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ral fyftem, under the name of heat, want of temper, fire, fury &c. They add moreover, that articles of faith are things merely speculative; and that it is of little fignification what a man believes, if he is but hearty and fincere in it: that is, in other words, it is a mere trifle whether we feed upon bread* poison +; the one will prove to be as good nourishment as the other; provided it be eaten with an appetite. Yet fome well meaning people are fo puzzled and deceived by this fophiftry, that they look upon concord among Chriftians as a thing impracticable and defperate; concluding a point to be difputable because it is difputed; and fo they fall into a loose indifferent humour of palliating and thinking charitably, as it is called, of every error in faith and in practice; as if the Church of Chrift might very innocently be turned into a Babel of confufion.

See and compare Deut. VIII. 3. Amos VIII. 11. Acts

XX. 28.

Jam. III. 8. 1 Tim. IV. 1.

Now

Now that men do maintain opinions ftrangely different from one another, especially on fubjects wherein it most concerns them to be agreed, is readily confeffed: we are all witneffes of it: and, allowing them to be equally informed, there are but three poffible fources from whence this difference can arife. It must be either from God, or from the fcripture, or from themselves. From God it cannot be, for it is a great evil; it is the triumph of Deifts and reprobates, and the best handle the enemies of Christianity ever found against it: and God is not the author of evil. Nor can it be from the scripture: to draw it thence, is but another way of imputing it to God. The fcripture is his word; and he is answerable for the effect of his words when written or reported, as when they are fuggefted at firft hand by the voice of his Holy Spirit. It remains therefore, that the only fource of this evil must be the heart of man and that it really is fo, will be evident from the fcripture, and

the

*

the plaineft matters of fact. The account we have of this affair is, in fhort, as follows Ever fince the fall, the nature of man has been blind and corrupt; his understanding darken ed, and his affections polluted: upon the face of the whole earth there is no man, few or Gentile, that underftandeth and feeketh after God; the natural man, or man remaining in that ftate wherein the fall left him, is fo far from being able to discover or know any religious truth, that he hates and flies from it when it is proposed to him; he receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. Man is natural and earthly; the things of God are fpiritual and heavenly; and these are contrary one to the other: therefore as the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, fo the wisdom of God is foolishness with the world. In a word, the fenfe man is now poffeffed of, where God does not reftrain it, is used for

a Eph. IV. 18. a Ibid. III. 19.

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evil and not for good: his wifdom is earthly, fenfual +, devilish; it is the fagacity of a brute, animated by the malignity of an evil Spirit.

This being the present state of man, the Scripture does therefore declare it neceffary, that he should be transformed by the renewing of his mind, and restored to that found mind and light of the understanding, that fpiritual difcernment, with which the human nature was endued when it came from the hands of God, but to which it has been dead from the day that evil was brought into the world. And where the grace of God that should open the Eyes, and prepare the heart to receive inftruction 3, has been obftinately withstood and refifted; this blindness, which at first was only natural, becomes judicial; from being a defect, it is confirmed into a judgment; and men are not only unable to discern the truth, but are fet

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tled and riveted in error: which is the cafe with all those to whom God fends Strong delufion that they should believe a lie, and have pleasure in unrighteousness. It is then they fit down in the feat of the Scornfull, as fools that make a mock at fin, and defpifers of thofe that are good; hating and railing at their fellow creatures, only because they are endued with the fear of God! This is the last stage of blindnefs and it is referred to in those words of the Apostle If our Gospel

be hid, it is hid to them that are loft': as alfo in that lamentation of our bleff

ed Lord over the City of Jerufalem If thou hadst known, even thou, at leaft in this thy day, the things that belong to thy peace! but now they are hid from thine Eyes.

The abfolute neceffity of Gods grace to lighten our darkness, has often been largely and faithfully infifted upon by the writers and preachers of the Church

a 2 Theff. II. 11. d 2 Cor. IV. 3.

b Prov. XIV.9. e Luke XIX. 42.

c 2 Tim. III. 3.

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