424 TraEfice in Religion nece/fary, act, nor the preparation and refolution of doing it, what punifhment We not expect ? The juft God, in punilhing the fins of Men, proportions the punifhment to the Crime, and where the Crime is greater, the punifhment rifeth ; as amongft the Jews, where the Crime was fhall, the Malefä&or was fentenced to afew firipes; where it was great, he was beaten with many. Thus our Saviour repre- fents the great Judge of the World dealing with Sinners; according as their Sins are aggravated, he will add to their Punifhment. Now after all the aggravati- ons of fin, there is none that doth more intrinfically heighten the malignity of it, than when it is committed againft the clear knowledge of our Duty, and that upon thefe three accounts. Firf{, Becaufe the Knowledge of God's Will is fo great an advantage to the do- ing of it. Secondly, Becaufe it is a great obligation upon us to the doing of it. Thirdly, Becaufe the neglect ofour Duty in this cafe, cannot be without a great deal of wilfulnefs and contempt. I (hall fpeak briefly to thefe three. Firfì, Becaufe the knowledge ofGod's Will is fo great an advantage to the do- ing of it ; and every advantageof doing our Duty, is a certain aggravation of our neglect of it. And this is the Reafon which our Saviour adds here in the Text, For to whomfoever much fr given, of them much will be required ; and to whomMen have committedmuch, ofhim they will askthe more. It was, no doubt, a great difcouragement and difadvantage to the Heathen, that they were fodoubt- ful concerning the Will of God, and in many cafes left to theuncettainty of their own Reafon, by what way and means they might beft apply themfelves to the pleafing of him, and this difcouraged feveral of the wifeft of them from all ferious endeavours in Religion, thinking it as good to do nothing, as to be mi- ftaken about it, Others that were more naturally Devout, and could not fatisfie their Confciences without force expreffions of Religion, fell into various Super- ftitions, and were ready to embrace any way of Worfhip which Cuftom prefcri- bed, or the fancies of Men could fuggeft to them ; and hence fprang all the flu- pid and barbarous Idolatries of the Heathen. For Ignorance growing upon the World, that natural propenfion which was in the Minds of Men to Religion, and the Worfhip of a Deity, for want of certain direction, expreft it feif in thofe foolifh and abominable Idolatries, which were pra&ifed among the Hea- then. And is it not then a mighty advantage to us, that we have the clear and cer- tain direction ofDivine Revelation? We have the Will of God plainly difcover- ed tous, and all the parts of our Duty clearly defined and determined, fo that noMan that is in any meafure free from intereft and prejudice, can eafily mi- flake in any great and material part of his Duty. We have the Nature of God plainly revealed to us, and fuch a Chara&er of him given, as is molt fuitable to our Natural Conceptionsof a Deity, as render him both awful and aimable ; for the Scripture reprefents him to us as Great and Good, Powerful and Merciful, a perfect hater ofSin, and a great lover of Mankind ; and we have the Law and manner of his Worship (fo far as was needful) and the Rules of a good Life, clearly expreft and laid down ; and as a powerful Motive and Argument to the obedience of thofe Laws, a plain difcovery made to us of the endlefs Rewards and Punifhments of another World. And is not this a mighty advantage to the doingof God's Will to have it fo plainly declared tous, and fo powerfully en- forced upon us; So that our Duty lies plainly before us; we fee what we have to do, and the danger of neglecting it ; fo that confidering the advantage we have of doing God's Wills by our clear knowledge of it, we are altogether in- excufable ifwedo it not. Secondly,The knowledge of our Lord's Will is likewife a great obligation upon us to the doingof it. For what ought in reafon to oblige us more to do any thing, than to be fullyaffut'd that it is theWill of God, and thatit is the Law of the great Sovereign of the World, who is able to fave, or to deftroy ? That it is the pleafure of him that made us, and who bath declared that he defigns to make us happy, by Vol. I. our
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