on the 119.7'%Ime. 511 Thiscánnot bee peel-waded to the carnal! man,but tovs that haue the knowledge of God, it ought to becertaine : andweemutt trie ourheartswhether this beour delireto hue,thatwe may keepe Gods word. Many men doe fpeake this, and fingthis; yet few in heart doe this : therefore ifwe be thus minded,wemutt (hewit by referringall our doings toGods glorie, which wee (hall then doe, whenweemeafure all our doings by the word. t. Therefore Paul (Rom.4.and Phil.z.) defiretb not life,but that bemay beioyned to Chrilt: . All other religion is ofno effe&,tillthis principal end be inour harts; forno man canhaue two endsof his life, as tocome to preferment, and tobefatted : but this mutt beoncly the end,thacwe mightbeioynedtoChrift. Hedefirethnottoknow ,buttokeepe,whicl. pre- fuppofeth knowledge : wee are here then prouoked to praaife, and notto relt inknow- ledge,buttolabourto doe that weknow. Andthis is the caufe why theyofthéòldTelta- mentdefired longer life,that they might finifhthat onely which theyhad to doe, atfilch time as they felt tome fignes ofGods difpleaftire, andhad not fuf ciently tailed ofGods fauour : fowe,if wecannot finde aff.uranceof theforginenes of finnes,thenlet Vs delre to hue : but whenweare cotne to this, that withPaulwecan fay, banefinifbedmy tourfe with s.Tiai.4.1, ioy,then will the childrenof God be readie todye. Many therebe that baue neithercare of lifenordeath,and althoughthey fede and feefignes ofGods difpleafure,yet theyare not mooed; but the children of Godknow, that is is bettertobe a lining'dogge,than a dead lyon. And feeing by theireuill lifethey Ilene difhonoured God, they would beMy- full to purchafe foine praife tohiin by their holy coruerfation. Fle knoweth hisgreat vnabilitie todoe good, and therefore defireth it of God. It is not inour choiceto doegoodor euill,for then this prayer had been in vaine : bee knew that this was not in him tokeepeGodsword ; and therefore inthenext verle bee delrech that hiseyesmight beopened: wherehe acknowledgeth,tliat hehadnot fomuch asthe know- ledgeofGods word in himfelfe;therforehewas fate from yeelding fuch obediencethere - vnto,as the Lord requireth. He defiretb nowto vnderftand, whichgoeth before praatle, and is teller than ic,andyet it.is themeans to come topra&ife. And ifweecannot vnder- ftand it without fpeciallgráce,then much lefts can we praaifeit.Many ofvs in iudgeuient doe hatePapifts,yetin praaifeweeare fuck,feeingweedoe many things without prayer, and the knowledge of Gods word. Knowledge goeth beforepraaife,and therefore many iu vainedoe fay thatthey keepe the word,when they labournot to kfiow it. Vent8.0pen mine eyes,that mayfee thewandersofthy Law. _ THisis the taufe whymany fall into errors, becaufe that they telling in that, which 1 they haue conceiued in their otane braille, and haueheardor learned of others, and in themeantwhileneuerlookingtobet augitbyGodsfpiritfwhentheyfee .theirtea- chersfall away,ihen doe they fall away alfo,becaufe their ground is gone.So many there- foreas loue to abideftedfaftin the truth,and neuerto beremoued therefrom, let themne- uer reft, neither inthat theyconeeiue of tiseinfelues, neither in thewords and doarineof men; but let themalwaies by prayer cranethat the Lord by hisfpirit may inliru& them : and this iftheydoe,the Lord will not turne them away emptie, but will fo.leafon their heartsby his fpirit, thatthougha thoufandfall away ontbeone fide, and tenne thoufand on theother,yet(hall they continue ftedfaftto the end. The caufewhy webaue fo greatneedetopray,is let downe,when hecalleththe things, contained in the word,wondert AndPurely ifmtquitiebeamylterie,as the Apoftle calletli . it,then much more is thelaw ofGod.Yet fo itis not vntoal,for theProphet in this Plulme faith,that thevery entrance intoGods word giuethlight to the fimple.An d Plat88.when he had called theword parables, he faith, that fathers mutt teachthemto their children : and weeknow thatthe things which fathersinuft teach to their children,oughttobe very tatieand plaine.The word then isfaid to be full ofrnyfteries orparables to all thofe,whofe .. eyes the Lordbathnot inlightened, and whole hearts Ilebathnot touched by his 1pirit. Butasfor themwho are beloved ofGod,andwhom theLord beftowethhis(pint uponfoe theirdireaion,thofe haue aneaße entrance into his word,and they doebehold the myfte- X 4 sea
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