CONFERENCE IV. 605 renew the discoveries of his mercy and their daty, of the true religion, and the way of salvation, and that to every family when it is evident that he had twice made such discoveries to all man- kind in the family of Adam, and in that of Noah, who were the two progenitors of all human nature, in different ages ? And es, petially since we believe God had, both inclined and com- manded the heads of these families, Adam and Noah, to instruct their children in these most important concertís, and since he had so wrought into the constitution of every parent a natural tender . concern for the welfare of all their offspring, to influence them to communicate these instructions. Has not God, the wise and the merciful, done all that justice can require, toward the propaga-. tion of the superadded light of grace through all the world, be- sides the common' light of reason which iscontinued to them, and which in itself is naturally and remotely sufficient to lead them to religion and happiness ? Give me leave, Sir, to state this case in two similitudes, and see whether the equity and goodness of God, the Creator and. Governor of the world, may not be thereby sufficiently vindicated in his conduct towards mankind. The first similitude is this: Suppose a sovereign prince has found the inhabitants of some city of his dominion breaking the general laws of his kingdom, and rebelling against him, and on that account, they are banished from that city, and from the king's presence, into a distant province, where they continue in their rebellion: their posterity are born under this banishment, and yet' still rebel, and break the laws of theirprince, and by de- grees, forget these laws, and lose the knowledge of their duty. Suppose at any time the king publishes an,net of grace, wherein he reveals their general duty to them afresh, and further declares to them, that whosoever of this race of rebels will repent of their crimes, will ask forgiveness upon their knees, will renew their oath of allegiance, obey his will, and trust in his mercy, shall be restored to their city, and to the king's presence and favour. The king having appointed this method of grace, and published it to all the rebels, he justly expects, that that generation and their posterity should carefully transmit the knowledge of their duty to their offspring, and that all shouldconform themselves both' to his general laws, and to the appointed methods in this act of grace, till he himself shall alter it : And whatsoever new or further me- thods this absolute sovereign shall appoint to them hereafter, for the obtaining his favour, all that hear of it, both they and their children, are bound to comply with it, if ever they would find favour at court. The king doth not think himself obliged every year, nor every age to give the rising generation a new and im- mediate promulgation of his general laws, nor of this act of grace, nor-to repeatto them over again the testimony and proofs
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