and vnlesse it be pardoned by the sacrifice of his Sonne which was figured out by those sacrifices which were offered vnder the Law for the sinnes of ignorance it will damne them in hell for euermore and keepe them there in flames of fire that cannot be quenched as thou heardst in effect before Indeed in some cases ignorance doth excuse men in part from the greatnesse of the fault but not in whole from all the fault Secondly that though he shall be beaten with more stripes that knoweth the Lords will and doth it not yet the other which is ignorant of it shall be beaten with stripes and he also shall be cast into hell as well as the former howbeit his iudgement there shall not be altogether so seuere as his And wilt thou willingly be beaten with any stripes and go to that fearefull and euer-tormenting place Lastly that some ignorance doth increase a mans fault and make his iudgement to be the more cruell at the last to wit that ignorance which is wilfull and affected as when a man hath meanes to know the Lords will and yet doth refuse it of wilfulnesse or stubburnnesse euen because he will be ignorant still and not haue knowledge to controll him in his sinnes or to stand vp as a Iudge against him in the end of the world when the bookes of mens consciences shall be opened and euery one iudged according to the things which are written therein for this doth make him to be the more abhominable before the Lord and doth procure vnto him the heauier plagues to be executed vpon him I will shew this vnto thee by a familiar example taken euen from thy selfe Thou hast two seruants the one of them doth reuerently hearken vnto thee to vnderstand thy will and pleasure and he is content to learne it to the vttermost but yet he will do nothing accordingly the other doth so far scorne thee and thy worke that as he will do nothing for thee nor according to thy mind so he will not come into thy presence to heare what thou wilt say vnto him or standing before thee will giue no heede to thy words Which of these two I pray thee is the worse and the viler in thine eyes and which of them wilt thou beate most Is not the latter Yes I must needs confesse that wilt thou say for he doth commit a double fault he will neither heare nor do but the other doth commit but a single fault though he will do nothing yet he is content to heare So euen so must thou iudge of most ignorant persons who do liue now in our dayes For they cōmit a double sin in that they will neither learne the will of God nor do it wheras others cōmit but a single sin in that they only neglect it not do it And therefore I say they are most abhominable before the Lord and shall at the last be beaten of him with more stripes then others shall be Wherfore let this be no impedimēt to thee but rather a spur in thy side to prick thee forward to get knowledge and vnderstanding But what course shall I take maist thou say to attaine vnto it Thou must performe these things First thou must pray earnestly vnto the Lord to intreate him to disclose his minde vnto thee and so to circumcise thine eares and heart that thou maist vnderstand his will and see the wonders of his law For wisedome comes by prayer as Iames doth shew in chapter 1.5 saying If any of you lacke wisedome let him aske of God which giueth to all men liberally and reprocheth no man and it shall be giuen him Secondly thou must regard the Ministery of the word most reuerently and frequent alwaies the holy exercises thereof watching daily as Salomon doth speake in Prouerbes 8.33 at the gates of Wisedome and giuing attendance at the postes of her doores For this is an excellent meanes to beget and to increase knowledge within vs as Paul doth well obserue in many places of his Epistles and namely in the fourth chapter of his Epistle to the Ephesians as we our selues do find to be most true by our daily experience both in our selues and others Thirdly thou must meditate carefully with thy selfe both day and night in the law and word of thy God For as the infant doth grow from strength to strength to be able to go by it selfe by sucking and plucking his mothers breasts so doth the child of God grow from knowledge to knowledge by hanging continually vpon the two breasts of the Lords booke the old and new Testament Fourthly thou must conferre and talke considerately with men of GOd and with such as cary knowledge in their lippes and are able to discouer vnto thee the secrets of the Almighty For they shall make thee to vnderstand that which thou couldst neuer attaine vnto by thy selfe and cause thee to see those points after some cleare and euident manner which were before vnto thee as dark as a riddle it selfe as thou maist see by the example of Philip and the Eunuch spoken of in the eight chapter of the Acts of the Apostles Fiftly thou must teach others circumspectly that which thou thy selfe dost know already and rehearse the waies of the