judging, and their time at their own difpofal. A great deal they think may be required, with the utmost reafon, from thofe of higher rank: but from fuch as they are, little or nothing. But, befides this vulgar fort, there is alfo a learned kind of ignorance, pleaded by fome, whofe freedom of inquiry and fuperior fagacity hath given them caufe, they apprehend, to be very diffident of many points, that others are firmly perfuaded of. And therefore they argue, that though it may be the duty of common people, who, for want of the means of knowledge or of abilities to ufe them, muft believe what they are taught; though it may be right and neceflary for them, in confequence of their belief, to practife virtue and piety very confcientiously yet it must not be expected, that thofe of greater genius, who are more enlightened, and perceive many doubts in these matters, fhould put themselves under difagreeable refraints, merely on account of uncertain fpeculations; and conform their lives to the rigid precepts of chriftianity, when they are really not well fatisfied of the authority of it; nor, it may be, even of natural religion. Thus, you fee, the lowest incapacity and the highest selfopinion can urge in effect the fame argument, to evade what men have no mind to. And I fhall now fhow, that in both it is inconclufive and fully confuted by our Saviour's home queftion, Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? Thefe words appear, by the parallel places in the other Evangelifts, to have been originally defigned against those amongst the Jews, who, from diflike of the ftrictness of our bleffed Lord's morality, pretended ignorance of his divine miffion, after he had given abundant proofs of it; when yet, without any feparate proofs of it at all, the main things which he taught, carried their own evidence along with them, and every man's heart bore witness to their truth. They had feen miracles of various kinds, performed in atteftation of his claim: yet fill they were not content without more, and thofe of their own chufing. The Pharifees came forth, with the Sadducees alfo, tempting him, aud fought of him a fign from beaven*. But he, with no lefs dignity than prudence, refused to gratify a curiofity, both ill-meaning and endless: and fighing Matth. xvi. I. Mark. viii, 11. deeply : deeply in his fpirit, as St Mark informs us*, at this perverse difpofition of theirs; told them, with a kind, because needful, feverity of speech, where the defect lay. A wicked and adul. terous generation feeketh after a fignt: your finful inclinations and lives, not the want or the defire of fufficient evidence, prompt you to this demand and verily I fay unto you, there fall be no fign given, no fuch vifible manifeftation of divine glory as you infolently require, vouchfafed to this generation‡: nor is it requifite. When ye fee a cloud rife out of the west, ftraitway ye fay, there cometh a shower, and fo it is. And when ye fee the fouth wind blow, ye fuy there will be heat, and it cometh to pass. Ye bypocrites, ye can difcern the face of the fey and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not difcern this time§? That is on other occafions you appear very able to jadge of things by the proper indications of them. How can you then, with any colour of fincerity, pretend, that amidit fo many prophecies fulfilled, and fo many miracles performed, you have not, after all, fufficient conviction, that this is the season when the Meffiah should appear, and that I am he? Nay, as to the principal part of my doctrine, which is the real caufe of your antipathy to the whole; as to the great precepts of pure religion and uniform virtue, and your need of repentance and faith in God's mercy; what occasion is there for any farther demonftrations of them, than your own hearts, if honeftly confulted, will not fail to afford? Yea, and why even of your felves judge ye not what is right? Now this method of reasoning is equally applicable to unbelievers and cavillers in all ages. It is in vain for them, to invent new difficulties, or magnify old ones, concerning the authority of our religion; while the reafon of things, the truth of facts, and the nature of God and man continue to exhibit fo full proof of thofe fundamental articles of it, the eternal obligation of moral duties, the finfulness of every one's nature and life, the neceflity of repentance, and humble application for pardon and grace. And, fince the true quarrel of fuch perfons is against thefe doctrines, and these cannot be fhaken; they had much better reconcile themfelves to the whole, than make fruitless attacks upon one part; in which if they were to fucceed, (as they never will) they would, in point of argu Verse 12. Matth. xvi. 4. ment, ment, be almost as far from their favourite scheme, of liberty to do what they please, and think highly of themselves notwithstanding, as they were before. Suppose there are some doctrines against which they can find more objections, than their neighbours: there are furely others, of which they can difcern more clearly the certain grounds. If not, they have employed their imagined fuperior faculties to very ill purpose. Or, were they to doubt of ever fo many points; yet, if they take pains for it, and force themselves to doubt, hunting every way for difficulties, asking for no folutions, and turning a deaf ear to them when offered; they have no more excuse for any part of their confequent wrong behaviour, than if they had no doubts at all. For the whole of their cafe is: they perplex things on purpose, in order to complain that they are not clear walk with their eyes wilfully shut, and then infist, that they cannot be blamed, if they ftumble; for it is quite dark, and they do not fee a step of their way. : But let us now proceed to thofe, who acknowledge themfelves, as many of the former would, if they had more modefty, the lefs knowing part of mankind. Some of these profess a fecond-hand fort of scepticism: built not so