Coin, i Oftbé knosle4e ofGod ti a' ids Qi oft. Chap.'; never heard of Therefore as they fay well, if two things be to be done in order whereof the fecond depends upon thefirft , if the firft be taken away the fecond can not he fulfilled. So if we be ignorant of God , we (halt never defire or love him , and fu we (hall not have him at all. Godmuft firft be known, then love,. a. Knowledge1yeth in the underftanding part. The mind. 2. Love is in theaffeEiion. The heart. I. Concerning knowledge the ObjeEt thereof is God , and hecannot be known aPriori; therefore we mutt reek to knowhim a pofteriori ; and that muttbe either by his Attributes afcribeu to him in his word, or by his effeEts and works. His Attributes are ten, Exod. 34, G, 7. Majefty, Truth, Unchangablenefs, Will; Jttttice, Mercy, Knowledge, Power, Ubiquity, Eternity, other things are attributed to God in Scripture, but they maybereduced to tome of there, as love Patience, &s. may be referred toMercy: Anger or Wrath, to Juftice, &c. Ofthere, Juftice and Mercy are the two principal, and concern us Mott; the other eight have influence upon thefe two parts to make them the fitter ObjeEhs ofour Faith, Fe:çr, Love, and Hope,&r. To work upon our Knowledge or Faith,apprehend- inn. i. God Junice. 2. His Mercy and believing them both : if youadd theother At- tributes to his Juftice. i. That he is infinite in Majefty. Z. Infallible in his Truth. 3, Without change,e;c. andthey make his Juftice more perfed2,andconfequently more fearful. In the fecondplace , add the famealto. to his Mercy , that hewhich loveth us, is. I. A King ofEternal Welly and life. z. Infallible. 3. Unchangable, and the tea ; it makes his Mercy more, and confequently for moreto be beloved. i. Out of this Faith or Knowledge apprehending his Juftice arifeth fear,and out of fear, humility. 2. Our of Knowledge and Faith of his Mercy with the other eight Attri- butes mire. 2. Duties more. n. Hope. z. Love: t. The fruit ofhope is. t. lnvoca*ion and Prayer,forwhat we want. 2. Thankf- giving, in acknowledging whence wehave received it. 2. Love hath its fruit or effeE1 in obedience, in conforming ourfelves and our wills to Gods will, both in doing what he requires, and in bearing willinglywhatfo. ever it pleafeth him to lay upon us; and this lait is called Patience, Obedientia crucis And in there doth the having of Godwholly confft. Wegre further to underfand , that the Holy Ghoft in the Scripture is pleated by the Figure Synechdoche for fhortnefs of fpeech oft times to naine one of thefe, and in that one to comprehend the whole worfhip of God , as in St. Yohn, all the won. John,' 7.3; chip of God is attributed to Knowledge. This is life eternal toknow thee the only true God : And in another place all to fear, fear God and keephis Command- Ecdef r z,rid ments, for this is the whole Duty ofMan. In another place to hope , Saint PaidRow S 54. faith we are faved by hope. And fo ofthe ref}, under the name ofone Duty Synech- dochically are comprehended all the other, and this without injury to the reft of the duties, for theyall have good dependance one ofanother. Now to there we are to add the duties of the fecond Propofition [ That we muff have the Lord for our God ] that is true Religion. And of the third [ to have him only for our God ] that is pure Religion, againit joyningof it withother wor(hip, And betides there out of the word [(halt] it mutt beperpetual, till, non Brit, (wallow upour, Brit, which implierh thevenue perfeverance throughall the Commandments; And coringfacie mea before me includeth liincerity ofheart, again(} Hypocrifie; and there make up the manner of Gods worfhip. In the rcrolution of this fitft Commandment, the firft thing is knowledge of God, which in regardof the excellency of it Saint 7óhn faith (as before) this is life x, eternal to know thee the only true God. In the handling of whichwe mutt follow this Method. r. To thew the excellencyofthe knowledge ofGo'a z. The neceflity of it. 3. i-Iow ir is tobe attained. . t. The firft thing concerningknowledge, is the excellency ofit : for Other know- ledge without this,is but a puff, a tumour that fwclls naturally in them ilia; poffefc ir. Thy
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