270 ~- SAtt11.1r 4Brt#t~ Part It Plc~tfant courje ; and d1at all the Plcafures of the Earth are No~ !hing t? the Pleafures which the Godly find in God, and in a Holy life .: and if any be not of this mind it is becaufe his– f~uls ~ifeafes haye made him an incompetent j~dge.And thatGs.(... imefs IS thePleafa._nt Stateof life, will appe:u to you, r.. From rhe Na turc of the thing it felf. 2 . From the encouragemenrs a·nd helps with which iE is attended. l· From the effects and fruit!. I. The N~tture of Holinefs is to be found, I .tn the Underfiand– ing, 2.In the will and affedions, and 3. In the Pradiccof mens lives.And in all thefc I fhall1hcw you that it is the moftDelightjut · conr[e. . I. Knowledte in it fdf is a plell.[~tt~t thing to humane nature. 1gnGrance is the blindnefs of the foul. It is not fo plut[~tnt· for tne qtto hebold the fnn, as for 'themiNd of man to difcern the. tnnh. To 1(14ow G!7o~ .1nd Evil, had never been the matter o£ fo 1hong aTemptation to Adam, if K~towl.edge had not been very defirll/;le to innocent namre. How hard do m~ny even angodly perfons Hudy to k._now the myfl:eries of N.atHre ?- And nothing :harh mor~ fl:rongly tempted fome wretches to wit,hcraft or c•ntrachwith the Devil, then a defire of k._newing_ n•re'llea/eJ things, which by his means theybanhoped to auain. A fllldi– •Hs.man hath far more nt~tHral valuable De-light., in his rcadin·g and fu"esful fiudies, then ·avelnptH~sts EpicHrt ha1h in his fenfu-_ 111 Dtlights. . Bet it is a fpeci~tl ~i11d of Kno'Wltdge tbat Holinefs doth– ( initially ) confifi in, whi'h tranffcndeth in true Pleafure all thecommon wifdom of the worid : For ~ I. How Ple~~fa14t a thing rnufl: it needs hero k,.nr;w things of fo, highaNillture! Toknowthe Almighty? Li!ing ~od: to be~ ~ flo!d his wifdom, goodncfs and power, 10 hts glo~IOUS WOrks;., to be led whim by all the Creatures, and hear of him by every Providenc.e and find his Holy BleffedName in every leaf of his facrecl word how fweet and pleafant.a thing is,this! ' To know ~JJ:e' DirlncNaturc, Perfons, Attributes, and Will,_to know .the myfiery of the Incarnation, of t_hc perfon, ll~tu~es, under-takm~7 . performanceofthe blelfed Mcd1ator Je~us..Chnft, to , kn~w h1s birth, his life, temprations, conquefls, _hi~ nghteoufncfs, hts hQiy· «:{ochine and example, the Law :tnd ~ro~ufe, the Law ?f Nature.,. "Jld the Covenant of Grace, ,the futfermgs,,Rcfurrcchon, afcen- . · - - fion , :.
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