But by the temptation of Satan, man grew desirous to be past a child, at his Fathers finding, and under his care, and would take care and thought for himself and know what was good or evil for himself as to the natural man: and so far turned his eye to the Creature to study it for himself, when he should have studied God in it: and to search after good and evil to himself in it, which he ⟨p. 13⟩should have searched after the attributes of God in it, and daily gazed with holy love and admiration upon his blessed face that shined in this glass: and so he would use the Creature directly for himself, which he should have used only for Gods service. And thus I conceive man did indeed by his fall attain to much more actual knowledge as to the number of objects than he had before: which knowledge was indeed in it self considered Physically good, but not Good to him as any part of his felicity, or his virtue, but rather by participation his sin and misery, as being unsuitable to his condition. It was better with him when he knew One God, and all things in God as they conduced to the Love and Service of God, and were suitable to his state, than when he turned his mind from God, and fell to study the Creature in it self, and for himself, as Good or Evil to himself, and so lost himself and his understanding in a crowd of unnecessary and misused objects: Like a foolish Patient that having a most judicious and faithful Physician that will take care of his health, and provide him the best and safest remedies, doth grow to an eager desire to be acquainted himself with the nature of each medicine and to be skilful in the cure of his own disease, that he may trust his Physician no longer, but may be his own Physician: and therefore hearkeneth to a seducer that tells him [The Physician doth but keep thee in ignorance, lest thou shouldst be as wise as he, and able to cure or preserve thy self, hearken to me, and I will teach thee to known all these things thy self, and so thou mayest take care of thy self.] So man was seduced by Satan to withdraw himself from the fatherly care of God, by a desire himself to be wise for himself in the knowledge of all that in the Creature which might be directly good or evil to himself, so taking on himself the work of God, and casting off the work that God had set him, and withdrawing himself from his necessary dependence on his Maker.
But by the temptation of Satan, man grew desirous to be past a child, at his Fathers finding, and under his care, and would take care and thought for himself and know what was good or evil for himself as to the natural man: and so far turned his eye to the Creature to study it for himself, when he should have studied God in it: and to search after good and evil to himself in it, which he ⟨p. 13⟩should have searched after the attributes of God in it, and daily gazed with holy love and admiration upon his blessed face that shined in this glass: and so he would use the Creature directly for himself, which he should have used only for Gods service. And thus I conceive man did indeed by his fall attain to much more actual knowledge as to the number of objects than he had before: which knowledge was indeed in it self considered Physically good, but not Good to him as any part of his felicity, or his vertue, but rather by participation his sin and misery, as being unsuitable to his condition. It was better with him when he knew One God, and all things in God as they conduced to the Love and Service of God, and were suitable to his state, than when he turned his mind from God, and fell to study the Creature in it self, and for himself, as Good or Evil to himself, and so lost himself and his understanding in a crowd of unnecessary and misused objects: Like a foolish Patient that having a most judicious and faithful Physitian that will take care of his health, and provide him the best and safest remedies, doth grow to an eager desire to be acquainted himself with the nature of each medicine and to be skilful in the cure of his own disease, that he may trust his Physitian no longer, but may be his own Physitian: and therefore hearkneth to a seducer that tells him [The Physitian doth but keep thee in ignorance, lest thou shouldst be as wise as he, and able to cure or preserve thy self, hearken to me, and I will teach thee to known all these things thy self, and so thou maist take care of thy self.] So man was seduced by Satan to withdraw himself from the fatherly care of God, by a desire himself to be wise for himself in the knowledge of all that in the Creature which might be directly good or evil to himself, so taking on himself the work of God, and casting off the work that God had set him, and withdrawing himself from his necessary dependence on his Maker.
