tions, and that God himself was the chief end of man. But man, being fallen from his primitive ftate, knew not God, loft the very knowledge he had of him, and was, through the fall, as ignorant of God and the things of God, as a wild afs's colt. In which cafe he must have remained, had he not been favoured with divine. revelation. This will appear, if we confider that though the invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly feen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, yet the Heathens, their wife men and philofophers, who fearched into the nature of fecond caufes, were ignorant of God in the felf-existence, fimplicity, and holinefs of his nature. And when they knew, or might have known God by the works of creation and providence, so as to acknowledge his eternal Deity, they glorified him not as God, but changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and ferved the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever, Amen. Though his perfections are manifefted in the creatures, and his power in their prefervation, yet the wife philofophers of Greece and Athens, knew him not. Arts and fciences cannot enlighten the mind into the knowledge of him. This will appear more fully, as we confider the ftate of mankind fince the fall. Upon the entrance of fin into the world, God in rich grace revealed unto Adam, that the feed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. This was the only means of fallen Adam's being reftored to the true and faving knowledge of God. Henceforward, God confines the true knowledge of himfelf to a few families: after

wards makes himself known to Abraham and his pofterity, to whom he gave his Holy Spirit; whilst at the fame time he fuffered all nations to live in their natural darkness, and to remain in the fhadow of death and even the Ifraelites were not all of them

fpiritually illuminated. There was a man among them who had never finned against his confcience, who was a profound fcholar, a perfect moralift, a devout profeffor of religion, and yet, with all his wifdom, learning, and profeffed piety, he was abfolutely ignorant of the true and faving knowledge of God, and his Son Jefus Chrift. Saul, who was afterward called Paul, an apostle of Jefus Chrift, is the man I mean. And yet, who flood a fairer chance to be acquainted with God and the things of God? Nor is it a whit better with any others; for in this kingdom, in the laft century, two of the greatest aftronomers amongst us were Arians, whofe doctrines are no better than Deifm, and tend to direct Atheism.

Here, Sirs, I would ftop and obferve, that it is impoffible for man, by all the ufe of his rational and reasoning faculties, by acquired knowledge in the arts and sciences, by philofophy or aftronomy, to find out the true knowledge of God, or gain the least spiritual acquaintance with him. It is true, that there is a God may be known, but this is not the true and faving knowledge of the Godhead. fenfe, know and acknowledge God, confefs him to be holy, juft, and good, know that fin is a tranfgreffion of his law, and be convinced that without holiness no man fhall fee the Lord, and yet be perfectly ignorant

You may, in a certain

The words before us.

of God to any good purpofe. éxprefsly declare that though God's wifdom fhines evidently throughout every part of creation, and holds forth God to view as incomprehenfible in effence, and boundless in perfections, yet that the world by wifdom knew not God. This leads me then to confider how we may be brought to the true and faving knowledge of the Holy one. This cannot be without divine revelation and infpiration. Hear what our Lord Jefus Chrift himself fays, All things are delivered unto me of my Father; and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither knoweth any man the Father, fave the Son, and he to whomfoever the Son will reveal him. That we may attain a true knowledge of God, there must be a revelation of the incomprehenfible nature, diftinct perfonalities, and infinite perfections of Deity. By what means fhall we obtain this? Canft thou by fearching find out God? Canft thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? Without the true knowledge of the object of worship we cannot perform any true act of worship. It is the knowledge of God that muft lead us to God. Neither is the bare, fuperficial knowledge of God in his three divine and glorious perfons, fufficient. A trinity in the unity of the incomprehenfible effence may be acknowledged, and yet we may be deftitute of divine, intuitive, fpiritual knowledge. The Scripture declares, No man bath feen God (cr, known God, for fo it might be rendered) at any time : the only begotten Son, which is in the bofom of the Father, be bath declared him. It is by the Lord Jefus Chrift that

the knowledge of God is made known; and it is in

the discharge and exercise of his prophetic office, that he enlightens the minds of finners, and fhines into their hearts, to give them the light of the knowledge of God. Jefus Chrift is the glorious medium, and God tranfmits his beams of light and illumination upon his church in the perfon of Jefus Chrift; who, by his Holy Spirit, gives us a new understanding to know the Lord; fanctifies the will, and regenerates the foul. It is exprefsly declared in the word of the living God, that no man can call Jefus Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Then, firs, no learning nor human knowledge can create in us one spiritual idea of Christ, nor give us the leaft fpiritual acquaintance with the Lord. Here I would therefore entreat you to confider the fubject; and if the only means of arriving at the true knowledge of God, be by revelation and inspiration, it becomes us to adore and admire God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for that most perfect and precious revelation made of the felf-exiftent Godhead, of the perfonalities in the Godhead, and of the economy of the divine perfons in the everlasting covenant. It is by this ever blessed revelation, which God has given us in the facred Scriptures, that we are led to the right object of worship; and it is by the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that we are brought to know the Lord; and every act of spiritual worship is the fruit of his indwelling in us, and is owing to his divine breathing upon us. This will appear by repeating what has been before fuggefted; that Adam, immediately after the fall, was restored and recovered to the knowledge of God by revela

tion; which exhibited the incarnate God, as the fole object of his faith, and foundation of his hope, without which, he could have known nothing of God's grace and pardoning mercy. It was this which laid the foundation for the firft faith in Chrift that ever was in the world. The fecond perfon in the Godhead, according to his covenant office, as the true prophet of his people, inftru&ted Adam; and it is by him all the faints in every period of time have been enlight ened, and made wife unto falvation. The patriarchs were enlightened by him; fo were all the prophets which have been fince the foundation of the world. He himself fays, I am come a light into the world. One end of his glorious incarnation was, to reveal and manifeft the love, grace, and mercy of God. He enlightened all his holy apoftles; and by him his church is ftill, and will evermore be illuminated and made light in the Lord. If the outward means, whereby Chrift is most graciously pleased to bring us to the true and faving knowledge of God, be the infpired volume, how invaluable fhould the written word be to us: we can never prize it too highly. All the true knowledge of God upon earth is contained in the facred Scriptures, and they are fufficient to make us wife unto falvation, by faith which is in Chrift Jefus. But, alas! who amongst us, is not found guilty of prizing every and any good book, more than and above the book of God? Yet it is an undeniable truth, and I may appeal to each of you who are spiritual, to teftify concerning the truth of it, that your fouls are never more powerfully quickened, your