5. Consider the mischief and danger of ignorance.

(1.) It exposeth you to errors and delusions. (Matt. xxii. 29.)—Who so apt to be misled as he that hath no eyes? He that knows not which is the right way, may easily be drawn into a wrong one." "He that walks in darkness knows not whither he goes." (John xii. 35.) Affection is a good follower, but a bad leader. It is too blind to be a guide. It embraces its object, and yet knows it not. It must be beholden to the eye of the mind, light in the understanding, or else all its motions will be but wanderings. It will be sure to rove, where it is not led. It is an egregious paralogism of them that argue against the translation of the scriptures into vulgar languages, that "that is the way to increase errors and divisions among Christians:" for that multitude of errors which is among us is not the effect of too much knowledge, but too little; as men's losing their way by day-light is not the effect of their having eyes, but either of their not having them, or not using them. Men do not run into errors because they know the truth, but because they do not know it, or are not established in it, or are not able to prove it. Not only pride and obstinacy, but ignorance too, hath a hand in heresies. That which is heresy at last, may be but a simple error at the first; and that, too, men may embrace, not so much, or not only, because they hate the truth, but because they do not know it. "Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds" proceed from them as being "destitute of the truth." (1 Tim. vi. 5.) In other places we see by experience, that where men have ordinarily more knowledge, they have fewer errors; where they are better catechised, they are less unsound. It is scarce to be imagined, that so many absurd and ridiculous opinions should pass current among us for great truths, were it not for ignorance, as well as interest. And I doubt not but many of the greatest patrons of errors, if thoroughly examined, would be found guilty of the deepest ignorance; and while they pretend to know more than others, they know much less than is needful for themselves. When men walk the rounds in religion, it is a sign that it is night with them. It is darkness that fills them with so many fancies and whimsies. Men's heads are most apt to be giddy, when their eyes are closed.

(2.) It exposeth them to wickedness too.-When the mind is dark, no wonder if the mind be impure. When there is no light coming in at the window, the house may well be dirty. He that cannot judge what is good and what is evil, may easily refuse the good and choose the evil. He that is ignorant of duty, may soon come to be prejudiced against it, and then disaffected to it, and then to embrace the contrary. Crooked steps are but the ordinary consequents of blind eyes; and none more ready to walk after the course of this world, than he that is unacquainted with the ways of God's commandments; or, (to invert the apostle's words, 1 Cor. xiv. 20,) none are more likely to be "men" in malice and wickedness, than they that are "children in understanding. That the Heathen were "alienated from the life of God," it was because of "the ignorance that was in them." (Eph. iv. 18.) I shall never wonder to see a conscience not informed, to be debauched; to see him that knows not God, to neglect God; him that knows not duty, neglect duty; or him that is ignorant of sin, live in sin. And though the beginning of

sin be out of ignorance, yet men's progress in it may be out of affection. If at first they commit it, because they know not the evil and bitterness of it; yet they may afterward love it, when they have tasted sweetness in it. They that "have no knowledge to do good," may the sooner learn to be "wise in doing evil." (Jer. iv. 22.) Men's lusts do then especially rule over them, when they are themselves under the power of ignorance. "Not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance." (1 Peter i. 14.)

