converfion, than fuffer him to go on in fo fatal a mistake concerning the Chriftian religion.

And as the providence of God doth concern itself to fecure good men from dangerous errors and miftakes in matters of religion; fo, by a juft judgment, he gives up thofe who allow themfelves in vicious practices, to error and infidelity. And this is the meaning of that paffage of the Prophet Ifa. vi. 10. fo often cited by our Saviour, and applied to the Jews, of making the heart of that people fat, and their ears heavy, and closing their eyes, left they should understand and be converted. So again, Ifa. lxvi. 3, 4. God threatens the people of Ifrael, that because they were wicked and abominable in their lives, he would abandon them, and give them over to a fpirit of delufion; they have chofen their own ways, and their foul delighteth in their abominations; I alfo will choose their delufions. God is faid to choose those things for us, which he permits us to fall into: So Rom. i. 28. God is faid to give over the abominable heathen to a reprobate mind. As they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over eis á fóRimov 105v. to an injudicious and undifcerning mind. When men abandon themselves to wickednefs and impiety, God withdraws his grace from them; and by his fecret and juft judgment they are deprived of the faculty of difcerning between truth and error, between good evil, 2 Theff. ii. 10, 11, 12. it is faid, that the man of fin fhould come with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be faved: And that for this caufe, God would fend them frong delufion, that they should believe a lie; that they might all be damned, who bilieved not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteoufness. And it is juft with God, that men of vicious inclinations and practices fhould be expofed to the cheat of the groffeft and vileft impoftures. God's providence is concerned for men of honest minds, and fincere intentions: But if men take pleasure in unrighteousness, God takes no further care of them, but delivers them up to their own hearts lufts, to

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be feduced into all thofe errors, into which their own vain imaginations, and foolish hearts are apt to lead them.

Thus have I endeavoured, as briefly as I could, to fhew that an honeft mind, that fincerely defires and endeavours to do the will of God, is the best fecurity against fatal errors and mistakes in matters of religion; both because it difpofeth a man to make a true judgment of divine things, and because the providence of God is more especially concerned for the fecurity of fuch perfons.

There remains an objection to be answered, to which this difcourfe may feem liable; but this together with the inferences which may be made from this difcourfe, I fhall refer to another opportunity.

SERM ON LXXXVIII.

Honesty the best preservative against dangerous mistakes in religion.

JOHN Vii. 17.

If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doEtrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

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The fecond fermon on this text.

Made entrance into these words the last day; in which our Saviour declares to us, that an honeft and fincere mind, and an hearty defire and endeavour to do the will of God, is the best fecurity and prefervative against dangerous errors and miftakes in matters of religion; ἐάν τις θέλῃ ποιῶν, if any man defire to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

Now there are (I told you) two great mistakes in religion; To reject any thing which really is from

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God; and to receive and entertain any thing as from God, which is not really from him. And therefore I propofed from this text to fhew how a fincere defire and endeavour to do the will of God, is a fecurity to men against both thefe dangers, namely, upon thefe two accounts.

First, Because he who fincerely defires and endeavours to do the will of God, is hereby better qualified and difpofed to make a right judgment of spiritual and divine things; and that for these two reafons:

1. Becaufe fuch a perfon hath a truer notion of God and divine things. He that refembleth God moft, is like to understand him beft, because he finds those perfections, in fome meafure, in himself, which he contemplates in the divine nature; and nothing gives a man fo fure a notion of things, as practice and experience.

II. Becaufe fuch a perfon is more impartial in his fearch and enquiry after truth, and therefore more likely to find it, and to difcern it from error. That man only ftands fair for the entertainment of truth, who is under the power and dominion of no vice or luft, because he hath nothing to corrupt or bribe him, to feduce and draw him afide in his enqui ry after truth: He hath no manner of concernment that the contrary propofition fhould be true, having the indifferency of a traveller, and no other intereft, but to find out the right way to heaven, and to walk in it. But if a man be biaffed by any luft, and addicted to any vicious practice, he is then an interested perfon, and concerned to make a partial judgment of things, and is under a great temptation to infidelity, when the truths of God are propo-fed to him; because, whatever the evidence for them. be, he cannot but be unwilling to own the truths of thofe doctrines, which are fo contrary to his inclination and interest.

