A Difcourfe of the Fear of God. 937 j:Tbird!), Confider its Vicinity to Corruption; when--;Tsin iCs Luftrc, it then~ draws near to its Period; that Death that doth attend a Perfon, will bury all his Lear- Chap. 1 3· ningin the fame Grave with him. Inrelleaual differences !hall fhor1 ly cea!e, and then~ Moral differences !hall take place; one Moment !hall equal the Learned and the Unlearned, the Knowing and Ignorant Perfon, they 1ball at !all: ll:and upon equal Ground, but then good and bad Men !hall be differenced for ever. Now fince Dea<h {o fuddenly approacheth, certainly this cannot be that which maketl1 us Wife. C H A P. XIII. The Naked Theory, or Speculation of Divine Truths, not fuificient to make a Man wife. Sinful Craft is Folly. Vfe 3·FROM hence I !hall draw this Conclufion alfo, Th.at the naked Theory, or Speculation of Divine Truths, is nOt fufficient to make a Man wife. If Knowledge be onely con6ned to the Brain, if It be a naked Illumination, if there be only a Model of Divine Truths in thy Head, without the Fear of God , thou mayeft have a curious Knowledge, but thou wantetl a faving Knowledge. Now that I may !hew this the more clearly to you, I will Jay down this Rule, and fo meafu re the bare Knowledge of divine thi ngs by it; all Knowledge of what nature foever, is to be valued according to the end for which it i§. Now the Know. ledge of divine things hath a double end, the Glory of God and the Reil: of the Sool and its Salvation ; the bare Knowledge of divine things without an anfwerable praaice, is defec.tive in thefe tWO ends, where it is feparated from the Fear of God; and this I fhall evince and evidence eo you. 1 . Firfl, For theGlory of God, our Saviour bath told us, That his Father is fuch an Husbandman, as ell:eems himfelf glorified in the Fruits of our Obedience. That Perfon that is able to draw a Map ot the Divinity to us, that can deduce one Attribute from another in the divine Etfence; this Man unlefs he cloth praEl:ice what he knows, he glori6es God no more than a Painter doth him whofe Piaure he draws : God is not glorified in Lifele[s painted Words, but in our Works, when 'Ye bear his Image and are conformed to his Law; whCn we are renewed in our Minds; As towardly Children reflea a Glory upon their Parents, by expreffing their Perfons and ~~~~a~7fe~~~~r ~;~~e~~1~ t;t~h~ s 5~ub~f~;t ~cfa~~e~o~at;~5e ~:~il~~;a~:~ l~t::~t; Life, yet are far dill:ant from glocifying of God. And in this refpea, the fmallell: degree of PraEl:ical Knowledge is infinitely more valuable than the greatell: Mcafure of that which is merely terminated in Speculation. f ake a Chnll:ian that trembles at God's Word, that looks Heaven-ward, this Man cloth underll:and more or better of divine Truths, than the moll: fubtle School-men, than the greatell: Rabbim in the World. To give it you by Inll:ance, as a Husbandman who knows what part of his ~l~~:~~',~:srM,;;;~i,Y,'~o;~~a~Jar~~~ ~ J~;v~~~~~~g:o:~d:h~: ~~~~so ~t,:~ ;~~~: ~~t~:~~~~'cl.~~~t?:~i~f~l ~!~~;~~t:ci~~·th~;fs"~~r: t~rr~~~~l[co~~~~fY:h:cc~:;;ine~ to the Rules of Art, but wants Knowledge in the TiUage and manuring of it: Sothac Chrill:ian which reduceth his Knowledge to Praaice by a holy Life, refleas a greater Glory upon God, than the moll: exaa and sktlful Perfon in the Points of Divinity without the Fear ofGod; therefore certainly the naked Illumination ofdivine fruths cannot make a Man wife. . 2. Second!;, This cannot fave the Soul and bring ir to its Reil:. Bare Knowledge can never reach to Heaven; it mu et be accompanied with the Fear of God, and with other Gra~es, 2 Pet. 1. 8. For if t~tje things bt in you, a»d abounJ, thty make 1ou that you [b.1!1 netther be. b~rrtn, nor unfrrmful, &c. That Knowledge is barren that IS with· out Jolid and favmg Grace. Take a Man that is able to delineate to you a Syll:em Cccccc 2 of
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