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

And to this seeking of God and his favour in Christ, there are divers things required; first, that we labour daily more and more perfectly to know him, not so much what he is in his own nature, essence, and attributes, as what he is in Christ unto us, that is, infinitely wise to govern us, and all-sufficient by his Word and Spirit to make us wise unto salvation; that he is omnipotent to defend us, and give us victory over all our enemies; that he is immutable, not only in his own nature, but in his love, goodness, and gifts unto us; that he is true to perform unto us his gracious promises, and merciful to forgive us our sins, and save our souls; that Christ is an all-sufficient and perfect Redeemer, to deliver us out of the hands of all our spiritual enemies, and to bring unto us full redemption; that the Spirit is not only holy in his own nature, but also to work in us sanctification and holiness. In all which, and all other respects, we are not so much to labour to know these things in speculation, as in practice and experience, nor to apprehend them in the brain, as to feel them in our hearts, nor to conceive of their excellency and sufficiency as causes, but experimentally to feel and find their efficacy, in producing their effects, and bringing forth their fruits in us. And this is that excellent knowledge which the Apostle so much and continually laboured to ¹attain unto, as a thing which being of most excellent use, was also of great difficulty; and therefore he was content to be taken up wholly of it, and in comparison of it, to neglect all other knowledge, not only to know that Christ died and rose again, and the virtue and sufficiency of them for his justification and salvation, which were but the study of a few days or