Sermons (pages 177–206) – Part 1 (pages 177–196)
Mah's natural Bllndnefs in the Things of Religion. February 1740. ]
SERMON, IV. PSALM
xciv.
Under(land, ye brutiJI) among the Teople : and ye Fools, when luillye be wife ? He that planted the Ear.fjall he not hear ? he that formed the Eye, pjall he not /ee ? He that chajii/eth the Heathen, Jhall he not correB f he that teacheth
Man Knowledge, Jlmll he not know ? TheLord knoweth the Thoughts of Man that they are vanity,
5N these Words the following Things arc to be observed.
A certain spiritual Dis-
cafe charged on some,
bllndnefs of Mind,
norance and Folly. gree of this Disease Fools,
viz.
Darkness and
appearing in their Ig2.
great
" Ye Fools, when
will
ye be wife ?"
so as to reduce them to a Degree of Brutishness.
brutish among the People."
was to such a Degree,
so as to render the Subjects of it
And "Ye
This Ignorance andfoliy
as to render
Men like BeaHs. 3. The
Mans Katural Bundnefs
The obflinacy oftbis Difcjfc
Interrofration, when will ye be wife ? .nnJ folly r nJ
was not only very great
cflabliflied,
Ser. IV.
cxprefs'd
that
but deeply rootcJ
manner of cure.
rcfiqing all
Their blindne(s 4.
what Nature ihisblindnefs is. It is efpccially in things })crtaining to God. They were strangely ignorant of Lis Perfcclions, like Beads and had foohfli Notions of him, as iho' he did not see, nor know and as iho' lie would not execurejuriice, by chastising and punifliing wicked Men. The iinrcafonablencfs and sot5 . rijhcfs of the Notion tiiey had of God, that he did not hear, did not obfcrve their Reproaches of hijn and his People, is fhcwn by pbfcrving that he planted the Ear. 'l is vciy unrcyionable to [uppofe that he who gave Power of perceiving Words, to others, fliould not j ercci\e ihem himfejf. And the fottiflincfs of their being inlcnfible of God's all-seeing Eye, and particularly of his seeing iheir wicked A61ions, appears, in that GoJ js the Being who formed the Eye, and gave others a Power of seeing. The fortifhncfs of their Apprehenhenlion of GOD, as tho' he did not know what they did, is argued from his being the Fountain and Original of all Knowledge. The ui -rcafonablenrs of their expelling to escape God's just Challifemenis & Judgjnents fur Sin, is {at forth by his chaliifing even the Heathen, who did not sin againfl that Light, or againfl :
so great Mercies, as the Wicked in Israel did ; nor had
ever made such a Profcltionas they.
We may ob-
fcrve, iliat this dreadful Difcafe is afcrihcv to Mankind in general.
"The Lord knowcth the Thoughts of
JvJan, that they are vanity." .fetiing forth
The Pfalmid had been
the vanity and unreafonablcnefs
of" the
Thoughts of feme of the Children of Men and Fii> mediately upon ii obfervcs, thar this vanity and foolishness of Thonrht is common and natural to Man* ;
kind.
DOCT.
/« the Things of Religion.
DOCTRINE. THERE
is an extreme and brutijh Blindness in Things of Religion, which naturally pojjejfes the Hearts of Mankind,
This Do rine fleflion
as any
human Nature;
not to be understood
the Capacity of the
God haih made Man with a noble and pacity.
excellent Ca-
The Blindness I fpcak of, is not a merely
negative Ignorance ; such that know nothing.
Trees and Stone?,
And no wonder
for they have
no Faculties of Understanding and Perception, whereby And such they fhouid be capable of any Knowledge. as is in inferior Animals, who tho' they have fenutivc
Perception,
Views.
yet are not
capable of any intclle<51ual
There is no fault to be found with Man s na-
tural Faculties.
God has given Men
that are very noble and excellent
thofe Faculties
well
capable of
true Wisdom and divine Knowledge.
Nor is the blindness I fpcak; of meerly negative, in the manner in which the Ignorance of a new-born Infant is so. ties ;
Tho' this don: arise from want of Facul-
yet it arises from want of necelfary Opportunity
to exert these Faculties.
