by his birth Nazareth by his education and Capernaum by his habitation and so it is called his own City Matth. 9.1 By the phrase of lifting up to heaven he meaneth that it was much in request in the eyes of the world not only by reason of her great wealth and riches but also because she had the means of knowledge and of salvation having Christ daily conversing with them and preaching to them and by her casting down to hell he meaneth that she should be abased and have her pride pluckt down in regard of her temporal estate which came to passe not long after when it was ruined by the Romans and all such her inhabitants as did reject the preaching of Christ and his messengers sent unto them were condemned and went to Hell eternally Many there are that dream of Anabaptistical revelations and I know not what kind of strange and immediate inspirings despising the publick teaching and ministry of man I know God can teach otherwise but I have no ground to think that he will he that desireth to Iodge among the wise Prov. 5.31 let him prepare his eare to hearken to the instruction of life saith Solomon thou maist never expect a blessing from him who is a teacher of the heart if thou despisest him whom God hath appointed to be a teacher of the Eare as the holy Scripture is the book of wisdome out of which God giveth subtilty to the simple so teaching by his Ministers is the Pipe by which this heavenly wisdom is conveyed to us from the Fountain and no man is assured by the word of God to attain this knowledge but by this course 3. All those that reject prayer which is a seeking of God for a blessing upon the means whereby knowledge might be acquired The Psalmist saith that the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seek God Psal 14.3 If thou criest after knowledge and liftest up thy voyce for understanding Prov. 2 3. c. there are many that pray not for knowledge nor for a blessing on the means of knowledg and those are such as despise knowledge Paul speaks of such as despise the Word the Ministery Prayer and the means of knowledge as if their case were desperate and saith 1 Cor. 14.38 if any man be ignorant let him be ignorant as if he should say if any man will despise the means of knowledge and chuse to be still ignorant let him be ignorant to his own perill be it he will run through inner darknesse to utter darknesse I fear brethren that the commonnesse of the word and of preaching hath bred the contempt thereof I read that when Elephants were first brought into Asia and two of them brought and presented to King Antiochus he made great account of them and held them in high esteem calling the one Ajax and the other Achilles but in processe of time growing common in the countrey by reason of their traffick into those places whence they came notwithstanding they were of no lesse use then they were before Nay in all likelihood of more because they were better acquainted with the use of them and knew better how to mannage them yet because they were common they contemned them and called them Lucanian oxen So doubtlesse the word of God in the dayes of our fore-fathers in this nation when the light of Gods truth first brake out of that grosse darknesse of Popery it was highly esteemed and the godly Ministery and Preachers of the word were valued as precious jewels but now it is just an hundred years that we have had the Gospel among us this very year 1658. therefore it is as odious and loathsome as it is common but did men know the worth of it they would not despise the means of knowledge Repr 3 This may reprove such as go about to hinder and discourage others from getting knowledge such as will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven themselves nor suffer others how many sottish and wicked Parents will discourage their children from reading the Scriptures and frequenting Sermons they will not get knowledge themselves nor suffer their children how many Masters will not allow their servants one hour in a week to hear a Lecture but cry to them as Pharaoh to the Israelites when they spake of going out to serve the Lord ye are idle ye are idle and so encrease their tasks many ignorant Masters are well contented with ignorant servants with an ignorant family like themselves wicked wretches that are wholly led by the Prince of darknesse do labour to hinder others from attaining the light of saving knowledge Thus when Sergius Paulus a prudent man called for Paul and Barnabas defiring to be instructed by them in the knowledge of Christ Elymas the sorcerer withstood them seeking to turn away the Deputy from the faith Acts 13.8 and for this the hand of God was upon him the Lord smote him with corporal who laboured to keep others in spiritual blindnesse verse 11. and after the stubborn Jews had rejected the word the Apostles turne from them to the Gentiles yet then the Jews stirred up devout and honourable women and