VireBiom to the Unrwewed. Labour to kllmv tlte]v[y~eries of tlteGoJJul. in or out; nor what ene~y or danger he is n~ar. It is the Devil that is the Pri11ceo[ Dark_Hefi, and 1· Kngdom is a Kingdom of dark,ncfi, and !us works are workf of darl;_neji. See Ephef6. 12· Col. 1 1 : 5 13 : 1 J ohu 2 • 1 1. Lu~c 1 r. 34, ~ 5· Grace turncth men frum darJ:..~ufi to l'igh~; AUs 26•.r8. and 7 fcth them tocafl off the wor/;_t of dar/;_nr[t. Rom. ·•3· 12• Btcaufc we are the chzldren of lzght a•d {utl t .d:~y and Hot of darJ:.._11eji orof nigbt, I Theff. 5· )· They that rpere fometimes darl{nefl > are /igbt ~ the Lori wbcn they arcconverted, and mull wall;_ at the childrm of the light, Ephef. 5· 8. In the Zr.l;_ the Devil and wicked men may cheat you, and do alrnoll what they Iill w.ith you; You will ·not buy your waru in the dark, .nor travel or.do your work m t~e .d~rk .: And w1ll yqu Judge of the fiatc of your fouls in the dark? and do the work of your falvauon m the park ? I tell you the De· vil could never entice fo many fouls to Hell, if he d1d not firfi put out the l1ght, or put out thc1r eyes: .They would hever fo follow himby croWds, to evcrlafiin&_ro~ments, by d~~-light, and w~th open eyes. If men did but know well what they do when they are hn~m~, .and wh1thcr theygo macar... nal hfe, they would quickly flop, and go 110 further. All the DevilS m Hell could never draw fo many thither, if mens Ignor,mce were not the advantage o_f temptations. · . , . . , Cflih qrntJ p;~j 9. 3 .Anmher fort among us that are Ignorant ofthe thmgs of God, are{enfual Gentlemw,aHd Sc,,r,Uar.f., mm _pw4ft that have {Q much breeding as to underltand the word1, and [peak,. fomewhat better than the ruder pm m~tou_,; fort, but indeed never knew: tbeu.1cwre, trr~th ~nd goedncfi o_f th~ thingr they fpea~ of : They are ~r~at!~::a many of them as ig;wrant of the nature of fa:tiJ , and fanClificatr~n, and tbe. wor~ll?,S of tbe Huly parJ ~ -:.::>!:;1!– Gbojt in planting the lm~gc of God upon the foul, an~ of the Samts c_ommumOJt _»'J.th God,. and the t11~.1pa.1itwtia nawte 0 f a boly life, as if rhey had never heard or believed, that there. IS fuch a rh111g as any of the_fe 1tMfrm,m.Sr3l. in being. NicodemuJ is a live!~ infiance in this_cafe : A Ruler in JfraeJ and a Ph~rif:e, .and yet knew J.~~~i,~; 7t;· not \-\hac it was to be bom agam. And the pnde of thcfe Gallants rpaketh tbezr Ignorance much i"tiDjcit:u q:.i, harder to be cured, than other mens: becaufe it hindererh them from knOINing an,d confefNng it, n~n. pt,ftva-.trt Ifany one would convince them of it, they fay with [corn, as the Pha!ifees to Chrifi, .John 9· 40. fed ab emtr; Are we bli1td alfo ? Yea, they are ready to infult over the Ch1ldren of the Light, that are witC to {alvati- fc~:t:JIC.m ~ on, bccaufe they differ from rhe loofe or hypocritical Opinions of thefeGentlemen, in fome ,matters :~i~·'11 £;::~1le~m ofGods Worl1Hp; of which rhcir Worfhips are as competent Judges, as the Pharifees .of the doctrine