lution, and that wilful dreaming, for the purpose of self-deception, between an hypothesis for use-ay, or an invention, either for public amusement, and a solitary, sober, self-deceiving lie of the imagination. For by an hypothesis, the work of the imagination may be forwarded, and by an ingenious fiction, it may be occasionally refreshed; but by a fond lie it is hindered and debased, and the whole subject liable to be greatly hurt. By flattering ourselves with visions of glory, comfort, sanctity, we waste our precious time, and render ourselves unequal to the attainment of either: to say nothing of the effect it has in exciting our vanity, an effect that we are not sensible of sometimes before it is well nigh become an incurable habit.

-2, By a perturbed imagination we may understand two sorts of terror, as the same shall be either falsely or justly perturbed.

=1, The falsely perturbed imagination is one that exaggerates on the dark side, shewing things indifferent, or even good, to be evil: and evil things many times worse than they are. And whether this illusion proceed from the body or the mind, from disordered nerves or a sickly conscience, or both, its bitterness will be the same while it lasts: but there is this comfort in such case, v. g. that of a false or excessive perturbation-that the bitterness will soon be over; which cannot always be said of perturba. tion in the other case.

=2, The justly perturbed imagination is a case of terror that will hardly admit of exaggeration, when it comes to be so well founded. For it may not be amiss to mention here, that there is a sort of terror very different from that beautiful characteristic, the fear of God before described; as different as burning is from warmth and comfort. The comfortable warmth of the fire may be increased to a painful and fatal degree: and the salutary fear of God may be increased to mental agony, growing from fear to terror,

* More particularly in Kingdom-Sermons.

and from a blessing with the righteous to a curse with the wicked, like that which their masters experience.

This dreadful passion is noticed very frequently in Scripture by different figures and appellations; as "the terror of the Lord" (Cor. II. v. 11), "the cup of trembling" (Isai. li. 17), "a consuming fire" (Deut. iv. 24); the same not being a constituent of the kingdom, but rather an accident on a constituent, as overflowing is an accident on water, a constituent of the earth. The true fear of God is a most precious gift, as before observed, but this is not a gift; it is a punishment and a curse that is denounced against many offences differing as to form or mode, but agreeing in principle or origin-no fear of God, So Moses denounces it against the Israelites in the desert, if they should ever abandon the divine institutions which he had been employed by God to set up for them. "The Lord shall give thee then a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind; (said he) and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life. In the morning thou shalt say, Would God, it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God, it were morning! for the fear of thine heart, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see" (Deut. xxviii. 65, &c.). So David denounces this same punishment against conceited infidels generally. "Put them in fear, O Lord, that the heathen may know themselves to be but men" (Ps. ix. 20), says he: and a very proper way it must be owned, to correct presumption, and shew strong men their weakness; as it was shewn to the army of the Syrians (Kings II. vii. 6), and has been shewn to many other armies and individuals, both lately and long ago; when they had not the sanction of a good cause, to uphold their resolution.

No terror, therefore, can be exaggerated in cases like these; seeing the perturbation of thought attendant on a guilty conscience, even when false, in fact, will be true in effect; and though begun here, may not end here per

haps, but follow its wretched proprietor through the silent tomb to a more frightful confinement, without silence, more woeful than the echoing cell of a frantic maniac, to the blackness of darkness, and region of sorrow; where he will find more trembling devils by the side of him, to assist his perturbation. "For the devils also believe and tremble" (Jam. ii. 19). And if these wretched spirits, and he with them, should suffer nothing else, their own horrible dread might be enough to overwhelm them.

-3, It seems a late faith is the punishment of those wretched spirits, being (however it may originate with them) with mankind too often the fruit of what may be called a fond imagination, and is simply expressed by Doating. This differs from lying as much as idiotcy differs from indiscretion: it is a lost case indeed; and there is no remedy for it, but the grace of God and special interposition of his all gracious providence. For the object of such an imagination may be either superior or inferior; a superior who cares nothing for us, as a proud patron, for example, or an inferior that we care for too muchchild, a toy, a garden, or a lap-dog: the dotage being hardly curable by human means in either case; any more than the last to be mentioned and similarly accountable species, being

-as a

-4, A somnolent imagination: whereby is meant, not our "songs in the night" (Job xxxv. 10), which may be innocent according to Him who gives them, but the sad affliction of dreaming with open eyes; which, however indifferent in itself, may be guilty enough in its causes when brought on by idleness, pride, gluttony, lust, intemperance and the like, and rewarded accordingly in the manner and measure before intimated.

* There may be some use in observing what evil subjectives are most attributable to our own conduct, as many are more or less; since it enables us to judge among them, and act accordingly. For, accordingly as evils are more

or less severe they ought to be more or less strenuously resisted or avoided: and it is a pleasing discovery made long ago, that the severest evils on earth are generally those of our own choosing, being therefore the easiest to combat with such assistance as we may have, in consideration of a certain ransom or head-rent, only for asking. They are the severest, by reason of their consequences, and the easiest to combat by reason of their dependence to a considerable extent on our own will and inclination : which is an advantage that they have sometimes over the incidental sort of evil subjectives before mentioned.

CHRISTIAN MODES.

PART I.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN CHRIST.

CHAPTER VI.

EVIL OBJECTIVE CHARACTERISTICS.

SEC. 1.

IMMORAL-ON INCIDENTALS.

1. Covetousness or Cupidity.-2. Ambition.-3. Avarice-4. Dishonesty, &c.-5. Penury, Parsimony, Inhospitality.-6. Prodigality, Waste.-7. Discontent.-8. Foppery and Filthiness.

"A cage of every unclean and hateful bird."-REV. xviii. 2.

HAPPY Would it be for mankind, if the description of a Christian life and spirit were the whole of that which we are now considering, or if the characteristic constituents of mankind did not go beyond that description: but only just now, while a Christian life was described under the head of good objective characteristics, an allusion was unavoidable to objectives of a contrary description; which it now becomes a painful duty to unfold. Wherefore, in attempting this part, it will only be needful to exhibit the other half of a contrast, the better half of which has just been exhibited, affording, at the same time, a pattern and foundation for this. We have considered the subject of righteousness as a good characteristic or improvement on wisdom; the word taken in a neutral sense being, as before observed, an alteration of right wisenesse; which is right wisdom, or wisdom put to a right use: we are now