the chief men of the City and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their coasts verse 50. and for this very cause the Apostle saith 1 Thess 2.16 they filled up their sins and the wrath of God comes upon them to the uttermost Vse 3 If ignorance be the chief cause of a peoples destruction then suffer the word of exbortation Let us all labour after knowledge that we may be men of knowledge Prov. 10 14. wise men will lay up knowledge saith Solomon or store it up as the covetous man layes or storeth up his bags of silver and gold Wisdom is the principal thing Prov. 4.7 therefore get wisdom and with all thy getting get understanding many men spend so much of their time about getting of the world that they can find little or no time to get wisdom and knowledge they see the want of riches as they think but they see not the want of spiritual knowledge Diogenes had a pretty answer to some that askt him why Philosophers rather followed rich men then rich men Philosophers why that is no marvaile at all said he for Philosophers know that they want rich mens wealth but rich men will not acknowledge that they want Philosophers wisdome Job 11 11 Most men hate the imputation of ignorance vain man would be wise so pleasing a thing is knowledge to reasonable creatures not too much degenerated and though men run a course tending to ignorance and errour yet they hate the imputation of ignorance as a thing very reproachfull and yet some such monsters there are that care not to acquire any more knowledge then is necessary to the keeping up of a poor sottish and halfe-brutish kind of life and for God
vouchsafe even to read most obscene Authours for their matter good for nothing but for the dung-hill to learn a good phrase and composition of speech Now if you desire both excellent matter and eloquent words then read the Scriptures diligently and when you have so done tell me what learning there lacketh To begin with that which every one makes most reckoning and account of and how deservedly I will not dispute I mean the Law if ever thou meanest to be a good Lawyer have recourse to the Law of God the ground of all humane Lawes and observe what Lawes were moral and perpetual binding all people at all places at all times what ceremonial concerning the Jews till the coming of Christ and what judicial free either to be observed or let alone according to the discretion of every Law-giver and the state of his Countrey whereto he gives or makes Laws in the knowledge of all these the 5 Books of Moses will furnish thee Secondly if thou art not of such an aspiring spirit but canst as well be contented to wear a rugge gown as a velvet Jacket and dost esteem more thy mind then thy body and therefore thou hast set up thy rest to be a Philosopher then do but say what part thou art addicted to and there it 's ready for thee if moral Philosophy read the book of the Proverbs if natural Philosophy read the book of Ecclesiastes and some Chapters of Job if the Metaphysicks read the book of the Canticles or if thou wilt be an Antiquary there thou mayest find what was done as soon as any thing was done the age of the world the time of the flood the destruction of Sodom the time of the Israelites going down to Egypt and coming up again their being carried into Babylon the time of their abode there and coming back again or if you desire to see the Acts of good and bad Kings the diversity of Gods dealing with them the books of the Kings and Chronicles will give you full satisfaction in a word if you will make but the Law of God contained in the Scriptures the Looking-glasse of your lives you should be throughly furnished both how to speak and how to live therefore for the obtaining of all kind of most excellent knowledge it is most necessary to read the holy Scriptures this made David wiser then his Teachers wiser then the Ancients old men are presumed to be the wisest and wiser then his enemies Object Oh but some will object and say the Scriptures wherein is contained the knowledege of God and Christ are in may places very difficult and hard to be understood Which men that are unlearned and unstable 2 Pet. 3.38 are apt to wrest to their own destruction We are ignorant and cannot understand them Resp Let no man object his simplicity as if that thereby he were uncapable of knowing the Mysteries of Gods Kingdom Mat. 11.25 our Saviour tells us that he hideth these things from the subtill and openeth them to the simple 2. Let not the seeming difficulty of the Scriptures keep thee from reading and studying them you have heard it gives wisdom to the simple and David tells us further the Commandement of the Lord is pure Psal 19.9 enlightening the eyes he doth not say it blindeth them that read it and could see before it enlighteneth them that were blind before Some say of the Beryl a certain pretious stone that it hath an especiall vertue to preserve the eye-sight