euident proofe for this your publike meeting There is Matth. 18.20 a speciall promise of a blessing to light vpon you as oft as you shall come to this place and thereof the author of all truth assureth you Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them O weigh and consider this If you loue and would haue the societie fellowship and company of your sweet Sauiour Iesus Christ you must frequent this place hither must you come Know this you cannot be right worshippers of God in priuate if you refuse or neglect to frequent this publike assembly the Sion the Ierusalem from whence God is pleased to speake vnto you Much then very much to blame you whosoeuer doe for none or for small occasions absent your selues from this plâ—ce this house of God at appointed times where and when your publike prayers should be as it were a publike renouncing of all sects and society with idolatry and prophanesse an acknowledgement and confession of the true God and a publike sanctification of Gods holy Name to the glory of God The time was and I dare auouch it Act. 21.5 when all the congregation of Tyre with their wiues and children bringing S. Paul out of the towne to the sea shore kneeled downe with him and prayed Shall we in these dayes finde this zeale among Christians I much doubt it and am perswaded men will be ashamed in imitation of those Tyrians to kneele downe in an open place to pray vnto God publikely I will not rub this sore I know somewhat and you know more than I how backward many of you haue been from doing God due seruice in this place Shall I say you haue dishonoured him some by irreuerence some by much absence some by wilfull refusall to bee made partakers of the blessed Communion of the body and bloud of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ I thinke should any one of you inuite your neighbour to sup with you but once and he refuse it you would take some displeasure at him and shall God Almighty the mighty creator of Heauen of Earth and of all you that heare me this day inuite you many times to come and sup at the table of his blessed Son and you refuse it Beleeue it he cannot take it well It is no indifferent or arbitrary thing to come or not to come to the Lords table Come you must of duty though of duty you are first to examine your selues Whosoeuer therefore wilfully refuseth to come he sinneth very grieuously as a learned b Butanus Iâ—c 48. Diuine well noteth 1 Because he contemneth not any humane but a diuine edict the expresse commandement of the Lord of life Doe this in remembrance of me 2 Because he little esteemeth the remembrance of Christ his death by which we are redeemed 3 Because he neglecteth the communion of the body and bloud of Christ 4 Because he sheweth himselfe to be none of the number of Christs disciples I beseech you dearely beloued lay vp these things in your hearts let this day be the beginning of your reformation resolue from henceforth to performe your due obedience to God in this place to powre forth your prayers before him to heare his holy word and to frequent the Lords table where by faith in his death and passion you may receiue many a gracious blessing forgiuenesse of your sins your reconciliation with God the death of iniquity in you and the assured pledge of eternall life I haue now by occasion of Sion and Ierusalem the place from whence God will speake vnto you exhorted euery one of you in particular to come to the Church I pray you note this to be but a part of your duty It is not enough for you to come your selues to the Church you must sollicite and exhort others to come likewise Fathers must bring their children Masters must bring their Seruants For old and young should come My warrant for what I say I take out of Ioel 2.15 16. Call a solemne assembly gather the people sanctifie the congregation gather the elders assemble the children and those that sucke the breasts Marke I beseech you Children and such as sucke the breasts must be assembled You must haue the spirit of resolution to say with Ioshua chap. 24.15 I and my house will serue the Lord. Your duty is yet further extended beyond your children and seruants to your neighbours and also strangers if they come in your way This we may learn out of the prophecies of Esay Micah and Zachary First Esay 2.3 The faithfull shall say Come and let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach vs his wayes and wee will walke in his paths for the law shall goe forth of Sion and the word of the Lord from Ierusalem Againe Micah 4.2 You shall finde the very same exhortation made by the faithfull and in the same words Come and let vs goe vp to the mountaine of thâ— Lâ—rd