Serra. LX. in proportion to our Knon'ledge. 423 .negle&of their Parents and Teachers, or other Circumftances of their Education, have had far lefs Meansand Advantages of Knowledge than others. God does not expe& fo much from thofe, as from others, to whom he bath given greater Capacity, and Advantages of Knowledge ; and when our Lord (hall come to call his Servants to an account, they (hall be beaten with fewer (tripes than others; they (hall not wholly efcape, becaufe they were not wholly ignorant ; but by howmuch they had lefs Knowledge than others, by fo much their Punifhment (hall be lighter. And there is all the Equity in the World it fhould be fo, that Men thould be accountable according to what they have received, and that to whom lefs is gi- ven, lefs thould be required at their hands. The Scripture hath told us, . that God willjudge the World in Righteonfnefs ; now Juftice does require, that in tax- ing thePuni(hment of Offenders, every thing thould be confider'd, that may be a ju(t excufe and extenuation of their Crimes, and that accordingly their Punifh- ment fhould be abated. Now the greateft extenuation of any fault is ignorance, which when it proceeds from no fault of ours, no fault can proceed from it ; fo that fo far as any Man is innocentlyignorant of his Duty, fo far he is excufa- ble for the negleftof it : for every degree of Ignorance takes off fo much from the perverfenefs of the Will ; & nihil ardet in inferno, nifi propria volrsntas, " Nothing is punifht in Hell, but what: is voluntary, and proceeds from our " Wills. I do not intend this Difcourfe for any commendation of Ignorance, or encou- ragement to it. For Knowledge bathmany advantages above it, and is much moredefirable, if we ufe it well; and if we do not, it is our own fault; if we be not wanting to our felves, we may be much happier by our Knowledge, than any Man can be by hisIgnorance ; for tho' Ignorance may plead an, excufe, yet it can hope for noReward ; and it is always better to need no excufe, than to have the belt in the World ready at hand to plead for our felves. Betides, that we maydo well toconfider, that Ignorance is no where an excufe where it is che- ri(ht; fo that it would be the vaineft thing in the World for any Man to fotter it, in hopes thereby to excufe himfelf; for where it is wilful and chofen, it is a fault, and (as I faid before) it is the molt unreafonable thing in the World, that any Man's fault fhould prove his "excufe. So that this can be no encouragement to Ignorance, to fay that it extenuates the faults of Men : for it does not extenu- ate them, whenever it is wilful and affeffed ; and when ever it is defigned and chofen, it is wilful ; and then noMan can reafonably defign tocontinue ignorant, that hemay have an excufe for his faults, becaufe then the Ignorance is wilful, and whenever it is fo, it ceafeth tobean excufe. I the rather fpeak this, becaufe Ignorance bath had the good fortune to meet with great Patrons in the World, and to be extol'd, tho' not upon this account, yet upon another, for which there is lefs pretence of Real-on; as if it were the Mother of Devotion. Of Superftition I grant it is, and of this we fee plentiful proof, among thofe who are fo careful to preferve and cherifh it : but that true Piety and Devotion thould fpring from it, is as unlikely, as that Darknefs fhould produce Light. I do hope indeed, and Charitably believe, that the ignorance in which tome are detained by their Teachers and Góvernours, will be a real ex- cufe, to as many ofthem as are otherwife hone(( and fincere ; but I doubt not, but the errors and faults which proceed from this ignorance, will lie heavy upon thofe whokeep them in it. I proceed to the SecondObfervation, That the greater Advantages, and Opportunities any Man bathof knowing the will ofGod, and his Duty, the greater will be hisCondem- nation if he do not do it. The Servant which knew his Lord's will, andpre- pared not himfelf, neither did according to it, pallbe beaten with manyfiripes. Which knew his Lord's will, and preparednot himfelf; The preparation of our Mind to do the Will of God, whenever there is occafion and opportunity for it, is ac- cepted with him ; a Will rightly difpofed to obey God, tho' it be not brought into aft, for want of opportunity, doesnot lofe its Reward : but when, notwith- ftanding we know our Lord's Will, there are neither of thefe, neither the aû
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=