tine, not to be pierced, always refifting the Holy Ghoft, and every inftrument that would work upon it. The hardened creatures will not yield, but bend all their forces ftill, to withstand whatever fhould do them good. The devil and his imps can draw them, even any way; but the Lord and his meffengers fhall find no credit, nor audience with them. No, the marbles will not weep: the ftones will not melt. The ftone in the kidney or bladder, that would make them cry and roar: but this ftone in the heart, that is a fadder curfe, they have no fense of it. Let the fun fhine, and let the rain fall, upon the ftones; ftill they hold their own, and are even as hard as they were. There is no yielding temper; nor any trembling under the Word of God. No, they are not to be dealt with: but too hard for minifters, and all the means of grace.

Here is their victory: a fad victory! does it give them any cause to glory? ah Lord, pity and help the poor defperate wretches; and fhew a miraculous power to do that, which all the world elfe cannot do for them. O my foul, bleed for fuch, as have no heart, to resent and bewail, their own faddeft cafe. Groan and cry, for the moft dreadful of all evils, that is coming upon them: and labour and ftrive with him that is able, so to turn them; that it may be turned away from them. Or else, the rocks and mountains, in which they now do lurk, will ere long fall down and crufh them; to make them cry out of that, as too great to be borne; which now they flight, as too fmall to repent. Their confciences, that are over-grown with a hard cruft, will be laid bare, and pared to the quick to make them keenly feel their fins; as if needles were thrust into their eyes. O that they could (that they would,) lay it to heart, before it be too late! that in the fear of God, and care of their fouls, they might flee from the wrath to

come:

come: and not by their hardness and impenitent hearts, go on to treasure up to themfelves wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.

M

Y Heart is hardened, through the deceit. fulness of fin. LORD, wilt thou fmite "the rock, that the waters may gush out, and the "ftreams overflow. O take away the ftony heart, "that makes me infenfible of my fin and danger; "and conquer the stubbornnefs of my heart, that "makes me refift thy Word and Spirit. And give "me the heart of flesh; to hear thy voice, and "perceive my duty, and fhew the greatest care "to do it, acceptably before thee, through Christ "Jefus. Amen."

MEDITATION LIV.

Of the mischief and danger of ignorance.

OWEVER fome can make ignorance the apology for iniquity: and thus excufe their fin, that they did fo bad, because they knew no better; and others can make it the promoter of zeal, and mother of devotion: (indeed, it is very fit to inflame the wild zeal, that out-runs the wit; and to be the mother of that devotion, which is made up of foppery and fuperftition.) Yet after all the encomiums of folly, and the fine things faid for igno

rance;

rance; my foul, doft thou not know, what the Word of God fays against it? Jer. x. 25. "Pour "out thy fury upon the Heathen, that know thec "not." Ifa. xxvii. 1 1. "It is a people of no under"ftanding: therefore he that made them, will not "have mercy upon them; he that formed them, "will fhew them no favour." Hof. iv. 6. "My "people are deftroyed for lack of knowledge.' 2 Theff. i. 8. "The Lord Jefus fhall be revealed "from heaven in flaming fire; taking vengeance

on them that know not God. And to whom "did he swear in his wrath, that they fhould not "enter into reft, but to them that had not known "his ways?" Pfal. xcv. 10. O how wicked and ruining is that ignorance, in which many can immure themselves, as in their caftle of defence; and and go blindfold upon hell, in their finful darkness, down to utter darkness? for men muft fee their way before them, ere they are like to walk aright in it.

And when fo narrow is the way to life, that few do find it; fure thofe few muft have their eyes opened. Indeed, illumination is fome of the firft work, in the finner's converfion: and they must "fee with their eyes, and understand with their "hearts, before they can be converted and healed." Matt. xiii. 15. Though, it is true, more is required of fuch, as have the greater capacities, and better means; yet there is a knowledge that cannot be wanted by any, that are but of common difcretion, in order to their falvation: as to know, that God is s; and in fuch a measure, what he is, as to inftruct us, how to fear, and love, and truft, and worfhip, and ferve him; to know our fin and mifery by nature, and the way of our recovery by Jefus Chrift; the glorious end of our faith and duty, and the dreadful confequence of our unbelief and difobedience. Such knowledge as this, is not only an ornament, and honour, and comfort, and great VOL. I. Kk advantage:

advantage: but of the higheft neceflity, to keep us from our fins, and teach us to perform all our duties. For O what are they like to do well, that do they know not what? and what cannot the God of this world do with his blinded votaries; when he has them in the dark? my foul, are they like to be healed, because they know not what will cure them? or like to be faved, because they understand not the way of falvation? whatever allowance fhall be made for invincible ignorance: "This is the "condemnation, that men love darknefs rather

ΠΟ

than light, becaufe their deeds are evil," John iii. 19. If he fhall be "beaten with many ftripes, "who knew his Lord's will, and did it not: fewer fhall he be beaten with, who might have known his Lord's will, but would not know it, nor acquaint himself with the ways of God; because he had no mind to follow them but was afraid to understand more; left it should find him more to do: and fo is ignorant, because he will be ignorant: not for want of an opportunity to be informed; but because he hates inftruction, and is for keeping fo unlearned. And then, that he has not the knowledge of God; is it not his fhame, and alfo his fin, that threatens to be his ruin? let him be never fo confident, that he is in the right: when, alas! he knows not whereabout he is: O how idle is he, to think of stumbling upon heaven, in the dark: when that inheritance of God's faints in light, remains only for his children, who walk in light, as children of light? wo then to them that take away the key of knowledge, and drive people from the Scriptures, and would have God's revealed will ftill to be kept fecret, left the mystery of their iniquity fhould be difcovered. And wo to them alfo that are carried away with fuch delufions: for if the blind lead the blind, both fhall fall into the ditch.

O my

O my foul, let me not be unwife then; but understand what the will of the Lord is; yea, let me endeavour as much, and as far as I am able, to propagate and spread his knowledge alfo among others, to turn them from darkness to light; and fo, reflect upon myself the light, which I let in among them and ftill improve my own understanding by fuch imparting. For what the better, to know other things, and not the things of my peace? to know the motions of the stars, and not the motions of the Spirit of God? to know the fecrets of nature and philofophy, and not the workings of grace and the fecret of the Lord? to know the intrigues of ftate, and not the myfleries of Chrift's kingdom within me? to know the hiftory of the world, and not that of myself, what the Lord has done for my foul? how learned may men be, and cunning, in many matters; and yet to do their own fouls good, and how to be faved, have no knowledge? O let me ftudy the Holy Scriptures, that are able to make me wife unto falvation. And may I not have my part with fuch, as amidst all the plenty and abundance of means, can yet make shift ftill to be fo ftrangely ignorant, that in their fouls affairs, they fcarce know fo much as the right-hand from the left. But let me be defirous to know more, for this end, that I may do better. do better. And that in the doing of my Lord's will, I may come to an experimental knowledge of the truth, as it is in Jefus: not only to have it by the hearing of the ear, from others, but by what I find and feel of it in my own soul. O let me continue asking the wisdom from above, which may at laft bring me thither. That I may be taught of God, to understand all the things which are needful to make me holy here, and happy for

ever.

THE