defilement that may befall a mans Conscience First there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Conscience is the seat of practical principles as there is a judgment in Conscience that it can make of what is true and what is false what is good and what is evil Secondly There is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I knowing and a judging of mans person and his wayes by these principles and the acts of Conscience that follow thereupon and the corruptions of either of these will pollute the Conscience First There is a Synteresis which are the principles by which men are acted in their ways which are the rules by which a man walks and by which he doth judge of himself and of all his ways and by which he doth direct and steer his whole course if these be true the Conscience is so far kept pure that though a man may sin against his knowledge and be carryed away by the violence of temptation yet it is contrary unto the rule and the principle that is within him there is something in him that is contrary to it and condemns it and takes part with God and with duty and the more a mans judgment and Conscience is leavened with corrupt principles the more is his Conscience defiled a man must hold the mystery of faith in a pure Conscience 1 Tim. 3.9 1 Tim. 1.19 holding Faith and a good Conscience which some having put away concerning the Faith have made shipwrack for the mystery of faith must be kept in a pure Conscience for if your judgments be leavened with corrupt principles 1 Tim. 3.9 you will soon make shipwrack of the faith which signifies a dangerous and an irrecoverable loss of it And here I will speak to these three things First That there is a great deal of danger that mens Consciences may be defiled in their principles and they corrupted in judgment Secondly The greatness of this danger what an evil it is for a man to have his judgment defiled and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of that Conscience corrupted Thirdly The means and rules how a man may be preserved from a polluted Conscience in this how a mans judgment may be kept undefiled and you had need to take heed for there is a great deal of danger that your judgment may be corrupted First Because there is a great deal of darkness in all Gospel-administrations in comparison of what we do expect the Lord shall give unto his people in the latter dayes when Ezekiel's Temple shall be built the Lord will shew his people all the forms and the patterns of his house and the goings in and the comings out thereof and in the sounding of the seventh Trumpet which refers unto the same time Rev. 11. last for then the mistery of God shall be finished the Temple shall be opened and we shall see into the Ark of the Testimony it had a vail before it that it might not be seen but the most hidden and secret things shall then be made manifest and clearly discovered and by the Ark some understand it of Christ of whom the Ark was a type there should be a further and a more glorious manifestation of him in all Church ordinances and administrations than ever there had been in times past But mean while there is a Sea of Glass but it is mixed with fire there is a great deal of affliction and bitter contention and the Temple is fill'd with smoak a great darkness upon all ordinances in so much that during all the time of the pouring out of the Vials no man that is no considerable and great company of men should be brought into the Church here and there a few converted but none in comparison of the fulness of Jews and Gentiles that shall be converted to God afterwards when the smoak of the Temple shall be dispel'd and done away and if there be so much darkness it is no wonder if men be in danger to be deceived and to be led away from the truth it is no wonder if men in the dark may eire and miss their way and therefore I would not have men as not too censorious of others so not too confifident of their own way in any thing that they have not a clear warrant for in the Word for surely this is the time of the Vials and it is spoken of the reformed Churches they that while the Vials were powering upon Antichrist did stand with the Lamb upon mount Sion that had gotten victory over the Beast and his Image and did sing the Song of Moses and of the Lamb c. and yet amongst them the Temple was full of smoak and therefore there is danger that you may be deceived and deluded c. Secondly There be a great many false teachers gone abroad in the World 1 John 4.1 Beloved believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God because many false Prophets are gone out c. It hath been the way that Satan has taken in all resormations as soon as ever the Gospel began to dawn in the World in the Apostles times there arose men of themselves that did speak perverse things Act. 20.30 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is such things as turn all upside down that subvert and overthrow all the principles and foundations of the doctrine of Christ that have been laid by himself and his Apostles Rev. 12. And when their was a reformation in the time of Constantine then another floud of heresy was cast out after the woman So in the reformation in Luthers time if the Lord do but sow good seed the enemy will come and sow tares and we see how much confidence Satan puts in this