------·-------------------------------------------------------- Chap.tj . ~eCl-.9. ~clM)tn!'cll. b:t Ch; ift and him crucified. All knowkdge,}r~, learning is nothing to Chri!l:; ther~ is no fulndfc 110 divine ·exce!lenc)' m th1t m1ns knowledge that knows nvt ] crus Chn !l:. Si Ch; ijtm:Z nrf.:u, &c. Jfwt kzi,vw_not_ c _hrijf, it is 1/fJtht~g rfwe !<!nw '~'-'U{Yfo 1!111Ch : Si 'cbrtjhm; dtfctJ, (}-c: If rpe k..."~DW 'thri.ft,tt u eno~tgh thvJ~g/1 ll'!J k;.zviVno~hm~· !nore ; enough indeed, for in knowing him we have all knowledge ; In ~h 1jl arc hzd tu/the treafurcs rf wi{dome a;rd k:_1owledge. Among Wife men he is the cho1re,t thallmows mw'1 of Clinlb.; it is Chri11 that puts a fulneffc into our knowledge, as the fhmmg of the Sun 1n the alfc puts a fulncffe of light into the eye ; hence!aul made Gnjl crucdied the Centcr a.nd circumference of h1s knowledge, the bredch, a'nd length, and depth, and hughuf rJU knowledge, this was the full latitude of h1s knowledge, to know Jcr~s Chnt1 ; and tlus isexctllcnt knowlcdne, excellent for the Author , maner, rubJcct, fnuts, at1d effects of 1t; this is Jttving lf..:·ww'ledge, this i~ ltfe ct~rnal to ka~;v rhte,. _a~1d tv?om thou h_a/ffont,· Jcfu. chrifi. 0 never rpcak of lcarnmg, _w1fdome, gHtS, abJ!ttJcs, mcompan~?n of Chrd. Jiernard could fay, ifthou wrttejt," doth not relijb JVtthme, t1r.l<{>· I reade pjizs t!"rt ; f thou difputrft or conferreft, it. doth not re!tjlr withme, unlejfo Jrfi" f ound there : Alllearnmg is but ignorance in companfon of th~ kqowledge of Chrtll: Jcfos our Lord. Come then, and down with all carnal knowledge m th1s refpeCl; Come thcn.and fubm1t to that trnc, fpiritual, apJ?licatory, experimental knowledge of Jefus C hrill:. fiencrfmh ( faith the ApolHe) we k:JOlV no nian ttft<r thefojh,yea though weha"e k.}own Chrijl ajur the flcjb,_yet henceforth k_no JVwe him no more. Vie know him not after an earthly carn1l manner, but after a divine and fpiritual manner agreeable to the Hate of glory whereto Chrifl: ts exalted. 8. Confider that gifts and abilities arethe!tay, and fiaffe, and ll:rength only of Hypocrites; they only lean on thefe, they only feCUre themrdves in thcfe: Are they not Hypocrircs that dare to plead thus with God himfdf? Many wtllfay to me irt that da;·, Lord, J.,ord, have wenot prophejied in thy name, and in ihy name cajf o1et devils, and done many great JVonders? they trull:edupon,have we not propiJtji'ed ?h~<v.o we not prayed ?have henot done wonders? q. d. God hath opened the fecrcts of Heaven to us, and do you think he will fhut the gates of heaven upon us. ? We have preached, we have been lnll:rumcnts of faving others, and fhall not we be raved our fclves? \1./e have call: out devils, and fhall we be call: to the devil? \1./e have not wal«cd in an ordinary tract of. profcffion, but we have traded in wonders an'd done miracles, we have amazed the world with reports of the great things we have done; Is alt' tnis nothing? Thus they plead with Chrifl:, as if he were bound to fave them ':Jy the law of thcfc fervices; Yet Chritl:tclls them, Depart from me, 1/z.•owyoJt not. One ofthcancientsreprcfents them in fuch an ama1.emeut. What means this ftrange, unexpeCted anfrl.crfrom Chrift, Drpart, &c. M uft we dcp.trt, lVho have lived fo near thee? muft we be da11med, lVhom th011 ha)! thus honou.red? 9· Conci.ude hence, though a man ha'{e never fuch partsan(~ifu, yet if we liav~ notgrace wtthall, he may go to hell and perlfh to all eternity; for by hisgifts he is not un1ted toJefus Chn tl:,nor made the child_ of <;Jod,nor e.'l:atcd into th~ Covenant of grace. You fee how tt 1S w1th ch,ldrenplay1~g togetncr m the day, when n1ght comcs,one child goes to h1s·father,and the other to h1s father ;· it may be all the day they are fo like,that · you cannot.ray,. whofe ch1ld JS·thJs, or that : but when night comes, the father then com:s to h1s cluld, and fatth, Come my child, come in at doors : and if the other' offers to go mthere~ no child, you muff go home to your father: So while we are living, gr~ce and .f!.'fts are mmgled together; fo~e men havegifts, and fomc men have graces, anrl they look very hke ; Ah but when mght comes, and-when death comes, then faith God to thofe that have grace, Com~ my t·hildren, enter in; but if thpfe that haveg•fts only come, he fends them away, And if a man do go to hell·and peri{h, the niorcgtfts he hath the deeper wtll h~ .fink intohell; as it is with a man that is in the water,linkiug in the w~ter, t~e more he 1s laden w1th gold, the more he links · and as he is finking ifhe.bav·e an.'! t1me t h · h h · . 1 1 . me 1 O cry out, e fa1t , 0 ta/,s away thefe baggs ofgold, thefe baggs ofKpld will Jiirk.. h hey wzll undoe me: So I fay, thefe golden parts, andgolden uif ts, will und!J men . ~ enhen come to hell, and fhall perifh indeed, the more golde~ gifts and parts they G~f~.· ad, the deeper they fhall link in hell. And thus much of Dmying our:ffetial s' 2' 1 Cor. 2. 2, Colof. '· 3• Ep~c( 3· ,s·. Phi!. l• 8. Jolou 17 3, Si {crib_ar. 1/0lt f~~.pir m IJI, r~i{~ l ·gera ib;] •J•m &c. Hc1n. 2 Cor. s. 16. TIC;M,T)?'Ei· rov ~ 'lraesl- . Jc~ov T'H T~-: ~r.& , &:c. Chryfoliom;·
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