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SERM. mothy concerning Hymeneus and Alexander, XI. that, having put away a good confcience, Tim. i. they had made shipwreck of faith. And of

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those false prophets, of whom St. Peter foretold that they should arife, bringing in damnable herefies, this character is given, with regard to their prophaneness and im2 Pet. ii. piety towards God, that they would deny the Lord that bought them. The perfon here meant is not, as fome apprehend, the Lord Jefus Chrift, but God the Father, the fupreme Lord and Governour of the world, concerning whom Mofes put this question to the Ifraelites, Is he not thy Father who xxxii. 6. hath bought thee? because the Greek word, fignifying fupreme master, or ruler, is never once used when Christ is spoken of, but always of the Father; and, befides, in the parallel text of St. Jude, the fupreme Lord is exprefly diftinguished from the Lord Jefus Chrift. His words are, For Ver. 4. there are certain men crept in, unawares,

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who were before, of old, ordain'd to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jefus Chrift. The monstrous character of these heretics may be feen throughout this whole

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Rom. xvi.

1 Tim. iv.

whole chapter of St. Peter, and almoft to SERM. the end of St. Jude's epistle: And the fame XI. general representation is given of them, in all the epiftles of St. Paul, viz. that they defigned not to ferve our Lord Jefus Ro Chrift, but their own bellies; and taught things which they ought not for filthy lu- Tit. i. 11. cre's fake; Speaking lies in hypocrify, and 2. having their confcience feared with an hot iron. And tho' they might, fometimes, put on the outward appearance of gentleness and humanity, they were still, to use our Saviour's phrafe, but wolves in fheeps-Mat. vii. cloathing; and only endeavoured, under that fpecious pretence, to disguise their covetousness, rapine, and cruelty, till they might be more conveniently exercis'd. Having thus largely stated the scripture account of herefy, fuffer me to make some obfervations upon it. And,

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ift, It appears from what has been said, that no mere error of the judgment can be herefy: For herefy is a high degree of wickedness; and neceffarily fuppofes irregularity of the affections, and a deprav'd and vicious choice: Whereas erroneous conceptions and apprehenfions of things re no crime at all, but natural to man

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SERM. kind in the present weak and imperfect XI. ftate of their faculties. Nay, I think, it may be affirmed, not only that no mere error of the judgment can be heresy; but alfo that there can be no herefy, where there is, properly fpeaking, an error of the Judgment: This may be owing to laziness, prejudice, partial examination, and other very bad caufes; but herefy it cannot be,as long as a man believes he is in the right, however he came to work himself into fuch a perfuafion. For an heretic, in St. Paul's account, is one that knows he teaches and propagates a falfe doctrine; who does it deliberately, and against the clear fuggeftions and dictates of his confcience; either from a principle of vanity, and to make himself confiderable as the head and leader of a fect; or to advance his temporal interest.

2dly, We may infer from the foregoing discourse, that no honeft man can poffibly be an heretic. He may, indeed, have errors (and who is there among us that has not) nay, he may err in points of importance too, but his mistakes can't be dangerous while he takes care to maintain a good confcience. For human nature is, in

its very make and conftitution, weak and SERM. fallible; and confidering mens different XI. capacities, turn of understanding, education, and the like, different, and, confequently, erroneous fentiments, (for truth can't vary from itself, but must always be confiftent and uniform) I fay different, and, confequently, erroneous fentiments seem to be unavoidable. And 'tis not to be doubted, but that the wife and merciful governour of the world will make great allowances for the imperfection of our knowledge, the confufion of our reafonings, and the many little prejudices that, infenfibly, biafs and mislead the mind in this state of immaturity and darkness.

I would afk, particularly, what is the ground of our acceptance with God under the difpenfation of the gofpel? Is it abfolute perfection, or fincerity? If perfection be required of us, an exact and adequate knowledge of all the parts of the Christian revelation, and a ftrict invariable obedience to the precepts of it; or, in other words, if it be indifpenfably neceffary to our obtaining the divine favour, that we be free from all errors of the understanding, and from all defects in our moral conVOL. I. T duct;

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John i.

SERM. duct; the whole race of mankind must XI. be reprobated,--equally and neceffarily fubject to condemnation. For if we say that we have no fin, and, confequently, no erroneous judgments, from whence all irregular practices proceed, we deceive ourfelves, and the truth is not in us. But if a fincere defire to know and do the will of God be the only condition of obtaining the Christian falvation, as it must be, in the prefent circumftances of mankind, unlefs our future happiness depends upon an impoffibility; muft not all mistakes, which are confiftent with general fincerity, be confiftent likewife with a state of favour with God? And, confequently, if we condemn thofe for party differenees, in whose lives there appear all the fruits of a good confcience, and who give the greatest evidence, that can reasonably be defired, of their being honeft and impartial, by a fteady pursuit of virtue, and an inflexible adherence to it, under the utmost discouragements and difficulties, muft not this be a rafh and unrighteous judgment? To proceed one step farther, has not the scripture John v. exprefly declar'd, that whosoever believeth that Jefus is the Chrift, is born of God?

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