The strong helper, offering to beare euery mans burthen. Or, A treatise, teaching in all troubles how to cast our burden vpon God but chiefly deliuering infallible grounds of comfort for quieting of troubled consciences. By Iohn Haivvard.

CHAP. XIIII.

BVT if it fall out that thou be charged more distinctly with some par∣ticular enormious sinne, one or many: then hath Sathan espied against thee some especi∣all aduantage in thy doings. It be∣houeth thee now to looke closely to thy selfe, and to marke, if thou canst espie any hole in the wall of hope to dig in, that a dore of mercy may be opened vn∣to thee.

In this case, consider whether that or those sinnes were committed in the time of thine ignorance, when thou knewest not well what was lawfull or vnlawfull for thee to doe, or in the time of know∣ledge, when thine owne heart could tell thee that such things were not lawfull to be done: for if they were done in the time of ignorance, when perhaps thou mightest thinke it lawfull and free to be done, yea perhaps good, perhaps also profitable and necessarie, as Saul after called Paul, thought it lawfull, good,

and necessarie for him to persecute the name of Iesus, and to cast into prison them that called vpon that name: as hee said before King Agrippa; I verely thought in my selfe, that I ought to doe many contrary things against the name of Iesus of Nazareth. Or if thou didst not thinke it to be lawfull, good & necessa∣rie for thee, yet thou didst not thinke, or at the least didst not know it to be euill for thee to doe it, and any such danger to hang vpon it, with Gods high displeasure, as now thou perceiuest: then this very circumstance maketh thy burden lighter, and in the wall of hope, a hole appeareth, wherein if thou dig by prayer, a dore of mercy wilbe opened vnto thee.

For though ignorance doth not ex∣cuse, much lesse iustifie our sinnes, and the discharge of that sinne will cost thy soule some teares, and prayers, and other like courses of a contrite heart: yet with more ease will the terror of it be ouercome, then if it had beene done against knowledge. Hereto pertaines that saying of our blessed sauiour, That seruant that knew his masters will, and

prepared not himselfe, neither did accor∣ding to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes: but he that knew it not, and yet did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with fewer stripes. By these stripes some of the fathers vnderstand, not tor∣ments in hell of different rigor (though it cānot be denied, but the condition of some in hell, shall be more tollerable, then of some others) but thereby they vnderstand rather those gripes of con∣science, that prouoke prayers, supplica∣tions, strong cryings, and teares, out of a heart beset and straightned with fierce accusations, a conuinced conscience, & feared condemnatiō: & these assaults they say, shall be more hard against the conscience of him that siuned against knowledge, in a presuming manner, then against the conscience of him that sin∣ned of ignorance, in a weaker manner, that is yeelding rather out of his weak∣nes, then daring out of his pride: for it may be alledged for the ignorant man, that if he had knowne such a thing to be euill in the sight of God, he would not haue done it. No such thing can be said for him that presumed against know∣ledge,

for such an one sheweth con∣tempt of God and of his reuealed will, which the ignorant man cannot be charged with all: hee groneth only vn∣der the burden of humane errour and frailty, but the other lieth vnder the burden of malice and presumption.

Therefore when our afflicted man, pressed distinctly with some particular sinnes, findeth that they were the sinnes of his ignorance, let him not thinke himselfe thereby free: for to be ignorant of that which is our duty, required of God, is of it selfe a great sinne: and if his ignorance be affected ignorance, as in them that refuse to be taught, and con∣temne the meanes of knowledge, when God doth offer them, such ignorance differeth little or nothing from malice. But let him pray vnto God in hope, and let him plead before God his ignorance, not as an excuse, much lesse as a iusti∣fication of his fault, but as a motiue, by which the Lord is often led in his free mercy to forgiue sinnes.

