Senn. LX. in proportion to our Knowledge. 421 unto whomfoever much is given, of him [hall be much required ; and to whomMen have committed mach, of him theywill ask the more. The Words in general do allude to that Law of the Jews, mentioned Deut. 25. 2. where the Judge is required to fee the Malefa&or punifh'd according to his Fault, by a certain number of ftripes ; in relation to which known Law a- mong the Jews, our Saviour here Pays, that thofe who knew their Lord's will, and did it not,fhould be beatenwith many firipes : but thofe who knewit not, fhould be beaten with few(tripes. So that there are two Obfervations lie plainly before us in the words, Firfl, That the greater Advantages and Opportunities any Manhathofknow- ing his Duty, if he do it not, the greater will be his Condemnation; The Ser- vant which knew his Lords will, andprepared not himfilf, neither did according to it, [hall be beaten with many flripes. Secondly, That ignorance is a great excufe of Mens faults, and will leffen their Puni(hment.5 But he that knew not, but did commit things worthy offlripes, [hall be beaten with fewfiripes. I (hall begin with the latter of thefe firfi, becaufe it will make way for the other ; viz. That ignorance is a great excufe of Mens faults, and will leffen their Punilhment ; He that knew not but did commit things worthy of flripes, (hall be bea- ten with fewflripes. For the clearing of this, it will be requifite to confider what ignorance it is which our Saviour here fpeaks of ; and this is neceffary to be enquired into, be- caufe it is certain that there is Tome fort of ignorance which doth wholly excufe and clear from all manner of guilt ; and there is another fort, which doth either not at all, or very little extenuate the faults of Men, fo that it mutt be a third fort, different from both thefe, which our Saviour here means. Firfi, there is an ignorance which doth wholly excufe and clear from all man- ner ofguilt, and that isan abfolute and invifible ignorance, when a Perfon is whol- ly ignorant of the thing, which if he knew, he (hould be bound to do, but nei- ther can nor could have helpt it, that he is ignorant of it ; that is, he either had nor the Capacity, or wanted the Means and Opportunity of knowing it. In this Cafe a Perfon is in no fault, if he did not do what he never knew, nor could know to be his Duty. For God meafures the.faults of Men by their Wills, and if there be no defe& there, there can be no guilt ; for no Man is guilty, but he that is confious to himfelfthat he would not do what he knew he ought to do, or would do what he knew he ought not to do. Now if a Man be limply and in- vincibly ignorant of his Duty, his negle& of it is altogether involuntary ; for the Will hash nothing to do, where the Underftanding doth not firft dire&. And this is the Cafe of Children who are not yet come to the ufe of Reafon ; for tho' they may do that which is materially a fault, yet it is none in them, becaufe by reafon of their incapacity, they are at prefent invincibly ignorant of what they ought to do. And this is the Cafe likewife of Ideots, who are under a natural incapacity of knowledge, and fo far as they are fo, nothing that they do is imputed to them as a fault. The fame may be faid of diftra&ed Perlons, who are deprived ei- ther wholly, or at fore times, of the ufe of their Underftandings : fo far, and fo long as they are thus deprived, they are free from all guilt ; and to Perfons who have the free and perfeet ufe of their Reafon, no negle&of any Duty is im- puted, of which they arc abfolutelly and invincibly ignorant. For inftance, it is a Duty incumbent upon ail Mankind, to believe in the Son of God, where he is futTiciently maniffted and revealed to them ; but thofe who never heard of him, nor had any opportunity of coming to the Knowledge ofhim, (hall not be Con- demned for this infidelity, becaufe it is impoffible they Ihould believe on him, of whom they never heard ; theymay indeed be Condemned uponother accounts, for finning again(t the light of Nature, and for not obeying theLaw which was writ- ten in their hearts ; for what the Apotkle Pays ofthe Revelation of theLaw, is as trueof any other Revelation ofGod, As manyas havefinned without Law,[hall alfa perifh without Law ; and as many as have finnedunder the Law,[ball bejudged by the Law, Rom. 2. 12. In like manner, thofe whohave finned without the Gofel, (that is, who never had the knowledge of it) (hall not be Condemned for any offence again(1
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