Lord euermore vnto them For by teaching another a man doth teach himselfe and ripen his owne knowledge and iudgement exceeding much as many by their owne practise haue found it to be most true to the great ioy and comfort of their soules Finally thou must abstaine most prouidently from all such things as will hinder thy knowledge and bring a spirituall darknesse vpon thee For as he that would haue a perfect sight to behold all things clearely must beware of euery thing which will blemish his eye so all those that would haue a good vnderstanding in the coūsels of the most High must take heed of all such matters as are a stop and impediment therevnto Now these are in number chiefly three The first is a lodging of the affections of the heart and the cogitations of the minde vpon this world for as outward darknesse groweth sometimes by two much gazing vpon bright and glistering things as in experience we finde by white snow white paper and the like so doth inward darkenesse grow also by fixing the minde too much vpon the glistering glory of this world the pompes and pleasures that shine in it Proofe hereof is that rich glutton that wealthy Barne-builder in the Gospell and that turne-coate Demas of whom Paul speaketh who all were blind you plainly see with gazing too much vpon this tempting world The second is a cōtinuing in euil a doing of things which are wicked naught For as outward darknesse groweth by long being in darkenesse as in a prison or elsewhere for by experience it is found so often so by long custome of walking liuing in the outward works of darkenes groweth a strong thicke inward darkenes in the heart of man or woman
after them for the saine sinne and offence of theirs Vpon the one of them because he spared his sonnes and did not punish them according to their deserts as the beginning of the first booke of Samuel doth shew And vpon the other of them because he spared Agag the Amalekite and did not kill him according to Gods commandement as it is in the 15. chapter of the same booke Here here beloued it may go neare vnto our hearts and cause vs to sigh and sob within our selues when we consider how blasphemy the contempt of the Word the breach of the Sabboth disobedience to gouernors adulterie drunkennesse and other grieuous offences which make the Sun as it were blush againe to behold them do go vncontrolled and vncorrected in our times and haue no seuere punishments inflicted vpon them for the restraint thereof as they do deserue We haue as good lawes as any nation in the world but they want execution which is the life of them and those that should looke most vnto them do neglect them commonly most and not onely breake them themselues but countenance others also that do it But let superiors remember what the Lord doth say by Ieremy the Prophet in chapter 48.10 Cursed be he that doth the worke of the Lordnegligently and cursed be he that keepeth backe his sword from bloud So that there must be no sparing of men vnder a curse and damnation when God will haue them killed And let them alwayes beare in their minds what God did say to Ahab the king in 1. Kings 20.42 saying Because thou hast let go out of thy hands a man whom I appointed to die thy life shall go for his life and thy people for his people So that to spare a malefactor from death is to bring death vnto themselues and to such as do belong vnto them Obiect Obiect But this is cruelty may some say to kill and to destroy Ans Answ No it is not cruelty but iustice and the fulfilling of Gods commandement He is not cruell said an ancient Father that killeth them which are cruell although he seeme so to them that suffer but who so striketh the euill for that they be euill meaning by lawfull authority he is the Minister of God Others say it is pitty that such a man should be put to death pointing at some proper and comely malefactor Indeed the diuell for to hinder iustice and to make his owne kingdome strong though he were a murderer himselfe frō the beginning yet will come in amongst vs sometimes like a meeke lambe to perswade vs to foolish pitty and compassion but know you this that we must not pitty where God himselfe doth not pitty nor spare through compassion those whom he doth condemne for that is to condemne him and to exalt our selues aboue him in mercy and goodnesse which is an horrible vile thing in his eyes who is all mercy goodnes it selfe Moses you know was the meekest man vpon the earth and he had a most pittifull heart being contented to be razed out of the booke of life for the good of others yet he caused to be slaine at one time three thousand persons for the golden calse which they had erected vp in his absence as it is in Exod. 32.27.28 And albeit Dauid and Salomon were very milde men and mercifull yet Ioab and Shemei must be slaine put to death by them as may be seene in the second chapter of the first booke of the Kings And as one doth