The blindness thnt is in the Heart of Man, which is neither for spoken of in the I'ext and Do£lrine want of Faculties, nor opportunity to know but from
fbme pofitlve Caufc.
1'here is a positive Principle in iheHearr,of a blinding befottingnature, that hinders such Excrclfes of his Faculties about the things of Reiigion, as God has made them well capable of, and
jrives
him abundant Opportunity
Principle which rnay be called,
IgnorsiKc and Blindness in the Heart of
for.
There
a po(itiye Principle of
Proneness or
Inclination
Man to I'ach foalfiincfs iu thcfc great
djinas.
Mans natural Blmduefs
Ser. IV.
In order to make it appear, that such an cxtrcam of Religion, does naturally poftefs the Hearts of Men, 1 flialj, brutish blindness, with relpedl to the things
Shew how this is
manifest
in ihofc things
that
appear in Men's open Profeftion.
how it is manifcfl in thofc Things by inward Experience, and arc vifiblc
I fiiall shew,
that are found
Men's Prafticc. I. I would shew, how it is manifefl that there is a
sottish
and brutish Blindness in the Hearts of Men in
the things of Religion, by thofe things which appear
Mens open Profedion.
It appears in the grossness of that
Ignorance and
thofc Delusions. which have appeared among Mankind.
Man has Faculties given him whereby he is well capabeing of the Creator, from the For the invisible things of God are very plainly and clearly to be seen by the things that are ble of arguing the
Creatures
made: and the Perfections of the Divine Being, his eternal Power and God head, are very manifefl in the Works of his Hands. And yet grofly absurd Notions concerning the God hcad have prevailed in the World. Inflead of acknowledging iind worshiping the uue GOD, they have fallen off to the woifliip of Idols, flead of acknowledging the one only true GOD, Inflead of they have made a Multitude of Deities. worshiping a GOD, who is an Almighty, infinite, ilwife and holy Spirit, they have worfliiped the Hods of f-Ieaven, the Sun, Moon and Stars ; and the Works
of their ownHands,Imagcs of Gold Silver, Brafa and Wood and Stone J hings without Life Gods
Iron,
that can neither hear nor see, nor walk, nor speak,nor
do, nor know any thing. Some in the shape of Men, others in the shape of Oxen and Calves: fomc in the fliape of Serpents, others
Thk foitiilinefs of Men in thus worshiping the lifclcfs Images
which they thcmfelves have made, h elegantly
SeR. IV.
/« the Things of Religion.
elegantly represented by the Prophet Ifaiab. The Smith with the Tongs both workethin the Coals, and fafhioneth it with Hammers and worketh it with Tea he is hungry , and the Strength of his Arms, his Strength faileth ; he drinketh Water and is The Carpenter /Iretcheth out his Rale : be faint. marketh it cut with aLine : he fitteth it w'tthPlanes, and he marketh it out with the Compass, and maketb it after the Figure of a Man according to the beauty He hew of a Man, that it may remain In thehoufe, eth b't?n down Cedars, and taketh the Cypress and the Oak, xuhich he flrentheneth for himfetf among the T'rtes of the Fore/l : he piant eth an AJh and the Rain doth nourifb it. Then fhatl it be for a Man
to burn ; for he will take thereof and warm bimfelf-
yea he kindleth it, and baketh Bread ; yea, hemak
he maketh it a graven He burnetb fart Image, and faileth down thereto. thereof in the Fire : with Part thereof he eatetb Flefb : hi rofleth rofl and is satisfied : yea, be warm" eth a gody and worjhipeth it :
eth himself and faith, Aha, lam warm, Ihavejeen And the residue thereof he maketh a god, the Fire,
even his graven Image : he faileth down unto tt, and worfhipcth it, and pray eth unto it, and faith, T)e(i ver me, for thou art my god.
They have not known,
nor underflood : for he hath shut their Eyes, that they
cannot see derftand.
and their Hearts, that they cannot un-
And none confidereth in his Heart, neither
is there knowledge nor under (landing to say, I have burned part of it in the Fire, yea, also I have baked Bread upon the Coats thereof: I have rofled Flejh, and eaten it andjball I make the residue thereof an Abomination fhail I fall down to tbe Stock cf a
Tree ? i
Many
Man s' natural Blindness
Ser. IV.
