The Godly Man's Picture

Surely ignorance in these days is affected; 'tis one thing nescire, another thing nolle scire, 'tis one thing not to know, another thing not to be willing to know, John 3. 19. They loved darkness rather than light. 'Tis the Owl loves the dark: Sinners are like the Atlantes, a people in Ethiopia, which curse the Sun. Wicked men shut their eyes wilfully, Mat. 13. 15. and God shuts them judicially, Isa. 6. 10.

Surely ignorance in these daies is affected; 'tis one thing nescire, another thing nolle scire, 'tis one thing not to know, another thing not to be willing to know, Iohn 3. 19. They loved darkness rather than light. 'Tis the Owle loves the dark: Sinners are like the Athlantes, a people in Aethiopia, which curse the Sun. Wicked men shut their eyes wilfully, Mat. 13. 15. and God shuts them judicially, Isa. 6. 10.

2. Are they godly,¹ who though they have knowledge, yet they know not as they ought to know; they know not God experimentally: How many knowing persons are ignorant? they have Illumination, but not Sanctification; their knowledge hath not a powerful influence upon them to make them better. If you set up an hundred Torches in a garden, they will not make the flowers grow, but the Sun is influential: Many are so far from being better for their knowledge, that they are worse, Isa. 47. 10. Thy knowledge hath perverted thee; the knowledge of most makes them more cunning in sin; these have little cause to glory in their knowledge. Absalom might boast of the hair of his head, but that hanged him; so these may boast of the knowledge of their head, but it will destroy them.