Serm. LVIII. Knowledge andPrafíice nece/fary in Religion. 415 Tongue to all Mankind, and thereby laying the Foundation of perpetual Schifms and Herefies in the Church. Secondly, But this is not the natural and neceffary effe& of Knowledge in ReIi- gion, but only accidental, and proceeding from Mens abufe of it, for which the thing it felf ought not to be taken away. And thus much certainly they will grant, becaufe it cannot with any face be denied ; and if fo, then the Means of Knowledge are not to bedenied, but only Men are to be cautioned not to per- vert and abufe them. And if any Man abufe the Holy Scriptures to the Patroni- zingof Error or Herefie, or to any other bad purpofe, he does it at his peril, and e mutt give an account to God for it, but ought not to be deprived of the meansofKnowledge, forfear he Ihould make an ill ufe of them. We mutt not hinder Men from being Chrillians, to preferve them from being Hereticks, andput out Mens Eyes, for fear they thould tome time or other take upon them to dif pute their way with their Guides. I remember that St. Paul, r Cor. 8. r. takes notice of this accidental inconveni- ence of Knowledge, that it pufeth up, and that this Pride occafioned great Con- tentions and Divifions among them : but the Remedy which heprefcribes againft this mifchief of Knowledge is not to with-hold fromMen the Means of it, and to Celebrate the Service of God, thePrayers of the Church, and theReading of the Scriptures in vi unknown Tongue, but quite contrary, Chap. 14. of that Epi- file, he ftri&ly enjoyns that the Service of God in theChurch be fo performed, as may be for the edification of the People ; which hePays cannot be, if it be Cele- brated in an unknown Tongue ; and the Remedy he prefcribesagainft the acciden- tal mifchiet and inconvenience of Knowledge, is not Ignorance; but Charity, to govern their Knowledge, and to help them tomake a right ufe of it_; ver. 20. of that Chapt. after he had declared that the Service ofGod ought to beperformed in a kn,wn Tongue, he immediately adds, Brethren be not Children in underfland- ing , howbeit in malice beyeChildren, but in underflanding be ye Men. He com- mends Knowledge, he encourageth it, he requires it of all Chrillians ; fo far is he from checking the purfuit of it, anddepriving the People of the Means of it. And indeed there is nothing in the Chriftian Religion, but what is fit for every Man to know, becaufe there is nothing in it, but what is defigned to promote Ho- linefs and a good Life ; and if Men make any otherufe of their Knowledge, it is their own fault, for it certainly tends to makeMengood ; and being fo ufeful and neceffary to fo good a purpofe, Men ought not tobe debarr'dof it. Thirdly, Let it be Confider'd, that theproper and natural Eft-efts and Confequences of ignorance are equally pernicious, and much morecertain and unavoidable, than thofe which are accidentallyoccafioned by Knowledge; Ifor fo far as a Man is igno- rant of his Duty, it is impoffible he (hould do it. He that hath the Knowledge ofReligion, may be a bad Chriflian, but he that is deftitute of it, can be none at all. Or if Ignorance do beget and promote force kind of Devotion in Men, it is fuch a Devotion as is not properly Religion, butSuperfiitian ; the ignorant Man may be zealoufly fuperffiaious, but without force meafure of Knowledge, no Man can be truly Religious. That the Soulbe without Knowledge it is not good, fays Solo- mon, Prov. 19. a. becaufe good pra&ices depend upon our Knowledge, and muff be directed by it; when as a Man that is trained up only to the outwardper- formance of force things in Religion, as to the Paying over fo many Prayers in an unknown Tongue, this Man cannot be truly Religious, becaufe nothing is Reli- gious, that is not aReafonable Service ; and noService can be Reafonable, that is not directed by our Vnderftandings. Indeed, if theend of Prayer were only to give God tounder(tand what we want, it were all one what Language we Prayed in, and whether we underftood what we asked of himor not : but fo long as tae endof Prayer is to teftifie the fenfeof our own wants, andofoutdependance u God for the fupply of them, it is impoffible that any Manuld in any tole- rable propriety of Speech be faid to Pray, who does not tinderftàn'd- what he asks ; and the faying over fo many Pater Nailer, by one that does notunderftand the meaning of them, is no more a Prayer, than the repeating over CO many Ver- fes in Virgil. And if this were good Reafoning, that Men muff not be permitted W
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