that place imports a not giving the mollifying Graces of Faith and Repentance and withal a permission of final sin in the Reprobate for it is set in opposition to that mercy which bestows those mollifying Graces and thereby prevents final sin in the Elect. 3. It purposes to punish them with Eternal Damnation for their sin and this is stiled among Divines Pre-damnation or Positive Reprobation And hence Reprobates are said to be vessels of wrath Rom. 9. 22. made for the day of Evil Prov. 16. 4. and of old ordained to condemnation Jude Ver. 4. in the Original we have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of old fore-written or registred to this condemnation forewritten not as some would have it in Scripture-prophecies but in the Eternal Decree of God the ordained Event whereof is notably pointed out by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text. To say that men are fore-written in a Decree to condemnation is very proper but to say that they are forewritten in a Prophecy to condemnation is very incongruous for a prophecy is of an Event and not to it as a Decree is In that place where 't is said that Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 3. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports not a Decree but a setting forth or lively painting out of Christ for there is no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at all as in the former Text but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to whom before the eyes Jesus Christ was set forth But the plain meaning of the former Text is they were decreed to this condemnation viz. to spiritual Judgments which the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 specially points at and by consequence to Eternal Damnation also Now touching this Triple act of Reprobation I shall enquire 1. Who is the Author thereof 2. What are the things decreed therein 3. To whom those things are decreed 4. What is the Impulsive Cause thereof 1. Who is the Author thereof Even the same great God who is the Author of Election he who chuses some passes by others he who hath mercy on some hardens others Grace and Glory are at his dispose the Keys of Heaven and Hell are in his hands alone In some he prevents final sin by the mollifying Graces of Faith and Repentance others he leaves to final sin actual or at least original Some he raises up out of the Hell of their Corruption into an Heaven of Glory others he tumbles down from one Hell to another from the Hell of Iniquity to the Hell of Misery This is the Almighty Potter who out of the same lump of corrupted Mankind makes one Vessel to honour and another to dishonour and all the while the earthen Pitcher must not strive with his Maker or say Why hast thou made me thus but rather hasten down into the Abyss of his own Nullity and Pravity and from thence adore the infinite heights of Sovereignty and Equity in the Divine Decrees 2. What are the things decreed therein These I shall consider according to the Triple Act thereof 1. As for the first Act of Preterition or Non-election the thing decreed is the not giving of Grace and Glory to the Reprobates 1. 'T is the not giving of Grace unto them Not that there is a preterition of them as to all kind of Grace for Reprobates may be Children of the kingdom Matth. 8. 12. called to the marriage-supper Matth. 22. 12. and coming may eat and drink in Christ's presence Luk. 13. 26. they may be enlightned and partakers of the holy Ghost and taste the good word of God and the powers of the world to come Hebr. 6. 4 5. and which is a very high expression they may be said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to believe in the name of Jesus Joh. 2. 23. But that there is a preterition of them as to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those better things which accompany and by a near contiguity touch upon Salvation Heb. 6. 9. as to such a precious Faith Love in incorruption Holiness of truth Repentance unto life real and thorough Conversion as are found in the Elect. There is not then a preterition as to all kind of Grace no nor all kind of preterition as to saving Grace for God doth will the Conversion of Reprobates in a double manner 1. God wills their Conversion Voluntate simplicis complacentiae Conversion even in a Reprobate would make joy in Heaven it would be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grateful and well-pleasing to God if we believe him swearing by his life his pleasure or delight is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the wicked mans turning Ezek. 33. 11. God delights in his Image where-ever it be 2. God wills their Conversion Voluntate virtuali vel ordinativâ Mediorum for the right understanding whereof I shall lay down four things 1. The proper end and tendency of all means is to turn men unto God within the Sphere of the Church such is the end and tendency thereof Why did Christ come but to turn every one from his iniquities Acts 3. 26 Why did he preach but that his hearers might be saved Joh. 5. 34 Why did the Apostle warn and teach every man but to present every man perfect in Christ Col. 1. 28 John's Baptism was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 3. 11. Church-censures were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 10. 8. Even the delivering to Satan was for the destruction of the flesh 1 Cor. 5. 5. Conversion is the true Centre of the Means Nay without the Sphere of the Church the true end and tendency of things is such that God might be seen in every creature Rom. 1. 