whether this be so or no I know not but this I am sure that the word of God is both a light to our eyes and to our feet yea though we sit in darknesse and in in the shadow of death yet it will give us both spiritual light and life Greg. in Ezek. 47. guiding our feet into the way of peace Gregory tells us that the Scriptures are in some places so deep that an Elephant may swim and in other places so shallow as a Lamb may wade and Austin tells us in some places it is plain and easie that the simple might love it and in others hard and obscure lest the subtill might loath it Quae aliis lociso bscurè ambiguè traduntur in abiis plan è perspicuè explicantur Basil some places are hard and difficult to exercise the learned and others are easie to allure the unlearned to the study of them and Basil saith that those things which in some places are obscurely and doubtfully delivered are in other places plainly and pespicuously explained All things needful and necessary to be known to salvation are so revealed as they may be understood in the Scriptures or if there be any hardnesse it is either in the hearts of the readers John 8.47 or hearers rather then either in the words or matter of Scripture And Chrysostom tells us that it 's very probable that therefore the Scriptures were penned by Publicans Fsher-men Tent-makers Shepherds and Neat herds to the end that Artificers Housholders Plough-men Widowes Boyes and Girles and unlearned women might read and understand them 3. It is a duty commanded by God that thou shouldest study the Scriptures and be filled with the knowledge of Gods will Col. 1.9 in all wisdom and spiritual understanding as it is vanity to enquire into what God hath not revealed so it is great unthankfulnesse tot to study the Scriptures Rom. 15.4 which were written for our learning as Paul saith Object But our adversaries and the enemies of Scripture will tell us that Hereticks abuse the Scripture Resp If any do abuse the Scriptures the fault is in themselves not in the Scripture there is nothing but wholesome food unlesse thou spider-like by ill apprehension or mis-application turn it into poison and what if hereticks do abuse the Scriptures must Christians therefore be afraid to meddle with them because wine and strong drink are abused by some must they therefore be used by none because the Sun sometime hurteth sore eyes shall none have liberty to look upon it Direct 5 Be diligent in hearing the word preacht wait at wisdomes gates by hearing the word preacht we are prepared for the knowledge of God Encline your eares to hear and your hearts to understand be swift to hear as James speaks it is the property of a wise man to hear a wise man will hear and encrease learning Prov. 1.5 the Queen of Sheba came a great way to hear the wisdome of Solomon and yet many now adayes will not go from their houses to hear the wisdom of a wiser then Solomon What shall we say to such as think themselves wise enough already they know as much as their Minister can teach them Solomon saith Prov. 26.12 there is more hope of a fool of a simple fool then of such proud fooles let them not be offended to be so stiled for Gods Dictionary affords them no better titles there is a great necessity of hearing the word preacht
we must first hear before we come to see Psal 48.8 Sanet itaque auditus oeulum qui turbatus est ut serenus videat quem turbatus non potuit Bern. Cant. Serm. 48. As we have heard so we have seen saith the Prophet We lost much of our knowledge by not hearkening to the Lord and we must recover it again by obedient hearing of it by hearing we learn how to help our eye-sight that the eye being made clear it may see the Lord whom it cannot see so long as it is troubled Gregory Nyssen hath this observation saying that Moses of set purpose caused the Hebrews to wear Ear-rings giving them thereby to understand that their beauty and grace was in an obedient ear Direct 6 If thou wouldest attain to the knowledge of God take heed of vain curiosity in searching after the knowledge of those things that are too high Non possum unum cagitare quin trium fulgore confundor nec tria pâ—ssum dicere quin subitò ad unum referor Greg. Nazian and too wonderfull for thee in earthly kingdomes there he mysteria regis which it is better many times to be ignorant of then to know as he knew well that being come to the Court of a great King being asked by the King wat he should do for him told him that his desire was to know none of his secrets indeed there are some mysteria Dei that are inscrutabilia as Job 11.7 8 9. Canst thou by searching find out the Almighty to perfection It is as high as heaven what canst thou do deeper than hell what canst thou know the measure thereof is longer than the earth and broader than the Sea there be many things in the nature of God as we cannot find out as also concerning the subsistence of three Persons in one entire