The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. /…The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. /…

If this be so, that men may live in the Church of God, and enjoy the means of grace, and yet be a people of no understanding, have no saving knowledge, then my brethren, here is a word of reproof to check all those conceits, and pull down all those silly imaginations of poor, ignorant, carnal creatures, that live here among us in the bosom of the Church, who because the Lord hath been pleased to put them into a place where the truth is plainly taught and preached, presently persuade their own souls, that they have wise dome and knowledge enough to bring them to life and salvation. If happily you come to any of these men and tell them, that they ought to be enlarged in those duties God requireth of his children, that they should be able to catechise their families, to pray with them, to instruct them, that they should be skilful in the art of humbling their souls before God, in private conversing, and spiritual communion with him; Alas, they will answer you, that for the present, they are too weak and unable for such things as these: Well, but prove them again afterwards when they have continued a longer time under the means, and demand of them how they have bettered themselves, what strength of grace they have attained unto; By no means you must meddle with them: What, they have not lived so long in a good Parish under a painful Minister, and gone so often to Church, but surely they have sufficient to bring them to heaven; and although they cannot do so, and so, though they cannot give you a reason of the ⟨p. 212⟩hope that is in them, yet they make no question but to speed as well as the best. Men think it enough to be good Churchmen, to have and enjoy the helps God vouchsafeth and bestoweth upon his people, to be often hearers of the Word read and preached; and so rest themselves contented, and there set up their staff, though in the mean time they remain as blind, and ignorant, and as carnal as ever. My brethren, be not deceived, the Lord will not be mocked. It is not sufficient to salvation, for a man to be an often hearer, to have his heart now and then enlarged, to give assent to the truths delivered, to conceive the grounds of them, or to be able happily to discourse of some points of religion. Oh look further, he that hath saving knowledge indeed, goes far beyond all this.

If this be so, that men may live in the Church of God, and enjoy the means of grace, and yet be a people of no understanding, have no saving knowledge, then my brethren, here is a word of reproof to check all those conceits, and pull down all those silly imaginations of poor, ignorant, carnall creatures, that live here among us in the bosome of the Church, who because the Lord hath been pleased to put them into a place where the truth is plainly taught and preached, presently perswade their own souls, that they have wise dome and knowledge enough to bring them to life and salvation. If happily you come to any of these men and tell them, that they ought to be inlarged in those duties God requireth of his children, that they should be able to catechise their families, to pray with them, to instruct them, that they should be skilfull in the art of humbling their souls before God, in private conversing, and spirituall communion with him; Alas, they will answer you, that for the present, they are too weak and unable for such things as these: Well, but prove them again afterwards when they have continued a longer time under the means, and demand of them how they have bettered themselves, what strength of grace they have attained unto; By no means you must meddle with them: What, they have not lived so long in a good Parish under a panfull Minister, and gone so often to Church, but surely they have sufficient to bring them to heaven; and although they cannot doe so, and so, though they cannot give you a reason of the