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which terminates only in Pride and Va-S ER M, nity; much less, that which by nature we are not made capable of attaining. In which refpect, a man's Defire after Knowledge may become faulty, either when he defires the Knowledge of fuch a kind of e things, as the nature of the things does not permit him at all to understand; or when he defires fuch a fort of Knowledge of any thing, as the nature of his Faculties does not capacitate him to come up There are fome kinds of things, of fo abftrufe a Nature, or at fuch a distance of Place or Time, or which have fo little connexion with That Knowledge of God and of ourselves, on which our whole Duty depends; that they are altogether beyond the reach of our Faculties; so that we cannot poffibly understand them at all and in refpect of these things, 'tis evident we ought fo to limit our Defire of Knowledge by the condition and circumftances of our Nature, as not to attempt to understand them at all; and not to pretend that we can understand them, when indeed we can not. Of other things, which we can and ought to know accord

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SERM.ing to the measure of our Faculties, there VI. is yet fuch a fort or degree of Knowledge as we cannot arrive to; and we have no more reason to murmur, that we cannot attain to this degree of Knowledge, than we have to be difpleafed, that God has not made us equal to the highest Orders of Angels; or than the Angels have cause to be angry, that God has referved fome Attributes incommunicable from himself, and has not made them Mafters of all Perfections. God hath communicated to every fort of Creatures, fuch Perfections as himself pleased; and the condition of each of their Natures is the Law of God, by which they ought every one to limit and regulate their Defires. In matters of Religion indeed, in order to frame right Notions of God, and to ferve him acceptably; we can never be too follicitous and careful in enquiring into the Truth: But fome Secrets there are, the knowledge of which God hath reserved to himself and the highest Angels cannot presume to look into them: And without question Angels have a clear Knowledge of many things, which human Abilities cannot without

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without the utmost folly pretend to dif-S.ER M. Remarkable to this purpofe is that VI. Expoftulation of God with Job; Haft thou entred into the Springs of the Sea? or haft thou walked in the fearch of the Depth? Have the gates of Death been opened unto thee; or hast thou feen the doors of the Shadow of Death? Where is the way where Light dwelleth? and as for Darknefs, where is the place thereof? Knoweft thou it because thou waft then born? or because the number of thy days is great? ch. xxxviii. ver. 16. The Meaning is, Not that men may not commendably inquire into the Operations of Nature, which are the Works of God; fo far as they have Faculties and Opportunities to do it; But that they ought to contain their Defire of Knowledge within the bounds of those Faculties, and not be proud and imperious, intruding into things which they have not feen, and vainly puffed up by a fleshly mind.

2dly, As we ought not to be ambitious of what 'tis impoffible for us to attain; fo neither ought we to be follicitous after that, which it is unlawful for us to defire. And here, that which the Scrip

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SER M. ture determines in refpect of our Defire VI. after Knowledge, is this; ft, That we

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ought not to endeavour to penetrate into things too deep for us, fuch as are the bidden and fecret counfels, or unrevealed decrees of God. True Notions of God, as difcoverable by Reafon, and the full Meaning of his whole revealed Will; These things we can never be too inquifitive after But what cannot be known clearly by Reafon or Revelation, concerns Secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed, to us and to our children for ever. Vain men would be wife; Job xi. 12; intruding into thofe things which they have not seen. and defiring to impofe them upon others. But can we by fearching find out God? Can we find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as Heaven, what canft thou do? deeper than Hell, what canft thou know? Job xi. 7, 8: And Acts i. 7; It is not for you to know the times or the feafons which the Father hath put in his own power. 2dly, The Scripture further forbids the Defire of that Knowledge, the means of obtaining which are unlawful. The

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The Tree of the Knowledge of Good SER M. and Evil, appeared to our Firft parents to be pleasant to the Eye, and a Tree to be defired to make one wife; Gen. iii. 6. But fince God had expreffly forbidden them to taste of the Fruit of that Tree, having referved it as a fingle inftance of Homage and Acknowledgment to Himself, as being the Creator and Lord of Paradife; 'tis evident the Defire of that Knowledge, which they thought the eating of that Fruit would furnish them with, was at leaft the Occafion and the Caufe of their Sin. In like manner, the fame Defire of fuch Knowledge, as God has not afforded us the means of acquiring; has fince in all Ages of the world, through the deceit. and temptations of the Devil, put vain and fuperftitious perfons upon fuch courfes and means to attain it, as God has abfolutely and exprefly prohibited. 3dly, The Scripture forbids us fo to fearch after the Knowledge of any thing else whatever, as in the too earnest pursuit of that, to neglect the ftudy of the Law of God. Those divine Truths, which influence our practice, which furnish our