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THE

PRACTICE

OF

PIETY,

Directing a CHRISTIAN how to walk, that he may please GOD.

7

Ho ever thou art that lookeft into this Book, never undertake to read it; unless thou firft refolveft to become from thy heart an unfained Practitioner of Piety. Yet read it, and that Speedily, left before thou haft read it over, God (by some unexpected death) cut thèe off, for thine inveterate Impiety.

ii. The
Effence
of God,
and that

. In knowing

The Practice of Piety consists 2.Inglorifying God aright.

Father.

f1.The divers manner of 1.
being therein, which 2. Son.
are three Perfons: 3. Holy Ghoft.
(Nominal. or

1. Abfo-S1. Simpleness.
lute;

2. The Attributes

in re

thereof,

Spect of which are
either

Real,

2. Relative,

2. Infinitenefs. 1. Life.

2. Understanding.

3. Will.

4. Power.

B

I

5. Majefty.

2. Thy own felf in refpect of thy ftate of $1. Corruption.

22. Renovation, 1. Privately in thine own perfon. 2. Pub

1. With thy family every day.
2. With the Church on the

1. By thy
life,in dedi
cating thy
felf devout
ly to ferve
him,

lickly 2 Sabbath day. Extraordinarily, by Feafting.

2. By thy death in dying. In the Lord.

2. For the Lord.

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Unless that a man doth truly know God, he neither can nor will worship him aright: for how can a man love him whom he knoweth not? and who will worship him, whofe help a man thinks he needeth not? and how fhall a man feek remedy by Grace, who never underftood his mifery by Nature? Therefore (faith the Apoftle) He that cometh to God, must believe that God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that feek him, Heb. 11. 6.

Tum Deum amare libet, cum perfuafum habemus ipfum effe optimum maximum, ubique præfentem, omnia in nobis efficientem,

eum in quo vivimus, movemus, Jumus, Bucer in Pfalo 115.

3

And forafmuch as there can be no true Piety, without the knowledge of God; nor any good Practice without the knowledge of a mans own felf: we will therefore lay down the knowledge of Gods Majesty, and Mans Mifery, as the firft and chiefeft grounds of the Practice of Picty.

Deum norimus, quotquot fœlices

Danda in primis opera eft, ut effe volumus. Quid nofcis, fe

ipfum nefcй?

2

A plain Defcription of the Effence and Attributes of God, out of the Holy Scripture, fo far forth as every Chriftian must competently know, and neceffarily believe, that will be saved.

Although no creature can define what God is, be

caufe is incomprehenfible, Pfal. 143. 3. and dwelling in inacceffible light, 1 Tim. 6. 16. yet it hath pleafed his Majesty to reveal himself in his Word unto us, fo far as our weak capacity can best conceive him.

Thus :

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God is that one Spiritual and infinitely perfect Effence, whofe being is of himself eternally.

d

Deut.

3.4. and

4.35. and 32:

39. and 6. 4. Ifa. 45. 5, 6, 7, 8. 1 Cor. 8. 4. Ephef. 4, 5, 6. 1 Tim. 2. 5. b John 4.24. 2 Cor. 3. 17. 1 Kings 8. 17. Pfal. 147. 5. d Deut. 32. 4. e Exod. 3. 14. f 1 Cor. 8. 6. Aûts 17. 2,. Rom. II. 36.

In

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