CONFERENCE L 42% friends, and many others, whofeared God and wrought righte- ousness: And such were many good men among the Jews, who might be inade partakers of the benefits of the death of Christ, and his sacrifice, though they had generally no notion of such a sort of Messiah, or Saviour, as was to be madee a sacrifice for the sins of men : Nor' is this at all incredible, since St. Peter himself, who had been a disciple of Christ so long, did not be- lieve this doctrine even a little beforehis Master's death, when lie complimented his Master concerninghis crucifixion ; Mat xvi. 22. and said, Be it fur front thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee. Nor is it unreasonable to have the same charitable thoughts concerning several other persons of the heathen world, during the continuance of the Jewish church and state, who had either maintained the knowledge of the true God, by tradition from Noah, or recovered it by converse with the Jews, and worshipped him as a God of justice and mercy, with fear and hope : Such was Cornelius the centurion, and Lydia, and several others, who were called devout persons, and such as feared or worshipped God, in the history of the Acts, chap: x. '2, 7. and xvi. 14. and xvii. 4. And it is possible, that since the first age of christianity there may have been some such religious persons, of this same character, who were saved, though they never heard the doctrine of Jesus Christ; for if they had so much religion as would have saved them before that time, surely they shall never be excluded from salvation for want of hearing of the doctrine of Christ, if they did not lie within the reach of.it. IV. If any persons in the heathennations are saved without the actual knowledge of Christ, or any divine revelation, I think I may venture to say, that they can obtain it no other way butby the knowledge, and sincere belief, and practice of that religion whose articles I enumerated, at your request, in the beginning of your dispute : And I then gave youmy reasons, whyI think these articles are sufficient, and why they are necessary : I told you then, why I conceive that a good and gracious God will finally accept of the soul who sincerely believes and practises them ; and why I can hardly suppose a holy and righteous God will accept of any thing that comes very much short of these articles. V. Since all these articles of natural religion, which I be- fore mentioned, arise from the mere consideration of the nature of God, and man in his present state, and the relations in which man stands to God, and to his fellow-creatures, and since they stand so connected together, that they may be, and have been actually drawn out and framed by the exercise of our reasoning powers, by persons who dwell under the light of christianity, then it is not utterly impossible in the nature of things, that the same articles should be drawn out and framed, by the exercise of
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