(3.) It exposeth them to apostasy even from what good they professed to have. How soon are their leaves shaken off from them by the storms of temptation! How soon are they withered by the hot sun of persecution, who are not well rooted in spiritual knowledge! Men will never heartily love the truth, if they see not its beauty; and never adhere to it, if they do not love it. An unsettled judgment will make unconstant affections. I have heard of a martyr that could not dispute for Christ, and yet could burn for Christ; but I never heard of any that could burn for him, and yet did not know him. They that do not know the truth, -the excellency, and power, and preciousness of it,-cannot see reason enough for their laying-down their lives for it. They that know not the riches and glory of the other world, those great things which may deserve their perseverance, and encourage their resolution and constancy, will hardly be induced to secure the hope of they know not what, by the loss of what they see and enjoy. We may certainly say, that ignorance of God's truths and ways is one main root of apostasy from them; and had many of them who in these declining times have forsaken either, seen as much in them as others see, they might have found as good reason for their adhering to them, as others have found; so that (to conclude this) ignorance is a sin which exposeth men to temptations of all kinds : the devil can scarce desire fitter matter to work upon, than ignorant perTo whom should he put-off his wares but to those that are so dim-sighted, that they cannot perceive the falseness of them? (Eph. vi. 12.) Where should "the ruler of the darkness of this world" set up his throne, erect his kingdom of darkness, but in dark souls? Where should the devil reign, but where ignorance reigns? None more obedient vassals to him, than they that know not the laws of their true Sovereign. (4.) Lastly. Ignorance exposeth men to God's judgments, as well as any other sin doth. And those not only temporal, (Isai. v. 12, 13,) but eternal too: Christ, when he comes to judgment, will execute vengeance on them that know not God." (2 Thess. i. 8.) Those that God will love, he will have them "come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. ii. 4.) And even the servant that knows not his master's will, shall have his share of "stripes." (Luke xii. 48.) Men may perish not only for lack of that knowledge which is absolutely necessary to salvation, but for lack of that which they were bound, according to their opportunities, to have gained. I have heard it as the saying of a learned man, that a Papist might be saved, but a Recusant* could not; " as

sons.

66

Blount says, "Recusant is, by statute-law, any person that refuseth to come to church, and hear the Common- Prayer read. But the word is now almost wholly appropriated to the Roman Catholics; and is commonly employed to designate one who refuses to take the oath of the King's supremacy in matters of religion."- EDIT.

having sufficient means for conviction and information. I am not concerned to dispute the truth of the former, but see no reason to question the certainty of the latter. And might it not be said of many Protestants, that they might be saved in another country, but cannot be saved here, and that for the same reason,-because here they have means of getting more knowledge? Alas! how many ignorant souls are in hell already, and how many more are posting after them! When they die, there goes not only "dust to dust," but "darkness to darkness; the darkness of ignorance to the darkness of hell! They will at last find themselves greatly deceived that think they shall be saved because they are poor ignorant creatures, and know no better; that is, that they shall be saved because they know not the way to salvation; they shall be healed because they know not what will cure them. And, however they may for a time flatter themselves, upon the account of any external privileges, that they are Christians, Protestants, professors, yet they may read their doom in the text, which will one day be made good upon them; and if they will not know what else they should, yet let them know this, that "because they are a people of no understanding, therefore He that made them will not have mercy on them, and He that formed them will show them no favour."

SERMON VI.

BY THE REV. THOMAS CASE, A.M.

OF SABBATH SANCTIFICATION.

If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.—Isaiah lviii. 13, 14.

THESE two verses contain a model of sabbath-sanctification.

The thirteenth verse contains the duties enjoined.

The fourteenth verse contains the privileges annexed.

The duties are set forth unto us, I. Negatively; II. Affirmatively. I. The negative duties are expressed, 1. Generally and comprehensively; 2. More particularly and distinctly.

First. The general in these words: "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day." Wherein there are three things:

1. The thing forbidden.-That is, the doing of our pleasures on the sabbath. God never appointed a sabbath for the satisfaction of corrupt nature.

2. The manner of doing or forbearing it.—And that is, by turning a wy our foot from the sabbath. The meaning of which phrase may be,

(1.) Either a turning away of our mind and affections from each object to which corrupt will does strongly incline us. The affections are the feet of our souls.

(2.) Or an awful fear of trespassing upon the sabbath, for the satisfying of our carnal desires. As men that are afraid of trespassing upon some great man's freehold, withdraw their foot and turn another way, &c. The sabbath is God's freehold, of which God saith, as once to Moses, “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." [Exod. iii. 5.] When we are tempted to any thing unworthy of the sabbath, we should make a stop and turn away, that we may not

transgress.

3. The third thing in the general is the reason why we should be so afraid of encroaching upon sabbath-time, implied in this clause, "on my holy day."

Wherein are two considerations: 1. It is holy time. 2. It is God's time. To take holy time, and bestow it upon our own lusts,-it is profaneness.