way of prevailing for it is his last remedy that he shall use to uphold the kingdom of Antichrist as we see Rev. 16.13 The Vial being powred out upon the seat of the Beast and Rome falling as a Millstone into the Sea without hope of recovery and now there is a new Church ariseing coming out of the Wilderness leaning upon her Beloved and Euphrates dryed up to make way for the Kings of the East Now he doth send out of the mouth of the â—east and the Dragon and salfe Prophet three unclean spirits like Frogs and they are the spirits of Devils working miracles and going forth into the Kings of the earth c. They are said to be spirits for their activity and impetiousness so some but I rather think they are called spirits that is false teachers because they pretend to speak by the spirit as 1 John 4.1 Believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they be of God and they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is not the ordinary word that is used for the Devil but a word doth express knowledg and learning c. They shall send forth there most learned men of the greatest parts and the best wits and they that shall teach spirits as Frogs they that shall teach unclean and corrupt
rowl away the stone from the grave but it was done in a legal and judiciary way and therefore he is said to be justified He is near that justifies me 1 Tim. 3.16 Isa 50.8 And by this he doth convince the World of righteousness because the Lord delivered him from death Because he doth go to the Father Sixthly For a Soul by an Almighty power of God to rest upon this satisfaction of his and to plead it before God for himself at his judgment seat First To look upon Christ as dying not for himself but as a surety for in justification and the purging of Conscience from the guilt of sin the eye of Faith is mainly set upon Christ crucified Christ as dying and that as a surety to make satisfaction 1 Cor. 2.2 Heb 9.22 I desire to know nothing but Christ and Christ crucyfied for without sheding of blood there is no remission For though it is true that the personal excellencies that be in Christ are the objects of Faith yet that Faith as it comes to Christ in the act of justyfication and being quit of the guilt of sin it mainly looks upon Christ dying Christ satisfying Secondly To look upon Christ as a representative head as one in whom I died as a surety so as one in whome I rose he was justyfied and I in him because as he dyed for me so for me he was justified also and Christ was formerly condemned therefore there must an act of aquiting pass upon Christ and therefore Heb. 9.28 That it was so apeared plainly for he did bear the sins of many in respect of the guilt of them and he shall apear the second time without sin that is have the guilt of no sin charged upon him in oposition unto his former bearing our iniquities he shall be aquitted before men and angels and therefore he rose as the first fruits as a person representing all the rest of the elect and he was justified in the spirit that is raised up by the power of the divine nature thereby he was manifested to be justified and as he is sanctified as a common person and receives an Image for us that we must bear the Image of the heavenly there is life eternal laid up in him so he is justified as a common person from the guilt of sin that not any iniquity remains unsatisfied for in his behalf that is the ransom in his death is fully paid and as we were condemned in Adam a common person so it is reason we should be justified by Christ as in a common person also now when a soul by an almighty work of the spirit of God looks upon all these acts of Christ and the soul rests upon them in respect of the guilt of sin he doth put his sins upon the head of his surety and looks upon himself as acquitted in his justification and casts himself upon it that he may attain it thus the blood of Christ is said by a mighty work of the spirit on Christs part and faith on ours to be sprinkled upon our Consciences to purge them from the guilt of dead works Quest But how shall I know whether there be such an almighty power put forth in me that I may stay my soul upon Christs blood thus satisfying that I might be able thereby to see my Conscience purged and pacified and the terrour of sin taken away Answ A man shall know this almighty work of the spirit sprinkling this blood of Christ upon the Conscience by enabling a man unto that which all the power and improvement of a natural Conscience cannot perform and it will be seen in three things First When a mans Conscience awakened and convinced of sin doth yet make after reconciliation with God and union with Christ for a natural Conscience can find it easie to believe while he goes on still in his sins and Conscience is a sleep and indeed the faith of most men is but a good conceit of themselves from the self flatery of their own hearts but as soon as Conscience is awakened by and by they fly from God and look upon him as an enemy Luke 3.5 there are Mountains to be made a plain and there are Valleys to be fill'd now when a soul considers himself under the condemnation of sin the curse of the Law and looks upon God as an angry judge and yet saith I have heard that the Lord of Israel is a mercifull God and if mercy save me I shall be saved and if mercy destroy me I shall but