gree

standing? No; but he may and will condemn you for the wrong conduct of your understanding. It is not indeed in your power to believe whatever you please, whether credible or incredible; but it is in your power to confider thoroughly, whether a fuppofed incredibility be real or only apparent. It is in your power to bestow a greater or lefs deof attention on the evidence before you. It is in your power to examine it with an earneft defire to find out the truth, and a firm refolution to embrace it wherever you do find it; or on the contrary, to bring with you a heart full of incorrigible depravity, or invincible prepoffeffions. Have you then truly and honestly done every thing that is confeffedly in your power, towards forming a right judgement of Revelation? Have you ever laid before yourself in one view the whole collective evidence of Christianity: the confiftence, harmony, and connection, of all its various parts; the long chain of prophecies undeniably compleated in it; the afto

Eft on maître de croire, ou de ne pas croire ? Et ce un crime de n'avoir pas fu bien argumenter? Rouleau. com. 6. p. 305:

nishing

nishing and well-attefted miracles that attended it; the perfect sanctity of its author ; the purity of its precepts; the fublimity of its doctrines; the amazing rapidity of its progrefs; the illuftrious company of confeffors, faints, and martyrs, who died to confirm its truth; together with an infinite number of collateral proofs and subordinate circumstances, all concurring to form fuch a body of evidence, as no other truth in the world can fhew; fuch as muft neceffarily bear down, by its own weight and magnitude, all trivial objections to particular parts? Surely these things are not trifles; furely they at leaft demand seriousness and attention. Have you then done the Gospel this common piece of justice? Have you ever sat down to confider it with impartiality and candour; without any favourite vice or early prejudice, without any fondness for applause, or novelty, or refinement, to mislead you ? Have you examined it with the fame care and diligence, that you would examine a title to an estate ? Have you enquired for proper books? Have

you

read the defences of Revelation as well as the attacks upon it? Have you in difficult

points applied for the opinion of wife and learned friends; juft as you would confult the ableft lawyers when your property was concerned, or the moft fkilful phyficians when your life was at stake? If you can truly fay, that you have done all these things; if you have faithfully bestowed on these enquiries, all the leifure and abilities you are master of, and called in every help within your reach, there is little danger of any material doubts remaining upon your mind. But if after all there fhould, be not afraid; truft in God and be at peace; "if your own heart condemn

of

you not, then may you have confidence to"wards God *." You are in the hands of a gracious Mafter, who will not require more you than you are able to perform. To the modeft, the humble, the diligent, the virtuous enquirer; who labours after conviction, but cannot thoroughly arrive at it; who never attempts or wishes to infufe his fcruples into others; who earnestly strives, who fervently prays, for more light and strength; crying out with all the paffionate fincerity of an honeft heart," Lord, I believe, help thou

1 John iii. 21.

"" mine

"mine unbelief *;" to him every equitable allowance will undoubtedly be made, every inftance of compaffionate tenderness be shown. "For like as a father pitieth his own chil"dren, even fo is the Lord merciful to them "that fear him." But to them who neither fear nor regard him; to the bold unbelieving libertine, who is against the Gospel, because the Gospel is against him; to the man of pride and paradox, who burns to distinguish himself from the vulgar by the novelty of his opinions, and would difdain to follow the common herd of mankind, even though he knew they were leading him to Heaven; to the subtle minute philofopher, who refines away every dictate of common fenfe, and is loft in the dark profound of his own wretched fophiftry; to the buffoon, who laughs and takes pains to make all the world laugh at every thing ferious and facred; to the indolent, negligent, fuperficial, freethinker, who reads a little, takes for granted a great deal, and understands nothing thoroughly; to the man of pleasure and amusement, who treats all these things with a

giddy, wanton, contemptuous, levity; and thinks that the whole fabric of Revelation may be overturned, by a filly cavil, or a profane jeft, thrown out in the gay moments of convivial mirth: to these I fay, and all like thefe, the Almighty will one day most affuredly fhow, that his gracious offers of Salvation are not to be defpifed, and trampled upon, and ridiculed with impunity.

Confider then, you, who reject the Gospel (if any fuch be here) confider, I entreat you, on what grounds you reject it; and think a little seriously on these things once more in your lives, before you refolve never to think again. Look well into your own hearts and fee whether you are really, what perhaps you profefs to be, unbelievers on conviction, or whether you have taken up your infidelity, as fome do their faith, upon truft. It becomes not us to judge you uncharitably; but indeed it becomes you to examine yourselves very ftrictly. You may easily deceive the world; you may, if you please, deceive yourselves; but God you cannot deceive. He, to whom all hearts are open as the day, he knows whether you are confcientious and honeft doubters, or careless, prejudiced,