and in the meiting language of lamentation, bitterly bewailing both. He pours out floods of tears for the calamities of Judah and Jerusalem, and in detestation of those sins which brought these awful miseries upon them. After all his weeping, preaching and counsel, they were still confident of their own wisdom, trusted in the prowess of their mighty armies for defence, and in the abundance of their riches to insure succes to the war. He calls them to drop themselves for a moment, and to hearken to the voice of God. "Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man "glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his "might, let not the rich man glory in his riches." He wished them to put their confidence, boast, and hope in repentance, reformation, in true religion, in the spiritual and holy knowledge of God, that whatever might be their state in this world as a nation and individuals, they might secure to themselves, amidst the wreck and desolation of their country by the Chaldean hosts, a glorious immortality. "But let him that glorieth, glory in this, "that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, "which exercise loving kindness, judgment and righteousness in "the earth; for in these things 1 delight, saith the Lord."— As if he had said, in all the convulsions of the world and revolutions of nations, let this be your glory and ground of rejoicing, that you have a proper understanding and holy knowledge of God; that you have a spiritual acquaintance with his tender mercies and loving kindness, then all the ways of his providence, his judgments and righteousness will appear glorious on the earth, for in these displays of his perfections, and in your spiritual apprehensions of them, is your happiness and his delight.

The present enquiry shall be into that knowledge of God and divine things, which is of a distinguishing and saving nature; as specifically different from all other kinds of knowledge, and surely lands the soul on the shores of eternal bliss, where all knowledge and science are exalted to perfection, and admit of no encrease but by the enlargment of the faculties.

Knowledge may be reduced to three kinds, natural, rational and spiritual or saving. This distinction originates from these three different sources, to wit, from animal sense, human reason, and faith in divine testimony; each of these shall be attended to in their order. Please to allow me here to make a previous observation. It is impossible to draw a perfect line of discrimination between these several parts of knowledge. They are reciprocally aiding to one another, yet entirely distinct. Every man beholds the different colours of the rainbow, but their exact lines of distinction between colour and colour no man can discern.

First, I shall consider knowledge as natural, as it comes to us through our bodily or animal senses. No man can describe the knowledge that flows in upon us from this source. Our natural senses you know are five, and they all unite as fellow labourers to convey an abundance of knowledge to the human mind. Each, it is true, has a distinct and separate province; in certain circumstances they become auxiliaries to one another-yet, in many respects, they maintain such peculiar prerogatives, that it is absolutely beyond the power of the one to supply the other's place. The eye cannot perform the office of hearing, neither can the ear do the duty of the eye. If one of the senses be lost, which is a common accident, the stream of knowledge, which should be communicated thereby, is dried up. A man, who is born blind, can never obtain the knowledge of the distinction of colours; neither can the deaf man understand sounds, or learn the melody of music. The person destitute of the sense of smelling, cannot be regaled by the sweetest odours. And when taste is lost, all things are alike to the palate. Yet the absence of any of these inlets to knowledge is rare, therefore an abundance flows through them into the human mind. By these we learn all the difference of foods, nourishing and poisonous, all the variation and harmony of sounds, all the beauties of nature, our relatives, friends, property, &c.

But all this knowledge which we receive from our senses, how

ever great and useful, is of the lowest sort. It can raise man in its utmost extent, but a little above the herds of the field. If it were not early intermingled with some rational exercises, it could not exalt us above other animals; for the "ox knoweth his << owner, and the ass his master's crib." The beasts have much knowledge by an instinct of nature and from their senses, and some possess sagacities far superior to any thing among men. Yet, in the

Second place, Reason, with which man is endued, affords another and more glorious source of knowledge. The knowledge acquired by reason is as much more noble than that acquired by sense, as rational nature is superior to irrational, or an intelligent and immortal spirit to a brute animal, which, with his expiring breath, sinks out of existence. How much knowledge a rational creature could obtain without the aid of animal senses, I pretend not to say-only that this is of a superior kind, more refined, exalted and pure, and affords a superior pleasure. The one is coarse, narrow and limited, while the other is large, extensive, and in a measure boundless. This rational knowledge, is distinguished from the other by certain powers of mind, whereby ideas are received from reflection, and a comparison of one thing with another. There is an ability in man of considering the mutual relations, connections and dependencies of things, and so reasoning and arguing about matters doubtful and obscure, from what is more known or evident, until conclusions arise, which encrease the stock of ideas; and this encrease of knowledge affords an encrease of pleasure. As two persons dealing together know not who is in the other's debt, but by a comparison of their books and a settlement of accounts, they arrive at the knowledge on whose side the balance lies. Whenever we wish to know whether one thing be longer or weightier than another, we take proper measures and weights, and quickly obtain the proper knowledge.

The pleasures arising from rational investigation, are exceed

ing great. When the harmonious contexture of truths with truths, the apt co-incidence of coherent notions are discerned; when effects are traced to their causes, properties discerned in their native subjects, things examined to their principles, from Irence a world of knowledge is poured into the rational understanding, and the gratification accruing herefrom sometimes exceeds the powers of language to illustrate. In this way the mathematician obtains his art, and the philosopher his profound skill. By this the astronomer informs us of the various distan ces, magnitudes, movements and rotations of the heavenly bo dies, and can calculate with the most perfect accuracy the eclipses of the sun, moon and other planets, for thousands of years past, and for thousands of years to come. He who exercises his ra tional powers in searching into the arcana of nature in the veget able and animal kingdoms, and who is unwearied in his experi ments, wonderful indeed are the stores of knowledge which he acquires. How many have macerated their bodies, wasted their constitutions, sacrificed health and ease, for the acquisition of rational knowledge?--But there is a

Third kind of knowledge still more excellent than these, and to which our attention ought in an eminent manner to be directed; and this is what is stiled a spiritual or saving knowledge. It is as much superior to that obtained by reason, as that is to acquisitions of our senses. Yea, it is infinitely more so, both in its nature and use. The former kinds of knowledge have their advantages in this world, but the latter extends its blessings and pleasures into eternity. This, above all other knowledge, ought to be the object of our study, desire and persuit. And this may be acquired by the low as well as the great, by the illiterate as well as the learned, by the peasant as well as the philosopher. However great our advances may be in the former species of Knowledge, unless we obtain the latter too, it will be of no avail to us when we shall appear before the bar of the Judge eternal. All the knowledge we may have acquired from reason, by the most

lengthy and assiduous application, cannot be a substitute for this, or recommend to the favor of the Supreme Jehovah. Though a person had all knowledge, that he could explain the dark phenomena of nature, could work miracles, and had the gift of prophecy, yet without this, he must perish forever. Our Lord represents to us, that many in the day of judgment will plead their great knowledge, gifts, power and marvelous works, and yet will be rejected as workers of iniquity, whom he never knew. We find an idolatrous Balaam endowed with the supernatural gift of prophecy; a wicked Saul also among the prophets; a Judas, a traitor, murderer, and son of perdition among the Apostles, no doubt preaching and working miracles-yet none of these had that which is of a spiritual and saving kind. Although a man had obtained a better understanding of divinity than any that ever went before him, could solve every difficulty in religion, could explain all the depths of christian theology, and was able to dispute error and schism out of the world, yet all this might be what St. Paul calls "a form of knowledge." This knowledge involves in it that charity of which the Apostle speaks, and what is declared respecting the one may be affirmed of the other. "Though I speak with tongues of men and of angels, "and have not charity, I am become a sounding brass or a tink"ling cymbal. And although I have the gift of prophecy and "understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have "all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not " charity, I am nothing." The Apostle here points out the transcendent excellency of charity or divine love, and how it is preferable to all knowledge; that is, all knowledge possible for a man to acquire or be the subject of, while in a natural or graceless state. Now if charity be of such high distinction in the christian character, saving or spiritual knowledge is equally so. For we must surely have some proper knowledge of an object in order to our loving it. Hence, say the scriptures, "Every one "that loveth knoweth God. I pray that your love may abound "more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. It is writ