The Mischiefs and Danger of the Sin of Ignorance, Title page – Dedication
THE MISCHIEFES, And Danger of the SIN OF IGNORANCE, OR, IGNORANCE ARRAIGNED, With the Cauſes, Kinds, and Cure thereof.
As alſo, The Excellency, Profit, and Benefit of Heavenly KNOWLEDGE.
Largely ſet forth from Hoſ. 4.6. My people are deſtroyed for lack of knowledge.
By W. Geering, Miniſter of the Word at Lymington, in the County of Southampton.
London, Printed for Luke Fawn, and are to be ſold at his Shop at the Sign of the Parrot in St. Pauls Church-yard, 1659.
TO THE Right Worſhipfull JOHN BUTTON of Buckland, JOHN BULKELEY of Burgatt, AND JOHN HILDESLEY of Hinton, In the County of Southampton, Eſquires.
Right Worſhipful,
MArcus Antonius de Dominis confeſſeth in that little book, M. Antonius de Dom. Archiep. Spalat.wherein he expreſſeth the reaſon of his departure from the Church of Rome, That the cloſing up of the Scriptures from the people, thereby labouring to hold all in ignorance, gave him occaſion to ſuſpect their Religion, and to fear his eſtate, and to think on converſion, freely profeſſing three in theſe termes, Scripturae ſumma apud nos ignoratio, that there is nothing whereof the Papiſts are more ignorant, then of the Scriptures. And other Nations heretofore have caſt this as a reproach upon the Engliſh Nation, That the Nobility and Gentry thereof were ignorant and unlearned; which aſperſion hath been well wiped off, ſince the beginning of the Reigne of Queen Elizabeth: but I wiſh it were not a juſt reproach, that did yet ſtick upon the body of our Common people, that they are lamentably ignorant and unlearned in matters of the higheſt concernment; what groſs darkneſſe is yet among us, notwithſtanding all the meanes vouchſafed to us from the Father of lights? and may not the Lord complain of us, as ſometimes he did of the people of Iſrael, Deut. 32.28.they are a Nation void of Counſell, neither is there any underſtanding in them? Divers of the Ancients have given us their teſtimony concerning the great diligence that was uſed in all ſorts of people in their times, in ſearching the Scriptures, deſiring nothing elſe but to attain to the mind of him that wrote them, Auguſt. de doctr. Chriſtian. lib. 2. cap. 5.and ſo to the will of God contained in them. And what was more common to the Fathers, then to exhort the people to get them Bibles, to read them; and to examine what they heard by them? and how ſharply did they reprove the negligence of thoſe that did it not? Theodoret, writing of his times, ſaith, You ſhall every where ſee thoſe points of our faith to be known and underſtood, not only by ſuch as are Teachers in the Church, but even of all kind of Artificers, and not men only, but women alſo, not they onelyonly which are book-learned, but they alſo that get their living with their needle; yea maid-ſervants, and waiting-women, and not Cityzens only, but Husband-men of the Countrey are very skilful in theſe things: yea, you may hear among us, Ditchers, and Neatheards, and Wood-ſetters, diſcourſing of the Trinity, Euſeb. lib. 6. cap. 3.and the Creation, &c. Origen from his childhood learnt the Scriptures, and gat them without book, and propounded many queſtions to his Father Leonides a godly Martyr, (who rejoyced much in it) about the difficult ſenſes thereof. So Macrina, Baſil. Epiſt. 74.Baſil's Nurſe, taught him the Scriptures of a child, and Hierome writeth of the Lady Paula, that ſhe could ſay the Scriptures by heart, and that ſhe ſet many of her maids to learn them; and many of his writings are directed to women, commending their induſtry in ſearching the Scriptures, and exciting them thereunto, as to Paula before mentioned, Euſtochium, Salvina, Celantia, &c. The diligence of thoſe times may juſtly reprove the great negligence of theſe times: we have had the light of the Goſpel clearly ſhining among us theſe hundred yeares, we have had many excellent Teachers to unfold the mind of God out of his word to us, and yet very few there be that are annointed with eye ſalve, to ſee that which is called the ſecret of the Goſpel, and to underſtand that great myſtery of godlineſs, which God hath revealed in his word: we have had the way of God (like Apollos) expounded to us more perfectly then our fore-fathers; and yet the Lord may ſay to us, as ſometime Chriſt to his Diſciples; Mat. 15.16, 17.Are ye yet without underſtanding? perceive ye not yet? Have I been ſo long time with you, and haſt thou not known me, &c. Joh. 14.9.
