A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

The other impediment, respecting the understanding, is vain curiosity, when as neglecting to know those things concerning God and his will, which he hath revealed unto us in his Word, we pry into his secrets which belong not unto us; spending our wits in spinning such Spiders webs, as are utterly unprofitable for any use. For whilst we delight our selves in the study of these captious curiosities, we wholly neglect all useful knowledge of the main points of Christian Religion, as being matters too obvious and common for our sublimated and subtle wits; yea, are so wholly intent unto idle speculations, that we can find no leisure for the practice of any Christian duties, like those star-gazing Astrologers, who so fix their eyes upon them, to observe their magnitudes, motions, and influences, that they cannot discern their way, but are ready to stumble at every stone, and to slip and fall into every ditch. Which impediment if we would avoid, we must labour to mortify our spiritual pride, which is the mother and nurse of this idle curiosity. Secondly, we must be wise unto sobriety, not presuming to understand above that which is meet, ¹knowing that the secret things belong unto God, and only things revealed, unto ²us. Thirdly, let us in the first place bend our studies unto the attaining of such knowledge as is most profitable and necessary, wherein we shall find such plenty and variety, such high contemplations and divine Mysteries, that we shall have little leisure or pleasure, in looking after idle speculations, and fruitless curiosities. Finally, let us propound use and practice, as the main end of all our knowledge, and condemn as vain and frivolous,