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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<P><HI>The Imperfect Promulgation of the Go&s;pel, con&s;ider'd.</HI> A SERMON Preach'd in the Church of St. <HI>Mary le Bow, January</HI> 7. 1699/1700.</P>
<P>Being an <HI>Appendix</HI> to the Lectures of the la&s;t Year, appointed by the Honourable <HI>ROBERT BOYLE,</HI> E&s;q;</P>
<P>By <HI>SAM&V;EL BRADFORD,</HI> Rector of the &s;aid Church, and Chaplain in Ordinary to His Maje&s;ty.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON:</HI> Printed for <HI>Tho. Parkhur&s;t,</HI> at the <HI>Bible</HI> and <HI>Three Crowns</HI> in <HI>Cheap&s;ide</HI> near <HI>Mercers-Chapel.</HI> 1700.</P>
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<P>Mr. <HI>BRADFORD</HI>'s SERMON, Preach'd at St. Mary le Bow, <HI>January</HI> 7. 1700.</P>
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<Q><BIBL><HI>JOHN 3.16, 17.</HI></BIBL>
<P>God &s;o loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that who&s;o|ever believeth in him, &s;hould not pe|ri&s;h; but have everla&s;ting Life. For God &s;ent not his Son into the World to condemn the World; but that the World through him might be &s;aved.</P></Q>
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<P>THe&s;e are the Words of our Ble&s;&s;ed Saviour, who, as he be&s;t under&s;tood the Extent of that Love, which moved the Almigh|ty Father to &s;end him into the World, &s;o he hath here expre&s;s'd it in the fulle&s;t and mo&s;t comprehen&s;ive Terms. The Love of God, not to any particular Nation, but to <HI>the World</HI> in general, was the Motive upon which he gave his Son. The De&s;ign of our Lord's coming was to &s;ave not any particular Race of Men, but the whole Race of Mankind, <HI>the World</HI> in general, without Excep|tion. There is indeed a Condition required of tho&s;e who would partake of this Salvation, <HI>viz.</HI> that all, to whom the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t is publi&s;h'd, &s;hould believe in him; no other Limitation is &s;et, but
<PB N="2" REF="5">this very rea&s;onable one, <HI>That who&s;oever believeth in him, &s;hould not peri&s;h; but have everla&s;ting Life.</HI> This is indeed a Truth &s;o plainly a&s;&s;erted in di|ver&s;e other Texts; 'tis moreover &s;o agreeable to the De&s;ign and the Tenor of the Go&s;pel throughout; 'tis finally &s;o &s;uitable to the Apprehen&s;ions which we naturally have of the infinite Good|ne&s;s of God, that I &s;hall not in&s;i&s;t upon the Proof of it; the Purpo&s;e of this Di&s;cour&s;e being rather to obviate an Objection, which will ea&s;ily ari&s;e in the Minds even of &s;erious Men, &s;uch as are not di&s;pos'd to cavil, but are us'd to contem|plate both the Works and the Word of God, with Sobriety and Reverence, for who&s;e Satisfa|ction I thought it worth the while to take this Matter into particular Con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>The Objection is this; If the love of God expre&s;|&s;ed in giving his only begotten Son, be &s;o Great, and &s;o Univer&s;al, as it is here repre&s;ented; whence comes it to pa&s;s, that &s;o &s;mall a part of Mankind &s;eem to have receiv'd Benefit from the Chri&s;tian Revelation? The Ca&s;e of all Men &s;eems to have been equally deplorable, and com|pa&s;&s;ionable: If then the Love of God, te&s;tified by our Redeemer, were extended to all Men, if the coming of the Son of God into the World, were de&s;igned and fitted for the Benefit of all; is it not very &s;trange, that four thou&s;and Years &s;hould be run out before he came; and that &s;ince his appearing &s;o &s;mall a Part of the World in compari&s;on &s;hould be ble&s;t with the Know|ledge of what he hath done for them, or of what he offereth to them?</P>
<PB N="3" REF="5">
<P> Now for the ea&s;ing our Minds under this Difficulty, I &s;hall proceed gradually, laying down &s;everal Propo&s;itions, which will mutually &s;up|port each other, and which being impartially con&s;ider'd and lay'd together, may &s;uffice to &s;ilence this Objection, if not fully &s;atisfie tho&s;e that make it. And,</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> If we were able to give no tolerable Ac|count of this Matter, yet we ought not to be &s;urprized or &s;tumbled at it, becau&s;e of the in|finite di&s;tance between God and us.</P>
<P>They are very rea&s;onable Que&s;tions which <HI>Job</HI>'s Friend put to him, when he in the bitter|ne&s;s of his Soul complain'd of his grievous Af|flictions, and was at a lo&s;s with Re&s;pect to the Ju&s;tice of God's Dealings with him.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job. 11 7.8, 9.</NOTE> <HI>Can&s;t thou by &s;earching find out God? Can&s;t thou find out the Almighty unto Perfection? It is as high as Heaven; What can&s;t thou do? deeper than Hell; what can&s;t thou know? The Mea&s;ure thereof is longer than the Earth, and broader than the Sea. Great is our Lord,</HI> &s;aith the P&s;almi&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm 147.5.</NOTE> <HI>and</HI> not only <HI>of great Power;</HI> but <HI>his Under&s;tanding</HI> al&s;o <HI>is infinite.</HI> And &s;hall we finite Creatures think then to comprehend his Ways? Shall we rec|kon our &s;elves competent Judges of his Acti|ons? St. <HI>Paul</HI> thought otherwi&s;e, when contem|plating a Difficulty of Providence, of the &s;ame kind with that before us, he cries out,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.33, 34.</NOTE> <HI>O the Depth of the Riches, both of the Wi&s;dom and Knowledge of God! How un&s;earchable are his Judgments, and his Ways pa&s;t finding out! For who
<PB N="4" REF="6">hath known the Mind of the Lord; or who hath been his Coun&s;ellor?</HI> It mu&s;t be own'd, that we are not able to account for the Methods of Divine Providence in many other In&s;tances; and who&s;oever is not abandon'd of all Mode|&s;ty, mu&s;t readily acknowledge, that it is rea|&s;onable that it &s;hould be &s;o. For we have not the entire Scheme of Providence in our Heads at once; we cannot &s;ee from the beginning to the end of God's Ways; we know not what are the De&s;igns, and what will be the I&s;&s;ues of his Coun&s;els; and therefore ought to &s;u&s;|pend our Judgments, till the Conclu&s;ion and winding up of Things. Which will appear to be more e&s;pecially fit in this Ca&s;e, if we con&s;ider,</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> That we our &s;elves may di&s;cern &s;everal Particulars, in which we are manife&s;tly ignorant, which yet ought to be known by us, if we would pretend fully to account for the Difficulty before us. I might give many In&s;tan|ces; but will content my &s;elf with two plain Ones.</P>