dye I will fly to him whom I have offended and lye down at his footstool there is nothing in the world that I desire like unto reconciliation with him and I would be reconciled to him in his own way the way of union with Christ I would he found in him not having my own righteousness I would submit to the way of the Gospel Oh blessed is the Man unto whom the Lord imputes this righteousness and he is made the righteousness of God in Christ when a soul thus convinced of sin saith God be mercifull to me a sinner I will now go to him and leave my self with him let him do as it seemeth good to him as David said if the Lord delight in me he will save me c. truly all the power of nature improved can never make men leave themselves with God in this manner Secondly When a mans sins are discovered and the Lord leads a man into the wardrope of Christs righteousness and enables him to see how there is enough therein to cover them all and as God saw enough of Christs righteousness to satisfie him in point of justice so the Lord doth by a glorious light shew unto the soul enough of Christs righteousness to satisfy also in point of guilt that the soul can in some measure in Christ answer all the objections that Conscience can make by some spiritual reasonings drawn from the Lord Jesus Christ as when Conscience objects sin is a transgression of the Law but the soul answers the sufferings of Christ are the humiliation of the Law-giver sin is a dishonour to God in point of goods but Christ that made all things with him and had the same title unto all that God the Father had he laid down all and became poor and took a new title unto all he had more then a world to lay down sin did wrong God in point of honour but he that was the brightness of his glory did abase himself and made himself of no reputation and did bring thereby more honour to God he being subject to him then the subjection of all the creatures could have done it was a higher honour to the Soveraignty of God to have his son a servant then could have been to have had the service of all the creatures and he can do him more service and bring him in more glory in an hour then all the creatures could have done if man had stood to eternity sin did offend
God but Christs righteousness did please him in him his soul delights and is well pleased sin blotted out Gods Image in man Christ restored it again we were full of all unrighteousness and he fulfilled all righteousness my sins are all hainous but greater were charged upon Christ he was a sufferer as a Traytor a blasphemer a Drunkard a Seducer a Conjurer a Devil he was made sin for us he made his grave with the wicked and thy heart was very wicked and full of enmity when thou didst commit sin but Christs heart was holy and full of love to God when he satisfied for it thou didst delight in sin and so did Christ delight to suffer he was payned till his sufferings were ended thou didst sin openly at such a time and such a place c. The Lord suffered without the gate openly in the view of all and as thy sin is the greatest sin so is his most shamefull suffering in the most solemn time as it were before all the world and in a most infamous place as the greatest malefactor as it were at Tyburne and for the company he suffered in it was between two Theeves c. when a soul is able to silence the guilt and clamour of his Conscience by answering all that Conscience can object by finding out something in the righteousness and satisfaction of Christ to answer it and faith is not nonplussed truly this is a work of an almighty power for while men go on in the pleasures of sin so long sin is nothing sin sits with no weight upon them but when their Conscience is awakened to it by and by their spirits are overwhelmed with it as Judas was now for a man to see sin in its utmost dimensions and not to spare and be streightned in his humiliation and yet when Conscience has said its worst yet for him to be able to look into Christ and see something in him that shall answer all its accusations with as great strength of spiritual reason as the other can be objected and for a mans soul to be stay'd by such thoughts when he is even going down to the pit this is an almighty power Thirdly When a man is convinced of sin and sees himself to be an undone man knows not whether God will be mercifull unto him or no he walks in darkness in point of justification and yet his heart is kept in a constant awe of sinning against God he would do nothing that should displease him for a world his darling lust doth yield and strike sail to the contrary grace Sam. 50.10.11 he fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant he would do nothing that should displease him for a world and yet he knows not whether he shall find mercy with him or no but his soul takes up an unchangeable resolution against sin and sayes I will walk no more in a way of sinning saved or damned I will be willing to obey him and count it my happiness to do him service and I will be willing to wait upon him let him do with me as it seems good in his sight if casting a mans self upon Christ make a man fear to sin against him there is an almighty power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that all the power of a natural Conscience will never make the man to yield up his darling-lust as there is a