cies of David; with justification by the righteousness of Christ, pardon of sin for his sake, reconciliation and atonement, adoption, and every other blessing; the knowledge of all which draws out their hearts in thankfulness to the Father of Christ, in love to him, and praise of him, Eph. 3. 4. They have knowledge of him as in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, planning the scheme of their peace, reconciliation and atonement by Christ, not imputing their trespassses to them but to their Surety and Saviour; which scheme he has executed by him, and has by him reconciled them to himself, of which they have knowledge, and hence reason in the strong and comfortable manner as the apostle does, Rom. v. II. Moreover they have knowledge of God the Father as having proclaimed his name in Christ, a God gracious and merciful, pardoning iniquity, transgression and sin; as a God that does abundantly pardon, and which engages their souls to turn unto him, and fills them with wonder and amazement; sb that they say, Who is a God like unto thee, that pardined iniquity? and this raises in them the highest gratitude and thankfulness to God; they call upon their souls, and all within them, to bless his holy name, and not forget his benefits, who forgiveth all their iniquities, Psal. ciii. 1-3. To observe no more; they know him as the God of all grace, who has called them to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus his Son; that is, that he is the author and giver of every grace unto them; that their faith is not of themselves, it is the gift of God; that their good hope through grace is of him, and therefore he is called tire God of hope, because not only the object but the author and giver of it; for the same reason he is called the God of love, the God of patience, &c. and this knowledge of God the Father leads to deal with him for fresh supplies of grace, and that he would make grace to abound towards them; this draws them to the throne of grace to seek grace and mercy of him to help them in their time of need.

all

11. Every renewed soul has knowledge of Christ the Son of God, John xvii.3. where the only true God, designs-God the Father, yet not to the exclusion of Christ the Son of God, for he is expressly called the true God also, 1 John v. 20. and eternal life is made to depend equally upon the knowledge of the one as upon the knowledge of the other; now would Christ even have ranked himself in this manner with the only true God, if we was not equal, with him? and such an interpretation of the passage as would exclude him from being the one only true God with the Father, would exclude the Father from being the one only Lord with the Son, 1 Con viii. 6. Now truly gracious souls have knowledge of the person of Christ, as being truly God and truly man; as being true God, and therefore they venture their souls on him, commit their all unto him, and Look unto him for salvation, and nust in him for it, because he is God and there is none else; and as being truly man, partaker of the same flesh and blood with them, and in all things made like unto them, and so their near kinsman, and who cannot but have sympathy with them; and thus being both God and man, he is fit to be the mediator between both, and to take care of things belonging to God, and to make reochoiliation for the sins of his people. They have know

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ledge of him in all his off ces, and deal with him as such; with him as their prophet to teach and instruct them by is word, his ministers, and his Spirit: with him as their priest, who by his sacrifice has made atonement for their sins, and by his intercession pleads for every blessing for them; and with him as their king, to rule over them, protect and defend them; and they become willingly subject to his commands and ordinances, and esteem all his precepts concerning all things to be right; they know him as their living Redeemer, as Job didi and their souls rejoice in God the'r Saviour, as Mary the mother of our Lord did they know him in the various relations he stands in to them, as their everlasting Father, who bears an everlasting love to them, takes an everlasting care of them, and makes everlasting provision for them; as their head of eminence over them, and influence to them; as their husband, who has betrothed them to himself in righteousness and loving-kindness; as their brother, and one that sticks closer than a brother; and as their friend that loves at all times, and of whom they say as the church did, This is my beloved, and this is my friend. 1. Not merely noAnd this knowledge which such souls have of Christ is, tional and speculative, such a knowledge the devil have: they know Christ to be the holy one of God, and that he is the Son of God, and the Messiah, Luke iv. 34, 41. and men destitute of the grace of God may know and give their assents to those truths, that Christ is truly God, and existed as the Son of God from all eternity; that he assumed human nature in the fulness of time, that he lived a life of sorrow and trouble, died the death of the cross, was buried and tose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is set down at the right hand of God, and will come a second time to judge the world in righteousness; but this spiritual special knowledge gracious souls have his, 2. An affectionate knowledge, or a knowledge joined with love and affection to Christ; he is in their esteem the chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely; he is precious to them, and there is none in heaven nor in earth so desired by them as he is. 3. Their knowledge is a knowledge of approbation, they approve of him above all other lovers, and above all other saviours; they reject all others and say Ashur shall not save us; we will have no regard to our works, duties and services, as saviours; but they say of him as Job did, Though he slay me yet will I trust in him he also shall be my salvation, I will have no other, Job xii. 15, 16.4. Their knowledge of him is fiducial; they know his name, his na ́ture, his abilities, his fulness, and suitableness, and therefore they put their trust in him, give up themselves to him, rely and lean upon him, and trust him with all they have, and for all they want, for grace here and glory hereafter. 5. Their knowledge of him is experimental, they have their spiritual senses exercised on him; they see the Son and believe on him, see the glories of his person, the riches of his grace, the fulness of his righteousness, the efficacy of his his blood, and the virtue of his atoning sacrifice; they hear his voice with pleasure and delight, the voice of his gospel, so as to understand it, approve of it, and distinguish it from the voice of a stranger; they feel, they handle him the