Essence of which Justin Martyr saith he would believe it was so because the Scripture taught and told him so but how it should be so he could neither himself find nor would he have others too curiously to search but though there be some mysteria regis that cannot clearly be known yet there are mysteria regni and these are necessary to be known To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven Luk. 8.10 saith Christ to his Disciples things revealed are for us and for our children It pleaseth God out of his goodnesse to propound many things touching the knowledge of himself to be believed and not questioned which nowithstanding might naturally be known Quest Why are those things that cannot be searcht out by reason propounded to be believed by faith Resp 1 Because man is ordained to higher matters than he can naturally know and no man will desire or study for what he knows not therefore it is necessary that we believe what we cannot naturally know of God Spiritual and eternal things do intellectum nostrum excedere to these we are ordained therefore we must believe them and it helpeth to the true knowledge of God for we never know God truly till we know him to surpasse whatsoever we can know or think of him 2. Because otherwise every man would teach and maintain what seemed true to himself This confuteth the errour of Simonides who said that it did decere hominem humana tantùm mortalem mortalia sapere Now the truth of faith and reason are not contrary one to another 1. The verity of Christian Faith exceedeth that of humane reason but it is not contrary to it saith Aquinas the reason is because nothing is contrary to truth but falshood therefore whatsoever things are known true naturally they cannot be contrary to Divine truth 2. The same teacher will not teach contrary Doctrine especially such a teacher as God is but God taught those things that are naturally known therefore they are not contrary to those things that are known by a supernatural revelation and received by Faith 3. God would not be the Author of contrary knowledges and these would hinder the one the other whereas they do not hinder but help rather therefore the knowledge or verity of faith cannot be contrary to the verity of reason Illud quidem quod veritas patefacit libris V. sive N. Testamenti nullo modo potest adversum esse Ergo. August Naturalia mutari non possunt contrariae opiniones eidem inesse non possunt Indeed many mysteries of faith do exceed reason but are not contrary to it and therefore whatsoever is brought out of natural reason against the documents of faith it cannot be of the nature of infallible demonstrations but meer cavils and sophistications Duplex est veritas divinorum There is a double verity of things divine the one our reason may reach the other it cannot that it may reach is probable the other demonstrative the one we must prove by the other Sicuti minus nota per notiora As things lesse known by things more known by the books of holy Scriptures by the books of old Philosophers and by miracles The first book considereth God simply in himself the second the creatures as they proceed from him the third as they are again referred to him Be not then too curious in searching after hidden secrets concerning God Curiosity saith a learned man makes more offendours in prison then learned in Schooles Nich. Caussin holy court and ever the desire to know what God would have hidden is paid with ignorance of ones self The Statue of Curiosity is on a moving Globe what more inconstant it is full of wings what lighter its sprinkled all over with eyes what more watchful its filled with ears what more industrious in the discovery of things it hath a mouth perpetually open for is is no sooner filled by the eares but emptied by the mouth its lodging is at the sign of the Vacuum for what is more vain its attire is spiders webs what more frivolous its table and viands is smoke what more slender and hungry her officers are many liars and impostours for such people are its favourits before it a certain itch of knowledge goes Melior est fidelis ignorantia quam temeraria scientia Aug. in verb. Apost serm 20. for it is the ordinary messenger thereof at her right hand stands opinion for it is it that deceives her at the left tattle 't is that which instructeth her after her followeth disturbance of spirit ignorance and misery for it is his inheritance in the end Thus he I shall conclude this with that of Augustine Faithful ignorance saith he is better than rash knowledge Direct 7 Art thou ignorant do not conceale thy ignorance but discover it A man that is ignorant Marcella à Hieronymo saepe quaerebat non ut contenderet sed ut quaerendo disceret earum quaestionum solutiones quas opponi posse intelligebat Hieron in prooem Epist ad Galat. and yet thinks he hath no need of the counsel of others is no better than a
