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things, as practice and experience. Every good man is in fome degree partaker of a divine nature, and feels that in himfelf which he conceives to be in God: fo that this man does experience what others do but talk of; he fees the image of God in himself, and is able to difcourfe of him from an inward fenfe and feeling of his excellency and perfections.

And as for revealed religion, the only defign of that is, to revive and improve the natural notions which we have of God; and all our reasonings about divine revelation, are neceffarily gathered by our natural notions of religion: and therefore he that fincerely endeavours to do the will of God, is not apt to be im pofed upon by the vain and confident pretences of divine revelation; but if any doctrine be propofed to him, which pretends to come from God, he measures it by those steady and fure notions which he hath of the divine nature and perfections, and by those he will eafily difcern whether it be worthy of God, or not, and likely to proceed from him: he will confider the nature and tendency of it, and whether it be (as the Apoltle expreffes it) a doctrine according to godliness, fuch as is agreeable to the divine nature and perfections, and tends to make us like to God: if it be not, though an angel from heaven fhould bring it, he will not receive it: if it be, he will not reject it upon every idle pretence, and frivolous exception that prejudiced and ill-minded men may make against it; but after he is fatisfied of the reafonableness and purity of the doctrine, he will accept of fuch evidence and confirmation of it, as is fit for God to give to his own revelations; and if the perfon that brings it, hath an atteftation of miracles, (which is neceffary in cafe it be a new doctrine), and if he carry on no earthly intereft and defign by it, but does by his life and actions make it evident that he aims at the glory of God, and the good of men ; in this cafe a good man, whofe mind is free from paffion and prejudice, will eafily affent, that this man's doctrine is of God, and that he does not speak of bimfelf. This was the evidence which our Saviour offered

offered to the Jews in vindication of himself and his doctrine, John vii. 18. He that fpeaketh of himself, feeketh his own glory: but he that feeketh his glory. that fent him, the fame is true, and no unrighteoufnefs is in him; as if he had faid, Hereby you may diftinguifh 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 course of his actions, demonstrates that he feeks the honour of God, and not any interest and advantage of his own, the fame is true, and there is no unrighteoufnefs in him that is, no falfehood or defign to deceive, (for fo the word ásıxía does fometimes fignify); you may conclude fuch an one to be no deceiver or impoftor. And if any man fincerely defires and endeavours to do the will of God, he may by fuch marks and characters as these, 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.

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2. Such a perfon is more impartial in his fearch and inquiry 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 croffes it, and to judge equally of any doctrine that is oppofite to his interest. 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 bonour one of another? If men have any other defign in religion, than to pleafe 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.

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And as vainglory, and defire of the applaufe of fo likewife doth every other lust make a man partial in his judgement 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 question which is most favourable to the interest of his lufts. A vicious man is not willing to entertain thofe truths which would croís and check him in his courfe : he hath made the truth his enemy; and therefore he thinks himself concerned to oppose it, and rife up against it. The light of it offends him, and therefore he fhuts his eyes that he may not fee it. Thofe 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 doth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, left his deeds fhould be reproved.in

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 difbelieve 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 themfelves in ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, will not easily believe those doctrines which charge men so strictly with all manner of holiness and purity.

This is the way which the devil hath always ufed to blind the eyes of men, that the light of the glorious gofpel of Chrift might not shine into them. And cer

tainly the most effectual way to keep men in infidelity, is to debauch them in their lives: therefore the Apostle 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 pleafure in unrightoufnefs. When men once abandon themfelves to lewd and vicious practices, infidelity becomes their intereft, because they have no other way to defend and excuse a wicked life, but by denying the truth which opposeth it, and finds fault with it.

That man only ftands 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 inquiry after truth: he hath no interest but to find the truth, and follow it he is inquiring after the way to heaven 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 mathematics, 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 interested person, and concerned to be partial in his judgement 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 deeply concerned,

cerned, 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 cross to their intereft, though it were never fo clearly demonstrated, 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 fkill and art they could; and though the abfurdity of it was never fo great and palpable, yet they would hold it fast against all fenfe and reason, and face down mankind in the obftinate defence of it. For we have no reafon 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 demonstration; for where there is an obftinate refolution not to be convinced, all the reafon and evidence in the world fignifies nothing.

Whereas he that is biaffed by no paffion or intereft, but hath an honest mind, and is fincerely defirous to do the will of God, fo far as he knows it, is likely to judge very impartially concerning any doctrines that are propofed to him: for if there be not good evidence that they are from God, he hath no reason to deceive himself, in giving credit to them; and if there be good evidence that they are divine, he hath no interest 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 of 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 difposed to make a right judgement of divine things, both because they have truer and furer notions of God and religion, and are more impartial in their fearch and inquiry after truth. This is the firft account.

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

cerning

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