J:Z.o Hmv to efcape Errortr. of your Lovt, you are but ( as our firO Parents ) deceived and defiroyed by a ddirc of fle!hly un– etfctlual knowkdgc. Such lznowkd.~t puffcth up, but ch.rity tdifttb, I Cor. 8. •· To contend for Truth, to the ~ofi of Love, m your fdves, and the deftru8ton of H among others, is bur w choak yc;>ur fclves wnh cx,dlent food, and to imitate that Orthodox Catholick Phyficion , that gloried that he killt:d his Patients fecundum artem, by the r11ofi: accurate method, 'and excellent Rule~ ofArt that men could dye by. DirrO. lOo 9· I I• Direct. 10. Prtttnd 'IM 1rutb azainfl tbe poWer and praDice of GodliJJ.cji. For tbi4 alfo is 1 Tim. 6 3· its prnpl'r End: If ir b.e n.or Truth tbat is according to GodJint{r, it is no truth worthy our fecking or Tir. I.I. contendmg for. And 1f H be contrary to Godlinefs in it felf, it is no truth at all~ Therdore if it 1 1'_i_n. 6 7 • s. be ufed agai~r~Jf GudlincJi, it is ufed contrary to the EHds ofTnuh. Thofe men thatfuppl·efs 01 hin~ 1 lml. · \~: dc:r the means of Knowkdge, and Holinefs, and Concord, and Edification, under pn:tLnce of fe~ l. Per. 1.. 3• & curing, defen~ingor prop~gating.the Orthodox belitf, will find one.day, that God will give them as 3.1 J.}ittlc _!ha_nks _for t~cir blind prepofh:ro~s zeal for t~uth, as_a ten~~r Father ~ou!d do to a Phyficion, that killed hiS Children, becaul, they diiiafied or fptt oat hl5 MediCmes. ft IS utually a pitiful defence 'f Truth, that IS made by the Entmits ofGod.lintfi· Mort near ttnd particHlar Dire{ii.onJ a~•inft Error. Dirtt1. r. 9· 12. Dired:. r. Begin at tht Grer.~ttft, miJft Evident, Certain and Nectjfr~ry 'trutht, and fo procled s" cb.>. 0.3. orderly to tht ~z.,wltdgt of tiJt lifJ, by tht help of tht{t. As you climb by the Body of the Tree un-' to the brcnch~s. If you begin at thofe trutbt, whkh {pring out of grtattr common truths, and' know not rhe premifes, while you plead for the conclufion, you abufe your Reafon and lo{e the Truth and )'OUr labour both; For there is no way to the branches but by alcending from 'the fiock. The1.'1in6pb well laid, mufi beyour help to all y..ur following knowledge. Dirt{l. 2 • ~· I 3· DirtCl. 2· The twofirfl1hint,J which )OU are to learn r.Ste, what m11n· is, r.~ntl what God i1 :' the Nr.~ture and Relation of the trva ParticJ is the firJi thing to be I?Jwwn in order to tiJe Jtnowlrdge of the Cov(nant it {cif, a;:d aU followin~ tran[t{iirms between G!Jd and m;n : One error h..::re wlll introduce • abund.mcc. A rhouf.md other points in N::~.tura\ Philofophy you m1y fcfely be ignorant of ; bur if. UcOrum nQ- y_ou know. not what M<~n i~,.whar R:e<Jfo_n is, what N.Jtural F~te-wiU is, and what rhe infcrioHr fenji– ris tcii igtJve fa-cu\ues are, as to the a Vfls, tt Will lay you open to tnnumerab\e errors. In the Nature of no;c:s & o. man, you muft fee the foxnd.Jtion of his relt~~tionJ unto GOd : And if you know not thofe'Great Re– cum & faci- l..tzionl the duties of which mutt take up all our lives, you may eafily forefee the conlcquems of ~:~ ~1,/'~~: iUc.h ignorance or error.. So if you kn_ow not whit G?d M, and what his Relations t~ us ar~, fo f~r um nomm as ts nc:Ot~.ny ro our l1vmg in the dutlCS ofthofe Relauons, the: confequents of your tgnorance WJil dle , oomt , be fad. lt karm:d men lft: but perverted in rhdr apprehenfions of fOmc one Actribure of God (as etiamfi i~no~ thofe that think his Goudnt[s is nothing bur his Benignity, or pronencfs to do good, or rhat