There be certain impediments of knowledge, Some naturall, as infancy, incapacity, unlearnedneſſe, the one of theſe is not ſuddenly, the other not eaſily cured: Some are ſinfull, as Pride, Ignorance, and Averſeneſſe, for which cauſe the Lord hath not onelyonly given …s the Scriptures, but alſo the Miniſtery of his Paſtours, and other meanes to remove theſe impediments: let an ignorant man be lockt up with a Bible, he will return forth as ignorant as he went in: though the word of God be not obſcure in it ſelfe, yet to an ignorant man, that which is plaine and that which is obſcure is all one: but let the Book be opened, the Text read and expounded, and then by the bleſſing of God upon it, as Chryſoſtome ſpeakes, the moſt unlearned man that is, ſhall underſtand. And were there … conſtant preaching Miniſtery ſetled (as much as is poſſible) in every place and corner o… the land, and not onelyonly publique preaching, but alſo frequent catechiſing in publique congregations, and private families enjoyned, and effectually maintained againſt the manifold diſcouragements of this Iron Age, the darkneſſe of ignorance might ſoon vaniſh, and be expelled out of our coaſts. Now the conſideration of the groſſe ignorance of moſt people and congregations in this clear Sun-ſhine of the Goſpel, was not the leaſt motive inducing me to the ſtudy and publication of theſe Sermons, being alſo importuned by divers godly Miniſters, and other Chriſtian friends, to bring them into the publique view. My deſire herein is to further the ſimpleſt of my Countrey-men in the knowledge of God, hoping they will not ſlight my poor endeavours, for whoſe ſake they were primarily undertaken; and thoſe are all ignorant perſons, that have lived under the Goſpel ſo long, that for their time they might have been teachers, but by reaſon of their groſſe and dull eares, are but babes in underſtanding, and have need to be taught the firſt principles of the Oracles of God.Heb. 5.12.
And now (much honoured Sirs) your good underſtanding in the myſtery of Chriſt your unfeigned love to learning and true Religion, your great reſpects ſhewed to all Gods faithful Miniſters, which have the happineſſe (as my ſelf have had) to be acquainted with you, have emboldned me to preſent this Treatiſe to you, upon whom God hath ſtamp't his own image in an eminent manner, (as it were upon his own Gold) more then upon many others of your rank. You deſerve (I confeſſe) a greater teſtimony of my reſpects unto you, then this cluſter or two of my ſlender vintage; which I here offer to you, not ſo much to feed your appetite, as to quicken it; but where power is wanting, I humbly intreat, that a ſincere affection may make the ſupply; and if by this tender of mine, you may receive any little benefit, I ſhall crave this recompenſe of you, That you would be earneſt with God in my behalfe, to make me faithful and profitable in my function, to the end of my dayes. The value of Paper-preſents is but ſmall, and the leſſe to be eſteemed of; by how much this Age of ours hath made the number of Books to be the purgation of diſtempered braines; I beg thi… favour of you, To have thi… little piece of coine laid up i… your cloſets, as an acknowledgement of a greater obligation: and if after your many weighty and publique a… faires, you ſhall ſometimes loo… into this book, I hope yo… may meet with ſome paſſage therein, that may yield yo… ſome content, and further …our growth in the knowledge … our Lord and Saviour Jeſus …riſt. And leaving this Ma…al with you as a teſtimony … that reſpect, which your …orſhips many wayes chal…ge from me, I remain
Your Worſhips in all reſpective Services to be commanded, W. G.