CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…

5. A genuine and proper effect of the knowledge of God and Christ, is trust and dependence upon them. This is so great a matter, that it's called the just mans life, The just shall live by faith, Heb. 2.4. Now this grace of trust or dependence is branched into two parts: First. A trust on God for his protection, care and providence over us: This is the trust David doth so often speak of in his Psalms; ⟨p. 86⟩and the Prophet makes him accursed, that makes not God his trust, Jer. 17. The rich man trusts in his riches, the idolater in his Idols, the great man in his power, but all these set up another God besides the true God. They that truly know God, viz. that he is the Lord of hosts, that he is the principal efficient, and all creatures are but instruments depending on him both quoad esse and operari, will quickly see it a sacrilegious and idololatricall sin to trust in any but the true God, Psal. 9.10. They that know thy Name will trust in thee: All our unbelief, diffidence and distrust, all distracting cares about these things below, argue our want of knowledge of God: Therefore Mat. 5. when our Saviour forbids these dividing cares, he saith, All these do the Gentiles seek after; they that know not Gods power and his goodness, they are solicitous sinfully about these things. Hence when Israel did see her vanity by false confidences in the creatures, see what God saith of her, Hos. 13.4. Thou shalt know no God but me, for there is no Saviour beside me; and Hos. 8.2. Israel shall cry unto me, My God we know thee. Though therefore knowledge be better then the greatest duties performed out of ignorant devotion, the same Hosea 6 6. God there desireth knowledge more then burnt offerings, yet this is but a lame imperfect knowledge, if it breed not dependence on God, as on our heavenly and gracious Father. The other branch of dependence is on Christ for Justification and Salvation, that is the believing on him which our Saviour so often promiseth eternal life to: Oh when our knowledge of Christ and the fullness and sufficiency of a Mediator, makes us to cast all our burden on him, and to have free access to the Throne of Grace by his blood, this is precious knowledge. This is that excellency of knowledge Paul,