I Have now at large considered the Credibility of the Principles of Natural Religion, and our obligation to the several Duties resulting from those Principles. The purpose of all which is to shew how firm and deep a foundation Religion hath in the Nature and Reason of Mankind: But not in the least to derogate from the necessity and usefulness of Divine Revelation, or to extenuate the great blessing and benefit of the Christian Religion; but rather to prepare and make way for the entertainment of that Doctrine which is so agreeable to the clearest dictates of Natural light. For notwithstanding all that hath been said of Natural Religion, it cannot be denyed, but that in this dark and degenerate state into which Mankind is sunk, there is great want of a clearer light to discover our duty to us with greater certainty, and to put it beyond all doubt and dispute what is the good and acceptable Will of God; and of a more powerful encouragement to the practice of our duty, by the promise of a supernatural assistance, and by the assurance of a great and eternal reward. And all these defects are fully supplied, by that clear and perfect Revelation which God hath made to the World by our blessed Saviour. And although, before God was pleased to make this Revelation of his Will to mankind, men were obliged to the practice of moral duties by the Law of Nature, and as the Apostle speaks, having (Rom. 2. 14, 15) not the Law were a Law to themselves, shewing the effect of the Law written upon their hearts; yet now that God hath in so much mercy revealed his Will so plainly to mankind, it is not enough for us who enjoy this Revelation, to perform those moral duties which are of natural obligation, unless we also do them in obedience to Christ as our Lord and Lawgiver. As we are Christians, whatever we do in word or deed, we must do all in (Col. 3. 17) the name of the Lord Jesus; and by him alone expect to find acceptance with God.
How far the Moral virtues of meer Heathens, who walk answerable to the light they have, may be approved of God, I shall not now dispute. Only thus much seems clear in the general, That the Law of Nature being implanted in the hearts of men by God himself, must therefore be esteemed to be as much his Law, as any positive Institution whatsoever: And consequently, conformity to it must in its kind, in genere morum, be acceptable to him. God loves the societies of mankind, and because of the necessity of justice, and virtue, and probity to the preservation of humane society, therefore he doth generally give a blessing and success to honest and good enterprizes, and blasts the contrary with signal judgments and marks of his displeasure. But we cannot from these outward dispensations infer any thing certainly concerning such mens eternal conditions.
Some of the Fathers indeed, as Justin Martyr, and Clemens Alexandrinus and Chrysostom, have delivered their judgments for the salvation of such Heathens as live according to the light of Nature: But the general stream of the rest is for the contrary opinion. I shall not now enquire into the particular grounds and reasons of this difference. It may suffice to say in general, that the goodness and mercy of God, as well as his judgments are a great deep; that he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy; and that when God hath not thought fit to tell us how he will be pleased to deal with such persons, it is not sit for us to tell Him how he ought to deal with them. Only of this we are sufficiently assured, that in all ages and places of the world, all that are saved are saved by the mercy of God, and by the merits of Jesus Christ, who is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world; the Scripture having expresly told us, that there is no salvation in any other; for there is none other Name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. To be sure, there is no reason for any man, who lives under the dispensation of the Gospel, to expect that he shall escape, if he neglect so great salvation. This is the tenour of that Doctrine of the Gospel, which Christ immediately upon his resurrection doth commissionate his Disciples to preach; Mark 16. 16. He that believeth shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. And Joh: 3. 18. He that believeth not, is condemned already. And presently it follows, This is the condemnation, &c. And again Joh. 7. This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and him whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ.
Now that to us, to whom the Christian Doctrine is revealed and proposed, the belief and practice of it is the only way wherein we can hope to be accepted, I shall endeavour to make out by these two arguments: