children for ever Have not you been guiâ—ty of not conâ—enting your selves with Gods Revelations Have not you desired and endeavoured to be wise above what is written 1 Cor. 4.6 O the many curious and unprofitable questions that have been framed about the Decrees of God and the Works of Providence We have not cryed with the Apostle How unsearchable are his judgements Rom. 11.33 Gen. 3.5 6. and his wayes past finding out Have not some of you been for new lights The Serpent beguiled Eve hereby the first sin came in by an attempt to get forbidden knowledge And what saith the Apostle I fear lest by any means as the Serpent beguiled Eve 2 Cor. 11.3 through his subtilty so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ Have not some had the same wild fancy Gilespy's Miscellan Questions p. 131. that the Weigelians had That there is a time to come which they call Seculum Spiritus Sancii in which God shall by his Spirit reveal much more knowledge and light than was revealed by Christ and his Apostles in the Scriptures Are not most of us still too inquisitive When Christ will come in his glory when Babylon shall fall when the Witnesses prophesying in sackcloth and aâ—hes shall be at an end Civil on Job 28.21 Christs own Disciples were not content with what Christ cold them should be but enquire When it should be Christ doth indeed give them many signs of the destruction of Jerusalem and of the end of the World but tells them Mat. 24.2 3.36 Mar. 13.32 Of that day and hour knows no man no not the Angells of Heaven no nor the Son of Man as Man but my Father only This Curiosity was also reproved by Christ immediately before his Ascension with Acts 1.7 It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father hath put into his own power And the Apostle Paul tells the Thessalonians That such knowledge was needless for them But of the times and seasons 1 Thes â— 1 Brethren you have no need that I write unto you Even good men have sometimes a stronger desire to know the times than to redeem the time Hath not the knowledge of many lain in canvasing foolish and unlearned questions which the Apostle bids Timothy to avoid 2 Tim. 2.23 because they â—end to strife O! take heed of this sin for the future It is a great Vanity Cavil on Job 11.12 Man is vain saith one when he would be wise beyond his line or in things above him not in things about him or sit for him Those that pry into the secrets of Princes may fear what Actaem met with and those that pry into the secrets of divine mysteries what Pentheus met with Bacon Sapientia vâ—terum Sect 10. Rom. 12.3 Psa 25.14 Cavil on Job 28.21 Col. 3.18 It is a sin that we are naturally prone too Man naturally desires as the same Author well observes forbidden wisdome and his desire is seven times stronger after it as it is forbidden than as it is wisdome This is a sin very provoking unto God To pry into dreana imperij the mysteries of their government is so unto Princes No wonder that God hath been a emswning fire to us seeing we have been so bold and daring Phaetons Vain Curiosity is a presumptuous transgression take heed of continuing guilty thereof any longer for the future be wise unto sobriety Though the secret of the Lord be with those that fear him yet they that fear him will not dare not meddle with nor search into his secrets Take heed of breaking open of God Cabinet entring into his Counsels prying into his Ark once more beware of suffering your imagination to wax wanton and run riot yea mad about crotchets and meer niceties any more take heed of intruding as the Apostle speaks significantly to this point into things which you have not seen yea which cannot be seen being vainly puft up by your fleshly mind There is saith the same judicious Expositor flesh in the understanding as well as in the will and affections of man and in the flesh there is pride and it is pride that makes men so busie and bold so boldly busie as un-ask'd yea forbidden to intrude into such things Psa 131.1 O! say now with David Lord mine Feart is not haughty nor mine eyes lofty neither will I exercise my self in great matters or in things too high for me Such are things not revealed they are not only high things but above the lawfulness of mans search Rom. 12.16 Rom. 11.33 they are tearmed not incomprehensible but rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things not to be enquired into Who is able to open the Book Rev. 5.3 Who but the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah The best of Gods Saints are so unfit to expound the contents of the Book wherein the mysteries of Providence lye coucht Genus quasi sacrilegâ—â—emeritatis est ut plus scire cupias quam smatis Salts and insolded that they may not so much as untye the clasps A bold enquiry here is not more irreverent than full of danger