nevolent Messias accepted them according to their circumstances and means of knowledge. Who, then, can suppose that he will condemn the unconverted nations for not calling on his name?" How should they believe in Him of whom they have not heard ?"

It should be remembered that Christianity, as a Revelation, was not fully made known during the life of Christ, though as a Dispensation it must then have existed in all its force. Hence it is, that, even in our Lord's Sermon on the Mount, the peculiar doctrines of the Gospel are not inculcated. But this is an evidence, that the knowledge of such doctrines, however important to us, cannot be indispensable to the salvation of those to whom they are not yet revealed.

SECTION LVIII.

Chorazin and Bethsaida.

THROUGHOUT the whole of this argument, we have been contending for the principle, "that every man shall be rewarded according to that which he hath ;" and here this principle is proclaimed by Jesus, as that by which every one shall be tried at the day of judgment. "Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! &c. I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah at the day of judgment, than for thee." Matt. xi. 21-24.

It is worthy of remark, that Jesus advances this principle on the same hypothesis as that which pervades this whole argument for the salvability of the Heathen :—“ If the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done," &c.; that is, if the Gospel had been preached, and my miracles had been performed, at Tyre or Sidon, they would have repented, &c.

Hence, it is plain, the punishment which

was inflicted on those Heathen cities, was inflicted not on account of their ignorance of the Gospel (for this only helped to extenuate their guilt), but on account of the positive sins which they committed against the clear light of their own consciences. See John iii. 19. Apply this reasoning to the Pagans at large, and you will perceive that, the whole of our conclusion is deducible from this assertion of Jesus.

But should any follower of Augustine dwell on the word tolerable, and contend that some degree of punishment shall still be inflicted on all the Heathen, then, it remains for him to show, that they have all been equally guilty with the inhabitants of Sodom, and that they have had equal means of repentance afforded them.

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But the truth is, that it is in vain to argue with those who adduce even the virtues of Pagans only as splendid sins." To others, it may be sufficient to hint, that these enquiries have not led to any presumptuous examination concerning the number of the Heathen who shall be saved, but merely concerning the possibility of salvation as

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relative to all. In a word, we oppose the position of the Calvinists, as laid down. by Dr. Gill: Redemption, if for all, must be useless to those who never were favoured with the means of grace, as all the nations of the world, excepting Israel, for many hundred years, were; and since the coming of Christ, though the Gospel has, in all ages, had a greater spread, yet, not preached to all, nor is it now to many nations, who have never heard of Christ and of Redemption by him." Body of Divinity, p. 334. To perceive how closely this reasoning is connected with the denial of Heathen salvability, we need only adduce the Calvinistic sentiments of Bishop Davenant : Quis nescit inter Philosophos, Socratem, Platonem, Xenocratem, inter Romanos, Fabricium, Scipionem, Catonem, lumine naturæ, præ cæteris hominibus, bene usos fuisse; nemo tamen horum Evangelicæ gratiæ idcircò particeps evasit. Non ergò in meliore aut pejore usu luminis naturalis quærenda est causa, &c. sed in Dei vocantis, aut non vocantis, beneplacito. De Morte Christi, p. 190. Edit. Cant. 1683.

SECTION LIX.

The unpardonable Sin.

"I SAY unto you, all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, &c.; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven." Mark iii. 28. Luke xii. 10.

Much has been written on this mysterious subject; but it would be foreign to our argument to enter into any account of the various opinions of commentators concerning it. It is sufficient to observe, that as the Heathen are by their situation rendered utterly incapable of contracting such guilt, so they incur no such tremendous danger. All their sins may be forgiven; and, inasmuch as they have been sins of mere ignorance, they will be forgiven; and this, on account of that all-sufficient atonement, which hath been provided for the sins of the whole world.

It is curious to observe, that even Augustine and his followers contend only for a mitigated punishment, with regard to the