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A74691 The arraignment of ignorance: or, ignorance. With the causes and kinds of it; the mischiefes and danger of it, together with the cure of ignorance: as also, the excellency, profit, and benefit of heavenly knowledge, largely set forth from Hos. 4. 6. / By W. G. Minister of the word at Lymington in the County of South-hampton. Gearing, William. 1659 (1659) Wing G429; Thomason E1760_1; ESTC R209751 109,901 231

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will then tremble to think of the danger he hath escaped therefore the Apostle calleth the light of grace marvellous light because when God brings a man out of the dungeon of darknesse into the true light 1 Pet. 2.9 every thing is then to the poor soul very marvellous and full of admiration 4. thou sayest thou art not sensible of any danger in an ignorant estate no marvel for thou art dead and dead men are senselesse men the dead know nothing Paul tells us Ephes 4.18 that those that have their understanding darkened are alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them there is no life in the soul without knowledge spiritual knowledge is as it were the seed of true life in the soul and it maintaineth the life thereof and as the body is dead without the soul so the soul is dead without saving knowledge therefore being spiritually dead thou must needs be insensible of thy danger and so thou thinkest thou art in a good estate but hear O thou dead and sottish soul what the Lord saith unto thee this day Ephes 9.14 out of his word Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead and Christ shall give thee light he doth not say Christ shall give thee life but Christ shall give thee light i. e. the light of knowledge if thou wilt awake from thy pleasing sleep and slumber Let me beseech you then if you love your souls labour to know God betimes even in your youth that is a commendable youth that is old in grace and savoureth of the wisdom of the Ancient of dayes happy is he whom Gods effectual grace saluteth at his Cradle whose spirit is Gods candle to discern youthful lusts and vanities so as to avoid them If we know God when we are young we shall not be strangers to him when we are old see thou that thy lampe be ready whensoever the Bridegroom passeth by thee make not that the task of thy Age which should be the practise of thy whole life you know by experience that a ship the longer it leakes the harder it is to be emptied an house the longer it goes to decay the worse it is to repair a nail the further it is driven in the harder it is to draw out again and can we perswade our selves that the trembling joynts the dazeled eyes the fainting heart and failing legs of a decrepit and indisciplinable old age is able to repair the many ruines which so many years ignorance have brought upon us Are there not twelve hours in the day saith our Saviour If any man walk in the day he stumbleth not John 11.9 10. because he seeth the light of this World but if a man walk in the night he stumbleth because there is no light in him It is no wisdom to defer to get the knowledge of God Non semper manet in foro pater-familias August Greg serm 1. de sanctis till old age cometh which usually brings with it a bedroll of follies to repent of no wisdom to post off this knowledge to the last hour the Lord of the Vineyard is not alwayes in the Market to set thee a work saith Austin and no marvel saith another Father if that man at the last gaspe forget himself who in all his life neglected to remember God Object 3 Others are ready further to object We have neither time nor leisure to get knowledge one saith I am in great trading and have a great many servants and much businesse in my hands to look after And another faith I have a great charge of children at home to look to and provide for and I cannot go abroad nor spare any time to get knowledge I live altogether by my labour I can spare no time for such occastons Resp 1 It is not multiplicity of businesse nor weightinesse of affairs that can excuse any mans ignorance and therefore those that are in the highest places and have the management of the greatest affairs are charged to know the Lord and to study his Word Who hath greater affairs than a King yet even Kings are commanded to know the Lord thus David chargeth Solomon his son now entering upon the Regal Dignity And thou Solomon my son 1 Chron. 28.9 know thou the God of thy Father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind Kings and great Personages are to take care of Religion and Gods Service which they cannot do without the knowledge of the Lord therefore God charged Moses that the King that should rule his people after him should take a copy of his Law Deut. 17 18 191 and write it in a Book and keep it by him and read therein all the dayes of his life that he might learn to fear the Lord his God and to keep all the words of that Law and his Statutes to do them So God commandeth Joshua the Captain and General of the Armies of Israel The Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night Josh 1.8 that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good successe And according to the direction of God to Moses Samuel upon the election of Saul their first King 1 Sam. 10.25 having declared to the people the manner of the Kingdom wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord where no doubt the King might repair to it or have a copy taken out of it for his private instruction Herein doubtlesse Jehojada the Priest 2 Kings 12.2 instructed King Jehoash this Book surely had lien neglected by the space of 57 years viz. the time of Manasses and Amnon the Father and Grandfather of King Josiah for in his time we read that Helkias the High-Priest told Saphan the Scribe That he had found the Book of the Law which he took and read first by himself and afterwards before the King whose heart melted at the hearing of it 2 Reg 22.8 9 10 11 because his Predecessours had neglected the Law and not hearkened to the words of that Book to do it Thus you see it is not weighty affairs that must hinder men from the knowledge of the Lord. Therefore Christ upbraides Nicodemus for his ignorance Joh. 3.10 Art thou a Master of Israel and knowest not these things Ignorance of God and of the things of God in them that are Rulers is a very great sin those that rule over others are to defend the true Religion and the truths of Christ and those that are professors thereof now this they be not able to do unlesse they have knowledge to discern between truth and falshood Now as weighty affairs so neither must multiplicity of businesse hinder us from attending on the means of knowledge to this purpose our Saviour gives Martha a check that she was cumbred with too