CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…

5. Where a man is ignorant of Christ, he must needs be in a damnable condition, because thereby he is also ignorant of himself, he knoweth not his own sinfulness and misery, and so cannot desire a remedy: These two are necessarily known together, or unknown, Christ the Physician, and sin a desperate disease; Christ a Saviour, and the sinner that is lost; But the ignorant man not knowing the one must necessarily have the other hid from his eyes: Can there be any hope of that mans cure who knoweth not and feels not his disease? Thy Ignorance of Christ argueth thou art also ignorant of thy self, for didst thou know thy own poverty and guilt, nothing could hold thee till thou mightst get some interest in Christ, pain of body will make a man cry out for ease, but pain of soul through sin, much more; Thus you see the ignorant man is in the plain way to hell.

5. Where a man is ignorant of Christ, he must needs be in a damnable condition, because thereby he is also ignorant of himself, he knoweth not his own sinfulnesse and misery, and so cannot desire a remedy: These two are necessarily known together, or unknown, Christ the Physician, and sinne a desperate disease; Christ a Saviour, and the sinner that is lost; But the ignorant man not knowing the one must necessarily have the other hid from his eyes: Can there be any hope of that mans cure who knoweth not and feels not his disease? Thy Ignorance of Christ argueth thou art also ignorant of thy self, for didst thou know thy own poverty and guilt, nothing could hold thee till thou mightst get some interest in Christ, pain of body will make a man cry out for ease, but pain of soul through sinne, much more; Thus you see the ignorant man is in the plain way to hell.

¹Thirdly, Gross Ignorance must needs be damnable, because it's immediately opposite to the sanctified and appointed means that bring to God and Christ, viz. the Ministry: The Preaching of the Word is instituted by God to bring us to understanding and faith about these things; Therefore they are called the Light and Guides; But where there is gross Ignorance there commonly the Preaching of the Word hath least effect and fruit, as the Sun-beams do no good to the blind man, For seeing the Word of God is a moral Instrument, and though potent by the power of God, yet it doth by argument convince and persuade, where men are brutish like beasts, what improbability is there of doing good? Indeed the Word doth give eyes to the blind, and understanding to the simple, where God useth it efficaciously, for nothing can resist it then because it takes away the actual obstinacy, yet the Ignorance of men is that which of it self would make all Preaching to drop like the water upon the rock, where no fruit can grow; For what doth the ignorant man understand? what can he remember? what can he meditate upon when he is gone hence? Take a knowing though profane man in his life, yet we have something to work upon, we speak to wise men that will judge what we say, but to the blind man day and night is all one, Preaching and no Preaching; To the deaf man Thunder and a still voice is all one: Consider then lest thy ignorance doth not damn thee, in that all the means and instituted ways of God become altogether unprofitable unto thee, That makes all preaching in vain: I shall not further enlarge on this.