<P>He that would give a full Account of this Matter, mu&s;t be acquainted with two Parti|culars, which no mortal Man can certainly know, without an e&s;pecial Revelation from God; namely, Whether tho&s;e to whom the Go&s;pel is not publi&s;hed during this Life, &s;hall ever hear of it in any future State: And again, What Mea&s;ures God will at the la&s;t Day take with tho&s;e, to whom the Go&s;pel was not publi&s;h'd.</P>
<PB N="5" REF="6">
<P> No Man certainly knows, whether tho&s;e who never heard of the Go&s;pel in this Life, may not in &s;ome future State have it publi&s;h'd to them.</P>
<P>It has been &s;uppo&s;ed by &s;ome, that tho&s;e Pa|gans, who &s;hall have approv'd them&s;elves Hone&s;t and Sincere in this their State of Tryal, may, when their Souls &s;hall be &s;eparated from their Bodies, have the Go&s;pel reveal'd to them in their &s;eparate State, in order to their becoming capable of the Rewards of Chri&s;tians, at the la&s;t Day.</P>
<P>A late Learned and Ingenious Writer has e&s;|&s;ayed to make it probable,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mr. <HI>Sta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">e,</HI> of Salvati|on by <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> alone.</NOTE> from a Prophetical Paragraph in the Apocalyp&s;e, that tho&s;e, who &s;hall have liv'd and dy'd without hearing of the Go&s;pel in this pre&s;ent State, &s;hall, after our Saviour's return, before the final Period of this World, be rais'd again, and have the Go&s;pel preach'd to them, and thereby be put into a new State of Tryal, in order to their Salvation or Damnation, as they &s;hall then acquit them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Now though I will neither affirm nor deny either of the&s;e Opinions to be true, nor &s;o much as &s;ay, that they are probable; yet this I will venture to &s;ay, That I believe it very difficult for any Man to prove that they can|not be True; and yet if either of them &s;hould prove True, the Difficulty before us would be perfectly &s;olv'd. And thus much we may &s;afe|ly infer from the&s;e Conjectures, that if contem|plative Men can think of &s;ome &s;uch po&s;&s;ible Ways for the &s;olving this Difficulty, there may be many more Ways of doing it known to the
<PB N="6" REF="7">Divine Under&s;tanding, and which will be clear and ea&s;ie to our Under&s;tandings al&s;o, when it &s;hall plea&s;e God to reveal any of them to us. And I confe&s;s, I would &s;uppo&s;e any thing that is plau&s;ible, nay, any thing that is po&s;&s;ible, much rather than entertain one hard thought of the Maker and the Redeemer of Mankind.</P>
<P>But yet farther, no Man certainly knows what Mea&s;ures God will take at the la&s;t day with tho&s;e, who &s;hall have liv'd and dyed unacquainted with the Go&s;pel. We are certainly inform'd, how God will deal with tho&s;e to whom the Go&s;pel is pub|li&s;h'd; <HI>He that believeth, &s;hall be &s;aved: And he that believes not &s;hall be damned.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 16.16.</NOTE> But this <HI>belie|ving,</HI> or <HI>not believing</HI> plainly &s;uppo&s;es the Go&s;|pel preach'd to them, it being impo&s;&s;ible, as St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ugge&s;ts, that <HI>they &s;hould believe in him, of whom they have not heard;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10.14</NOTE> and as impo&s;&s;ible that <HI>they &s;hould hear, without a Preacher.</HI> And how God will deal with tho&s;e who were under this di&s;advan|tage, the Go&s;pel hath not &s;o expre&s;ly told us, it's Declarations being to them, to whom it is pub|li&s;h'd. But becau&s;e this will fall under con&s;idera|tion in another Place, I will add no more here, but proceed to my next Propo&s;ition, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> We may our &s;elves di&s;cern very much of the Rea&s;onablene&s;s and fitne&s;s of that Method, which Providence hath taken, both as to the time of our Saviour's coming into the World, and the way and manner in which he order'd his Go&s;|pel to be publi&s;h'd.</P>
<P>Almighty God, having made Men rea&s;onable Creatures, hath all along dealt with them as &s;uch,
<PB N="7" REF="7">in a way very &s;uitable to their Nature, and their pre&s;ent Condition in this Life. His Providence wi&s;ely and gently orders and over-rules the Affairs of Mankind, with as little Violence as is po&s;&s;ible, drawing and leading Men to Re|pentance and Amendment, rather than driving and compelling them. Accordingly ever &s;ince the Fall, it hath pleas'd God to u&s;e &s;uch Me|thods as might rea&s;onably promote, tho' not nece&s;&s;itate their Recovery.</P>
<P>Thus in the fir&s;t Ages of the World, be|&s;ides the Impre&s;&s;ions which God had left of him&s;elf upon the Minds of Men in their very make, and what they might farther have lear|ned of him by contemplating his Works, there was a plain and certain Tradition both of his fir&s;t forming Man, of the Law he gave to our fir&s;t Parents, of their Fall, and of the kind Intimations of the Divine Compa&s;&s;ion to|wards them after their Fall; there was, I &s;ay, a plain and certain Tradition of all the&s;e and many more Particulars, ea&s;ily deriv'd down from <HI>Adam</HI> to <HI>Noah; Adam</HI> being able fully to in|form <HI>Methu&s;elah,</HI> and <HI>Methu&s;elah</HI> to inform <HI>Noah</HI> of all that each of them knew. And this one would in rea&s;on judge had been a &s;uf|ficient means of in&s;tructing and reclaiming the &s;inful Race of <HI>Adam.</HI> And accordingly there were &s;ome in each Generation, who were re|cover'd from their fallen E&s;tate to that degree, as to become acceptable to God them&s;elves, and In&s;tructors and Examples to others.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 5.24.</NOTE> Thus we read of <HI>Enoch,</HI> that <HI>he walked with God,</HI> that is, <HI>plea&s;ed him</HI> by a pious and virtuous Cour&s;e
