Vol. I. on our Part, to our Belief; and they do as exprefly make our Saviour the Saving Object of fuch our Belief. And therefore, tho' the Author of The Reasonableness of Christianity has fhewed himself no great Friend to Articles of Chriftian Faith, and therefore does at least pretend to wipe away the Neceffity of all other Articles in our Creed but this, That Jefus of Nazareth is the Meffiah; yet he does not adventure so far, as to exclude the Neceffity of that Article. My Bufsiness is not with that Author at prefent; and therefore having taken notice, that he does fo far agree with me, I thall proceed: Only I would by the bye remark, That tho' that be the first and leading Article of Christianity, (for without the Belief of Jefus Chrift, there can no more be any fuch thing as Christianity, than without the Belief of a God there can be fuch a Thing as Religion;) yet for all that, it will be true, that as a Religion grounded upon the Belief of the true God, may however be a false Religion; fo a Chriftianity grounded upon the Belief of the true Chrift, may however be a false Chritianity. For, as notwithstanding a Belief, or, which may be fomething more, the Knowledge of the True God, Men

1

may

may fall into Idolatry; [See Rom. chap. 1. Vol. I. ver. 21, 22, 23.] So, notwithstanding the Belief not only of the true Chrift, but of his Refurrection alfo, Men may have no other Expectations from him, but Wealth, Power, and Grandeur in this World; [See Acts chap. 1. ver. 6.] And yet I do hardly think, that a Faith either in the one Cafe or in the other, will by that Author be thought a Saving Faith; And if it be not, then it will appear a good Conclufion, That in the last Cafe, that is, in the Cafe of Christianity, fomething more is neceffary to be believed in order to our Salvation, than barely, that Jefus is the Christ.

But, as I faid before, this by the bye. That which is directly to our present Purpose, is, That if it be true, that none fhall be faved, who do not believe in Jefus Chrift the Saviour; then how shall we account for the future Condition of those, who in this Life never heard of Jefus Chrift? For, tho' we may out of the Scriptures be taught, That he who believeth, fhall be faved; and, that he who believeth not, shall be damned: Yet ftill we cannot but know, that that Disbelief to which Damnation is alotted, must be as contrary to that Belief to which Sal

Vol. I. vation is alotted, as Damnation and Salvation are to each other. Now because that Belief, to which Salvation is alotted, is an Act of the Will, (whatever the Schools teach of Faith being lodged only in the Understanding ;) therefore we do conclude, That that Disbelief, to which Damnation is alotted, must be an Act of the Will too. And indeed, fince Damnation is confeffedly the Reward of Unbelief; and fince this Reward is to come from the Hand of fuch Juftice, which cannot err; we may from thence be affured, that the Unbelief, to which it is allotted, must be Criminal; and we are moreover affured, that nothing can be fo, in which the Will is not at all concerned. Now, because it is most certain, that those who in this World never heard of Jefus Chrift, do not therefore not believe in him, because they will not, but only because they cannot: I fay, for that Reason it will be unjuft to allign that Damnation to their Unbelief, that is, by them unavoidable; which is by the Scriptures affigned only to that Unbelief: which is therefore Criminal, because it is Voluntary. Tho' therefore Damnation be by the Scriptures pronounced against that Unbelief, which

refuses

refuses the Saviour made known and offered Vol. I. to Men; yet we cannot from thence conclude, that it fhall be the Portion of that Unbelief, which is only a Confequence of an unavoidable Ignorance of the fame Saviour.

And as we cannot from the Scriptures conclude, that they who never heard of the Saviour, fhall be damned for their Unbelief: So neither can we from them conclude, that they fhall be faved, notwithstanding their Unbelief. For, if a Faith in Jefus Chrift be, according to the Scriptures, neceffary to Salvation; it will from thence follow, that they who want that Faith, must go without that Salvation, to which it is necessary.

Now, it may be prefumed, that far the greater Part of Mankind, if not in all, yet in most Ages, and that therefore much the greater Part of Mankind in general, never had the Saviour made known to them; which, if it be true, (as we have no reason to doubt the truth of it) then it will follow,

That tho' God has provided a Saviour for all Men; yet by making a Faith in that Saviour a neceffary Condition for Man's obtaining the provided Salvation, he has thereby excluded the greater part

of

Vol. I. of Mankind from fuch Salvation; becaufe by having determined the Times before appointed, and the Bounds of their Habitation, he has by his Providence fo placed them in the World,that it is to them impoffible to come to fo much Knowledge of the Saviour, as is neceffary to their Belief in him.

And if this Conclufion be true, it will afford us another, which is, That notwithstanding God has in a Saviour made fufficient Provifion for the Salvation of all Men; yet the greater Part of Men fhall fall fhort of fuch Salvation, and that too without their own Default.

Now, it is freely confeffed, that our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Saviour, laid the Defign of extending that Salvation, which he purchased, as wide, as was the Merit of his Purchase; that is, his Purchase was fufficient for the Salvation of all Men; and he gave fuch Directions and Injunctions for the Propagating to all Men fo much Knowledge of fuch his Purchase, as might be fufficient to bring them to that Faith, which might intitle them to the Benefit of it. And therefore we find, that he commanded his Apostles to go. all the World, and to preach the Gospel to every Creature; and that he gave them Abilities

into