Secondly, In a most just proportion to this sin, we have here the aggravated condemnation of them who sinned against such clear gospel-light: "This is the condemnation," this is the judgment of all judgments, the greatest and most intolerable judgment; a severer sentence of condemnation than ever did pass against any others that sinned in the times of ignorance and darkness : they
* Sol nondum conspectus, illuminat orbem.
442 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SEEK. XXXIII..
that live and die impenitent and unregenerate, how few soever the means of salvation have been which they have enjoyed, must be condemned: yea, the Pagan world, who have no more but na- tural light to help them, will be condemned by that light ; but " this is the condemnation,'1 i. e. such sinning as this is the cause of the greatest condemnation and sorest punishment, as it is called, Heb. x. 19.
Thirdly, The cause and occasion, drawing men into this sin and misery, " because their deeds are evil/ i. e. the convincing light of truth put a great deal of vigour and activity into their con- sciences, which they could not endure. The accusations and con- demnations of conscience are very irksome and troublesome things to men : To avoid this, they are willing to be ignorant. An en- lightened conscience gives an interruption also unto men in their sinful courses and pleasures ; they cannot sin at so easy a rate in the light as they did in darkness ; and this made them hate the light as a very troublesome thing to them. Thus you see what was the sin, what the punishment, and what the cause of both.
Hence the Observation is,
Doct. That the greater and clearer the light is, under which the impenitent and unregenerate do live in this world, by so much greater and heavier will their condemnation and misery be hi the world to come.
Mat. xi. 21, 22. " Wo unto thee Chorazin, wo unto thee " Bethsaida ; for if the mighty works which were done in you, M had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented " long ago in sackcloth and ashes : But I say unto you, it shall be " more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than " for you." Two things require explication in the doctrinal part of this point, viz.
1. How light puts a deeper guilt and aggravation into sin.
2. Why sin so aggravated, makes men liable to greater con- demnation.
First, We will enquire into the grounds and reasons why greater light, greatens and aggravates, proportionably, the sins that are committed under it, and it will appear that it doth so, upon divers accounts.
First, All light (especially evangelical light) is a great preserva- tive from sin, and an excellent means to prevent it : It is the pro- perty of light to inform the judgment, and rectify the mistakes and errors of it ; and thereby to give check to the affections in the pur- suit of sinful designs and courses : It is a plain case, that many men
SEltM. XXXIII. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 443
would never do as they do, if their understandings were better in- formed. 1 Cor. ii. 8. " Which none of the princes of the world " knew ; for had they known it, they would not have crucified " the Lord of glory." It was want of light and better informa- tion which drew them under that horrid and unparalleled guilt. Our Saviour also supposes, in the place before cited, that if Tyre and Sidon had enjoyed the same light and means of grace that Chorazin and Bethsaida did, they would never have been so sin- ful as they were : light discovers danger, and thereby overawes and stops men from proceeding farther in those parts and courses that will run them into it.
Secondly, Sinning under and against the light, supposes and in- volves in it a greater contempt and despite of G od's authority, than sinning in ignorance and darkness doth. Every man that breaks the law of God, doth not in the same degree, despise and slight the authority of the law-maker : But when a man hath light to disco- ver the evil and danger of what he doth, and yet will dare to do it, what is this but the treading of God's authority under foot ? The casting of his word behind our backs ? Wilful sinning is a despite- ful sinning against God, Heb. x. 26. it argues a low and vile esteem of the law of God, which is reverend and holy ; and by so much the more it maketh sin to be exceeding sinful.
Thirdly, Sinning under and against the light, admits not of those excuses and pleas to extenuate the offence, which sins of pure ig- norance do. Those that live without the sound of the gospel may say, Lord, we never heard of Christ, and the great redemption wrought by him ; if we had, we would never have lived and acted as we did : and therefore Christ saith, John xv. 22. " If I had " not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin, but now " they have no cloak for their sin."
The meaning is, that if the gospel-light had not shined among them, their sin had not been of that deep guilt that now it is : For now it is foul and heinous, by reason of the light under and against which it is committed, that they have no pretence or ex- cuse to extenuate or mitigate it.
Fourthly, Evanglical light is a very rich favour and mercy of God to men ; one of the choicest gifts bestowed upon the nations of the world ; and therefore it is said, Psal. cxlvii. 19, 20. " He " sheweth his word unto Jacob, and his statutes and his judgments " unto Israel : He hath not dealt so with any nation ; and as for " his judgments they have not known them." Other nations have corn and wine, gold and silver, abundance o^ earthly delights and pleasures ; but they have not a beam of heavenly light shining upon them. We may account this mercy small ; but God who is best able to value the worth of it, accounts it great, Hos. viii. 12.
44± THE METHOD OF Git ACE. SERM. XXXIII,
" I have written unto them the great things of my law." Christ reckoned Capernaum to be exalted unto heaven by the ministry of the gospel in that place. Now the greater the mercy is which the light of truth brings with it, by so much the more horrid and heinous must the abusing and despising of it be.