The covenant of life opened, or, A treatise of the covenant of grace

2. There must be a deadness to learning, to books, and book-vanity, Eccles. 12.12. There is no end of making many books, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Eccles. 1.17.¹ And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is a vexation of spirit. 18. For in much wisdom is much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Paul spake more with Tongues then they all, 1 Cor. 14.18. but he was dead to that gift, he had rather have brought them nearer to Christ. 1 Cor. 4.10. We are fools, and hardly we can away with that; but we are fools for Christs sake, and for the interest of Christ and the Gospel, let us so be counted. Its nearness to Christ that makes us for him to be willing that what is most eminent in us be trampled upon, even shining wisdom, sciences, acts, eloquence, knowledge which puffeth up. Yea there is (3.) required a deadness of the knowledge of Gospel-mysteries, 1 Cor. 13.2. Paul was not rude in knowledge, but he was dead to that, and would not glory in that. And (4.) they are not crucified with Christ, not dead to opinions and sides, and to lead factions: I am of Paul, I am of Apollo, was no honour to Paul in his own esteem, 1 Cor. 1. What? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? Who excels in learning, who admires ⟨p. 270⟩not his own, the birth of his own mind? If it were but to hold there be ten new worlds in the Moon, and millions of worlds in the other side of this world? My brethren, be not many masters. Ah! we are not dead to the Chair, the Pulpit, every one loves to be counted and called Rabbi. The blessed Man Christ confesses that he knows neither the day nor the hour of the Son of Mans coming; yet there are who dare define the time of his coming, and the day. The mind is a proud and haughty thing, and we are not dead to it; the mind is not mortified to the mind,