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Shall we hold that ignorance and errors are never punished with everlasting destruction? What shall become of the souls of infidels? What of those barbarous Brazilians and others of that sort, the greater part whereof have not had so much as a suspicion that there is a God and Christ? Shall we say that these shall be punished for contumacy who know not any law from whose obedience they may revolt? Shall the ignorance of God and Christ in them undergo everlasting punishment?

In the first place, I deny that those to whose ears the sound of the gospel of saving doctrine never came are specially punished, but say that they are only left in that wretched condition to which they were liable by their very birth. For inasmuch as the punishment of our first parents resulted in the most wretched state of eternal death for his posterity, God might, according to His good pleasure, exempt some whom He would from this plight, leaving the rest in the same. Those therefore to whom He has revealed His law, He punishes as rebels unless they obey. Others, to whom He has not vouchsafed so great a benefit, He leaves in the same state, but does not specially punish.

This therefore will remain to be enquired further: for what causes God has punished them with so great blindness? But who has known the thoughts of the Lord? Or who has been His counsellor? There is no cause why anyone should fish this secret out of me, but I certainly know that God proceeds slowly and unwillingly to punishment, and that everyone is undoubtedly the author of his own destruction.

Suppose those barbarian Brazilians are to be punished for ignorance. What is this to our errors? The reward of eternal life is

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not promised to them, no hope of immortality given them, no taste of everlasting joy offered to them. They never endeavoured to enter in through the strait gate, to deny themselves. They have not attempted to bear their cross, to follow their Saviour through the afflictions of this world. So no way can it seem probable to anyone who sets before his eyes the infinite grace and mercy of God, especially under the New Covenant, that such ignorance should have so severe a punishment inflicted on it (as those who know the Truth and reject or disobey it).207