To take God's time, and bestow it upon the uses of the flesh,—it is sacrilege.

It is not fit to make sacred time to serve any but sacred uses. This is the general inhibition.

Secondly. The more particular and distinct inhibition followeth in the end of the verse. Wherein [are] three things forbidden in the par

ticular :

1. We are forbidden the doing of our own ways.—It is an Hebraism, as much as in our English, "going our own ways; " that is, following our carnal and sinful courses, pursuing our own corrupt and sensual inclination.

2. We are forbidden the finding of our own pleasure.-Which is the same forbidden in the general ut supra, only with this difference, that there, as I conceive, "pleasure" is taken more largely. So, whatsoever is pleasing to unregenerate nature and inclinations, whether they be bodily labour or carnal recreations, profit or pleasures, sports or the works of our callings, we must not find them; that is, we must be so far from making provision for the satisfying of the sensual appetite, that we must not so much as own them, when we meet them; we must not suffer ourselves to be tempted, or ensnared by them; we must be to them, when we meet them, as if we had neither eyes, nor ears, nor hands, nor feet; we must not desire them, or have any thing to do with them.

3. We are forbidden the speaking of our own words. That is, our own impertinent discourses, worldly contrivances, or, in the apostle's language, all "filthiness, and foolish talking, and jesting," or Ta oux ανήκοντα, any thing that is not convenient." (Eph. v. 4.) Christians should not only consult what is lawful, but what is decent and ornamental to the sabbath. None of these things must be so much as named on our days, much less on God's days.

Christians, look to it: you may profane the sabbath by your words as well as your works, and by vain words as well as by vile words.

But there is one thing further observable, that is, the note of appropriation, namely, "thine own," "thine own ways," "thine own pleasure, "thine own words."

"Thine own? What is that?"

ANSWER. In opposition to God's ways, God's pleasures, God's words; thereby utterly excluding, not only wicked ways, and sinful pleasures, and profane words whatsoever, which are unlawful at all times, but even all such ways, pleasures, words, and thoughts also, (which are the words of the mind,) which relate to our own private concernments, whether personal or domestical, of a worldly and secular nature; which, though they may be lawful upon other days, duly circumstantiated, yet [are] by no means to be allowed of on God's day, unless they fall under the general exception of God's own indulgence, namely, necessity and charity; of which I shall speak more largely hereafter.

In a word: Nothing may be done or spoken, but what is of a divine or sabbath nature and tendency, upon pain of forfeiting our part in the blessed privileges following, verse 14. And so much for the negative part of sabbath sanctification.

In these

II. I come to the affirmative: "And shall call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him." words also there be four branches or duties:

(I.) We must call the sabbath a delight."

(II.) We must call it "holy," or "the holy of the Lord."

(III.) We must call it "honourable" or glorious.

(IV.) We must not only call it "honourable," but must actually and really honour it or Him by a suitable deportment.

(I.) If we would sanctify the sabbath acceptably, we must call the sabbath " a delight."—Call-That is, account it so. Calling-It is an act of the judgment, or appreciative faculty. A delight-Or, as some render it, "thy delights." We must reckon the sabbath inter delicias, as is said of Jerusalem: she "remembered all her pleasant things." (Lam. i. 7.) Surely, her sabbaths were some of those " pleasant things." It is said, "Her enemies did mock at her sabbaths." Ay; but she did

mourn.

They were her "delightful things," whereupon her heart was : and so they must be to us. But we must also remember to take-in, with the day, all the ordinances and religious services and duties of the day. They must not only be done spiritually, holily, and universally, but they must be done with delight and complacency, we must prefer them to our chiefest joy; yea, the very approach of the sabbath should be our delight. So have all the saints and servants of God in all ages of the church done; they have been to them the very joy and life of their souls. "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem." (Psalm cxxii. 1.) I was never more affected with joy and gladness in all my life, than when I was wont to hear the people encouraging one another to assemble themselves to the public worship of God, in the house of God, on God's day. O! it did my heart good to hear with what alacrity and rejoicing they did provoke one another: "Come, let us go to the house of the Lord;" notably prophesied of in words at length: "Many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of