20. Sought and felt in every place Acts 17. 27. Witnessed in every showre Acts 14. 17. Feared in the sea-bounding sand Jer. 5. 22. Humbled under in every abasing providence Dan. 5. 22. Turned to in every judgement Amos 4. 11. In a word the end and tendency of all God's works is that men might fear before him Eccl. 3. 14. The whole World is a great Ordinance at it is in it self preaching forth the power and goodness of God who made it and as it is the unconsumed Stage of so many crying sins preaching forth the clemency and mercy of God who spares it and dashes it not down about the sinners ears All the goodness and forbearance of God leads men to repentance Rom. 2. 4. That piece of Gospel Whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall have mercy seems legible in his patience for it may be naturally and rationally concluded That that God who in his clemency spares men though sinners will in his mercy pardon them when repenting and returning This is the true duct and tendency of his patience even that men might turn and repent 2. The tendency of the Means to Conversion is such that if men under the administration thereof turn not unto God the only reason lies within themselves in their own corrupt hearts If God purge and men are not purged 't is because there is lewdness in their
three Reasons 1. Because he fulfilled his Active Obedience not merely for himself but mainly for us he was our Surety and so received the Obligation of Obedience on himself Hence he would be baptized because it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it became him to fulfil all righteousness Mat. 3. 15. it became him not as for himself for he was the spotless Lamb and needed no Baptism at all he could baptize with the holy Ghost and needed no Water-baptism but it became him as our Surety to be subject to Gods command even in this And so in all other his Active Obedience For the impletion of the Law was by God translated upon him What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us Rom. 8. 3 4. Here all the Obligations of the Law are cast upon Christ as our Surety we could not satisfie for our sins Christ did it we could not fulfil Righteousness Christ did it But you 'l say this place only concerns his Passive Obedience for it speaks of condemning Sin and that was done in his Passive only I answer that this place extends to all Christs Obedience Active as well as Passive and this seems clear by the first and last part of the words compared together the first are What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh and what was that Could it not curse the Sinner Yes undoubtedly And here the flesh that is Sin was the strength of the Law but for want of perfect Obedience it could not give life Gal. 3. 21. and here the flesh that is Sin was the weakness of the Law Now Christ the Power of God came to supply this weakness but how doth he do it The latter words tell us Sin was condemned in his flesh that is his humane Nature and it was condemned there not only by his Passive Obedience but by his Active too Every Act thereof did as it were sit in judgment on Sin even as every knock of Noah on the Ark condemned the old World Sin was so condemned that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us the Law hath its rightful demands one whereof is perfect Obedience the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us that is for us in our stead and room Wherefore Christ's Active Obedience being fidejussorial and on our behalf must needs be part of the Price But you 'l say Christ's Active Obedience was not fidejussorial for it was the debt of his humane Nature as a rational Creature and therefore being due as for himself it could not be paid down as for us I answer that Christ's humane Nature was but a Creature and so its Will could not possibly be supreme but indispensably subject to the Will of God yet nevertheless his Active Obedience was paid down for us and was part of the Price and this will appear if we view it in these four particulars 1. As to the Spring of it 't was freedom his humane Nature was necessarily subject to the Will of God but it was freely assumed into the Person of God Christ as Man was bound to the Law but as God was not bound to become Man As he freely took a Body with its circumscriptive dimensions so he freely took a Soul with those legal Obligations which are as it were the moral Circumscriptions of it he freely assumed the Humanity and with it all incident Duty 2. As to the Circumstances of it 't was unobliged Christ was bound by the Law as Man but he was not bound to perform it in such a debased manner for such a space of Time in such a place as Earth unless as our Surety for he might have carried up the humane Nature into Heaven in the first instant of its Assumption 3. As to the end of it 't was for us it points at the same end with the humane Nature to which it was incident As he was made Man for us to us a Son is born Isai. 1. 9. 6. so his Active Obedience was for us Hence the Apostle joins both these together he was made of a woman made under the Law and then superadds as the end common to both that he might redeem us Gal. 4. 4 5. 4. As to the Value of it 't was infinite a finite Righteousness may serve for its single performer but Christ's Righteousness stamped with his Deity amounts to an infinite Sum enough for himself and a World besides Hence the very same Righteousness is Christ's Rom. 5. 18. and ours too 1 Cor. 1. 