the evidence which our Saviour offered to the Jews in vindication of himself and his doctrine, John vii. 18. He that speaketh of himself, feeketh his own glory: but he that Jeeketh his glory that fent him, the fame is true, and no unrighteousness is in him; as if he had faid, Hereby you may diftinguish one that really comes from God, from an impoftor: if any man feek his own glory, you may conclude that God hath not fent him, but, whatever he pretends, that he speaks of himself; but he who by his life, and the courfe of his actions demonftrates that he feeks the honour of God, and not any intereft and advantage of his own, the fame is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him; that is, no falfhood or defign to deceive (for fo the word dnia does fometimes fignify ;) you may conclude fuch an one to be no deceiver, or impoftor. And if any man fincerely de fires and endeavours to do the will of God, he may by fuch marks and characters as thefe, judge of any doctrine that pretends to be from God, whether it be fo or not. This is the first reafon; because he that fincerely defires and endeavours to do the will of God, hath the trueft notion of God, and of divine things.

2. Such 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. He that hath an honest mind, and fincerely endeavours to do the will of God, is not apt to be fwayed and biaffed by any intereft or luft: For his greatest interest is to please God, and he makes all his other interefts and concernments to ftoop and yield to that. But if a man be governed by any earthly intereft or defign, he will measure all things by that, and is not at liberty to entertain any thing that craffes it, and to judge equally of any doctrine that is oppofite to his intereft. This our Saviour gives for a reafon, why the great Rabbies and Teachers among the Jews did not believe and embrace his doctrine, John v. 44. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another? If men have any other defign in religion than to please God, and to advance his honour and glory in the

world

world, no wonder, if they be apt to reject the most divine truths, because these are calculated, not to approve us to men, but to God.

And as vain glory, and defire of the applaufe of men; fo likewife doth every other luft make a man partial in his judgment of things, and clap a falfe bias upon his understanding, which carries it off from truth, and makes it to lean towards that fide of the queftion which is most favourable to the intereft of his lufts. A vicious man is not willing to entertain thofe truths which would crofs and check him in his course: he hath made the truth his enemy; and therefore he thinks himself concerned to oppofe it, and rife up against it: the light of it offends him, and therefore he fhuts his eyes that he may not fee it. Those holy and pure doctrines, which are from God, reprove the lufts of men, and discover the deformity of them; and therefore no wonder, if bad men be fo hard to be reconciled to them. This account our Saviour likewife gives of the fierce enmity of the Jews to him, and his doctrine, John iii. 19, 20. Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil; for every one that hath done evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, left his deeds fhould be reproved.

The vicious inclinations of men are a dead weight upon their understandings, and able to draw down the fcales against the clearest truths: For though it be abfolutely in no man's power to believe, or to disbelieve what he will; yet mens lives have many times a great influence upon their understandings, to make affent eafy or difficult; and as we are forward to believe what we have a mind to, fo are we very backward and flow in yielding our affent to any thing that croffeth our inclinations. Men that allow themselves in ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, will not easily believe thofe doctrines which charge men fo ftrictly with all manner of holinefs, and purity.

This is the way which the devil hath always ufed to blind the eyes of men, that the light of the glori

ous gospel of Chrift might not shine into them. And certainly the most effectual way to keep men in infidelity, is to debauch them in their lives: therefore the Apoftle gives this as the reafon of the infidelity of men in the last times, 2 Theff. ii. 12. They believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousnefs. When men once abandon themselves to lewd and vicious practices, infidelity becomes their intereft, because they have no other way to defend and excufe a wicked life, but by denying the truth which op pofeth it, and finds fault with it.