<PB N="8" REF="8">of Life, and not only by his Conver&s;ation re|proved,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jude, 14.15.</NOTE> but, as St. <HI>Jude</HI> tells us, <HI>prophe&s;yed</HI> al&s;o again&s;t <HI>the ungodly Sinners</HI> of that Age, and was indeed &s;o much too good for a bad World, that <HI>God took him</HI> to him&s;elf, as an Encouragement to the few Good, and a War|ning to the many Bad Men of tho&s;e times.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 6.9.</NOTE> <HI>Noah</HI> was &s;uch another, of whom it is &s;aid, that <HI>he was a ju&s;t Man, and perfect</HI> (or <HI>upright</HI>) <HI>in his Generations,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2.5.</NOTE> and that <HI>he walked with God;</HI> as likewi&s;e that he was <HI>a Preacher of Righte|ou&s;ne&s;s</HI> to <HI>the World of the Ungodly.</HI> And be|&s;ides the&s;e external Means of In&s;truction and Reformation, 'tis intimated, that <HI>God's Spirit</HI> al&s;o was all that while <HI>&s;triving with Men.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 6.3.</NOTE></P>
<P>Indeed when none of all the&s;e Means would prevail, but the Ca&s;e of Mankind was become deplorable and utterly de&s;perate,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 6.5.</NOTE> when <HI>God &s;aw that the Wickedne&s;s of Man was great in the Earth, and that every Imagination of the Thoughts of his Heart was only evil,</HI> and that <HI>con|tinually;</HI> then, and not till then, he determi|ned to interpo&s;e miraculou&s;ly, by <HI>de&s;troying Man from the Face of the Earth,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 7.</NOTE> re&s;erving only <HI>Noah</HI> and his Family, as the Seed of a new and bet|ter World.</P>
<P>When by this Means there was a new Be|ginning of Mankind, when <HI>Noah,</HI> being him|&s;elf a good Man, and extraordinarily pre&s;erv'd and in&s;tructed by God, was able to convey to his Off-&s;pring a certain Tradition, both of what he had deriv'd from <HI>Adam,</HI> before the Flood, and of what he had learn'd of God &s;ince, and e&s;pecially to give them an Account of that
<PB N="9" REF="8">Stupendous Judgment whereby the old World was de&s;troy'd, one would have thought again, that this &s;hould have effectually &s;ecur'd his Race in the Practice of Piety and Virtue for the future.</P>
<P>But when his Po&s;terity al&s;o &s;oon degenera|ted, &s;o that in the Space of &s;omewhat more than four hundred Years, even Idolatry began to infect the pure&s;t Branch deriv'd from him, God then by a &s;pecial Providence again in|terpos'd, chu&s;ing <HI>Abraham,</HI> calling him forth from his Country and his Kindred, in&s;tru|cting and guiding him, and as a Reward of his Eminent Faith and Piety, appointing his Po&s;terity to be his peculiar People, whom he pre&s;erv'd and govern'd in a miracuious Man|ner from one Generation to another, thereby to awaken other Nations, if they would ob&s;erve the wonderful Works of Providence towards that People; or at lea&s;t to pre&s;erve one Nation from the General Contagion.</P>
<P>Among&s;t them God rai&s;ed up a Great Law|giver, with a Succe&s;&s;ion of Prophets, di&s;co|vering &s;till by degrees more of his Kind Inten|tions towards them and all the World, and pro|mi&s;ing in due time to rai&s;e up of the Seed of <HI>Abra|ham,</HI> One who &s;hould be the great Deliverer and Sa|viour of Mankind.</P>
<P><HI>When the fulne&s;s of the time was come,</HI> as St.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4.4.</NOTE> <HI>Paul</HI> emphatically expre&s;&s;es it, <HI>God &s;ent forth</HI> this great Per&s;on into the World, dignified with the Title of his <HI>only begotten Son.</HI> By which Expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>The fulne&s;s of the time,</HI> (as
<PB N="10" REF="9">hath been often ob&s;erv'd by tho&s;e who have con&s;ider'd this Point) is not only to be un|der&s;tood, that it was the Time to which all the Predictions relating to the <HI>Me&s;&s;iah</HI> pointed; but moreover, that it was the fitte&s;t Sea&s;on, that ever yet had been, for the Appearance of &s;uch a Per&s;on. It was then, when all o|ther proper means, having been tryed, had prov'd ineffectual. When the Me&s;&s;engers formerly &s;ent from God, could not prevail, <HI>la&s;t of all he &s;ent his Son.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 21.37.</NOTE> It was then, when by the di&s;po&s;al of Divine Providence the World was be&s;t pre|par'd for the receiving him. It was, when he was become <HI>the De&s;ire</HI> and <HI>Expectation of all Na|tions,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Haggai 2.7. Suct<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">nius. Tacitus.</NOTE> as not only the Scriptures, but &s;ome of the Roman Writers them&s;elves do a&s;&s;ure us, which <HI>Expectation</HI> was probably deriv'd partly from the <HI>Jews</HI> who were di&s;pers'd, and e&s;pe|cially from the Divine Oracles, which about three hundred Years before our Lord appear'd, had been by Order of <HI>Ptolemy Philadelphus</HI> tran|&s;lated into the Greek Language, and thereby the Predictions concerning the Me&s;&s;iah divulged. Finally, it was then, when fir&s;t by the <HI>Grecian,</HI> and afterward more fully by the <HI>Roman</HI> Empire, a con&s;iderable part of the World was not only conquer'd, but civiliz'd al&s;o, and an inter|cour&s;e between many Nations e&s;tabli&s;h'd, and thereby a Way made for the more ea&s;ie Pub|lication of the Go&s;pel, from <HI>Judea,</HI> throughout the then known Regions of the Earth. And cer|tainly This was the fitte&s;t Sea&s;on, that ever yet had been for the Appearance of the Saviour of Mankind.</P>
<PB N="11" REF="9">
<P> If we farther proceed to con&s;ider, in what manner our Lord appointed his Go&s;pel to be pub|li&s;hed, and what Cour&s;e the fir&s;t Preachers of it took to that purpo&s;e, we &s;hall &s;till perceive more of the Rea&s;onablene&s;s and Fitne&s;s of the Method wich Providence hath u&s;ed in this Ca&s;e.</P>
<P>When our Lord commi&s;&s;ion'd his Apo&s;tles, it was <HI>to make Di&s;ciples out of all Nations,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> 28.29, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">k 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> and <HI>to go into all the World and preach the Go&s;pel to e|very Creature.</HI> And the Doctrine which they were to preach, was admirably &s;uited to this End. It was a Doctrine Rational and Pure, fit to be under&s;tood and receiv'd by every Na|tion under Heaven, containing nothing Singular, nothing Narrow, nothing that might &s;eparate or di&s;tingui&s;h one Nation or Family from ano|ther; but equally adapted to the Condition of all Mankind.</P>
