Many among you remain under the power of Ignorance: Ah! how often have I told you the dangerous, yea, damnable estate that such are in. Never make excuses, nor flatter your selves that you shall be saved though you go on in this; I have told you often, and now tell you again, God must be false of his Word, if ever you be saved without being brought out of the state of ignorance: If ever you enter in at the door of Heaven, it must be by the Key of Knowledge, you cannot be saved, except you be brought to the knowledge of the Truth. A people that remain in gross ignorance, that are without understanding, the Lord that made them, will not have mercy on them. O why will you flatter your selves, ⟨p. 17⟩and wilfully deceive your own selves? when the God of Truth hath said you shall surely die if you go on in this estate: Oh, for the love of God and of your souls, I beseech you awake and bestir your selves to get the saving knowledge of God: you that are capable of learning a Trade to live by, are you not capable of learning the way to be saved? yea, I doubt not but you are capable if you would but beat your heads about it, and take pains to get it. And is it not pity that you should perish for ever for want of a little pains, and study, and car• to get the knowledge of God: Study the Catechism, if possible get it by heart, if not, read it often, or get it read to you, cry unto God for knowledge; improve the little you have by living answerable. Search the Scripture daily, get them read to you if you cannot read them. Improve your Sabbaths diligently, and I doubt not but in the use of these means you will sooner arrive to the knowledge of Christ than of a Trade. But for thee, O hardened sinner, that wilt make thy excuses that thou hast not time nor abilities to get knowledge, and to sit still without it, I pronounce unto thee that thou shalt surely perish: And I challenge thee to tell me, if thou canst, how thou wilt answer it before the most High God when he shall sit in Judgement upon thee, that thou wouldest be contented to undergo a seven years Apprenticeship to learn how to get thy living, and that thou mightest have got the knowledge of the principles of Religion in half the time, but thou wouldest not beat thy head about it.
Many among you remain under the power of Ignorance: Ah! how often have I told you the dangerous, yea, damnable estate that such are in. Never make excuses, nor flatter your selves that you shall be saved though you go on in this; I have told you often, and now tell you again, God must be false of his Word, if ever you be saved without being brought out of the state of ignorance: If ever you enter in at the door of Heaven, it must be by the Key of Knowledge, you cannot be saved, except you be brought to the knowledge of the Truth. A people that remain in gross ignorance, that are without understanding, the Lord that made them, will not have mercy on them. O why will you flatter your felves, ⟨p. 17⟩and wilfully deceive your own selves? when the God of Truth hath said you shall surely die if you go on in this estate: Oh, for the love of God and of your souls, I beseech you awake and bestir your selves to get the saving knowledge of God: you that are capable of learning a Trade to live by, are you not capable of learning the way to be saved? yea, I doubt not but you are capable if you would but beat your heads about it, and take pains to get it. And is it not pity that you should perish for ever for want of a little pains, and study, and car• to get the knowledge of God: Study the Catechism, if possible get it by heart, if not, read it often, or get it read to you, cry unto God for knowledge; improve the little you have by living answerable. Search the Scripture daily, get them read to you if you cannot read them. Improve your Sabbaths diligently, and I doubt not but in the use of these means you will sooner arrive to the knowledge of Christ than of a Trade. But for thee, O hardned sinner, that wilt make thy excuses that thou hast not time nor abilities to get knowledge, and to sit still without it, I pronounce unto thee that thou shalt surely perish: And I challenge thee to tell me, if thou canst, how thou wilt answer it before the most High God when he shall sit in Judgement upon thee, that thou wouldest be contented to undergo a seven years Apprentiship to learn how to get thy living, and that thou mightest have got the knowledge of the principles of Religion in half the time, but thou wouldest not beat thy head about it.
