SERM.

V.

How far any of these Cafes will either wholly, or in Part, excufe a fundamental Error, how far an unnatural Affociation of different Ideas, which a cuftomary Connection has made to fome Men almost the same, might have been prevented; or if it early and unawares got Poffeffion, might have been afterwards broken by proper Application, we know not: God only knows, whofe infallible Judgment will pass our irrevocable Doom, after His Mercy has made proper Abatements. It is our Province to put the most favourable Construction on Things and Perfons that we can; and not to curfe thofe, whom we do not know that God hath curfed, nor to hurl the Thunderbolts of Divine Vengeance on the Heads, that have a different Turn of Thinking from our own.

But here I muft obferve, that a Narrownefs of Thinking prevails very much among thofe, who would pafs themselves upon the World for Men of the most enlarged, Views. If fome few weak Believers may have been fo uncharitable, as to confine God's Favour to their own Pale, and fentence the rest of the World to Mifery; too many Unbelievers are not at all behind-hand with them in this Respect. For they arrogate all common Senfe and Reafon to themselves, and talk and write as if they were the only Masters of Thought, and

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the rest of the World a Set of diftempered SERM. V. Bigots. Befides, no Men narrow their Terms of Communion more, than they do; nor, as far as one can observe, treat with more Coolness and Refervedness thofe, who are known to differ effentially from them: not to mention, that they inveigh against an imaginary Perfecution (calling Negative Difcouragements by that invidious Appellation) with that merciless Keennefs of Spirit, from which real Perfecution proceeds. They who allow themfelves to say such bitter and envenomed Things, feem to want nothing, but the Power, to do as hard Things as they fay. They put in Practice the only Perfecution in their Power against Christianity, a Perfecution very diftafteful to ingenuous Minds, the Perfecution of petulant Tongues, and Pens as petulant.

But of whatever Manner of Spirit they may be, Christianity is certainly the moft charitable and benevolent Inftitution that can be one Mark, among many others, that it defcended from the most benevolent Being in the Universe. The Merits of our Saviour take in all from the Foundation of the World to the Confummation of it. Even thofe virtuous Heathens, who never heard of the Name of Chrift, may be made Partakers of fome Degree of Blifs for His Sake: and, though not made happy in the I Chriftian

SERM. V. Chriftian Religion, may become happy by it; by the Redemption of our Saviour, and by His Merits applied to them. For as in Adam all die, fo in Chrift fhall All be made alive; all, but thofe, who have made themfelves incapable of eternal Happiness by a final and unrelenting Impenitence.

And as to virtuous Chriftians, who have erred in Points effential, but erred with a well-meaning Heart, through fome unfurmountable Prejudice, or unaffected wrong Turn of Thinking, they fhall be faved in the Chriftian Covenant, as virtuous Heathens may be made happy out of it. For it is one exprefs Part of the Christian Covenant, that a Man fhall be accepted according to what He hath, or might have; and not according to what He hath not, or could not have. With this Limitation my Text is to be understood; He that difbelieveth the Chriftian Revelation, or the Effential Doctrines therein revealed, provided He could not have known better, fhall not be obnoxious to the Divine Difpleasure. For, provided He was fincerely willing, the Will, the hearty determinate Will, fhall be accepted for the Deed. And with this Limitation the Dammatory Claufes in the Creed are to be expounded, and indeed have been expounded by every intelligent Perfon.

Whatever

Whatever other important Truths we SERM. V. may be obliged to hold; there is one Scripture Truth, as important as any, which ought not to be forgotten, or violated, viz. that we ought to preferve and cultivate the most extensive Charity; that Charity, which at the fame Time that it believeth all Things, is not apt to think Evil, without fubftantial Grounds, of thofe that believe not: much lefs to imagine and cenfure as Unbelievers those who agree with us in the Main. A little, narrow, contracted Spirit may fometimes ftand clear of shocking Errors, but it does not open wide enough to admit the most generous and enlarged Truths, in fuch a Manner, as thereby to encrease a Man's Love to God, and to his Fellow-Creatures: It may be free from any grofs Immoralities, but it does not prompt a Man to excel in Virtue, and to abound in noble Actions.

The Sum is, that we do not limit to a few comparatively, that Mercy of God, which is over all his Works: we maintain, that as to fundamental Points, no Man fhall be accountable for Error, provided it was invincible (which, it may be fuppofed, is generally not the Cafe;) and as to other Matters, which either are not very clearly revealed, or are not of fuch Concernment as to affect the fubftantial, and constituent Parts of Religion, there even a vincible -Igno

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SERM. V. Ignorance may, upon a general Repentance, be accepted by God through the Merits of Jefus Chrift, especially from those, of whom much is not required that, be Men's Errors vincible or invincible, we must not contract any Rancour or Sullennefs to any Part of our Kind, but defend the grand Truths of Chriftianity, which render it truly venerable, with that Temper and Spirit of Chriftianity, which makes it thoroughly amiable. So far our Charity may extend itself, and farther than this it cannot extend itself, without giving up every Thing in Chriftianity, which is diftinctive of it, as a Matter of little or no Confequence; which amounts to the fame Thing as giving up Chriftianity itself. But this leads me,

IIdly, To fhew the Reasonableness of the Propofition in my Text, properly qualified and explained, and the numerous ill Confequences of Unbelief.

If God fent His only begotten Son into the World to reveal certain Truths, and armed Him with Credentials fufficient to induce the Belief of them in every honeft Enquirer; it cannot be a Matter of Indifference, in Regard to our Salvation, whether we believe or difbelieve them. God would not fend His Son upon an unconcerning and unavailing Errand: which would be the Cafe, if Men, notwithstanding the Sufficiency

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