Many of the Images which the Heathen worfliipcd were made in the mofl monflrous and terrible Shapes they could devise ful
they appeared,
and the more hideous. and frightthe
better
they
they fiippofcd
would serve their turn for gods. Some of their Images were made so as to be the mod unclean Reprefcntations Images of Men openly exposing their Nakedness. These unclean Images they judged appcar'd in a godlike manner, and worthy to be worfhlped. 'any, inflead of worfniping a holy and good God, ;
and infinitely pcrfefl Being, ascribed many Vices to many of the Gods which they worshiped. One god they reckoned notorious for Drunkenncfs others no;
torious for Uncleanncfs : *Ing and Stealing;
to othcr - they ascribed
to others Cruelty
upon them worthy
and yet looked
to be worfliiped as Gods.
Many worfliipcd Devils, who appeared
them
which they ihemfelvts reckoned to be evil Spirits
yet built Temples to thcni. and oiTercLl Sacrifices to them, becaufc they were afraid of them.
Many worshiped BeaHs and Birds and Fifhcs; and the molt hateful and loathfom Animals wcremoftwovwere more commonly any other Beafl. Many worshiped Rivers and Trees and Mountains. They worshiped many Difcnfcs. T[;cre is fcarcc any thing thai Men have not made gods of. fliiped, as particularly Sv rpeius
worshiped,
th.cn
And so far has that Princi|)lc of Blindness with refpcft to the things of Religion in a great
prevailed, that
Meafurc exiinguiflicd all Light in the Minds
of many, even in Matters oS Morality and Civility, nnd things that have but a diilani Relation to Religion. So that many uholc Nations have profeffcdly approved of many l hings dirc ly contrary to the Light ot
ture ; and the mofl horrid Vices and Immoralities have
been cRecmcd harmless, yea accounted Virtues among 'l! v them: fueh as Revenge, Cf "'' ' : *'' T-r-H
Ser. IV.
/« the T'htngs ofireligion.
Nations have openly allowed the Prafticefcf Sociomy;
And with some it has been accounted commendable to marry their Tiearefl: Relations.
Many have even wor-
fliipcd their gods in their Temples with A£ls of Drun-
kennefs and Whoredom, and the most abominable Lewdness. And the more fikhy they were in their Uncleanness ; they thought their gods the more pleased and delighted with it. Many Nations have been so under the Influence of this blindness of Mind which we are now speaking of, that they have been, void of all Civility, and have been
reduced to a State very little above the Beads in their common Cufloms, nd ordinary way of living ; and being, in a great many Things far below the Beafls f I may so Ipeak, much more beastly than the Beasts :
themselves.
Now this has not been, because thcfe Men and Nations,
with whom this has been t'le Cafe, have not had
the same Facuuics that
we have.
That we be not as
ignorant as they, is not because we have better natutal Urfderftanllings, or that our Mir/is are by Nature more clear, and Eyes more discerning or that our HeartJi be not naturally i o inclined to Sottiflmefs & Delusion as But only because God has not left as (b much their's. to our selves, as he has them. He has given us more InRruclion to help us against our Delusions. has so ordered it in hisProvidence, that we should have his good Word to inftru£l us and has caused ihat we fnodd grow up from ourlnfancy in chriftianlnflru lion, 2. The extreme blindness and fottifhnefs in things of Religion, which is naturally in the Hearts of Men, appears not only in embracing and profeibng thcfe ;
Errors chat are very great, but alio tbofe that are io /.unnatural. They have not only embraced Errors which are very contrary tD Truth, but very contrary 10
Humanity
nor only against the Light of Nature,
bm againfi the more innocent Inclinaticns of Ne.tv.fe,
Such
Mans natural B Unduefs
Such has been, and is the bllndnefs of many Narions in the World, that they embrace thofe Errors which da not only exclude all true Vertue, all holy Difpofirions;
but thofe that have swallowed up the more harmless Inclinations of human Nature. Their blindness has
them to many things ihat arc mod unnatural, and vvhat the very Nature of Man by its more innocent
tendency, seems to Ihrink at exceedingly.
Thus they have embraced many grols Delusions, that are as contrary as pofllble to natural Affe lion. as offering up their own
Such
Children in Sacrifice to their
Idol ; which has been a common thing in the heathen V/orld.
