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ceptance, as they could not help having great doubts: yet at least must not every professor of the Gospel be sensible, both what he is to do, and what he may promise himself on complying with the terms which it proposes and that these are, repentance towards God, faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ*, and humble use of the appointed means of grace: of attention to the reading and preaching of God's word, earnest prayer, worthy participation of the holy sacrament? And how can he then plead ignorance hereafter, if he resolves now to live according to his own fancy, and to stand or fall by his own merits; and haughtily despises, or indolently neglects, applying, as a penitent sinner ought, to infinite goodness?

Upon the whole, since most of the main branches of our duty are thus obvious to our understandings of themselves; and all of them are constantly taught us, by the holy Scripture, by the laws of our country, by the opinion and consent of the wisest and best of mankind, by the instructions of persons appointed for that purpose; what account do we imagine we shall possibly be able to give, why religion, so easily apprehended, is so little practised by us? If any do not know what is commanded; it must be, because they avoided knowing it: if any doubt of the reality of the command; the reason is, that they desire to doubt and how can we flatter ourselves, that any thing is excusable, which proceeds from a disposition of mind so grossly and wilfully wrong? Suppose a servant of ours had purposely kept out of the way of receiving our orders, or invented perplexities and cavils about the meaning of them, or the certainty of our having delivered them because he had no mind to obey them: would that justify him? Should we

Acts xx. 21.

not immediately tell him, that what he easily might and clearly ought to have known and understood, he was inexcusable, if he would not know and understand? And what must we think of our great Master in Heaven, if we try to impose on Him with devices and tricks, that will not pass amongst ourselves?

But in reality men have not this excuse, if it were one. They do know, how they ought to behave; they do know that they ought to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this world, looking for the recompences of another: and they well know in the main, what particulars this obligation comprehends; how grievously they have fallen short of them, and what need they have to repent and humbly beg forgiveness and strength, through him who hath procured us a title to both. Nor can they pretend, that these are trifling matters: the happiness even of this life depends on them; or, if it did not, the all-seeing God had enjoined them, as the conditions and the means of happiness in the next; the judge of the whole earth will inquire strictly at the great day into our performance of them; and there can be no good account given him, why a plain duty was omitted or transgressed. We can easily deceive ourselves: we can make specious pleas one to another for our failings; which the occasion that we have for allowances in our turn, incline us often to look upon very favourably in our neighbours. But, in the sight of God, supposing a thing incumbent on us, and supposing it easily known to be so: what can be said to the purpose, why we did not perform it? "We were poor and ignorant." But we were not, or we needed not to have been, ignorant in this particular. "We were suspicious and doubtful." But our doubts were

Tit. ii. 12, 13.

affected, not real; or partial, not honest and upright. Or if we doubted ever so fairly about some things; why did not we those, of which we could not doubt? And even for the rest, why did we not take care, that our practice should be on the undoubtedly safer, that is, the virtuous and religious side? "But we had strong inclinations, that prompted us to the course we took." No wonder: here was the trial of our virtue; it was our business to have resisted them. "But human virtue is not sufficient." Therefore we should have applied earnestly for divine grace. "But we were surprised into wrong behaviour." It was our business to be watchful; and at least a habit and a life of sin cannot happen by surprise. In short, let us multiply pretences as long as we please, the very nature of duty implies, that it ought to be done.

Still there are some, especially in some circumstances, who are to a much greater degree excusable for the sins they are guilty of, than others. But yet an excuse is not a justification: and will least of all prove such to those, who instead of endeavouring to act right, set themselves to contrive reasons, why their acting wrong should be dispensed with. It is true, the very best have their faults: and faults not indulged shall be forgiven us, if we are truly sorry for them, and earnestly apply to God's mercy through Christ for pardon, and carefully watch against the return of them. But when men first allow themselves to sin, then stand on their own defence; and particularly, if they plead ignorance or doubtfulness of what they have such abundant means of knowing and being sure of: they must not hope that this conduct, if they persevere in it, can escape final condemnation.

It ought however to be acknowledged after all, that many have comparatively but low abilities, and

small opportunities for knowledge: and that to some, whose understandings are not weak, but perversely turned, greater opportunities are of small use; for what enlightens others, only dazzles them. And accordingly our Saviour most equitably considers these disadvantages; and acquaints us, ten verses before the text, that the servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes: but he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes*. But these words, though full of terror to the great, the learned and the wise, if they neglect their duty; by no means carry in them that encouragement to the poor, the illiterate, and slow of apprehension, which possibly they may seem to do. For they chiefly relate, not to such times as ours; but that in which they were spoken: when the Jews had great light, and therefore great guilt if they sinned; but the Gentiles were, and had been long, in profound darkness: the times of which ignorance God is represented, as in comparison winking at; but now, in the Gospel Age, he commands, under severer penalties, all men every where to repent; because he hath given them a clearer knowledge of his pleasure, and a fuller assurance of his judging the world in righteousnesst. And yet it must be observed, our Saviour did not apprehend any one to have been so ignorant, even then, of his Master's will, as to escape being punished for transgressing it; but declares, that he who knew the least of it; he who, compared with others, knew it not; knew enough however to deserve being beaten with stripes; though fewer, than they should undergo, who with stronger conviction, and distincter per+ Acts xvii. 30, 31.

* Luke xii. 47, 48.

it.

ceptions of their duty, were equally transgressors of And how severe even the mildest punishments of a wicked life may be, God forbid we should any of us try. For whoever sins wilfully in hopes of suffering but little hereafter; for that very reason will be made to suffer a great deal.

The conclusion of the whole matter is, that we have reason all to apply to ourselves the prophet's words: he hath shewn thee, O man, what is good, and what the Lord thy God requireth of thee*. And though it still be true, that some ages of the world have been dark, and others blinded with false lights; that some men naturally see little, and others are strangely given to see wrong; yet, in general, the duties of life are level to the capacities of all men : and especially among Christians, but above all, Christians so peculiarly blessed with the means of instruction, as we of this nation are, no one can possibly, without either deliberate obstinacy, or intolerable negligence, continue unacquainted with what he is bound to do; or the recompence he is to expect, if he do it not. For this is the Condemnation; that light is come into the World, and men have loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil†.

* Micah vi. 8.

+ John iii. 19.

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