That man only stands fair for the entertainment of truth, who is under the dominion of no vice, or luft; because he hath nothing to corrupt or bribe him, to feduce him, or draw him afide in his enquiry af ter truth; he hath no intereft but to find the truth, and follow it: he is enquiring after the way to hea ven and eternal happiness, and he hath the indifferency of a traveller which is not inclined to go this way rather than another; for his concernment is to find out the right way, and to walk in it: Such an indifferency of mind hath every good man who fincerely defires to do the will of God; he ftands ready to receive truth, when fufficient evidence is offered to convince him of it; because he hath no manner of concernment that the contrary propofition fhould be true. As in Mathematicks, a man is ready to give his affent to any propofition that is fufficiently demonftrated to him, because he hath no inclination or affection to one fide of the question more than to the other; all his defign and concernment is to find out the truth on which fide foever it lies; and he is like to find it, because he is fo indifferent and impartial. But if a man be biaffed, by any luft, and addicted to any vicious practice, he is then an interest. ed perfon, and concerned to be partial in his judg ment of things, and is under a great temptation to infidelity when the truths of God are proposed to him; because whatever the evidence for them be, he cannot but be unwilling to own the truth of that doctrine, which is fo contrary to his inclination and intereft. If the affections and interefts of men were

as

as deeply concerned, and as fenfibly touched in the truth of mathematical propofitions, as they are in the principles of morality and religion, we fhould find, that when a propofition ftood in their way, and lay crofs to their intereft, though it were never fo clearly demonftrated, yet they would raise a duft about it, and make a thousand cavils, and fence even against the evidence of a demonftration; they would palliate their error with all the skill and art they could, and though the abfurdity of it was never fo great and palpable, yet they would hold it faft against all fenfe and reafon, and face down mankind in the obftinate defence of it. For we have no reason to doubt but that they who, in matters of religion, will believe directly contrary to what they fee, would, if they had the fame interests and paffions to fway them in the cafe, believe contrary to the cleareft mathematical demonftration; for where there is an obstinate refolution not to be convinced, all the reason and evidence in the world fignifies nothing.

Whereas he that is biaffed by no paffion or interest, but hath an honeft mind, and is fincerely defirous to do the will of God, fo far as he knows it, is Hikely to judge very impartially concerning any doctrines that are proposed to him: For if there be not good evidence that they are from God, he hath no reafon to deceive himself, in giving credit to them; and if there be good evidence that they are divine, he hath no intereft or inclination to reject them; for it being his great defign to do the will of God, he is glad of all opportunities to come to the knowledge ef it, that he may do it.

Thus you fee how a fincere defire and endeavour to obey the will of God, does fecure men against fatal errors and mistakes in matters of religion; becaufe fuch perfons are hereby better difpofed to make a right judgment of divine things, both because they kave truer and furer notions of God and religion, and are more impartial in their fearch and enquiry after truth. This is the firft account.

II. Another reafon why they who fincerely defire to do the will of God, have a great fecurity in dif

cerning

cerning truth from error, is, because the providence of God is more especially concerned to preferve fuch perfons from dangerous errors and mistakes in things which concern their eternal falvation. When men are of a teachable temper, God loves to reveal himfelf and his truth to them; and fuch is an humble and obedient frame of mind, Pfal. xxv. 9. The meek will he guide in judgment; the meek will he teach his way. The proper difpofition of a fcholar, 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 you know these things (fays our bleffed Lord) happy are ye if ye do them. It is neceffary to know the will of God; becaufe we are happy only 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 mittaken about it, in any neceffary points of faith and practice.

St. Paul is a wonderful inftance of the goodness of God in this kind. He was undoubtedly a man of a very honeft mind; he had entertained the Jewish religion, as revealed by God, and been bred in it; and, out of a blind reverence and belief of his teachers, who rejected Chrift and his doctrine, he likewife oppofed and perfecuted them with a mighty zeal and an honeft intention, being verily perfuaded (as he himself tells us) that he ought to do what he did, against the name of Jefus of Nazareth; he was under a great prejudice upon account of his education, and according to the heat of his natural temper, transported with great paffion but because he did what he did, ignorantly, and in unbelief, God was pleafed to fhew mercy to him, and, in a miraculous manner, to convince him of the truth of that religion which he perfecuted. He was fincerely defirous to do the will of God, and therefore God would rather work a miracle for his VOL. V. C

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