<P>There was indeed an occa&s;ion here for a mi|raculous Interpo&s;ition of Providence, and accor|dingly it pleas'd God to interpo&s;e. For becau&s;e tho&s;e, whom our Lord &s;ent to preach his Go&s;pel, were unable to &s;peak the Languages of the &s;e|veral Nations, to which they were &s;ent, and con&s;idering farther the &s;trong prejudices that the World lay under again&s;t this (to them) new Religion, God therefore be&s;tow'd upon them the Gift of &s;peaking what&s;oever Langua|ges &s;hould be nece&s;&s;ary for propagating the Crhi|&s;tian Doctrine, and al&s;o a power of working o|ther Miracles, to excite and move their Auditore, fir&s;t to gain their Attention, and then to convince
<PB N="12" REF="10">their Judgments; which Powers continued in the Chri&s;tian Church, as long as they were nece&s;&s;ary, that is till the GOSPEL was con&s;iderably &s;pread abroad, and able to &s;upport and propagate it &s;elf by more Natural Means.</P>
<P>Such indeed was the Fidelity and Indu&s;try of the Apo&s;tles and their immediate Succe&s;&s;ors, and &s;o conformable were their Lives to the excel|lent Doctrine which they preach'd, that Chri|&s;tianity had incredible Succe&s;s in tho&s;e early times, in&s;omuch that in about three hun|dred Years, it prevail'd again&s;t all the fal&s;e Re|ligions, which had been &s;o long receiv'd, and became the e&s;tabli&s;h'd Religion of the <HI>Roman</HI> Empire.</P>
<P>This was the Cour&s;e which Providence took for the di&s;per&s;ion of the Knowledge of our Sa|viour and his Religion throughout the World, which as it was the mo&s;t Natural and mo&s;t rea&s;onable Means to that End, &s;o I can hardly doubt, but that if the Chri&s;tians of the Ages following had continu'd to recommend their Profe&s;&s;ion by the Exemplarine&s;s of their Lives, and had retain'd that Zeal which their Prede|ce&s;&s;ors &s;hewed for propagating it in the World, it had long before this been the e&s;tabli&s;h'd Re|ligion of Mankind. So that if the Go&s;pel be not publi&s;h'd to the World univer&s;ally, it pro|ceeds not from any defect in the Provi&s;ion which God hath made to that purpo&s;e; but from the Fault of tho&s;e to whom God had committed &s;o great a Tru&s;t. Had Chri&s;tian Princes been as zealous to promote the Reli|gion
<PB N="13" REF="10">of our Lord, as to extend their Empire; (I mean not by Violence, but in Methods &s;uit|able to the Nature of this Religion;) had Chri|&s;tian Subjects been as eager to advance the Knowledge of our Maker and Redeemer in Fo|reign Parts, as they have been to &s;ettle Trade and Commerce there; had all of us, who call our &s;elves Chri&s;tians, <HI>&s;hewed forth</HI> in Chri&s;tian Tempers and Practices, <HI>the Virtues of Him that called us,</HI> and the Excellency of the Religion he hath taught us; there would probably have been no Occa&s;ion for enquiring, as we now do, why the Go&s;pel of our Lord is confin'd within &s;o narrow Bounds.</P>
<P><HI>Fourthly,</HI> As I have ju&s;t now mention'd the open and evident Cau&s;e's, of the Go&s;pel being not farther propagated, &s;o there may be another more &s;ecret and hidden Rea&s;on, of God's per|mitting &s;ome Parts of the Earth to remain ig|norant of the Chri&s;tian Revelation. 'Tis what we cannot be &s;ure of, in all the In&s;tances of this kind: But 'tis what &s;eems highly pro|bable as to &s;ome of them, and what &s;ome Pa&s;|&s;ages in Scripture &s;eem to hint, <HI>viz.</HI> That God hath in Ju&s;tice permitted this, either becau&s;e, when the Go&s;pel was fir&s;t preach'd to &s;ome Na|tions, they utterly rejected it; or becau&s;e he knew, what God only can know, that &s;ome Nations were &s;o wholly indi&s;pos'd to receive it, that the Preaching of it to them would have had no other effect, but to have aggravated their Condemnation.</P>
<PB N="14" REF="11">
<P> We read that St. <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Silas,</HI> with <HI>Timothy, were forbidden of the Holy Gho&s;t to preach the Word in</HI> A&s;ia;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 16.6, 7, 9, 10.</NOTE> and again, <HI>When they e&s;&s;ayed to go into</HI> Bi|thynia, <HI>the Spirit &s;uffered them not;</HI> and pre&s;ently after, that <HI>a Man of</HI> Macedonia <HI>appear'd to</HI> Paul <HI>in a Vi&s;ion, and prayed him, &s;aying, Come over into</HI> Macedonia, <HI>and help us;</HI> upon which they imme|diately bent their Cour&s;e that Way, <HI>a&s;&s;uredly ga|thering, that the Lord had call'd them to preach the Go&s;pet unto them.</HI> Now although there might be, and probably were other Rea&s;ons, in the&s;e particu|lar In&s;tances, why they were diverted from <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and &s;ent into <HI>Macedonia</HI> at that time; yet hence it plainly appears, that the Divine Providence did particularly direct the fir&s;t Preachers of the Go|&s;pel, where to publi&s;h it; and this might &s;ome|times be the Rea&s;on of &s;uch Direction, that in &s;ome Places they were better di&s;pos'd to receive it, than in others; which may be confirm'd by another Pa&s;&s;age, a little after in the &s;ame Hi&s;tory. It is &s;aid that at <HI>Corinth,</HI> the Lord exciting St. <HI>Paul</HI> by another Vi&s;ion to preach the Go&s;pel there, a&s;&s;ign'd this as one Rea&s;on, <HI>For I have much People in this City,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 18.10, 11.</NOTE> that is, many who would, and ac|cordingly did readily embrace the Chri&s;tian Do|ctrine, and accordingly the Apo&s;tle <HI>continued there a Year and &s;ix Months, teaching the Word of God a|mong them.</HI> And who knows, but that this may be the hidden Cau&s;e why God permits &s;ome Nations to fit in darkne&s;s, becau&s;e, when they had an Oportunity of having the Go&s;pel pro|mulg'd among&s;t them, they ob&s;tinately rejected it; or it may be, becau&s;e they have &s;o univer|&s;ally
<PB N="15" REF="11">and gro&s;ly &s;inn'd again&s;t the Light of Na|ture, de&s;pis'd the Dictates of Con&s;cience, and de|generated into &s;uch vile and devili&s;h Di&s;po&s;itions, that if the Go&s;pel were preach'd among&s;t them, it would only &s;erve to aggravate their Condemna|tion?</P>
