Directions for weak distempered Christians, to grow up to a confirmed state of grace…

You know already that God is All-sufficient, and infinitely wise, and good, and powerful: And you know not perhaps the nature of free Will, or of Gods Decrees of Election and Reprobation, or a hundred the like points. True knowledge of any of the revealed things of God, is very desirable: But yet, I must tell you, that you are forty ⟨p. 106⟩times more defective here in your knowledge of that of God which you do know, than of the other which you know not: that is, the want of more Degrees of this necessary knowledge is more dangerous to your Souls, than the total want of the less necessary knowledge. And the addition of more Degrees to the more needful parts of knowledge, will strengthen and enrich you more, than the knowing of less necessary things, which you knew not before at all. You know Christ Crucified already; but perhaps you know not certain Controversies about Church-Government, or the definitions and distinctions of many matters in Divinity: It will be a greater growth now to your knowledge to know a little more of Christ Crucified, whom you know already, than to know these lesser matters, which you know not yet at all. If you had already a hundred pound in Gold, and not a penny of Silver, it will more enrich you to have another purse full of Gold, than a purse full of Silver, Trading in the richest Commodities, is liker to raise men to great estates, than trading for matters of a smaller rate. They that go to the Indies for Gold and Pearl, may be rich if they get but little in quantity: When he may be poor that brings home Ships laded with the greatest store of poor Commodity. That man that hath a double measure of the knowledge of God in Christ, and the clearest, and deepest, and most effectual apprehensions of the Riches of Grace and the Glory to come, and yet never heard of most of the Questions in Scotus, or Ockam or Aquinas's sums, is far richer in knowledge, and a much wiser man, than he that hath those Controversies at his fingers ⟨p. 107⟩ends, and yet hath but half his clearness and solidity of the knowledge of God and Christ, of Grace and Glory. There is enough in some One of the Articles of your Faith, in One of Gods Attributes, in One of Christs benefits, in One of the Spirits Graces, to hold you study all your lives, and afford you still an increase of knowledge.

You know already that God is All-sufficient, and infinitely wise, and good, and powerful: And you know not perhaps the nature of free Will, or of Gods Decrees of Election and Reprobation, or a hundred the like points. True knowledg of any of the revealed things of God, is very desirable: But yet, I must tell you, that you are fourty