Thirdly, The more knowledge, or means of knowledge any man hath abused and neglected in this world, so many fair oppor- tunities and great advantages he hath lost for heaven ; and the more opportunities and advantages he hath had for heaven, the more intolerable will hell be to that man ; as the mercy was great which was offered by them, so the torment will be unspeakable that will arise from the loss of them. Sinners, you have now a wide and open door, many blessed opportunities of salvation under the gospel ; it hath put you in a fair way for everlasting happiness : Many of you are not far from the kingdom of God : there will be time enough in hell to reflect upon this loss. What think you, will it not be sad to think there : O how fair was I once for heaven, to have been with God, and among yonder saints ! My conscience was once convinced, and my affections melted under the gospel. I was almost persuaded to be a Christian, indeed the treaty was al- most concluded betwixt Christ and my soul ; there were but a few points in difference betwixt us ; but wretch that I was, at those points I stuck, and there the treaty ended to my eternal ruin : I could not deny my lusts, I could not live under the strict yoke of Christ's government ; but now I must live under the insupporta- ble wrath of the righteous and terrible God for ever : and this torment will be peculiar to such as perish under the gospel. The Heathen, who enjoyed no such means, can therefore have no
SEKM. XXXIII. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 4-1 Y
such reflections ; nay, the very devils themselves, who never had such a plank after their shipwreck, I mean, a mediator in their na- ture, or such terms of reconciliation, offered them, will not reflect upon their lost opportunities of recovery, as such sinners must and will. This, therefore, " is the condemnation, that light is come *' into the world ; but men loved darkness rather than light.'"
Inf. 1. Hence it follows, that neither knowledge, nor the best means of knowledge, are in themselves sufficient to secure men from wrath to come. Light in itself is a choice mercy, and therefore the means that begat and increased it must be so too ; but yet is a mercy liable to the greatest abuse, and the abuse of the best mercies brings forth the greatest miseries. Alas ! Christians, your duty is but half learnt when you know it ; obedience to light makes light a blessing indeed. John xiii. 17. " If ye know these things, happy " are ye if ye do them." Happiness is not intailed upon simple knowing, but upon doing ; upon obedience to our knowledge ; otherwise he that increase th knowledge, doth but increase sorrow : " For that servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not " himself, nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with " many stripes," Luke xiii. 47. " And to him that knoweth to do " good, and doth it not, to him it is sin," James iv. 17. We are bound with all thankfulness to acknowledge the bounty of heaven to this sinful generation, in furnishing us with so many excellent means of light, beyond many other nations and generations that are past, but yet we ought to rejoice with trembling when we consider the abuses of light in this wanton age, and what a dismal event is like to happen unto many thousands among us. I fear the time is coming when many among us will wish they had never set foot on English ground. God hath blessed this nation with many fa- mous, burning and shining lights. It was once said to the honour of this nation *, that the English ministry was the world's wonder; and when a man of another nation began to preach methodically and convincingly, they were wont to say -)*, We perceive this man hath been in England: The greater will our account be for abusing such light and rebelling against it. The clearer our light is now, the thicker will the mists of darkness be hereafter, if we are thus wanton under it. The devils have more light than we, and there- fore the more torment : Of them it is said, James ii. 19. " The " devils also believe, and tremble ;" the horror of their consciences is answerable to their illumination, they tremble ; " the \ word sig-
* Clerus Anglicanus stupor mundi.
\ Percipimus hunc liominemj'uisse in Anglia.
% (hoicsaci ; <p ?i%, est mans agitatio. Eust.
1 13 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SEltM. XXXIII.
" nifies the roar of the sea," or such a murmuring, dreadful noise as the tempestuous seas use to make when they break themselves against the rocks.
Inf. 2. If the abuse of light thus aggravate sin and misery, then times of great temptations are like to be times of great guilt. Wo to an enlightened, knowing generation, when strong temptations befal them. How do many, in such times, imprison the known truth to keep themselves out of prison ? offer violence to their own consciences, to avoid violence from other hands ?
Plato * was convinced of the unity of God, but durst not own his convictions ; but said, " It was a truth neither easy to find, nor " safe to own." And even Seneca f, the renowned moralist, was " forced by temptation to dissemble his convictions ;" of whom Augustine saith, " \ He worshipped what himself reprehended, " and did what himself reproved/' And even a great Papist of later times was heard to say, as he was going to mass, Eamus ad communem errorem, Let us go to the common error. O how hard is it to keep conscience pure and peaceable in days of temptation ! Doubtless, it is a mercy to many weak and timorous Christians to be removed by a seasonable death out of harm's way ; to be dis- banded by a merciful providence before the heat of the battle. Christ and Antichrist seem at this day to be drawing into the field; a fiery trial threatens the professors of this age : but when it comes to a close engagement, indeed we may justly tremble, to think how many thousands will break their way through the convictions of their own consciences, to save their flesh. Believe it, sirs, if Christ hold you to himself by no other tie than the slender thread of a single conviction ; if he have not interest in your hearts and affec- tions, as well as in your understandings and consciences ; if you be men of great light and strong unmortified lusts ; if you profess Christ with your tongues, and worship the world with your hearts ; a man may say of you, without the gift of prophecy, what the prophet said of Hazael, I know what you will do in the day of temptation.
Inf. 3. If this be so, what a strong engagement lieth upon all en- lightened persons to turn heartily to God, and reduce their knowledge into practice and obedience? The more men know, the more violence they do their own consciences in rebelling against the light, this is to sin with an high hand, Numb. xv. 30. Believe it, sirs, you cannot sin at so cheap a rate as others do ; knowledge in a wicked man, Uke high metal in a blind horse, doth but the sooner precipi-
* Opificem aniversi neque vnvenircjne.de, neque invention in vulgus promulgare tutum-.