pmare, [!d ofChrifi, or as Nicodemtu of Regeneration, or as SimoJtMagM, or Julian, or Porpbiry o( the gifts of lulb1in:!m l~~er-' the Holy Ghofi. Thefe Honourable miferable men, will bear no contradtdion .or reproof; \~lho ce pcrfi_'L·e~rcdarc be [o unmannerly,difobedient, or bold, as to tell them that they are out of the way ~o Heaven, E~~e:o~~ijlo~~; and jlrangerJ to it, ( that I fay not, Enemier); and to pn:fume: to flop them in the way to Hell, or to could f.:1y, th:tt hinder them Lrorn damning themfclves, and as ma"ny others as they can ? T hey think this talk of hethlt belie\·– Chrift, and grace, and. life tttrnal, i_f it be but feria~-!', (andnot like their o~n, in f orm, or levity, or ed as heought fcorn ) is but the rroublefome prec1fenefs ofhypocntJcal humorous, crackt-bramc:d fellows: And {ay of~ t~d ~?d:, thegod~y, as the Phar~fees, John 7_· 47, 48, 49· Are ye alfo deceived l Have auy of the Rulers, or of the w;JI 0 } ~m~ Pharifeubelieved on b,m ? but thu peoplewhok!towethnot the Law are curfid. felf, asAl~x.. §· 4 . Well, Gentlemen or poor men, whoever you be that favour not the things of the Spirit ( R om. a~dtr that · g, 5 6, 7· 13· ) but live in iguorance of the myllerics of falvation, be it known to you that Hea.. commdnJeth vcntY 1'ruth and Holinefs are works of Light, and_ nev~r ~;rofpcr in ~he darl(,: And _that ydur bcjt un. ~[tl7;c"?. d:n· derft:mding lhould be ufed for God and your falvauon, 1f tor any tlung at all. le JS the Devil and TranqNi!.A, 1 im. /Ji-1deceitJ char- fear rhe light. Do but Vnderjland well what you do 1 and then be wicked if you can : p. t g. and then fer light by Chrift and holine[s if you dare ! 0 come but out of d.zri:.Jteji inro the light and K~Ur!s puvior you '":ill fee that w~ich ~ill make you t_remblc.tQ live ungodly -and unconvened another day; 'And ~:m;u:~u;ogyou wJII fee thl t wluch w1ll make you With pemtent remorfe. lament your fo loug neglc(\: of Heaven, uillo vr.it 11 tis.. and wonder that you <0~1ld live fo far, and fo Ions belidcs your wits, as to <hooka 'curfc of vanity L:llam.Infi•t• J.r.c.ll:; ~clom :md doleful caii: to think bow ignorant fom~ peop~e live, eve11 tQ olJ ~ge, un.der C01lllat1t and excel!em Teaching. It ~50~~1~:~(rt Aeith~r words nor fehfe, .but hear ;as it_ they h~ud nm : ~orue J:~tu 1"Pords, anJ know rh: f~nfe no moreth:tn if they had learm bur :1 tongue unknown:. And w1!1 repeat 1hc1r Cre~d an~ U!echtfm, wncn 1heyknvw not what _it JSth:r.t they f:t)> A '-'~"Orthy Minifler of Hdvctia told m~, t_h:u the1r _peopl~ ?re vt'ry confiJHt at their~e~mons, ;~.nd yet Awfi of them grcfly •gnorant of the thtngs whirh theymoft frequently hear. It 1s almvHmcred1b.~ what Jgno,ance fomcMmtfiers report that 1hey h;~ve founJ m fome of the cldefi of tht"ir &ud:tElrs Nay when I have examined fom~ tha: h.l\'~ pro~e!ICd firiCt.nefs in Religion, above 1~e Cll~mon fott of ptople, I ha.,·e fouftd fome ig~cum 0 £ S:Om~ of th~ ful!d~men_t~ls of the <.:hrdlt:tn f.111h. And I rememb_er what an· ;~.nc1tnt Dtfuop ;~.bout t';'"clve hunJred years ago faith, Maxim:t-S 1)ti((M_t!fiJ m hts Homilies, th:ar when h_e had long preached to hJS people,. even, onan e~( ning afr~r one of his Sermons, he heard a cry or noue:among the people, aml hea1kerung wb.lt tt was, they w~:re by tlu.