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gards to his Duty, now mentioned, might Ser.VII. keep him from perfect Despair. W

Upon the Whole, it is manifeft that Balaam had the most juft and true Notions of God and Religion; as appears partly from the original Story itself, and more plainly from the Paffage in Micah; where he explains Religion to confift in real Virtue and real Piety, expreffly diftinguished from Superstition, and in Terms which most strongly exclude Dishonesty and Falseness of Heart. Yet you see his Behaviour: He feeks Indulgences for plain Wickedness; which not being able to obtain, he gloffes over that fame Wickedness, dreffes it up in a new Form, in order to make it pafs off more eafily with himself. That is, he deliberately contrives to deceive and impose upon himself, in a Matter which he knew to be of the utmost Importance.

To bring thefe Obfervations home to ourfelves. It is too evident that many Perfons allow themselves in very unjustifiable Courfes, who yet make great Pretences to Religion; not to deceive the World, none can be fo weak as to think this will pass in our Age; but from Principles, Hopes and Fears, respecting God and a future State;

Ser.VII.and go on thus with a fort of Tranquilli

ty and Quiet of Mind. This cannot be upon a thorough Confideration, and full Refolution that the Pleasures and Advantages they propofe are to be pursued at all Hazards, against Reason, against the Law of God, and though everlasting Destruction is to be the Confequence. This would be doing too great Violence upon themselves. No, they are for making a Compofition with the Almighty. These of his Com

mands they will obey: But as to others— why they will make all the Atonements in their Power; the ambitious, the covetous, the diffolute Man, each in a Way which fhall not contradict his refpective Pursuit. Indulgences before, which was Balaam's first Attempt, though he was not fo fuccess. ful in it as to deceive himself, or Atonements afterwards, are all the fame. And here perhaps come in faint Hopes that they may, and Half-refolves that they will, one time or other, make a Change.

Befides thefe, there are alfo Perfons, who from a more just way of confidering things see the infinite Abfurdity of this, of fubftituting Sacrifice inftead of Obedience; There are Perfons far enough from Super

ftition

ftition, and not without fome real Senfe Ser. VII. of God and Religion upon their Minds; who yet are guilty of most unjustifiable Practices, and go on with great Coolness and Command over themselves. The fame Dishonesty and Unfoundness of Heart discovers itself in These another way. In all common ordinary Cafes we fee intuitively at first View what is our Duty, what is the honest Part. This is the Ground of the Obfervation, that the first Thought is often the best. In these Cafes Doubt and Deliberation is itself Difhonefty; as it was in Balaam upon the fecond Meffage. That which is called confidering what is our Duty in a particular Cafe, is very often nothing, but endeavouring to explain it away. Thus those Courses, which, if Men would fairly attend to the Dictates. of their own Confciences, they would fee to be Corruption, Excefs, Oppreffion, Uncharitableness; these are refined uponThings were fo and so circumftantiated—— great Difficulties are raised about fixing Bounds and Degrees; and thus every moral Obligation whatever may be evaded. Here is Scope, I fay, for an unfair Mind to explain away every moral Obligation to itfelf. Whether Men reflect again upon this

K 3

Ser. VII. this internal Management and Artifice, and

how explicit they are with themselves, is another Question. There are many Operations of the Mind, many things pass within, which we never reflect upon again; which a By-stander, from having frequent Opportu. nities of observing us and our Conduct, may make shrewd Gueffes at.

That great Numbers are in this Way of deceiving themselves is certain. There is fcarce a Man in the World, who has intirely got over all Regards, Hopes and Fears, concerning God and a future State; and these Apprehenfions in the Generality, bad as we are, prevail in confiderable Degrees: Yet Men will and can be wicked with Calmnefs and Thought; we see they are. There must therefore be fome Method of making it fit a little easy upon their Minds; which, in the Superftitious, is those Indulgences and Atonements before-mentioned, and this Self-deceit of another Kind in Perfons of another Character. And both these proceed from a certain Unfairness of Mind, a peculiar inward Difhonefty; the direct contrary to that Simplicity which our Saviour recommends, under the Notion of becoming little Children, as a neceffary Qualification

for

for our entering into the Kingdom of Hea- Ser. VII.

ven.

But to conclude: How much foever Men differ in the Courfe of Life they prefer, and in their Ways of palliating and excufing their Vices to themselves; yet all agree in the one thing, defiring to die the Death of the righteous. This is furely remarkable. The Obfervation may be extended further, and put thus: Without determining what that is which we call Guilt or Innocence, 'there is no Man but would choose, after having had the Pleasure or Advantage of a vitious Action, to be free of the Guilt of it, to be in the State of an innocent Man. This fhews at least a Disturbance, an implicit Diffatisfaction in Vice. If we enquire into the Grounds of it, we shall find it proceeds from an immediate Sense of having done Evil; joined with an Apprehenfion, that this inward Sense shall one time or another be feconded by an higher Judgment, upon which our whole Being depends. Now to fufpend and drown this Senfe, and these Apprehenfions, be it by the Hurry of Business or of Pleasure, or by Superftition, or moral Equivocations, these are in a Manner one and the same, and make