to the house of the God of Iacob c. The Prophet Zachaâ—y chap. 8.21 for summe and substance speaketh the same thing They that dwell in one towne shall goe vnto another saying vp let vs goe and pray before the Lord and seeke thâ— Lord of hosts I will goe also Thus farre of the place from whence the Lord speaketh expressed by two names Sion and Ierusalem THE Fifth Lecture AMOS 1.2 And he said the Lord shall roare from Sion and vtter his voice from Ierusalem and the dwelling places of the shepherds shall perish and the top of Carmel shall wither OF the speaker and place from whence he speaketh I haue heretofore spoken Now proceed wee to the sequels of the speech which shall for this time be the ground of my discourse The dwelling places of the shepherds shall perish So doe the words sound for their substance Yet after the letter in the originall and Hebrew copy we are to read otherwise the fruitfull or pleasant places of the shepherds haue mourned Let vs briefly take a view of the words as they lie in order The dwelling places So is the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 englished not vnfitly For though properly it signifieth fruitfull and pleasant fields and pastures yet because shepherds did vse in the wildernesse neare vnto such fields and pastures to erect themselues little cottages and cabins that they might be at hand to defend their harmlesse sheep from sauage and rauenous beasts it may here well be englished the dwelling places The dwelling places of the shepherds In my first lecture vpon this prophecy I told you there were two sorts of shepherds In the first ranke I placed sheepmasters in the second their seruants Among the first sort of shepherds was Mesa King of Moab who 2 King 3.4 is called a shepherd and there registred to haue rendred to the King of Israel an hundred thousand lambes and an hundred thousand rammes with the wooll The
and may be for our instruction Of the three perswasory arguments here vsed by Amos to moue the Israelites to attention the first is taken from the authority of the Word to the hearing whereof they are inuited it is verbum Iehouae Heare this word non meum somnium not any dreame of mine not my word nor the word of any mortall wight but verbum Iehouae the Word of Iehouah the onely true and euerliuing God Heare this word that the Lord speaketh against you My obseruation is The Word of the Lord is diligently to be hearkned vnto Were it not so neuer would the holy Prophets haue beene so frequent in that their inuitation m Isa 1.10 28 14. Iâ—rem 2.4.7.1 c 2â— 10.1.27.20 â—9 3.21.11.29.20.31.10 Audite verbum Iehouae Heare ye the Word of the Lord. That same generall Proclamation Mat. 11.15 Whosoeuer hath eares to heare let him heare repeated in n Matth. 13 93. Mark 7 91. 23. Luk. 8 8.13.3â— Reuel 2.7 11.17.29.3.6 13 22. sundry others places of the New Testament what else implieth it but that all are bound to heare The voice that spake out of the cloud at the time of Christ his transfiguration Matth. 17.5 it said no more but this This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased heare ye him Heare him saith that voice as if in hearing were comprised all the duties of man Christ Iesus in the tenth of Luke the nine and thirtieth verse speaking of one thing that is necessary speakes of nothing but of hearing the word Martha Martha thou art carefull and troubled about many things But one thing is necessary and Mary hath chosen that good part One thing necessary and Mary hath chosen it what is that She sitting at Iesus feet did heare his Word See now to heare the Word of God is so necessary a thing that all other necessities should giue place vnto it It makes much for this necessity of hearing that the Word of God is called meat Heb. 5.12 and the want of this word a famine Amos 8.11 What can from hence be collected but that it is as necessary for vs to heare the word of God as it is to eat Much more might be spoken to shew the necessity of this duty of hearing the word of God but I haue said enough for the confirmation of my doctrine The word of the Lord is diligently to be hearkned vnto One reason to enforce this duty I take from the person of him from whom this duty is inioyned vs. He is in my Text called Iehouah the Lord Heare this word that Iehouah the Lord speaketh Iehouah he is our o Deut. 32.18 Creator wee are his creatures hee is our p Psal 23.1 Shepherd wee are his Sheepe hee is our q Mal. 1.6 Master we are his Seruants hee is our Father wee are his children he is our r Psal 44.4 King we are his Subiects Say now is not the creature bound to obey his Creator the sheepe his Shepheard the seruant his Master the