THE MISCHIEFES And Danger of the SIN OF IGNORANCE OR IGNORANCE ARRAIGNED With the Causes Kinds and Cure thereof As also The Excellency Profit and Benefit of Heavenly KNOWLEDGE Largely set forth from Hos 4.6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge By W. Geering Minister of the Word at Lymington in the County of Southampton London Printed for Luke Fawn and are to be sold at his Shop at the Sign of the Parrot in St. Pauls Church-yard 1659. TO THE Right Worshipfull JOHN BUTTON of Buckland JOHN BULKELEY of Burgatt AND JOHN HILDESLEY of Hinton In the County of Southampton Esquires Right Worshipful MArcus Antonius de Dominis confesseth in that little book M. Antonius de Dom. Archiep. Spalat wherein he expresseth the reason of his departure from the Church of Rome That the closing up of the Scriptures from the people thereby labouring to hold all in ignorance gave him occasion to suspect their Religion and to fear his estate and to think on conversion freely professing three in these termes Scripturae summa apud nos ignoratio that there is nothing whereof the Papists are more ignorant then of the Scriptures And other Nations heretofore have cast this as a reproach upon the English Nation That the Nobility and Gentry thereof were ignorant and unlearned which aspersion hath been well wiped off since the beginning of the Reigne of Queen Elizabeth but I wish it were not a just reproach that did yet stick upon the body of our Common people that they are lamentably ignorant and unlearned in matters of the highest concernment what gross darknesse is yet among us notwithstanding all the meanes vouchsafed to us from the Father of lights and may not the Lord complain of us as sometimes he did of the people of Israel Deut. 32.28 they are a Nation void of Counsell neither is there any understanding in them Divers of the Ancients have given us their testimony concerning the great diligence that was used in all sorts of people in their times in searching the Scriptures desiring nothing else but to attain to the mind of him that wrote them August de doctr Christian lib. 2. cap. 5. and so to the will of God contained in them And what was more common to the Fathers then to exhort the people to get them Bibles to read them and to examine what they heard by them and how sharply did they reprove the negligence of those that did it not Theodoret writing of his times saith You shall every where see those points of our faith to be known and understood not only by such as are Teachers in the Church but even of all kind of Artificers and not men only but women also not they onely which are book-learned but they also that get their living with their needle yea maid-servants and waiting-women and not Cityzens only but Husband-men of the Countrey are very skilful in these things yea you may hear among us Ditchers and Neat-heards and Wood-setters discoursing of the Trinity Euseb lib. 6. cap. 3. and the Creation c. Origen from his childhood learnt the Scriptures and gat them without book and propounded many questions to his Father Leonides a godly Martyr who rejoyced much in it about the difficult senses thereof So Macrina Basil Epist 74. Basil 's Nurse taught him the Scriptures of a child and Hierome writeth of the Lady Paula that she could say the Scriptures by heart and that she set many of her maids to learn them and many of his writings are directed to women commending their industry in searching the Scriptures and exciting them thereunto as to Paula before mentioned Eustochium Salvina Celantia c. The diligence of those times may justly reprove the great negligence of these times we have had the light of the Gospel clearly shining among us these hundred yeares we have had many excellent Teachers to unfold the mind of God out of his word to us and yet very few there be that are annointed with eye salve to see that which is called the secret of the Gospel and to understand that great mystery of godliness which God hath revealed in his word we have had the way of God like Apollos expounded to us more perfectly then our fore-fathers and yet the Lord may say to us as sometime Christ to his Disciples Mat. 15.16 17. Are ye yet without understanding perceive ye not yet Have I been so long time with you and hast thou not known me c. Joh. 14.9 There be certain impediments of knowledge Some naturall as infancy incapacity unlearnednesse the one of these is not suddenly the other not easily cured Some are sinfull as Pride Ignorance and Aversenesse for which cause the Lord hath not onely given â—s the Scriptures but also the Ministery of his Pastours and other meanes to remove these impediments let an ignorant man be lockt up with a Bible he will return forth as ignorant as he went in though the word of God be not obscure in it selfe yet to an ignorant man that which is plaine and that which is obscure is all one but let the Book be opened the Text read and expounded and then by the