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SERMON I.

The natural Advantages of Men for attaining to the Knowledge and Practice of Religion.

ROM. II. 14, 15.

For when the Gentiles, which have not the Law, do by Nature the things contained in the Law; thefe having not the Law, are a Law unto themselves: which shew the Work of the Law written in their Hearts; their Confcience alfo bearing witness, and their Thoughts the mean while accufing, or elfe excufing one another.

T

HIS Account, which St. Paul gives

us of the Gentiles, will afford us fome matter of ufeful Reflection,

after we have confidered, what it is, that he here affirms of them, and seen how his Affertions can be juftified, or the Truth of them

made out.

VOL. I.

B

When

SERM.

I.

When the Gentiles, fays he, which have not the Law, that is, when the Heathens, who have no revealed Law, who have had no Scheme or Inftruction of Religion delivered to them by Divine Teachers and Inftructors, as the Jews and Chriftians have had, do by Nature the things contained in the Law; do from the Inftincts and Propenfions of Humanity, and from the Suggestions of Reason and Confcience, practise the feveral Duties of Piety, Justice, Compaffion, and Charity, which are the great things, which the inftituted Law of God requires; Thefe having not the law, are a Law unto themselves: Thefe Gentiles, tho' they have not the advantage of a positive revealed Law, yet are not at a lofs about the Rule of their Duty, but find that, and their Obligation to obferve it, by confulting their own Hearts, and fee what things are to be performed, and what are to be avoided by them: Which fhew the Work of the Law written in their Hearts, who plainly discover, that they have true Notions of Good and Evil, of a right and a wrong Conduct, implanted in their Minds; and likewife a natural Difpofition to perform the good Actions, which the pofitive Law requires, their Confcience alfo bearing witness; their Confciences infpecting their whole Behaviour, and applauding them

when

when they act right, and admonishing and SER M. reproving them when they do wrong: And I. their Thoughts the mean while accufing, or else excufing one another; or, as the original Words are otherwise rendered, and they in the Reafonings of their Minds, or in the Reflections, which they make upon one another's Conduct, approving or condemning each other, according as their Behaviour is formed upon the Principles of Piety, Honefty, and Goodness, or the contrary.

So that the Sum of what St. Paul afferts, is, that the Heathen Nations, who have had no extraordinary Revelation communicated to them, but are left to the Notices and Suggeftions of Nature, for the direction of their Conduct, do in the use of those Advantages, which they are naturally poffeffed of, attain in some measure both to the Knowledge and Practice of their Duty. Their Faculties clearly fuggeft to them a difference between moral Good and Evil, and teach them to adhere to the one, and to abftain from the other; and the Propenfions of their Hearts incline them to those Actions, which their Minds approve : and they cannot turn to another Courfe of Life, without violating the Law of their Nature, and falling under the Reproaches of their own B 2 Minds,

SERM. Minds, as well as the Cenfures and Condemnation of the rest of Mankind.

I.

Now this Representation, which the Apostle has given of the State of the Gentile World; is certainly very juft, and perfectly agreeable both to the Reason and Experience of Mankind.

If we confider what the Condition of the Heathen Nations, or of that part of Mankind, who have never been favoured with the Light of fupernatural Revelation, may rationally be prefumed with respect to Religion to be, we must certainly conclude, that tho' they want feveral Advantages, which we, who have the Benefit of fuch a Revelation, enjoy, yet they are not left altogether in a State of Darkness and Uncertainty as to the Duties, which muft be performed by them in order to their pleafing God, and obtaining the proper Happiness of their Nature; but that they always have the Means in their power, if they will rightly improve them, of knowing and doing their Duty, and in confequence of that, of enjoying Happiness both in this and in a future State. It is not at all reconcileable to the Wisdom, Justice, and Goodness of God, to fuppofe, that he would deal more hardly with the principal Inhabitants of this World, than he has done with the inferior forts of Creatures that he would deny to the greatest

part

I.

part of Mankind the means of acting agree- SER M. ably to the Nature, which he has given them, and of attaining to that Happiness, of which he has made them capable: that he would put them into such Circumstances, that they must neceffarily remain ignorant of those things, which they are most concerned to know and do, and live just at random, without a Law to govern them, without any Principle to controul and check them in their mistaken. Pursuits, only blindly to follow the Impulse of every prevailing paffion whitherfoever it may lead them, to the ruin and deftruction, perhaps, both of themselves and others. This Conduct is by no means worthy of the wife, and merciful, and righteous Father and Governour of Mankind, and can be thought agreeable only to fome capricious malevolent Being, who cruelly fported himfelf with the Diftrefs and Mifery of great multitudes of helpless Creatures. It may therefore be laid down as a Principle with all who acknowledge a wise, just, and benevolent Deity, as the Author and Governour of the World, that he has imparted fo much Light to the Gentile Nations, as is neceffary for directing them to a rational and good Conduct, and fhewing them the true way to Happiness; and that it must be owing to