And the Parents have not only offered them
np to Death but they have brought them, and offcr'd them up to the mod cruel and tormicnting Deaths :' as to be burnt alive ro be scalded to Death in burning Brass which was theWay of offering up Children to Moloch. The Image of the Idol being made of ;
Brass,
in a horrid shape,
was heat red hot
and the
poOr Child was laid naked in this burning Brass, and so burnt to Death. Ana the Parents themselves brought the Child to this offerir.g, however sweet and pleasant a Child it might be. And thus the innocent Child was tormenrcdtill it died, without any regard to it's piteous Cries.
And it has been the manner of some Nations,
lo offer in Sr-c«ifice the fairefl and likelicf ,
and befl
And thus manyThoubeloved Child that they had. So firong sands of poor Babes have been offered up. has been the tendency of the Hearts of Men to Delu{ion, that it has thus
overcome thofe llrong natural
Affeflions which Men have to the Fruit of their own
Bodies.
And many of the Delusions which Men have embraced, have been against Nature also, as
they have
been againfl Men's natural Love of their own Ease, Many have worflji ed their Iand avcrfion to Pain. ols, and do so to tbl? Day, with such Rites as aren offt paiiiful the Things of Religion.
painful and tormenting ling, their
own Flelh.
cutting and garhing,and rnang
Thus they fottillily worship-
*'And they cried aloud, and cut them-
ed Baal of old.
fclves after their manner with Knives and Lancets, till
the Blood gushed out upon ihem."f And it is flill the Custom in some Nati,ans grievously to torment them* selves : to kindle a Fire to scorch their own Bodies in
a mofl miserable
manner:
and to put themselves to
various and long continued Torments to please their Idols.
And it is the manner in some Nations for ma-
ny, on some Occasions, to kill themselves ihera selves to cruel Deaths
to call
yea. to puc
themselves into
great Fires, and there burn themselves to Death.
flrong must be the Delnfions of Men'sMinds. and how
strong the tendency of the Heart of Man to Delusion to Carry them such a Length, and {o to overcome fucu Hrong Inclinations of human Nature !
The extreme blindness of the Mind of Man will
appear further, if we confider how general gross Igno* ranee and Deludon has been.
It has for the most part:
prevailed through the greater Part of theWorld.
raoft of the time from Noah's Flood to the coming of
Chrin-, all Nations, except the Children of Israel, were overspread with gross heathenifhdarkncfs; being given
up to the mcfi: vain and ridiculous Notions, and all manner of Superstitious, barbarous, absurd and unnatural Praflices.
And for the bigger Part of the time
iince that, the much greater Part of the Nations of the
World, have b en covered with gross Darkness. It is so ac this Day. Many Nations are under popiili Darkness, and are in such gross Delusions that they worfliip the Virgin Mary, and a great Multitude of 'dead Men, w hom their Church has canonized for Saints: some real Saints, and others abominably wicked Men. So they v/orijhip the Bread in the Sacrament, and ac*
xviii.
count;.
Ser. IV.
count it not only the real Body of Chrirt, but real ChrW: in Body and Soul, and Divinity. They carry a Wafer, a (null piece of Bread in Proccftion, and fall
down before it and adore it, and account it Chrifl himand yet self, both in his divine and human Nature of the Chrifl in Heaven, and in believe that Body is :
ten thonfand different Places on Earth at the same time.
They think they can do Works
of Supererogation chat is, more good Works than they are obliged to do, whereby they bring God into Debt to them. They whip themfclves, and put ihemfelves to other ridiculous Penances and Sufteriniifs, whereby they think they rippeafe the Anger of for their Sins. And they pay Money to the Pricfts, to buy the Pardon of their :
Sins
yea, they buy Indulgencies for future Crimes,
or Pardon for Sins before they
think they defend
commit them.
themfclves from
They
evil Spirits,
fprinkiing holy Water.
They pay Money to buy the
Souls of their departed
Friends out of Purgatory :
They vvorfhip the Relicks of dead Saints
such as
pieces of their Bones, their Teeth, their Hair,
pieces
and the like. And innumerable other Cuch foolish Delusions they arc under. great Part of the Nations of the World are Mahometans many of the Articles of whose Belief arc too childiOi and ridiculous to be publickly mentioned in a solemn Aftcmbly.
of their Garments,
But the bigger Part of the Inhabitants of theWorld arc to this Day gross, barbarous Heathens, who have not the Knowledge of the true but worfliip
GOD,
& foolifii
]dols and Devils, with all manner of absurd
Rites and Ceremonies ; and are dcftitute of even com-
mon Civility
Multitudes of Nations being like Beads
in human Shape.
