noted before, it makes a man a kind of conscientious perfecutor. I confefs it is better for the perfecutor himself to do it ignorantly, becaufe ignorance leaves him in a capacity for mercy, and fets him a degree lower than the malicious enlightned perfecutor, 1 Tim. i. 13. elfe it were the dreadful cafe defcribed in Heb. x. But yet, as it is John xvi. 2. thefe are the fierce and dreadful enemies of the church of God. Such a man was Paul, a devout perfecutor, and fuch perfecution God afterward fuffered to befal himself, Acts xiii. 50. "But the Jews "stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief "men of that city; and raised perfecution against Paul and "Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coafts." An erroneous conscience binds, as well as an informed conscience; and wherever God gives fuch men opportunity to vent the fpleen and rage of their hearts upon his people, they will be fure to do it to purpose. With other men Gamaliel's counsel may have fome influence, and they may be afraid left they be found fighters against God; but blind zeal fpurs on, and faith, as Jehu did, " Come, fee my zeal for the Lord of Hofts." O blind finners, be sure of your mark before you discharge your arrows. If you shoot at a wicked man, as you fuppofe him, and God finds one of his dear children wounded or deftroyed, what account will you give of that fact to God when you shall come before his judgment-feat? Second ufe, of exhortation. This point is very improveable by way of exhortation. Both, 1. Unto those who are blinded by the god of this world. 2. To thofe that are enlightened in the knowledge of Christ, by the true God. First, To those who are still blinded by the god of this world, to whom the Lord hath not given unto this day eyes to fee their mifery in themselves, or their remedy in Chrift, fo as to make an effectual application of him to their own fouls. To all fuch my counfel is, 1. To get a fenfe of your own blindness. 2. To leek out for a cure, whilft yet it may be had. First, Labour to get a deep fenfe of the mifery of fuch a condition; for till you be awakened by conviction, you can never be healed. O that you did but know the true difference betwixt common and faving light; the want of this keeps you in darkness: you think because you know the fame things that the most unfanctified man doth, that therefore there is no difference betwixt his knowledge and yours; and are therefore ready to fay to them, as Job to his friends; "Lo, mine eye hath "feen all this, mine ear hath heard, and understood it: what 66 ye know, the fame do I know alfo; I am not inferior unto "you," Job xiii. 1, 2. But that you would be convinced that your knowledge vaftly differs from the knowledge of believers. Though you know the fame things that they do, it is a You know fpiritual knowledge of another kind and nature. things in another way, merely by the light of reason, assisted, and improved by the common light of the gofpel; they know the fame things by fpiritual illumination, and in an experimental way. I John ii. 20. "Ye have an unction from the holy "One, and ye know all things." Their knowledge is practical, yours is idle. They are working out their falvation by that Their knowlight which God hath given them, Pfal. cxi. 10. ledge of God, and Chrift, produces the fruits of faith, obedience, and mortification, and heavenly-mindedness in them: it hath no fuch fruits in you; whatever light there be in your understandings, it makes no alteration at all upon your hearts. The light brings them to heaven, John xvii. 3. Yours shall be blown out by death, 1 Cor. xiii. 8. and yourselves left in the mifts of eternal darknefs; except your eyes be opened feafonably by the anointing of the Holy Ghost. Conviction is a great part of your cure. Secondly, Labour to get a remedy for this dangerous disease of your minds: "Awake to righteoufnefs, and fin not, for fome "have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame," 1 Cor. xv. 34. These things fpeak encouragement to you, though it be a fore judgment that lies upon you, and very difficult to be removed: yet remember Jefus Chrift is commiffioned by God the Father, to open the blind eyes, Ifa. xlii. 6, 7. and this excellent phyfician befpeaks you for his patients, Rev. iii. 18. “Anoint thine eyes, (faith he) with eye-falve that thou "mayeft fee." Yea, the most enlightened Chriftians were once as dark and blind, in fpiritual things, as you are, and Christ hath cured them, Eph. v. 8. " Once were you darkness, now "are ye light in the Lord." Attend therefore upon the ordinances of the gospel diligently; that is God's enlightening inftrument, by which he couches those cataracts which blind the eyes of mens understandings, Acts xxvi. 28. And if ever you will have your eyes opened, allow yourselves time to ponder, and confider what you hear. The duty of meditation is a very enlightening duty: above all, cry to the Lord Jesus Christ, as that poor man did, Lord, that mine eyes may be opened, that "I may receive my fight." Say, Lord, this is my difeafe, and danger, that in feeing I fee not. Others fee natural things in a fpiritual way, whilst I see spiritual things only in a natural way : Their light is operative upon their hearts, mine is but an idle impractical notion of religion, which brings forth no fruit of holiness. Their knowledge fets their hands a work in duties of obedience; mine only fets my tongue a work in difcourfes of those things which my heart never felt. Lord, open mine eyes, and make me to see out of this obfcurity: All the light that is in me is but darkness. O Lord, enlighten my darkness, enligh ten mine eyes, left I fleep the fleep of death. Secondly, Let it be a word of counsel, and exhortation to such as once were blind, but do now fee. First, I beseech you, blefs God for the least degree of spiritual illumination. "Truly light is fweet, and it is a pleafant thing for the eyes to behold the fun," Ecclef. xi. 7. But oh, how fweet is fpiritual light! and what a pleasant thing to behold the fun of righteousness! Bleffed are your eyes, for they fee God hath brought you out of darkness into marvellous light. And marvellous indeed it must needs