that Others should be placed within its clearer CHAP. Influence, and be much more enlivened, VI. cheared and directed by it; but yet that even to these, it should be no more than a Light Shining in a dark Place: All this would be perfectly uniform and of a piece with the Conduct of Providence, in the Distribution of its other Bleffings. If the Fact of the Cafe really were, that Some have received no Light at all from the Scripture; as many Ages and Countries in the heathen World: that Others, though they have, by Means of it, had effential or natural Religion enforced upon their Consciences, yet have never had the genuine Scripture-revelation, with its real Evidence, proposed to their Confideration; and the antient Perfians, and modern Mahometans, may poffibly be Inftances of People in a Situation somewhat like to this: that Others, though they have had the Scripture laid before them as of divine Revelation, yet have had it with the Syftem and Evidence of Christianity fo interpolated, the System fo corrupted, the Evidence fo blended with false Miracles, as to leave the Mind in the utmost Doubtfulness and Uncertainty about the whole; which may be the State of fome thoughtful Men, in moft of thofe Nations who call themselves Chriftian: And lastly, that Others have had Chriftianity offered to them in its genuine Simplicity, and with its

proper

PART proper Evidence, as Perfons in Countries and II. Churches of civil and of chriftian Liberty;

but however that even these Perfons are left in great Ignorance in many Refpects, and have by no means Light afforded them enough to fatisfy their Curiofity, but only to regulate their Life, to teach them their Duty and encourage them in the careful Difcharge of it: I fay, if we were to fuppofe This somewhat of a general true Account of the Degrees of moral and religious Light and Evidence, which were intended to be afforded Mankind, and of what has actually been and is their Situation, in their moral and religious Capacity; there would be nothing in all this Ignorance, Doubtfulness and Uncertainty, in all these Varieties, and fuppofed Disadvantages of fome in Comparison of others, refpecting Religion, but may be parallelled by manifest Analogies in the natural Difpenfati ons of Providence at prefent, and confidering ourselves merely in our temporal Capacity.

Nor is there any thing shocking in all This, or which would feem to bear hard upon the moral Administration in Nature, if we would really keep in Mind, that every one shall be dealt equitably with: instead of forgetting this, or explaining it away, after it is acknowledged in Words. All Shadow of Injustice, and indeed all harsh Appearances, in

this various Oeconomy of Providence, would CHAP. be loft; if we would keep in Mind, that VI. every merciful Allowance fhall be made, and no more be required of any one, than what might have been equitably expected of him, from the Circumftances in which he was placed; and not what might have been expected, had he been placed in other Circumstances: i.e. in Scripture Language, that every Man fhall be accepted according to what he had, not according to what he had not. This however doth not by any means imply, that all Perfons Condition here, is equally advantageous with refpect to Futurity. And Providence's defigning to place Some in greater Darkness with refpect to religious Knowledge, is no more a Reason why they should not endeavour to get out of that Darkness, and Others to bring them out of it; than why ignorant and flow People, in Matters of other Knowledge, fhould not endeavour to learn, or should not be inftructed.

It is not unreasonable to fuppofe, that the fame wife and good Principle, whatever it was, which difpofed the Author of Nature to make different Kinds and Orders of Creatures, difpofed him alfo to place Creatures of like Kinds, in different Situations: And that the same Principle which disposed him to make Creatures

az Cor. viii. 12.

Y

PART Creatures of different moral Capacities, difII. pofed him alfo to place Creatures of like moWral Capacities, in different religious Situations;

and even the fame Creatures, in different Periods of their Being. And the Account of Reason of This, is alfo moft probably the Account, why the Conftitution of things is fuch, as that Creatures of moral Natures or Capacities, for a confiderable Part of that Duration in which they are living Agents, are not at all Subjects of Morality and Religion; but grow up to be fo, and grow up to be fo more and more, gradually from Childhood to mature Age.

What, in particular, is the Account or Reason of these things, we must be greatly in the Dark, were it only that we know fo very little even of our own Cafe. Our prefent State may poffibly be the Confequence of fomewhat past, which we are wholly ignorant of as it has a Reference to fomewhat to come, of which we know fcarce any more than is neceffary for Practice. A System or Conftitution, in its Notion, implies Variety; and fo complicated an one as this World, very great Variety. So that were Revelation univerfal, yet from Men's different Capacities of Understanding, from the different Lengths of their Lives, their different Educations and other external Circumftances, and from their

Difference of Temper and bodily Conftituti- CHAP, on; their religious Situations would be widely VI. different, and the Difadvantage of Some in Comparison of Others, perhaps, altogether as much as at prefent. And the true Account, whatever it be, why Mankind or such a Part of Mankind are placed in this Condition of Ignorance, must be fuppofed alfo the true Account of our farther Ignorance, in not knowing the Reasons, why, or whence it is, that they are placed in this Condition. But the following practical Reflections may deferve the ferious Confideration of thofe Perfons, who think the Circumstances of Mankind or their own, in the forementioned Refpects, a Ground of Complaint.

First, The Evidence of Religion not ap pearing obvious, may conftitute one particular Part of Some Mens Trial in the religious Senfe as it gives Scope, for a virtuous Exercife, or vitious Neglect of their Underftanding, in examining or not examining into That Evidence. There feems no poffible Reason to be given, why we may not be in a State of moral Probation, with regard to the Exercife of our Understanding upon the Subject of Religion, as we are with regard to our Behaviour in common Affairs. The former is as much a thing within our Power and Choice, as the latter. And I fuppofe it is to be laid Y 2 down