Thirdly, Nay, which is more, if a man be ignorant of Christ, his truths, or people, he will not only oppose, and persecute, but he will also do it conscientiously, i. e. he will look upon it as his duty so to do, John xvi. 3. Before the Lord opened Paul's eyes, " he " verily thought that he ought to do many things contrary to the " name of Christ." Thus you have a brief account what, and whence their ignorance was, and how it disposed and prepared them for this dreadful work. Hence we learn,
Inference 1. How falsely is the gospel charged as the cause of dis- cord and trouble in the world. It is not light, but darkness, that makes men fierce and cruel : as light increases, so doth peace, Isa. xi. 6, 9- " The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, rand the leopard " lie down with the kid ; and the calf and the young lion, and the " fading together ; and a little child shall lead them ; they shall " not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain ; for the earth u shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover u the sea," What a sad condition would the world be in without
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gospel-light ! all places would be dens of rapine, and mountains of prey. Certainly we owe much of our civil liberty, and outward tranquillity to gospel-light. If a sword, or variance, at any time, follow the gospel, it is but an accidental, not a direct and proper effect of it.
Inf. %. How dreadful is it to oppose Christ and his truths knowing- ly, and with open eyes f Christ pleads their ignorance as an argu- ment to procure their pardon. Paul himself was once filled with rage and madness against Christ and his truths : it was well for him that he did it ignorantly : had he gone against his light and know- ledge, there had been little hope of him, 1 Tim. i. 13. " I was a " blasphemer, a persecutor, and injurious; but I obtained mercy, " because I did it ignorantly, and in unbelief." I do not say, it is simply impossible for one that knowingly and maliciously opposes and persecutes Christ and his people, to be forgiven, but it is not usual, Heb. vi. 4, 5. There are few instances of it.
I)if 3. What an awful majesty sits upon the brow of holiness, that few dare to oppose it that see it ! There are few or none so daringly wicked, to fight against it with open eyes ; 1 Pet. iii. 13. " Who " will harm you whilst ye are followers of that which is good :" q. d. who dare be so hardy to set upon known godliness, or afflict and wrong the known friends of it ? The true reason why many Christians speed so bad, is not because they are godly, but be- cause they do not manifest the power of godliness more than they do : their lives are so like the lives of others, that they are often mistaken for others. Cyprian brings in the wicked of his time, thus scoffing at professors, " behold, they that boast themselves to be " redeemed from the tyranny of Satan, and to be dead to the " world, how are they overcome by the lusts of it, as well as other "men*:" Look as the poverty and meanness of Christ's outward condition was a ground of their mistake of him then, so the po- verty and meanness of our love to God, heavenly-mindedness, and mortification to this world, is a disguise to professors, and a cause why they are not more owned and honoured in the con- sciences of men at this day. For holiness, manifested in its power, is so awfully glorious, that the consciences of the vilest cannot but honour it, and do obeisance to it, Mark vi. 20. " Herod feared " John, for he was a just man."
Inf. 4. The enemies of Christ are objeets of pity. Alas, they are blind, and know not what they do. It is pity that any other affec- tion than pity, should stir in our hearts towards them. Were their eyes but open, they would never do as they do : we should look
* Ecce quijactant se redemptos a tyrannide Satctnce, qui prccdicant te mortuos mundr,- nifdlominus ctqndiiatibus vincuntur. Cvp.
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upon them as the physician doth upon his sick distempered pa- tient *. Did they but see with the same light you do, they would be as far from hating Christ, or his ways, as you are, Svmul ac desinunt ignorare, desinunt odisse ; as soon as they cease to be igno- rant, they cease to hate, saith Tertullian.
Inf. 5. How needful is it before we engage ourselves against any person or way, to be well satisfied and resolved that it is a wicked person or practice that we oppose ? You see the world generally runs upon a mistake in this matter. O beware of doing you know not what ! for though you do you know not what, Satan knows what he is doing by you : he blinds your eyes, and then sets you to work, knowing that if you should but see what you are doing, you would rather die than do it : you may now do you know not what ; but you may afterwards have time enough to reflect on, and la- ment what you have done : you may now do you know not what, and hereafter you may not know what to do. O beware what you now do !
Doct. 2. That there is forgiveness with God, for such as oppose Christ out of ignorance.
If all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men, then this, as well as others, Mat. xii. 31. We are not, with Theophilact, to understand that place of the certainty of pardon ; much less, with Origen, of the desert of it ; nor yet, with Janse- nius, of the facility of it, but rather of the possibility of forgiveness : it shall be so to some ; it may be so to you ; even those whose wicked hands had crucified Christ, may receive remission by that blood they shed. Acts ii. 23, 38. compared.
I have two things here to do : First, To open the nature of the forgiveness, and shew you what it is. Secondly, To evince the pos- sibility of it, for such as, mistakingly, oppose Christ.
For the First, Forgiveness is God's gracious discharge of a believ- ing penitent sinner, from the guilt of all his sin, for Chrisfs sake.
It is GooVs discharge : there is indeed frdernal forgiveness, by which one man forgives another ; so far as he is interested in the wrong, Luke vi. 37. There is also a ministerial forgiveness, whereby the minister of Christ, as his mouth, and in his name, declares the pardon, or ministerially applies the promises of par- don to penitent offenders, John xx. 23. But none can absolutely and properly forgive sin, but God only, Mark ii. 7. The primary, and principal wrong is done to him ; Psal. Ii. 4. " Against thee,
* I met with many given to wine, lust, and ingratitude, and many distracted with furious ambition ; on all these the wise man will look with as much compas- sion as a physician does on his patient. Seneca on Anger.
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