occasion. If any new difficulty arise in their way, they are in the case of Nicodemus; saying, "How can these things be?" Though they have heard never so many arguments to confirm them, and have been long receiving them, and seen an evidence of truth in them, yet every new cavil or hard objection doth seem to enervate all this evidence.

If men were as foolish and incredulous in the matters of the world, their folly would easily appear to all men. When a man hath studied physic seven years, or twenty years, he shall meet with many new difficulties and doubtful cases, and many old difficulties will never be overcome; and yet he will not, therefore, throw away all, and forsake his study or profession. Will a student in law give over all his study, upon every occurring difficulty or seeming contradiction in the laws? If any students in the universities should follow this example, and doubt of all that they have learned upon every objection which they are unable to answer, they would be but ill proficients: or if every apprentice that is learning his trade, will forsake it every time that he is stalled and at a loss, he would be a long time before he set up shop; on this course, all men should lose all their time, lives, and labour, by doing all in vain, and undoing again, by going forward and backward, and so know nothing, nor resolve of any thing.

It is most certain that all men are very imperfect in knowledge, and especially in the highest mysteries; and there is none so high as those in theology about God, and man's soul, and our redemption, and our everlasting state; and, doubtless, where men are so defective in knowledge, there must still be difficulties in their way, and many knots which they cannot untie. Can you expect, till you are perfect in knowledge, to see the whole frame of truth so clearly as to be able to answer every objection that is made against it? Why do you not lay together the evidences on both sides, and consider which of the two is the clearer case? What if you cannot answer all that is brought by the devil and cavillers against the truth, can you answer all that Christ and his servants say for it? I dare say you cannot, unless you take every impertinent vanity or falsehood for an answer. God needs not you to be the defenders of his truth. He is able to vindicate it himself against all the enemies in the world: otherwise, if he had called you chiefly to this work, he would have furnished you for it; but he first calleth you to be scholars to learn that truth, that he may help you over all difficulties in his time and way.

We are next to show the causes of this unhappy distemper; why it is, or whence it comes to pass, that men are so prone to doubt of God's truth, upon every difficulty or mystery that is in their way, and to question all when they are stalled in any thing; and to deny the very things that are certain, when they are puzzled, and at a loss, but about the manner, cause, reason, or ends of them: and among others, the causes of this great sin are these following:

1. Man is naturally desirous of knowledge, and to see things in their own evidence; and, therefore, he is often an unmannerly, impatient suitor, to be presently admitted into the presence of the chamber of truth, and to see her naked without delay. Nature will hardly be satisfied with believing, which is a receiving of truth upon trust from another; no; though he give us the most convincing arguments of his veracity: no; though it be God himself: nothing will statisfy nature but seeing. If the wisest man in the world tell them, that they see it, or know it; if the workers of miracles, Christ and his apostles, tell them, that they see it; if God himself tells them that he sees it; yet all this doth not satisfy them, unless they may see it themselves. They think this is but to be kept at a distance without door, and what may be within they cannot tell every man hath an understanding of his own, and therefore would have a sight of the evidence himself, and so have a nearer knowledge of the thing, and not only a knowledge of the truth of the thing by the testimony of another, how infallible soever; and therefore we are all prone, when difficulties seem great, to say, with Thomas, "Except I see, I will not believe:" (John xx. 25) but, "blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (Ver. 29.) How far this desire of knowledge is in nature as from God, and how far it is in nature as corrupted, I will not stand to debate; but, that it is in us, we feel, and this is a preparative reason of our doubting and dissatisfaction, if not a proper cause.

2. This nature of man is yet so much more desirous to know, that though it do see things in their own proper evidence, yet is it not satisfied, unless it also see the whole, and comprehend all things, with all their reasons, causes, and modes. Man affecteth a certain infiniteness in knowledge; he would know all that is to be known, and so would be as God in knowing: and if he be ignorant of any part, he remaineth unsatisfied, and so is ready to quarrel with all; and like froward children that

throw away their meat or clothes, or what else they have

because they cannot have what more they would have. Every little child will be asking you, not only, 'What is this?' or, 'What is that?' but also, 'Why is this so or so?' and, ‘To what use is it?' And so do men in the matters of God, and if you satisfy them not in all, they will scarcely be satisfied in any thing. 3. Besides this, there is indeed a great dependence of one truth upon another; and they are (in morality) as a well framed building, or as a clock, or watch, or the like engine, where no one part can be missing without great wrong to the whole. Now, when these men cannot see all, they do indeed want those helps that are necessary to the perfect seeing of any part; and then they have not the skill of making use of an imperfect knowledge, but are ready to take it for none, till they conceit it full and perfect; and thus are still detained in unbelief, and quarrelling with that which they did, or might know, because of that which they did not, or could not know.

