apparently of little importance, if delivered on his authority, ought ever to command our refpect, and may have confequences at. tending them, of which we are not aware. And we know not what we do, when we prefume 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 refign all power of judging for ourselves?

:

FOR frailty, moft undoubtedly, much allowance will be made, otherwife 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 reafon 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 subdue, the gospel 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 thofe 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 reftrained by the gospel, ex

cept

must be confidered as a confirmation of his authority but admitting the force of all this, and fuppofing these things to be true, how and on what evidence, it may be asked, fhall we be convinced that they are fo? Some of them are established facts open and apparent to every eye: and our belief of the others we may fairly reft on the authority of the holy fcriptures, which the following, amidft other arguments, fix on the most folid grounds of credibility.

If the holy fcriptures were written at the time and by the perfons they are asserted to have been, as the writers had the fulleft opportunity of knowing the reality of the facts which they record, and those of the new teftament especially were under no imaginable temptation to publish them, nay had every inducement to conceal them, if they had not thought them true; we cannot confiftently with our manner of ac

ting in all other ferious concerns avoid acquiefcing in their teftimony. And that they were fo written, is evinced by our enemies the Jews, who maintain the authority of one part of them, which is also confirmed by, and strengthens the credibility of the other. They are indeed fupported by all the evidence that can establish the credit of any writings, and abundantly more than any other, which are univerfally received, and whofe authenticity has never been queftioned. They were no fooner written, than copies of them were taken and difperfed throughout the feveral churches, and they were quoted and appealed to in the various controverfies which arofe in the early times of chriftianity both with friends and foes. It may be observed also, that not a few of the facts which they contain are fupported by the concurrent teftimony of heathen authors. And if any of them had been false, there were not wanting enemies, N 3

who