30. St. Bernard sweetly expresses it Domine memorabor Justitiae tuae solius ipsa est enim mea nempe factus es mihi tu justitia à Deo nunquid mihi verendum nè non una ambobus sufficiat Non est pallium breve quod non possit operire duos Justitia tua in aeternum me te pariter operiet quia largiter larga aeterna Justitia To sum up all in one word though Christ as Man were under the Law yet his active Obedience performed in an humane Nature freely assumed and in a way as to that Nature unobliged perioding in our Redemption and elevated into a kind of Infinity by his Deity was paid down for us and was part of the Price 2. Because Christ's whole Obedience Active as well as Passive being fulfilled for us makes us righteous before God famous is that place Rom. 5. 19. As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous But you 'l say the Passive Obedience is only meant there but if so why doth the Apostle oppose it to Adam's Actual Disobedience and why doth he say Obedience in general and when he says so who may pare off ought and say it was not all but some Why doth he call it Christ's righteousness Ver. 18 and where are his Sufferings alone so stiled in Scripture or what is so properly such as his Active Obedience Nay further he speaks of such a Righteousness as brings justification of life Ver. 18. The Promise of life was Do this and live and Christ's Active Obedience fully answered the terms of it wherefore Christ's Active Obedience is within this Text and jointly with the Passive makes us righteous and consequently is part of the Price But here it will be objected That if Christ obeyed the Law for us so as to make us righteous then we need not obey it in our own Persons To which I answer two things 1. This Argument presses as much upon those that are for his Passive Obedience only as upon those that are for his Active also for they assert that the Passive alone purges away all sin as well of Omission as Commission and consequently makes us as Righteous before God as if we
is most apparent that all Beings must be from the chief Being all Truth from the first Truth all Goodness from supreme Goodness all Numbers from perfect Unity and all Ranks and Orders from infinite Wisdom and this chief Being first Truth supreme Goodness perfect Unity and infinite Wisdom can be no other than God alone But if this satisfie not you may yet further see God's glorious Immensity in the vast capacious Heavens his invariable Immobility in the unmoveable Earth his Faithfulness in the great Mountains his unsearchable Judgments in the great Deep his dreadful Justice in the devouring Fire his wonderful Omniscience in the Sun the rouling Eye of the World his transcendent Beauty in the Varnish of the Light the plain foot-steps of the Eternal Power and Godhead in every Creature and the glorious impress of his own Image and Likeness in Men and Angels Thus the very Creatures themselves tell us that their beginning was from God 3. Their beginning was from God as a free Agent and according to his own Decree for either God did produce them naturally and necessarily or else freely and voluntarily Not naturally and necessarily for then he should produce things ad extremum virium and so besides these Beings produce all the possible Beings producible by his glorious Omnipotence all the possible Orders and Congruities contrivable by his unsearchable Wisdom all the possible Goodness effluxive out of his infinite Goodness and all the possible Numbers which his infinite Unity can bring forth into being and produce them all as early as Eternity it self and all of them so produced must be necessary Beings as well as God himself in all which many great contradictions are involved Wherefore it remains that he did produce them voluntarily and according to his own Decree the Will of God was the first Mover in this great Work 'T is true that the World is as Damascene stiles it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a kind of Redundance of God's infinite Goodness but not a drop of this Goodness runs out ad extrà but by his good pleasure 'T is true that there is the various and admirable Wisdom of God in this Work but that Wisdom shews forth never an Order or Rank of Being unless it be taken into the divine Decree and so become the counsel of his Will according to which he worketh all things 'T is true that the Eternal Power and Godhead are clearly seen in the Creation but these had never shewed themselves at all if the divine Will had not spoken the word God made all things by the word of his power that is the divine Will eternally expressed to the divine Power what Beings it should produce in time 'T is true that all the numbers and hosts of Beings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they flow from him who is perfect Unity but not in the way of natural Necessity but of his free Decree Qui dicit Quare Dous fecit coelum terram Respondendum est ei quia voluit qui autem dicit Quare voluit majus aliquid quaerit quà m est Volunt as Dei nihil autem majus inveniri potest When the Psalmist made that general summons to the Angels Heavens Sun Moon Stars Waters Dragons Deep Fire Hail Snow Vapours Wind Trees Beasts Cattel creeping Things flying Fowl even all the hosts of Nature to sing praises to their great Makes he added this as the supreme Reason of all he commanded and they were created Psal. 148. 