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virtuous Men, you would have believed then your Unbelief is the Effect of Vice and Wickedness, and is a plain Piece of Immorality, and you are accountable for it, as you are for Adultery or Murder, or any fuch wilful Crimes.

And therefore, to conclude: I do here, by way of Application, earnestly address myself to all thofe among us, that are in their Hearts Unbelievers, however they do outwardly profess the Chriftian Religion, and frequent our Affemblies. I beg of you, in the Name of God, to examine your felves feriously concerning the Grounds of your Unbelief, and fee whether you can fatisfy your own Confciences that you have done all that ferious, prudent, unbiafs'd Men would do in a Matter of fuch Importance as this is, wherein no less than your everlasting Salvation or Damnation is concerned. If your own Confciences can testify to you, that you have dealt honestly and impartially in this Matter, and that yet, after all your Endeavours, you cannot find Reason enough to perfuade you heartily to believe in Jefus Chrift, I have nothing further to fay to you; let God judge this Matter between him and you, as he certainly one Day will. Charity will oblige us to believe the best of you. And therefore, if this be your Cafe, we cannot rank you otherwife than in the Number of thofe Heathens

Heathens that do not believe the Gofpel, because it was never fairly proposed to them.

But then, in the mean time that you make this Enquiry into your own State, be not too forward to deceive your felves, nor to entertain a good Opinion of your felves, upon a general and flight View of your own Condition, but put fuch Queftions honeftly and home to your Confciences, as any fincere Man would do in fuch a Matter as this.

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Have you feriously and deliberately confider'd the Chriftian Religion in all the Parts of it? Have you acquainted your felves with all the Doctrines of it, how fuitable they are to the natural Notions that Man has of God and Religion, and how extremely they tend to the making Mankind both wife and happy?

Have you examined the Precepts of the Gofpel, and taken Notice how much they excel the Morality of the best Philofophers, and how wonderfully they are contrived and accommodated to the Ufes and Indigencies of all forts of Men, in whatever State and Condition they be; and in a word, how happy the World would be, if all Men were hearty Believers of thefe Doctrines, and serious Practicers of these Precepts ?

Have you feriously taken into your Confi→ deration the rich and invaluable Promises that are in this Religion made over to Mankind, which no other Religion can pretend to; fuch as the Forgiveness of all our Sins upon Repentance, and Affiftance of God's Grace to enable us to live holy and pure Lives, and laftly an eternal, immortal Life of Glory and Happinefs in another World? Why, natural Reafon will teach us that all thefe Things are worthy of God to promife, and that we want, extremely want, the Affurance of thefe Things in order to the making us good. And yet no other Religion in the World hath affured us of them, but the Religion of our Lord Jefus.

Have you likewife impartially examin'd the Evidence and Proof that our Lord Jefus Chrift gave for the Truth of his being fent by God to teach all thefe Things to the World, and the little or no Objections that are to be made against it? Have you looked into the Prophecies of the Old Teftament, which for two thoufand Years together fpoke of a Saviour to be fent to Mankind, and taken Notice how exactly they were fulfilled by our Saviour? Have you confidered the Person of our Lord Jefus, and his Way of Living, how innocent, how fincere, how pious, how charitable, how entirely devoted to God's Service, how free from all Sufpicion of being a defigning Man,

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and how conftant to the Death in afferting his Pretenfions?

Have you thought of the prodigious Mi racles that he wrought all his Life long for the Confirmation of his Doctrine; the Voices of God from Heaven to atteft that he was the Son of God; his Refurrection from the Dead, and visible Afcenfion into Heaven? Which Things are Demonftrations to all Mankind, that believe a God and Providence, that Jefus Chrift was no other than he pretended to be, the Son of God, and the Saviour of the World?

Laftly, Have you confider'd that the fame Power and Virtue that was in Chrift for the doing all thefe wonderful Things, was, as he promised, continu'd to his Apostles, and to all the Preachers of the Gospel for many Years afterwards, even till they had converted the World from Idolatry to the Belief of Chrift Jefus? And that by no other Ways nor Methods, but by the Excellency of their Doctrine, and the Holinefs of their Lives, and the wonderful Miracles they perform'd, and their Readiness at any Time to lay down their Lives for the Caufe of the Chriftian Religion?

These are some of the Things which you ought very well to confider before you can fatisfy your felves that you have Reason to keep off from being Chriftians. But you will perhaps fay, you have thought of all thefe Things, but yet you are not convinc'd

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that you ought to embrace Chrift's Religion. Why, it is almost impoffible. Sure you have not thought of them as you should do. Sure you was biaffed and prejudiced on the other Side, when you took these Matters into your Confideration. But that is not fair thinking. You ought to come to those Matters wholly free and indifferent, at leaft as much as is poffible. But pray fay ferioufly, whether the Objections and Diffatiffactions which you have met with about the Chriftian Religion be the Refult of your own thinking, and fuch as you naturally fall into; or you have rather learned them. from the Discourse of that lewd, debauch'd, hot headed Company that you have used to converse with. If fo, there is no great Reason you should infilt npon them.

I pray be pleased to examine your felves further. Are you really concerned for another World after this? and do you really defire and endeavour to approve yourselves to God as well as you can? If you do, then I am fure you will do all that natural Religion will teach you about this Matter. Tho' you do not believe in Chrift, yet you will live very fober and virtuous Lives, and you will heartily pray to God likewife to direct you in the Way that is acceptable to him. Now do you do this? Do you every Day addrefs to the Throne of Grace for Affiftance and Direction? and do you hate every Thing that is apparently evil,

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