Thirdly, That these common notions are the foundation of all religion, and therefore must be supposed and admitted in revealed religion, and cannot be contradicted by it.

Some there have been, who, finding no hopes for impunity to finners under the light of reason and nature, have taken fhelter in revelation; not defiring to correct and reform their vices, but to enjoy them, and yet to hide them from the wrath to come. These are great extollers of the mercy and goodness of God difplayed in the Gofpel, great affertors of the extenfive and unbounded merits of the blood of Chrift; fo far as to think it a reproach to their Saviour for any one to teach, that the hopes of Chriftians may be deftroyed for fin, fince Chrift has died to make an atonement for it. Such as these are much pleased with the thought, that they do great honour to God, by opening to the world the inexhauftible treasures of his mercy, the attribute in which he delights; and think they have some merit and service to plead on account of such pious labour. They imagine they pay great regard to our Redeemer, and are the only true believers in the efficacy of his death; the virtue of which was fo great as to draw out the fting of fin, and leave all the pleasures of it behind to be enjoyed by the world.

But would these men confider, they would find that they are offering up to God the facrifice of fools, whilft they diveft him of wisdom and justice, and all other moral atributes, in compliment to his mercy; and reprefent him to the world as a goodnatured, indolent, inactive Being, unconcerned at

what paffes among his creatures, and prepared to receive to equal degrees of favour the righteous and the finner. The image of fuch a Being as this carries with it no terror like to that which arifes from the character of a tyrant and oppreffor, and therefore does not equally fhock the minds of men: but if we examine to the bottom, fuch a Being is as void of morality as a tyrant. For morality confifts in a juft diftinction of good and evil, and in treating both according to the rules of equity: but he who is equally good to the righteous and the unrighteous, makes as little diftinction between them as he who is equally fevere to both. One is a good-natured, immoral Being, the other a cruel one, but both equally void of juftice and morality. This is the honour done to God by afcribing to him a blind mercy, that knows no diftinction between the good and the evil. And like to it is the honour done to our bleffed Redeemer by the forementioned doctrines, which do in truth make the Son of God to be the minister of fin, and establish the kingdom of darkness upon the merits of the death of Chrift.

It is befide my present purpose to fhew, how inconfiftent these notions are with the true doctrine of the Gospel and yet I cannot fatisfy myself without obferving, that all the precepts, all the reprefentations of Scripture, all the hopes and fears proposed to Chriftians, teach us another leffon, and confirm to us this great article of all religion, That God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness.

This is the Gospel doctrine; nor can a true revelation poffibly teach otherwise, for God cannot

contradict himself, nor gainfay by his prophets that common light of reafon which he has planted in men to be their guide and director. Natural religion is the foundation and support of revelation, which may fupply the defects of nature, but can never overthrow the eftablished principles of it; which may caft new light upon the dictates of reafon, but can never contradict them. I cannot listen to revelation but in confequence of the natural notion I have of God, of his being, his wisdom, power, and goodness destroy then the principles of reafon, and there is no room left for revelation. I fee and feel the difference between good and evil, virtue and vice: what spirit must that be which teaches me that there is no fuch difference? Shall I believe it to be a fpirit come from God, when I know that the spirit he has placed within me fpeaks the contrary? In which cafe there is only this choice, either to difown God for my creator, or to reject the fpirit which contradicts the law of my creation, and the light of reafon which God has placed in the minds of men.

From this way of reasoning then it is evident, that, if the expectation of rewards and punishments for virtue and vice is the refult of reafon, and of the common light of nature, it is impoffible that it should be superseded by any revelation: for if God has taught the world that fin deserves to be punished, can he be so inconfiftent as to teach the contrary? or to affure us, that although it be highly becoming his wisdom and justice to punish sin, yet he means to have no regard to wisdom and justice, but to let fin go unpunished? He might as well

teach us that he has no wifdom and juftice, and then we should be foon agreed what regard ought to be paid to his revelation.

The conclufion of the whole is, that without holinefs no man fhall fee God; that Chrift has, by redeeming us from fin itself, and fanctifying us to be an elect people peculiar to God, redeemed us from the punishment of fin: if we refuse the redemption from fin, we shall never partake in the redemption from the punishment of it. All the arts and contrivances of men to atone for their fins without forfaking them, are affronts to God, contradictions to reason, and fuch as would effectually overthrow the credit of any revelation which should profess them, but cannot poffibly be supported by any; and, in fact, are utterly inconfiftent with the doctrine of the Gospel.

Let us remember then, that he only is righteous who doth righteously; that thofe only fhall be truly happy who shall do the works of God; whilft the hopes and confidence of those who lay great claim to the merits of Chrift, but seek not after the righteousness of Chrift, fhall in the end be vain and delufive for the word of the Lord fhall ftand, and be confirmed at the great day: Not every one that faith unto me, Lord, Lord, fhall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

DISCOURSE XXXIII.

PROVERBS Xix. 27.

Ceafe, my fon, to hear the inftruction that caufeth to err from the words of knowledge.

THAT by the words of knowledge in the text we are to understand the principles and dictates of virtue and religion, is fo well known to all who are in the leaft acquainted with the language of Scripture, especially of the book of Pfalms, the Proverbs, and other writings of the like kind, that there is no need to infift upon the proof of it. This being admitted, the wife man's advice in the text amounts to this; that we should be careful to guard against the arts and infinuations of fuch as fet up for teachers of infidelity and irreligion.

These teachers are not here confidered under the character of vicious and profligate men, given up to the exceffes of lewdnefs, or to be diftinguished by any marks of desperate or notorious wickedness: they are spoken of only as inftructors, as difputers, and as reafoners against the words of knowledge. Such the wife King forewarns us of, advifing us to keep at a distance from danger, and to stop our