5. Sermo Dei Volunt as est Opus Dei Naeturae est Unto whatsoever his Will speaks a fiat it comes forth into being but if that be silent not the least Atom can appear The Egyptian Magicians cannot produce so much as the shadow or counterfeit semblance of a Louse but as men mazed and nonplus'd they are forced to cry out This is the finger of God Exod. 8. 19. And what these wicked Atheists mutter out touching this poor Creature upon the rack of Conviction that the Catholick Church confesses touching all the World in a triumphant Gratulation The Twenty four Elders in the name of all Saints falling down and worshipping before the Throne of the Everliving God cry out Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Rev. 4. 11. O thou divine Will thou art worthy to be adored in the Angels above and Men below in the Luminaries of Heaven and fruitfulness of Earth in the Meteors of the Air and wonders of the Deep in the life of the Plants and senses of the Beasts at thy imperial Word all these came pouring out of the barren Womb of Nothing the births of their Existence were all dated by thine hand the dowries of their goodness were all given by thy Love the proprieties of their Being were all stamped on them by thy Ideal Truth and the various Ranks and Orders of their standing were all set out by thy glorious Wisdom O glorious Creator who hast made all these things go on one step further create in us an admiring Heart which by the scale of Creatures as by Jacob's Ladder may ascend higher and higher in the Adorations of thee when we are at the lowest step of all I mean mere Being let 's remember thee the chief and first of Beings when at the second step which is Being with Life let 's praise thee the only Fountain of Life when at the third which is Being and Life crowned with Sense let 's tremble at thee the All-seeing and All-hearing Deity when at the fourth which is Being Life and Sense irradiated with beams of Reason and impowered with liberty of Will let 's adore thy infinite Wisdom which contrived and thy allmighty Will which created all these things and us to see thy Glory in them when at the highest step of all Angelical perfections let 's be lost in holy mazes and trances at thy infinitely purer glory in comparison whereof the very Angels themselves are but as spotted lamps and duskish beauties In a word from the sublimest Seraphim to the poorest Worm let 's admire thee humbly confessing that none can shew forth all thy praise CHAP. VII Of the Works of Conservation and Gubernation HAving briefly touched upon Creation I procede to its appendants Conservation and Gubernation The Almighty and All-wise Creator is not as man who builds a House or Ship and leaves it but like a faithful Creator he repairs the House of the World by his Conservation and steers the Ship of it by his Gubernation and that according to the Counsel of his own Will aliter mundus nè per ictum oculi stare poterit as the Father expresses it And first as touching Conservation I shall demonstrate four things 1. That no Creature can preserve it self 2. That no Fellow-creature can preserve another 3. That the Preservation of all is from God 4. That it is from God according to his Decree 1. That no
in another yet the Minatory Law which is the voice of Justice cannot be satisfied unless the punishment fall on the Sinner himself and the reason is because in this Minatory Law the Veracity of God is engaged which it was not before now Justice speaks out which it did not before and that which it speaks must be true For answer whereunto 1. Some as the Learned Grotius say that here was Dispensatio Legis quâ Legis manentis obligatio circa quasdam personas tollitur But I take it that God's Threatnings are indispensably Yea and Amen as well as his Promises for albeit God doth not dare aliquod jus creaturae in his Threatnings as he doth in his Promises yet is he debitor sibi-ipsi in both and not one jot or tittle of either can fail because of his infinite Veracity God will not call back his words of threatning Isai. 31. 2. neither will he himself turn back from them Jer. 4. 28. his words stand surely for evil Jer. 44. 29. That Threatning that Nineveh should be destroyed had a tacit Condition in it which had it been expressed the Threatning would have run thus It shall be destroyed except it repent therefore it repenting there was a remotion of the Judgment according to the tenour of the Threatning but no dispensatio Juris at all Wherefore 2. I answer that here God did interpret his Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in an equitable way equity is nothing else but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a filling up of a general Law by a benign interpretation in that part which was not precisely determinate The divine sanction was the sinner shall die but it was not precisely determinate that he should die in his own person for then God's unalterable truth should have barred out a Surety neither was it precisely determinate that he should die in his Surety for then the threatning should originally have been a promise and a promise unto sin such as God never made But the sanction was general the sinner shall die and two interpretations lay before God the first that the sinner shall die in his own person the latter that he shall die in his surety the first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 just severity the latter is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condescending mercy in the first there is more of the sound of the law-letter in the latter more of the sounding of the Law-givers bowels the first is much like the first delivery of the Law with thundrings and lightnings and devouring fire Exod. 19. 