94 'DireEti~ns for a JVell grounded Fait!J. doUrine, what Rea{on, Atttbority "" Revtlation foevcr he pretend. Ifa. 8. 20· 1uthe Law and to the 7' eflj.. many: if tbry[peak,.notaccurdi~tgto theft, itisbecaufethere is no LiJ!.bt inthem. NoRta[mcan be Reafon indeed rhar is pretended againll the Re<foil of the Creator and Gud ofRtafon, Autheritypre– tended agai11tl.thc Higbeft Ambority ofGod, is no Au.thority : -God never gave Au-thority to any againfi: himfelf; nor eo deceive mens fouls ; nor to difpenfe with the Law ofChrifi ; nor to wananr men to 1 C( r. to 8.. fin againll him ; nor to make any [upplement; to his Law or Do6hine. The Apofiles had their ::.'Cor. 1 l· 10 " Power only to edification, but not to deflml1io11• There is uo Revelation from God that is contrary t"O his own ·R.tvtltJtion already delivered as his perfefi Law and Rule unto the Church; and therefore none f•!fplcmmtal to it. If an Apullle ur an Angel from Heaven ( per pof!ibi!e vel impoffibile) p 1 aU Evangrlizc to us befidcs what H Eva~tgcliz:.ed , and we hav.e receiveti, he mufi be held accurfed. Gal.t.6,J,8· ' Dire{/. 9· §. 10· Direcl:. 9· Come not tu Learn ofChrijl witb folfconceittdmft, pride, or confidmce in yuHr prtjudi~e and errort: but 11r little Children, with humhlt, teachable, trallable mindt. Chrift is noTeacher for thofe that in their own eyes are wife enough already : unlefs it be fi#l to teach them to become fools ( in their own dleem, becaufe they are fo indeed ) that they may bt wifo. ~ ·Cor. 3· 18. They that are pnpolfeffcd with falfe opinion;, and refohte that they will never be pcrfwaded of the contrary, are 1 Pet. S· r; unmeet to be Scholars in the SchooJ ofChrifi. He refi(teth the proud, hut giveth more grace unto the bumble. Men that have a high conceit of their own underfiandings, and think they can eafily know truth from faljhoOd as foon as they hear it, and come not to lear11', bur to cmfure what they hear or read, as being able prefemly to judge of all, thtfe are fitter for the School of rhe Prince ofPride and t'ather of !yes and error, than for the School of Chrill. Excrpt Cunvtrjion m•ke men as littl; children, that come not to carp and cavil, but to /urn, they are Rot mctt f or the Jf.ingdom ofChrift. Marth. t8. 3· John 3· 3, 5• Know how blind and ignorant you are, and how dull of learning, and humbly beg of theHeavenly Teacher, that he willaccept you, and illuminate you; and give up your undtrjlandingr abfolutcly to be informed by him, and your Hearts to be the '!abler in which his Sfirit ~1all Wtite his Law, Bdieving his dod:rint upon the bare account of his iHfaliible Veracity, and rdolv~ mg to ubty it ; and this is to be rhe Difcipler uf Chrifl inderd , and fuch as Cha!l be taught of God. Dirtl1• to. 9· 11. DireCt ro. Cume t11the School of Chrifl ~ith honcft wiCing btartJ, that Lo'l{t th~ truth, and.· fain wo~ld }Qtow it, that they may obty. iJ ; and not with falft a11d byaffid hearts, which focretly hindtr tbt 'H1tderjfandiHg from entrrtainir.g the trufh, becaujt they love it not, a1 being contr.1ry to their carnal in~ dinations and imercjf. The word that was received into Homjl heart.r, was it that was as the feed that brought forth plentitully. M•tth. 13· 23,- When the H,.,., fairh unfeignedly, Sptak,_lj.ord, for thyfer· vam heareth ; Teach me to /{now and do thy wiU; God will not lfave fuch a Leamer in the dark. Mofi of the damnable ign!lrance and e,·ror of the world, is from a wic~cdheart, (hat perceiveth that the Truth of God is againH their tldhly iHtcrcft all.dJujl.r, and therefore is unwilling to obey ir, ~nd unwilJing to .believe it, !eH ir torment rhem, becaufe they difobey it. f\ wiU thar's fecrctly poyfoQed with the Love uf tbc world, or of any finful lulls and pleafurcs, is the moll fotrnt impediment to the belitving of the truth. Dirtli• i I· 9· 12 . Diretl. 1 r. Le.mt with quiwu[s and pe.ace in the Schoal o(Chrift, and ~.J~e not divifio~s, ~nJ: meddle nut JPith otbers lrffons and matterJ, but tvzth your own. Sdtn.ce, and qRutnefi, and mmdmg your own bufinefi, is the way to profit. The turbulent TPranglerJ that are quarrelling with others, and are rtligiouJ contentWuflJ', in envy and firi(e, are liker to be corrected or ejeCted, than to be edified. Read Jamer 3· · Direfr. 12• ~- 13· Direcl:. 12· ltemember that the Schuul ufChrij! bath a Rod; and tbmfort learn witbfear and reverence. Heb. 12· 28, 29· Phil. 2· 12. Chrilt will fharply rebuke his own, if they grow negligent and olfend; And if 'he fi10uld cajl thee uut and forfak.! thee, thou art undone for ever. See therefore thatye refufo not IJin• tbat JPeak,!tb: for if they Jcaprd 1101, that rrfufid bilfl that JPalzt on tarth, .'""'" more jha/J mt we, if we refu{e hun that u from Heaven, Heb. 12. 2 5• For how jhall we t{cape, if we 11 eglrCI fo great falvation, wbiciJ at firft bega11 to be Jpok,en by the Lord, and war confirmed t' ur by them that heard bim: God a/fobearing them n·itnrfs botiJ with fignJ aHd nxmdtrJ, and divert miraclu, lllld gifu of the Holy Ghojf~ accor~~ng to IJjJ own wiU. Heb. 2 · 3, 4· Serv~ th~ Lord .the~cfore w~th ftarAJ aud rejeycc with tremhlmg i Kiji the~Son, lrjl be be .:Vtgry, and J OZt ptrijh, nt the Pj11dlmg of /m wtatb. Pial. 2. 11, 12· DIRECT.
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