422 ,-..`l'raîltcg, in Religion neceary, againft that Revelation which was never made to them, but fòr their violation of the Law of'iVattire ; only they that havefrnned'under the Gofpel, (hall be judged by it. Secondly, there is likewife another fort of ignorance, which either does not at all, or very liule extenuate the faults of Men, when Men are not only ignorant, but chufe to befo 5 that is, when, they wilfully neglect thofe Means and Oppor- tunities ofknowledge which are afforded to them ; fuch as Yob fpeaksof I06 21. i 4. Whofayunto God depart fromus, _ for we defire not the knowledge of thy ways. And this fort of ignorance many among the Yews -were guilty of when our Saviour came and preached to them, but they would nos be inftru&ed by him ; The light came among them, but they loved darknefs rather than light, as he himfelf fays of them,; and as he fays elfewhere of the Pharifees, They rejetled the Council ofGod againfithemfelves, they wilfully thus their eyes againft that light which offered it felt to them ; They would not fee with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor underfland rnith their hearts, that they might be converted, and healed. Now an ignorance in this degree wilful, can hardly be imagined to carry any excufe at all in it. He that knew not his Lord's Will, becaufe he would not know ir, becaufe he wilfully reje led the Means of coming to the knowledge of it, deferves to be beaten with as many (tripes, as if he had known it ; becaufe he might have known it, and would not. He that will not take notice of the King's Proclama- tion, or will (top his ears when it is read, and afterwards offends againft it, does equally deferve punifhment with thofe who have read ir, and heard it; and diC- obey'd it, becaufe he was as grofly faulty in not knowing it and there is no rea- fon that any Man's grofs fault thould behis excufe. So that it is neither of there forts of ignorance that our Saviour means, neither abfolute and invincible ignorance, nor that which is grofly wilful and af%&ed; for the firft, Men deferve not to be beaten at all, becaufe they cannot help it ; for the latter, they deferve not to be excufed, becaufe they might have helped their ignorance, and would not. But our Saviour here fpeaks of loch an ignorance as does in a good degree exte- nuate the fault, and yet not wholly excufe it ; for he Pays of them, that they knew not their Lord's will, and yet that this ignorance did not wholly excufe them from blame, nor exempt them from punifhment, but they fhotdd be beaten withfewfiripes. In the Third place then, there is an ignorance which is in force degree faulty, and yet does in a great meafureexcufe the faults which proceed from it ; and this is when Men arenot abfolutely ignorant of their Duty, but only in comparifon of others, who hate a far more clear and di(tin& Knowledge of it; and tho' they do not grofly and wilfully negle& the Means of further Knowledge, yet perhaps theydo not make the belt ufe they might of the opportunities they haveof knowing their Duty better ;and therefore in comparifon ofothers, whohave far bettermeans and Advantages of knowing their Lord's Will,they may be Paid not to know it, tho' they are not (imply ignorant of it,but onlyhave a more obfcureand uncertain knowledge of ir. Now this ignorance does in a great meafure excufe filchPerlons, and extenuate their Crimes, in comparifon of thofe who had a clearer and moreperfe& knowledge of their Mailer's Will ; and yet it does not free them from all guilt ; becaufe they did not live up to that degree of knowledge which they had ; and perhaps if they had ufed more care and induftry, they might have known their Lord's Will better. And this was theCafe of the Heathen, who in comparifon of thofe who enjoyed the light of the Golpe!, might be Paid not to have known their Lord's Will, tho' as to many parts of their Duty, they had Come dire&ions from Natural Light, and their Confciences did urge them to many things by the obfcure apprehenfions and hopes of a Future Reward, and the fear of a Future Punifhment. But this was but a very obfcure and uncertain know- ledge, in comparifon of the clear Light of the GoCpel, which bath dilcovered to us our Duty fo plainly by the Laws and Precepts of it, and bath prelented us with filch powerful Motives and Arguments to Obedience in the Promifes and Threatnings of it. And this likewife is the Cafe of many Chriftians; who either through the natural flownefs of their Underftandings, or by the negle&
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