(4.) When there is gross negligence, or not taking pains to know better, it is equivalent to reluctation or standing out against light ; crassa negligentia dolus est — there is a deceit in laziness or affected ignorance : John iii. 20, ' They will not come to the light, lest their deeds should be reproved ;' 2 Peter iii. 5, ' They are willingly ignorant.' Those that please themselves in the ignorance of any truth, err not only in their minds, but their hearts. It is the duty of God's people to understand what is his will : Eph. v. 17, ' Be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.' And it is their practice : Eom. xii. 2, ' That ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God ;' Ps. i. 2, ' His delight is in the law of the Lord, and therein doth he meditate day and night.' We should be searching still. But when men will not know what they have a mind to hate, it argueth a secret sore, and suspicion of the truth, and are loth to follow it too close, lest it cross their lusts and interests.
3. That the way and errors of Popery are damnable, and it is very unsafe living in that society and combination. I prove it — (1.) Because they live in wilful disobedience to God. They violate the manifest com- mandments of God, while they hold it lawful to worship pictures and images, to make pictures of the Trinity, to invocate saints and angels, to deny laymen the cup in the sacrament, to adore the sacrament, to pro- hibit certain orders of men and women to marry, to celebrate the public service in a language which ordinarily men and women that assist un- derstand not. In all these things they offer apparent violence to God's precepts. And that their wholeworship is polluted with a gross supersti- tion; as, for instance, to worship images is expressly against God's word: Ps. xcvii. 7, ' Confounded be all they that worship graven images, that boast themselves of idols. Worship him, all ye gods.' The scripture,
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vou see, denounceth confusion to all worshippers of images, and they are reckoned as enemies of Christ's kingdom (for it is applied to Christ, Heb. i. 6, ' And let all the angels of God worship him') that would set up the worship and service of them in his church, in the exercise of their religion, especially those who glory in them, and boast of them, and set them forth as the glory of their way and wor- ship. No ; he disdaineth all this relative worship at or before images, which men would give unto him, and showeth that all the powers of this world and the other, angels and potentates, should immediately worship Christ. For the second point, picturing the Trinity, God hath not only forbidden it, but argued against it: Deut. iv. 15, IG, ' Take therefore good heed unto yourselves, for ye saw no similitude, when the Lord spake to you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire ; lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the simili- tude of anything male or female.' See how cautelous God is to prevent this abuse, and yet how boldly men practi.se it. For the third instance, the invocation of saints and angels, our Lord hath taught us how to repel that temptation: Mat. iv. 10, 'It is written, thou shalt worship the Lord tby God, and him only shalt thou serve ;' that religious service and worship is due only to God. No creature can claim it without sacrilege, nor can we give it to them without idolatry. And God being so jealous of his honour, every Christian should be careful that he doth not divert it from him. They have many distinctions to excuse themselves to the woild, but I doubt how they will excuse themselves to God. For the fourth particular, ador- ing the .sacrament, I shall speak to again anon ; that is a mean, not an object of worship. The fifth, prohibiting certain orders of men and women to marry, which the apostle calleth doctrines of devils: 1 Tim. iv. 1,2, 'In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils ; speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry,' &c. For the sixth, celebrating public service in an unknown tongue, it is contrary to the apostle's reasoning : 1 Cor. xiv. 14-17, * For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understiinding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will j)ray with the understanding also ; I will sing with the spirit, and 1 will sing with the understanding also ; else, when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest ? for thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.' For the seventh, communion in one kind, this is against Christ's express institution : Mat. xxvi. 26, 27, ' Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat ; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying. Drink ye all of it.' The apostle supposeth that everyone can examine himself : 1 Cor. xi. 28, ' But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.' Now for this iisurping synagogue to come as tliey do, with a non obstante to the statutes of God, who can join with them in these corruptions and usur{)ations without peril of salvation ? (2.) That the way of Popery is damnable, because they deprive the people