child his Father the subiect his King The Scripture sheweth it yea nature teacheth it If then the Lord speake vnto vs we are to heare him A second reason to enforce this duty I take from the great value and high price of obedient hearing Obedience in this kinde is better worth than any sacrifice yea than all the sacrifices that can be offered Samuel auoucheth it 1 Sam. 15.22 23. where he that reproueth Saul to his face Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as when the voice of the Lord is obeyed Behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of Rammes For rebellion is as the sinne of witchcraft and stubbornnesse is as iniquity and idolatry See here how elegantly Samuel deciphereth two contraries Obedience and disobedience He maketh the one to be better than sacrifice the other to bee as witchcraft and idolatry Obedience is better than sacrifice for hee that offereth a Sacrifice Å¿ Greâ— Moral lib. 35. c. 10. offereth the flesh of some beast but he that obeyeth offereth his owne will as a quicke and reasonable sacrifice which the Lord well accepteth Disobedience is as witchcraft and Idolatry If when the Lord imposeth some duâ—y vpon vs we then conferre with our owne hearts as t 1 Sâ—â— 2â— 7 Saul consulted with the woman of Endor or as u 2 〈◊〉 1.2 Ahaziah with Beelzebub whether wee shall hearken vnto the voice of the Lord or not this is disobedience and disobedience in a high degree as prodigious as witchcraft and idolatry Now this second reason I thus frame God liketh of obedience and preferreth it before sacrifice he hateth disobedience as he doth witchcraft and idolatry therefore it is our duty refusing this to embrace that and when the Lord shall speake vnto vs to hearken vnto him and obey his Word A third reason to enforce this duty of hearing the Word of God I take from the consideration of the punishment that shall betide the disobedient The disobedient shall be sure to be punished Our warrant for this we haue Deut. 28.15 If thou wilt not hearken vnto the voice of the Lord thy God to obserue and to doe all his Commandements and his Statutes which he commandeth thee then shall all these curses come vpon thee and ouâ—rtake thee Cursed shalt thou be x Deut. 28.16 in the City and cursed in the field Cursed in thy basket and cursed in thy store Cursed in the fruit of thy body in the fruit of thy land in the increase of thy kine and in the stocks of thy sheep Cursed when thou commest in and cursed when thou goest out With these and the like curses how sly soeuer thou be thou shalt alwaies be enuironed it will not boot thee to seeke starting holes If thou goe into thine house and shut the doore and double barre it yet shall the y Amos 5.19 serpent come in and sting thee there If thou goe into the field and seeke meanes to escape thou shalt meet with a Lion vpon the way if thou slip aside from the Lion a Beare shall meet thee Be thou assured God hath his storehouse full of rods nor of three or foure sorts only but of infinite to pay thee home if thou wilt not hearken vnto his voice But if thou wilt hearken vnto the voice of the Lord thy God z Deut. 28.1 to obserue and to doe all his Commandements which he commandeth thee then shall blessings come as thicke vpon thee Blessed shalt thou be in the City and blessed in the field blessed in thy bâ—sket and blessed in thy store blessed in the fruit of thy body in the fruit of thy ground in the fruit of thy Cattell in the increase of thy kine and in the flocks of thy sheepe blessed when thou commest in and blessed when thou goest out With these and other like blessings shalt thou bee compassed about if thou
but our men in doing as they doe doe sin against their conscience Vnhappy Parents which destroy your children in Popish and Atheisticall houses What are you inferiour to them that sacrificed their children vnto Deuils If your selues be righteous and Christians cast not away your seed your children the price of the precious bloud of Christ You haue made them in their Baptisme when they were young to confesse Christ will you make them now growne to yeeres to deny Christ O let the words of wise Ecclesiasticus chap. 13.1 bee precious in your memories He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith and doubtlesse your children placed in Atheisticall or Popish houses will themselues become Atheisticall or Popish Suffer I beseech you a word of exhortation in your childrens behalfe Binde them to none but to Christ put them to none but to Christians sell them to nothing but to the Gospell commit not your young ones into the hands and custody of Gods enemies A third vse Is it not lawfull to commit the children