word of life by faith, lay hold on him and retain him; they taste that the Lord is gracious, and savour the things which be of Christ and not of men. 6. Their knowledge of Christ is appropriating: it does not lie in general but in particulars, they know him themselves and for themselves; they do not only say as the Samaritans did, We know that this is indeed the Christ the Saviour of the world, John iv 42. but that he is their Saviour and. Redeemer; and say with Thomas, My Lord, and my God; and with the apostle Paul, Who loved me, and gave himself for me; and with the church, My beloved is mine, and I am his, John xx. 28.

111. Every renewed soul has knowledge of the Spirit of God, the world does not know him, but truly gracious souls do; our Lord speaking of him says, Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, neither his person, nor his office, nor his operations; But ye know him, meaning his apostles and followers; and gives a very good reason for it, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you; and therefore they must have a feeling and experimental knowledge of him, John xiv. 17. Such as are renewed in the spirit of their minds, have a knowledge of him as a Spirit of conviction and illumination' he having convinced them of sin, the evil nature and sad consequences of it; of righteousness, of the insufficiency of their own righteousness to justify them before God, and of the fulness and suitableness of Christ's righteousness for that purpose; and having had the eyes of their understandings enlightened by him as a Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, as an able, willing, and complete Saviour; and having received him as the Spirit which is of God, whereby are made known to them the things that are freely given to them of God; the free-grace gifts of righteousness, peace, pardon, and eternal life. They have knowledge of him as the Comforter, who comforts them by shedding abroad in their hearts the love of the Father and of the Son; by opening and applying the exceeding great and precious promises of the gospel, and by taking the things of Christ and shewing them to them, and their interest in them; and these comforts they have a feeling experience of, for they delight their souls amidst the multitude of their thoughts within them; yea they walk in the comforts of the Holy Ghost, and are edified by them. They have knowledge of him also as the Spirit of adoption, who manifests to them their interest in this blessing; and not only from his witnessing do they know their relation to God as children, but also from their being led by him out of themselves to Christ, and into the truth as it is in Jesus, for such are the sons of God, Kom. vii. 14-16. Moreover they have knowledge of the Spirit as a Spirit of grace and of supplication, who first works grace in the soul, and then draws it forth into act and exercise; and perhaps there is no season in the christian life in which this grace is more drawn forth into exercise than when in prayer public and private, under the influence of the Spirit of supplication; who helps saints under all their infirmities in prayer, and makes intercession in them according to

the will of God, impresses a sense of their wants upon them, puts strength into them, and fills their mouths with arguments to plead with God in the exercise of grace: once more, such souls have knowledge of him as the Spirit of truth, that guides into all truth necessary to be known by them, and powerfully applies it to them; who teaches them all things they should know, and brings to their remembrance truths or promises, at proper seasons for their relief and comfort; and who is the unction they have received from the holy one, the anointing which teacheth all things, and from which they are denominated Christians; to say no more, they have knowledge of him as an inhabitant in them, for he dwells in them as in his temple; of whose indwelling they are sensible by the operations of his grace upon them; they find he is in them as the earnest of their inheritance, and as the sealer of them unto the day of redemption. Now in this distinct, special, and peculiar knowledge of Father, Son, and Spirit, and in that communion with them, which arises from hence, inward experimental religion greatly lies.

