Chap.6 Of "theknowledge cf Go) and itsoppofats. Corn. t. i65 fo faith the Prop;,c: Efzy, And thy Children fhall betaught of. the Lord. And the . Kingly Prophet David gives the reafon, Bccaufe that with him is the Well Of"Life, Var. $4 `3. and ii, his light w. (1 .i b fcc tight. Though we be naturally blind, and have no light, P£almt36r.9 neithcir in, nor of our felvcs, yet in his light we £hall fee light. And therefore he it is that muft bc'our teacher, and as he muffbe our teacher, fo we may be fure that this teacher is willing to inttruEi us. Gods loving praflife tells us that he ís. He began it with Adam, and preferved it in the Patriarchs, and then it beginning to decay, hecontinued it by tradition. Atter that, peoplebeing corrupted, and know- ledge decaying, more and more, hewrote the Law, which beingbroken; he took order fora new writing, and cnjoyned them to hear it, and appointed Priefls and Levites ; whoby interpreting it, ended thepeople to underfland it : for ( as the Neei'LL85 q, r. "Text faith ) they read the Lawof God diflinetly, and gave the fenfe, and caufed Mal.. them to underftand the reading. When they failed and falfe interpreters came, he raifed up Prophets to givethe truefenfeof the Law, and when this was not fuifìci_ ent, he feat his only Son, the lafl and moll perfen teacher or donor of the Church, and ( he afcendng to the glory of his Father) gave gifts to men, as, Apofllcs, Pro_ phets, Evangclilts, Paftors and Teachers ; whom he promifed to fend, and enable flub. r, s. witty gifts, for the inflrunion and edification of his Church, and to continue a lilac, ccfiìon of them to the end of the world. zs. ult. Now as God is the Author of this knowledge, fo he provides whit is necefíiry for us to attain it, '0'4. The outward minifteryof man, and the inward work of tds Spirit r. For the fart, we have the Eunuch fitting in his Chariot, and reading a place A£rs s, in Eray, and being defirous to know'the meaning of the place, God provides him at. a Ivlinitî'er, Philip, toexpound it tohim. And fo, when Cornelius was continuing in falling, from the fourth hour to the ninth, and falling to Prayer, God feat Peter to r0, him, z. For the fccond, Our Saviour bath promifed on Gods behalf, that God (half give the holy Spirit to them that ask him: So that the outward me. os being Luke ci. , 3, diligently performed on our part, we may reft affured that God will perform 'his part. Chrift in the Gofpel perfwades the Pharifees , and us in them tofearch John q 39. the Scriptures; tocome to the true knowledge of him, and fo tolife. That which : Job z,ao.07, 'remaineth God will fupply by the unflicirCof his Spirit, there will be no dcfen on his part, provided that we look to ours. But the fearines our part, and it appeareth by the Commandment here laid upon us, 'thai we arc not willing; `for a good man is a Law tó himfelf: but 'we have a Commandment to (fir usup to knowledge. Now farther in this, as in all the other Coninitndijaents, we are to confider two things. . That which is commanded, Knowledge of which wehave now fpokcn. That which is forbidden, Ignorance; of which in thenext place. Theaffirmative, and the negative part, In the affirmative is commanded. r.Know- ledge. z. A rich mcaGreof it, according, as our vocationwill permit, non fulanoCol. 3, fire, red eeiam bene fire. And in thisnegative two things are forbidden, r. Ignorance. z. Light roper knowledge, for the rule in Divinity is, Peccatram non tantrum eft appetitue maloram, fed eeiam defertiomeliorctm. Where fulnefs is commanded, not only emptitief,, but fear- city is forbidden alfo. So not only ignorance, but a light, fleeting and fuperficial knowledge is forbidden. Ignorance, The Church of Rome is taxed to juflifie it, though it can- not be found that they are Patrones of it, but only faulty in allowing I° fmall fuperficial knowledge in the people , yet if any man conceive , that Ignorance of God is juftifiable, let this perfwade him to the coo_ trary. r, A lin it muff needs he, éi'fe What needed afacríf;ce for it. z. If it hadbeen a light offence, David had been uncharitable to pray to God to pour out his indignation on them that knew not his Name, ; It
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