584 The Evidences of the Truth Van. Thirdly, This does not excufe the Infidelity of Men, that the Devil is in foine fort the Caufe of it; becaufe he cannot blind our Minds, unlefs the confent to it: he can only fuggeft falfe Principles to us, but we may chufe whether we will entertain them ; he can only tempt us to be wicked, he cannot force us to be fo whether we will or not ; as we may refift the dierates, and quench the bleffed motions and fuggeftions of God's Spirit, and too often do: fo may we refill the Devil, and repel or quench thofe fiery darts which he cafes into our minds, tho' we do not do it fo often as we íhould. We cannot refill the motions of God's Spirit without injury to our felves: but we may fafely oppofe the fuggeftions of the Devil; and we may do it with fuccefs, if we fincerely endeavour it. So God bath promifed, that if we refip the Devil, be (hall flee from us: but if we volun- tarilyconfent to his Temptations, and fuffer our felves to be blinded by him, the fault is our own, as well as his, and we are guilty of that Infidelity which we fuffer him to tempt us into. And this will appear, if we confider, Fourthly, The wickednefs and unreafonablenefs of Infidelity. The Scripture e- verywhere gives it a bad Charaftér, calling it, an evil heart ofunbelief, to depart from the living God. Not to believe thofe Revelations of God, which are fuffici- ently propounded to us, is anApoflafiefrom the living God, a kind ofAtheifm, and an Argument of a very evil temper and drfpofrtion. And therefore St. John (peaks of Infidelity, as the higheft Affront to God imaginable, and as it were a giving God the Lie, i John 5. to. He that believeth not the record which God bath given of his Son, is faid to make God a Par. The greateft and cleareft Teftimonies that ever God gave to any Perfon in the World, were to 7efus Chri/l, andyet how full of Infidelity were the Jews, to whom thofe Teftimonies were given? They are the great Patterns of Infidelity, who re- fitted fuch immediate Evidence; and by the Charaiers which the New Teftament gives us of them, we may judge of the evil and unreafonablenefs of Infidelity: and if we confult the Hiftory of the NewTeftament, we fhall find Infidelity de- fcribed by fuch Charafters and Properties, and accompanied with fuchQualities, as thew it to be a very evil and unreafonable Spirit. The principal of them are thefe : t. Monftrous Partiality, in denying that which had greater Evidence than other matters which they did believe. 2. Unreafonable and groundlefs Prejudice. g. A Childifh kindof Perverfenefs. 4. Qbftinacy and pertinacious perfifting in Error. 5. Wantof Patience to confider and examine what can be faid for the Truth. 6: Rudenefs, and boifterous falling into uncivil terms. y. Fury and outragious Paffion. 8. Infidelity is ufually attended with bloody and inhuman Perfecution. But * See the the treatingon thefe Particulars I referve for another Subject*. feSermons an lt°`"'"g The third and lafl thing contain'd in the Text, is the dangerous flate of thofe John 3.19. who having the Gofpel propounded to them, yet do not entertain and believe it Ser. 3. the Apoftle tells us they are in a loft and perithing condition; Ifour Gofpel be hid, it is hid to them that are loll. I fay of thofe who have the Gofpel propounded to them. As for thofe to whom the Gofpel was never offer'd, they Ihall not be condemned for their unbe- lief of it: God will not punith them for not believing the Revelation which was never propounded to them, but for finning againft the Law written in their' hearts. So the Apoftle hath ftated this matter, Rom. 2. z2, tç, r5. they that have a Law revealed to them by God, (hall be judged by that law; but they that are without fuch a law, thall be judged without the law, by the law which is written in their hearts. Thofe Perfons and Nations in the World, to whom the Gofpel was re- vealed , (hall not be condemned for not believing it; but for fins committed by them againfttheLightofNature, and theLawwhichiswritten inevery Man'sbreaft. Butthofe who have theGofpel propounded to them, and yet continue in unbe- lief, their cafe is the molt dangerous ofany Perfons in theWorld, whether they be fpeculative or praftical Infidels. r. For
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