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Ear beard, neither have entered into the heart of Man, the things that God hath laid up for them that love him, 1 Cor. 2. and they only truly love God, that truly fear him, Mal. 3.13. And they (namely, that fear God) fhall be mine, faith the Lord, in that Day when I make up my Jewels.

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And now for the Conclufion of this whole matter, let us now make a fhort Comparison between the Perfons that fear not God, and thofe that truly fear him; and then let any Man judge who is the Fool, and who is the wife Man. A Man hath but a very fhort uncertain time in this Life, which in comparison of Eternity, is lefs than a Moment. The great God of Heaven in his Word, affure, us, that there is an eftate of Immortality after this Life, and that that immortal eftate is but of two kinds, an eftate of never dying Misery, or an estate of endless Glory; and tells them, ‘If you fear me, and obey those eatie Commands that are contained in the Book of the Holy Scriptures, which I 'have given you, you fhall infallibly attain everlafting 'Life and Happiness, and, even in this prefent Life, fhall ' have the influence and prefence of my Favour, to fupport, to direct and blefs you: On the other fide, if you refufe my Fear, and reject my Commands, and prefer the unlawful and vain Delufions of this prefent Life, before 'the Obedience of my Will, and perfift impenitently in 'it, your Portion fhall be everlafting Mifery. And now everlasting Life and everlafting Death being fet before the Children of Men, there are a fort of Men that rather chufe to disobey the Command of God, reject his Fear, and all this, that they may enjoy the Pleafures of Sin for a Seafon, thofe Pleasures that are fading and dying that leave behind them a Sting, that renders their very Enjoyment bitter, and that make even that very little Life they enjoy, but a Life of difcomfort and unhappiness, in fpite of all their Pleasures, or be they as fincere as their own Hearts can promise them, yet they are but for a Seafon, a Seafon that in its longest Period is but fhort, but is uncertain alfo ; a little inconfiderable Accident, the breach of a Vein, an ill Air, a little ill digefted Portion of that excefs where they delight, may put a Period to all thofe Pleafures, and

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to that Life, in a Year, in a Week, in a Day, in an Hour, in an unthought Moment, before a Man hath Opportunity to confider, to bethink himself, or to repent; and then the Door of Life and Happiness is fhut. Again, there are a fort of Men that confider this great Proposal, and chuse the Fear of Almighty God, and with it Eternal Life, and are content to deny themselves in things unlawful, to obey Almighty God, to keep his Favour, to walk humbly with him, to accept of the tender of Life and Salvation upon the Terms propounded by Almighty God: And in the practice of this Fear they enjoy his Favour, and Prefence, and Love; and after this Life fpent, whether it be long or fhort, and whether their Death be lingring or fudden, are fure the next moment after death to enjoy an immortal Life of glory and happiness. Judge then which of thefe is the truly wife Man, whether this be not a Truth beyond difpute: The Fear of God that is Wifdom, and to depart from evil is Understanding.

Of the Knowledge of Chrift Crucified.

1 Cor. ii. 2. For I determined not to know any thing among you, fave Jefus Chrift, and bim Crucified.

S the Understanding is the higheft Faculty of the rea

A fonable Creature, becaufe upon it depends the Re

gularity of the Motions or Actings of the Will and Affections: So Knowledge is the propereft and nobleft Act or Habit of that Faculty, and without which it is without its proper end and employment, and the whole Man without a due guidance and direction; Hof. 4. 6. My people perish for want of knowledge.

And as Knowledge is the proper business of that great Faculty, fo the Value of that Knowledge, or employment of the Understanding, is diverfified according to the Subject about which it is exercifed: For though all Know

ledge

ledge of the most differing Subjects agree in this one common Excellence, viz. the right Reprefentation of the thing, as it is, unto the Understanding; or the Conformity of the Image created in the Understanding, unto the thing objectly united to it, which is Truth in the Underftanding: Yet it must needs be, that according to the various values and degrees of the things to be known, there ariseth a diverfity of the value or worth of that Knowledge; that which is of a thing more noble, ufeful, precious, muft needs be a more noble, ufeful, precious Knowledge, and accordingly, more to be defired.

