4F6 t he Preachersple4. citingoftheword,doth doubletheir fin,andmake their condemnation more inf{ by whom it is refufed. If! hadaet come and oken Tintothem , theyfisodednor have qlohn tf, s. ha044e9, (faith our Sauiour)that is , they had not been chargeable with thiâ fin ofcontempt ofme andofmy do&rinc:Butnomhale they no stoke fortheir (hire, now they hauenothing topleads forexcufe, If this were duly thought vpon, that the negle& of the word , whenthe meanes of making the fame familiar unto men,is become commonamong them, did makethem guiltyofa greater rPfaL5ti4, finne before God , theywould then notdare like the deafeAdder toffoptheir eares,,and to Puffer the holy do&rine ofGodto fall to the ground vnregarded, Thus I hope I haue (hewed the vnreafonableneffeof this fir ft reafon. Nymph. This that yam hastefpekea, aeitmakethmefeeplainy she id/ee9 ofthis ignorantexception,fo it callethtomy remembrance a norablepláceefScripture, whichI once beardyou slice& inaneofyour Sermons , to this or 'she like pimple: it is apartof Afts r Paul hisfpeech at Atheist, The timeof this ignorance(Jasrh be)God lightly paf. ¡irStrdàlr'3 ° fingouer, nowheadmonifhet hallmeneuerywheretorepentt.Itfeemeth'tomb that thisplace may be appliedfitly to this matter. Epaph. Ir is well remembred : forindeed that fpeech fitteth well with this point. Paul there df fputingwith the Heathen that worfhlpped dumb Idols,and thought the God-head to belike Gold, or Siluer, or Stone, graven by theart and inuention ofman ; left they fhouldobie&novelty intohim, and (horrid fay as the Papills doeat thisday, howwas it poible that all theWorld hhouId for fo many yeeres bee deceived? he telleth thm , that it feemed good varo God forcaufes beft knowne veto himfelfe,to permit the ignorance offomany thoufand ofy'eers;yet fo,asthat time ofblindneffe being nowdetermined,men fhouldnot plead prefcription,reckoning more ofanolderror,then of newly re- meal ed truth : but fhóuld.open theircares and hearts to this his general! fum. mons torepentance.I thanks you forminding me ofthis place : it flseweth no- tably what a fond thin its, notto takenotice ofthe1rruth reuraled, but to preferrealong continudignorance before it. "Haueyou any more exceptions ofthis narure,forged lathe (hopofignorance? Likeenough you have: for iris ail old and atrue faÿing, thaterrorismfinite, thoughtruth bebut see. Ift his that you havenamedhave any woe fellowcs,bring them forth ; I doubt sot,but by the graceof Chri(1 to diCcountenancethem. Nymph. reslitre relies, the multitudeheareittaagbe,tbatthepreachingofthe road is a thingofthae natureand neeef%a), vfe,that withoutit menordinarily canvas befaxed, they crueut by andby, And what is then become ofour fore-fathers? they hadno preaching,yet they were in their times good people,honeft,and well-elteemed in the places where they lined. Ifwe Mould then yeeld to this,that thispreach- ing is with fo reuerent a regard tobe depended vpon, we mull needs condemne our progenitors, out ofwhcsle loynesweacecome, which todoe were more then inhumanity. I can tellyou Sir, this is47 argument that hailsagenera/l appre6ati. ex,andtherefore Iprayyeti!sakewellto itthatyore eauanfwere se. Epaph. Wcll,as hard as itis,yet it is not fo intrtcateaswas Sampfsns riddle. t Iudg, tq,ta. 'that in feuen dayes could notbe interpreted, for indeed it is of novalue. Ir istrne,weareboth byNatureand byReligion tohonour the memories odour Ancellors, and in all good things tobe imitatorsof them : but inmattersof Religion we are not to haue aneye to them or totheir times,butwemuff con-. lider what (tinwhich the Lord requireebat ourhands. Whether they were fa, nedorno, it is net for v s to enquire t if the Lord hauedealt more mercifully withvs then he did with theme, wehaue canfeto magnifie his holy Name, ro looketoourfelues, that we defpiferotthe riches ofhisbounty, and to leaue them to the Lord towhom they flandor fall. hità good fayingofan ancient Gi Father to this púrpofe : /fray Predecefore "(faith lie) either bygnoraneeer 6y fm- pfcty,bas a net l ptandholdenthatsohish our Lordbath taught them by hi;exampleand tentbo-
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