we still declare, and we have Authority fo to do, that whofoever believeth not the Gospel fhall be damned. I would to God all Men, that go by the Name of Chriftians among us, but yet in their Hearts do not own Chrift for their Lord and Master, would seriously confider this. They have put on Chrift's Livery, as I may speak, for they are baptized, and they call themselves by his Name, and they do not refufe to be prefent where his Worship is celebrated, and fometimes where his Sacraments are adminiftred, efpecially when they have a Turn to ferve; but yet, if there be any Regard to be given to what paffes in their Converfation, and that in fuch Humours too, when one would be apt to think they muft fpeak their Minds, they have no more true Belief of Christianity, nor real Veneration for Jefus Chrift and his Gospel, than they have for Mahomet and his Alcoran. It is a melancholy Confideration that there fhould be any fuch Men in a Christian Country, especially in fuch a Country as ours, where the Gospel is taught in its native Truth and Simplicity, without thofe Mixtures of Foppery which in other Countries might alienate the Minds of fagacious Perfons from it. But it is the Pleasure of God that his Religion and his Church fhould always be exercifed by Enemies from one Quarter or other. When Superstition on one hand, and Enthufiafin on the other, could not, after their utmoft Efforts, do us any Mifchief, Lo! Atheifm and Infidelity start up and feem to threaten us with Ruin. But this is our Comfort, that as the Principles that lead to thofe Things are impious and hated of God, fo we are fure they can never ferve any Interefts of Man; but, on the contrary, are the moft deftructive to human Society of any thing in the World: And therefore we cannot doubt but the Government will do all that is poffible for the difcouraging and putting out of Countenance all this fort of Principles. And that very Thing alone, with this kind of People, will do more toward the effectual fuppreffing of them, than all the Arguments in the World. But in the mean time they call for Arguments from us; and God forbid we should refufe them. They plead that it is against all Reafon and Juftice, that a Man fhould be damned for that which he cannot help: Our Text here faith, that Whosoever belie veth not the Gospel fhall be damned. They anfwer to this, "That they would believe "the Gofpel if they could, but they can not;" and they urge that a Man cannot believe more than he hath Evidence for; for it is no more in our Power to believe what we have a mind to, than it is to add a Cubit to our Stature, if we have a mind to be taller; and therefore, fay they, what Senfe is there in faying that a Man fhall be be damned for not believing the Gospel, when it is not in his Power to believe it if he would? This is the greatest Objection that is made against our Text. I beg therefore your Leave to give an Answer to it, and then I have done. And here we do readily allow them all that they ask. We grant that a Man cannot believe what he will, any more than he can love or hate what he knows nothing of. When any thing is proposed to a Man's Belief, his Understanding must first be convinced of the Truth of it before he can believe it. The Thing muft either be plain to him at the first fight, or it must be proved by Deduction from plain Principles that he doth already acknowledge; or laftly, he must believe it upon the Credit or Authority of the Perfon that propofeth it to him, who is fuch a one as he hath Reafon to think cannot, or will not impofe upon him: In a word, every one who believes a thing, muft have fome Reafon, or at least must think he hath fome Reason, for the Belief of it. But then, after we have granted all this, it muft likewife be acknowledged on the other hand, that there a great many Things which a Man cannot, or doth not believe, tho' there be Reafon and Evidence enough to be given for the Truth of them: As for Inftance; I dare fay you will all allow, that there is Reafon and Evidence enough to to be given that there is but one Eternal God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, and that the Sun, and Moon, and Stars are no Gods, but only the Creatures of God; and yet it is certain that there hath been and are People in the World that worship these Creatures as Eternal Gods. Again, I say, you think there is Proof enough to be given that the Bread and Wine in the Sacrament do continue in their Natures, and are truly Bread and Wine even after the Words of Confecration have been pronounced upon them; and yet you know there are a great many Chriftians in the World that are fo far from being of this Belief, as to take them for the very real Body and Blood of Chrift. You fee then, that as a Man cannot believe without Reafon, fo he may ftill continue an Unbeliever, tho' there be all the Reafon in the World that he fhould believe. Well, what do we gather from hence? Why, we gather from hence a plain Solution of this Difficulty that is before us; and that is this: We do not pretend that a Man fhall be called to an account by God for not believing a Thing when there was no Reason to believe it; nay, neither do we fay that a Man fhall be called to account for not believing every thing, tho' yet he had the greatest Reafon in the World to believe it. For it may fo happen (as it doth every Day in a thoufand Cafes) that a Thing may may be true, and a Man, if he will enquire, may have Proof beyond all Contradiction for the Truth of it, and yet it fhall be of no ill Confequence to him, whether he believes it or no, because it was not his Business, nor his Intereft, nor his Duty, to take pains to inform himself right about it. But this is that which we fay: In a Matter where it is a Man's greatest Business, and greatest Intereft, and greatest Duty to inform himself aright, and to believe aright, and in a Matter likewife where there are fufficient Means and Opportunities afforded to every one for the gaining a right Information, and having a right Belief; and laftly, in a Matter where there is fo much Evidence and Proof of the Thing, that every one would believe if he did all that either an honeft or a wife Man would think himself obliged to in thefe Circumstances: I fay, where-ever this is the Cafe (as we fay this is the Cafe among us) it is Nonfense and Madness for any Man to plead that it is not in his Power to believe, and therefore he thinks it unjuft he should be called to account by God for not believing. Here therefore is the Iffue we put the Point upon: We do not pretend that any Man fhall be damned for not believing what it was not in his Power to believe ; but we say, if it is thro' your own Fault that you do not believe, or if the Cafe be fuch that if you had been fincere, honeft, virtuous |