SECTION III. 263 Africa, where the gospel was never preached, or the name of Jesus never known, shall not be condemned for not believing in Jesus. It is granted also, that where the means of know- ledge are exceeding weak and defective, and the glimmerings of divine light very feeble, as among the Laplanders and the northern Russians, doubtless ignorance loth very much extenu- ate the guilt of their superstitions, and their ridiculous methods of divine worship. But in the land of Great Britain, and especially in the towns and cities of it, where these men of infidelity generally dwell; in Great-Britain, where the "light of the gospel shines with glorious evidence, where christianity has beenbroughtoften to the test, and has maintained its ground in the midst of all the intellectual conflicts of a reasoning age; in Great Britain, where the proofs of our holy religion have been set forth in so convincing a light, surely the pretences of ignorance must be cut oft' here, especially among all persons who have had a tolérable education : And there is just reason to fear, that this ignorance has too much of pride or negligence, or obstinacy in it, and will be imputed by the great. Judge, to the evil turns and biasses of the will and affections, more than to the weakness of the un- derstanding : Nor indeed will our modern infidels bear to have it placed on this foot, from the high esteem they generally have of -their ownreason. The scribes and pharisees in the days of our Saviour, might make the same pretences, that they did not know the gos- gel of Christ, that is, they did not see or know reasons enough to believe that Christ was the great prophet, or the Saviour of the World : But our blessed Lord, who well knew the sufficiency of the evidence which he had given to convince men of the truth of his divine mission, pronounces destruction upon those infidels. Ifye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins; John Viii2 24. And I think it may be said, that if ever therewas an age or nation under heaven, since the apostolic age, which had abundant rational evidence of the truth of christianity, the inha- bitants of the chief towns and cities of Great Britain enjoy that evidence ; and especially the men of leisure and learning amongst them. So that this pretended ignorance, I fear, will at last áp- pear to be too near a-kin to the pretences of the unbelievers in . the days of Christ, and it is wed if theydo not fall under the same condemnation. II. The great God, who is perfectly wise and perfectly just, well knows what allowances to make for every degree of ignorance which people may lie under, according to their various advantages or disadvantages for knowledge : Yet he has taken care in his word, bath of the Old and New Testament, to let it appear, that ignorance in general is not always a sufficient excuse
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