Secondly, Another reafon why they who fincerely defire to do the will of God, have a greater fecurity. in difcerning truth from error, is, because the providence of God is more efpecially concerned to

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ferve fuch perfons from dangerous errors and miftakes, in things which concern their eternal falvation. When men are of a teachable temper, of an humble and obedient frame of mind, God loves to reveal himself, and his truth to them, Pfal. xxv. 9. The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way. The proper difpofition of a scholar, is to be willing to learn; and that which in religion we are to learn, is, what is the good and acceptable will of God, that we may do it; for practice is the end of knowledge; if ye know these things (faith our Saviour) happy are ye if ye do them. It is neceffary to know the will of God; but we are only happy in the doing of it; and if any man be defirous to do the will of God, his goodness is fuch, that he will take effectual care to fecure fuch an one against dangerous and fatal errors. He that hath an

honeft mind, and would do the will of God, if he knew it, God will not fuffer him to remain ignorant of it, or to be mistaken about it, in any neceffary point of faith or practice. Thus far I have gone.

I fhall now proceed to remove an objection, to which this difcourfe may feem liable, and then draw fome inferences from the whole.

After all that hath been faid, fome perhaps may ask, Is every good man then fecure from all error and mistake in matters of religion? This is a mighty privilege indeed: But do not we find the contrary in experience? that an honest heart and a weak head, do often meet together?

For answer to this, I fhall lay down these following propofitions.

First, That if there were any neceffity, that a good man fhould be fecured from all manner of error and mistake in religion, this probity of mind, and fincere defire to do the will of God, is the best way to do it; becaufe fuch a temper and difpofition of mind gives a man the best advantages to difcern betwixt truth and error; and God is most likely to reveal his will to fuch perfons. But there is no neceffity of this, because a man may be a good man, and go to heaven, notwithstanding a great many mistakes in

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religion about things not neceffary. For while we are in this imperfect state, we know but in part, and fee many things very imperfectly: But when we fhall come into a more perfect ftate, that which is imperfeft fhall be done away; the light of glory fhall fcatter all thofe mifts and clouds, which are now up upon our understandings, and hinder us from a clear fight and judgment of things; we fhall then fee God, and other things as they are; and be freed from all that ignorance, and thofe many childish mistakes which we are liable to here below; and till then, it is not neceffary that we fhould be fecured from them. Humility, under a fenfe of our ignorance, is better for us, than infallibility would be.

Secondly, This temper and difpofition of mind which I have been fpeaking of, is a certain fecurity against fatal mistakes in religion, and a final continuance in fuch errors as would prove damnable; and this is all that this difcourfe pretends to, or our Saviour hath promifed in this text. And confidering the goodnefs of God, nothing is more improbable, than that an honest mind that feeks impartially after truth, fhould mifs of it, in things that are fundamen tally neceffary to falvation. And if we could fup. pofe fuch a man to fall into fuch an error, either it would not be fundamental to him, having not been, perhaps, propofed to him with fufficient evidence, and would be forgiven him upon a general repentance for all fins and errors known, or unknown; or he would not be permitted to continue in it; but the providence of God would find out fome way or other to convince him of his error, and to bring him to the acknowledgment of the truth, that he might be faved. God would rather fpeak to him immediately from heaven, (as he did to St. Paul) than fuffer him to continue in fuch an error as would infallibly carry him to hell,

Thirdly, There is no fuch depth of judgment, and fubtilty of wit required to difcern between grofs and damnable errors in religion, and neceflary and faving truth, but that an ordinary capacity may be able to do it. There is fo plain a line drawn be

tween