Conscience moleste mala full of perplexity in respect of guilt and the purging of the Conscience therein lies in its pacification when a man looking upon sin in its greatness and exceeding sinfulness and yet can see 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the satisfaction of Christ unto which as a City of refuge he flyes being pursued Heb. 6.18 and upon that he casts himself and pleads it before the judgment seat of God that the debt is paid and the surety acquited and this he doth either by an act of recombancy and reliance or else by an act of assurance as the Lord is pleased to clear his interest and so the man is for ever perfected according to his Conscience that is Heb. 9.6 though sin doth cleave to him and the guilt of sin may by Satan be presented to him yet conscience flying unto Christ for a refuge and finding in him a perfect satisfaction the man casts all upon his surety and his Conscience is calm and serene as a man himself indebted must needs be when he knows that his surety hath paid his debt and though there be a dayly application of this unto the soul yet there is but one oblation and the man upon this ground hath no more Conscience of sin in respect of the guilt of it for ever and this pacification of the Conscience is the perfection of the man c. But there is a Conscience also that is vitiose mala full of the defilement and pollution of sin 1 Tit. 1.15 All evil is put under too heads malum triste afflicting evil or malum turpe defiling evil and sin has in it both these as it binds a man over unto all afflicting evil so there is a guilt and as it doth fill a man with all polluting evil so there is a defilement a macula a stain and filthiness of sin and it hath all the filthiness in the World in it it is leprosy pollution in blood a sepulcher and the rottenness thereof it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very excrement of wickedness Jam. 1.21 that if there could be any thing more filthiness then naughtiness it self it is sin it has defaced the image of God and the native beauty of the soul and it hath brought upon a man positive filthiness even the image of the Devil and the dreadful marks of hellish deformity that cannot be washed away with Niter and much Sope Jer. 17.1 Though this be an universal pollution that overspreads the whole man defiles body and soul and spirit yet the main defilement of sin lyes in the Conscience and where every sin doth add to the pollution as every act intends the habit above all the faculties the defilement of the Conscience is increased thereby Now the great pollution of the soul lyes in a spirit of slumber Conscience letting a man commit evil and not to tell him it is evil and in his sencelesness under sin Isa 29.10 Ephes 4.19 Being bribed by Lust and passions and pleasures to give consent to a sin and to plead for it for Conscience to pass sentence for a sin and that in the name of God 1 Joh. 16.2 and say that it is a duty and stirs up a man to it which it may be is one of the greatest sins of his Life Conscience pleads for sin and excuses a man falsly speaking peace to a man in a corrupt and cursed state saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart to add drunkenness to thirst c. In a reprobate sense to be in such a mind that Conscience approves things that
doth purchase the persons of the elect Acts 20.28 therefore they are called a purchased people 1 Pet. 2.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 1.14 they are the seed that do arise from the travel of his soul for he dyed as a grain that he might not abide alone John 12.32 when the Son of man is lifted up he will draw all men unto him and the selecting of the Saints out of this world is a fruit of his death and a part of the purchase thereof Gal. 1.4 Secondly All the graces and all the gifts of the Holy Ghost are part of his purchase though in him they were free he did not merit his unction no more then his union the humane nature could not merit it yet as they are bestowed upon us so they are the fruit of his merit for they could never have conveyed this unto us if he had not satisfied God and laid down a price answerable unto all and therefore Ephes 4.9 10. he that ascended is the same that descended into the lower parts of the Earth and he ascended that he might fill all things all the fruit of his ascention comes from his humiliation had he never descended he had never ascended therefore all the fulness of the graces and the gifts that the elect have it is grounded upon this the fruit of all his offices is grounded upon his Priest-hood he does as a Prophet teach but that he had never done if he had not satisfied he doth as a King dispence gifts but these gifts he gives to his people by his priesthood as an honour that the Lord has given him because of his abasement and his humiliation and thus our sanctification and the purging of the Conscience flows from the death of Christ which is the meritorious cause thereof Thirdly The active obedience of Christ is the pattern and the causa exemplaris of all that holiness and purification that is required of us our holiness consisting in a conformity into Christ he having received the Image of God in himself and by beholding of his Image we are changed into the same 2 Cor 7. last verse Christs life is a living Scripture a visible