more evidently known to us, and the whole fcheme and contrivance of it contains other Confiderations against Sin than Natural Religion could ever have known or suggested; for by this Sin appears further to be to malignant and hateful to God, fo deteftable and odious in his fight, and fo contrary to his wife Government of the World, that he would not pardon it without the Blood of his own Son hed as an Atonement for it, nor forgive it to Mankind without fuch a valuable Compenfation and fatisfaction made for it, as that was. Now this demonftrates to us above any thing its abominable and difpleafing Nature to God, and that according to the wife Rules and Maxims of his Government, by which he manages the World, it must fuffer and be feverely punished, and that there was no efcaping of this but by an extraordinary contrivance of Divine Wisdom and Mercy, which found our a way by Jefus Chrift to fave Sinners by Repentance. Sin is a greater Debt, a more deep Provocation to Heaven, a more horrid affront to Divine Power and Authority, a more confiderable injury to the good of the World, and to the Jultice and Holinefs of God, than to be eafily forgiven and paffed by, as we find by the Mystery of our Redemption, and the Difpenfation of Chriftianity, which shows us above any thing the Nature and Evil of it, and confequently the great Reasons of our Repenting from it.

5. As the Nature and Evil of Sin, fo the Confequences and Punishments of it are greater

greater by Christianity; and Christ by the threatning of thofe greater Judgments upon it has called us more loudly to Repentance. Nature and the light of Reafon, taught all Mankind the Present and Natural Evils that were like fo many Curfes cleaving to Sin, like Hercules his poyfoned Shirt clinging to it, and fticking faft about it. God had annexed a World of Evils and mifchievous Effects to Vice and Wickedness, by the original Settlement and fundamental Conftitution of things; it was a Difeafe to the Mind and a Torment to the Confcience, and very often a Disease to the Body and Rottennefs to the Bones, a Wound to a Mans Credit, and a Blemish to his good Name, and an Enemy to all his Interefts, and to all his Happiness in this World, Thefe plain and neceffary effects of Sin Mankind could not but obferve, as fo many bitter Fruits naturally growing out of it as from a proper Root, and like fo many Plagues fent from Heaven fteeming out of this Pandora's Box: And thefe Natural Punishments of Sin, and the other as Natural Goods and Rewards of Vertue, were the true Sanction of the Law of Nature. But befides all these, there are a thousand times greater and more additional Evils fuperadded to our Sins by Chriftianity, if we do not in time Repent of them; there are the pofitive and eternal Evils of Sin in another World; for I can by no means call the Torments of Hell Natural, which God has revealed to us by the Gofpel. How little thele were known to the World before, I

F 4

might

might fhow from the odd fancies of the wifeft Heathens about the Tranfmigration of Souls, and the Revolution of all things within fuch a period of Years, and whatever guess they had rather than belief of Punishments for Sin in another World, yet that they should be fo great as the Scripture now reprefents them, and that they fhould be Eternal, which is the moft dreadful part of them, this can only be known from the Revelation and Will of God, who may continue our being, and lengthen or fhorten our duration to what time he pleafes,and therefore as Chrift has brought Life and Immortality to light by the Gospel, 2 Tim. 1. 10. fo in like manner he has brought Hell and Damnation, and revealed fuch intolerable and greater Punishments to Sin than the World knew before, as cannot but fright the most daring Sinner, and make the fondest Senfualift part with his Lufts, when he confiders that all their Tempting Charms, and enticing Gayety, and Momentany Pleafures, shall end in nothing but Hellifh Torments, Unquenchable Flames, and Eternal Howlings and Gnafhings of Teeth, which must be owned to be a thousand times greater than all the Known, and Vifible, and Natural Evils of Sin.

SECT

SECT. IV.

Motives to Repentance from the Confideration of Hell.

Now

OW because this is the greatest determent from Sin imaginable, and confequently the greatest motive to Repentance that can poffibly be given; for nothing is fo ftrong and powerful upon moft Men as their Fears, which is the quickest and strongest Paffion in Human Nature, and is apt to make a very great Impreffion where nothing else will, and nothing can be so much an Object of our fear, as Hell and Eternal Mifery, which is the utmost and most dreadful Evil that can be either felt or imagined. I fhall particularly and largely offer and reprefent it to the Sinners thoughts, both as to its Nature, confisting in the greatest Pains and Torments of Body and Mind, and in the most wretched and miferable State and Condition, and as all this is Eternal and fhall never have end: Both which, if heartily beliey'd and ferioufly confider'd, would have a mighty power and almoft irrefiftible force to bring Men off from their greatest Sins.

I. Then let us confider its Nature, as confifting of the greatest Pains and Torments both of Body and Mind, and in the most Wretched and Milerable State and Condition. I fhall not

attempt

attempt fully to defcribe, or draw a Picture of this place of Torments, our Imagination is to be help'd out with all the known Inftances of Mifery, and fo to form an Idea of that future, and unknown, and invisible one: It is certain it must be adapted to those two parts of which we confift, our Bodies and our Minds, and what are the proper Evils to either of those we very well know, fenfible Pain and great Anguish and Sorrow, and other tormenting Paffions, and thefe we must suppose in the highest degree to belong to Hellish Mifery, for as Heaven is the utmost good our Natures can poffibly receive, and are capable of, fo Hell is the greatest Evil, and as fuch is reprefented to us by that Revelation which affures us of it, attended with the most fad and woful Circumftances that can be imagined. I fhall offer the thoughts of it to the Sinner under fuch Ideas and Reprefentations as are given of it by the Holy Ghost in Scripture. And,

1. We must conceive a Horrid, Dark and Difmal Dungeon in fome deep Cavern of the Earth, defigned for Horrour, and fill'd with the Blackness of Darkness, and inhabited only by Curfed Fiends, and frightful Ghosts and Devils, into which the wretched Caitiff is to be thrown, bound hand and foot, and so caft into outer Darkness, Matth. 22. 13. and deli vered into chains of darkness, 2 Pet. 2.4. Darknefs is the Natural Image and Symbol of HorFor and Difconfolatenefs, as Light is of Comfort and Pleasantnefs; fo that the Scripture