Severity. If you are of a colder Conftitution, and more inclined to melancholic Thoughts, your Imagination will fhew you God clothed only with Terrors; and your Heart, oppreffed with Fear, will fink, and leave you no Courage to go on with the Duties of Religion, from which your Fears will fuffer you to have no Hope or Expectation.

If you extend your Thoughts farther, and lay Schemes for the general Judgment of the World, it is well if this unneceffary Concern for others does not prove prejudicial to yourfelf. If you confine the Mercies of God to yourself and your own Sect only, it is an Opinion which not only afcribes great Partiality to God, but it tends to introduce Cruelty and Inhumanity into the Temper of every Man fo perfuaded. We eafily come to think it a Virtue to hate those whom God hates: And then the Confequence is, that there must be a Stop to all Intercourse of good Offices with all Men, the few only excepted who think as we think. And thus, by paffing a rash Judgment in a dark mysterious Point, and which of all others does least concern us, we shall extinguish the nobleft Grace of the Gofpel, the plainest Duty of a Chriftian, and which of all others

H 4

1

others does moft affect the Peace and Happinefs of Mankind.

If, in Honour to the Mercy of God, you open the Doors of Heaven to Men of all Profeffions in the World, who live well according to the Measure of Light beftowed on them; though your Opinion has in it much more Humanity and more common Sense than that before-mentioned, yet, by thus dealing to all indifferently Graces and Mercies which are not in your Difpofal, it is well if you do not hazard your own Share. It is this Opinion, if I am not deceived, that leads many into Contempt of the Gospel of Chrift Jefus For, when they think all Religions equally good, and all Men equally fecure who follow their Religion, be it what it will, they raise unawares a Question which they cannot answer, namely, To what Purpofe was the Gofpel given? For, if all Men are equally fecure under all Religions, what can be the Advantage of one Religion above another? When Men are led into this inextricable Maze, by fetting up themselves for Judges of the World, they know not where to fix: They lofe all Regard to the best and pureft Religion, by doing fuch profeffed and undeferved Honour to the worst.

You

You fee then how useless, how dangerous a Thing it is, to go out of our Way to meddle with Things fo far above us. If you would refolve to take care of One, that Refolution would furnish you with fufficient Employment: For, be your Advantages ever fo great, yet all who have your Advantages will not be faved; for of those who seek to enter, many will not be able; and many, of whom you little think, may perhaps go before you; for God has those whom he will own, in the East, and the West, and the North, and the South. Leave him to find out those whom he will honour, and look you to the Point which is indeed your true, your only Concern, the Salvation of your own Soul, and ftrive to enter in at the ftrait Gate.

DISCOURSE

Unto whomfoever much is given, of him shall be much required: And to whom Men have committed much, of him they will ask the

more.

T

HE Equity of this general Rule is fo apparent to common Senfe, that it admits of no Difpute, and calls for no Explanation. A fingle Mite offered by a poor Widow is a Present fit for the King of Heaven, which from the Hand of a rich Man would hardly be a decent Charity to a poor Widow. And thus the Cafe is in all Inftances to which the Rule is applicable.

But plain as this general Maxim is, yet we are very apt to mistake in the Appli

cation