THE PREFACE. blehimfelf about obedience to the Commandments in order toremilflon of his fins, orSalvation, who is perfwáded that' all his fins are pardoned already, and that nothing is requiredof him for the obtaining of fo great a benefit, but only to believe that it is fo, And if they lay, that the lenlè of fuch a mercycannot but ftirmen up to obedience, toomuch ex- perience of mens unthankfulnefs to God confutes this, The remembrance of a mercy or benefit dot not neceffarily enforce men to their duty, for then none could be unthankful toGodorinan. Befides it is a purecontradif;:ion, which all the Sophiítry in the world can never Calve, to fay, that a mansfins are pardoned bybelieving they are pardoned, for they null. be pardoned before he believes theyare par- doned, becaufe the objefl muff be before the all, and otherwife he be- lieves a lye, and yet by Faith he isjufrified and pardoned, ( as all affirm ) and the Scripture is ev'',,lent for it, and fohis pardon follows upon his be- lief, and thus the pardón is both bofore and afterthe all of Faith ; it is before as the objeft or thing to bebelieved, and yet it comesafter, as the etfefl or confequent of his belief, which is adirell contradiélon. True Faith then isa practical vertue, and eftablifhes the Law ; and as this is theproper workof true Faith, fo todire5t and quicken our obedi- ence thereto is the whole icopeof the Bible. There is nothing revealed in the whole Scripture meerly for fpeculation, but all is refer'd lóme way or other to praflife. It is not theknowledge ofGodsNature and Effence, but of his will, which is required of us, or at leaft fomuch of his Na- ture, as is needful to groundour Faith and Obedience upon. That obfer- vationofCome is molt true, Thatin the Scripture, verba fèientie Connotan&oni. atecías, words ofknowledge do imply affeftions and Anions anfwerable. rfal To knowGod, is not fo much to knowhis Nature & Effence, as to Honor Heb9' 7° and obeyhim, which thofe thatdo not, are laidnot to knowhim, though they know neverfo much ofhisNatureandAttributes ; knowledge with- out praetife, is withGod accounted ignorance, and hence are all fins ter- med +ÿr.&wna ignorances. Thus to knowChrift, or to believe inhim, or tobelieve the Gofpel, Includes in theScripture fenle, repentance, new life, and indeed the whole duty of a Chriftian, becaufe all thefe duties ought to followupon thisknowledgeor belief, and are alias imperati, as the Schools fpeak, afis which flow from belief, though theauus elicitue be only an client to the truth. Andhence Come of the tiaoff eminent andB,pn ñ señe Ancient School -men have determined, that Theologie or Divinity is a q, q. conclul: pradhca1 feience. Theologie eft fcientia afecliva, &c. 3'rincipaliter ut ipfboni rzamao,'faith Bonav Theologie is an affeflive knowledge, whole seniq.4p,í4C chief end is to make us good. The fame is affirmedby Alexander Haler col. 3. Gerfon and others. Scotats maintains the fame conclufion, Theoloie effeDungy n;tl n. fimpa*itur praclicam, That Theologie is limply praflical, and Durandq.fol.zo.col.L proves it byunanfwerable reafon, quia ejus operatiocirca objeclumfuton non confaffit in Contemplation veritatis, fed dirigit inprofecutione operis utpate: in centaur locisSrcipture.Et minim effetfinonftpraliice, cum confiderantes Scripturam aprincipio urque adfnempro una Scripture columna fn qui agitir depure fpeculabili6as, fun:plus quam quináenta folia, inquibas,agitur de purepraciicis. The operation of Theologie about its objeft conflits not in bare fpeculatioh of truth, but in direflions for our praftice, as appears in an hundred places of Scripture , and therefore it were ftrange it dhould not be a prac`lical Science: feeing we confider the Scripture from
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