apparently of little importance, if delivered on his authority, ought ever to command our respect, and may have confequences at. tending them, of which we are not aware. And we know not what we do, when we presume to reject any thing which he hath taught, or difregard any thing which he hath commanded: only this we know, that in both inftances, he that wilfully infringes a part of the law, is confidered as a tranfgreffor of the whole; and forfeits his. title to all the benefits of the chriftian dif penfation. But are no allowances to be made for human frailty and the practice of the world and must we entirely resign all power of judging for ourselves?

FOR frailty, moft undoubtedly, much allowance will be made, otherwise what will become of the best of men? But not for wilful tranfgreffion perfifted in without penitence and amendment: nor indeed have

we

we any reason to expect allowance for fuch frailties as we do not fincerely endeavor to overcome whenever we are fenfible of them. For it is our duty and our happiness, to make the improvement of our nature in all its parts, the leading object of our lives. All fins which we repent of and forfake, and all failings, which as far as we know them, we pray against and faithfully strive to fubdue, the gofpel affures us, that for the merits of Chrifts death, God will not remember to our condemnation: but if the wilful obftinate perfevering offender, i. e. the rejecter of his Maker's defign to render him happy, could finally efcape; what dif honour would this reflect on the justice and fovereignty of God. Happy would it be for those perfons, who feek to obtain the rewards of duty, in other ways than those which he has pointed out; if they would confider this, and conform with reverence to the declarations of him, who is truth itself,

itself, and in whofe purposes there is no variablenefs, nor fhadow of turning!

WHERE the practice of the world does not interfere with God's commands, it is the part of a truly wife and good man to pay it due attention; but where it does, there can be no doubt whether we ought to obey God or man: and holy fcripture frongly cautions us against following a multitude to do evil. Unneceffary fingularity is no part of a chriftian's character; nay, he makes it a point of duty, to conform to other men as far as he innocently and fafely can, that he may, with a better grace, and confequently with greater influence of example, differ where he finds it neceffary.

As to the liberty of judging for ourselves, that is by no means defigned to be taken away or even restrained by the gospel, ex

cept

dition and circumftances of man, exalting his nature, and conducting him to happiness both in this world and the next: and lastly, befides the extraordinary fate of its chief oppofers the Jews, and their uncommon difperfion and fingular difcrimination among all the nations of the earth for more than one thousand seven hundred years; the propagation of this religion in almost every country, tho' in direct contradiction to the most favorite opinions and practices of mankind; and tho' preached at first by a few perfons poor and illiterate, and chofen from the lowest occupations, and strenuously oppofed by all the power, wealth and learning of the world.

ALL these things fairly confidered, and they are within the comprehenfion of the most uncultivated minds, cannot fail of producing the fulleft conviction: for the objections which from time to time have been made to the nature or circumstances

of

of the evidence are fuch, as, if admitted, would involve all our knowledge in doubt, and render the world one continued scene of confufion: thofe which have been made either to the whole difpenfation or to fome of its parts, are fuch as were to be expected, from the nature of man and the fubject of the dispensation; man being a free agent and capable of error, and the gospel treating of the nature of God and of his univerfal scheme of providence. Befides this, the pride and vanity of mens' minds, and the corruption of their hearts continually prompt them to tranfgrefs fuch pure and holy laws, and render them unwilling to confefs their ignorance and guilt.

THAT fuch things would happen, the all wife author of the christian religion forefaw, and very precisely foretold in feveral parts of the new teftament: their happening therefore in conformity with his predictions, N 2 muft