he is ~' f~r~:,';~ a Nccdfa~y agent dojng good ad ult~mum pllffe, &c. ) what abundance of horrid and impious confe~ Cimo 1.T4c.ti. quents WJH follow ? DirtCI. >· 9· '+· Din et. 3· Having [eundly Ultdt,.ftood both thtfe and othtr Principltl ofRtligiolt, try an thefo/;fiNulla erga quent trutbJ hereby, tJnel receive nothing t11 trtttb that it certainly inconfrftent with any of 1he{e prinDeos_ oirras cipln. Even Priuciples, that are not of fwfe, may be difputed (ill thty are wJl r~ceivcd; and with eft, ndi hone· thole that have not received them: But afterward thty are not robe called in qudlion; for thtn you i3'e:r:.~u:me would_ n_ever proceed ~or build higher, if you Hiil fiand quefiioning all your gro_unds. Indtt:d no rneme oprnio truth ts mconfiltent Wlfh any other tmtb : Hur yet when two d.uk or doub•ful pmnts are i:on~pared fit. cicm pro together, it is hard w k110w w.hich of them to rej{'CT. But here if is cafie: Notl1ing that.contradH~tech l'lallc. th~ uue Natureof Gn'd or man, or any Principle mutt be held. • Dirdl. 4· § 1 5· DireCt. 4· Rlieve nothing t'Pbich certainly contradWeth tht End of aU ReUgion. If it be of a natuul or necdTary tendency to ungodlinefs, againfi the Love: of God, or againfi a holy and heavenly mind and converfaJion, it cannor be trutb what ever it pretend. Direlf. 5· 9. 16~ o :relt. 5· Be Jure todijlinguijh weU betwixt rwealed aJJd unrcver.~led tbingJ: And before you I]r difpure any quefiion, fcarch fitll whether the refolution be Revealed or not: And if it be not, lay ir by; and take it as part of your necc:IT:uy fubmiffion, to be ignount of what God would have you ignorant, as it is part of your obedience to J,bour to know what God ~ould have you know. And when fame things unrevtaltd are mixed in the cont~ovedie, t1kl· out thole and lay them by, btfore you . go any fuuhrr, and fee thar the refolurion of 1hc n:fi be not I~ id upon them, nor twilled with them, Job 38 . & 39 . to entangle the whole in uncertainty or confufion. Thus God infirud-'d Jvb, by convincing him of & 40 • & 4 ,. his ignorance, and Chewing him how many rhings were p,(l hisknowkdge. Thu-s Chrifl inJtructed Non ii fumm Nicsdemut about the: work of Regeneration, fo as to let him knowl that though the Ntce!Jity of it qu!bus n~h.•l mujl be known, ytt the manner of the Spirits accttTts to the foul caHiJot be known, J ohn 3· 7,.S. And :f.~~~,;u;~.:fcd Paul in his ~ifcourfe ofEledion, takes notice_of th~ un{e.trchable depthJ, a~d t_he: cr~arures u~tit~efs ii qu 1 omnibus to difpute With God, Rom. 9· When you find any d1fpures about Pr,dcterlllJOJt](.)n or Prcdellmarton vtns falfz rcfolvcd into fuch points as rhe{e: Wheth<r God do by phyfical premoving influx, or by concourfe, or ~luord.lm ~~- by moral opcr~tion utftni!, determine or fpccitic moral acts of man~ Whether a Pofiriv~ Dccre~ qufJad ~~~~~,e~;11.; altum be '.necdfary ro the Negation of clfLd:s, (as that {~tch a onrjluli not ballt grare given him,' or be fin. 1 J 1 ud1nc cohv~rted or favtd; that all the miL'iom of poffiblt perfons namcJ and tbiltf!,l (h"ll nor bef~ettue: ) Wh:u ut &c. Ci:. deVndtrft.mding, w:.w or Power are formaUy in God ? How he kno\Hth fmun· continv,cnts ? wirh ahun~ N«t.Dm. P·7· drcd fuch,like; Then remember that you make: u[e of this rule, and f y wirh A1(eJ, D..:ur. 29· 29. 1ht [tcrtt tbingJ belong to tbt Lord !JUTGod, b1tt lhofething1 th11t ar; revealed, unto m ami to our cJui~ drtn
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