Unnecepry Knowledge and Delight therein. 169 moil. So that when they are reading the fame books, and ftu. dying the fame fubjeds, they are upon quite different works, as having contrary ,ends in all their fludies : the one is content with barelpeculatton and aery knowledge which puffeth up 3 and the other ftudieth and knoweth practically to feed the holy fireof love in his heart, and to guide, and quicken, and ftrengthen him for obedience. 3. Moreover there is a difference commonly in the fabjeet which they molt defire to know : for though there is no truth but a wicked man may know, which a true Chriftian knoweth, and alfo h)at few truths but 'what he may for felfifh ends be defirous to know yet ordinarily a carnal heart is much more forward toRudy common fciences then Divinity; and inDi- vinity tb Rudy leaft the practical part, and to be molt inpoints that exercife the brain, and lie further from the heart : but the fandifiedman delighteth moll in knowing the inyfterie of Redemption, the riches of grace, the glory which he hopeth for, the nature and will of God, the way of duty, the tem- ptations that are before him, and his danger by them, and the way to efcape, with fuch other ufeful truths which he mull live upon. One feeds but upon the air and chaffof words and notions, or common truths ; and the other is taken up with the molt fpirltual, heavenly and neceffary matters : yea it is not fo much the truth as the matter or thing revealed b it which the Chriftian looks after : it is notonly tounderftand the meaning of the Scripture ; but to find, and love, and en- joy that God, that Chrift, that Spirit, that Life which is re- vealed in thole wordsof Scripture ; but the hypocrite fticks mat in'a Grammatical fuperficial kind of knowledge. 4. Moreover, Carnal love of knowledge doth draw the foul from God to the creature : it is fell anci, the creature that is fought after in it and therefore the more fuch know- ledge, the'lurther fromGod. This was Adeom temptation and fin, to defire to know good and evil for himfelf, fo that lie might have lefs need to live in an implicite belief of God, and dependance onhim, but might be acquainted what was good and evil for himfelf, that he might truft himfelf, and live to himfelf : But fpiritual knowledge carrieth us fomfelf. 5. Carnal
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