tats A CAVEAT AGAINST INFIDELITY. and are condemned justly, for withholding our judgment, and refusing our assent to an important truth, where God sees and knows the light and evidence, to be sufficiently strong for our conviction. There are some errors that we ere ready to receive into our assent, upon very slight argument and insufficient evidence, be- cause there is a secret inclination in us, that they shouldbe true, according to the old Latin saying, 00 Quod volumus facile ere- ditto's," what we wish to be true, we easily believe: And there are some truths, which we are very backward to receive' into our assent, though the evidence be never so strong, because . we are unwilling they should be true. Perhaps these truths do not agree with our former notions, they contradict our old opinions, or condemn our present practices, or perhaps they thwart out honour or interest, we shall be exposed to shame or hardship, or loss in professing them, or we must change our party if we be- lieve them, or finally because we do not at present see the way fully, to reconcile-them with some other things, which we have received and believed to be true. Now if the mind be under any of these influences, and therefore delay and deny its assent to plain evidence, it may become criminal in the sight of God, for hearkening toany oneof these prejudices, rather than to the plain divine discoveries oftruth, when it is proposed either by the light of reason or revelation. I might here make use of the very same similitude, that is mentioned in the objection, and shew how a man may see an ob- ject, even though it be placed in a dusky light, when he is very desirous of seeing it, and when he -uses the utmost vigour and effort of his eye -sight for this purpose : And on the other hand, if he does not exert his visive powers with vigour, if he will wink a little, or will turn his eyes aside, or raise a'dust before the object, he may be said not to see it ; but the true reason is, because the object 'upon some account or other is unpleasing, and he is unwilling to see it. Now if the life of this man, depended on his seeing and laying bold of this object, he must die without hope and without pity : It is in vain for him to pretend, that he did not see it, when either he winked a little, or raised a dust about it, and thus abused the day-light, and prevented his own sight of the only object that could save him. In such important concerns as the affairs of eternal salvation, let our infidels take heed that this be not their case. Jesus the Son of God is the object proposed to them, to lay hold of as their only refuge from death and hell, and the light Is so strong in which it is set, that thousands of wise, rational and cautious men have seen it, and embraced it, and found salvation : Let them takeheed therefore of winking in the day-light, and q£ raising a.dust by wanton and unreasonable cavils : let them examine the secret workings or
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