·tr outcryhelpmg to de]tver . the Moon, th.lt was in labour :md wanted help. Hiswords are [ f!JJ.s non moleflt frrat fie '1/0S tfft VtJlr.t {al11rU immemow , ut ttiam ca:lo t(./le ptcettis? NilmCJJrtJ ante dies ~!rto_[qu~ mm_cflfdi!au pulf.1'V_tfim,_rprt ~~e circiu; 'f!effnw;J w ua '!-'" i{uatio pop11!i ~xtici~, 11t irr~li~iofittts tjiH pmm_am a(/ u~l:an. .!i!.!!,odurn· te1u1rtm~ quod fib~_ cla.mor hJtV~Jt ? du:erunt m1h1quod ~.1b1r~ntf I;un~t vtflra -yoti{er~l.to fubuwrtt ; _& d;frflum tpt! fuU clamoris adjwarrt : Rifi rqt1t~et.'J & m1~arus f~m va_m~t!Um_, quoti _q::afi. dtt·ot~ Cb•iJ!lanl Dtu fmbam atlxrilu'JI. C!amabaw CliJlJI nt tacmdbut vobi 1 eJ~mmtNm: tanquam z~firm_ustn~'ll _r~nmbwUIS, nlfi ve~m adp~t~•rttur vo;lbttf~ VOlt po.fft, /N~inaria dt[t~tfm qu~ crcavit. ] It is cired aifo by Papi,·ius Majfonu6 _m Vltfl Hr{an~ Pap..., (o!. 67. . ~bere!ore Popery IS fu1t2b!e to thechlidren of darknefs, and unfuitlble to the children of ~ht, berau_fe 1t _greatly Ucf:1ende~h ~gnorance, hmdenng the peOflc from reading the holyScriptures, _and quieting themwith the opiate ot an t~fte 1mpltc1te f~1th~ m hehe\•1r.g a\ :he !<O.'I!ail Cfiurcb beheveth, though they know mt what 1t behcvetb, or mifiake and think it b:· lie1·cth, t_hat ~b_tch tt.doth not_: Octam. bb. de S~t•ram. Allllr.cap. I, citctb Imto:enr. Extra. dt _{um. /,i,l. to prove the or~ at benefit and effi– ncy of 1mpl~~He fm.h, d~.lt 1~ wou!d prov~ ?n error to ~e n9 1in: _IJHatt~m,_i;tqu·t, -:.·a/~t files i,ptiaa, ut di"mt a!Tqui, /1t fi a/iq 11 i; tam ~abu, 9flo_d fulmt md1t q11rcq;t'dEc:!eftll crtd1t, fi fa![! oplnatur, ratfMt natrrral' m~tus, qhla partr_ rft vtlpri~r {ilia, vti quad trr} p.rJM~ p 11 t tm tCJ ab ln'-lz~c"! tlflai:tc~, 11111: if!: h~ W~ll't nu~uc~l ; dummado h_mJC trtorcm noli dtfenfat, & h#c zp[11m crtdlt , qNitt {redit Eccl!fiam fie mde~, &_ [!fil'll 11~11/JO'Ie~ fida E~clrfl~ Juppor/J!.. .!J?!.!I-''- beet ftc male opumur, no~ tamtn eft rUa .fi~es fu_a, it~~mo fida fun tft fides Edtji.e. This jffi_ phme. ~.:urh, betng _nothmg but w bcheve t!~.lt t~e Church crre~h not, IS not an I~phcne fa.tth. in God ( to believ·e th:~.t a}l th;at God re– xea_le~h IS true) wl;nch all me~ have that ~ehe\·e mGod, auat10nd an excufe fortj::norancn.nd error, as a belief in r:\c Churrh ofKomt ? !h1s JStoo fuort ~nd ~alie a f~tth tC? be eRdtu~i to the true ends of fait~. Si. ig~tlir r.t»ttt fi_t tQicaci.e. p~cs imp(t"ta, J/t <:ccilftt ig_no~ r~ntrr O"f~lflC'II Cl.Ca JU:i qu .. ~/11 ~cr_zptnra C~t~onta {~at rxprt/fo, m;dto lfltf!,U cxcufa~lt J'IIOi 4'1UY OfJitMtm'J a!Jqwf q11ollf!C ilf. Sc1irura CtU:o- :'iiCII. rtpmttfr exyaff;m~. Okam1h1d. df.~ • ~. c ~
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