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…

Now let me speak a word to all such as thus go on in a state of impenitency against knowledge:¹ this is a high kind of sinning, and of all the most desperate, and doth argue more hardness of heart, and despising the riches of Gods goodness. For if, as in the Rom. 2. 4. to go on in sin, when a man [knows not,] that is, considers not that Gods mercy leads him to repentance, is made the sign and effect of a very hard heart, treasuring up wrath, then much more, when thou knowest and considerest thou art in an impenitent condition, and hast many motions leading thee to repentance, is thy heart then to be accounted hard? When a man commits a particular act against knowledge, he haply and usually still ⟨p. 68⟩thinks his estate may be good, and that he shall not lose God utterly, or hazard the loss of him; only his spirit, being at present empty of communion with him, he steals out to some stolen pleasure: but when a man knows his estate bad, and that he is without God in the world, and yet goes on, he doth hereby cast away the Lord, and professeth he cares not for him, or that communion which is to be had by him, as Esau did his birth-right.

Now let mee speake a word to all such as thus go on in a state of impenitencie against knowledge:¹ this is a high kinde of sinning, and of all the most desperate, and doth argue more hardnesse of heart, and despising the riches of Gods goodnesse. For if, as in the Rom. 2. 4. to go on in sinne, when a man [knowes not,] that is, considers not that Gods mercy leads him to repentance, is made the signe and effect of a very hard heart, treasuring up wrath, then much more, when thou knowest and considerest thou art in an impenitent condition, and hast many motions leading thee to repentance, is thy heart then to be accounted hard? When a man commits a particular act against knowledge, he haply and usually still ⟨p. 68⟩thinks his estate may be good, and that he shall not lose God utterly, or hazard the losse of him; onely his spirit, being at present empty of communion with him, he steales out to some stolne pleasure: but when a man knowes his estate bad, and that he is without God in the world, and yet goes on, he doth hereby cast away the Lord, and professeth he cares not for him, or that communion which is to be had by him, as Esau did his birth-right.