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 fhew 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 suffer have no hope or expectation.

you to

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 yourfelf and your own fect only, it is an opinion which not only afcribes great par tiality 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 stop 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 myfterious 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 most 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 disposal, it is well if you do not hazard your own fhare. It is this opinion, if I am not deceived, that leads many into contempt of the Gospel of Chrift 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 fetting up themfelves for judges of the world, they know not where to fix : they lofe all regard to the best and pureft religion, by doing such profeffed and undeserved honour to the worst.

You fee then how useless, how dangerous a thing it is, to go out of our way to meddle with things so far above us. If you would refolve to take care fo of one, that refolution would furnish you with fufficient employment: for, be your advantages ever so great, yet all who have your advantages will not be faved ; for of thofe who feek 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 eaft, and the weft, 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 salvation of your own foul, and strive to enter in at the ftrait gate.

DISCOURSE XX.

LUKE Xii. 48.

Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

THE equity of this general rule is so apparent to common sense, that it admits of no difpute, and calls for no explanation. A fingle mite offered by a poor widow is a prefent fit for the King of heaven, which from the hand of a rich man would hardly be a decent charity to a poor widow. And thus the case is in all inftances to which the rule is applicable.

But plain as this general maxim is, yet we are very apt to mistake in the application of it to particular cafes for then felf-love and felf-intereft will not permit us to discern that true proportion of one thing to another, from which the equity of the rule arifes. If we have any claim to make in our own behalf, we think nothing too much, and are apt to overrate the ability of the perfon upon whom we have the demand, and to expect from him much more than he in reafon ought to grant: if any claim be upon us, we are ready enough to excufe ourfelves, to diffemble, or to undervalue our power, and confequently to do lefs than may in reafon and jufFOL. I. B b

tice be required from us. Hence it is that we are rarely pleased with those who are above us, and feldom able to fatisfy those who are below us.

As this rule has place in the intercourse of all the offices of life, fo ought it especially to influence the diftribution of rewards and punishments: but the weakness and wickedness of men have almost totally excluded it from human judicatures. For as it is in every body's power to pretend ignorance of the law, or fome other inability, in excufe for the crimes for which they are to answer; were the plea as easily admitted as it is pleaded, it would open a door to all kind of licentioufnefs, and take off the fear of punishment, which is fo neceffary a restraint upon the depraved inclinations of men and fince the wifeft and ableft judges cannot difcern, fome few cafes perhaps excepted, between real and affected ignorance; or so distinguish the powers and abilities of one man from another, as to proportion rewards and punishments according to this rule; therefore the law puts all, except those who are manifeftly deficient in reason, upon the fame level, and supposes every man to know the law of his country; and confequently, where a malicious act is proved, a malicious intention is implied, and the criminal is fentenced accordingly.

But how juftifiable foever this proceeding is, upon the neceffity there is for it in order to maintain fome tolerable degree of peace and quiet in the world; yet it is evident that these general prefumptions, upon which all human judicatures proceed, do not leave room for an exact diftribution of juftice; but it often happens, that men are made equal