Watts - BX5200 .W3 1813 v.3

282 A CAVEAT AGAINST INFIDEL1TY.' them, That the gospel of Christ is true. He that believes hat the witness in himself; 1 John v. 10. These christians, even though of the meaner and lower rank of.understanding, arrive at such divine virtues as the deist with all his pretenses to reason and knowledge never arrived at. Thus the great God honours the sacred religion, that he has given to men with the produce of that sincere piety, in plain, humble, and unlearned christians, which is not to be found amongst infidels ; hereby their faith is confirmed, and hereby they are fitted for the heavenly felicity. III. But, to cut off all other pretences at once, I think we may dare to affirm, as I have intimated before, that if any disbeliever of the gospel of Christ in Great Britain, with his ut-. most labour of soul, with great watchfulness, humility, and fer- vent prayer, seeks after the knowledge of the truth by all proper means, and et the same time practises with an exact and careful conscience, all the duties that he can findout by the light of rea- son, he will certainly be led into the belief of the truth: Iíewill have such abundant evidence of the gospel of Christ given to him, as shall turn him from an infidel into a christian, and I give these reasons for it : Reason I. God himself has promised in his word, that a diligent, humble, and faithful enquirer after true wisdom, that is, religion, and the knowledgeof God, shall not be disappointed, but shall obtain his end. This is the evident purport and intent of several scriptures cited before ; Prov. ii. 4. If thou searchest for wisdom asfor hidden treasures, and fittest up thy voice to the Lordfor understanding, then thalt thou understand the fear of the Lord. Ee. ii. 26. For he givcth to those that are good in his sight, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Luke xi. 9, 13. Seek andye shallfind, ask and it shall be given you. John vii. 17. If any man will do the will of God, then shall lie know concerning the doctrine of Christ, whether it be of God or no. James i. 5. If (thy man want wisdom, let him ask it of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. The blessed God who makes such promises as these, remembers them well, and will not fail to accomplish them to the sincere enquirer, and the humble petitioner. II. God has confirmed the religion of his Son Jesus, with the awful sanction.of a most dreadful curse, He that believethnot shall he damned; Mark xvi. 16. Now an infinitely gracious God will not suffer "a humble, zealous and honest enquirer after himself, in the midst of gospel, light, to run into such pernicious errors as to incur an eternal curse. Ilis mercy therefore will . certainly irradiate humble and sincere souls with a heavenly sun- beam, and effectually secure them from final unbelief and dam-

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