what hath he not done? It was he that raifed this ftately Fabrick of the World we live in, out of the Womb of Nothing, It was he that extracted Light out of Darkness, Beauty and Perfection out of a confufed Chaos. It was he that bedecked the glorious Canopy of Heaven with thofe gliftering Spangles the Stars, It was he that commanded the Sun to run his courfe by Day, and the Moon to ride her Circuit by Night about the World, to fhew the Inhabitants thereof the Glory of their All-glorious Maker, It was he that hung the Earth upon No thing, and spread upon the Surface of it a curious Carpet, embroidered with all manner, not of painted, but real Flowers, and Plants, and Trees. It was he that at firft produced all Things out of Nothing; and it is he that still preserves all Things in their Being. It is he that orders the Affairs of Kingdoms, manageth the Intrigues of State, directeth the Events of Wars, and difpofes of every particular Perfon as himself fees good, In a word, Whatfoever was ever made in Heaven above, or on Earth beneath, it was he that made it; and whatsoever is ftill done in Heaven above, or on Earth beneath, it is he that doth it, fo that no thing ever was, or is, or ever will be,

or can be done, but what is done by him, as the First and Univerfal Caufe of all Things.

Fifthly, It is necessary also to know fo as to believe, that though there is but One God, yet there are Three Perfons; all and every one of which is that One God. I do not fay it is neceffary to understand, or comprehend this Myftery, for that we cannot do; but we are not therefore the lefs to believe it, because we cannot underftand it: For there are many other things in Divinity; yea, many things in Natural Philofophy, and in Geometry itself, which we cannot understand, and yet for all that, both know and believe them to be true. But how much more caufe have we to believe this, which God himself hath afferted of himfelf! Nay, and besides that, we have the fame Obligations to ferve and honour every Perfon, as we have to ferve and honour any one Perfon in the Sacred Trinity, our Saviour himfelf having exprefly told us, That all Men fhould bonour the. Son even as they honour the Father, Joh. 5. 23. But that we cannot do, unlefs we believe the Son to be God as well as the Father; and, by confequence, unless we acknowledge this Fundamental

Article

Article of our Chriftian Faith, into which we were all baptized.

Secondly, We must confider what kind of Knowledge we ought to have of God, in reference unto our ferving him aright.

For we must not think that it is enough to know in general that there is a God, and that he is Wife and Powerful, Great and Glorious, True and Faithful, Good and Gracious; these things a Man may know in general, fo as to be able to discourse of them, and difpute for them too, and yet come fhort of that Knowledge which is requifite to our true ferving of God: Which fhould be fuch a Knowledge as will not only fwim in the Brain, but fink down into the Heart; whereby a Man is poffeffed with a due fense of those things he knows, so that he doth not only know, but in a manner feel them to be fo. Thus David, who, in the Text, calls upon his Son to know the God of his Fathers, intimates elsewhere, what Knowledge he means; faying, Ob tafte and fee that the Lord is good, Pfal. 34. 8. Where we may obferve, how he requires our Spiritual Senfes to be employ'd in our Knowledge of God, fo as to fee that he is good, yea, and afte it too; that is, feel and experience

it in our felves; which though it may feem a Paradox to many of us, yet there is none of us but may find it to be a real Truth, and attain unto it, if we be but careful and conftant in our Meditations upon God, and fincere in performing our Devotions to him; for, by these means, our Notions of God will be refined, our Conceptions cleared, and our Affections, by confequence, fo moved towards him, that we fhall tafte and experience in our felves, as well as know from others, that he is Good, and that all Perfections are concentred in him.

But this practical and experimental Knowledge of God, doth neceffarily prefuppofe the other, or the general Knowledge of him, fo as to be acquainted with the feveral Expreffions which God in Scripture hath made ufe of, whereby to reveal himself and his Perfections to us; as when he is pleafed to call himfelf the Almighty God, the All-wife and Infinite, the Juft and Gracious God, and the like; or to fay of himself, I am that I am; that is, in and of my felf Eternal. Unless we firft know that these and fuch like Expreffions belong to God, and what is the true meaning and purport of them, it is impoffible for us to arrive

at

at that Knowledge of him, which is neceffary to our ferving him aright.

And fo I come to the last thing to be confider'd here concerning the Knowledge of God, even that it is neceffary to our ferving him; fo that none can ferve him that does not firft know him, and therefore that the Method as well as Matter of David's Advice is here obfervable, Know thou the God of thy Fathers, and ferve him; or, firft know him, and then ferve him with a perfect Heart, and a willing Mind.

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And, verily, one would think that this is a Truth fo clear, fo evident of it felf, that it needs no Proof or Demonftra tion for how is it poffible for us to know how to ferye God, unless we firft know that God whom we ought to ferve? For all our Services unto God fhould be both proper to his Nature, and fuitable to his Perfections; and therefore unless I first know his Nature and Perfections, how can I adjuft my Services to them? As for Example, I am to fear his Greatness and trust on his Mercy, and rejoyce in his Goodnefs, and defire his Fa vour: But how can I do this, unless I know that he is thus Great and Merciful, Good and Favourable.

Moreover