and affiftances yield no profit, as long as they are rejected and defpifed.

Were the cafe otherwife, that is, were there any fyftem of religion pretending, in virtue of fome uncontrollable power, to make men righteous, such a fyftem might be valued as a good piece of fpiritual mechanifm; but it could never be confidered as a rule of virtue and morality, fince the operation of the will being excluded, the morality of all human actions would be excluded with it.

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And hence it follows, that the utmoft that can be done for us in religion, is fo to inftruct us, that we may not err for want of knowledge of our duty, and fo to aid and affift us, that it may be in our power, whenever it is in our will, to obey. Any thing beyond this is inconfiftent with reafon and freedom, and therefore can have no part in a religion defigned for the government of rational free agents. And this being the case, that must in the comparison be judged to be the best religion, which does moft fully enlighten our understanding, and which does in the most perfect manner reftore us to our liberty and freedom, by removing the impediments which arife from the weakness and corruption of our nature. All who live under the influence of fuch a religion as this, as they have a certain way to happinefs marked out for them, if they choose to walk in it, fo are they certainly doomed to condemnation upon their disobedience. For there are but two forts of men who can hope to escape punishment; the righteous, who have no reason to fear judgment, and the finners, who offending through ignorance or

weakness, have some plea to make for mercy and forgiveness. But the finners who knew their duty, and were fo affifted as to have been able, had they been but willing, to perform it, have nothing to expect but condemnation. What the Apoftle therefore in the text has declared to us, is no more than a natural confequence drawn from the excellency of the Gospel, and the perverfeness of men, confidered together: This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Were the Gofpel lefs perfect than it is, or lefs known to the world, finners would have more to plead in their own behalf: but fince they want no light to direct them, no affiftance to fupport them in doing their duty, they are left without excufe for their difobedience. The Gofpel, which was given to them for life and falvation, will be their judgment and condemnation; and the fault is all their own: they have as little reason to complain of the Gospel religion upon this account, as the dying patient has of the physician, whose wholesome medicines he wantonly abufed to his own deftruction. Were the Gospel merely a matter of advice, which men might follow, or let alone, as they found moft convenient for their own purposes, they would then have lefs to answer for, if they neglected it. But the Gospel is a law proceeding from the best and highest authority, given by God to his creatures; and we are bound at our peril to take notice of it: if we will not walk in the light of God's law, when it fhines fo brightly before our eyes, we shall be condemned for choofing darkness rather than light. This is the meaning of

the text, which I fhall therefore, in the first place, endeavour to confirm from other paffages of holy writ; and fhall then fhew you, that there can be no reafon affigned, why men make this perverse choice of continuing in darkness rather than light, but this only, becaufe their deeds are evil.

When our bleffed Lord commiffioned his Apofiles to preach the Gospel throughout the world, he declared at the fame time, that he that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not, fhall be damned. Which declaration having manifeftly a reference to the precept foregoing, of preaching the Gospel in all the world, it is evident that the believers and unbelievers, here fpoken of, are fuch only as have had the Gofpel preached to them. And therefore this text adminifters no occafion to inquire into the circumftances of fuch as have never had the Gospel published to them; much lefs does it determine peremptorily any thing concerning them: but as to thofe to whom the grace of God has been tendered by the preaching of the minifters of Chrift, their cafe is fully ftated and determined by our bleffed Lord; He that believeth, and is baptized, fhall be faved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned.

To the fame purpose speaketh St. Paul in his fermon to the men at Athens, in which he thus declares his fenfe with regard to the times before the Gofpel, and the times fince; And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men every where to repent. Where the command to repent being oppofed to God's winking at the times of ignorance, plainly fhews, that from the going

forth of the command to repent, God will no longer wink at the ignorance of the world; and therefore it is at every man's peril, if he refufes to hearken to the heavenly call.

In like manner does the fame Apoftle deliver himself in his Epiftle to the Romans, chap. i. The Gospel, he tells us, is the power of God unto falvation to every one that believeth. He tells us alfo, That the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of man. So that the revelation, as it affords all help and affistance to such as are willing to do the works of righteousness, and embrace the offers of peace, fo does it render all ungodlinefs inexcufable, leaving men no pretence, either from ignorance or weakness, to cover their iniquity.

Out of the many texts of Scripture which speak to the fame purpose, I fhall felect but one teftimony more, and fhall go back for that to the early dawnings of the Gofpel. When our Lord fent forth his twelve Apoftles to preach to the Jews only, he thus inftructs them: When ye come into an houfe, falute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of the houfe or city, shake off the duft of your feet. Verily I Say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. In which words our bleffed Lord fo plainly fpeaks his mind, with refpect to those who neglect and defpife the Gofpel, that they will hardly admit of any farther explication.

Upon the whole it appears, that it is not left to every man's choice, whether he will be fubject to the Gospel or no; for fubject he fhall be, so as to be entitled to the rewards of it for his obedience, or to the punishments of it for his disobedience. And this is not a circumftance particular to the Gospel only, but common to all laws founded on fufficient authority. No man is at liberty to choose whether he will be governed by the laws of the realm; and it would be to little purpose to plead to an indictment, that you never intended to be governed by the law, but choose to act by other rules; and therefore defire that the law may have no place in the judgment, but that you may be tried by those rules by which you choose to live. The authority of the lawgiver cuts off fuch pleas; and fince you owed fubmiffion to fuch authority, your refusing to pay it will be juftly taken as the aggravation, not as the excuse of your crime. If this be the case in human laws, it is much more so in those of divine original: for the greater the authority of the lawgiver is, the more abfolute muft our obedience and fubmiffion be. And if this be juft reasoning, it may appear perhaps, that the pretence for Deifin, which at present seems to be the most plaufible, will in the end be its greateft aggravation. For though, when men difcard the Gospel out of a zeal to preserve the moral law of reafon and nature, they may seem to act with great regard to virtue and holinefs, yet do they manifeftly reject the authority of God, and deliberately refuse that obedience, which reafon teaches to be due to the great Lawgiver of the world. But these pretences, confidered in themselves, will be found