well obserue of them either of them did sanctifie their hands by this seuerity in executing iustice belonging to them which otherwise they should haue defiled by vnlawfull lenity and sparing You know it is no fault in a Chirurgion to cut off a corrupt member for the sauing of the whole boby So in a Magistrate it is no cruelty but vertue to preferre the safety of many before a few Let not then a superstitious affectation of clemency or pitty make a more cruell gentlenesse with the perill and hurt of many For vnder the gouerment of the Emperour Nerua it was rightly said It is ill dwelling vnder a king or Magistrate where nothing is lawfull but it is far worse dwelling vnder one where all things are lawfull Lastly here we may be put in mind what we our selues ought to do and that is this we must neither spare sinnes in our selues nor in others but we must labour to bring all to repentance and amendment of life by inflicting deserued punishments vpon both First we must deale with our selues and after we haue sorrowed to repentance wee must take an holy reuenge vpon our selues as the Corinthians did 2. Cor. 7.2 in pinching our owne soules and bodies in those things wherein we passed our bounds before and in restraining our selues from some things which are most lawfull in themselues Then for others as we must not countenance any in their euil waies nor become aduocates vnto others for them so if power and authority do rest in our owne hands we must strike them and see them iustly punished for their offences Herein let gouernours of families looke to themselues as well as Constables other officers Beloued you must know that when enormities grieuous sins are committed in your Parishes or in your houses you are not to winke at the same but according to your places you are to see the same iustly punished O remēber the reasons that were alleadged before to awaken you vp to this duty and let them sinke deepely into your hearts to bring forth a notable effect with them within you Haue a care I beseech you of the offenders that they may be reclaimed haue a care of others that they may not be corrupted haue a care of the whole land that that may not be plagued and haue a care lastly of your owne persons that they may not be destroyed Let none of these euils fall out through your defaults for want of punishing such as doe offend And herein you must spare none Thine eye saith the Lord in Deut. 19.21 shall haue no compassion but life for life c. And in the 13. chapter of the same booke the sixth verse and so forward he doth declare that though they be most deare and neare vnto vs as our owne children brothers wiues and friends that are to vs as our owne soules that do offend and go about to draw our heartes away from the true God yet they must not be spared but be stoned to death and that our owne hands must be first vnto it and therefore deale vnpartially with all fauour none before others as the world doth but deale with all according to their waies The end of the fifth Sermon THE SIXTH SERMON vpon the second Psalme PSAL. 2. VER 10. Be wise now therefore ye Kings be learned yee Iudges of the earth HItherto from the beginning of the Psalme to this place all things haue passed along by way of doctrine in a certaine continued narration
shall preserue thee Wisdome is the beginning get wisdome therfore and aboue all thy possessiōs get vnderstanding He is very frequent with the like exhortations in many places also of the same booke Reade them I pray at your leasure and marke them well Paul in like manner writing vnto the Ephesians doth stir them vp to the same duty saying Wherefor be yee not vnwise but vnderstand what the will of the Lord is Eph. 5.17 Dauid also inioined the same duty vpon his son Salomon towards the end of his dayes saying vnto him as followeth My sonne know thou the God of thy fathers and serue him with an vpright heart and willing minde as it is in 1. Cron. 28.9 Finally the Lord himselfe doth oftentimes make his moane and complaint for the want of this wisdome and knowledge in his people which is here required of vs all teaching vs thereby how necessary it is for euery one and how well pleasing to himselfe But at this time two places alone to shew the same shall content vs. The one is in Esay 1.3 when he saith The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his maisters cribbe but Israel hath not knowne my people haue not vnderstood The other is in Ieremy 4.22 where you haue these words For my people is foolish they haue not knowne me they are foolish children and haue no vnderstanding they are wise to do euill but to doe well they haue no knowledge By all which places we may clearely see what doth belong to vs euen a sauing knowledge of Gods will and an holy vnderstanding of his waies Wee must not be like to the horse or mule that haue no vnderstanding as Dauid saith in Psa 32.9 but we must be changed by the