it, and to shew that, at least in our own judgment, there is such a reasonableness in all our doctrines as must of necessity commend itself to every candid inquirer. We wish not one sentiment to be em- braced, without a firm conviction of its truth : we wish every word we utter to be brought to the test of Scripture and of true wisdom. We would say to every man, " Prove all things, and hold fast that only which is good^"
To impress on our minds the importance of making for our ourselves a candid inquiry into the Gospel of Christ, we proceed to shew,
II. That it is the duty of every man to exercise his judgment in relation to it —
God himself is pleased on some occasions to make an appeal to us respecting his own dealings with mankind : " Judge, I pray you," says he, " betwixt me and my vineyard :" and again, " Are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?" In truth, though he is not to be dealt with by us as if he were bound to '' give an account to us of any of his mat- ters," yet he treats us as rational creatures, and expects us to use our reason in relation to our spiri- tual, as well as our temporal, concerns. He draws us indeed, and expects that we should give ourselves up to the influence of his grace ; but " he draws us with the cords of a man," that is, with such influences as are suited to our faculties as rational agents. Still, however, we must remember, that, in forming our judgment of the truths revealed to us, we are not called to determine beforehand what it becomes him to reveal ; but only by a diligent attention to his written word to consider what he has revealed : and if at first we find such things as we did not expect, or such things as seem to oppose the sentiments we have imbibed, we must not hastily determine that his word is not true, but must suspect our own compe- tency to judge of it, and must say, " What I know not now, I shall know hereafter."
b 1 Thess. V. 21.