But we never affert, that ignorance will be a reafon for condemnation; we have been taught, what is ftrictly conformable to our notions of the goodnefs and mercy of God, by thofe, "to whom it was given to fee the mysteries of heaven"—we have been taught, that every allowance will be made for involuntary ignorance; that a is accepted according to that he hath, not according to that he hath not*;' and that, in God's good time, the Religion of Chrift will become univerfal: and, till that glorious event takes place, we conclude that the merits of his death extend their influence even to thofe who ftill remain in the darkness and fhadow of death.

66 man

With what confidence, then, can it be afferted, that God is either partial in his discoveries of truth, or unjust in his promifes of happiness? Or upon what principle can it be maintained, that a revelation cannot be divine, because it was gradually opened, and is not yet universal ? when our reafon teaches us, that fuch a

revelation could not have been communicated in any other way, confiftently with the general tenor of God's government; and the revelation itself exprefsly declares, that neither its promifes nor its threatenings are limited, that futurity will prove its impartiality, and that, when the veil is withdrawn from our eyes, all apparent inequalities will be done away.

The very delay then, which is complained of, is, as I have remarked before, the strongest argument, both of the wif dom of God, and the juftice. of God; of his wifdom, in proceeding flowly and filently, by the operation of second caufes, to the fulfilment of his eternal purpose; of his justice, in accumulating, for the conviction of man, fuch an unbroken feries of teftimony, that no fophiftry will ever be able to prevail against it.

Confiftency of conduct, and uniformity of defign, we always confider as infallible criteria of wifdom. We admire the fagacity of mind, which can promptly choose a wife end; the difcernment, which can felect

felect the propereft means for executing it; and the fortitude, which can go on steadily to its completion, in defiance of difficulty or oppofition. And in all the concerns of human life, our opinion of man's wisdom rifes in proportion to the excellency of the end propofed, and the difficulty of the means which lead to fuccefs.

Doubtless it will be granted, that the human imagination can conceive no end; equal in magnitude and importance to the redemption of mankind: and if it be poffible from the earliest times, and the very firft act of guilt and difobedience to God, to trace a plan, uniformly tending to the accomplishment of this great design; if it can be proved, from the eventful history of one nation, that the frame of their government, their peculiar inftitutions, and the ritual of their worship, were all in fact preparatory to this defign: whilst the ftrange reverses of their fortunes, and their frequent viciffitudes, from power and opulence, to captivity and defolation, all contributed to promote it—if, meanwhile, the fame governing principle be found to con

trol

trol the fates of other people, and the revolutions of other empires; if Affyria, Perfia, Macedon, and Rome, in purfuing their own ambitious fchemes of conqueft and dominion, are only the blind agents in the general scheme of Providence, "howbeit they meant not fo, neither did their heart think fo";" if all this can be proved, from the undoubted evidence of history, we may boldly afk the Infidel, whether it does not become him to cry out, with the Egyptian Magi of old, "this is the finger of God."

7 Ifai. x. 7.

z Exod. viii. 19.

SER

SERMON II.

EZEKIEL xxxvi. 22.

1 DO NOT THIS FOR YOUR SAKES, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL, BUT FOR MINE HOLY NAME'S SAKE.

TH

HE holy Prophet was permitted to foresee, not only the conqueft and captivity of his brethren, but their fubfequent deliverance and restoration to their native country. They were to fuffer, he tells them, for their iniquities, for their neglect of the worship which God himself had prescribed to them, and their attachment to the idolatries of Moab and AmBut the justice of God would in time be fatisfied; they were to return to Judæa, with a new heart and a new fpi

mon.

rit