A. 4. Men know to do good, but do it not, because the knowledge in their head never Avorks into their hearts ; it doth not quicken them, nor warm their affections with love to the truth.
A. 5. Men knoAV to do good, but do it not, because of prcjudicate opinion. The things to be done in religion are judged to be too strict and severe ; they restrain sin too much, or they press too much to holi- ness.
A. 6. Men know to do good, yet do it not, because they love their sin more than they love the word, Hos. iv. 8., " Tiiey set their heart on their iniquity." Some con- tent themselves with liaA'ing moans of know- ledge, Judges xvii. 13., " Then said Micah, now know I that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest." But what is one the better to know what physic he should take, if he doth not take it.
Use 2. Of exhortation. Let me beseech you all who have been hearers of the word, and have gotten a great measure of know- ledge, that, as you know to do good, you would do it. This is the soul of religion. Luther says, I had rather do the will of God, than be able to work miracles. 1st, To do what you know, evidenceth your re- lation to Christ. You count it an honour to be near allied to the crown, but it is more honour to be a-kin to Christ. 2rf/y, To know to do good, and do it, sets a crown upon the gospel, Rom. XA-i. 19., " Your obedience is come abroad unto all not your knowledge, but your obe-
men
dience. To know to do good, and not to
ON KNOWING GOD AND DOING GOOD.
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do it, hardens others in sin, sc.andalizcth religion, and makes people ready to turn atheists. When some of the Spaniards came to Hispaniola, the Spaniards' carriage being loose and profane, the Indians asked them, What God they served ? They ans- wered, The God of heaven. The Indians rejtlied, Sure your God is not a good God that hath such b.id servants. Thus to know to do good, yet do it not, puts a scar in the face of religion, and brings an evil report upon it ; but to do what we know, trum- ])ets fortli tiie fame of the gospel, and makes them that oppose it, to admire it. 3(//?/, To know to do good and to do it, entitles you to blessedness. Jam. i. 25., " He shall be blessed in his deed :" not for the deed, but in the deed.
III. Doctrine. That lie who knoweth to do good, and doth it not, is of all others the most guilty ; to him it is sin, crimson sin ; that is, it is heinous sin, capital sin, sin em- j)hatically, sin with a witness, and punished with a vengeance.
Quest. What is it to sin presumptuously ?
Ans. To sin presumptuously, is to sin a- gainst the light which shines in a man's conscience, i. e. a man is convinced those things he doth are sin. Conscience saith, O do not this great evil ! Conscience, like the chenibims, hath a flaming sword in its band to affright and deter the sinner ; yet he will pluck the forbidden fruit. This is to sin presumptuously. This sin is highly aggravating, for two reasons : (1.) Because sinning presumptuously against conscience, is after counsels, admonitions, warnings. Such an one cannot say, he was never told of his sin ; he hath had ministers rising up early, who hath told him what a damnable thing sin was, yet he would venture on ; so that now he hath no excuse, John xv. 22., " Now you have no cloak for your sin." (2.) It is an aggravation to sin presumptu- ously against conscience, when it is after afflictions. After God hath made him hear the voice of the rod, he hath made him to feel sin bitter, to read his sin in his punish- ment, yet he sins; his sin was following evil company, and God hath punished him for it; he hath almost wasted his estate with riotous living, or lie hath almost drunk himself blind, yet he will not leave his sin ;
his sin was uncleanness, and his body is dise;ised, and full of noxious humours; yet though he feels the smart of sin, he retains the love of sin. Here is an aggravation of sin, 2 Chron. xxviii. 22., " In the time of his distress, did he trespass yet more against the Lord : this is that king Ahaz."
Use 3. To know what is good, yet not to do it, is to sin presumptuously, — is full of obstinacy and pertinaciousness ; it is so, be- cause men can say nothing for their sins, can bring no reason, they make no defence for themselves, yet they are resolved to hold fast their iniquity, like those, Jer. xviii. 12., " And they said, there is no hope, but we will walk after our own devices, and we \v\\\ every one do after the imagination of his own Qv{\ heart."
Use 4. Take heed of presumptuous sin. If God hath been so terrible against sins of infirmity and passion, as we see in Moses and Uzziah : O how fierce will his anger be against the presumptuous sinner ! Better never have known the ways of God, than to know and not to do them ! Oh ! as you love your souls, Uike heed of this.