16 17 18. the latter is like the second delivery of it with a Proclamation of grace and goodness and pardoning mercy for thousands Exod. 34. 6 7. Now these two interpretations lying before God he as the Supreme Law-giver in order to redemption interpreted his Law according to a merciful equity the sinner shall die that is in his surety Christ. Oh the immense love of the Father and the Son the Fathers love fills up the Law by a gracious interpretation and then the Sons love fulfils it by a perfect satisfaction mercy and truth are met together mercy in a favourable construction of the Law and truth in the evident veracity of the Law-giver the person of the sinner may be saved and yet the truth of the threatning is salved through Christ's satisfaction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are abrogated from the Law Rom. 7. 6. and yet we do not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abrogate the Law but establish it Rom. 3. 31. because it is fulfilled in Christ. Neither doth this equitable interpretation suppose any defect in the divine Law as it doth in humane Laws for humane Laws are made general for want of providence in men to forsee all particular cases which fall out but this Law was made general out of the perfection of providence in God that there might be room for a surety to come in and satisfie it But you 'l say if God interpret the threatning in such an equitable way the sinner shall die in his surety then no sinner is in a state of wrath here nor can be condemned in hell hereafter for both these issue out from the first interpretation thou shalt die in thine own person and that is now waved by the Judge I answer that God doth not totally and absolutely either wave the first rigorous interpretation for the elect are under wrath till they believe and repent and the reprobate not believing and repenting are cast into hell and both by virtue of the first interpretation but he waves the first and makes the second interpretation in order to redemption and only so far forth as redemption requires it Now what doth that require It requires that all that embrace Christ should be saved from the death in the threatning and therefore thus far the first interpretation is waved and the second takes place but it requires not that any person should either be out of a state of wrath before faith or be saved without faith and therefore the equitable interpretation doth not go thus far and so far as that goeth not the rigorous interpretation takes place because pro tanto it is consistent with redemption redemption is the end and the all-wise God measures and proportions out the equitable interpretation in such a way as serves unto it and the rigorous interpretation in such a way as stands with it In a word according to this equitable interprepretation Christ hath so satisfied the threatning as that all believers shall be saved from it yet this satisfaction hinders not but that the rigorous interpretation should abide upon unbelievers whilst such for whilst such they embrace not that satisfaction and therefore are justly cursed by the Law till they receive the Gospel Fifthly God's vindictive Justice and minatory Law being thus satisfied he becomes reconciled There are two degrees of reconciliation the first is that whereby God is ready to receive men into grace and favour if they believe the second is that whereby God is actually reconciled to them upon their believing The Apostle mentions both these Col. 1. 20 21. for first he tells us ver 20. That God did reconcile all things to himself by the blood of his Cross and then it follows ver 21. Yet now hath he reconciled you you O believing Colossians All were reconciled in the first degree and believers in the second the first was done all at once upon the Cross and the second is yet now a doing and so will be till the Believers are all come in therefore the Apostle says God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself 2 Cor. 5. 19. Reconciling which imports a continued Act a carrying on the work of Reconciliation from one degree to another by particular applications Now both these degrees of Reconciliation are wrought by the Death of Christ the first was wrought by it ipso facto without it God would have breathed out nothing but wrath but through it he is ready to forgive Psal. 86. 5. As
1. he adds Ver. 2. the word that is the Promise of Rest spoken of before did not profit them not being mixed with faith that is the promised Rest was of no effect to them because they were Unbelievers and in this sence the words no way oppose the Method in the two Instants As for the Parable where it is said that the Seed of the Word fructifies in the good and honest heart I answer that the Seed of the Word may be said to fructifie two ways either internally in the production of inward Graces or externally in the production of outward good Works Now our Saviours scope in this parable at least in the latter part thereof touching the good Ground was to shew how the Word did fructifie in the production of outward good Works this is clear because it is such a fructification as presupposes a good honest heart so that our Saviour doth not here deny the Words fructification in the production of Graces but assert the Words fructification in the production of good works Nay in the former part of the Parable touching the three sorts of bad Ground laying down the impediments of the Words fructification and those impediments being in themselves impediments to all kind of fructification as well that which is in the Production of Graces as that which is in the production of good Works he seems by way of implication to hint out the Words fructification in the production of Graces according to the Method of the two Instants for he saith that the word did not fructifie in the stony ground because they had no root Luk. 8. 