What Selfifhnefs andSelf-denyal are at the Root, and all things in God as they conduced to the Love and Ser- vice of God, and were fuitable to his fiate then when he tur- ned his mind from God, and fell to ftudy the creature in it fell, and for himfelf, as Good or Evil to himfelf,and fo loft him- felf and his underftanding in a crowd of unneceffary and mif- ufed objects : Like a foolifh Patient that having a moll judi- cious and faithfull Phyfitian that will take careof his health, and provide him the bell and fafeft remedies, dothgrow to an eager defire to be acquainted binsfelf with the nature ofeach medicine and to be skilful! in the cure of his own difeafe,that he may unit his Phyfitian no longer, but may be his own Phyfitian : and therfore hearkneth to a feducer that tells him [The Phyfitian doth but keep thee in ignorance, left thou fhouldft be as wife as he, and able to cure or preferve thyfell: hearken to me, and I will teach thee to know all thefe things thy felf , and fo thou nsaill take care of thy fell.] So man was feduced by Satan to withdraw himfelf from the fatherly care of God, by a defire binsfelf to be wife for himfelf in the knowledge of all that in the creature which might be directlygood or evil to himfelf, fo taking on him- /elf the work of God, and calling off the work that God had let him, and withdrawinghimfelf fromhis neceffary dependence on his Maker. And accordingly much ofthis NA& loop/edge of the creature he did attain: but with the wofull lois of the Divine knowledgeofthe creature,andofthe filial foul-contenting know- ledge of God : vett and of himfelf, as in his due fubordination to God. This teems the fence of this text,and this is the cafe of fain mankind. Naturally now every man would fain have his fafety and Comforts in his own hand. He thinks them not fo lure and well in the hand ofGod : 0what would a carnal man give that he had but his life and health in his ownhand, and might keep them as long as he law good I Whenhe is poor, he had rather it were in his hand to fupply his wants, then in Co )s ; for he thinks it would go better with him. When he is tick, he had far rather it were in his awn hand to cure him, then in Godi, for then he fhouldbe lure of it. If he be in any ftrait, he c7nnot be con tent with a bare promife for his deliverance ; hot unlets he fee force probability in the means, and work , and wallet's he be ac- C 2 quaint. I I
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