of beleeuers into the hands of infidels for the reason aboue specified that they be not withdrawne from the true seruice of God Then neither is it lawfull for you of your selues to keepe away your seruants from the seruice of God It is reputed for a tyranny in Pharaoh Exod. 5.3 4. That he would not suffer the children of Israel to goe three dayes iourny into the desart to sacrifice to the Lord their God and how can you free your selues from the impeachment of tyranny if you deny your seruants to goe but one houres iourney to this place to serue their God Thinke it not enough that your selues come hither to performe some duty to Christ your Lord and Master how can you performe your duty to him if you deny him your seruants You know what charge is giuen you in the fourth commandement not your selues only but also your sonnes and your daughters and your seruants men and maidens and the stranger that soiourneth with you are to hallow and Sanctifie the Sabbath day with the Lords seruice In this holy worke and seruice of God vpon the Sabbath day regard not what the multitude and greater sort of men doe Suppose all the world besides your selues would bee carelesse to performe this duty yet let your holy resolution be the same with Ioshua's chap. 24.15 I and my house will serue the Lord. Thus farre of my first doctrine grounded vpon Gods dislike with the Philistines for selling away the Israelites his faithfull people into the hands of the Edomites an vnbeeleeuing nation To ground a second doctrine hereon we are to note that the Philistines sold away the Israelites to the Idumaeans at such time as they were their captiues and so did adde affliction to the afflicted The doctrine is It is a very grieuous thing to adde affliction to the afflicted Witnesse the complaint made by the captiue Iewes against the insolency of the Chaldeans Psal 137.3 They that led vs away captiue required of vs songs and mirth in our heauinesse saying Sing vs one of the songs of Sion They the Chaldeans the Babylonians and Assyrians in whose country wee were prisoners required of vs scornfully and disdainfully thereby to adde to our griefes they required of vs songs such songs as we were wont to sing in Sion Ierusalem and our owne country before the destruction of the Temple and our captiuity They required of vs not songs only but mirth also they scoffingly desired vs to be merry when they saw vs so heauy hearted as nothing could make vs glad They required of vs songs and mirth in our heauinesse saying Sing vs one of the songs of Sion sing for vs or in our hearing some one or other of those Songs which you were wont to sing in Sion when you were at home in your owne country Intolerable is the hard heartednesse cruelty and scoffing nature of the wicked when they haue gotten Gods children into their nets God cannot away with such vnmercifulnesse and want of pity He reproueth it in the Babylonians Esa 47.6 where thus saith the Lord I was wroth with my people I haue polluted mine inheritance and giuen them into thine hand thou didst shew them no mercy but thou didst lay thy very heauy yoke vpon the ancient therefore now heare destruction shall come vpon thee Magna abominatio eoram Deo est afflicto addere afflictionem clamatque in coelum vox sanguinis The words are the obseruation of Oecolampadius vpon the now cited place of Esay It is a great abomination before God to adde affliction to the afflicted the voice of bloud cryeth vp to Heauen for vengeance Yea we are assured by Psal 102.19 that the Lord looketh downe from the height of his sanctuary and out of heauen beholdeth the earth that he may heare and so take pity of the sighings groanings and lamentable cries of such his people as are in affliction The time will not suffer me now to trouble you with more Texts of Scripture let the now alleaged be sufficient to confirme my propounded doctrine that it is a grieuous thing to adde affliction to the afflicted The vses of this doctrine I can but point at One is to reproue the Nimrods and tyrants of this world which haue no pity no compassion vpon the poore and distressed Such in the end shall know by their owne lamentable experience that to be true which Salomon hath vttered Prou. 21.13 Hee that stoppeth his eare at the crying of the poore shall cry himselfe and not be heard A second vse is to stirre vs vp to the performance of this our Christian duty euen to take pity vpon all that are in any kind of misery if our neighbours be destitute of aid and help we may not like wilde beasts lift vp our selues against them and so tread them vnder foot No. How dare we molest and trouble them whom by Gods appointment we