13. intimating that the Word must first root before it can fructifie at all So that if we might gather out of this Parable the whole Method of the Words fructification it seems to be thus first the Word must be notionally understood which was wanting in him by the way-side then it must be inwardly rooted which was wanting in the stony Ground then it must cast the choaking World out of the heart which was wanting in the thorny Ground then it makes the Heart a good and honest Heart and lastly it makes that good and honest Heart fructifie in all outward good Works Wherefore this Parable is so far from contradicting that it seems rather to illustrate the Method proposed in the two Instants abovesaid Having passed the first Quaere I procede to the second 2. Quaere Whether the Will of Man be converted by the Intervention of the enlightned Understanding In answer to which I shall lay down two Positions 1. That the Will of Man doth infallibly and necessarily follow the practical Understanding 2. That the Will of Man doth so in the matter of Conversion But that there may be a clear Foundation I shall first lay down some differences between theoretical Knowledg and practical as to the Truths Things of God And 1. These differ Subjectivè not as if these were not both in the same Understanding but that their way of inhesion there is different Theoretical Knowledge is in the Understanding but superficially a flash and away a light taste such as was in those Apostates Heb. 6. 5. a word sown but unrooted such as that in the stony ground Matth. 13. 21. but practical Knowledge is deeply radicated in the Understanding 't is truth in the hidden parts wisdom entring into the soul and a word sinking down into the heart and which is a second difference springing out of the former theoretical Knowledg being but superficial hath much of doubtings and fluctuations it sees and sees not it is a dark and half vision a perswasion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a little as the expression is Acts 26. 28. but practical Knowledge being deeply radicated hath much of certainty and assurance in it 't is instruction sealed a vision unveiled and with open face a man need not say Who shall ascend into heaven or who shall descend into the deep the word is in the heart in such a sensible Presentiality as makes a thorough perswasion of the truth thereof 2. These differ Objectivé Theoretical Knowledge represents things as good or evil only in the general but practical Knowledge represents this or that as good or evil in its individuality and as cloathed with all its circumstances In Herod's theoretical Knowledge 't was evil to kill John Baptist but in his practical Judgment with the circumstance of his Oath 't was good in his eyes to do so The theoretical Knowledge in the stony Ground pronounces the Word to be good but the practical Judgment sentences it evil with Persecution But to carry on the difference a little further Theoretical Knowledge representing things as good or evil only in the general speaks little or nothing to Practice but practical Knowledge representing this or that as good or evil in its individual circumstances speaks absolutely and with a kind of Authority this must be done and that must not be done When it says This must be done it is promotive of the duty They that know thy name will trust in thee Psal. 9. 10. and by the same Reason will do other duties required by thee When it says That must not be done it is preventive of Sin If they had known it they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory 1 Cor. 2. 8. that is a practical Knowledge would effectually have impeded that sin and by the same reason will it impede other sins both ways it hath a great influence into Practice 3. These differ essentially Theoretical Knowledge is in some sence but knowledge falsly so called because it knows not the things of God as they are proposed to be known those things are proposed to be known not as mere Notions but as practical things to be above all other things chosen loved embraced and practised Wherefore a theoretical Knowledg knowing them notionally only even whilest it is materially true hath a secret lye in it because it judges of them theoretically only of which it should judge practically Thus the Apostle He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a lyar and the truth is not in him 1 Joh. 2. 4. not in him as it should be for in the midst of all his puffing Knowledge he knoweth nothing as he ought to know 1 Cor. 8. 2. because not in a practical way but practical Knowledge is a true Knowledg it knows the things of God as they are proposed to be known that is not as mere Notions but as things to be practically improved in heart and life it knows them as it ought to know them And out of this difference arises a second Theoretical Knowledge being but a false Knowledge is but a weak and dead thing able to put forth no vital or spiritual Action Just as a flash of Lightning in the night it makes all the way plain but before one step can be taken all is in darkness such a vanishing vapour is mere Notion which puffs the Head but