1Jiretfions for a well grounded Faith. St DIRECT. IV. Let it be your cbierea ftud• to attain to atrue, orderry, and practical knmvledue,ofGod, Gr. Dh;,. 4· :J 1J" 'J . • 0. fi Fort etrue in his ferveral Attrib11tes and IJ{§lattons ; and to find a dt't 11nprejswn ram ~ndord<rly }' d d;f}' a ,If n l · { / · 1mpceffionof eai:h of tbem upo11 yor'r hearts, an a ~·m•• e 11 eo•Ua tmprowment o t Jem mGod. A«ri- ~~ =-~ §. ,, BEcaufelhavcwrittenofthis pointmore fully in another Treatifc, (DftheKuowledge of God, and Converfo JJJith him), I fhall but briefly touch upon it here, as not wilhog to re- . peat that which there is delivered: Only let me briefly mind you of thefr: few things : I· That the f:J:h:·~;~'~~~~ true ~nowledgeofGod isthe fumm of Godline{I,- and the end of a~l our other il,nowledge;· and ofall that 5roioi D<um we h.zve or do as Chrillians. As Chrijf is a Teacber that came fromGod, fo he came to call and lead c:HC animll' us unto God; Or clfc he had not come as a Saviour : lt is from God that we fell by fin, and toGod that im?10"\ak, WC mufi be reltored by grace : To {ave us, is to reftorc us to our perfelliOJZ, and our bappineft : and r:~~~~)e~~erthat is to refiore us unto Gcd. be:uum, a nulo ·cmni remotiilimum, p:·ovidemil fua mu~dum & quor func in mundo adm!nillraru omnia: Non t'm~n indfe iH.i huntl~:E fo!mre lim:11!'er:tl. C:Etcrum e/le op1ficem immen!i huJUs operis, lieu;: & p;ltrem ommum.--Eumque mu\us appellan nom.mbus JUXU propnetates fuz-Q!mfd,.m i>em efii:- tbmones dicur.t quibus infit hominum mifer:nio, infped:ores rerum hurnanarum; Heroas quoque f..:>~utas corporibus, f.1picntum animas--· Bonos aiunt eRC Divino•, quod in feipfis quaft hab:mt Deum. Malum vcro impium& .Gn: Dco t>ffe, qaod duplici ratione accipi!ur, five quod Deo contrariusdicatur, fivequcd~fperneturDwm : Jd tamen malis omnibus non con~ venire. Pios autem & Religiofos cflC flpientes, peritos divini juris omnes. P1etarem d'l.C fcimriam divini cultus. Diis item eo~ f:tcr.ticia f:u9:uros, cafiofque futuros. ~ippe ea qu2: inDeos admittu.ntur pecca.ta dete!h.ri, Diifq~e charos ~c grato~ fore quo fanCh juflique in rcbus divinis fint. §. 2· 2· That the true il,nowletlge •f God is powerful and effectual upon the heart and life: And every Attribme and Relation of God, is fo to be known, as to make its prop.tr Imprcfs on us : And the meafitrc of this faving k,_nowltdge, is not to be judged of, by Extenjiventfi or number of'Truths con– cerning God which we know, fo much as by the C/eanu[s, and InteHfivenefl, and the meafure of its holy effe/:IJ upon the heart. ~· 3· 3, This is it that denominateth both our[elves and all our Dmie.r H 0 L Y :'"when Gods Image is rhus imprinted on us ; and we are lik$ him by the new birth, as Children to their Father; and by hi1 k,nowledge both our HeartJ and LivcJ are made Divine; being difpo[ed unto God, devoted to him, and employed for him; he being our Life, and Light, and Love. 9· 4· 4· This isthe fumm of the Covenant ofGod with man [IwiU betlry God, and thou]halt be my people. J And the other paw. of the Covenant, ( tha~ Chrijl be our S~viour, and the Holy Ghojl our Sa,mfier) are both fubfervtent unto this; there bcmg now no commg unto God, but as Re– conciltdin Cbrift our Mediator, and by the teaching and drawing of the HolyGhofl. To be oHr God, is to be to us An Abfolulf Owner, a mofi Righteous GOVlrHour, and a mo£\ Bountiful Benefallor or Father, as having Created m, Redeemed and RegrneratedUf; and this according to his mo£\ Blefre'd Nature, proper– ties and perfedions. ~. 5· 5· It is not only a loofe and unconjlant effe/:1 of your particular tho«ghu ofGod, that is the ne– ceftary Imprcf; of his Attributes, (as to Fear /Jim when you remember his Greatne{I and Juflice): But it mufi be an Habit or holy naturt in you, every Attribute having made its ftatrd Image upon you: and that Habit or Imoge being in you a conjlant Principle of holy JPiritual' op<ratiOIIJ· AH•bit of Re– verence, Belief, Truft, Love, &c. £hould be as it were your Nautre. 9· 6. 6. Not that the k,nowlcdge ofGod in his perfel:lionJ fhould provoke us to del.re hi1 propmin and perfelliom: For_to have fuch an afpiting defire to be GodJ, were the greatefi Pride and wicf<!dmf;: But only we muO: defire, I . To be as lik,.e God in all his communicable excellencies, as is agreeable to our created fiate and capacity. 2• And to have as near and full communion with him, as we can attain to and enjoy. §· 7• 7· TheWill ofGod, and his Goodnef;, and HolineJj, is more marly propounded to us to he the Rule of our Crmformity, than his Power and his Knowltdgt. Therefore his Law is mofi immediately the expreffion of his WiU; and our Dury and GoodneJj lyeth in our Conformity to his L•w ; being Ho– !J' as he is H1ry· Bccaufe I may not !land on the particulars, I fhall give you a brief imperrect Scheme of that of God wh1ch you mufi thus know. I , I M.2 GOD
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=