·''to know God. DDllr. .. 32 The .fir/l Commmdement. - wee haue the{e things in our heart§, then God b~ares the fway tl1ere, and is -the chiefe commander ofour foules and bodies.And firfl ofknowlcdge: This Commandement en• ioyneth eucryman to knowe God,accordingas hee hath re– uealed himfelfe in his word,both ineffcnce,perfons,proper.. ties and actions:andaccording rot-his knowledge to eom· pofeall hisa6Hons.As Chrit\ faith, This u etrrNallife,tok_no~ thu,andwhom thouhaftfent,leflu Chrt/1. Hee tha~ knoweth God in Chrifl, hath the life ofgrace in him J which is calle.d etcrnalllife,becaufe though it hath it beginning in this life, yet it fhall neuer ceafe, but incrcafe to an euerlafling plCrfe· cHon. For ifanie one doe thus knowGod, how can bee choofehue louc him,and trufl in him,and fearehim,and doe euery thing that hee comtnaundeth?Pfo/m.9.Io.Thoft that k._nowe thy nam~will truft. in thee. So that the caufe whymen put their confidecc inGod,is for that theybehold his power, . truth,iu{Hce,and al-fufficiencie: and thefe will neither put their confidence inany mean~s,how lawfull foeuer, nor yet fall to them that are vnlawfull. As for others that doe not knowe him, they ·trull in the meanes when theyh3ue them, and murmure againfl God, when they bee depriuedofthem: r. (hronicles,z8. 9· Dauid faith toSalomon,MySonne,k.powe thouthe GodofihyFathers, andforue him<tvith an vpright heart,anda~illing minde. This is the ground-work ofall religion, and the foundation of rrue p~etie,to knowe God: for till wee knowhim, wee can neu~r yeddany faithfull feruice to him. Whereas whofo– euer knowes God aright, that hee fearcheth into the heart and fecret imaginations of the foule, will takeheed how bee doth diffe":lble, ~nd therefore hee will firiue to get an vpright heart, and hee will ferue God with a will'ing mind. For why doe men fo willingly ferue great perfo– nages, and are readie to irnploy themfelues in their bufi– neife~? but becaufe they thinke, that hence they fi1all haue hon~mr,andcredit,as a rewardof theirferuices. Ifthen wee did faithfully confider, that God giueth fuch excellent wa:. g~s,as that 110 man cangiue the like (for what d.oth.hee not bcfiow on them t!_J~t feare hin1? He giues. them his Sonnhcr, · -e
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