1JireEtians for y9ung Students. though they may tend to your knowledge of Natura/ Good and Evil. And when you think you grow wifeand lea,rnrd men, and can difpllte and talk of many things, which make to your renown, while 1 Tim. 6. 3, your wills cnn{tm not to tbe rvholfom flJords Qf ottr Lord Jeflu Chri{t , omd tbe dc{Jrine whicb is ac 4 4, 5, 6. cording to G9dlinrji; y~u are f~"ud, Ju:orvi1tg. nntbing, h1tt d?t!ng ~bo~et quejlions an4 jlrifrs of word,. rvhertuf .c~rtW~J N~V)', Jlrf[e, rnlmg, tvtl [urmifings, pcrvtr{e diJP.utmgs of.- men of corrnpt minds, fuf>'" pofing t!Jat P;.tm JJ Godlmrfi : from foch tHnf away. As there 15 no k,nowledge but from GtJd fo ic is hot l{.lfowlti(gr but dot.zge if it lead not unto God~ ' DJrel1. 3• §·9· Din.Cl. 3· See tbrrefore that you chonfo all your ftudiet accordiJJg to their twdtnry to God )'OUr en~, a_nd nfe them ftiU under thenotiM .of nteanr, and that y/Ju e{limate your k,.nowltdge by thir End, and Judge your felvtJ tok,_now no more mdecd, than you }{now of God and f or Gud : A11dJO ltt pra{Jicill Divinity be tbe foul of aU your StuditJ. Thenfore, when Life is roo Chart for the Studies of all things which we ddire to know, make fu 1 e of the chief thin~!, and prefer thofe fludies which make moll to )'OUr End; fpend not your time on No! :mt.em things unprofitable to this end: And fpend.not y,Our firft and chief en time OIT'things ~tnnectffary to ir : nee ~ubJto 1 . For the near conn<xion toGod tbt tnd, is it that enoblcth the matrer of yam Hudies. All crue know~ lcl!~~11~~i,Pn~~ ledge lead'S to God ; but not all alike ; theneareft to him is the hen. mediocrem ;i primo tempore a:to.tis ,in eo flu\lio-operam curamque conf11mptimus & cum minime videb:tmur tum maxime philofopheb2mur. ciwa de U!. dcor. p.:zg. S· :; ' Dire{/. 4• jl. IC· Direct._ 4· Remtmb.r that the ~hie[ P"~ of your gron>th in lzno.,./cdge, is not in /znowint. many fmaUer thangs, of 'w necrffity; but tn agrowmg downwards m a clearer znfight mttJ the[tJHnda– tioH of the Chrijiia11 j<Jith, andin t8kjng better Rooting th.m yo1e h.1d at yaur firjf believing; and in growing upward into a greater k.,.nowledge of God, · and into greater Love ~ of him, and heavenly mindcd– ne[1, and thm i1t growing up to greater. skJU and abillty and readinefi ttJ do him fervicr: i 1 z the world. • ~now as much as you can know, of the works of God, and of the.Jangmges and cufioms of the: world: but fiill rernernberthat to khow G0 din Chrij! bett<r, is the growth which you rnufi daily fludy: And when you kt1ow thef1? moll, you have: flill much more need to know bette,r thefe great things, which you k.,now alre<~dy; than to know more thingJ, which you never knew: The Roots of faith may Hill increa[e, and the brancbu and fruit! of Love may be 11ill greater and fweeter ! As long as you live, youmay fiill k._now brtur the Re.t~fim! of your Religion (though nor better Reafon 1); and you may know bettcr how toufe your knowledge. And whatever you know, let it be that you may be kd up to Know God more, or LI'Jvt bim mort, or ferve him better;- SS· Il• DireCt. 5· 1Jiith fear and detcji.lfion w:ztch ar,drefolve, againjt 11U carnal worldly rndJ; and fee that your hearts be 110t c,;plivatcd by your jifjhly interejl ; ttor grow not to a higb ejleem of tbt -plea{urtJ, or profitl or honour I of this world, nor to rclijb a1ry JlcflJ/y accommod:ztions, M very pleaj4nt. anJ 'defirable; bHt that yuw tak,g up with Gad t~nd the hopu ofGlory M your [atiifjing portion, ami foUowChrijf M Croff-bt~Jrtrl, denying your [tlvu, and dead to the world, ar.J rtfol;;cd and prepared ta forfaks aU for his falz!. Dirtli• 5 • 9· 12· Thefe are wordsthat you can eafily [oy your felves: but thefe are tbingt that are fo bardry Je 11 rnt, that many of the moft Lt~trnedand l{ivtrend perifh, for want of being better acquainted wirh them; (And 1 (hall never take that man to be wifely learned, that hath not learnt to {i:ape damna· tlon ) Chrijls Crofs is to be learned before your Alphabet. To impofe the Crofs is quickly learnt. but to learn to bear it is the difficulty. To lay the Cr.ofl on other! js to be the followers of Pi/ate: but to btar it whm it is laidon zu, is to be the followers of Chrift. If you grow corrupted with a love of honour and riches and preferment, and come to the fiudy of Divinity with a flefhly worldly mind and End, you will but f<1vc Satan·while you fecm to be feeking after God, and damn your fouls among the dod:rines and means of falvation, and go to God for marerialsto chain you falter to the Devil, and fleal a nail from Divinity to fallen your ears unto his door. And you hrtle know hmv · JudM'S gain, will gripe arid torment the awakened Confcience! and how the rull: will wicnefs againlt you, and how it will eat y~ur flefh as fire, Jam. 5· 3· iJirel1. 6. .§· 1 3. Dire6t. 6. Digtft aU that you l{now, and turH it into !Joly Habiu, and cxprti thAt {uccefl Primum con~ firft on your {elver, which if you were to Preacb yo1t would cxpdf iJt other!. Remembring that k..,.nor.J– terl~pla~i\'a:: i 11 g ; 1 not the end of I{.Howing; bm it iJ a1 eating · 'to the body, where health, and (irengtb and [trvice ;~~i:~:rum il the end. etl,meditlrt . . . . , ~o!!difce1 e, & Joqumlrl dedtfcere : Pltill St:l/fl,. "flu{ p. 730. ~· If· Every Truth of God is his ca~tdlt which he fets up for you to work.. by; It is as fooil that is for Life and a{/ion. You lofe all the knowledge which endt in lz.nowi<g· To hll your he,,d and common-place-book is not all that you have to do. But to forti tic and quicken and cniLmc your hearts. Good habits are the belt provifion for aPreacher : The habits oi rhc lrlind are bet~e~ than the be£\ library. But if the 'Habits of Heavenry love and life in the heart do not concur, the Heart and life of a Preacher and a ScJ.olar is wanting £\ill, for all your knowledge. Study PaHit words, 1 Cor. 8. t. Knowledge pulfeth up, but eharity edifietb: If he had fa~d that k,.nowledge cdifieth other~, and charity faveth our jetveJ, he would have faid nothing rhat is firange : Bllt ev~?n as to •dificalion charity hath the precedency;
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