has the visible Marks of infinite Wisdom and Power on it, can never be excused for not knowing God; that is to fay, nothing will excufe our Ignorance of that which we may know, and which we ought to know.

But if the Heathens were fo inexcufable for their Ignorance of God, who had no other Helps but the Light of Nature, and the visible Works of God; to be fure Ignorance muft be a great Crime in thofe who live where the Gofpel is preached; and may read the Word of God themfelves, if they please, and learn their Duty from it: God knows a great many very ignorant People there are among us, who know little more of God than the Heathens did, who fit in Darkness, and in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, in the very Regions of Light, when the day-Spring from on high bath vifited us, to give light to them that fit in darkness, and in the fhadow of death, and to guide our feet into the ways of peace.

Will it not be an impudent thing for fuch Men to plead Ignorance at the Day of Judgment, who would not look into the Bible, nor attend publick Inftructions, to learn their Duty: Who had the Means and Opportunities of Knowledge, but, would not use them; who took a great deal of pains to be Ignorant, and to keep out of the way of Knowledge, which fo often croffed them, that they had much ado to escape it? Whatever may be pleaded in excufe of the Ignorance of Heathens, there can be no Excufe for Chriftians, who have the most perfect Revelation of the Will of God, and will not look into it: This is a great

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a great Contempt of God; it is in effect to fay to God, Depart from us, for we defire not the knowledge of thy ways, 21 Job 14. And it is hard to fay, which is the most provoking Sin, to despise the Knowledge of God, or to break his Laws: Not to think it worth our while to know the Will of God, or through the power of Temptation to tranfgrefs our Duty.

And this is the Danger we are in, if we neglect or reject the Knowledge of the Gofpel; our Ignorance will be our greatest Crime; it will be fo far from excufing our Wickedness, that it will aggravate it, for we chufe to be ignorant, that we may be wicked: And therefore it concerns us diligently to read and study the Scriptures, and to attend upon the Publick Miniftry of the Word, and the Private Inftructions and Directions of our Spiritual Guides; for fince Chrift came from Heaven to declare the Will of God, and has put the Holy Scriptures into our Hands, which are a perfect Rule of Faith and Manners, and furnished us with all the Advantages to encrease in Knowledge; it is as dangerous a thing to be wilfully ignorant of the Gofpel, as it is to difobey it.

II. As Men fhall be judged for their Ignorance, fo they fhall be judged for their Infidelity: This is fo plain in Scripture, that it needs little Proof; our Saviour exprefly tells us, He that believeth on him (that is, on the Son of God, whom God fent into the world, that the world through him might be faved) is not condemned: but be that believeth not, is condemned already, becaufe he hath not believed in the Name of the only

be

begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil, 3 John 17, 18, 19. This our Saviour frequently inculcates on the Jews, that unless they believe on him, they must die and perish in their Sins. And we know the Jews were rejected by God for their Infidelity; their Temple, and City, and Nation deftroyed by the Romans, and they difperfed and scattered among all Nations to this day. And our Saviour after his Refurrection, when he gave Commission to his Apoftles to go into all the World, and to Preach the Gofpel to every Creature, univerfally pronounces, He that believeth and is baptized, fhall be faved; but he that believeth not, fhall be damned, 16 Mark 16. And therefore St. Peter tells the Jews, Neither is there Salvation in any other for there is none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be faved, 4 Acts 12. And if there be no other Name whereby Men must be faved, Infidelity muft

damn us.

Would fome Men in our days feriously confider this, they would not think themselves fo fecure in their Infidelity, nor take so much pains to make themselves Infidels: For if after all their pains to disbelieve the Gospel, it fhould prove true at laft, they must be damned for dif believing it.

If Chrift came into the World to fave Sinners, and there is no other Name under Heaven whereby Sinners can be, faved; thofe who will not believe on his Name muft eternally perifh: As if there were but one Physician in

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the

the World, who could cure fuch a mortal Diftemper, thofe who labour under this Diftemper, and will not go to this Physician for their Cure, muft neceffarily die by their neglect; their Infidelity in that cafe would kill them [what reafons foever they could pretend for their Infidelity] by neglecting the only means of their Recovery.

But befides this, Infidelity is a very great Crime, when we have fufficient Reafons and Motives of Faith: For this deftroys all Commerce and Intercourfe (if I may fo fpeak) between GOD and Men. If Men may be allowed to disbelieve a Revelation which has all the Evidence and Proof that any Revelation can have, it makes it impoffible for God to reveal his Will to the World; at leaft to give us fuch a ftanding Revelation as may be a certain Rule of Faith to all Ages.

And befides this, Infidelity is not owing to want of Evidence, but to an evil Temper of Mind, which is prepoffeffed with fuch vicious Lufts and Paffions, as will not fuffer Men to believe; thus our Saviour tells us, That men love darkness rather than light, becaufe their deeds are evil: And tells the Pharifees, How can ye believe, who receive bonour one of another, and feek not that honour which cometh of God? So that Infidelity is more in Mens Wills than in their Underftandings, and therefore is as punishable as any other Vice: And though fuch Infidels will pretend to Reafon for their Infidelity, and defpife and laugh at the eafie Credulity of the reft of the World; they may have a great force and byafs upon their Understandings for

all

all that, and would they be honeft and fincere, they themselves must be fenfible of it: However, God who fees their hearts, fees that it is fo; and it is reafon enough to By-standers to fufpect it is fo, when they obferve, that the more vertuously Men are inclin'd, the more readily they embrace the Gofpel, and the more firmly they believe it; whereas Infidels commonly make little pretence to Sobriety or Vertue, but are Men of this World, who defign no more than to please themselves in the Enjoyment of it; and when Mens understandings in other Matters are equally good, it is very reasonably fufpicious, that it is only their different Inclinations and Paffions, which make them judge fo differently of things.

If this be the Cafe, as our Saviour affures us it is, and as our own Reason, and our Obfervation of Mankind, may give us fufficient cause to fufpect, all Men muft grant, that it is as fit Men fhould be judged for their Infidelity, as for any other Vice: And this is reafon enough to make Men afraid of Infidelity: For if they may be damned for being Infidels, they have no reason to be fecure in their Infidelity.

Infidels themselves must confess, that if there be fufficient reason to believe the Gospel, they deferve to be punished for their Unbelief: And if it should prove true at laft, it will be too late to difpute it in the other World, whether God had given them fufficient Evidence of it. The great Number of Believers, who were as wife and cautious Men as themselves, will convince them, that there was Evidence enough for wife thinking Men to believe the Gofpel; And when they fhall be ashamed to plead want

of