are to releeue and succour We are commanded Deut. 15.11 to open our hands to the needy and poore that are in our land to open our hands to them for their helpe and succour It is not enough for vs to abstaine from all iniury and harme-doing but withall must we endeuour to releeue the oppressed This seruice of ours will be acceptable vnto God God for it will giue vs his blessing God will blesse vs for the time of our being here and when the day of our dissolution shall be that we must leaue this earthly tabernacle then will the Son of man sitting vpon the throne of his glory welcome vs with a Venite benedicti Come ye blessed of my Father inherit ye the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world For I was an hungred and ye gaue me meat I thirsted and ye gaue me drinke I was a stranger and ye lodged me I was naked and ye cloathed me I was sicke and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came vnto me in as much as you haue
the Lord and was forbidden by him From this reproofe of Iudah we may take this lesson Obedience to the commandements of the Lord is a dutie which the Lord requireth to be performed by euery childe of his This truth is made as plaine as the light at noone day by the words of blessed Samuel to king Saul 1. Sam. 15.22 Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord Behold to obey is better then sacrifice and to hearken then the fat of Rams For rebellion is as the sinne of witchcraft and stubbornnesse is as iniquitie and idolatrie In which words of Samuel we haue the nature of two contraries obedience and disobedience excellently disciphered The one to be better then sacrifice the other to be as witchcraft and idolatrie Obedience is better then sacrifice For z Per victimas aliena caro per obedien â—am vero voluntas propria mactatur Greg. Mor. lib. 35. cap. 10. he that offereth a sacrifice offereth the flesh of a beast but he that obeyeth offereth his owne will as a quicke and reasonable sacrifice which is all in all Disobedience is as witchcraft and idolatrie For what else is disobedience but when the Lord hath imposed some dutie vpon vs wee then conferre with our owne hearts as Saul consulted with the woman of a 1. Sam. 28.7 Endor or as Ahaziah King of Samaria with b 2. King 1.2 Baalzebub the God of Ekron whether the word of the Lord shall be harkened to yea or no. Thus we set vp an Idol within our owne brests against the God of Heauen and despising forsaking not keeping his commandements we follow the voice and perswasion of our owne deuises To this place of Samuel though of it selfe it be sufficient for the establishment of my propounded doctrine Namely that Obedience to the commandements of the Lord is a dutie which the Lord requireth to be performed by euery child of his let vs adde some other passages of holy Scripture wherein the Lord to draw vs to this dutie of obedience promiseth vs blessings Memorable is that protestation of Moses to the children of Israel Deut. 11.26 Behold I set before you this day a blessing and a curse A blessing if ye obey the commandements of the Lord your God a curse if ye obey them not As if hee had thus said Bethinke your selues O ye children of Israel Seeing God hath commaunded me to publish his law vnto you it is not for you to fal asleepe He sheweth you how you may prosper all your life long namely if you will obey him Obey him and prosper all your life long Is not this a great blessing But if you obey him not the curse will ouertake This doth Moses more particularly deliuer Deut. 28.1 If saith he thou shalt hearken diligently to the voice of the Lord thy God to obserue and keepe all his commandements that is if yee hearken to the Lords voyce to obey his commandements and be carefull to keepe them then shall you be blessed all manner of wayes you shall be enuironed through Gods fauour with all manner of well-fare and prosperitie Will you a Catalogue of such blessings as shall bee conferred vpon you for your obedience to the commandements of the Lord It is readie gathered to your hands Deut. 28. Obey yee the Commandements of the Lord so blessed shall yee be c Ver. 3. in the cittie and blessed in the field d Ver. 4. Blessed in the fruit of your bodies and in the fruit of your grounds and in the fruit of your cattell and in the increase of your kine and in the flockes of your sheepe e Ver. 5. Blessed in your baskets and in your kneading troughs f Ver. 6. Blessed at your comming in and blessed at your going out g Ver. 8. Blessed in your barnes and in all that you set your hands to These and many other blessings recited in that Chapter are plainely promised and shall as faithfully bee performed if