VII.

Ignorance, not a bare Want of Know-SER M. ledge: (For the natural and proper Effect of bare Want of Knowledge, is, that Men forbear to pass Any judgment at all, upon what they understand not; and that they neither contend for nor against any opinion, before they have fome Reafon to determine them fo to do :) But there is a presumptuous Ignorance, which defpifes Knowledge; And This makes Men oppose the Truth, before they understand any thing of it. Seeft thou a man that defpifeth inftruction? there is more hope of a Fool, than of Him.

ANOTHER cause of Men's oppofing the Truth, is Carelessness. They blindly, and without any Confideration, follow the Customs of the Place where they happen to live; And the Knowledge of Truth, feems to them to be of no great Importance. They take up: their Religion at adventures, not from the confideration of the Laws of Nature or of Revelation, but merely from the Company they chance to be educated amongft; And thus All Religions are put upon an equal foot, varying according to the accidental Temper of the Perfons

SER M. Persons among whom they prevail. Men VII. of This difpofition, careless of finding

out the Truth, and confequently having indeed no Religion at all, but barely the name and profeffion of it; generally prefer Any degree of Ignorance, before the carefulleft Study either of the Nature of Things, or of the Laws of God. To This Temper 'tis palpably owing, that fo many whole Nations at this day, Pagans and Mahometans, never give themselves the Trouble to enquire at all, whether the Christian Religion be true or no; And even among the Profeffors of Chriftianity, (as they think themselves to be,) many entire Nations, full of Men very Learned and of great Abilities, yet never fuffer any careful Inquiry to be made, whether the Worship of imaginary Saints, and of Images of Wood and Stone, and of Relicks, and of Bread; and innumerable other Doctrines and Practices, abfurd Notions and fuperftitious Ceremonies: they never (I fay) fuffer any careful Examination to be made, whether these things are agreeable to the Plainnefs and Simplicity, to the Holiness

2

Holiness and Purity of Christ's Religion, SERM, VII.

or no.

A further Caufe of Men's oppofing the Truth, is Prejudice. They are not perhaps naturally ignorant; nor yet of fo lazy and careless a Temper, as to oppofe the Truth merely to avoid the Trouble of studying it. But their Prejudices are fo ftrong, that the clearest Light cannot overcome and diffipate fo thick a cloud. They have accustomed themselves to found their Belief entirely in an implicit Reliance upon Other Men; inftead of building it upon the Evidence of Things themfelves, which is the Foundation of Truth. And Then, the Traditions of the Scribes and Elders and Pharifees; the Decrees of Popes, or the Determinations of Parties, evidently governed by Worldly Motives; shall have much more Weight with them, to perfwade them to blind or shut their Eyes; than the whole Scripture of Truth, or the strongest and plaineft Reason in the World, shall have to perfwade them to spen them. So little do they confider Those Admonitions of our Saviour; Search the Scriptures; and, He that bath Ears to

bear,

SERM. bear, let him hear: And That of St Paul; VII. I Speak as unto wife men, (that is, to intelligent perfons;) judge ye what I fay,

1 Cor. x. 15. And of St Peter, 1 Pet. iii. 15. Be ready always to give an Anfwer to every man that asketh you a reason of the Hope that is in you.

BUT the Laft and Greatest reafon of Men's fetting themselves in oppofition to the Truth, is the Wickedness and Corrup¬ tion of their Manners; the Love of unrighteousness and debauchery, the Defire of Power and Dominion, the Concern they are under for the Defense and Support of a Sect or Party, without having Any Knowledge how far they are, or are not, in the Right. These are things, which make men to fhut their Eyes against the Light, to love and choose darkness rather than Light, and wilfully to flop their Ears against all the Means of being better informed. Concerning fuch Perfons, St Paul prophecies, 2 Tim. iii. 2, 8, In the laft days-men fhall be - Boafters, Defpifers of thofe that are good,beady, bigb-minded, Lovers of pleasures more than Lovers of God, Having a Form of godli

ness,

.

VII.

1 Cor. xi.

nefs, but denying the Power thereof,SER.M. refifting the Truth, men of corrupt minds. And these things must be, faith the fame Apoftle; (i.e. 'tis fit and juft that the Providence of God should permit it Thus to 19. be;) that those who are approved, (i. e. that those who seek and obey the Truth and Simplicity of the Gofpel, separate from all worldly and unjuftifiable Defigns,) may be made manifeft among you.

3dly, THE Third thing obfervable in the Text, is the Direction given us concerning our own Duty; that we ought in Meekness to inftruct those who oppose themselves against the Truth. He who himself, fuffers for well-doing, and for the Testimony of a good Confcience, is fure of being (at least fo far) in the Right: But he who does Violence to Others; if they, whom he does violence to, be in a right caufe, He is an Enemy to God: But if they be in the wrong, yet He difhonours the Truth, by acting unrighteoufly for it, and not knowing what Spirit he is of. The Servant of the Lord, muft 2 Tim. ii. not ftrive, but be gentle unto all Men, apt 2+

to teach, patient. We cannot always dif

VOL. III.

M

cern,