if a man takes care to obferve what he does underftand, his mistakes may not be dangerous: but if he forms to himself a liberty from the obfcure places, inconfiftent with the plain intelligible laws of the Gospel, and acts accordingly; those plain laws, which should have been his rule, will be his condemnation.

But plain places are not equally plain to all capacities; and therefore even in this there may be a latitude; a latitude which we cannot determine, but which God, who is to be the judge, both can and will: and the great difficulty which men make to themselves in this case, seems to me to arise from a misapprehenfion of the judgment of God. Among men all are judged by the fame rule, one law comprehends all, and is of the fame interpretation and extent in all cafes. That it is fo, is the effect of human weakness; for in truth and equity, if we could come at them, no two cafes are perhaps exactly alike, or equally fubject to the fame rule: but men cannot allow for the different capacities and circumftances of men, which they cannot judge of; and therefore all who are esteemed to have reafon enough to govern themselves, are concluded under one law; and only children, ideots, and madmen are excepted cafes. Though in truth the degrees by which men approach to madness, or folly, could they be limited, which they cannot, would deferve a diftinct confideration.

Now, if you conceive the judgment of God to be like the judgment of man, and that all fhall be tried by one and the same rule; no wonder you

afk, how ignorant men fhall come to the knowledge of their duty under the present doubts and difficulties which cloud religion.

But the truth is this; God, who gave all men one law, gave every man that share of reason which he enjoys fools are capable of receiving no law; and no man is farther capable than in proportion to the degree of reason which God has given him : and confequently, in truth and equity, the law is no farther a law to him, than his reafon is capable of receiving it. And fince reafon comes as much from God, as the law itself; it is wrong to imagine that the true sense of the law is the only and the fingle rule by which God will judge: fince it is evident in equity and juftice, that the fentence on every man muft arise from the complex confideration of the law that was before him, and the degree of reafon which he had to apply it.

This great difficulty therefore, I beseech you, truft with God; and doubt not but that the righteous Judge of the world will do righteously.

DISCOURSE XVI.

EPHESIANS ii. 18.

For through him we both have an access by one Spirit unto the Father.

THESE words, rightly understood, will give us a diftinct conception of the nature of the Chriftian religion, as it ftands diftinguished from all others, whether natural, or pretending to revelation. All religions pretend to give access to God, by inftructing men in what manner to approach him by prayer and fupplication: how to please him, and obtain his favour and protection, by fuch works as each religion accounts to be holy and acceptable to God: and how to reconcile ourselves to him, after having offended him by our tranfgreffions, through forrow and repentance, or fuch other means as have been devised and inftituted as effectual to this end. But the access to God, which the Gospel opens to us, is to be had only under the guidance and direction of God's holy Spirit, and in the name, and through the mediation, of God's own Son. This accefs is the only one which the Chriftian religion knows any thing of; for we cannot come to God, but by

his holy Spirit, and through his Son: and this is what no other religion does or can pretend to.

The end of all religion is manifeftly this, to please God by ferving him according to his will, in order to obtain of him happiness in this world and in the next for the belief that God is the governor of the world, and the giver of every good thing, is the foundation of all the religious worship and honour which are paid to him. All religions being thus far the fame, they differ when they come to prescribe the method, and to appoint the proper means by which God is to be served and applied to.

Two things there are, which muft neceffarily be regarded in the choice and appointment of these means; the holiness and majefty of God, and the nature and condition of man: for unless the means prescribed are fuch as are fuitable to the holiness and majefty of God, he can never be pleased by them; for whatever is contrary to his holiness, or injurious to his majesty, must ever be an abomination to him. On the other hand, the means of religion muft likewise be adapted to the use of man, muft be such as he can practise, and fuch as, his present condition confidered, will enable him to ferve God acceptably; for without this, how proper foever the means may be in themselves, yet they can be of no use or service to him.

If we examine all the schemes of religion which either prevail in those parts of the world where the Gospel is unknown, or which are fet up in oppofition to the Gospel where it is known, we shall find that they split upon one or other of thefe rocks. The Gentile religion is inconfiftent with the holi