When men walk on sleep places they are subject to fall so here by medling with high things an errour yea heresie is quickly incurred 2. Ignorance I do not say take heed of Nescience Against Ignorance of not knowing those things which you are not bound to know or have not means to know in the former Section I have cautioned you against such science But beware of Ignorance of not knowing what you ought to know and what you have means to know Hath not this been your sin Hath not Jesus Christ come in flaming fire against this sin O that it may be your sin no more What! Is it yet nothing to you that your Souls should remain as Lanthorns without Candles in them Is it yet nothing to you to want eye-sight to have blind Souls Eph. 4.13 2 Cor. 4.3 4. Gaâ—dwins Evangelical Communicant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 q. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Inarus peritas Leigh crit sacr to have the Gospel still hid from you as so many lost Souls blinded by the god of this world Have you no mind as yet to be freed from Satans slavery Satan doth indeed sometimes transform himself into an Angel of light but he alwayes loves to dwell in a dark house in an ignorant Soul Though his Name be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he hath much knowledge himself yet he hates and hinders knowledge in man He knows he hath none more fast than those that ye in the dark Dungeon of Ignorance bound in the chains of darkness Is it nothing to you to continue still stark nargiâ— without any goodness in your hearts As the mind is so is the man Without knowledge the heart is not good Prov. 19.2 For any to say Though I am ignorant yet mine heart is good is as if one should say
upon others now dequaint your selves with him now or never now or else he will not be at peace with you and good will not come unto you Let it not alwayes be said They know not Psa â—2 3 neither will they understand they walk on in darkness O! unto reading and hearing add praying that you may not only be Book-taught but God-taught You need not ascend up into Heaven to bring Christ down from above nor to descend into the deep Rom. 10.6 to bring up Christ from the dead that you may be acquainted with him John 17.3 the Word is nigh you which being read heard and prayed over will give you that knowledge of God and Christ which is life eternal 5. Against resting in a Form of Knowledge Rom. 2.20 Mapâ—â—â—â— Eâ—â—er Hâ—sye â—â—cidas Jam. 3 17. Reâ—ing in a Form of Knowledge The word signifieth the shew the appearance the Image of Knowledge Hath not this been your sin Have not you affected the reputation of knowledg more than the reality of knowledg Hath not the Name been better esteem'd by you than the Thing Have not you satisfied your selves with a dark and confused knowledge Hath not your light been darkness The wisdome from above is pure and therefore clear and distinct Have not you satisfied your selves with a supless knowledge 2 〈…〉 without the favour that is in saving knowledge Knowledge in Scripture doth connote affection It is teaâ—meâ— by the 〈◊〉 men â—apâ—â—◠〈◊〉 or 〈…〉 and that which carrieth not the heart and affections with it deserveth not the name of Knowledge and therefore those that did not like and love God are said not to know God Have not you satisfied your selves without an experimental knowledge of God of the exercise of his Power Wisdome Goodness Mercy c. for your eternal welfare in working effectually upon your hearts by his Word and Spirit Have not you satisfied your selves with an unactive knowledge To have notions according to Knowledge Jer 10 14 and actions according to Ignorance is to be bruitish in knowledge Have not you set up your rest in such acknowledge as is short of making men live peaceably humbly obediently and believingly as saying knowledge doth This Kind of knowledge i. b.t a form of knowledge without the truth substance and reality of knowledge as a form of godliness 2 Tim 3 5 Verban tiâ—â— connotant affectum effectam Job 28 28 Psa 111 10 is the appearance oâ— godliness without the payer of godliness The knowledge of God doth note 〈…〉 barren nations concerning God which do not render 〈◊〉 better in ouâ— lives or liker unto God He knee no sin in Paul is in Peter He did no sin To depart from evil is understanding They haâ—e a good understanding that do his Commandements Josiah 〈◊〉 street in performing his known duty And was not this to know me Jer 22 16 saith the Lord â—â—ch as do not dwake to righteousness the Greek is awake righteously i. e. that do not give their minds and endeavours to righteousness they have not the knowledge of God 1 Cor 15 31 Have not you â—â—tisfied your selver without knowing God in and through Christ Here let it be minded T Gâ—win's Christier forth p 1 â— that the Object of that