commentary upon the Law of God whose actions we must follow be you followers of me as I am of Christ looking to Jesus and seting him before us 1 Pet. 2.21 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Copy for us to write after and whose virtues we must shew forth our happiness being to be like him in glory 1 John 3.3 we must resemble him here as a child doth his father for as we have born the Image of the earthly so we must bear the Image of the heavenly as we have born the one here in sin and guilt so we must bear the other here in grace and hereafter in glory Fourthly Christs blood doth cleanse us by the precepts and the promises of the Gospel he doth sanctifie us by his truth John 17. First by the precepts of it for he saith be you holy as I am holy and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart as obedient children fashion not your selves according to the lusts of your former ignorance put off the old man and put ye on the new man be not conformable to the World but be transformed by the renewing of your mind and all these precepts have a purging vertue because through the blood of Christ all the commands of the Gospel carry grace with them and a spirit that inables men to fullfil the command jubet juvat Indeed you may well question can a thing that is intrinsically unclean purge it self can a Black-moor change his skin c. It is true he cannot but there is a creating word verbum factivum such as Christ said unto the Leper I will be thou clean and by his commanding it the soul is cleansed as when God by a way of command did cause the creatures to to stand up act of nothing for the commands of the Gospel they are as seed by which a man is begotten and they are as a mold into which a man is transformed Rom. 6.17 A man is cast into it as into a frame that doth change him and fides impetrat qu od lex * Aust imperat Secondly In the promises of the Gospel and they are all grounded in the blood of Christ for all the promises are in him yea and in him Amen he is the center and they are all as so many lines drawn from him he is the great promise that gives being unto all the rest of the promises and efficacy it 's the death of the Testatour that doth confirme the Testament it were else a blank and therefore the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is called the New Testament in his blood Matth. 26.28 That is the whole New Testament and the promises thereof are offered and sealed unto you in his blood and if it were not a Testament in his blood it were invalid and of none effect and the promises of the Gospel do purge the Conscience First As they are objects of Faith Christ having promised in them a purification Isa 4.4 Zac. 13.1 There is a fountain open for sin and for uncleanness Isa 52.15 it is aspersiâ— doctrinae justitiae Mal. 3.1 He shall sit as a refiner and shall sanctify the sons of Levi with refiners fire c. Exek 36.25.37 I will sprinkle clean water upon them c. They shall not defile themselves any more with their Idols and with their detestable things Now the soul looking upon the faithfullness of God and his goodness ingaged in these sayeth having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit and these promises Faith turns into prayer and obtains the mercy promised because all these promises are confirmed by the bloud of Christ Secondly The promises do purge the Conscience as they are grounds of hope for they are onely promises that are the grounds of hope to the saints Psal 119.49 establish thy word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope and a hope that is grounded upon a promise is a hope that will never make a man ashamed and hope is a great ground of purging Tit. 2.12.13 Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ c. who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify to himself a peculiar people c. The grace of God bringing salvation teacheth us that denying ungodliness and worldly Lusts c. Looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of God as many as have this hope do purify themselves even as he is pure c. Truly in all things the more lively a mans hopes are the more springing his endeavours are And he doth take care to cast away that which will cloud his hope or defer it Phâ—l 3.12 I have a hope of the
think to accomplish their ends by cutting down and destroying the Scriptures truly God will not bear it but that Word shall be armed against them that they have despised and shall certainly overtake them Zac. 1.6 It may lye upon the ground for a while in the esteem of men but God will cause it again to arise and all the strength of flesh shall fall before it for it is this word that plants kingdomes and plucks them up and God will certainly call this nation to an account for his Word that has been abused by it and turned behind our backs c. Thirdly How should a man keep his judgment pure that his principles be not corrupted First Get a humble and a self denying heart There are two great causes of a mans turning unto errour in the Scripture one is pride and a design to be some body in matter of knowledg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Si. Magus and therefore Col. 2. They be men puffed up by their fleshly Lusts superbia est mater haereseus una est intentio omnibus haereticis captare de singularitate scientiae