addition, it is impossible God could propose any advantage to himself by these unbecoming things, which the corrupt hearts of men lay to his charge and therefore on all these accounts we should conclude, that whatever difficulties corruption may suggest against God's holiness, they should by no means be put in the balance with that infallible evidence we have for it, and that both from God's word, which cannot deceive us, and from his works, which are so perfectly agreeable to it. Corruption has nothing on its side. but such coJours and appearances as may be on the side of error; whereas the apostle's doctrine is in cffect supported by demonstration.

We may have a more lively impression of this (through divine grace) by taking a particular view of the principal evidences we have for the apostle's doctrine from God's word and works. To tempt a man to sin, in its most proper sense, is to propose some motive to him, to compel, or allure him to it; to entice him to it by promises and rewards, or constrain him to it by threatenings and punishments.God is infinitely free from this; because, instead of proposing any motives to sin, he proposes the greatest motives possible against it. This is evident from his promises and threatenings of eternal rewards and punishments; these are plainly the greatest motives possible. And, as it is the distinguishing privilege of human nature, above all earthly creatures, to be capable of extending its view to eternity, (since the longest time imaginable, though made up of ever so many myriads of ages, much more this uncertain fleeting moment of life, when compared to eternity, is nothing;) it is plain that eternal motives are properly the only motives that should govern immortal souls: to let temporal motives counterbalance them, is the most outrageous violence to reason that can be imagined. In effect, when temporal motives interfere with eternal ones, they are no motives at all.

Besides the duration of these motives, it is proper to consider here their extensive influence; none can reasonably pretend to be exempted from it, not even The apos these who have only the light of nature.

tle Paul, who was inspired by that Spirit, who searches the hearts of men, assures us, that even the consciences of heathens accused them; it is very reasonable to suppose that the accusations of that witness had some relation to a judge, and might be attended with secret misgivings, and rational forebodings of an af ter-reckoning (since innumerable sins pass unpunished here ;) at least, it ought to have been so. Reason might have satisfied them, that the less sin they committed in this world, it would be the better with them in the next.

Nor can these pretend to be exempted from the influence of eternal motives, who should imagine, that, having incurred the divine threatenings already, they can be no worse than they are. In perfect justice, the punishment deserved bears an exact proportion to the wickedness committed; and surely an eternal addition to misery, is an evil which no temporal motive can weigh with, much less counterbalance.

It deserves our serious attention, how plainly God's threatenings are revealed to us who have the scriptures. His threatenings are as plainly revealed as his promises. Mat. xxv. 46. and we have many things from reason and experience, that should confirm our belief of them; particularly God's attributes, his truth, holiness, and justice; the nature of sin, which separates from God our only happiness, that part of the divine threatenings, which we see fulfilled already, these samples of misery that are to be seen in the afflictions of life, and pains and terrors of death: if any person inclines to doubt of the eternity of future punishment, unless he saw it, that person seeks such a way of being satisfied about it, as the nature of the thing does not admit : for though a man saw the place of punishment, with his eyes, he could not see that it is eternal, unless he saw the end of eternity, which is impossible; so that a man can never have evidence for this by sight, if he refuse to give faith to God's word, which is surely the best evidence in the world.

As to the eternal reward; though our actions cannot merit it, yet since it is offered to us on the most

reasonable terms, through the merits of another; whosoever is not at more pains about these ter.ns, than about any earthly thing, must blame himself as the author of his own misery, and acknowledge that God is. infinitely free from the blame of it.