<P>This is very agreeable to the Directions, which our Lord gave his Apo&s;tles,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.11.14.</NOTE> when he &s;ent them abroad to preach; <HI>Into what&s;oever City or Town ye &s;hall enter, enquire, Who in it is worthy.</HI> And again, <HI>Who&s;oever &s;hall not receive you, nor hear your Words, when ye depart out of that Hou&s;e or City, &s;hake off the Du&s;t of your Feet,</HI> namely,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 6.11.</NOTE> <HI>as a Te&s;ti|mony again&s;t them,</HI> that they had the offer of the Go&s;pel, but were &s;o wicked as to reject it. Tis con&s;onant al&s;o to our Saviour's Declaration, that <HI>Who&s;oever hath, to him &s;hall be given,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 13.12.</NOTE> <HI>and he &s;hall have abundance: And from him that hath not, &s;hall be taken away, even that which he hath;</HI> which is the Rea&s;on he a&s;&s;igns,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">, 11.</NOTE> <HI>Why he &s;pake to the mul|titude in Parables,</HI> Whil&s;t he reveal'd to his Di|&s;ciples <HI>the My&s;teries of the Kingdom of Heaven,</HI> adding <HI>Therefore &s;peak I to them in Parables;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 13.</NOTE> <HI>be|cau&s;e they &s;eeing, &s;ee not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they under&s;tand,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>'Tis certain, that this may be a&s;&s;ign'd as a Rea&s;on, why the Light of the Go&s;pel is depar|ted from, or at lea&s;t very much ob&s;cured in di|ver&s;e Places, where it once &s;hone very bright, namely, that it was not duly improv'd by tho&s;e whom it enlightned. We know how our Lord threaten'd the Church of <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2.4, 5.</NOTE> for <HI>leaving her fir&s;t Love. Remember therefore,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the fir&s;t
<PB N="16" REF="12">Works; or el&s;e I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy Candle&s;tick out of his Place, except thou repent,</HI> which Threatning has been long &s;ince remarkably fulfill'd, in the prevailing of <HI>Maho|metani&s;m</HI> in tho&s;e Parts; and if GOD hath not dealt as &s;everely with others, who may have de&s;erv'd it as much, his <HI>Goodne&s;s</HI> &s;hould not make them pre&s;ume; but <HI>lead them to Repen|tance.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Fifthly,</HI> I have yet farther this weighty Con|&s;ideration to offer in this Ca&s;e, <HI>viz.</HI> That the Efficacy of our Saviour's Undertaking for Men, doth certainly extend much farther than the actual Knowledge of him doth.</P>
<P>This mu&s;t be &s;uppos'd as to Infants, at lea&s;t &s;uch as are enter'd into the Chri&s;tian Cove|nant by Bapti&s;m, that they are capable of Sal|vation by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, without actually know|ing and believing in him. This mu&s;t again be allow'd, as to all the good Patriarchs, and other pious Men among&s;t the Jews, who although they did believe and hope in God, for the ful|filling of the great Promi&s;e of a <HI>Me&s;&s;iah</HI> to come, yet did not &s;ee that Promi&s;e fulfill'd, nor could actually know and believe in him, as we do.</P>
<P>Such in truth was the Goodne&s;s of God to Mankind, as to te&s;tifie his Compa&s;&s;ion towards them immediately after the Fall, by the Promi&s;e then made of <HI>the Woman's Seed,</HI> that is, of <HI>the Me&s;&s;iah,</HI> which Promi&s;e as it was renew'd upon all occa&s;ions, &s;o as an Effect of his Interpo&s;ition, were confer'd all the Benefits which Mankind
<PB N="17" REF="12">receiv'd from God, after the &s;in of our fir&s;t Parents. It was upon his account that they were re&s;pited from pre&s;ent Death; and that their Po&s;terity have been ble&s;t with all tho&s;e Favours, Temporal and Spiritual, which they have enjoy'd from that time to this; in&s;omuch that the Efficacy of our Lord's Undertaking is to bear date from the fir&s;t Pro|mi&s;e of it; nay, from the Purpo&s;e and Intention of God before his actual Promi&s;e. But more particularly yet;</P>
<P><HI>Sixthly,</HI> The Holy Scriptures do every where repre&s;ent our Saviour, as having made Ex|piation for the &s;ins of all Mankind, without Ex|ception, as well tho&s;e who were born before his appearing, as &s;ince; and tho&s;e who live in the remote&s;t and darke&s;t Corners of the Earth, as tho&s;e to whom the Go&s;pel is publi&s;h'd.</P>
<P><HI>He is the Propitiation for our &s;ins,</HI> &s;aith St. <HI>John;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 John 2 2.</NOTE> <HI>and not for ours only; but al&s;o for the &s;ins of the whole World. There is,</HI> &s;aith St. <HI>Paul,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 2.5, 6.</NOTE> <HI>one Mediator between God and Men, who gave him&s;elf a Ran&s;om for all, to be te&s;tified in due time.</HI> And the &s;ame A|po&s;tle in a &s;et Di&s;cour&s;e, expre&s;ly makes the Be|nefit of Chri&s;t's Death, in the de&s;ign of it, to ex|tend as far as the &s;in of <HI>Adam</HI> had done.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.13, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></NOTE> The Author to the <HI>Hebrews</HI> affirms, that our Saviour took our Nature upon him,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2.9.</NOTE> <HI>that he by the Grace of God might ta&s;te death for every Man.</HI> And the &s;ame in&s;pir'd Writer is very expre&s;s in declaring, that the Sacrifice of the Death of Chri&s;t did in its Me|rit and Virtue reach buckward to the begining of the World, as well as forward to the end of it. <HI>Not,</HI> &s;ays he, <HI>that he &s;hould offer him&s;elf often,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9.25, 26.</NOTE> <HI>as
<PB N="18" REF="13">the High Prie&s;t entereth into the Holy Place e|very Year with the Blood of others; for then mu&s;t he often have &s;uffered &s;ince the Foundation of the World: but now once in the end of the World hath he appear'd, to put away &s;in, by the Sacrifice of him&s;elf;</HI> whereby is plainly intimated, that this one Sacrifice had its Effect from <HI>the foundation of the World.</HI> If it be ask'd, wherein the effect of this Appears &s;o exten|&s;ive, <HI>I</HI> an&s;wer by my next Propo&s;ition, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Seventhly,</HI> That by means hereof God was &s;o far reconcil'd to Men, as to give Place for Repen|tance, and to accept of it, where&s;over it was &s;incere.</P>
