Son of God. Now in order to determine the latitude of the word Accursed in the article, let us go to the fountain head, and examine whether the condemnation in the Gospel be so rigid as to extend to all persons whatever, who are not Christians. In the first place I presume it will be admitted, that the Scriptures were given solely for our instruction in matters of faith and practice, not to satisfy our curiosity upon points of speculation: now I conceive it to be matter of mere speculation, no ways affecting our interests, what shall be the fate of any other man in the next world; therefore we are to look for no information there, nor construe anything therein as a decision upon that point. But if this be not enough, let us turn back to the verse immediately preceding, where we may find that God sent not his Son into the world, to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

We learn from St. Paul, that God left not the heathen world without a witness of himself, having manifested his eternal Power and Godhead by the things that were seen, and that the Gentiles, not having the law, were a law unto themselves by means of that written in their hearts; but a law implies some benefit to be obtained by obedience thereto, nor have we any foundation to imagine, the Gentiles before Christ might not find acceptance with God. If then he sent not his Son to condemn the world, they could not be put into a worse condition than they were in before; and if he sent him to save the world, observe, the world is here used collectively, and since as I have shown in the Chapter on Divine Economy and elsewhere, there is a general interest of the species, and a progress of human nature towards perfection, faith in Christ may be necessary for the salvation of mankind, and yet not necessary for that of every particular person. Or should it be proved universally necessary, still those arguments deserve consideration which I have offered in the Chapter on Redemption, to show, that an opportunity may be given for embracing it in the next world to such as had none afforded them here.

Then if we go on to the next verse following, we shall see what are the grounds of censure, and who the persons incurring it. This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Here appears to be a voluntary choice made between darkness and light, by persons severally conscious of evil or good deeds; but the good deeds spoken of two verses below, as being manifested by the light, must be such as were performed before coming thereinto: therefore it is possible that persons not in the. light may do good works wrought in God, and consequently be good men accepted before him. Since then a criminal infidelity

must be a wilful rejection of the light because of evil deeds, we can never know a man's character, merely by his creed, even among persons who converse daily with Christians: for there are so many various ways of conception, so many absurdities and corruptions sometimes fastened upon our holy Religion by its professors, as may turn it into a darkness impenetrable by the most careful eye. Nor unless we could pry into the heart to discern all the motives operating there, can we safely pronounce upon any man, whether he refuses to come into the light, of free choice, or through misapprehension and invincible ignorance.

It is necessary for our own security to judge upon actions and sentiments, that we may know how to take our measures properly, and what degree of vigilance to apply for, avoiding such as would be poisonous to us, in proportion to their degree of virulence. But there are wide differences as well in the mental as bodily constitutions of men; and as poisons are some of the vital juices in scorpions, vipers, and many animals, so there may be men in whom poisonous opinions are innocent, or even contributive to their health of mind; but it is our duty to think the best of every one. For the same God who created the glorious stars in their constellations, created also the crooked serpent, whom we must therefore believe complete in his nature and useful in the situation wherein he is placed: for when God looked upon all the works that he had made, behold they were very good. It behoves us then to beware both of the natural and metaphorical serpent, to keep out of his way lest he bite us; but we have nothing to do with the light wherein he stands before his Maker.

Therefore what severe expressions we read against the Scribes and Pharisees, and others, we must presume were given the Jewish converts for the hardness of their hearts, because they were too gross to distinguish in their aversions between the man and his opinions; but it was not so from the beginning, that is, not in the original design of the Gospel. And we may say to the rigid and censorious, as Jesus did to the disciples who wanted to call down fire from Heaven, Ye know not what spirit ye are of: certainly not the spirit of Christianity, which is a doctrine of peace and love, and of that Charity which believeth all things, hopeth all things, and thinketh no evil. So it is no proof of our orthodoxy, that we are forward to judge other persons, but a direct opposition both to the spirit and letter of the Gospel; for it is one of the precepts in the sermon upon the mount, Judge not, that ye be not judged and if there be any practice deserving our detestation as impious, heretical, and damnable, surely this must be so, which Christ has expressly declared, will draw down judgment upon the practisers.

We have now traversed the holy ground of Religion taking with us the candle of Reason to assist in discovering those spots that had been obscured by error, misapprehension, and injudicious zeal: we have found all the Buildings there erected upon the basis of human nature, calculated to supply its most pressing wants, and so contrived as to join in one uniforin plan with the structures of soundest Philosophy. We have adventured, but with reverential and cautious boldness, to approach the sacred mysteries, have minutely examined the theologicai Virtues, which are the sum of all the law and the prophets, and I may add of the Gospel too, traced the divine economy along the steps taken for perfecting the human species, and inquired into the nature and efficacy of those called divine services, and of the ritual, endeavoring to clear them from the idea of magic and arbitrary command, too frequently annexed by the ill-designing, or the unwary. It is now time to issue forth from the sanctuary into the open world, that we may there exemplify in our practice the good sentiments we have stored up in our hearts: for we have seen that divine services are not righteousness in themselves, they are only if duly performed the sure means of attaining it, and necessary expedients for keeping it alive; even Faith, though the sole saving principle, is better strengthened by works done in pursuance of its impulses, than by any devotions or meditations whatsoever.

