Contemplations. LIB. I. hehadtafredoftheTreeofKnowledge, he might not tafieoftheTreeofLire. 11 That imrnorcoll food wasnot for amortall fiomack: Yet then did he moll favor tha: invifible TreeofLife, when hewasmofirefirained from theother. 0 Saviour,none but aSinner can rellifh thee: My tafie bath been enough feafonedwith the forbidden frui t, to make it capable ofthy fweecneffe · Sharpen thou as well the fiomackofmy foule by repenting, by bdeeving: fo fballl eare and in defpite ofAda.,Jiveforever. Theone treewas for confirmation; theother'for rryall: onefhewed him what life he fhould have 1 the other what knowledge hefhouldnot defire to have: Alas,he that knewall other things,knew not ibis one thing, that bo knew enough: howDivine aching is knowledge, whereofeven Innohrlcyit ft/f.S ambitious? Satan knewwhat he did: Ifthis bait had been gold,or hondr,dr pleafwe, Man had contemned it: who canhope to avoid error,wben even mani~rfeCl:ion i• B mifiaken? he lookt for fpeculative knowledge, he fhould have lookt for experimenrall : he thought it hadbeen good to know evill: Good was large enough to have perfell:ed hisknowledge, and therein his blelfedneffe. All that God madewas good,and the;Makerofthemmuchmoregood;they good in their kinds, he good in himfelf. It would not content him to knowGod, andhis creatures;his curiofity affell:ed to know that which God never made, cvill offinne, and evill ofdeath,which indeed himfelfemadebydefiring to know them; nowwee knowwell evill enough, and I mart with knowing it. Howdeare bath rhis leffon cofi us,that in fomc cafes it is better to be ignorsnt;and yet doe the fonnes of Eve inherit this faucy appetite of their Grand-mother: Howmany thoufand fouls milcary with theprefomptuou• affell:ation offorbiddeo knowledge ! c OGod, thou haft revealed more then we can know, enough to make us happy, re•ehme afober knowledge, and aconcenred ignorance. Paradifewas made for Man, yet there I fee theSerpent; What marvell is it ifmy corruption find cheferpent inmy cloffet , in my table, in my bed, whenour holy Parentsfound him in themidefr ofParadife? No looner he is entred,but he cempteth· ' hecanno morebe idle,then harmleffe; I doe not fee him at any othertree; heknew therewas no dang~rin the refl,l fee him at the tree forbidden. How true aferpent is he in every point; In hisinfinnationto the place; in hischoifeoftheTree, in his a!fault of theWoman,in hisplaufibleneffe offpeech to avoid terror, in his quefiion ro move doubt, in his reply roworke difirufr, in his protefration offafety, in his fuggefiico to envy and difconreor, in his promifeofgaine! D And ifhe were fo cunning at the firfi,what fhall we think ofhimnow,after fo many thoufand yeores experience?Onelychou(OGod)and thefe Angel5thatfee thy face, are wifer then he;I do not alk why,whenhe left his goodneffe, thoudiddef\not bereave himofhis fkill? Still thou wouldfr have him an Angell, though an evillone: And thou knowefr how to ordaine his craft ro thine own glory; I do not defire thee to abate ofhis fubtilty, bot to make me wife; Letme begit without prefumption, makemewifer then Ad•m: even thine image which he bore made him not (through his owneweakeneffe ) wife enough to obey thee; thou otreredefi him all Fruits, and refirainede!rbut one; Satan offered him but one, and rcfuained ~or cherell: when he cboferather to be at Satans feeding , then thine, itwas jufr with thee to rurne himout ofthy gateswith acurl<: ; why fhouldefi thoo feed a l\.ebell at thine E owneboard? And yet we cranfgreffed~ily and thou fhutteft not heaven againfi us:how is it that we find more mercy thenour fore-father ? His lireogth is worthyoffeverity, our weakne!le finds pitty. ThatGod,fromwholeface hefled in the Garden,nowmakes himwith fhame to fly out oftheGarden : thofe Angels that 010uld have kept him, nowkeep the gatesofParadife againfi him; It is not fo ealie to recoverhappineffe, aseo keep it, orleefe it: Yea the fame caufe that draveMan from Paradife, hathalfo withdrawn Paradi!e from theWorld. That fiery I word did not defend it againfl thofewaters wherewith the finnes of men drowned theglory ofchatplace: oeithernowdoe I care eo leek where that Paradifewas, which we loft : I knowwhere that Paradife is, which weemufr care to feeke
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