To this head of the object of knowledge all divine things may be reduced that are knowable, that are to be known or should be known by the Christian; there are some things that are not to be known, and which will never be known, neither in this life nor in that to cone; there are some things that angels know not, yea which the human soul of Christ knew not in his state of humiliation; this is not to be called ignorance but nescience, or non-knowledge. Secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, Deut. xxix, 29. The former we should not curiously search into, as not belonging to us, nor should we exercise ourselves in things too high for us, and which are out of our reach, nor should we seek to be wise above what is written; the latter we should study the knowledge of, and to improve therein, even the knowledge of the several truths and doctrines of the gospel, so as to try and know the things that differ, and to approve the more excellent; and also of the will of God, or duties of religion, which are to be observed, that so we may walk worthy of God in all well-pleasing. next thing to be considered is,

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11. The causes of this knowledge, and from whence it springs. It is not to be attained to by the light of nature, or what light the works of nature give; for be said of this knowledge what Job says of wisdom and understanding, when he asks, Where shall wisdom be found? and Where is the place of understanding? to which he answers, it is not known by man, nor is it here nor there, nor ean any estimation be made of it, only God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof; what place it is to be found in, and in what way, and from whence it cometh, Job xxvii. 12, 23. Nor is it to be found in the law of Moses; by that God may be known to be holy, just, and righteous, but not as a God gracious and merciful; by it is the knowledge of sin, but not the knowledge of Christ as a Saviour from sin; by it may be known what is the will of God with respect to what should be done and what should

be avoided, but no knowledge does it give of the Spirit of God to help in the performance of duty, or in the exercise of grace. Nor is it to be acquired by cainal reason; the deep things of God, the mysteries of his grace, are what the carnal eye of man has not seen, nor his ear heard, nor has it entered into his heart to conceive of. When Peter made that excellent confession of the Deity, Sonship and Messiahship of Christ, our Lord said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona, flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee; but my Father which is in heaven, Matt. xvi. 17. This is not to be had of men; the knowledge the apostle Paul had of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ, and of the glorious doctrines of the gospel, he had them not at the fee of Gamaliel, nor from his mouth, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ, Gal. i. 11, 12. I. The efficient cause of this knowledge is God; it is God that teacheth men knowledge, and none teaches like him; and this he teaches persons the most unlikely to learn, even such as are weaned from milk, and drawn from the breasts; that is, just weaned, who were but the other day babes and sucklings; this knowledge is from God, Father, Son, and Spirit. Such as have heard and learned of the Father, come to Christ; that is, believe on him, John vi. 45. It is the Father who knows the Son, and reveals him as he did to Peter, and who reveals the things he hides from the wise and prudent, even unto babes; and no man knows the Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him, Matt. xi. 27. he who lay in his bosom declares him, his mind and will, his love and grace; and he gives an understanding to know himself, who is the true God and eternal life, 1 John v. 20. and the Spirit, he is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God and Christ; he searches the deep things of God, and reveals them to men; and by him they know the things that are freely given them of God. - 2. The impulsive cause is the sovereign will and pleasure of God. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight, Matt. xi. 25, 26. it being solely owing to his good will and pleasure to make known to whom he would make known the mysteries of his grace and gospel concerning himself, his Son and Spirit.-3. The instrumental cause or means is the word of God. Faith, which sometimes goes by the name of knowledge, comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, Rom. x. 17. that is, by the external ministration of the word, the Lord owning and blessing it. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, was appointed, commissioned, and sent of God to give knowledge of salvation to his people; and the apostles and ministers of the gospel had the treasures of evangelical truths put into their earthen vessels, to give the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The ministry of the word is appointed as a standing ordinance in the church, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, Eph. iv. 13.

III. The nature and properties of this knowledge deserve notice: 1. This knowledge is practical; the mere theory of any science, unless reduced to prac-. tice, is of little avail; men may have all knowledge that is notional and specus