372 HARMONY OF ALL RELIGIONS. CIIAY. XII. Of those who have hadno Revelation. I. As for all the persons, the families and the nations of mankind, who have lived under these various dispensations of grace, it is evident that they have had the means of grace and salvation set before them, to recover them from the ruin of the fall of Adam. If they neglect this great salvation, they must perish with great justice. But as for those who by the negligence and iniquity of their fathers, have lost all notices and traditions of all divine revelations, and of all the dispensations of grace, and particularly of the last of them which their fa thers enjoyed, whether it were patriarchal, Jewish or christian, and which they were entrusted to convey to their posterity, these have nothing remaining, but that knowledge of God, his law, his government and his mercy, which they could derive from the light of nature, and reason, and observation. And indeed, there were many religious observations which they could and ought to have made on the nature and mercy of the great God, and his gracious providence, his long-suffering, and hiscontinued benefits, as well as from the working of their , own consciences, in accusing or excusing their conduct, &c. from which they might infer somethingof grace and hope. II. It appears by their daily experience, that they are sin- ners : Conscience tells them much of their duty, shows them the law of works, accuses them of sin, and condemns them thereby. The daily providence of God, chews them that they have time and space to repent of sin, and trust in his mercy: he bath given them the common comforts of life, and filled their hearts with food and gladness, and thereby he hath left himself not without witness, both of his power, government, and goodness to them : Acts xiv. 17. He bath intimated to them hereby, that they should seek afterGod and hismercy, if they might haply feel after him, and find him ; Acts xvii. 27. supposing they shouldor or might know that the long -sneering and forbearance of God, should lead them to repentance; Rom. ii. 4. So that, at least, theymight reasonablysay with the Ninevites, to encourage their repentance and their faith, who can tell but Godmay be graci- ous? Jonah iii. 9. III. All this, with many other things, seem to give us some notice, that the sinful race of the heathens and savages, even those who never heard of the gespèl, in any revealed dispensation of it, are not left merely in the condition of fal- len angels to perish unavoidably without any hope, or any grace, to trust in, or without any encouragement or motive to re- pentance. IV. It is true, their light is but dim, and their means of grace run very low; yet if there shall be found among these
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