And may not a little book be as easily made by chance, as this great volume of the world? How long might a man be in sprinkling colours upon canvas with a careless hand, before they would happen to make the exact picture of a man? And is a man easier made by chance than his picture? How long might twenty thousand blind men, which should be sent out from the several remote parts of England, wander up and down before they would all meet upon Salisbury Plains, and fall into rank and file in the exact order of an army? And yet this is much more easy to be imagined, than how the innumerable blind parts of matter should rendezvous themselves into a world. A man that sees Henry the Seventh's chapel at Westminster, might with as good reason complain (yea, with much better, considering the vast difference betwixt that little structure and the huge fabric of the world), that it was never contrived or built by any man, but that the stones did by chance grow into those curious figures into which they seem to have been cut and graven; and that upon a time (as tales usually begin), the materials of that building-the stone, mortar, timber, iron, lead, and glass-happily met together and very fortunately ranged themselves into that delicate order in which we see them now so close compacted, that it must be a very great chance that parts them again. What would the world think of a man that should advance such an opinion as this, and write a book for it? If they would do him right, they ought to look upon him as mad; but yet with a little more reason than any man can have to say that the world was made by chance, or that the first men grew up out of the earth as plants do now: for can anything be more ridiculous, and against all reason, than to ascribe the production of men to the first fruitfulness of the earth, without so much as one instance and experiment in any age or history to countenance so monstrous a supposition? The thing is at first sight so gross and palpable, that no discourse about it can make it

THE FOLLY OF IRRELIGION.

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more apparent. And yet these shameful beggars of principles, who give this precarious account of the original of things, assume to themselves to be the men of reason, the great wits of the world, the only cautious and wary persons that hate to be imposed upon, that must have convincing evidence for everything, and can admit of nothing without a clear demonstration for it.

The Folly of Erreligion.

Men generally stand very much upon the credit and reputation of their understandings, and of all things in the world hate to be accounted fools, because it is so great a reproach. The best way to avoid this imputation and to bring off the credit of our understandings is to be truly religious, to fear the Lord, and to depart from evil. For certainly there is no such imprudent person as he that neglects God and his soul, and is careless and slothful about his everlasting concernments; because this man acts contrary to his truest reason and best interest; he neglects his own safety, and is active to procure his own ruin; he flies from happiness and runs away from it as fast as he can, but pursues misery, and makes haste to be undone. Hence it is that Solomon does all along in the Proverbs give the title of "fool" to a wicked man, as if it were his proper name and the fittest character of him, because he is so eminently such: there is no fool to the sinner, who every moment ventures his soul, and lays his everlasting interest at the stake. Every time a man provokes God he does the greatest mischief to himself that can be imagined. A madman, that cuts himself, and tears his own flesh, and dashes his head against the stones, does not act so unreasonably as he, because he is not so sensible of what he does. Wickedness is a kind of voluntary frenzy and a chosen distraction, and every sinner does wilder and more extravagant things than any man can do that is crazed and out

of his wits, only with this sad difference that he knows better what he does. For to them who believe another life after this, an eternal state of happiness or misery in another world (which is but a reasonable postulatum or demand among Christians), there is nothing in mathematics more demonstrable than the folly of wicked men; for it is not a clearer and more evident principle that the whole is greater than a part, than that eternity and the concernments of it are to be preferred before time.

I will therefore put the matter into a temporal case, that wicked men who understand anything of the rules and principles of worldly wisdom may see the imprudence of an irreligious and sinful course, and be convinced that this their way is their folly, even themselves being judges.

Is that man wise, as to his body and his health, who only clothes his hands, but leaves his whole body naked? who provides only against the toothache, and neglects whole troops of mortal diseases that are ready to rush in upon him? Just thus does he who takes care only for this vile body, but neglects his precious and immortal soul, who is very solicitous to prevent small and temporal inconveniences, but takes no care to escape the damnation of hell.

Is he a prudent man, as to his temporal estate, that lays designs only for a day, without any prospect to, or provision for the remaining part of his life? Even so does he that provides for the short time of this life, but takes no care for all eternity, which is to be wise for a moment, but a fool for ever, and to act as untowardly and as crossly to the reason of things as can be imagined, to regard time as if it were eternity, and to neglect eternity as if it were but a short time.

Do we count him a wise man, who is wise in anything but in his own proper profession and employment, wise for everybody but himself, who is ingenious to contrive his own misery and to do himself a mischief, but is dull and stupid as to the

designing of any real benefit and advantage to himself? Such a one is he who is ingenious in his calling, but a bad Christian; for Christianity is more our proper calling and profession than the very trades we live upon; and such is every sinner, who is "wise to do evil, but to do good hath no understanding."

Is it wisdom in any man to neglect and disoblige him who is his best friend, and can be his sorest enemy? or with one weak troop to go out to meet him that comes against him with thousands of thousands? to fly a small danger and run upon a greater? Thus does every wicked man that neglects and contemns God, "who can save or destroy him;" who strives with his "Maker, and provoketh the Lord to jealousy," and with the small and inconsiderable forces of a man takes the field against the mighty God, the Lord of hosts; who "fears them that can kill the body, but after that have no more that they can do; but fears not him, who after he hath killed, can destroy both body and soul in hell;" and thus does he who for fear of anything in this world ventures to displease God, for in so doing he runs away from men, and "falls into the hands of the living God;" he flies from a temporal danger, and leaps into hell.

Is not he an imprudent man, who, in matters of greatest moment and concernment, neglects opportunities never to be retrieved; who, standing upon the shore, and seeing the tide making haste towards him apace, and that he hath but a few minutes to save himself, yet will lay himself to sleep there till the cruel sea rush in upon him and overwhelm him? And is he any better who trifles away this day of God's grace and patience, and foolishly adjourns the necessary work of repentance and the weighty business of religion to a dying hour?

And, to put an end to these questions, is he wise who hopes to attain the end without the means-nay, by means that are quite contrary to it? Such is every wicked man who hopes to be blessed hereafter without being holy here, and to be happy, that is, to find a pleasure in the enjoyment of God and

in the company of holy spirits by rendering himself as unsuitable and unlike to them as he can.

Wouldst thou, then, be truly wise? Be wise for thyself, wise for thy soul, wise for eternity-resolve upon a religious course of life-"fear God, and depart from evil"-look beyond things present and sensible unto things which are not seen and are eternal-labour to secure the great interests of another world—and refer all the actions of this short and dying life to that state which will shortly begin but never have an end; and this will approve itself to be wisdom at the last, whatever the world judge of it now. For not that which is approved of men now, but what shall finally be approved by God, is true wisdom-that which is esteemed so by Him who is the fountain and original of all wisdom, the first rule and measure, the best and most competent judge of it.

Eternal Happiness.

This happiness shall be eternal; and, though this be but a circumstance and do not enter into the nature of our happiness, yet it is so material a one that all the felicities which heaven affords would be imperfect without it. It would strangely damp and allay all our joys to think that they should some time have an end; and the greater our happiness were, the greater trouble it would be to us to consider that it must have a period. It would make a man sorrowful indeed to think of leaving such vast possessions. Indeed, if the happiness of heaven were such as the joys of this world are, it were fit they should be as short, for after a little enjoyment, it would cloy us, and we should soon grow weary of it; but being so excellent, it would scarce be a happiness if it were not eternal. It would embitter the pleasures of heaven, as great as they are, to see to an end of them, though it were at never so great a distance; to consider that all this vast treasure of happiness