<P>In the fir&s;t Covenant made with <HI>Adam,</HI> there was no Allowance made of Repentance after Tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ion: but upon the Interpo&s;ition of our Re|deemer, and in Virtue of that Expiation, which he was to make, when he &s;hould come into the World, &s;inners were allowed and encouraged to repent and turn to God, in hopes of obtaining his Favor. The very re&s;piting our fir&s;t Parents from the execution of the Sentence denounced, was an intimation that Repentance would be accepta|ble to God; the Promi&s;e made &s;oon after the Fall was a Confirmation of the &s;ame thing. God's com|manding and encouraging Sacrifices &s;till farther encouraged Repentance. The Que&s;tion which God put to <HI>Cain, If thou do&s;t well, &s;halt thou not be ac|cepted?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4.7.</NOTE> plainly &s;ignified his plea&s;ure in this Ca&s;e. <HI>The Goodne&s;s of God</HI> continually exercis'd towards all Mankind in &s;o many In&s;tances,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.4.</NOTE> naturally ten|ded <HI>to lead them to Repentance.</HI> All along through|out the Old Te&s;tament, both in <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>the
<PB N="19" REF="13">Prophets,</HI> Repentance is inculcated and encoura|ged. That peremptory Declaration and Oath of God, tho' made to <HI>the Hou&s;e of</HI> I&s;rael,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 33.11.</NOTE> yet is in very general Terms, and &s;uch as &s;eem to concern all Mankind; <HI>As I live, &s;aith the Lord God, I have no plea&s;ure in the Death of the Wicked; but that the Wicked turn from his way and live;</HI> with much more to the &s;ame purpo&s;e, in the following Ver&s;es. In the Prophet <HI>Jonah,</HI> we find that <HI>Nineveh,</HI> a Pagan City, was &s;par'd upon the Humiliation of its In|habitants. When our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour came to de|clare the Will of God more fully, it was in the&s;e Terms,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 24.47.</NOTE> <HI>That Repentance and Remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins &s;hould be preach'd in his Name, among&s;t all Nations, begin|ing at</HI> Jeru&s;alem. And altho' this Doctrine is prea|ched only to tho&s;e, to whom the Oracles of God are publi&s;h'd; yet we cannot from thence fairly conclude, that if in any other part of the World there be found any true Penitents, their Repen|tance &s;hall not be accepted of God, becau&s;e they were not expre&s;ly told &s;o beforehand. On the con|trary, as the Con&s;ideration of the Divine Good|ne&s;s will di&s;po&s;e us to hope the be&s;t, &s;o there are diver&s;e Hints in the Oracles of God them&s;elves, which may incline us to take the favourable &s;ide in this Controver&s;ie. St. <HI>Peter</HI> &s;eems to have done &s;o, when upon ob&s;erving how God had accepted the Prayers and the Alms of <HI>Cornelius,</HI> he own'd him&s;elf convinc'd of a Mi&s;take which he lay un|der before, crying out, <HI>Of a truth I perceive,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 10.34, 35.</NOTE> <HI>that God is no Re&s;pecter of Per&s;ons; but in every Nation, he that feareth God and worketh Righteou&s;ne&s;s is ac|cepted with him.</HI></P>
<PB N="20" REF="14">
<P>'Tis true, &s;ometimes Faith is made the Condi|tion of Acceptance with God, as well as Repen|tance, particularly in our Text, it is expre&s;ly made the Condition of Salvation: but then if by Faith be to be under&s;tood an expre&s;s believing in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, it mu&s;t be re&s;train'd to them to whom he is preach'd. For, as I ob&s;erv'd before, the Patri|archs, and other good Men of the Jewi&s;h Nation, were accepted upon their Faith, believing the Pro|mi&s;es of God, and obeying his Commands, before the coming of our Lord and when they had very ob&s;cure Notions concerning him. And the Apo|&s;tle to the <HI>Hebrews,</HI> in his excellent Di&s;cour&s;e of Faith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.6.</NOTE> even that Faith which is acceptable to God, defines it in general, <HI>a believing that God is, and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently &s;eek him.</HI> Which indeed will include believing in God, as <HI>a Rewarder of them that &s;eek him through Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> where the Go&s;pel is publi&s;h'd: But it &s;eems evidently to imply al&s;o, that God will ac|cept &s;uch a degree of Faith in him, as is &s;uitable to the Revelation he hath made of him&s;elf, be it more or le&s;s. What el&s;e can we think of &s;uch a Man as <HI>Job</HI> for In&s;tance, concerning whom it is &s;aid,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job. 1.1.</NOTE> that <HI>he was perfect and upright, one that feared God and e&s;chewed Evil?</HI> Who yet was not of that Family, which God had cho&s;en to be his peculiar People, and to ble&s;s with his more parti|cular Revelations; but an <HI>Arabian.</HI> What &s;hall we again think of <HI>Abimelech,</HI> a <HI>Phili&s;tian</HI> King, in whom was likewi&s;e found <HI>the Fear of God,</HI> to that degree, that upon his Admonition, he rea|dily <HI>e&s;chewed</HI> that <HI>Evil</HI> which he was before in dan|ger of,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 20.6, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></NOTE> though unwittingly, and <HI>in the integrity of
<PB N="21" REF="14">his Heart?</HI> And altho' I dare not profe&s;s my &s;elf a&s;&s;ur'd of the State of <HI>Socrates,</HI> or <HI>Epictetus;</HI> yet I cannot but be &s;trongly inclin'd to hope, that the Expiation of our Redeemer may have render'd their Repentance and Obedience in a good degree acceptable to God. And God only knows, how many more penitent and &s;incere Souls may be found, in the dark Corners of the Earth. It may be, for ought we know, in this Ca&s;e, as in that of <HI>Elijah,</HI> who imagin'd him&s;elf left alone,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Kings 19.14, 18.</NOTE> when God knew of no le&s;s than <HI>&s;even thou&s;and in</HI> I&s;rael, <HI>who had not bowed the Knee to</HI> Baal. But yet farther,</P>
<P><HI>Eighthly,</HI> Another Effect of the Expiation made by our Redeemer, may have been, for ought any Man can know to the contrary, the &s;ecret Ope|ration and Influence of the Divine Spirit, en|lightning and moving the Minds of Men, in all parts of the World.</P>
