imagination can reprefent. Confider now upon what foot you will place human happiness: take the good things of the world, divide them as you please, and try how many you can make easy. You will foon fee fome employing your gifts in the purchase of vice and diftempers; and growing extremely miferable, by having these means of happiness put into their hands. Some you will fee worn out with the care and anxiety of preferving, others tormented with lofing their share; fome reftlefs and uneafy, whose minds no outward fortune can cure; fome fearful and fufpicious, with whom no peace can dwell; and all perhaps fecretly diffatisfied with the profperous condition in which you have placed them. If this be the condition of human life, and that it is every day's experience bears witness, we must look out for fomething more folid and lasting than this world affords, if ever we mean to be happy in it: we must

find that thing, whatever it is, that can preferve us, in the midft of plenty, from being undone by the allurements and temptations of the world; that can fecure our peace against the casualties of fortune, and the torments which the disappointments of the world bring with them; that can fave us from the cares and folicitudes which attend upon large poffeffions, and give us a mind capable of relishing the good things before us; eafy and fatisfied as to the prefent, fecure and void of fear as to the future. And what is this remedy? and who is he that can supply it? He only it is who is the author of every good and perfect gift; whom to know and to love, is a perpetual fpring of joy and felicity. The man who enjoys the world under a sense of religion, and of the power and goodness of God, will fo use the world as not to abuse it; will look upon the uncertainties of life with the unconcernedness of a man who knows he has a much nobler poffeffion, of which no one can rob him: he will part with his riches without torment, he will keep them without anxiety, and use them fo as to make them a bleffing to himself and all around him. If the course of the world be difordered, and threatens the inhabitants thereof with calamity and diftrefs, he will maintain his inward peace, knowing that the Lord is King, be the earth ever fo unquiet: he will look with pleasure into all the scenes of futurity, being well affured, that the world that now is, and the world that is to come, are in the hands of God. These are the comforts which, in the multitude of forrows which furround us, will refresh the foul of a religious man, whilft they who forget God are spending a wretched life

in lamenting over the misfortunes of this world, and are ending it to begin a more wretched life in the world that is to come.

As the comforts flowing from a true sense of religion are the only true fupport of the fpirit of a man, in all circumftances and conditions; fo the lofs of them is frequently attended with a mifery, of all others the fharpeft, and which the mind of man can leaft bear. We call this mifery by the name of despair: a grief it is, which pierces through the foul, and racks it in every part. There are two forts of it. One has God for its object, but God clothed in anger and vengeance; it has no truft or confidence in him; it is all fear and dread, as living under a Being supposed to want no power, and to have no mercy; or thinking itself incapable of all mercy, as a veffel of wrath, fitted to deftruction: the other disbelieves the being of a God, or his providence and care over his creatures; it fees the world in diforder and confufion, the righteous afflicted, the wicked in great prosperity, and hastily concludes, that there is no God, or that he regards none of these things: a conclufion which either fills our hearts with all the pains of defponding melancholy, feeing ourselves furrounded with innumerable troubles, and no helping hand near to lend us affiftance; or else makes them obdurate and fully fet to do evil, seeing the prosperity of the wicked, and none near to call them to account. Need I now add any thing to fhew the wretchedness of thefe conditions? Is it not a miferable state to live in a world where no juftice is to be expected; to ftruggle not only with the acci