blessing of God upon it as Chrysostome speakes the most unlearned man that is shall understand And were there 〈◊〉 constant preaching Ministery setled as much as is possible in every place and corner oâ— the land and not onely publique preaching but also frequent catechising in publique congregations and private families enjoyned and effectually maintained against the manifold discouragements of this Iron Age the darknesse of ignorance might soon vanish and be expelled out of our coasts Now the consideration of the grosse ignorance of most people and congregations in this clear Sun-shine of the Gospel was not the least motive inducing me to the study and publication of these Sermons being also importuned by divers godly Ministers and other Christian friends to bring them into the publique view My desire herein is to further the simplest of my Countrey-men in the knowledge of God hoping they will not slight my poor endeavours for whose sake they were primarily undertaken and those are all ignorant persons that have lived under the Gospel so long that for their time they might have been teachers but by reason of their grosse and dull eares are but babes in understanding and have need to be taught the first principles of the Oracles of God Heb. 5.12 And now much honoured Sirs your good understanding in the mystery of Christ your unfeigned love to learning and true Religion your great respects shewed to all Gods faithful Ministers which have the happinesse as my self have had to be acquainted with you have emboldned me to present this Treatise to you upon whom God hath stamp't his own image in an eminent manner as it were upon his own Gold more then upon many others of your rank You deserve I confesse a greater testimony of my respects unto you then this
the Covenant that are written in this book of the Law Let ignorant and prophane wretches tremble at this Scripture who have lived in ignorance and prophanenesse for many years and let them take heed of blessing themselves in wayes of sin and ignorance for the Lord will make his anger and his jealousie to smoak against such persons at last Dost thou think thou shalt do well enough in the end thou art mistaken while thou art ignorant of God and his ways thou art a wicked wretch and God hath commanded his Prophets to denounce a woe against thee Isai 10.11 Say to the righteous it shall be well with him then it followeth woe to the wicked it shall be ill with him for the reward of his hands shall be given him 2. Hast thou been without the meanes of grace for 30 or 40 years past and lived in ignorance so long and wilt thou refuse the means of grace now it is offered thee in thy age thy sin will be double and thy condemnation will be the greater If I had not come and spoken to them they had not had sin but now they have no excuse for their sin saith our Saviour if thou hadst allways been without the means of knowledge thou mightest have pleaded Joh. 15.22 Lord had I known thy will I would have done it but now Christ by his messengers hath spoken to thee and yet thou art ignorant and prophane thou hast no excuse for thy sin it is the sadning of many a Ministers heart to see the blockish ignorance that is among their people and that few or none will come to them to be instructed what thronging is there to the chambers of Lawyers for their advice and counsel touching mens outward estates what running after great men to get offices and places of preferment what posting to Physitians for advice if the body be sick and a little out of frame If an indulgent Father have his only son lie very sick by him how earnest is he in enquiring of the physitian what he thinks will become of his poor child and whether there be any hopes of his recovery but the precious soul that is more worth then the whole world as our Saviour intimateth to us this is neglected and never lookt after when shall you see a man or woman come to a Minister and say O Sir what shall I do to be saved I am a poor ignorant creature I pray teach me good judgement and knowledge and cause me to understand the feare of the Lord shew unto me the way of salvation but with grief I speak it we may sit till we freez before people will come to us on such an errand Most people will never send to a Minister till the Physitian leaves them and death stands ready to take them and then a Minister is called to come to them to speak some words of comfort to their languishing soules and what hard censures are past upon a Minister if he will not pronounce them then to be meet partakers of inheritance among the Saints in light who have walkt in darknesse all their life we dare not speak peace to those to whom God speaks nothing but wrath and indignation lest we bring that curse upon us in Deut. Deut. 27.18 27.18 Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of his way what a terrible curse would light upon us if we should now seal you up