different as Deftruction and Life. They are not like two Ways which lead to the fame Place, which though they part, yet meet again either in fome other Part of the Road, or at least at the End of the Journey; but they are like two Ways which part more and more from one another, and end in very diftant Countries. As if two Ships fhould fteer different Courses, the one a right Course, which would carry its Paffengers ftreight to their right Port and Harbour; the other a wrong Courfe, which carries them into the Enemy's Country, where they lose Ship and Cargo, and are made Prifoners, or Slaves, as long as they live. The fteering this wrong Course is not always the effect of Ignorance, but often of Careleffnefs and Inconfideration; as if the Mafter and Seamen fhould spend their Time in Drinking and Gaming, and never mind the steering the true Course to the right Harbour; but forgetting their Reckoning, fhould fall in with Rocks and Shoals, and be loft and caft away; while the other fober and diligent Men get fafe into the Harbour.

This was a very proper Confideration for our Saviour to leave with his Difciples, that they might not neglect thofe excellent Precepts he had given them, even to put them in mind of the different Fates of those who led their Life in the broad Way of Sin; and of them who walked in the narrow Way of Duty, which he had shewed them. The broad Way, like that of a Ship, which cannot endure to bear up against the Wind, but always fails before it, never carries a Man to the right End of his Voyage; but either upon Rocks and Shelves, or into the VOL. IV.

e

Enemy's

On

Enemy's Country; or at leaft, to fome very diftant Place from what he defires to go to. the other Hand, the narrow Way of Duty, like that of a Ship, which bears well up to the Wind, lofes no Way, but holds on in a direct Course to the right Port and Harbour. There is a great deal more Pains and Trouble indeed in bearing up against the Wind, than in failing before it; as there is a great deal more Trouble in the Way of Self-denial and Mortification of our carnal Appetites, than in indulging our felves in our finful Inclinations; but if we confider the different Ends of the one and the other Way, we are not to take our Measures of the Goodnefs or Badness of the Paffage, till we see the End of it; for that is to be reckoned a good Paffage, which carries us fure and fafe, and without lofs of Time, to Heaven, though we fhould meet with fome bluftering Winds and Weather in it; and that is an unfortunate Paffage, which carries us to the wrong Port, or fplits the Ship against the Rocks, although, as to the failing Part, it should be ever so pleasant before the Wind, and the Seamen and Paffengers fhonld pass their Time ever fo idly in drinking and gaming together.

The very Heathen, by the Light of Nature, were fenfible of the different Ends of Virtue and Vice; and therefore they not only appointed Rewards for the one, and Punishments for the other, in this World; but give us Descriptions of the vaftly different States which they apprehended would be allotted them in the World to come; the one very happy, the other very miferable. But the Christian Religion has mightily improved

improved what was but imperfectly delivered by thofe, who had no further Help than that of the Light of Nature. For it has given us very particular Accounts of the Immortality of the Soul, and the Resurrection of the Body; of the Day of Judgment, and the Proceedings of Chrift, the righteous Judge, and of the various Sentences which fhall be pronounced on both good and bad, adjudging the one to everlasting Happiness, and the other to everlafting Mifery. And this leads me to the fecond Thing I propofed to confider on this Subject; namely,

II. The Nature of thofe different States, described here by the Words Destruction and Life. To begin with the Word Deftruction. We are to understand it, not for Annihilation, but for the height of Mifery. And this is no unufual Acceptation of the Word; as when we speak of an Enemy's destroying of a Country, we mean only that he makes it very miferable by all the Calamities of War. This is the Senfe of Destruction when applied to damned Souls in a future State; for as far as we can gather from the holy Scriptures, (the only fure Guide in fuch Matters,) there is no fuch good News for wicked Men, as that there shall be an utter End of their Being, and confequently that they fhall be infenfible of all the Pains of Hell; for as to the Soul, it is immortal, and never dies; and as to the Body, there is nothing plainer delivered than the Doctrine of the Refurrection, not only of the Juft, but of the Unjuft. Now, to what Purpofe fhould the Body be raised to Life, if it is immediately to die again? It is true, fome alledge that it feems to

be a very unnatural, and a very unphilosophical Thing, that the Body, without a continual Miracle, fhould be able to fubfift long, much less to all Eternity, under those exquifite Torments which are in Hell. But this Objection rifes from two very weak Foundations, which, if they are removed, this Difficulty will quickly vanish. The first is, that we apprehend no Difference between our present mortal Bodies, and the Bodies we fhall have after the Refurrection; whereas, as the Resurrection-Body is not maintained by fuch corruptible Things as Meat and Drink, fo neither is it corruptible as they are; it is true of all fuch Bodies, whether they belong to happy or unhappy Souls, that this Mortal must put on Immortality, and this Corruptible shall put on Incorruption, 1 Cor. xv. 53. and therefore the Frame of fuch a Body is not to be destroyed by outward Accidents, as the Frame of our mortal Bodies is. And the fecond wrong Foundation upon which the Objection is founded is, that we fancy Hell-fire is of the fame Nature with our Fires here upon Earth, and must make as great an Impreffion upon Matter; Whereas all these Defcriptions of Hell-Torments in holy Scripture, as of a Worm that never dies, and a Fire that is never quenched, are only lively Metaphors to exprefs the exquifite and endlefs Pain and Anguifh of fuch Perfons who fhall be adjudged to Hell-Torments. So that there is no unphilofophical Notion in this, that God can and will fit the Refurrection-Body fo properly to a State of Immortality, either of Happiness or Mifery, that it fhall be capable to accompany the Soul to all Eternity in either of thofe States; and likewife

that he will fit the Rewards and Punishments of either State fo, that both Soul and Body shall be capable of them. But against this Act of God's, fome object that it is very difagreeable to the Juftice, and much more to the Mercy of God, to inflict eternal Punishments for temporary Sins, for that the Punishment ought to bear a due Proportion to the Sin. This will be beft answered by the last Thing I observed on this Subject, namely, that the different States of Men to all Eternity, refult not from any arbitrary Sentence of God's, but from the different Courses of Life of the Wicked, and of those that fear God; because the feveral Ways, viz. the broad Way of Vice, and the narrow Way of Virtue, are faid in my Text to lead to them. But before I come to that, we are to confider the Nature likewife of Happiness under the Notion of Life, by which it is represented in the Text. By this Word Life, is not meant here the natural Life, confifting in a Conjunction or Union of Soul and Body, which Sort of Life is common with the Reprobate, and is confiftent with a great deal of Mifery; but by Life, is meant the Union of the Soul with God, as our Saviour explains it, 1 John v. 12. be that hath the Son, bath Life; and be that hath not the Son, hath not Life. It is called Life by way of Excellency, as fignifying a pleafant, happy Life. And in this Senfe Living is used both in the holy Scriptures, and in other antient Authors. Thus I Sam. x. 24. these Words, which literally rendered fignify only, Let the King live, are tranflated by the Chaldee Paraphraft, Let the King profper. So 1 Sam. xxv. 6. part of David's Meffage to Naез

bal;