<P>'Tis acknowledgd, that no Man can either re|pent, or believe in God, or obey him accepta|bly, without the A&s;&s;i&s;tance of the good Spirit; 'tis confe&s;s'd al&s;o that this A&s;i&s;tance is expre&s;ly promis'd only through Je&s;us Chri&s;t: but I &s;hould be very loth to affirm, that it was never impar|ted to any, who were not actually in&s;tructed in the Chri&s;tian Doctrine. There can be no doubt, with re&s;pect to the Patriarchs, who were the Friends and Favorites of God, and by their Faith and Piety demon&s;trated, that they were enligh|ten'd and mov'd by his Spirit. The Law of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> did not expre&s;ly promi&s;e the A&s;&s;i&s;tance of the Spirit; and yet there is no Que&s;tion, but
<PB N="22" REF="15">that pious and good Men among the Jews did partake of it. And &s;hall we confine it to them only? No! I would rather hope that <HI>Job</HI> and <HI>Abimelech</HI> before mention'd, nay, that <HI>Socrates</HI> and <HI>Epictetus</HI> al&s;o, in their Mea&s;ure, partook of the &s;ame; the Fruits of that Divine Spirit methinks very evidently appear in many of their Expre&s;&s;i|ons and Actions. Diver&s;e Pagans, as I ob&s;er|ved in a former Lecture, have been &s;en&s;ible of this Truth, and openly avow'd that the In&s;pira|tion of God was nece&s;&s;ary to Virtue, and accor|dingly believ'd that &s;uch as were truly Virtu|ous among&s;t them&s;elves, were &s;o by the a&s;|&s;i&s;tance of the Divine Spirit. And it &s;eems high|ly worthy of God, to believe thus; at lea&s;t not to believe otherwi&s;e.</P>
<P>And indeed if we reflect upon the Notion, which was current among&s;t the be&s;t and mo&s;t ancient Chri&s;tian Writers, and which the Holy Scriptures &s;eem to have led them into, concer|ning the Di&s;pen&s;ation of God towards Man|kind, by our Redeemer, we &s;hall the more ea|&s;ily be di&s;pos'd to be of this Judgment. For they look'd upon our Saviour, as not only de&s;igning, but beginning his Tran&s;actions for the good of Men, from the time of their fir&s;t Creation; and for the Recovery of Sinners, from the time of their Fall. They believ'd that diver&s;e of the Appearances, mention'd in the Old Te&s;tament, were really of the Son of God, in Angelical Form, anticipating thereby and prefiguring his Appearance at la&s;t in Humane Nature. They be|lieved that it was He, who conducted the <HI>I&s;ra|elites</HI> from <HI>Egypt</HI> into <HI>Canaan;</HI> that it was He,
<PB N="23" REF="15">who was in the Tabernacle, and in the Temple, in the mid&s;t of the Cloud, towards whom therefore the Jews paid their &s;olemn Adorations. And for the like Rea&s;on they believ'd, that it was He, who in&s;pir'd all the great and good Men, that were eminent for Piety and Virtue, either among the Jews, or in any other Nations. In a word,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 1.9.</NOTE> they under&s;tood St <HI>John</HI> to mean as much, where he &s;ays, <HI>That was the true Light, which enlighteneth every Man that cometh into the VVorld,</HI> not only by imparting the Powers of Under&s;tanding and Rea&s;on to them in their fir&s;t Formation; but al&s;o by farther opening their Under&s;tandings, and improving their Minds, as they &s;hould become capable, by the &s;ecret Sugge&s;tions and Motions of his Spirit. So that, although he did not appear in Humane Form, till four thou&s;and Years were elaps'd; yet he had not neglected Mankind all that &s;pace of time; nor doth at pre&s;ent neglect tho&s;e who have not heard of his Incarnation; but <HI>was</HI> and <HI>is in the VVorld,</HI> even in tho&s;e Parts of it, where <HI>they know him not,</HI> u&s;ing tho&s;e Methods,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 10.</NOTE> which to his Divine Wi&s;dom &s;eem meet, for the training up well-di&s;pos'd Minds, which do not re&s;i&s;t the Grace which he offers to them. There is but one Propo&s;ition more that I have to add, and it is this, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<PB N="24" REF="16">
<P> <HI>Ninthly,</HI> That at the great Day of Judg|ment, all Men &s;hall be accountable to our Lord, with due Regard had to their Re&s;pective Advantages or Di&s;advantages in this their State of Tryal.</P>
<P>Our Lord hath expre&s;ly declar'd, that <HI>unto whom|&s;oever much is given,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12.48. Matth. 25.14. <HI>&amp;c.</HI></NOTE> <HI>of him &s;hall be much requir'd;</HI> and that Men &s;hall be called to an account for the Talents committed to them, by their Lord, whether more or fewer, in &s;o much that he that had but <HI>one,</HI> &s;hall be accountable for that <HI>one</HI> only. St. <HI>Paul</HI> in a &s;et Di&s;cour&s;e &s;eems to have determin'd this Matter peremptorily, as between <HI>Jew</HI> and <HI>Gentile;</HI> &s;o by parity of Rea&s;on, between <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> and <HI>Gentile</HI> al&s;o.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14.</NOTE> He calls the Day of Judgment, <HI>the Day of the Revelation of the righ|teous Judgment of God, who will render to every Man according to his Deeds, to the Jew fir&s;t, and al&s;o to the Gentile;</HI> adding, <HI>For there is no re&s;pect of Per&s;ons with God: For as many as have &s;inned with|out Law, &s;hall al&s;o peri&s;h without Law, and as many as have &s;inned in the Law; &s;hall be judged by the Law:</HI> And again, <HI>VVhen the Gentiles, which have not the Law, do by Nature the things contained in the Law, the&s;e having not the Law, are a Law unto them&s;elves.</HI></P>
<P>'Tis very true, that the Salvation of the Go|&s;pel is by the Go&s;pel promis'd only to tho&s;e who believe and obey it, and con&s;equently to whom it is preach'd; as Damnation is therein expre&s;ly threatened to tho&s;e who reject it; and we are not &s;o plainly told what kind and what degrees of Rewards and Puni&s;hments God will di&s;pen&s;e to others: but we are in the general a&s;&s;u|red,