Now this barbarous Ignorance and gross Dclufion, being of such great extent and continuance of such ;
rxtenr thro' so many Ages, even the bigger part of the
Tline
Ser. IV.
in the Things
of Religion,
Time from Noahh Flood to this Day, (hews thecaufe is
general, and the defe<5t is in the corrupt
Mankind
Nature of
and the natural biindnefs of Man's Mind,
and proneness of his Heart to Delusion. 4. The fottilh biindnefs and folly of the Heart of Men appears in their being so prone to favl into such
grofsdeluflons, soon after they have been favoured with clear Light.
Were not the Minds of Men exceeding
dark, they never would entertain such absurd Notions at all
for they are as contrary as possible to Reason
Much less would they fall into them, after they had For were
once been inftru£led in the Truth.
they would, when they come to be informed of the Truth; and had Opportunity to compare it with thofegrofserrors,so plainly
for very llrange fottifhnefs indeed,
see the difference
they would Ice such a Reasonable-
ness in the Truth, and such Absurdity inthofe Errors,
would never be in danger of being deluded by them any more. But yet so it is Mankind, after
that they
ihey have been fully inflru£ ed, and have lived in clear Light, have time after time, prefeiuly loft the Knowledge of theTruth,and have exchanged it for the mod barbarous and brutifli Notions. So it was soon after the Flood, whereby the wicked
World, thofe that were visibly so, were destroyed and none were left but th fe who profcfs'd the true Religion And they had such an eminently holy Man :
Noah to inftruft them.
And tho' the true GOD
so wonderfully
and astonishingly manifested himself in that great Work of Vengeance against his Ene-
mies, his destroying the old World
yet the Posterity
o Noah, great part of them, prefcntly loft the Knowledge of the true GOD, and fell away to Idolatry; and that even while Noah was livingAnd the Ancestors of Abraham were tainted with that IcioKitry " And Jofhun fa id and even Terab his own Father. unto E 3 :
Mans natural Buuhefs
Sir. IV.
unto all the People. "Thus faith the Lord God oflf-
Your Fathers dwelt on the other side of thefiood Time, even Terah the Father of Abraham, and the Father of Nachor : and they served other gods. And I took your Father ah am from the racl.
in old
other Side rjf the Flood S:c."*
It fecn-.s as tho'
Gra-
ham was called away from his Father's House, and from his own Country for this Rcafon, that the Country was over- run with Idolatry,
And even many of the Poftenty of and Isaac, Abraham's Poflerity by Hn ar and Kefurak,
graham
2nd that part of Isaac\ Posterity wbtch were of Esau, tho' the true Religion was so thoroughly taught and pra(flircd in the
Houfcs of fhofe holy Patriarchs, and
God had from time to time so wonderfully and miraculously maniferted himself to them, yet soon c:;A off the true GOD, and fell away to Idolatry. For rot
very long after we read of the PoOerity of Jacob as being the only People of God, that he had in all the Earth.
And so the People of that Part of the Land of Canaan, that were under that iioly King Melchizedcck, fonn totally caH: off the worfliip of the one only true GOD, which he taught and maintained. For before yopma brought in the Children of Israel, the Inhabitants of that Land were wholly given to Idolatry. So the People of the Land of Uz, who were under the Government of so great and holy a Man as Job, soon loft theKnowledgc of the true GOD, and all ihofc religious IVutliS which were then known among them, and funk into gross Idolatry. So the Poficrity of Jacob thcmfelves, iho' God had nanifcricd himreif so co them, and had wrought such Wonders for them in Jacobs and JoJeph% time yr rcfcntly fell to worlliiping the gods of Egypt. This '
appears Jol,
Ser. IV,
Things of Religion
appears from the Words of JoJJma, " Put away the gods which your Fathers served on the other Side of the Flood, and in Egypt.'' f And how soon did they fall to worshiping a golden Calf in the Wilde? ness, in the midst of the wonderful and miraculous Manifefta** And notwitlrlions of the one only true standing Idolatry was so ftriflly forbidden, and the
Folly and Wickedness of it so clearly manifeflcd in the Law of Moses and in God's Providence and it was io much guarded against every way in the Revelation given them, and the whole of Gods Condu61 towards ;
them
yet how soon did they fall into Idolatry after
And they were brought into the Land of Canaan when God raised up eminent Men, Judges to inftruift and govern them, and reclaim them from their idolatrous Pra£liccs, from time to time; and they profeited to be convinced of their DeluGon and Folly, and to !
