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they ought not to have done, and left undone the things they ought to have done. They have finned against that divine light of knowledge, which God has given them: they have grieved his fpirit; and that difmal fentence has been executed, In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou fhalt die. That is, when thou doft the thing which thou oughtest not to do, thou shalt no more live in my favour, and enjoy the comforts of the peace of my fpirit: which is a dying to all those innocent and holy defires and affections which God created man with, and he becomes as one cold and benumbed; infenfible of the love of God, of his holy spirit, power, and wisdom, of the light and joy of his countenance, and the evidence of a good confcience, and the co-witnefling and approbation of God's Holy Spirit.

6. VI. So that fallen Adam's knowledge of God ftood no more in a daily experience of the love and work of God in his foul, but in a notion of what he once did know and experience which being not the true and living wisdom that is from above, but a mere picture, it cannot preserve man in purity; but puffs up, makes people proud, high-minded, and impatient of contradiction. This was the state of the apoftate Jews before Chrift came; and has been the condition of apostate Christians ever fince he came their religion ftanding, fome bodily performances excepted, either in what they once knew of the work of God in themselves, and which they have re

⚫ Gen. ii. 17.

volted from; or in an hiftorical belief, and an imaginary conception and paraphrafe upon the experiences and prophecies of fuch holy men and women of God, as in all ages have deferved the ftile and character of his true children.

§. VII. As fuch a knowledge of God cannot be true, fo by experience we find, that it ever brings forth the quite contrary fruits to the true wifdom. For as this is first pure, then peaceable, then gentle, and easy to be intreated; fo the knowledge of degenerated and unmortified men is first impure: for it came by the commiffion of evil, and is held in an evil and impure confcience in them, that difobey God's law, and that daily do thofe things which they ought not to do; and for which they ftand condemned before God's judgment-feat in the fouls of men: the light of whose presence searches the most hidden things of darkness, the moft fecret thoughts, and concealed inclinations of ungodly men. This is the fcience, falfly fo called: and as it is impure, fo it is unpeaceable, crofs, and hard to be intreated; froward, perverfe, and perfecuting; jealous that any fhould be better than they, and hating and abufing those that are.

. Vill. It was this pride made Cain a murderer it is a fpiteful quality; full of envy and revenge. What! Was not his religion and worship as good as his brother's? He had all the exterior parts of worship; he offered as well as Abel; and the offering of itself James iii. 17.

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• Gen. iv. 8.

might be as good: but it seems the heart that offered it, was not. So long ago did God regard the interior worship of the foul. Well, what was the confequence of this difference? Cain's pride ftomached it: he could not bear. to be outdone by his brother. He grew wrathful, and refolved to vindicate his offering by revenging the refufal of it upon his brother's life and without any regard to natural affection, or the low and early condition of man, kind, he barbarously dyed his hands in his brother's blood.

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§. IX. The religion of the apoftatized Jews did no better; for, having loft the inward life, power, and fpirit of the law, they were puffed up with that knowledge they had; and their pretences to Abraham, Mofes, and the promises of God, in that frame, ferved only to blow them up into an infufferable pride, arrogancy, and cruelty. For they could not bear true vifion, when it came to vifit them; and entertained the meffengers of their peace as if they had been wolves and tigers.

§. X. Yea, it is remarkable, the false prophets, the great engineers against the true ones, were ever fure to perfecute them as false; and, by their intereft with earthly princes, or the poor feduced multitude, made them the inftruments of their malice. Thus it was, that one holy prophet was fawn afunder, another stoned to death, &c.: So proud and obftinate is falfe knowledge, and the afpirers after it; which made holy Stephen cry out, Ye ftiff-necked and uncircumcifed in heart an

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car, ye refift the Holy Ghoft; as did your fathers, fo do ye.

§. XI. The true knowledge came with the joy of angels, finging, Peace on earth, and good-will towards men: the falfe knowledge entertained the message with calumnies: Christ muft needs be an impoftor; and that muft prove him fo, to wit, his power of working of miracles; which was that which proved the contrary. They frequently fought to kill him; which at last they wickedly accomplished. But what was their motive to it? Why, he cried out against their hypocrify, the broad phy-. lacteries, the honour they fought of men. To be fhort, they give the reason themselves in these words; If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: that is, he will take away our credit with the people; they will adhere to him, and defert us; and fo we shall lofe our power and reputation with the multitude.

f. XH. And the truth is, he came to level their honour, to overthrow their Rabbiship, and by his grace to bring the people to that inward knowledge of God, which they, by tranfgreffion, were departed from; that fo they might fee the deceitfulness of their blind guides, who by their vain traditions had made void the righteoufnefs of the law; and who were fo far from being the true doctors, and lively expounders of it, that in reality they were the children of the devil, who was a

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proud liar, and cruel murderer from the beginning.

§. XIII. Their pride in false knowledge having made them uncapable of receiving the fimplicity of the gospel, Chrift thanks his Father, that he had hid the mysteries of it, from the wife and prudent, and revealed them to babes. It was this falfe wisdom fwelled the minds of the Athenians to that degree, that they defpifed the preaching of the apostle Paul, as a vain and foolish thing. But that apoftle, who, of all the reft, had an education in the learning of thofe times, bitterly reflects on that wifdom, fo much valued by Jews and Greeks; Where, fays he, is the wife? Where is the fcribe? Where is the difputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" And he gives a good reason for it, That no flesh should glory in his prefence. Which is to fay, God will stain the pride of man in falfe knowledge, that he should have nothing on this occafion to be proud of: it should be owing only to the revelation of the Spirit of God. The apoftle goes further, and affirms, That the world by wisdom knew not God: that is, it was fo far from an help, that, as men ufe it, it was an hindrance to the true knowledge of God. And in his first epiftle to his beloved Timothy, he concludes thus: O Timothy! keep that which is committed to thy truft, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppofitions of fcience, falfly fo called. This was the fenfe of Mat. xi. 25. 1 Cor. i. 20. Ver. 29. kVer. 21. Tim.~*

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