<PB N="25" REF="16">that the Recompences of that Day &s;hall be all ju&s;t, and carry a Re&s;pect to <HI>the Deeds done in the Body,</HI> bearing &s;ome Proportion to the different Circum&s;tances and Conditions of Men. And therefore St. <HI>Paul</HI> a little before his Di&s;cour&s;e ju&s;t now cited, lets us know, that the Condem|nation of wicked <HI>Gentiles</HI> would be very ju&s;t, by Rea&s;on of their having de&s;pis'd the Di|ctates of Nature and Rea&s;on, becau&s;e <HI>they with|held the Truth in Unrighteou&s;ne&s;s;</HI> for,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.18, 19.</NOTE> as he ar|gues, <HI>That which may be known of God, is manife&s;t in them; for God hath &s;hewed it unto them.</HI> God hath, as he there farther proves, render'd him|&s;elf &s;o con&s;picuous to all Men, as the Maker and Governour of the World, that tho&s;e who are ignorant of him mu&s;t be <HI>without</HI> Excu&s;e.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">ver&s;e 20.</NOTE> He is &s;o near to <HI>every one of us,</HI> as the &s;ame Apo&s;tle el&s;e|where di&s;cour&s;es, &s;ince <HI>in him we live,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 17.27, 28.</NOTE> <HI>and move and have our Being,</HI> that we may even <HI>feel after him,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.15.</NOTE> <HI>and find him;</HI> and he hath <HI>written</HI> his <HI>Law</HI> in &s;uch vi&s;ible Characters in all <HI>our Hearts,</HI> &s;hewing us the plain Difference between moral Good and Evil, in the chief In&s;tances thereof, cau&s;ing our <HI>Con&s;ciences</HI> to <HI>bear witne&s;s,</HI> and our <HI>Thoughts</HI> to <HI>accu&s;e</HI> or <HI>excu&s;e,</HI> as we demean our &s;elves, that he may ju&s;tly call us to an Account for &s;uch our De|meanor.</P>
<P>So that the whole Matter at la&s;t comes to this I&s;&s;ue. Some Men have, by hearing the Go&s;pel preach'd to them, far greater Advantages, than others; but then they are accountable likewi&s;e for tho&s;e &s;pecial Advantages: whereas &s;uch, as not through their own default, but by the meer Providence of God, want tho&s;e Advantages, &s;hall
<PB N="26" REF="17">be an&s;werable for no more, than what they have been entru&s;ted with. God hath done more for tho&s;e, than for the&s;e; and 'tis but fit, that he &s;hould freely di&s;po&s;e of his own Gifts, <HI>after the Coun&s;el of his own Will:</HI> but if he doth what is abundantly &s;ufficient for all, and will expect no more, than in proportion to what he gives, there remains no ju&s;t Ground of complaint to any.</P>
<P>And thus I have done with what I thought fit to be offer'd on this difficult Argument; and I hope, if what I have propos'd be con&s;ider'd with|out Prejudice, it may &s;uffice to make us humbly acquie&s;ce in the Di&s;pen&s;ation of God by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, acknowledging that the De&s;ign of our Lord's coming was <HI>to &s;ave Sinners</HI> in general; and confe&s;&s;ing to the glory of the Almighty Father, that his <HI>love</HI> was manife&s;ted to <HI>the whole Race of Mankind,</HI> by <HI>&s;ending his only begotten Son into the World</HI> for our Salvation.</P>
<P>I &s;hall conclude all with two practical Infe|rences, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Fri&s;t,</HI> We may infer from hence the great O|bligation which lies upon us, to whom the Go&s;pel is publi&s;h'd, to comply with the Terms of it, par|ticularly <HI>that</HI> mention'd in the Text, as comprehen|&s;ive of all others, <HI>believing in Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> What|ever gracious Allowances God in his infinite Good|ne&s;s may make to others, we cannot hope for <HI>Sal|vation</HI> upon any other Conditions, than a grateful Acknowledgment of this infinite Love of God, a firm and &s;tedfa&s;t Faith in his only begotten Son, to|gether with an hearty Re&s;ignation of our &s;elves to
<PB N="27" REF="17">his Conduct. As by the&s;e our Priviledges we are <HI>exalted to Heaven;</HI> &s;o upon our abu&s;e of them, we &s;hall be <HI>ca&s;t down</HI> to the lowe&s;t depth of <HI>Hell. This</HI> (as our Saviour declared,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 19.</NOTE> a little after the Text) <HI>is the Condemnation, that light is come into the World; but Men loved darkne&s;s rather than light, becau&s;e their deeds were evil.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> If the Love of God toward Mankind be &s;o exten&s;ive, it becomes us then, in&s;tead of caviling at the Divine Providence on account of the Go&s;pel's not being publi&s;h'd to all the World, to do our part towards the Propagation of it</P>
<P>The Princes and great Men of the Earth may do very much to this purpo&s;e, as I have alrea|dy ob&s;erv'd. Others al&s;o, e&s;pecially tho&s;e Bodies and Societies of Men, which have Commerce with the Gentile World, might contrive Methods for propagating their Religion together with their Trade.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">This the pious Founder of the&s;e Lectures had a great &s;en&s;e of, when by a Clau&s;e in his Will, he obliged tho&s;e who &s;hould preach them, <Q>to be a&s;&s;i&s;ting to all Companys, and en|couraging them in any Un|dertaking, for propagating the Chri&s;tian Religion in foreign Parts.</Q></NOTE> And all of us might contribute to this generous De&s;ign, by our earne&s;t Prayers to God for the enlarging of his Son's Kingdom, and that it would plea&s;e him to excite the Spirits of tho&s;e who have Power and Intere&s;t to ad|advance this Noble Work. In fine, we may all contribute towards it, by living Chri&s;tian Lives; and if we have neither Power nor Intere&s;t to promote the <HI>Profe&s;&s;ion</HI> of our Religion in Foreign Parts, we may at lea&s;t promote the <HI>Practi&s;e</HI> of it at Home, by our
<PB N="28" REF="18">Examples. Nothing in truth would &s;o powerful|ly recommend our Holy Religion to Mankind, in order both to the Belief and Practice of it, as to have it fairly repre&s;ented by the Tempers and Lives of its Profe&s;&s;ors. <HI>May Almighty God revive the Spirit of Primitive Chri&s;tianity, in tho&s;e who take upon them the Chri&s;tian Name; and may their light &s;hine &s;o clearly and brightly, as to enlighten the darke&s;t and remote&s;t Regions of the Earth, to the Glory of God and our Redeemer.</HI> Amen.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<HEAD>ERRATA.</HEAD>
<P>Sermon I. P. 5. l. 2. read, <HI>into the World.</HI> p. 23. l. 8. r, <HI>mi&s;led.</HI> Ser. III. p. 9. l. 29. r. <GAP DESC="foreign">. p. 20. l. 7. r. <HI>Mediator.</HI> p. 23. l. 10. r. <HI>he.</HI> Ser. VII. p. 3. l. 14. r. <HI>&s;o it.</HI> p. 15. l. 33. blot out, <HI>his.</HI> p. 26. l. 28. r. <HI>valuable.</HI> Ser. VIII. p. 10. l. 18. r. <HI>their, ibid.</HI> l. 27. r. <HI>Men.</HI> p. 12. l. 22. r. <HI>Evangeli&s;t.</HI> p. 14. l. 25. r. <HI>be.</HI> p. 20. l. 18. r. <HI>ble&s;&s;ing then.</HI> Ser. XI. p. 6. l. 15. r. <HI>not believing.</HI> p. 13. l. 16. r. <HI>Cau&s;e. ibid.</HI> r. <HI>Go&s;pel's.</HI></P>
<PB REF="18">
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