328 RUIN AND RECOVERY,., &C, and pleasure, giving them sun and r,ì2n, andfood and delight in this world, together with the long forbearance of punishment : since he continues their natural powers, and the operationsof the reason and conscience of men, dictating their duty to them, approving their good actions, and reproving them for their vices, in order to excite and encourage them to the practice of virtue, wemaÿprobably infer that he is now standing upon some terms of mercy with them, that they are upon their good behaviour, and are placed in a state of trial or probation, for future rewards or punishments, and that they are not utterly abandoned as con- demned criminals, without hope, and merely waiting for the timeof execution. IV. From all these considerations the light _of nature may probably infer, that God has designed some way of salvation or recovery for poor sinful wretched mankind : And that if therebe any such thing as an atonement necessary to answer for the sins òr failings of virtuous persons, so that God may forgive them withmore honour to his law it is probable that God will provide this atonement for them,. since it is impossible that the guilty creature man can find out or produce any such atonement.. for himself, he having forfeited all that_hehas by sin, and nothing that he can do can answer the present and future demands of obedience; much less can he make a recompence for a past dis- obedience. Though reason is utterly at a loss to find out the secrets of divine government, and the methods that God has taken to honour his law and vindicate his authority by-the sufferings of his Son Jesus Christ, which are revealed to us in the gospel, yet the reason of man may hope, that repenting sinners, and men who practise virtue and piety, so far as the light of nature can assist them, shall be made partakers of thismercy and this salva- tion, though they know not the particular methods whereby it is brought about ; for if the continued forbearance and goodness of God_invites and calls them to repentance, which St. Paul con- fesses, we hope it will also invite and incline him to forgive, where this goodness lias attained its proper design on his crea- tures, and brought them to repent. V. Reason also will give us this further information, that if plod has provided any way or method of recovery for sinful and miserable man to his image and to his favour, he has taken effec- tual care that some part of mankind shall be certainly recovered and saved by it.: And that he has not left it merely and utterly to the uncertain prospect of what the free-will of men would do toward their own recovery, under all the disadvantages of a tempting:world without, and sinful appetites and passions within, lest all the provided methods of recovery beneglected, and none receive it and be saved. Surely the all -wise God would take AEI
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