Faith that is required in the first Commandement in all its acts both direct and reflect inward and outward is God in Christ or interest in God in and through Christ The Deity Father Son and Spirit is the ultimate Object but Jesus Christ God dwelling in flesh Eph 2 18 1 Pet 1 21 is the more immediate Object thereof Christ leads â—s by the hand and we are said by Christ to believe on God that our Faith might be in God But have you ever had a real and intuitive sight of Jesus Christ in his glory Shephâ—aâ—d on the paâ—able of the Vâ—â—gins p 74 75 202 203 204 not only from report nor only from his works nor only from the bare letter of the Word but from the Spirit Have you ever beheld such a glory in Christs person as hath caused you to esteem him in all his glory as your present greatest and enly good 2 〈◊〉 4 6 Hath God ever given you the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ If not you must repent of your Knowledge under the notion of Ignorance and be sure that for the future you be restless after a clear distinct savory experimental active Knowledge of God in Christ 6. Not growing in Knowledge Against not growing in Knowledge 〈…〉 3 4 5. Is not saving knowledge a growing thing Were not the risings and increasings of the waters of the Sanctuary a type thereof But alaâ—â— have not the best set up their rest in low attainments of saving knowledge Have not some conceited themselves taught by God immediately by the Spirit and needed not any of Gods mediâ—â—e teachings by the ministry of man or by the Scriptures As for such whatever knowledge they pretend to the truth is they are altogether without the saving knowledge of God As he saith one who thinks himself so good that he cannot be better was never so good as he should be So he that thinks he knows so much as he can learn no more 1 Cor 8 2 from the Scriptures and Miniâ—ry knowâ— nothing as he ought As for those that have the beginnings of life eternal John 17 3 in the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ certainly it hath been their great fault that they have not made conscience of growing in knowledge daily both of getting the knowledge of more duties and of more sins and more of the goodness of those duties and of the evil of those sins which they knew already as they ought How seldome have Sermons been attended for this very end How seldome have Ministers been consulted with for this very end Doth not your not growing in grace evidence that you have not grown in knowledge The Apâ—stle puts both together 2 Pet 3 18 Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to hint to us that in proportion to our spiritual growth in knowledge is our growth in grace Is not your neglect of growing in knowledge evident in your decayes in knowledge not seeing so much evil in sin especially such and such particular sins nor so much good in duty especially such and such particular duties nor so much beauty in truth especially such and such particular truths noâ— so much deformity in errour especially such and such particular errours as formerly No wonder that God deals with us as he hath threatned to deal with them that know him not No wonder if God seem to resolve that this generation of English Professors shall not enter into the promised Canaan They were those that had not known Gods wayes to whom the Lord swore that they should not enter into his rest To
prevent this let us all be stiâ—â—'d up to conform more and more to Jesus Christ who grew in wisdome 〈…〉 as well as in stature Let us write after Paul's copy Phil 3 12 13 14 Not as though I had already attained or were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus Brethren I count not my self to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth to those things that are before I press toward the mark c. Would you have God take away all your talents Take heed then of neglecting to increase them Then shall yee know if yee follow on to know the Lord. The path of the just is as the shining Light Hos 6.3 Prov. 4.18 that shineth more and more till it be perfect Day He saith one that hath the least saving acquaintance with God hath enough to make him thankful but he that hath the most hath not enough to make him idle 7. Neglecting to make use of Knowledge Against not making use of knowledge Hath not this been your sin Hath not the habit of knowledge layn dead in your Souls Hath it not been an useless and an unprofitable thing both as to your selves and others O that it may be your sin no more Be not satisfied with having Lights or Lamps Luc. 12.35 but Let your Lights be burning or shining Make use of your knowledge for the heating of your affections for the stirring up desires after God love to God delight in God hatred of sin fear of offending God c. As the Spouse He is altogether lovely Cant. 5.16 