you obey the commaundements of the Lord your God But if you be stubborne peruerse and disobedient to the Commaundements of the Lord then shall cursings as fast follow you Then Cursed shall yee be in the cittie and h Deut. 28.16 Cursed in the field i Ver. 18. Cursed in the fruit of your bodies in the fruit of your ground in the fruit of your cattell in the encrease of your kine and in the flocks of your sheepe k Ver. 17. Cursed in your baskets and in your kneading troughs l Ver. 19. Cursed at your comming in and cursed at your going out m Ver. 20. Cursed in your barnes and in all that you set your hands to These and many other curses recited in that Chapter are plainely threatned and shall as faithfully be performed if you obey not the commandements of the Lord your God I will not too farre presume vpon your patience You haue heard of maledictions or cursings against such as disobey the Commandements of the Lord. You haue heard also of benedictions or blessings to such as obey the commaundements of the Lord. May it please you then to acknowledge this for an irrefragable truth that Obedience to the commandements of the Lord is a dutie which the Lord requireth to be performed of euery childe of his What vse shall we now make of this Doctrine This needs no great consultation The vse is plaine Is obedience a dutie which God requireth to be performed by all who will be accounted in the number of his children Then it is a dutie required to be performed by vs. For who is there among vs that desireth not to be in the number of Gods children Wherefore dearely beloued in the Lord let vs betake our selues to the Schoole of obedience And striue we euery one to goe beyond his neighbour in the offices of this Christian dutie Obedience It hath praise with God and man Obedience It is the of-spring of the righteous Obedience It is sayth n In scala paradisi gradu de obedientia Climacus animae propriae perfecta abnegatio spontanea mors securum periculum tuta nauigatio iter dormiendo confectum sepulchrum voluntatis excitatio humilitatis It is sayth he an absolute deniall of our selues it is a voluntarie death it is a securitie from danger it is a safe nauigation it is a iourney performed as it were in a sleepe it is a sepulcher of our will it is the stirrer vp of humilitie The obedient man he absolutely denieth himselfe but that he may o Mat. 16.24 follow Christ he dyeth voluntarie but p 1. Pet. 2.24 vnto sinne that he may liue vnto righteousnesse though he be on euery side enuironed with perils yet is he secure and feareth nothing though he saile in the sea of this world yet is his sayling safe though hee iourneyeth in this valley of peregrination toward the Heauenly Ierusalem yet he doth it as
Father They should not haue had sinne Sinne in comparison they should not haue had Their sinne of ignorance should haue beene none in respect of their sinne which now they haue The place may receiue light from Christs owne mouth Luk. 12.47 Our Sauiour there affirmeth that the seruant which knoweth his masters will and doth it not shall bee beaten with many stripes with more stripes than he shall that knoweth not his masters will and therefore doth it not Where we are put in minde of two sorts of sinners Some there are that know the will of their Lord and some that know it not Both are sinners and are to be beaten for their sinnes they with more stripes these with fewer And these to whom fewer stripes are assigned are of three sorts For either they know not their Lords will because they will not know it or they know it not because they care not to know it or they know it not because they cannot know it They which know not their Lords will because they will not know it their ignorance is as the Schoolemen call it Biel. Sent. 2. Dist 22. qu. 2. Ignorantia affectata an affected ignorance These shut their eares when God calleth and being housed in their security will not step to the doore to see if the Sunne shine This ignorance resideth rather in their will and affections than in their vnderstanding part These are wilfully ignorant saith Peter 2 Ep. 3.5 They know but will not know and they run with broad eyes vnto destruction They which know not their Lords will because they care not to know it their ignorance is Ignorantia crassa vel supina a grosse idle wretchlesse and negligent ignorance And they that are thus ignorant doe also trace the high way to the pit of destruction and there shall they be sure to be beaten with many stripes They which know not their Lords will because they cannot know it their ignorance is called Ignorantia inuincibilis an inuincible ignorance and it s called inuincible saith Biel