The sovereign and final happiness of man with the effectual means to obtain itThe soveraign and final happiness of man with the effectual means to obtain it

The Devil is a Sophister in perfection, and his ordinary and successful Artifice to elude the force of present conviction, and wrap Men in Sin and Damnation, is to induce them to delay the great work of the Soul till afterwards. He is not so foolish to tell them as he did our first Parents, ye shall not die, for the Temptation is so palpable that it could deceive none. Though the evidence and certainty of supernatural Truths that disturb the security of Sinners is sometimes obscured by affected doubts, yet there is no artifice that can resist the full and strong conviction in Mankind, That Death is inevitable. ⟨p. 118⟩Though Nature recoils from it with abhorrence, yet this sad Truth is so visible that it forces an assent from all. Those who are titular Gods are not so vain as to pretend to an exemption by privilege from that fatal necessity, not to fancy that they may be embalmed alive, and Nature made incorruptible by Art. The Palace is as near the Grave as the Cottage. Therefore the Devil cherishes in Men fond hopes of long Life. As some Optic Glasses deceive the sight, and make a superficial representation in Colours on a Wall but two or three steps distance, appear a long deep Gallery. Thus the Tempter by a dangerous artifice presents to the imagination the fatal term at a great distance, and since he cannot weaken the certainty of Death in Mens Belief, he removes the Image of it out of their Memories, to lessen the impression that it is capable to make on their Spirits. They dare not venture to die as they live careless of Salvation, and unprepared for their accounts with God; therefore to suspend the workings of Conscience by a seeming compliance, the Tempter insinuates, there will be a long interval between the present time and the last hour, that ⟨p. 119⟩shall decide their state for ever, that it will be a convenient season to prepare for the other World when they have done with this, as if Repentance were best at last, when there are no Temptations, and therefore no danger of retracting it.

The Devil is a Sophister in perfection, and his ordinary and successful Artifice to elude the force of present conviction, and wrap Men in Sin and Damnation, is to induce them to delay the great work of the Soul till afterwards. He is not so foolish to tell them as he did our first Parents, ye shall not die, for the Temptation is so palpable that it could deceive none. Though the evidence and certainty of supernatural Truths that disturb the security of Sinners is sometimes obscur'd by affected doubts, yet there is no artifice that can resist the full and strong conviction in Mankind, That Death is inevitable.