These eternal motives would make a strong argument for the apostle's doctrine, though God had proposed no other motive against sin, but them only; though he had permitted the course of things to fall out so, that there should be vastly more pleasure in sin, and trouble in duty than there really is, all this could have no proportion to these rewards and punishments that are eternal. But it is still a further confirmation of the doctrine, that as God has proposed everlasting motives against sin as to the next world, so he is so far from proposing any motives to it, in this world, that his various dispensations in the works of providence as well as of grace, are manifestly calculated for restraining it, and have numberless happy effects that. way. It is true, other sinful men lay many motives before us to sin; but we ought no more to blame God for the evil actions of others, than for our own: God is the author of neither, but in numberless instances hinders and restrains both. As to his permission, he has as holy reasons for permitting, what he permits, as for hindering what he hinders: to deny this is in effect pretending to know all the reasons that a God of infinite knowledge can have for his actions, which is the most extravagant presumption imaginable.We are obliged in justice, as was hinted before, to distinguish God's own actions, and the actions of his creatures it is the former we are to vindicate, and not the latter; and for this end, the more we consider God's actions in the works of nature and providence, the more we may be satisfied that he is not the author even of any temporal motives to sin, because he has annexed no pleasure to it. He has indeed annexed pleasure to the enjoyment of his own good creatures, but that enjoyment is not sinful, it is on the contrary our duty. These good objects indeed may be obtained by evil means, and enjoyed in an evil manner; but

that is no just reflection on God's providence, as shalt be made appear more clearly afterwards. To set this matter in a true light, we may, reflect on the two different sorts of pleasures we are capable of, that is, the pleasures that are to be had in God himself more immediately, and these that are to be had in his creatures; as to the former, it is plain, we can neither exceed in the desire, nor in the enjoyment of them; as to the latter, God himself is the author, and has appointed them all for good ends. This is one of the chief things that shew the folly of sin, That the pleasures which men seek after in the ways of sin, are such as may really be had in the way of duty; for it is certain, there is no pleasure in the world peculiar to sin if it were otherwise, the apostle would not have affirmed so generally, that every creature of God is good, and to be received (that is enjoyed) with thanksgiving the apostle affirms this, when he is speaking of things sacrificed to idols, which he shews, however they were abused to bad purposes, yet were in themselves good and harmless, being the creatures of a good God, which ought to be enjoyed in a way of obedience and thanksgiving to him. The same may be said of all God's creatures, which, however too oft sacrificed to men's lusts and idols, yet are not thereby deprived of that natural goodness and usefulness which God has endowed them with, nor rendered incapable of being enjoyed in a lawful way.

We should consider here the proper tendency, and natural use of all the pleasure that is in the creatures; some of them give us pleasure only by the view and contemplation of them. It is plain, the direct tendenty of that is to excite love and esteem of the divine perfections manifested in them; this is one of the chief duties we owe more immediately to God. Others of the creatures give pleasure, not merely by the view of them, but by applying them to the subsistence of our bodily life; the direct tendency of that pleasure is to excite mankind to self-preservation; this is a duty we owe more immediately to ourselves, and it is justly enjoined by God it would be a duty, though there

were no pleasure in the means of it; but it is a double act of goodness in God, and consequently a double obligation on us, that he has both furnished us with these means, and made them delightful as well as useful. There is no useless superfluous pleasure in nature; all tends either to promote life and health, or, which is no despicable means of health, innocent and comfortable refreshment. It is evident, therefore, that when God makes these objects that are useful to men to be at the same time pleasant, it is a hiring them to what is their duty, and a giving them a present reward in do-, ing what he requires of them for their own good. The direct tendency, therefore, and proper use of all the pleasure that is in God's creatures, whether in the contemplation of them, or of the enjoyment of them any other way, is to excite us to adore all God's perfections in general, and particularly his abundant goodness to ourselves; to love him as a kind and bountiful, father, who provides for the several living inhabitants of the world, as for one large family; on whom the eyes of all things wait, and who opens his hand liberally, satisfying the desire of every living thing: nothing can be imagined more just on this head, than the apostle's reasoning with the heathens of Lystra, who were about to worship him That all the good and pleasure in the creatures were witnesses for God, tes tifying men's obligations to love and praise Him, who filled their hearts with food and gladness. Acts xiv. 17.

What we commonly call unlawful pleasures, are nothing else but pleasures in themselves lawful and useful, but procured by wrong means, or enjoyed in a wrong way, either obtained by injustice, or abused by intemperance; but neither injustice nor intemperance have any real pleasure annexed to them; on the contrary, unless a man have a very unnatural temper of mind and body, injustice must be painful to the former, as well as intemperance to the latter.

If this were duly considered, it might convince us, not only that the pleasures in the creatures may be had in a course of obedience to the Creator, but also, that this is incomparably the best way of enjoying them.