There have been doubtlefs many excellent Underftandings that have been converfant about an exact difquifition of fome particular Truth, which though as Truths they agree in a common value with all others, yet in refpect of their nature, use, and value, are of no great moment, whether known or not; as concerning the precife time of this or that paffage in fuch a prophane History; the Criticism of this or that Latin word or the like, which though by accident, and by way of concomitance, they may be of confiderable use, when mixed with, or relating to fome other matter of moment; yet in themfelves have little Value, becaufe little Ufe. Others have spent their Thoughts in acquiring of Knowledge in fome fpecial piece of Nature, the fabrick of the Eye; the progreffion of generation in an Egg; the relation and proportion of Numbers, Weights, Lines; the generation of Metals: And thefe, as they have a relative confideration to dif fcover and fet forth the Wisdom of the great Creator, or to publick Ufe, have great worth in them; but in themfelves, though they have this Excellence of Truth in them, and confequently in their kind feed and give light to the Understanding, which is a power that is naturally ordained unto, and greedy of, and delighted in Truth, though of a low and inferiour Conftitution; yet they are not of that eminence and worth, as Truths of fome other, either higher, or more ufeful, or durable Nature.

As once our Saviour, in relation of things to be done, pronounced One thing only neceffary, Luke 10. 42. So

the

the Apoftle, among the many things that are to be known, fixeth in the fame One thing neceffary to be known, Chrift Jefus, and him Crucified.

There are three Steps;

I. Not to know any thing. Not as if all other Knowledge were condemned: Mofes's Learning was not charged upon him as a fin; Paul's fecular Learning was not condemned, but useful to him; tobe knowing in our calling, in the qualities and difpofitions of Perfons, in the Laws under which we live, in the modeft and fober inquiries of Nature and Arts, are not only not condemned, but com-. mended and useful, and fuch as tend to the fetting forth the Glory of the God of Wifdom. Even the discretion of the Husbandmen God owns as his, Ifa. 28. 26. For his God doth inftruct him to difcretion, and doth teach him. But we must determine to know nothing in comparison of that other knowledge of Chrift Jefus, as the Apostle counted what things were gain, yet to be lofs for Chrift, Phil. 4. 7. fo we are to esteem that knowledge of other things, other wife excellent, useful, admirable, yet to be but folly, and vile in comparison of the knowledge of Chrift. And this requires,

1. A true and right Eftimate of the Value of the knowledge of Chrift Fefus above other knowledge; and confequently an infinite preferring thereof before all other knowledge in our judgments, defire, and delight: And the preponderation of the knowledge of Chrift above other knowledges excells moft knowledge in all the enfuing particulars, but excells all knowledge in fome, and thofe of moft

concernment.

1. In the certainty of it. Moft other knowledges are either fuch as we take in by our Senfe and Experience; and therein, though it is true that the grofs part of our knowledge, that is nearest to our fenfe, hath fomewhat of certainty in it, yet when we come to fublimate and collect, and infer that Knowledge into univerfal or general Conclufions, or to make deductions, ratiocinations, and determinations from them, then we fail, and hence grew the difference between many Philofophers. Again, the knowledge

knowledge that we elicit from fenfe, is but very narrow, if it ftand there; for the forms of things, the matter or fubftance, which is the fubject of Nature, are not eafily perceptible by fenfe; we fee the colour and the figure, and the variations of that, but we do from thence only make conjectures concerning the forms, fubftances, and matter: Or they are fuch as we receive by Tradition, whether historical or doctrinal; and the former depends upon the credit of the Relator, which moft an end depends upon anothers credit, and fo vanifheth into much uncertainty, unless the Authors be very authentick and eye-witneffes: And as to matters doctrinal, ftill that depends upon the Opinion of a Man, it may be, deduced upon weak convictions, croffed by perfons of as great Judgment, and fo breeds uncertainty, diftration, and diffatisfaction in the knowledge. But in the knowledge of Chrift, we have greater certainty than can be found in any of all these other Knowledges. 1. A conftant tradition and Reception by millions, before he came, that the Meffias was to come; and fince he came, that in truth he is come. 2. The Apoftles, Evangelifts, and Difciples, that were purposely chofen to be Witneffes of Chrift's Miracles, Doctirne, Suffering, and Refurrection. 3. The Miracles he did, that are witneffed to us, by a greater confent of Teftimony than any one part of any Hiftory of that Antiquity. 4. The Purity, Sanctity, and Juftnefs of his Doctrine, which was never attained unto in the teaching of the Philofophers, nor ever any could, in the least measure, impeach or blame. 5. The Prophecies ftiled moft juftly by the Apoftle a more certain evidence than the very Vifion of his Transfiguration, and a Voice from Heaven, 2 Pet. 1. 19. And fo in truth is a more undeniable Argument than any is; for it is not capable of any fraud or impofture. 6. The wonderful prevailing that the knowledge of Chrift had upon the World, and this not only de facto, but backed with a Prophecy that it fhould be fo. 7. The admirable concordance and .fymmetry, that this Myftery of Chrift makes in the whole method of the proceeding of God in the World, as will be eafily obfervable upon the collation

of

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