תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

the Sins of other Men, which we have made our own: There are a great many ways whereby we may bring the Guilt of other Mens Sins upon our felves; when we tempt and provoke Men to fin, by our Authority, Counfels, Examples; when we perfwade, intice, threaten, or fhame Men into Sin; when we neglect our Duty to those who are under our Government; do not inftruct them better, do not forewarn them of the Danger they are in of being miferable in this World, and in the next; when we do not reftrain them, when we can, nor punish them for their Sins; when we are Partners with them in their Wickedness, or the Inftruments of it; when we corrupt and debauch their Understandings with the Principles of Atheism, Infidelity, or Scepticism; whatever Wickedness Men are drawn into by these means, is chargeable upon our felves, and muft be added to our Account, as in reafon it ought to be; for if we are the Cause of other Mens fins, we must bear the Guilt of them

too.

And if this be fo, what a terrible Account have fome Men to make, which they never think of? How many have they corrupted by their Examples, or Counfels, or fome other way? And how will this aggravate their own Condemnation, when they carry a long Train and Retinue of undone Souls to Hell with them? That if Men will not be good themselves, they ought to take care how they make others wicked: This they get nothing by, but a double Damnation, and they will find it enough to be damned for themselves.

V. We fhall be judged alfo for our fecret Sins: Thus Solomon tells us, God shall bring every work into judgment, with every fecret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil, 12 Eccl. 14. And St. Paul tells us, That God fhall judge the Secrets of men by Jefus Chrift, according to the Gofpel, 2 Rom. 16. And therefore David prays to God, Cleanfe thou me from fecret Faults, 19 Pfal. 12.

There is no reason to think it fhould be otherwife, fince our moft fecret Sins are vifible to God: All things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do, 4 Heb. 13. And when God knows our moft fecret Sins, why should he not judge us for them? Humane Judicatures will punish thofe fins which are most fecretly committed, when they happen to be discovered; for the fin is never the less, nor does it lefs deferve to be punifhed, for being fecret: And therefore though fuch fins may efcape the Judgment of Men by being concealed, they cannot escape God's Judgment, who fees and knows them.

I grant, that to commit fin openly in the Face of the Sun, argues greater Impudence in finning, does more publick Difhonour to God, and gives greater Scandal to the World ; but fecret fins put as great a Contempt on God, as open Impieties do; for it is a plain proof, that fuch finners have a greater Reverence for Men, than they have for God; though they profefs to believe that God is prefent every where, and fees all they do, yet they fecurely commit the greateft Villanies under his Eye, when no body elfe fees them, which they

durft

durft not commit in the prefence of the meanest Man.

This is a very unaccountable thing, and one would imagine that fuch Men did not believe that God fees what they do in fecret, and yet they do believe it; and we all know it is fo: It may be there are few Men but are guilty of fome private Sins at fometime or other, which nothing could have perfwaded them to have committed publickly; and yet when any Man is tempted by Secrefie and Retirement, though he drives away the Thoughts of God as much as he can, while he is in purfuit of his Lufts and wicked Designs, when he comes to himself, and has time to think, his Confcience speaks Terror to him, and puts him in mind, that God fees him, though Men do not.

But confider, I befeech you, if God will judge us for all our moft fecret Sins, how little it will avail us to conceal our Sins from Men: We may indeed by this means efcape present Shame and Punishment, but eternal Shame, eternal Torment will be our Portion; and are we more afraid of being reproached by Men, than of being reproached by God and by our own Confciences? Than of being expofed to Shame in the general Affembly of Men and Angels, when God fhall bring to light all the hidden Works of Darkness? Are we more afraid of fome Punishments in our Bodies or Eftates, which Humane Laws and Judicatures can inflict on us, than we are of Hell, where the Worm dieth not, and the Fire is not quenched?

I am very fenfible what it is that deceives Men in this Matter, and if you will but reflect upon your felves, you will find what I fay to be true: You do believe that God fees your moft fecret Sins, and will judge and condemn you for them; and you are more afraid of Hell, than of all prefent Shame and Punishment; and yet you will venture upon those Sins under the Eye of God,. which the Presence of a Man, at least of fuch Men as will difcover your Sin and Shame, and punish you for it, would have kept you from: What is the meaning of this? To be more afraid of God than of Men, and yet to stand in more awe of Man than of God?

The Account of this, which looks like a Myftery, I think, is very plain: Men dare not commit thofe Sins publickly, which they will venture on in private, because if Men fee their Wickedness, they immediately forfeit their Reputation, and get fuch a Blot and Stain on their Names, which all the Tears of Repentance cannot wash out again, for they know the World is ill-natured, and every single Mifcarriage, which comes to be known leaves an` indelible Character of Infamy on them; and they are not willing to forfeit their Reputation, which is fo neceffary to the Comforts of Life, for ever: And befides this, if the Sins they commit be fuch as are punishable by Humane Laws, if they be known, all their Repentance, how fincere foever it be, will not deliver them from Punishment; and though the love their Sins very well, they will not venture the Punishment of them.

But

But now though God abhors all Sin more than the best Men do, and Hell be a more terrible Punishment than any thing in this World, yet God may be atoned and reconciled by Repentance: Repentance will restore them to the Favour of God, and hide and cover their Sins, and blot them out of their account, and reconcile them to their own Confciences, and prevent their final Punishment in the next World: And this they refolve upon; repent they will, and Repentance, will fecure them both from the future Shame and Punishment of Sin; and therefore their only care is, to conceal their Shame from Men, and to escape prefent Punishment: And this is the reason why they dare commit those Sins in fecret, though they know God fees them, which they dare not commit in the view of the World: This makes the Prefence and the Eye of God fo ineffectual to reftrain Mens Lufts, that they hope after all their fecret Villanies to be friends again with God, but do not expect, fhould the World difcover their Wickednefs, that it would fpare them, or ever think well of them more.

This looks like a very notable Contrivance, to preferve our Reputation in the World by Secrefie, and to regain the Favour of God by Repentance: But the Devil is too cunning for Sinners; for if the awe andReverence for God,and the fear of a Future Judgment will not preferve Men from fecret Sins, their other hopes will deceive them; fuch Mens Shame will not be long concealed, and their Repentance will foon grow impoffible.

Y 2

When

« הקודםהמשך »