much on their own judgement, as that of their admired leaders just mentioned. But fince the mafters are indefenfible, their implicit difciples must be yet more fo For, if the queftion is to be decided by the authority of men of letters and abilities, the greatest number and most eminent, beyond all comparison, have confeffedly been always on the fide of religion: even excluding the clergy, as interested in the cafe: which, however, is by no means thought a fufficient reason, in other profeffions, why men of known skill and probity fhould be disregarded, in what they unanimously affirm, after careful examination. : But the generality of the unlearned confefs the obligation of christianity most readily; yet daily tranfgrefs its laws and, when they are charged with their fault, plead ignorance, as we have feen, amongst other things, efpecially the lower part of them, to excufe their difobedience to the cleareft revelation of God's will, that the world ever knew; and whofe early diftinction it was that the poor had the gospel preached to them. Why then may we not say to fuch, as our Saviour faid to the Jews; Ye hypocrites, ye can difcern the face of the Рези • Matth. xi. 5. fky and of the earth! You can judge in all the common affairs of life. You can attain to a competent fkill, many times to great perfection, in your several employments, and trades: though attended with many difficulties, and requiring much application and dexterity. You can foresee, at a distance, what will make for your worldly intereft, or against it: you can lay fchemes, full of cunning and long reach, for guarding against dangers, retrieving loffes, fecuring and improving advantages. What hinders you then from arriving at the knowledge of religion; which confifts in things much easier to be understood: love and reverence to God, juftice and goodness to your fellowcreatures, reasonable and virtuous government of yourselves, humble recourse to the divine mercy when you have done amifs, and faithful ufe of the divine affiftance to amend? If you have instructions in the management of business, and the wifdom of this world: have you not instruction also in the precepts of a christian life? One day in feven of your time, at least, you are not only allowed, but enjoined, to spend principally in learning and thinking of your duty. The word of God is read to you, if you are not able to read it yourselves : it is explained to you, if it be not already plain enough: and the most important parts are the plaineft of all. The feveral articles of chriftian faith and practice are taught you in your earliest childhood; and imprinted on your memory at the time, when impreffions are most lafting. They are afterwards more distinctly proposed to you from this place, week after week; and enforced on you by motives no less powerful, than the love of eternal happiness and the dread of eternal mifery. There is no fin you practise, no good action you omit, but you are publicly warned, at one time or another, of your fault, and the danger of it; and there is no doubt or fcruple, that can difquiet you, concerning any branch of your behaviour, but you may open your cafe often to your more learned and more prudent neighbours, always to the minifters of God's word, and receive fatisfaction about it. What poffible room is there left then for pleading ignorance of your Lord and Mafter's will? This is a defcription of the means of knowledge with which the lowest and meaneft among believers are provided. And even to these may be applied, though not in an equal degree, yet with great truth, what our Saviour declared to his immediate difciples: Verily I fay unto you, that many many prophets and righteous men have defired to fee thofe things ye fee, and have not feen them; and to hear thofe things that which we hear, and have not heard them: but blessed are your eyes, for they Jee; and your ears, for they bear*. Ignorant and knowing are comparative terms: and men ufually compare themselves with those that are next them only; and draw false conclufions from doing fo. A chriftian, of fmaller opportunities for improvement than fome of his fellow-chriftians, thinks every thing ought to be forgiven him for that reafon. And yet, in reality, not only the admired fages of heathen antiquity, but the patriarchs that were favoured with communications from heaven, the prophets and penmen of scripture un-, der the Jewish difpenfation, nay the immediate fore-runner of our bleffed Lord himself, who faw him and converfed with him on earth, had lefs means of acquaintance with the doctrines of religion, than the pooreft difciple of Chrift now may have, if he will. Verily I fay unto you, among them that are born of woman, there hath not rifen a greater than John the Baptift; notwithstanding, be that is leaft in the kingdom of heaven, in the gofpel age, is greater than het. But it may be imagined perhaps, that the benefits of religious inftruction are partially reprefented, and spoken of much too highly, by thofe who are concerned in difpenfing them. Why, be it fo then. Let us lay afide for a while the confideration of what you learn here. Your Maker hath by no means trufted you intirely to our care: but hath appointed your parents, your friends, every ferious perfon around you, for your instructors too: nay, to co-operate with all these, he hath placed a faithful witness and monitor of his truths in every breaft; and therefore the want of outward helps can never juftify tranfgreffors. What Mofes faid in God's name to the Jews, is true in relation to all men: The commandment which I command thee this day, not hidden from thee, neither is it far of; but the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayeft do it. And what Ifaiab faid of chriftianity, holds in proportion of natural confcience : An high way fhall be there; and it shall be called the way of holiness; the way-faring men, though fools, fhall not err therein§. The Matth. xiii. 16. Matth. xi. 11. duties |