be, when you confider how many wife and prudent men are under the power of fpiritual darkness, whilft fuch babes as you are enlightened, Mat. xi. 25. It greatly affected the heart of Christ, O let it affect yours also. Secondly, Labour to get a clearer fight of fpiritual things every day. For all fpiritual light is encreafing light, "which "shineth more and more unto the perfect day," Prov. iv. 18. O! if a little fpiritual light be fo comfortable, what would more be? The wisdom of God is a manifold wisdom, Eph. iii. 10. The best of us fee but little of it. Labour therefore to know fpiritual things more extenfively, and more experimentally, Phil. iii. 8, 9. Be ftill increafing in the knowledge of God. Thirdly, Walk as men whofe eyes are opened. "Once ye "were in darkness, now are ye light in the Lord; walk as chil"dren of the light," Eph. v. 8. elfe your light will but ag gravate your fin. Remember how it difpleafed God, that Solomon's heart was turned from the Lord God of Ifrael who appeared to him twice, 1 Kings xi. 9. Remember how angry God was with the Heathens for abufing the dim common light of nature, Rom. i. 21. How much more evil is it in you to abuse the most precious light that fhineth in this world? And what mischievous effects the abuse of your light will have upon this blind world? It was a smart rebuke given once by an Atheist to a good man, who being afked by him, how he could fatisfy his VOL. III. N confcience to live as he did? Nay rather faid the Atheist, I wonder how you can fatisfy yourself to live as you do; for did I believe as you do, that there is fuch a Christ, and fuch a glory as you believe there is, I would pray, and live at another rate than you do. The Conclufion. And now, reader, after all my difcourfes of the method of Christ in purchafing the great falvation for us, and the way of the Spirit in applying it, and making it effectual to God's elect: thou haft two wonders before thine eyes, either of which may aftonish thy foul, in the confideration of them, viz. 1. This admirable grace of God in preparing > this great 2. The defperate wickedness of man in rejecting Salvation: First, Behold the riches of the goodnefs, and mercy of God in preparing such a remedy as this for loft man. This is that which is juftly called, "The great mystery of godlinefs," 1 Tim. iii. 16. that mystery which the prophets enquired diligently after, yea, which the "angels defired to look into," 1 Pet. i. 10, 12. la this glorious myftery of redemption that, πολυποικυλος σοφία, 13nifold wifdom of God, or that wildom which hath fuch curious, and admirable variety in it, is illuftriously difplayed, Eph. iv. 10. Yea, the contrivance of our redemption, this way, is the most glorious difplay of divine love that ever was made, or can be Inade, in this world to the children of men; for fo the apostle will be understood, when he faith, Rom. v. 8. Zuvisnoi onu sœ078 aya,God hath fet forth, or prefented his love to man in the most engaging manner, in a way that commends it beyond all compare, to the acceptation of men. "This is a faithful faying, "and worthy of all acceptation, that Jetus Chrift came into the "world to fave finners," 1 Tim. i. 15. It might be justly expec ted, that when this glorious mystery fhould come to be published by the gospel in the ears of finners, all eyes fhould be withdrawn from all other objects, and fixed with admiration upon Christ'; all hearts fhould be ravifhed with thefe glad tidings; and every man preffing to Chrift with the greatest zeal and diligence. But behold, instead thereof, αγάπην, Secondly, The desperate wickedness of the world, in rejecting the only remedy prepared for them. This was long fince foretold by the prophet, Ifa. liii. 3." He is defpifed and rejected of "men, a man of forrows, acquainted with grief; and we "hid our faces from him; he was defpifed, and we esteemed "him not:" His poor and mean appearance, which should en dear him beyond all confiderations to the fouls of men (fince it was for their fakes, that he emptied himfelf of all his glory) yet this lays him under contempt, he is looked on as the very off-caft of men †, when his own love to man had emptied him of all his riches, the wickedness of men loaded him with contempt, and as it was prophefied of him, fo it was, and, at this day is fadly verified all the world over; for, First, The Pagan world hath no knowledge of him, they are loft in darkness. "God hath fuffered them to walk in their own ways," Acts xiv. 16. Secondly, The Mahometans which overfpread fo great a part of the world reject him, and instead of the bleffed golpel, which they hifs at with abhorrence, embrace the blafphemous and ris diculous Alcoran, which they confidently affirm to have come down from God immediately in that laylatto Hanzili (as they call it) the night of demiffion, calling all Chriftians Cafirauna, fi.e.) Infidels. Thirdly, The Jews reject him with abhorrence, and spit at his very name, and being blind-folded by the devil, they call Jelus Anathema, 1 Cor. xii. 3. And in a blind zeal for Moses, blafpheme him as an impoftor." He came to his own, and his own received him not," John i. 11. Fourthly, The far greater part of the Chriftianized world rejeft him ; those that are called after his name, will not fubmit to his government. The nobles of the world think themfelves difhonoured by fubmitting their necks to his yoke. The fenfualifts of the world will not deny their lufts, or forfake their pleasures, for all the treasures of righteoufnefs, life and peace, which his blood hath purchased. Worldlings of the earth prefer the dirt and dung of the world before him; and few there be among them that profefs Christianity, who love the Lord Jefus in fincerity. The only reafon why they are called Chriftians is, becaufe by the advantageous caft of providence, they were born and educated in a nation where Christianity is profef N 2 + Nil habet infelix paupertas durius in fe, Juvenal. Sat, III, v. 152, Want is the fcorn of ev'ry wealthy fool; And wit in rags is turn'd to ridicule. To put on a profeffion of Chrift's name, and not to walk in Chrift's way, what is it but prevaricating with that divine name? Cyp de Zelo |