Sent. 2. Dist 22. not because it is simply so but because it remaineth after a man hath done all he can to remoue it and this ignorance saith he doth simply excuse a man from sinne Non solùm in tanto Conclus 1. sed in toto it excuseth wholly from sinne So he and the rest of the schoole But by their leaues it is their errour and stands conuicted by that laying of our Sauiour already produced The seruant that doth not his Masters will by reason he knowes it not shall be beaten with stripes though fewer But say an ignorance is inuincible an ignorance of necessity an ignorance that a man would but cannot remoue shall not such an ignorance excuse No it shall not For all men are bound by the Commandement to know God That some men know him not nor can know him it is not Gods fault but the fault of their owne parents and consequently their owne fault Adam had the perfect knowledge of God imprinted in his nature but through his owne default he lost the same for himselfe and his posterity A man may not for this complaine against Gods iustice since that our first sinne hath deserued a greater punishment I say then that this inuincible ignorance cannot excuse à toto it may à tanto It may be some excuse for the degree and measure of the sinne but not for the sinne it selfe And this may serue for the illustration of the third part of my position wherein I affirmed that our ignorance of God and his truth is of it selfe sinne Now the whole together stands good Our ignorance of God and of the things reuealed in his holy word whether it be an affected and a wilfull ignorance or a negligent and carelesse ignorance or an inuincible and a necessary ignorance is an effect and punishment of sinne it is a cause of sinne and is in it selfe sinne It was bred by transgression it doth breed transgression and is no lesse than transgression of its owne nature So foule a thing is ignorance And therefore in this respect also its true that Ignorance of God and his reuealed will is a sinne that is damnable and to be auoided My obseruation thus established Let vs now see what profit may from hence redound vnto vs. First this may serue to warne all Ministers of the Word that they be carefull to root out ignorance out of the mindes of the people and to plant the knowledge of God among them The Minister that neglects his duty and either through insufficiency or idlenesse suffereth the people to goe on in the waies of darknesse to their perdition he becommeth accessary yea a principall cause of their destruction Secondly this may teach vs all to detest this ignorance of God and his reuealed will and to seeke by all meanes to know God They that content themselues to liue in their ignorance and voluntarily submit themselues to be led by blind guides such as cannot enforme them in the waies of the Lord their estate is lamentable Beloued it is euery mans duty to haue care of his owne soule though others should neglect it You shall do well to account this one thing necessary to be instructed in the knowledge of Gods truth and preferre it before your worldly affaires Should you want this precious pearle of Gods Word you would rather sell all you haue to purchase it than content your selues to be without it Now you haue it brought home vnto you will you not make the best of it Thirdly it may serue to reproue a Popish practise by which they endeuour by all meanes possible to keepe the people in blindnesse and ignorance by taking away from them the light of Gods Word both read and preached that so keeping them blind-folded they may doe with them at their pleasure and like carrion Crowes hauing picked out their eyes may make a prey of them What else meane they when they teach that Ignorance is the mother of deuotion Pag. 18. I know that N. D. in his Wardword denieth this to be taught by any Catholique Hee saith it is forged by some Minister of ours and laid vpon them But he seemeth to haue beene past shame in denying that which is so openly knowne A Deane of Pauls Doctor Cole by name one chosen not onely to maintaine the assertions of the Papists against the Protestants in a disputation at Westminster but appointed by the Bishops and other his Collegues to be the mouth for them all whose speech in the end they all being asked did auow to be the minde and saying of them all euen he in that honourable assembly of the Councell and Nobles and frequent concourse of the Commons did with great vehemency maintaine this position in these words I say Ignorance is the mother of deuotion See this Popish Doctor appointed by the consent of Popish Bishops and other his Collegues to be their mouth and auouched to haue spoken nothing but