424 RUIN AND RECOVERY, Ste. given up to work alluncleanness withgreediness: They werefilled with all unrighteousness, fornication, malice, 4c. They were back-biters, haters of God, withoul understanding, without na- tural affection, implacable, unmerciful. In Eph. iv. 18. They were alienatedfrom'the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because ofthe blindness oftheir hearts. InColos. i. 21. They were alienated from God, and enemies in their minds by wicked works. It is true, we are told that there was so much of thelaw of Godwritten in their hearts, that theirconsciences bore witness to it, in some instances, and their thoughts excused or ac- cused them; Rom: ii. 14, 15. But we seldom read of the return of any ofthem to sincere repentance of their wickedness, by the reproofs of conscience. St. John tells his disciples, that though they are of God, Jet the wholeworld lies in wickedness ; 1 John v. 19. And St. Paul again assures us, that those who have sinned without any express knowledge or revelation of a law, shall perish without law. Doubtless their consciences, in the great day of judgment, will accuse them abundantly and join with the sen- tence of God the' judge in condemning them, and will hardly be able to make just excuses for any of them ; and therefore they ire represented as without God, without Christ, and without hope in the world. Eph. ii. 12. A dismal and deplorable state ! St. Peter says indeed, that God is no respecter ofpersons, that is, whether Jews or Gentiles : but, in every nation he that fearetk God, and worketh righteousness, shall be accepted of him; Acts x. 34, 35. But if there were very few among the Jews, who feared God, and wrought righteousness, very few that shall be saved, as our Saviour saith ; Mat. vii. 14. 1f there are very few in these learned nations of the.Gentiles, that feared God or loved him, how much fewer maywe suppose to find in the snore barbarous countries, which have no knowledge of God nor godliness*? What kind and gracious allowances the, blessed God will make ?at last for such unhappy creatures, he has not revealed tous in his word. Now, upon this survey of things, I cannot but enquire, would' this have been the case of mankind in these wide and un- happy nations ? Would these have been the wretchedcircum- stances both of their young offspring and their advancing years, in a hundred long successions, if they had been such a race of * Though the case stands thus with the heathen world, yet there are, and there mustbe some grounds of a sufficient vindication of the equity andgood- ness of God, notwithstanding these scenesof wickedness and destruction among asen. Thishas been made to appear in some measure, by several writers,' and particularly in the third and fourth conferences of a book, entitled, The Strengthand Weakness of Human Reason.° And what the reasonings of men cannot fully solve and vindicate now, the great God will bxplain hereafter, and maintain the equityof his own conduct, to the conviction' of all his intelligent creatures, men and angels. Amen. '
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