And for the incouraging of his heart, let him remember the examples of them, to whom, vpon their •…•…epentance

and conuersion to God, mercy to the forgiuenesse of their sinnes of ignorance hath beene granted. Peter in a sermon of his made vnto the multitude, that came together to see the lame man whom he and Iohn had healed, chargeth them with a grieuous sinne, saying. You denied the holy one and the iust, and desi∣red a muràerer to be giuen you, and killed the Lord of life, whom God raised from the dead, where of we are witnesses. This was a great sinne, to kill the sonne of God, and to make more reckoning of, and to shew more fauour vnto a knowen mur∣derer, then to the Lord of life that came to saue them. But this their fact he saith was of ignorance. And now brethren I know that through ignorance you did it, as did also your gouernors. For though the lews were very maliciously bent against Iesus, yet many of them knew him not to be the Lord of life, and to be the holy one of God: neither did they persecute him in that name. Therefore doth Saint Peter sa•…•…e vnto them in the same Ser∣mon. Amend your liues and turne, that your sinnes may be done away. Heere is mercy offered and assured vnto them,

that amend their liues and turne to God, namely this mercy, that all their enor∣mious sinnes, and euen among the rest, their sinne in refusing the Lord Christ, and putting him to a shamefull death, should be forgiuen, and the rather, be∣cause they did it ignorantly.

And memorable is the example of the blessed Apostle Paul. His sinne was per∣secutiō against the name of Iesus Christ: his proceeding in it was furious, with∣out all compassion, raging both against men and women that called vpon that name, and casting them into prison in all places, where he could finde them, and had power against them. In such sort, that hee became famous, or to speake more truely, infamous for his cruelty, so that Ananias in Damascus could say to the Lord Iesus of him. Lord I haue heard by many of this man, how much euil he hath done to thy Saints in Ierusalem: moreouer, here hee hath authority of the high Priests, to bind•…•… all that call vpon thy name. And yet this man had his sinnes forgiuen, and was receiued into fauour, and had all the degrees of holy honour done vnto him, that can be done vpon

earth, to any among the followers of the Lord Iesus. For first he was called to the knowledge and faith of the Lord Iesus, and was made a true beleeuer: Second∣ly, he had honour, not only to belieue in him, but also to suffer for his sake, and was made a true confessour and marter. Thirdly, he was also an excellent instru∣ment to draw other men to the know∣ledge and faith of Iesus, and was made a teacher and an Apostle. And all this was the more freely done to him, be∣cause when hee was a persecurour▪ hee finned of ignorance, and knew no other, but that it was lawfull and holy for him to doe so. Heare what himselfe saith of that matter, I thanke him that hath made mee strong, that is, Christ Iesus our Lord, for he counted me faithfull, and put me in his seruice, when before I was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, & an oppressor▪ but I was receiued to mercie, because I did it igno∣rantly through vnbeliefe. Ignorance and vabeleese are not things pleasing ro God, by their vertue and merit, ob∣taining forgiuenes of all the sins grow∣ing out of them: neither doth the Apo∣stle remember his ignorance and vnbe∣leefe

obtaining his pardon, as out of worthinesse of them: rather know them in themselues to be grieuous sins, deseruing hell as fully as any notorious sinne that issueth from them: but he that sinneth out of ignorance, more easily findeth fauour, then hee that sinneth a∣gainst knowledge. For the sinne of the ignorant man hath not in it like eui∣dence of rebellion against the reuealed will of God, as the sin of him that hath knowledge; As the words of the Lord Iesus shew, spoken to some of the Pha∣risies; If ye were blind, ye should not haue sinne: that is, if yee wanted knowledge, and were blind in your vnderstanding, your fault should not bee so great, so notorious, so blame-worthy, as now it is, by reason of your knowledge.

There is therefore (though no merit of fauour yet) much hope for him, that can say truely in his heart vnto GOD, Lord thou knowest, that blindly and ig∣norantly I ranne into this sinne, not knowing that it was against thy will, and so odious in thy sight. And this is for him, that is distinctly charged with particular sinnes, and findes that hee

committed them out of ignorance; a doore of hope, in which these exam∣ples may incourage him, to digge by prayer, wherein if hee doe truely, and with a right penitent heart humbly and earnestly trauell, he casteth the burthen of his sinnes vpon God; and shall finde case.

Notes

• In d•…•…inct and •…•…∣cular •…•…∣sations.
• Consider if in were done in the time of thy igno∣rance.
• Acts. 26. 9.
• Ignorance maketh thy sinne the sooner par∣donable.
• Luke 12. 47.
• Examples of then 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that some of igno∣rance.
• Acts. 3. 14.
• Acts 3. 17.
• Acts 3. •…•….
• Acts 9. 13.
• 1. Tim. 1. 1•…•…
• Iohn 9. 41.