Aggravation of sin and sinning against knowledge. Mercy. Delivered in several sermons upon divers…Aggravation of sinne and sinning against knowledge. Mercie. Delivered in severall sermons upon divers…

So secondly, when men use their wisdoms to tell a cunning lye,¹ to cover a sin; as Plato says, men of knowledge, sunt ad mendacia potentiores & sapientiores: whereas fools, though they would lye, yet often tell truth ere they are aware.

So secondly, when men use their wisedoms to tell a cunning lye,¹ to cover a sin; as Plato sayes, men of knowledge, sunt ad mendacia potentiores & sapientiores: whereas fooles, though they would lye, yet often tell truth ere they are aware.

1. 13. To colour sins by pretence of religion, and use their knowledge of religion to plead for, and instifie their sin•.3. To colour sins by pretence of religion, and use their knowledg of religion to plead for, and instifie their sin•.

But also thirdly, when they abuse moral knowledge, which yet, as Aristotle says, is least apt ⟨p. 53⟩to be (I am sure should least be) abused, so as to make a show of good pretences to cover their sins, and dissemble them; not only by finding out some cunning artificial colour, as David did in the matter of Uriah — Chance of war (says he) falls to all alike: but when men are so impudently hypocritical, as to make use of religious pretexts, (as the Devil sometimes doth) as Saul, who pretends to Samuel, I have done the will of the Lord: and when Samuel told him of the cattle, oh, says he, they are for a sacrifice; when God had expressly commanded to kill them all. But this shift shifted him out of his Kingdom, Samuel pronounceth him a rebel in it, Rebellion is sin against knowledge, therefore he knew it. Thus also Jezebel coloured over the stoning of Naboth with a solemn fast. So Judas fisheth for money with a charitable pretence, This might have been sold, and given to the poor. In sins against knowledge, usually the mind endeavours to find out a colour, and that provokes God more than the sin, because we go about to mock him. We see men cannot endure a shift, much less the All-knowing God, not to be mocked: and we see it is hard to convince such an one. David was fain to be brought to the rack, ere he would confess, when he had a shift; and men do seek such shifts only in case of sinning against conscience: for else there were no need,