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God gave man the faculty of
understanding, chiefly, that he might understand divine
things....................
God hath told us about what things we should chiefly employ our
understandings, having given us a book full of divine instructions,
holding forth many glorious objects about which all rational creatures
should chiefly employ their understandings. These instructions are
accommodated to persons of all capacities and conditions, and proper to be
studied, not only by men of learning, but by persons of every character,
learned and unlearned, young and old, men and women. Therefore the
acquisition of knowledge in these things should be a main business of all
those who have the advantage of enjoying the Holy Scriptures. ..........
The things of divinity are things of superlative excellency, and are
worthy that all should make a business of endeavoring to grow in the
knowledge of them. There are no things so worthy to be known as these
things. They are as much above those things which are treated of in other
sciences, as heaven is above the earth. God himself, the eternal Three in
one, is the chief object of this science: in the next place, Jesus Christ,
as Godman and Mediator, and the glorious work of redemption, the most
glorious work that ever was wrought: then the great things of the heavenly
world, the glorious and eternal inheritance purchased by Christ, and
promised in the gospel; the work of the Holy Spirit of God on the hearts
of men; our duty to God, and the way in which we ourselves may become like
angels, and like God himself in our measure: all these are objects of this
science. Such things as these have been the main subject of the study of
the holy patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, and the most excellent men
that ever were in the world, and are also the subject of the study of the
angels in heaven; 1 Pet. 1:10,11,12. .................
But that treasure of divine knowledge, which is contained in the
Scriptures, and is provided for every one to gather to himself as much of
it as he can, is a far more rich treasure than any one of gold and pearls.
How busy are all sorts of men, all over the world, in getting riches! But
this knowledge is a far better kind of riches, than that after which they
so diligently and laboriously pursue. ............
If God hath been so engaged in teaching, certainly we should not be
negligent in learning; nor should we make growing in knowledge a by
business, but a great part of the business of our lives. ...............
It may be argued from the abundance of the instructions which God hath
given us, from the largeness of that book which God hath given to teach us
divinity, and from the great variety that is therein contained. Much was
taught by Moses of old, which we have transmitted down to us; after that,
other books were from time to time added; much is taught us by David and
Solomon; and many and excellent are the instructions communicated by the
prophets: yet God did not think all this enough, but after this sent
Christ and his apostles, by whom there is added a great and excellent
treasure to that holy book, which is to be our rule in the study of
divinity. ............
When God hath opened a very large treasure before us, for the supply of
our wants, and we thank him that he hath given us so much; if at the same
time we be willing to remain destitute of the greatest part of it, because
we are too lazy to gather it, this will not show the sincerity of our
thankfulness. ..................
It becomes one who is called to be a soldier, and to go a warfare, to
endeavor to excel in the art of war. It becomes one who is called to be a
mariner, and to spend his life in sailing the ocean, to endeavor to excel
in the art of navigation. It becomes one who professes to be a physician,
and devotes himself to that work, to endeavor to excel in the knowledge of
those things which pertain to the art of physic. So it becomes all such as
profess to be Christians, and to devote themselves to the practice of
Christianity, to endeavor to excel in the knowledge of divinity.
..................
Eph. 4:11,12, "He gave some apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ." If God hath set them to be teachers, making that their
business, then he hath made it their business to impart knowledge. But
what kind of knowledge? Not the knowledge of philosophy, or of human laws,
or of mechanical arts, but of divinity. If God hath made it the business
of some to be teachers, it will follow, that he hath made it the business
of others to be learners; for teachers and learners are correlates, one of
which was never intended to be without the other. God hath never made it
the duty of some to take pains to teach those who are not obliged to take
pains to learn. He hath not commanded ministers to spend themselves, in
order to impart knowledge to those who are not obliged to apply themselves
to receive it. The name by which Christians are commonly called in the New
Testament is disciples, the signification of which word is scholars or
learners. All Christians are put into the school of Christ, where their
business is to learn, or receive knowledge from Christ, their common
master and teacher, and from those inferior teachers appointed by him to
instruct in his name......................
Again, The more knowledge you have of divine things, the better will you
know your duty; your knowledge will be of great use to direct you as to
your duty in particular cases. You will also be the better furnished
against the temptations of the devil. For the devil often takes the
advantage of persons' ignorance to ply them with temptations which
otherwise would have no hold of them. By having much knowledge, you will
be under greater advantages to conduct yourselves with prudence and
discretion in your Christian course, and so to live much more to the honor
of God and religion. Many who mean well, and are full of a good spirit,
yet, for want of prudence, conduct themselves so as to wound religion.
Many have a zeal of God, which doth more hurt than good, because it is not
according to knowledge, Rom. 10:2. The reason why many good men behave no
better in many instances, is not so much that they want grace, as that
they want knowledge. ...............
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