SECTION III., 287 mighty works, and conversed with him, and of some of the Jews who had the best advantages in the days of Christ ; yet I can hardly think its present evidence to be inferior to what the gene- rality of the Jews and Gentiles enjoyed in primitive times. But suppose I should not have exactly adjusted those pro* portions of light and evidence, between. former and later days, yet we must affirm this to the honour of Christianity and the gos- pel, and we may do it with justice and truth, that wheresoever it is published with all its proper testimonials around it, it carries with it even in our day, a very sufficientevidenceto ever studious and faithful enquirer. For if it were possible for a humble and Sincere soul, under all these advantages, not to see sufficient reason to believe the gospel, this would be a heavy impeachment of the evidence and honour of christianity, and consequentlyof the care of Christ, for the popagation and support of his church; it would look as though he had not provided his own doctrine with sufficient proofs and arguments to enlighten and persuade a honest mind to embrace it ; it 'would be an imputation upon the general goodness of God, as though he had appointed a religion, to continue through all ages to the end of the world, and yet had not furnished it with light and demonstration sufficient to convey it through the several successions of time. I think therefore it may be maintained, that the dreadful curse which is so often repeated by the historians of the life of Christ, and which our Saviour pronounces, when he was just leaving the world, upon those who should not believe his gospel, where it is published with proper evidence, is not confined merely to the days of miracles, but that it is apart of the great gospel- commission which he gave to his apostles, and which stands good so long as Christ promised to he with his ministers and followers, that is, to the end of the world; Mat. xxviii. 20. Mark xvi. 16. And the guilt of rejecting it must always, in the nature of things, bear a proportion to the light and evidence with which it is re- commended, whether in the primitive or the modern ages. For as all that rejected the doctrine of Christ in the primitive times, did not lie under equal guilt, because they had not equal evi- dence, so there may be great variety, in the degrees of the guilt of those who reject the gospel in the present age, according to their various'advantages of understanding and means of know- ledge. But I fear those who renounce and deride the highest evidence of the gospel in this present day, have adreadful ac- count to give at last, nor do I know how they will screen them,- selves from the heavy and eternal weight of that solemn curse. The great God is wise and righteous, and full of mercy, and lie would neverhave pronounced such a painful and terrible sen- tence, as damnation upon unbelievers in so many parts of his 1vonl, if he had not well known that,no man can utterly reject
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