116 / 808
Ioq.
Ephefianr,Ghap.r.
V
E:)IL
.8.
Chriftians
f
If F
h'
hl
child
aged
old
Ch
'í
h
f
Yfe
2.
yfe 3.
have received (aa) knowledge,
in
regard
of
thofe who
are
more
im-
peded
;
as
there
are force
ri
more carnal!, weake, then others,
o
moreignorant
alb.
or
as
t is eart y underftanding
is
not
in
that
degree
in
a
or
young man,
as it
is
in
an
:
So when there
are
babes, young men,
men
in
rt
,
t ere
is a
mea ure
in
wifdome
anfwerableto thefe ages,
as
it
were
in
Chrift
;
but Saint
Paul here
fee-
meth to
fet
this downe, fo
as
it
may admit
a
common application,rather
then
otherwife.
Seeing then that
God doth
give
wifdome plentifully
toal,to
whom
he
giveth pardon of
fin; how
fearful!
is
their
eftate,who
even feeme
to
flie
from
knowledge!
Some thinke
ita
dangerous thing
to knowmuch;
they
will live
without
laving
light, rather then
difquiet
their
fleepe;
force hope
if
they
be
butbaptized,and
can
their praiers,Creede,and that
men muff
love God above all,their neighbours
as
themfelves,they think
they know enough,and who
can teach
them more !
Nay,
even
in
thefe
daies
of
light, force will
fpeake as
if
they
would bring people to the
old
implicite faith
:
Some are fo without underftanding,
that
if
you
aske
them
any common
queftion,they are ready to put
it
offthey are
not
book
-
learned
:
aske
them
a
reafon
of
that
they doe, they
have
nothing buta
childifhimitation;
they [eeothers
doe
f
;
they putofunderftanding more
fully,
as
ifit
were
a
thing appropriated
to
our coate. Sufpeet
your
felves.
1
While the
darkneffe
of
night abideth,who
will
thinkthe
Sunne
is rifen
!
and
how
can
the
Sunne
of
righteofneffe
be
rifen
in
thy
heart ,
who
(till
doff
remaine
in fo
great
darkneffe
! Some cry out
againft
much
know-
ledge,they fay,men lived
better when
leffe
was
knowne;as
if
they
would
fet
that
on
föote againe,
that
ignorance
is she
mother
of
devotion
;
orwere
of
the mind, that
men
might
have
too
much
of
their heavenly fathers
bleffing.;Finally, fuch
as
upbraid
Chrilians,
counting
it
pride
in
them
to
take
upon them knowledge
in
the Scriptures,orjudgement
in
the
parti-
cularities
ofdivinitie.
Let
us
feeke
to
God
for wifdome,
feeing he will
give plentifully,
even that annointing which
(hell
teach
us
all neceffary
things
:
As God
hath not
fet any
certaine degree
of
fanâification,which
fhall ferve
us
for
falvation;fo
he
bath not hinted
us
to
any certaine
degree
of
knowledge,
but would have
us
feeke
to
be
filled
with
all
knowledge
and wifdome,
as
he would have
us
flrive
to
perfeEtion
of
holineffe
:
Wherefore
though
we fee
but things,
as
the blinde mandid when now he
was
rclored,
yet
we
neede
not
be difmaied while we
hive
to
make
proceeding.
We
take
great
paines
to get the knowledge ofearthly things,
and we efteeme
it
as
a
great benefit
to
have
infight into earthly matters,
which
belong
to
our
elates
;
but what
is
it
to havethis
underftanding
in
the
things
which concerne our heavenly
conditionithe
rather let
us
feeke,becaufe
God
will heare
us
gracioufly. He who anfwered
Solomon, feeking
politike
wifdome, and granted him above
all he
did thinke and
aske
;
what would hedoc
to
us, wereour hearts
fct
to beg heavenly
under-
handing
.'
This
muff comfort us,
who
have
received our
part
in this heauenly
wifdome.