SECTION 1. 497 believes all necessary truths, and practises all the necessary du- ties relating to God and Christ, and his own soul. You may perhaps object and say, that he that believes the soul to ire. corporeal, by 'consequence does not believe it to be im- mortal ; or he that. believes Goct to be. infinitely extended in length and breadth, by consequence; does not believe God to be, a spiritual being, who can know and judge human affairs: And thus in:the same manner by the consequence of his own supposi- tions, the man that holds these doctrines may perhaps be proved to be a brute and an atheist. I reply, And must all the conse- quences that can be drawn from the mistakes of any man be im- puted to that man ashis own opinions; This would make dread- ful work in the christian church. The Arminian would reduce the Calvinist into blasphemy and atheism; and likewise the Calvinist the Arminian. By this uncharitable method each of them would be called Atheists and blasphemers, and be utterly excluded from christian communion by such a perverse practice . as this. I would add yet further, thatby such uncharitable construe tions as these, theCartesian christian might say, I cannot join in worship with Dr. More, and his followers, for we have not thesame object of worship : I worship a God who is a pure spi- rit, a pure thinking being, without extension or dimension ; but. they worship a being inftnitely.extended, that is, infinitely long,, broad and deep. The Morist might cry with the same zeal, I cannot worship with a Cartesian, for the worship not the sameob ject : lie adores a God that is properly in no place ; but I wor- ship that God who penetrates all things and places ; and is expanded through all. Now if such objections as these are indulged and supported, no two persons could join together in; any part of divine worship who had such different ideas of the divine essence or attributes, lest they should imagine they wor- ship two distinct or different deities. And if titis were admitted, where could we find two persons who had so exactly the same ideas of God as to hold communion in one worship ? This wretchedpractice of imputing all the (distant conse- quences of any man's opinions or mistakes to him, is quite con trary to our Saviour's general 'rule ; 'Mat. vii. 12: What you would that mein shoulddo to you, do ye even so to them. Let these objectors be pleased to consider that doubtless they them, selves in some parts of their religion are guilty of some errors or mistakes in their opinions ; for no man's knowledge is . perfect And if those errors should be pushed home to their utmost con- sequences, perhaps they might terminate in blasphemy, atheism, or mere nonsense : But no man would be willing to be treated in- this manner himself, viz. to have all the utmost consequences of his mistaken opinions be imputed to him, therefore he ought. net
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