renewing of our minds that we may know what is the good perfect and acceptable will of God as Paul doth teach vs in Rom. 12.2 And the reasons hereof are many Reasons First because euery man by his owne knowledge is a very beast before the Lord as Ieremy doth witnesse of vs in Ieremy 10.14 and as Dauid doth confesse of himselfe in Psalme 73.22 saying So foolish was I and ignorant I was a beast before thee Secondly because we shall neuer obey the Lord aright vntill we know him and vnderstand his will nor yeeld any faithfull seruice vnto him as it doth become vs. For the ground-worke of all religion the foundation of all true pietie is the knowledge of the Lord and his wayes As on the contrary side the cause and fountaine of all disobedience against God is the ignorance of his will and the vnlearnednesse of the same as we haue heard in this Psalme already and as we may see by Hosea his complaint in the beginning of the fourth chapter of his Prophesie where hee doth make his moane that men did lie and steale and commit adultery and that bloud did touch bloud and assigneth this reason of it euen because there was no knowledge of God in the land And surely where men know not God what can bee looked for else but all impietie against God and all vnrighteous dealing against men Lastly because all such as are ignorant of the Lords will doe not onely erre while they are here committing grieuous sinnes against him but shall be damned also hereafter for euer My people saith the Lord in Hosea 4.6 are destroyed for lacke of knowledge And Paul doth shew in 2. Thess 1.8 that when Christ shal come to iudgement and shew himselfe from heauen with his mightie Angels in flaming fire he shall render vengeance vnto them that doe not know God which shall bee punished with euerlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power So that if we ponder of all these reasons well we shal easily grant that there is cause sufficient why euery man should labour and striue to plant some heauenly knowledge within his soule and to become wise and learned in the statutes of the Almightie In regard whereof we see first in what great fault the world is in For there is ignorance in euery place Alas alas most men know not aright either that God who hath made them or themselues who are made by him And as for the grounds of true religion and the rules of the Lords worship they are as a sealed and clasped booke vnto them We dwell in a nation and country wherin the word of God hath bene freely read preached many yeares together yet it is pittifull to heare vnderstand what ignorance is still amongst men and how vnwise vnlearned they be in the statutes of the Lord. God amend vs. But here some may say that there was neuer more knowledge in this land then now is at this present To this I answer first that our knowledge is nothing to our long and continued teaching For in regard thereof we ought to be teachers our selues who yet are taught of others and haue need also to be instructed in the very first principles of the word of God and are become many of vs at the least such as haue neede of milke and not of strong meate as the Author to the Hebrews doth speake in the latter end of his fifth chapter Secondly that our knowledge for the most part is not a sauing or sanctifying knowledge but talkatiue and discoursing It hangs vpon our tongue and swimmes about in the circumference of our braine but it sinkes not downe into the bottome of the heart as it ought to do to bring forth a reformed life For we haue many talkers but few true walkers and sundry there are who can discourse at large in matters of religion but few there are who feele the power and force thereof being deaded by the meanes thereof vnto their sinnes and quickened vp vnto all fruitfull workes of righteousnesse whereby God may be honoured and man edified Secondly by this we may see that that doctrine which is most currant at Rome those places where Popery doth beare sway to wit that Ignorance is the mother of Deuotion is most false and erroneous and to be abandoned by vs that are true and holy Christians As Christ doth say to the Sadduces Ye erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God in Mat. 22.29 making there ignorance the cause of error which is cleane cōtrary to their doctrine so he saith to the Iewes Search the Scriptures for in them yee thinke to haue eternall life and they are they which testifie of me in Iohn 5.39 imposing there this dutie vpō all that do intend to be saued at the last to be conuersant in the Scriptures which is dissonant altogether to their practize and teaching If I would stand vpon such a common place as this is I could alledge both places and reasons enough to ouerthrow them in this respect who are herein most like vnto those cursed and hypocriticall Scribes and Pharisies who did shut vp the kingdome of heauen before men neither going in thēselues nor suffering