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 be guide in judgement; 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 thefe things, (fays our bleffed Lord), hapby are ye if ye do them. It is neceflary to know the will of God; but 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 mistaken about it, in any neceffary points of faith or 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, tranfported with great paffion: but becaufe he did what he did, ignorantly and in unbelief, God was pleased 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 converfion, than fuffer him to VOL. V. C go go on in fo fatal a mistake concernining 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 judgement, he gives up those who allow themselves 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 underftand 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 chufe their delufions. God is faid to chufe those things for us, which he permits to us to fall into: fo 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 éis ådóximov vovv, to an injudicious and undifcerning mind. When men abandon themfelves to wickedness and impiety, God withdraws his grace from them; and by his fecret and juft judgement, they are deprived of the faculty of difcerning between truth and error, between good and evil, 2 Theff. ii. 10. 11. 12. it is faid, that the man of fin fhould come with all deceivableness of unrighteoufnefs 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 strong delufion, that they should believe a lie; that they might all be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleafure in unrighteoufnefs. 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 honeft minds, and fincere intentions: but if men take pleafure in unrighteoufnefs, God takes no further care of them, but delivers them up to their own hearts lufts, to 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 beft fecurity against fatal errors and mistakes in matters of religion; both because it difpofeth a man to make atrue judgement of divine things, and because the providence of God is more efpecially concerned for the fecurity of fuch perfons. There remains an objection to be answered, to which this difcourfe may feem liable; but this toge ther with the inferences which may be made from this difcourfe, I fhall refer to another opportunity. MON SER M LXXXVIII. Honesty the best prefervative against dangerous mistakes in religion: JOHN vii. 17. If any man will do his will, he fhall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of nyfelf I The fecond fermon on this text. Made entrance into thefe words the laft day; in which our Saviour declares to us, than an honest and fincere mind, and an hearty defire and endeavour to do the will of God, is the belt fecurity and prefervative against dangerous errors and mistakes in matters of religion: ar Tis you, 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 God; C. 2 and and to receive and entertain any thing as from God, which is not really from him. And therefore I proprofed from this text to fhew, how a fincere defire and endeavour to do the will of God, is a fecurity to men against both these dangers, namely, upon these two accounts. First, Because he who fincerely defires and endeavours to do the will of God, is hereby better qualifred and difpofed to make a right judgement of fpiritual and divine things; and that for thefe two reafons: 1. Because fuch a perfon hath a truer notion of God and divine things. He that resembleth God moft, is like to understand him beft; because he finds those perfections in fome measure in himself, which he contemplates in the divine nature; and nothing gives a man fo fure a notion of things, as practice and experience. 2. Becaufe fuch 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. 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 seduce him, and draw him afide in his inquiry after truth: he hath no manner of concernment that the contrary propofition fhould be true, having the indifferency of a traveller, and no other interest, but to find out the right way to heaven, and to walk in it. But if a man be biaffed by any laft, and addicted to any vicións practice, he is then an interefted perfon, and concerned to make a partial 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 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, becaufe the providence of God is more especially concerned to pre 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 himfelf, and his truth to them, Pfal. xxv. 9. The meek will be guide in judgement, and the meek will be teach his way. The proper difpofition of a scholar is to be willing to learn; and that which inreligion 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 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 said, fome perhaps may afk, 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 honeft heart and a weak head do often meet together. For anfwer to this, I fhall lay down thefe following. propofitions. Firft, That if there were any neceffity that a good man should be secured 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 moft likely to reveal his will to fuch perfons. But there is no neceffity of this, becaufe a man may be a good man, and go to heaven, notwithstanding a great many mistakes in religion a C-3 bout |