repent
yet they would soon fall
away again into the
And this they did soon -fter most fottiih Idolatry. such great Light as they enjoyed in Samuers /Davids and Solomon'' s time. And so they did from time to time down to the Babylpniili Captivity. And in the ? poftles times, when such great things were done to rouse the Attention of Mankind. and such great Light was spread over many Nations,1Multitudcs, after they had bcenindrufled in the Christian Religion
by the Apoftlcs and others, fell away into the grossest Heresies, and embraced
the mofl corrupt and absurd
Notions.
After the roman Empire had been converted from Heathcnifm lo Chriltianity, and the Light of ihegofpel had driven out the fottiih Ignorance and gross Abpagan Idolatry, in which they had contithey soon begun to fall away again from the Truth into Antichriltian Superflition andldolarry, Surdities of
nued so long in which are
Opinions and Pra61iccs no Icfs abfuio than
»hefc
And a great Part of the chrifllthofe of the Heathen. an World fell avvqy to Mahometifm. wonAnd (ince the Reformation, wherein clrrfully reflored Gospel Light in a great Part of the chriftinn World, which was not but about two hundred Years ago, many are fallen away again, some to Popery, and some to gross Hercfies, and some to aiheifiical so that ihe reformed Church is greatly 3 rinciples
ciminiihcd.
And our Nation in particular, which has been a Nation favoured with Light, flnce the Reformation, how soon has nbove mod:, if not any in the World great Part of it to away fallen A Part great It in and others to jxtheifm and Deism, to grois Infidelity Arminianifm, and to the Socinian and Arian Herefics,ro believe that Chrifl is a created dependent God ; and And many have of to hold other foolifli Abfurdiiies late openly disputed and denied the moral Evil of some of the greatest and mod heinous Vices. Thefc Things flicw how desperately prone Man-* ;
kind are to Blind ncfs and Dclufion, how addifled they Darkncfs. now and then, by his Inftru ions, lifts some but then, how of such gross Darkness out Nations do they fink down inio it again, as soon as his f and ' vc to
like an heavy Stone, which iho* it may i withdrawn be foiccd upwards byStrcngth of Hand yet. if it be let !
and will continue to (ink lower if no (lop be put to 'Ai\ lower Vrith a (wifr ]>rogrers,
if (here be
nothing without to rcfirain it
llrcmg bent
that
dr.vvn again
Way.
Mind of Man
Thnt
There is
tendency of
fjnce the Fall, notwithflanding his
obh Powers and Faculties,
to fink
down into a kind
and cxtinguifh all ufcful and to fink lower and ight, and to gather daiknefs
Brutality,
loofc
.-'Wcr into darkncls. 5.
Ser. IV*
in the Things
of Religion,
The extreme and brutish blindness that poftedes the Hearts of Men naturally, appears in their being so 5*.
confident in gross Errors and Delusions.
Some things
that have been already said, fliew how confident and aftured they are : as particularly, their running such
great ventures upon it,
up their Children ;
as offering
Multitudes and cutting and mangling themselves. Jive and die in the raoftifoolifh and absurd Notions and Principles, and never seem to make any Doubt of their being in the right.
The Mahometans seem to make no Doubt but that when they die they (hall go to such a Paradise as Mahomet has promised them where they shall live :
in all
manner of sensual Pleasures ;
and shall
spend
their lime in gratifying the Lusts of the Flefli.
