[1.] That God governeth the world by the hopes and fears of another life is evident, not only by the tenor of the christian religion, where the covenant between God and men is established by such threatenings and promises, but by the consent of all nations where government is secured and upheld by such a persuasion. Now if the soul be not immortal, and there be not firm reasons to induce us to believe that it is so, why hath such a conceit been rooted in the minds of men of all nations and all religions, not only Greeks and Eomans, but barbarians, and people least civilised ? They all received this opinion from hand to hand, from their ancestors ; and the nearer men trace it to the oj-iginal of mankind, the more clear and pressing hath been the conceit thereof. Lapse of time, which ordinarily decayeth all things, hath not been able
74 SERMON UPON ECCLESIASTES XII. 7.
to deface it out of the minds of men ; the sense of an immortal con- dition after this life hath ever been accounted the great bridle upon the world ; and being spread throughout the universe, hath with all for- wardness been received among all nations, and hath borne up against all encounters of sin, and hath maintained itself in the midst of those revolutions of human affairs wherein other truths are lost.
[2.] There is a necessity of this government, as suiting best with the nature of man, which is much moved by the hopes and fears of good and evil after death. That man is governed by hopes and fears, common sense teacheth us ; that the hopes and fears of the present life are not sufficient to bridle carnal nature, and withstand tempta- tions, and keep us in the true obedience and love to God to the end, experience also showeth, because for the satisfaction of our lusts we can dispense with temporal evils, as the lecher in the Proverbs, chap, v, 11, ' And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed.' Besides, if it were so that these motives of temporal good and evil were sufficient, man were more to be feared than God, which killeth and stabbeth all religion at the heart ; for man useth this engine of tem- poral punishments and inconvenience : they do execution on those that break their laws. Now Christ teacheth us : Luke xii. 4, 5, ' I say unto you, my friends. Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear : Fear him which, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell ; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.'
[3.] The necessity to it appeareth to meet with secret sins, such as fornication, privy atheism, malice, adultery, murder, perjury, hypocrisy, treachery, theft, deceit. He that believeth not a life after this may secretly carry on these sins without impunity. Man cannot see the heart, or make laws to govern it, therefore no man can know or punish these secret sins ; therefore, if men can but hide their sins, they are safe. So for the sins of men powerful in the world ; for who can call them to an account here for their filthiness or cruelty ? Job xxxiv. 18, ' Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art wicked ? and to princes, Ye are ungodly ? ' There is no restraint to those who have none above them ; and all secret wickedness would be committed without fear. So that to deny the immortality of the soul, or a life after this, would take away all honesty, and open the flood-gates to all villany and evil practices. Who would make conscience of entire obedience to God, enter in by the strait gate, walk in the narrow way, row against the stream of flesh and blood, work out their salvation with fear and trembling, and consecrate their time to God, if there were no other life after this nor happiness to be there expected ? Alas ! we plainly see the contrary. Who are so lewd and hardened in their sensualities as they that are tainted with this conceit ? That not only the denial, but the forgetfulness of this estate worketh this effect. They make the best of the present life : 1 Cor. xv. 32, ' Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die.' Such atheistical thoughts are very common : ver. 33, ' Be not deceived ; evil communications corrupt good manners.' But a deep sense of this immortal estate is the fountain of all sobriety, righteousness, and godliness ; and all that is virtuous and praiseworthy hath been done in the world upon this account. There-
SERMON UPON ECCLESIASTES XII. 7. 75
fore, who are tlie better men, those that believe the immortality of the soul, or those that believe it not ? And who are likely to be ia the right, wicked wretches, or holy, serious, and considering men ?