lefs Opinion, with which the Multitude are apt to de-SE RM. ceive themselves, that it is inconfiftent with their XIII. worldly Intereft; that Purity and Simplicity of Heart are indeed necessary Qualifications for the obtaining of Happiness in the next World; but that Treachery and Diffimulation, indirect and deceitful Practices, have a far better and more effectual Tendency to promote their Happiness in this. The Ufe therefore, that I would make of all which has been faid upon this Subject, is, to convince Men of this dangerous Mistake, that being beaten out of their strong Hold of Hypocrify, they may be difpofed to hearken with more Readiness and Attention to Arguments of a more spiritual Nature; and that being convinced of the Vanity of all earthly Purfuits, they may be induced to pursue the one Thing needful, even the eternal falvation of their fouls. For, after all, the great and important Question is that which is put by Job, What is the Hypocrite's hope, tho' he hath gain'd, when God taketh away his foul? or, as a Chriftian would chufe rather to exprefs it, when he appears before the Judgment-feat of Chrift? This, I fay, is a Question of the utmost Importance, and which well deferves to be enlarg'd upon. But as it would carry me too great a Length at prefent, I shall chufe it as a Subject for another Difcourfe.

New to God the Father, &c.

SERM.
XIV.

The miferable Portion of Hypocrites
in the next World.

A

SERMON

On JOB Xxvii. 8.

What is the hope of the Hypocrite, tho' be bath gained, when God taketh away his Soul?

OR the better Understanding of these Words, it will be proper to confider, in the firft Place, the Circumstances and Condition of the Perfon who is faid to speak them, together with the main Scope and Defign of his Discourse. Fob had, as appears from the foregoing Chapters, been fufpected by his Friends of Hypocrify; and good Reafon they thought they had to fufpect him, because, tho' they could lay no one Crime to his Charge (neither indeed did they attempt to do it) yet they faw him vifited with fuch a wonderful and amazing Succeffion of Calamities, as they thought he could never have been afflicted with, but as a Punishment for fome fecret Sin, fome darling Paffion, which he had indulg'd

indulg'd in private, to the Ruin of his Fortune, and SERM. to the Forfeiture of God's Favour and Protection.

XIV.

To wipe off this infamous Afperfion, and to clear up his own Integrity, he firft blames them for prefuming too pofitively to pronounce their Opinion upon the Reasons of God's Mercies or Severities to the Sons of Men. Shall any (fays he) teach God knowledge, feeing he judgeth them that are high? One dieth in his full Strength, being wholly at Eafe and Quiet: His Breafts are full of Milk, and his Bones are moistened with Marrow. And another dieth in the bitternefs of his Soul, and never tafteth of Comfort. They fhall lie down alike in the duft, and the Worms fhall cover them: Intimating, that tho' there is no doubt, but all God's Judgments are strictly just and equitable, yet to us they are obfcure and unaccountable, involv'd in fo much Darkness and Perplexity, that it is hard to make any Inference from them to the Advantage or Difadvantage of other Men. But then, left they should think that by this Opinion of his, he made no difference between the Righteous and the Wicked, or that he looked upon the Condition of the one to be as happy as the other, he takes care to affure them of the contrary, telling them, that whatever Bleffings the Wicked might fometimes enjoy, or however the Righteous might be diftreffed, yet this fhould never be an Argument with him to prove, that Virtue or Vice were indifferent Matters, or that the falfe Pretence and Appearance of Religion was as good as the true Sub ftance and Spirit of it. As God liveth, fays he, who bath taken away my Judgment, and the Almighty, who bath vexed my Saul; all the while the Breath is in me, and the Spirit of God is in my noftrils, my Mouth fhall not speak Wickedness, nor my Tongue utter Deceit. God

14

forbid

SERM. forbid that I should juftify you; till I die, I will not re XIV. move mine Integrity from me. My Righteousness I hold faft, and will not let it go: My Heart shall not reproach me fo long as I live. Let mine Enemy be as the Wicked, and he that rifeth up against me, as the Ungodly. For what is the hope of the Hypocrite, tho' he bath gained, when God taketh away his Soul? As if he had faid, I am as fenfible, as you can be, of the great benefits which accompany Sincerity; and therefore I will never part with it, for all the feeming profits which the Hypocrite can obtain. For whatever becomes of your Argument, whether he always fuffers in this World or no, yet fure I am, there is another World, wherein he will be called to a fevere Account, wherein all the feeming regularities in God's Providence will be fet right, and the Wicked will meet with a due Recompence for their Sins.

It must be owned, that this Senfe of the Words which I have given you, is not without its Objections. For it may be faid, Firft, That upon examining this Paffage diftinctly, it does not appear Job had any Regard in his Argument to a State of Retribution in the next World, becaufe the following part of his Difcourfe does manifeftly relate to the Affairs of this World only. Secondly, That if you confider what dark and imperfect Notices of a future State the World muft be fuppofed to have had at the Time when this Book was written, how it was couched under Types and Shadows, and never fully and clearly apprehended, till our bleffed Lord himself brought Life and Immortality to light thro' the Gofpel, it may reasonably be fuppofed, that he had no View to those future Punishments, which were at that time fo little understood, and that he did not confider Death as a Paffage to another Life, but as

the

the laft Period and Confummation of this. In anfwer SERM, to the first of these Objections, it will be fufficient to XIV. obferve, that in the Poetical Parts of Holy Scripture, where the Sentiments are warm and elevated, there is not always that exact Order and Contrivance, that Caution in the Tranfition from one Subject to another, which is to be met with in argumentative Difcourses. Whoever will carefully confider the Book which I am speaking of, will find this to be the Cafe in almost every Chapter; fo that it can be no Fault in the Paffage before us, to have recourfe to the fame Rule for explaining it, which must needs be fo frequently applied to for the understanding the other. parts of the Book; especially fince by this means the Argument appears with much greater Strength. and Confiftency, than by understanding it in any other manner. For fince it is manifeftly Job's intention to prove, that he looks upon the Condition of the Hypocrite to be lefs defirable than that of the righteous Man, in fome refpect or other; and fince he declares in other places, that with refpect to the Advantages of this World, there is little or no Difference between them; we may reasonably conclude, that when he comes to fet the Folly of Hypocrify upon a better foot, he muft mean fomething more than that feparation of Soul and Body, that breaking of the vital Union, which is common both to the Juft and Unjuft, and confequently that he has refpect to thofe fubfequent Punishments of wicked: men, to which Death is but an Entrance or Introduction; unless it can be proved that he was an utter Stranger to this Doctrine, and had no Know. ledge of fuch Recompences hereafter. And this brings me to the fecond Objection, drawn from the Darkness and Uncertainty, under which the World