Mahomet promised them
that
that die in
for the defence of the Mahometan Religion, shall go to this Paradise : and they make no Doubt of it ; and
therefore many of them, as it were, willingly rufli on
upon the Point of the Sword. The Papists many of them make no Doubt of the Truth of thofe foolish Notions of a Purgatory, and the Power of the Priests to deliver ihem out of it, and give them eternal Life. And therefore won*t spare vast Sums of Money to purchase Deliverance for themAnd how selves, from thofe imaginary Torments. confident are many Hereticks in the grofiefl Heresies many Quakers in their Quakerism and how bold are many Deifls in their Infidelity ;
Man's natural Blindne/s
PSALM
xciv,
Under fiayi'i, ye brutip} among the Teople : and ye Fools ivhffi zvill je be wife ? He that planted Ear, pijll he not hear ? he that Jar meci the Eye pMjll h(* not Jee ? He that chafli/eth the Heathen, JJ all he not correB f he that teacheth the
Man Knowledge sj. all he not knoiv ? The Lord knoweth the Thoughts of Man, that they arc rjanitj.
DOCTRINE. THERE
is an extreme and brutish Bundnefs in Things of Religion, tuhich naturally f JJeJes the Hearts of Manktni.
\ $S Flavc undertaken to fhcw, bow manifcft this 0
is ill
thofc things that appear in
Profention.
Men's open
In order to this, 1 have already
confidercd /i; .Particulars. 1
now proceed
to obfervc,
The dcfpcratenefs of that Windncfs which is in the Heart of Man appears in thnt no Nalion or Vco6.
Remedy or Defrom such gross Ignorance and Delusion,
the World, ever have iiad any
jiverancc
iVom thcmfclvcs.
of Religion.
in the Tbi)igs
There is no Instance can be mentioned of any People whatsoever, who have once fallen into heaihenifli
Darkness, or any other gross Superstitions and ridiculous Opinions in Religion, thai ever had any Remedy
by any Wisdom of their own
or that have of themand grown wiser by the improvement of their own Faculties, and by inftru ling one another : or that ever had any Remedy at all,, :
selves bethought themselves,
by the teaching of any wife Men, who did not pro* feftcdly a£V, not as of thcmrelves,but as moved and di» rested of God ; and
did not declare,
that they
their Inftru lions in the first Place from him.
Thus in the heathen World
Before Christ's time
World excepting the Jews, lay in their Darkness for a great many Hundred Years, even time oun of Mind, beyond all Time that they had any And there was no certain History of among them.
the whole
remedy, nor appearance of any Remedy but fothey continued Ages after Ages, rather waxing worse and Amgng all the worse (inking deeper and deeper. :
many Nations
that
were in the World, no one ever
be- thought themselves, and emerged out of their bru-
There were some Nations in thac tifh Darkness. time that eme ed out of Slavery to other Nations, and cad offihe Yoke of their Enemies, and grew great and conquered great Part of the World but never conquered the blindness of their own Hearts. There were some Nations that excelled in ether Knowledge The Greeks and Romans did so. They excelled in Policy, and in the form of their civil Government. They had wife politic Rulers They had :
excellent civil
Laws
for regulating their civil State
many of which have been look'd upon, and imitated as a Pattern by many chriftinn Natioi s since. They cjxclled many other Nationsin Arts and Government and Civility, almofl asmuch as Men do Beafis. Yet they ncvci could deliver themselves from their h«athenifm.
Tho' they were so wife in other things, yet in Matters of Religion they were very absurd and beatlicnifrn.
For even the Greeks arid Romans
brutifli.
in their
most fiouri{hingSiate,worfhipcd innumerable gods : and
feme to whom they alcribcd great Vices
and some
mod obscene and horrid Rites. To some they offer 'd human Sacrifices. The Romans the)' worshiped
with
bad a "I>mple dedicated to the Furies, which they worshiped as a God. And they had a Multitude of childl/h
Notions and Fables about their gods.
up some wife Men and
tho' chere were raised
Philv)ropl.ers among the Greeks and Romans,
who bor-
GOD from
rowed iome things concerning the true
the Jew.- ; yet their Inilruflions never were esse lual to deliver any one People, or even one City or Town,
from their barbarous Heathenism, or so much as to get any oneSociety orCompany of Men to unite in the publick Worship of the trueGOD. And chefe Philolophers themfclves had many grofly absurd Opinions mingled with thofe scraps of Truth, which they had gathered up.
