SERM.IV. of ill Confequences; the Confequences, being such, that if unrestrained it would foon involve the whole World in one promifcuous Ruin and Defolation. It is true, one Man cannot do all this Mifchief. But then one Man, who, for Inftance, acts unjust ly, contributes his Part to the Introduction of univerfal Disorder and Mifery. If all fhould act as unjustly as himself, (and all have as much Right as any one Man) the Foundations of the moral World would be quite out of Course.

To explain this by a familiar Instance, one Perfon robs another of a fmall Sum of Money; he is taken and fuffers Death for the Fact: Now what Proportion is there between the Punishment and the Crime; between depriving a Man of what he perhaps could very well spare, and depriving the Person that did it of his Life, of his all in this World? None at all, if we confider the Crime in this Light only: But if we view it in all it's Tendencies, then the Crime is adequate to the Punishment; fince it tends to render Property, and what is valuable in this Life, precarious, and to fubvert the Peace of Society.

We know not, we cannot know, how

far

far the Confequences of any one Sin may SERM.IV. extend, how far the Influence of our Beha

viour may affect all that lye within the Sphere of our Activity, those beneath us, and about us, our Domeftics, Relations, and Neighbours. And thefe again may fpread the Contagion farther. Thofe that are vicious in a lefs Degree, however they may blame the Corruption of the World in general, are acceffary to that very Corrup➡ tion. It is here as in a Battle: Every Per fon who fled, is apt to fhift off the Blame from himself, and to lay it upon his FellowSoldiers: But if each Perfon, who gave Way, had stood his Ground; what was a general Rout, would have been a complete Victory. Sin then deferves the greatest Evil, because it is opponite to the greatest Good, the uni verfal Intereft: and as a confirmed Habit of Sin implies the Love of it, a continual Love of what is oppofite to the greatest Good, must continually or for ever deferve the greatest Evil.

We may harangue as long as we pleafe upon God's Benevolence. But no Arguments can be drawn from it to Koften the feeming Rigour of the divine Sanctions. For univerfal Benevolence must confult the Good

of

SERM. IV. of the whole; which can never be done by

;

abating the Penalties threatned to Vice and much less by removing all Apprehenfions of suffering hereafter, and confequently emboldening Wickedness; but by awakening careless Sinners, and ftriking a Terror into determined Offenders. Whatever Sanctions are most effectual to compass this End, must be most agreeable to the Goodness of the divine Legiflator, who cannot promote the Happiness of the whole, without fecuring the Obfervance of his Laws. If to annex fuch Penalties be for the Good of the whole; then what is for the Good of the whole, cannot be Injustice to any particular Perfon; fince the Good of each particular Perfon is naturally and originally wrapt up in, and connected with, that of the whole. And there is a previous obligation upon every one that comes into the World, either to do thofe Duties, or fubmit to those Penalties, which preserve or promote the general Happiness, with which bis own was primarily interwoven. God -would have enforced our Obedience to Him with lefs Penalties, if lefs had been fufficient. -But it is plain, that less Punishments would not have answered the End; fince even

those

thofe that he has denounced, do not, in SERM.IV. many Cafes, check the Growth of Vice and awe a wicked World into a Compli ance with his Will.

It is a Miftake therefore, and a dangerous one too, to admit, as fome late Writers have done, of no penal Evils in the next World, but what terminate in the Benefit of the Sufferer, and are for the Amendment of the immoral Agent. Upon that Suppofition, there would be no Hell properly speaking; there would only be a Purgatory: And the abandoned and incurably bad, who merit the greatest Severity, would escape with abfolute Impunity; becaufe no Punishment could produce an Amendment in them. Befides, all Punishments, which come from God, have not even in this Life been intended for the Reformation of the Criminal; fome of them have been for the utter Excifion and Extirpation of the irreclaimable, when once they have filled up the Measure of their Iniquities: Such were the Deluge, and the unprecedented Destruction of Jerusalem, not to mention many other Instances, Hell is every where in Scripture reprefented as the very Reverse of a Place intended for

"

the

SERM IV. the Exercife of benevolent Affections, without which none shall inherit the Kingdom of God. It is defcribed as a State of Horror and Despair, where, as St. John fays, they blafphemed the God of Heaven, and repented not to give God the Glory. It cannot therefore be a proper Scene to reclaim the Guilty, and to purify the Soul.W

་

Some there are, who take Shelter in the Thoughts of Annihilation, and hope, or pretend to hope, that God will uncreate the Soul, and deprive it of Being. And is Annihilation then their only Hope? A fad gloomy Hope, and an horrid Confolation\! To be as if they had never been, devoid of Confcioufnefs, Senfe and Motion, to have all those busy Workings of the Mind, all thofe active Thoughts, which wander -through this World, and lofe themfelves agreeably in the next, loft and fwallowed -up for ever in utter Extinction of Being; sis this their only Resource? this, at which Nature, which always struggles hard for Self-Prefervation, ftarts back with Horror?

Yet, alas! they are even cut off from this dreadful, this, I had almoft faid, defperate Hope. For if Annihilation be the only Punishment which shall be inflicted

on