Bern. And the other is thereby to compass some worldly end some worldly Lust Rom. 16.19 They serve not God but their own Bellies now that man that seeks the truth of God for the truths sake and neither to gain honour by it before men nor to compass any other worldly end he will not easily be biassed and led away by the errours of the times and if he should be mistaken in any thing we may hope that the truth will be revealed to him in time though we may see him turn aside for the present Secondly Get thy heart filled with the love of the truth and thou wilt not be easily carried from it for the word being received in a good and honest heart Luk. 8.15 it doth abide there and holds out and brings forth fruit with patience Alexander was a companion with the Apostle in his tribulation and sufferings and suffered great persecution for the truth of God and yet proved a Heretick a bitter enemy unto the Gospel a blasphemer and what was the reason Because he had not an honest heart nor an inward love unto the Word that he did teach and profess he put away a good Conscience 1 Tim. 1.20 and he did cherish himself in some known sin and therefore he did make shipwrack of the Faith 2 Thes they were given up to believe that lye because they received not the truth in the love of it if we make truth but matter of talk we shall never be able to stand fast in it or profess it if perfecution arise for the word sake or if false Doctrine be spread we shall be taken with it for it is not Learning but Love that makes a man constant unto the Truth the greatest Schollars have fallen from it and have denyed the truth and the weakest have stood to it and professed it in the time when it was persecuted and it is because the one did know much but the other did love much they had claimed it as their inheritance and therefore no wonder they stood for it but other men concern themselves for it but as Lawyers do other mens evidences and therefore they care not greatly which way the Cause goes when it comes to a hearing and debate for they have their Fee before hand for their labour so it is easie to loose that out of a mans head that he never had in his heart nor never cared to have c. Thirdly Get your hearts well grounded in the principles of Religiligion the doctrine that is according to godliness and stick to that there is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 12. ◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 6.17 a patern of wholesome words 2 Tim. 1.13 and let the foundation be throughly laid lay some truths for granted do not question all things for if so it 's no wonder if a man deny all things or if he ever believe and receive any thing Acts 20.30 there shall arise of your own selves men speaking perverse things to draw away Desciples after them c. But I commend you to God and the word of his grace 2 Pet. 2.1 2. they shall bring in damnable heresies and many shall follow their pernicious wayes but be mindfull of the words of the Prophets and Apostles give heed to them as to a light shining in a dark place and keep close to the Ministry thereof Ephes 4.11 he hath given some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangilists and some Pastures and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ c. that henceforth we should not be as children Cant. 1.7 if we would not turn aside to the flocks of the companions go forth and feed thy Kids beside the shepherds tents c. which I fear is no small ground of the design of Satan in decrying the Scriptures and Ministry at this day Fourthly Take heed of affecting curiosities in Religion and to dote upon questions that minister strife and not edifying for by these many men are seduced and subverted indeed there is no truth of God but is precious and things revealed belong to us and our children and whatever things are written are written for our learning and we should desire to be filled with all the knowledge of his Will Col. 1.9 but yet there is a desire of knowledge that is dangerous even in the things of God First when neglecting the great things and they that are necessary all our enquiries run out into niceties and lesser things 1 Pet. 2.1 2. as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby and John 16.12 I have many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now they will do you harm they will do you more harm then good because you are not capable to receive them Rom 14.1 we read that a man weak in the faith is not to be admited into doubtfull disputations and therefore he should not thrust himself into doubtfull disputations Secondly when men desire knowledge in the general that is only for knowledge sake and not that he may be perfect throughly furnished to every good work c. it is the doctrine that is according to godliness that we should desire and if the end of any thing in Religion be in knowledge only and it rests there thou wilt easily be corrupted for knowledge is the bait with which thou wilt be taken Col. ◠if it be but a show of wisdom only which does not lead to practise it will come to nothing for the end of the truths of God being revealed to us is not for our talking but doing not for the showing forth of mens parts but their graces and vertues Fifthly Receive nothing of Religion upon credit and the authority of man be he never so learned and never so