This is my Beloved Let the knowledge of wisdome be unto your Souls as Honey that is good and the Honey-comb Prov. 24.13 14 which is sweet unto the tast Make use of your knowledge for the guiding of your thoughts words and actions Let wisdome guide you in every step you take Prov. 6 3â— Ask of your knowledge continually what saith the Rule what doth the Word of God require Make use of your knowledge in bearing witness to truth for which you came into this World John 18.36 When you come to appear for an opposed truth let not your knowledge be to seek Make use of your knowledge for the preserving of your Souls from theoretical and practical miscariages Seeing yee know c. beware lest yee also be led away with the errour of the wicked If you will make use of your knowledge 2 Pet. 3.16 Prov. 2.11 12 16. you have Gods promise for preservation from snares in judgment and defilements in practice The Devil shall not undermine you by policy noâ— overcome you by power Make use of your knowledge for the good of others One great end of knowledge is to communicate knowledge And indeed as one well observes to know for our own and others good is the only good knowledge To reject the directions of knowledge as well as the means of knowledge is to reject knowledge Bur. on Hof 4.6 And hath not God therefore rejected you Is not God reckoning with his wicked because slothful servants for letting their Talents lie un-improved Yea is not this a greater judgment than any outward judgments you are under Is it not an evidence of a Souls being under a spirit of slumber to have no more use of its knowledge Isa â—9 10 then one asleep hath Not to use is all one as not to have knowledge He that hath not i.e. that doth not make use of what he hath shall have what he hath or seems to have taken away from him Chap. II. The miscarriages opposite to Believing God The Assenting Act of Faith 1. Against credulity Prov. 14.15 VAin Credulity Hath not this been your sin Have not you been so simple as to believe every word pretending to come from God Have not you been ready to be â—â—ken to false Teachers Mar. 4.24 mat 7.15 Jer. 23.16 mar 8.15 Though God hath said Take heed what you hear Beware of false Prophets Hearken not unto the words of the Prophets that prophesie unto you they make you vain they speak 〈◊〉 Vision of their own heart Take heed beware of the leaven of the 〈◊〉 harisees and of the leaven of Herod yet how fool hardy and venturous have you been O the sad consequences of this fool-hardiness Eve lost all by hearing one Sermon from the mouth of the Serpent Julian the Emperor sipt in his Apostasie by hearing Libanius the Sophister Let others yea your own harms make you to beware Faelix quem faciunt aliena pericula c. Prov. 9.18 â— Thes 5.21 O! come not any more neer the doâ—r of their house Knowest thou not that the dead are there and that their guests are in the depth of Hell Say not you must try all things Christians ought indeed to prove all things in the Apostles sense the Doctrines that Christs own Ministers teach them they must bring to the touch-stone of the Word But he that will adventure to tast of every box and glass in an Apothecaries shop may sooner meet with poyson than with nutriment Have not you been ready to receive and reject Doctrines before you have brought them to the touch-stone and ballance of the Sanctuary to be tryed Before you receive or reject a piece of gold you will go to the touch-stone to try whether it be good mettal or no and to the ballance to try whether it be weight or no But have you not dealt otherwise with the Doctrines you have heard Câ—ril on Job 12 11 Hath your ear tryed the words that have sounded therein The Original word for an ear as an excellent Expositor observes being of the dual Number signifieth a pair of ballances to note that we should not only hear but weigh But have not you received Doctrines upon trust Have not some given an absolute credence to the Church to a Synod to a Councel Have not others to this and the other singular person if a learned Man or a pious Man if a Pastor or a Teacher especially if pretending the spirit of Revelation But what faith the Apostle We beseech you brethren 2 Thess 2.2 that yee be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us not by spirit those that pretend prâ—phetical revelations nor word those that plead traditions nor letter those that urge forged records It was the Bereans commendation Acts 17.11 that they would not trust Paul upon his word but tryed his Doctrine by the Scriptures Have not you also rejected Doctrines upon trust It is as dangerous saith one to refuse as to receive what we have not examined 2 Chroâ— 12.8 Shephard's wholesome caveat for a time of liberty p. 3 Ash on 2 Chrâ— 30.8 1 Cor. 7 23. mat 23.10 No wonder that we that have been so ready