for Gods Kingdom when you know not one step of the way that leadeth thither let me tell you if you die without knowledge you die in your sins and as death takes thee so shall judgement find thee and then they that said unto the Almighty in their life depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes they I say shall hear God saying to them at their death depart from me I know ye not ye workers of iniquity or I never knew you to this day you that have hated the light of knowledg the light of grace shall be for ever without the light of life We read in the Gospel of one that went not into the Vineyard till the 11th hour of the day but did he refuse to go into the Vineyard when he was called surely no do you think it had been a tolerable excuse for him to have answered Christ when he was called It is now too late I am an old man at the last part of my life the better part of my life is spent and gone I can do thee but little service now and have but a little time to get the saving knoweldge of thy will I will therefore shift as well as I can for that little time that remaineth as I have done to this day therefore trouble me not now you see he maketh no such excuse but as soon as ever he is called upon to know and turn to the Lord he goes into the Vineyard And now if God open thine eyes in thine old age thou wilt bitterly lament that thou wast no sooner acquainted with God and his ways August Meditat. as Austin did who meditating on the knowledg of God brake forth into such words as these Alas O Lord that I knew thee no sooner I have begun very late to love thee a beauty very ancient a beauty very new Too late have I begun thou â—ast within and I sought for thee without and have cast my self with such violence upon these â—reated beauties without knowledge of my Creatour to defile thy self daily more and more 3. Dost not thou think thy condition to be dangerous because thou art not sensible of thy danger persons oftentimes in the greatest danger are least sensible of their danger as men that are sick of a phrensie will sometimes laugh and sing and those that are stung with an asp they lye laughing the poison being of that nature as it killeth them without putting them to any present pain these men are insensible of the dangerous estate they are in and their friends knowing in what condition they are do weep to see them laugh so it fareth with them that are sick of the phrensie of sin and ignorance and poisoned with the venome of the old Serpent they are many times at the brink of the pit of destruction they are at hell-mouth and do drop into hell it self before they fear any danger and like the Syrian souldiers that were smitten with blindnesse in the midst of Samaria 2 Kings 6.20 before they knew where they were he that should by night travel over a narrow bridge Sapientis est non quae ante pedes sunt modo videre sed etiam quae futura sunt prospiceâ—e Seneca under which were a deep river or go upon the edge of a very steep hill from which if he should have fallen he must needs be drowned in the one and break his neck from the other he goes on without fear but let him be brought back in the morning and shewed what danger he escaped
many hundreds of years and before their illumination by the light of the Gospel and all the while they served dumb Idols Eph. 4.17 18. and had not the glorious Sun of Righteousnesse shining to them 5. Mysterium hoc duplex 1. de mittendo Christo in genere 2. de vocatone gentium in specie quid his praeclarius Zanch. Hidden from the Jews themselves comparatively and respectively because it was revealed to them but under shadows types and figures darkly and dimly the Promises and Prophesies were not so easie to be understood as now they be Pray then to the Lord to open your understandings that hath the key of David that in some measure you may be able to comprehend Divine Mysteries that they may not be as a sealed book unto you Esay 29.9 10 11. Pray further with David Psal 8611 Teach me O Lord thy way and I will walk in thy truth As God hath set a course to the Heavens with all their Hosts the Sun Moon and all the Stars and as he hath set the Sea his bounds which he must not passe without his permission yea special injunction So he hath not left man at liberty to do what he listeth but hath appointed him a way to walk in instructing him in the knowledge of himself this appeareth in that presently after he had made our first Parents Adam and Eve he gave them divers directions how to order and carry themselves 1. By sanctifying a Sabbath and resting from their labours the seventh day as God did from his Genes 2.2 3. 