And the very precept which I have taken for the text of this Chapter, though at first sight it may appear to attach us more closely to our religious exercises, yet upon a nearer inspection will be found relative to our commerce in the busy world. For we cannot live always in a Church, we cannot pass our whole time in hymns and hallelujahs; the supplies of our natural wants demand a share of our attention, the care of our families, the duties of our calling, the defence of our persons, properties, and characters against injuries and dangers, and the intercourse among mankind must not be neglected.

If then we are to do all things for the Glory of God, we must learn to do these things for that end; for since they must be done, if we have not that principle to actuate us in the doing, we shall fall defective of our obedience: hence it becomes a considerable part of Religion to study how we may fulfil what we owe to the divine Glory in the common transactions of life; a harder science

to be attained, than that of paying our devotions rightly at the altar. For here the solemnity of the place, and all around us,help to lift our hearts to heaven, and nothing more is needful than vigilance to keep our thoughts attentive to their object; but to sanctify our business, our conversations, our pleasures, to keep steady along the line of our grand aim when there are a thousand by-objects soliciting on all sides, this is a difficult task to manage; so difficult, that to many it will seem impossible.

For they will be apt to say it is not in human nature to have God always in the thoughts: dangers, pressing necessities, and urgent engagements will force our whole attention from us, the transactions of the world severally require a train of imagination peculiar to themselves, familiar conversation and necessary recreation are not of a nature to mingle with heavenly ideas. All this is very true, but why should they think it necessary, that to do all things for the Glory of God we must have him always in the thoughts? I can see no reason for such an apprehension unless from the injudicious zeal of some writers, who seem to require perpetual devotion of mind even in the most trifling employments. Whether they really mean so much as they express 1 cannot take upon me to determine, their admirers will not allow them capable of this extravagance, but insist they are to be understood with some restrictions: if so, they are surely to blame for not having marked out those restrictions, for the strain wherein they talk of a devout intention running through all our actions. universally, is enough to make an unwary reader imagine he is to buckle his shoes, to wash his hands, to call for the newspaper at a coffee-house, with a direct intention of pleasing God thereby, or they will be so many sins and desertions of his service.

But besides that such incessant adoration is utterly impracticable, it would be mischievous in many cases; for there are vile and trivial offices whereto we are subjected unavoidably by the condition of our nature, as has been already observed in the Chapters on Purity and Majesty, among which to introduce a thought of God must tend greatly to his dishonor, as defiling and debasing the idea of him in our hearts. Thus it is so far from being a duty to have him always in contemplation, that our duty obliges us to banish such thoughts as would intrude upon some occasions, wherein to give them reception would be highly irreverent, and a direct breach of the third commandment: for it is not for the bare sound of words uttered, but for the intemperance of mind giving vent to them, that none will be holden guiltless who taketh the name of the Lord in vain.

2. Nevertheless we are taught, Whether ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the Glory of God; and reason joins in with the dictates of authority to add her sanction to this precept. The Stoics held, that the wise or perfect man would act right because it was right, and therefore would act invariably so, for there is a right and a wrong in every minutest action: he then to whom rectitude is the sole motive, will pursue it in trifles as well as matters of moment: but the unwise, though many times doing right things, never act rightly, because they do them upon some other motive without which they would have omitted them, having no immediate love of rectitude for its own sake.

We have found in the course of this work, that rectitude has not a substantiality or distinct essence of its own, but subsists in the relation to happiness, those actions being right which upon every occasion tend most effectually to happiness. We have acknowledged that God can receive no benefit at our hands, not the least accession of pleasure, or power, or dominion, or greatness from our services, yet is he jealous of his glory, because the glorifying him aright is of the utmost importance to the good of his creatures. It is true there have been many pernicious and destructive things done under pretence of glorifying him, but those were the errors of superstition and intemperate zeal; and so there have been errors in Philosophy and intemperate zeal for virtue, which have caused great mischiefs: but whatever is really and truly done for the Glory of God, advances the happiness of the performer and of his follow-creatures, and thereby becomes the fundamental rule of rectitude.

But whoever possesses a full and lively sense of the divine Glory, which we have before called the saving Faith, will manifest it in his conduct by a constant readiness to do the Will of God in all things; whereby must not be understood doing the things he is willing should be done, for that we all do without intermission: but doing them upon the motive of their being his Will. For nothing ever befalls throughout the universe without the appointment or permission of our heavenly Father; therefore, when we sin, we do what he was willing should be done, because he was able to have prevented us, and his permission of the sin proves him willing to let our wickedness take its course, and is an evidence that some great good will accrue thereform to the universe, redounding to his glory. Hence it appears, that we cannot be said to do the Will of God unless when we act upon that intention, when we choose one out of several actions in our power, as being in our judgment apprehended most agreeable in his sight, and most conducive to his glory, of anything we can