4. Moreover, it is most certain that when God calls us at first to the knowledge of his truth, he findeth us in darkness; and though he bring us thence into a marvellous light, (Acts xxvi. 18; 1 Pet. ii. 9,) yet he doth this by degrees, and not into the fullest light or measure of knowledge at the first; so that we are at the beginning but babes in knowledge. It cannot be expected, that a man that was born blind, with an indisposition of understanding to spiritual things, and that hath lived in blindness long, should presently know all things as soon as he is converted. They do not so come to knowledge in earthly things, which they are more disposed to know, and which are nearer to them, much less in heavenly things. The dispositive blindness of the best convert, is cured but in part, much less his actual blindness. For (as I have said before) if a man have his eyes never so perfectly opened, who before was blind, yet he will not see any more than is near him, within sight: if he will see other countries, places, or persons, he must be at the pains and patience of travelling to them. And so in this case, when God hath opened the eyes of the blind, they must yet expect to know, but by degrees. O what abundance of things are young converts ignorant of, that are fit to be known! They are but entered into Christ's school to learn, and can they think to know all the first day or year? But, alas! many that are nominally entered, bring not with them the true disposition, of disciples, and therefore quarrel with their master and his teach

ing, instead of diligent seeking after knowledge. Men have not the patience to stay at school, and wait on Christ's teaching till they have got so much knowledge as might dispel their doubts. They must be taught all at once, though they are incapable of it, and must know all presently, or in a little time, and with little pains; or else they will not believe that Christ can teach them. And so they run away from him, like foolish, impatient scholars, because he did not bring them to more knowledge, and will not stay the time that their own ignorance doth naturally require for so great a work.

5. And there is also much diligence necessary, as well as time and patience, before men can come to so much understanding in the heavenly mysteries, as to be able to resolve the difficulties that occur. If you stay never so long in Christ's school, and yet be truants and loiterers, and will not take pains, no wonder if you remain ignorant. And yet these men will expect that they should know all things, and be satisfied in the answer of every objection, or else they will suspect the truth of Christ. Will sitting still in Christ's school, help you to learning? Do you look that he should teach you, when you will not take pains to learn what he teacheth? You know in law, in physic, in the knowledge of any of the sciences or languages, no man can come to understand them, much less to defend them against all opposers, and to resolve all objections, without so long diligence and pains-taking in his studies as the greatness of the work requires and shall every young, lazy student in theology, or every dull, unlearned professor, think to see through all Scripture difficulties so easily, or else will he suspect the truth which he should learn? It may be you have been professors of Christianity long, but have you studied the Scriptures day and night, and consulted with men of judgment in such things, and diligently read the writings that should unfold them to you, and held on in this way till you come to a ripeness of understanding and ability to defend the truth against gainsayers? If not, what wonder if every difficulty do puzzle you, after all your unprofitable duties and profession.

6. Moreover, there is a great deal of other knowledge necessary to the thorough knowing of the sense of Scriptures. Though the unlearned may know so much as is of absolute necessity to salvation, (and will save, if it be heartily believed and improved,) yet there is much learning necessary to the fuller understanding of them, and to the resolving of all doubts and

difficulties that may occur: and this is not because Christ hath delighted to speak obscurely, but because our distance and imperfection, and the nature of the thing, doth make such learning to be necessary. For if Christ speak in the Syriac tongue, and if the Scriptures be written in Hebrew and Greek, (which were then fittest to divulge it,) how can it be expected that Englishmen, Frenchmen, Germans, or any that understand not those languages, should understand them so fully as those that do? For no bare translation, though never so exact, can give us the full sense of the original words. Besides this, all countries have their peculiar, proverbial speeches, which are familiar with them, but would seem nonsense, or of a contrary sense to others, that were unacquainted with them: and Scripture must and doth contain such proverbs as were usual with those to whom it was written, or the matter spoken. They had also many peculiar customs of their countries, which are supposed in Scriptures, which if we understand not, the plain text will seem dark to us. The like we may say of matters of geography, about the situation of places; and of chronology, for the due computation of times; and of other history, to know the state of church and commonwealth, and many other parts of learning which the very nature of the matter proclaimeth to be necessary for the resolving of Scripture difficulties. Now, when unlearned men, or young, raw scholars, that want all or most of these necessaries, will yet expect that they must understand all, and see through all difficulties, and be able to answer every cavil, what wonder if they be frequently stalled, and tempted to unbelief, and say, "How can these things be?"

If you say that then it seems none but learned men must be able to resolve these doubts, and defend the Scriptures against opposers; and we must take all upon their words.

I answer, you must explicitly know all that is of flat necessity to salvation, and learn as much of the rest as you can: but if it be undeniable, that you do not know more, that is enough for the resolving of the aforesaid doubts; why should you be offended that we tell you so? Either you do indeed see through all difficulties, or you do not: if you do, then you are established; you are none of those that I speak of; you will not suspect the truth, nor say, "How can these things be?" but you are able to confute all that would seduce you. But if you do not see through these difficulties, should you not humbly confess it, and not quarrel with those that tell you so? And