2. By dressing and keeping the Garden Genes 2.15 3. By abstaining from and not medling with the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge Genes 2.17 Then after their Fall and expulsion out of Paradise he taught them how to worship him and serve him which instructions doubtlesse he imparted to his posterity else what can we imagine should move his sons Cain and Abel Gen. 4. to offer sacrifice and afterwards he instructed Noah before the coming of the Flood to prepare an Ark wherein to preserve himself and Family with a certain number of all kind of creatures whereby the species and kinds might be preserved and the world renewed Genes 6.14 ad finem Then after the Flood he instructeth them what they should eat and from what they should abstain Genes 9.3 4 Afterwards he instructeth Abraham and gives him as it were an Epitome or abridgement of his whole worship and service saying I am God Almighty walke before me and be perfect Genesis 17.1 Again in the same Chapter he gives him particular instructions concerning Circumcision and in divers other places about other matters and thus in a continued Series Rank and Succession he hath from time to time taught his people first by Moses and afterwards by his other Prophets as he tells us Hosea 8.12 So Micah 6.8 He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what the Lord doth require of thee c. Now if any one shall demand where this duty is shewed he may finde it Deut. 10.12 13. You see then that from the beginning man hath not been left to himself but been instructed by God in the way wherein he should go Direct 4 Be conversant in the Scriptures which are the rules of knowledge he that will be a Physitian must learn the precepts that teach Physick he that will be a Musitian must learn the rules of Musick the Oratour must learn the rules of Rhetorick the Plough-man the rules of husbandry and so every man the rules of his profession or else he shall never be a proficient in his Art or Science nor be accounted a Crafts-man that is ignorant of the principles of his Craft even so no man can attain to the practice of those duties that belong to a Christian that is ignorant of the rules of the Word he that is ignorant of the Scriptures is ignorant of Christ Qai Scripturam ignorat Christum ignorat Hieron praefat in Isaiam saith Hierome It is a most happy ignorance saith Hilary which rather deserves reward then pardon when a man trusteth to the Scriptures in that he cannot comprehend therefore let me exhort you to study to read the Scriptures they are able to make you wise unto salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 read them frequently it is recorded of Alphonso King of Spain that he read over the Bible with Lyra's glosse and notes upon it fourteen times notwithstanding his other employments and of Anthony an Egyptian Monke August lib. 1. de doct Christ Dom. 5. post Epiph. of whom Austine in his first book de doctrina Christianâ saith that though he had no learning yet by often hearing the Scriptures read and meditating upon what he heard he learned much of them without book and attained a competent measure of understanding and knowledge Comparate vobis Biblia animarum pharmaca Chrysost homil adpop. Antioch Chrysostome thus exhorts the people of Antioch Get ye Bibles the Physick of your soules read them of ten for there you may find a salve for every sore a medicine for every spiritual malady here is the bread of life that must feed our hungry souls here is the light that must direct and guide us in the way to heaven as Bishop Cranmer in his Preface before the Bible The Book of God is the treasure of knowledge Hieron epist ad Paulin. Singuli libri singula fercula Anbros offic lib. 1. cap. 22. as Hierom speaks Convivium sapientiae a banquet of wisdom so many books so many messes the Scriptures are saith Doctor Sutton like to Tagus in Lusitania or Ganges in India which the Scripture calleth Pishon whose very sand and gravell is gold but when an ignorant man seeks Christ in them he falls into many Labyrinths like the Jewes and loseth himself when he should feast at this table his meat becomes his poyson the savour of it killeth him because it is the savour of death to him when he seeks for gold he is blind-folded and falls into a pit for the vaile is over his face 2 Cor. 3.5 that which should be his Pilot is like an ignis fatuus to seduce mislead him most men desire to be conversant in those Authours that treat of good arguments for the ripening of their knowledge and therefore many are delighted in history which doubtlesse is a very commendable study and the more comendable if men propound to themselve the Acts of these famous and honourable personages of whom they read not only to be admired but also to be imitated and followed as occasion shall be offered Some men are so given to the search of antiquity and finding out of nice quirks and quaint distinctions as they will take infinite toile to read Manuscripts and rude dunsticall Writers whereby they have lost even the habit of writing and speaking handsomely themselves others again are so delighted and carried away with a delicate smooth phrase and fluent stile as they will