The Life. ofFaith. 169 GOD is both the object of our knowledge, as he is revealed in Nature, and of our Faith, as he is revealed in the holy Scriptures. He is the fir(} and loft objet ofour Faith. It it life eternal to know him the only true God, and Jefies Cbriff whom he bathfent. Te believe in God, believe alfo in me; was Chrifts order in commanding and canting Faith, lob. 14. t. Seeing therefore this is the principal part of Faith (to knots God, and liveupon him, and ro him) I thall give you many (though brief) DireEkionsin it. Dina. 1. Behold the glorious and full demonftrations of the Being of the Deity, in the wholeframe ofnature, and efpecially in your fettles. The great argument from the Effeel to the Caufe, is unß anfwerable. All the caufed and derived Beings in the world, mutt needs have a ftrli Being for their caufe : All Action, In- tellection and Volition ; all Power, Wifdom and Goodin13, which is caufed by another, doth prove that the caufe can have no lets than the total effect hath. To fee the world,and to know what a mau is, and yet to deny that there is a God, is to be mad. He that will not know that which all the world doth more plainly preach, than words can pofliblyexprefs, and will not know thefenfe of his own Being and faculties, doth declare himfelf uncapable of teaching, Pfal. 14. r.. & 49. 12, 20. Ifa. T. 2, 3. It is the greateft thame that mans under- Banding is capable of, to be ignorant of God, r Cor. 15. 34. and the greateft (ham': to any Nation, Hof. 4. r. & 6.6. As it is the higheft advancement of the mind, to know him, and therefore the fumm of all our duty, Prov. 2..5. Hof. 6.6° 2 Chren. 30, 21, 22. Ifa. 11. 9. 2 Pet. 2.2o. Rom. s. 20, 28. Job. 17. 3. Dire. 2. Therefore take not the Being and Perfections of God, for fuperftructures and conclufions, which may be tryed, and made bow to the intereft of other points; but as the greareft, cleareft, furef truths, next to the knowledge of our own Being and Intellection t And that which all other (at leaft, not the pro - per objects of fenfe) muffi be tryed and reduced to. When there is no right method or order of knowledge, there is no true and folidknowledge. It is diffraction, andnot know- z ang,
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