And the Jews, when they fell away to Idolatry, as Never they often did, never recovered of ihemfelvcs. any Remedy appeared, unless God raised up, and exrraordinarily moved some Pcrfon to reprove and inOri? them.
And .in this Age of Knowledge,
Age wherein even many
l.rarfiing is carried to such a great height ,
Jrarned Men seem really to be carried away with the cross Errors and Fooleries of the popish Religion.
Europe is a Pan of
World the mof\ famed for
and ihefe and for Arts and Sciences of any things liave been carried to c much greater height in Civility,
this Ag:,
ihiin in
many others
many
learned
Men in Europe at this Day, who do greatly excell in l nman Arts tlirkncfs.
ar.d
Literature,
flill
under
popifli
A deceived Heart has turned them aside
Bor do they fccm
to have
any Power to deliver their
Things of Rtligiofu
nor does it come into their Mihds, that there is Souls a Lie in their right Hands. Many Men in France and other Countries, who are indeed Men of vafl Learning and Knowledge, and great Abilities, yet seem really to think that the Church of Rome is the only true Church of Chrifl And tho' and are zealous to uphold and propagate it. :
now within this hundred Years, human Learning has been very much promoted, and risen to a greater height and has greatly incicafed not than ever in the World only in our Nation, but in France and Italy, and other yet there seems to be no such effect popifli Countries of it, as any considerable turning from popish Delusions ; but the Church of Rome has rather increased of :
late, than otherwise.
And in England, aLand wherein Learning flourishes as much as in any in the World, and
which is perhaps the mod favoured with Light of any ; there are many Men of vast Learning, and great (Irong Rcaron,who have embraced, and do at thisDay, embrace the gross Erdeifls. rors of theArians Our Nation,in all itsLight and Learning, is full of Infidels, and ihofe that are
further from Chriflianity, than the very Mahometans themselves. Of (b little avail is human Strengch, and human Reason and Learning, as a Remedy againd the extreme blindness of the Mind of Man. The blindness of the Mind of Man, or an Inclination to Delu(ion in Things of Religion is (b strong, that it will overcome the greatest Learning, and the (Irongeft na-
tural Reason, and as it were, swallow up thefc Things,
Men, if let alone, will not help one another : nor will they help themselves.
Thedifeafe always proves This was observed of old nd none confidereth In his Heart, neither is there Knowledge nor Under/landing to say I have burnt Part of it in the Fire, yea aljo I have baked Bread upon the Coals thereof : I have- rofled without Remedy, unless God delivers. :
Fujh and eaten of it, and (hall I male
reftdue
thereof
Mans natural Bl'tndnejs
Shall I fall down to th: Stock of a Free ? He feedeth of Ashes : a deceived Heart hath turned him ofide that he cannot deliver his S'mI, na say. Is there not a Lie in my right
tkere' f an Abomination ?
Hand
but ihe If God lets Men alone, no Lighc arises How is it now Darkncfs grows thicker and thicker. at this Day among all the Nations where the Light of Many of whofeanccftors, the Gofpcl has not come P without doubt, have been in the mid- night Datknefs of Heathenism for above three thousand Years and rot one People have delivered themselves, who have :
not had the Light of the Gospel. ing to their want of as good
have to
And this Is not owAbilities as we
natural
nor is it bccaufe they hive an Inclination more
ncgle£l their natural
Abilities,
make a worfc
Improvement of them than we.
The extreme blindhefs of Man's Heart in Mat-
ters of Religion tppcars
by Men's falling
into
gross
Dejufions, or continuing in them, at the same time that
they have been under great Means of Inftrudtion froir.
GOD. Rachel in 7j. \\c have many Instances of this. The Ifraelites in the Wildcrncfs. C0F5 Faraily They had great Means ok Inqruflion, yet fct up the they And after Jo(}:ua's time golden Calf &c. t' pcrlificd in theirdelufions and Folly from time to time, even in even under the Reproofs ot the Prophets iuch horrid Dclulions, so contrary to natural Aflcdion, as offering their Children in Sacrifice to Moloch, burning (rem alive, in a mofl cruel manner. In Christ's and the Apolilcs times the great
Means of Inftruftlon. and mofl of
Jews had
the Nations
of rhcWorLi were put under great Advantages to come Yet 10 the Knowledge of the Ttu;h :
Th Ifai. xliv.