render good men useless to the world, it would certainly render bad men exceedingly pernicious to it. Despair is the height of madness; and were all bad men to be made mad and outrageous, it would perhaps be hard to find keepers to guard them, and to protect the rest of mankind from their fury. To live amongft men who knew themselves deftined to eternal mifery, what else would it be but living among the damned, and being expofed to all their malice and revenge, made ten times more malicious and revengeful by their despair? But if it can serve no good purpose to communicate to us this knowledge with refpect to ourfelves, and our own future ftate and condition, what purpose can it poffibly serve to give us this knowledge with respect to others, and their future condition? What is it to us to know the exact proportion between the good and bad, or to know how many or how few fhall finally miscarry? Would this knowledge alter our own condition in any refpect? Would it affect the terms of our obedience, or make it easier for us to work out our own falvation? If not, to what purpose is it defired? unless perhaps you fecretly imagine that God means not to execute his threatenings against finners, but will fave all at the laft; and you want to be let into this fecret, that you may fin without fear. If this be indeed your cafe, do you not fee that your curiofity is irreligious, and fprings from a corrupted heart, which wants to be freed from the fear of hell, only to enjoy the pleasure of fin? And can you still wonder why God does not gratify such a curiofity as this, and reveal the fecret mysteries of his provi dence, to encourage you in vice and immorality? It wants but little reflection in this cafe to see that the reason why this knowledge is defired, is a very good reason why it should not be granted. In general, it is very abfurd to expect that judg. ment should go before trial: and therefore, as this life is a state of trial, and is naturally to be followed by a day of judgment, it is unnatural to declare the final ftate of men before their trial is over; and with refpect to any judgment, but the judgment of God, it is impoffible; for no other juft judge can tell what his fentence will be before the trial is over. The scope which men give to their imaginations upon this fubject, when they leave their only fure guide, the word of God, is always dangerous, and oftentimes fatal to them. If you are contented to take God's word for the method he intends to purfue in the judging of the world, you will foon fee, that, in order to be happy, you must be good. If you want reftraint, the threatenings of God are terrible if you want comfort, the promises of the Gospel are the only proper cordial for penitent finners. Thus will you find yourself equally guarded against prefumption and despair, fo long as you follow the light of God's word. But if you indulge your own conceit, and imagine that God will be either better or worse to you than he has declared, you expose yourself to manifeft peril. If in the gaiety of your heart you imagine God means little by his threatenings, and made use of them only to deter men from vice, without ever intending a rigorous execution, it is very probable that you will take advantage of your own discovery, and abate as much in your own goodness, as you do in God's feverity. If you are of a colder conftitution, and more inclined to melancholic thoughts, your imagination will shew you God clothed only with terrors; and your heart, oppreffed with fear, will fink, and leave you no courage to go on with the duties of religion, from which your fears will fuffer you to have no hope or expectation. If you extend your thoughts farther, and lay fchemes for the general judgment of the world, it is well if this unneceffary concern for others does not prove prejudicial to yourself. If you confine the mercies of God to yourself and your own fect only, it is an opinion which not only afcribes great partiality to God, but it tends to introduce cruelty and inhumanity into the temper of every man fo perfuaded. We eafily come to think it a virtue to hate those whom God hates: and then the confequence is, that there must be a ftop to all intercourfe of good offices with all men, the few only excepted who think as we think. And thus, by paffing a rash judgment in a dark mysterious point, and which of all others does leaft concern us, we fhall extinguish the nobleft grace of the Gospel, the plaineft duty of a Chriftian, and which of all others does moft affect the peace and happiness of mankind. If, in honour to the mercy of God, you open the doors of heaven to men of all profeffions in the world, who live well according to the measure of light bestowed on them; though your opinion has in it much more humanity and more common sense than that before mentioned, yet, by thus dealing to all indifferently graces and mercies which are not in your difpofal, it is well if you do not hazard your own share. It is this opinion, if I am not deceived, that leads many into contempt of the Gofpel of Christ Jefus : for, when they think all religions equally good, and all men equally fecure who follow their religion, be it what it will, they raise unawares a queftion which they cannot answer, namely, To what purpose was the Gospel given ? For, if all men are equally fecure under all religions, what can be the advantage of one religion above another? When men are led into this inextricable maze, by setting up themselves for judges of the world, they know not where to fix: they lofe all regard to the best and pureft religion, by doing fuch profeffed and undeserved honour to the worst. You see then how useless, how dangerous a thing it is, to go out of our way to meddle with things fo far above us. If you would refolve to take care of one, that refolution would furnish you with fufficient employment: for, be your advantages ever fo great, yet all who have your advantages will not be faved; for of those who seek to enter, many will not be able; and many, of whom you little think, may perhaps go before you; for God has those whom he will own, in the east, and the west, and the north, and the fouth. Leave him to find out those whom he will honour, and look you to the point which is indeed your true, your only concern, the falvation of your own foul, and frive to enter in at the ftrait gate. |