174. The Life of Faith. v.ry renovation of the foul to his Image, and transforming it into the D".vine Nature, mull be wrought hereby : The thoughts of his Wifdom, muti fi!ence all our contradit ing fol- ly,and bring our fouls to an abfolute fubmiffion and fubjeétion to his Laws : The knowledge of his Goodneß, mutt caufe all true fevirg Goodrich in us, by poffelling us with thehighetl love to. God. The knowledge cf his Power, muti caufe both our confidence, and our fear : And the imprefs of Gods Attributes mutt be his Image on our fouls. It is a common (and true) obfervation of Divines, that in. Scripture, words of God which exprefs his Knowledge,do imply his will and affections : (As his knowing the, way of the righteous, Pfal. 2. 6. is his ap- proving and loving it, &c.) And it is is true, that words of our knowledge ofGod, thould all imply adi9fcìion towards him. It is a grievous aggravation of ungodlincfs, to be a learned ungrdy man : To profef? to know God, and deny him in storks, being abominable and difobedient, and reprobate to t verygood work (though as orthodox and ready ingood words as others.) Titus r. 16. Athought ofGod thould be able to do any thing upon the foul. It thould partakeof the Omnipotency and perfcótión of the bleflcd Objcuct. No creature Ihould be able to ftand before him, when our minds entertain any ferions thoughts ofhim, and converfe withbim. A thought ofGod should annihilate, all the grandurc and honours of the world to as ; and all the pleat-tires and treafures of the flefh, and all the power of temptations : what fervency in prayer ? what tarneltnefs of dcfìre ? what confidenceoffaith? what hatred' of fin ? what ardent love? what tranfporting joy ? what confiant patience thould one ferions thought of God, potter's the believing holy foul with ? If the thing known become as much one with the under= ¡landing, as Notion andother Platonitis thought or if man were fo far partaker ofa kind of deification, as Gibieuf and other Oratorians, and Benediaus.xde Benediiïu, Barbanfon, and other Fanatick Fryers think, Purely the knowledge ofGod fhould raife ut more above our knfitive defires and portions, and make usa more excellent fort of perfons, and it fhould tstakc us more like thofc blcff d fpirits, who know him more than
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