in their course. But is there no difference between breathing with difficulty, and having no breath? While therefore those who profess to know God, but in works deny him, are really far from God; those who have the divine life in them as a prevailing principle, do breathe for the liberty of the sons of God, and to be brought into that state, where they shall love, and serve, and obey the ever blessed God perfectly, and eternally.

SERMON VII.*

I NOW proceed, by way of further use and improvement of this subject, to lay down some rules and directions, that may be of service to all who desire to be of a different spirit, or character, from those we have been considering; and would not have this ever justly said of them, that while they profess to know God yet in works they deny him. And surely if it be considered how incongruous, how odious, how pernicious and destructive a thing this is; nothing can be apprehended of greater concernment to us, than effectually to endeavour, that we may not have this character resting upon us. That you may not, consider seriously, I pray, and observe such directions as these.

1. Once bring the matter to this point, that the profession you make may be the effect of your solemn deliberate choice. There is too much reason to recommend this rule to the generality of christians, amongst whom, it is very apparent, there are too many, whose profession is rather the effect of chance, or fate; or any thing they are thrown into, by the concurrence of some external circumstances in their condition; than of a serious deliberate choice. How many are there who profess themselves christians, as we observed before, merely because it is the religion of their country! or was that of their ances

Preached April 7th. 1681,

tors! or is established by the laws under which they live! So that it would be very inconvenient for them; too hazardous it may be, or at least scandalous, to make a contrary profession. Now it highly concerns us once to come to this, that the religion we are of be what we have chosen, and that we profess it upon mature deliberation. We are nothing in religion till we come to this. But,

It may here be said, "What then! are we to begin again? We have been christians long, it is a profession we have long sustained, and do so to this day." To which I reply, that all is yet to begin, wherein we are still short and defective. We read concerning the people of Israel, that when Moses had brought them to a more explicit owning of God and said; "You have this day avouched the Lord for your God, and he has avouched you for his people :" it is added, with reference to this same thing and time also, "Thou art this day become a holy people unto the Lord thy God." Deut. 26. 17, 18, 19. What did they but then become his people? Not so, for they were esteemed as such before by Jehovah the God of Israel; but they became so more explicitly, and by a direct act of their own, wherein they did as it were interchange obligations with the Almighty. And several years after when Joshua, towards the close of his life and government, was upon that solemn treaty with them, which you find in the 24. chapter, he again puts all to their choice, saying, "Choose you this day whom you will serve ;" (Josh. 24. 15.) submitting the matter again to their judgment and election. What! were they then to choose what religion to be of? No, they were to renew their choice, and to do the thing with great solemnity and seriousness, and in a distinct manner over again. And if it has not been done seriously and deliberately hitherto by you, let it be done now once for all; for till then, you cannot so much as say you have a religion of your own. And surely if a man would call any thing his own, it would be his religion. Your religion is otherwise but the religion of your country, or of the party to which you belong. It is not truly your own. No man would be contented merely because he lives in an opulent country, while he himself has no estate in it; or account himself rich, only because he lives in a rich nation. What should be so much mine, as my religion? But this can never be mine till I undertake to profess it, on a solemn and well weighed choice, after having considered and balanced all things, so as to be able to say; "This profession I take upon me as best, most excellent, most comfortable as well as most glorious. 2. Endeavour to know God in good earnest. Know him indeed, and you are then in no danger of the charge, which the

apostle brings against false professors. You have been formerly told, that this phrase of professing to know God, is not to be restrained and limited unto the bare speculative knowledge of him, abstractly considered. But though it is not to be thus limited, yet it must include this as the leading, initial thing to all the rest. It is an expression for religion in general, and is sometimes put for the whole of it; and therefore it cannot be supposed to leave out that, which is the fundamental and leading principle of all, from whence the denomination is taken, and put upon the whole.

If you consider the object of this knowledge, it is not God abstractly considered. If you consider the nature of it, it is not barely notional knowledge that is sufficient; nor, as we have already shewn, the knowledge of God in Christ Jesus, according to that divine revelation, which is contained in the New Testament: which phrase is used in Scripture to signify the Christian religion, before the revelation of which, the Gentiles are represented as not knowing God. Gal. 4. 8. What! did they not own a Deity before? No doubt they had soine knowledge of a Supreme Eternal Being, as the heathens had in common, (Rom. 1. 19, 20, 21.) and yet their state of heathenism is said to be a state wherein they did not know God. They did not know God so as to be acquainted with the true method of worshipping, conversing with, and enjoying of him, which is discovered to us only in the gospel. The world, says the apostle, through wisdom knew not God. 1 Cor. 1. 21. It is spoken plainly of the more refined pagans, who go under the name of Gentiles. And had not they the knowledge of the Deity? No doubt they had; for it is elsewhere said, they did know him but not glorify him as God. Rom. 1. 21. meaning is, that they did not know him through Christ as Mediator. And it was through their wisdom that they did not so know him, when they might have done it; because the doctrine of a crucified Christ, to them appeared a very foolish thing, which by no means gratified that wisdom to which they highly pretended. They knew not God, that is, they were not christians.

The

With respect to the nature of this knowledge, it is of a vital, efficacious, transformative quality, which alone is worthy of the name. Such is the knowledge which our Lord speaks of. "This is life eternal to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." John 17. 3. It is such a knowledge, as by which the soul is caught into a union with the blessed object of it. He has given us an understanding that we may know him that is true; and we are in him, even in his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. "This is the true God and eternal life," 1 Joha

5. 20. It is a knowledge that blasts and withers sin at the very root, and so efficaciously transforms the soul into the image of God's own holiness. "He that sinneth, hath not seen God nor known him," 3 John 11. The same word there rendered seen signifies known ; Ye have not heard his voice ner seen his shape, John 5. 37. You have never had a true notion of God yet truly inwrought into your souls, "Awake to righteousness and sin not! I speak it to your shame, some have not the knowledge of God." 1 Cor. 15. 34. Labour then thus to know God in earnest, by such a kind of knowledge as shall influence the practice, and in the event bring about and accomplish the blessed union betwixt him and you.

3. Ponder well on the dignity and sacredness of this profession. Oh what a mighty thing is this! that whereas the world has been lost in the ignorance of God, through many successive ages, we should take upon us to profess to know him. It is too big a word for the mouth of a profane and irreligious world. That description of Balaam which he gives of himself, is grand and very solemn; "The man whose eyes are opened, that heard the word of God, that knew the knowledge of the Most High, and saw the vision of the Almighty." Num. 24. 3, 4, 15, 16. And yet the knowledge he alludes to, and which this prophet seems to glory in, was only such as he derived from the spirit of prophecy, and not the spirit of saving, holy illumination. However it was a great thing to come out of such a profane mouth as that of Balaam, when he came to curse the armies of Israel,

Let us then consider, I pray, what we say and do, when we take upon us to profess to know God. As I intimated before, it is an appropriative knowledge that is here pretended to. To know him is to acknowledge him as our God, as his knowing us is to acknowledge and own us as his people. This was the pretence of Israel, but connected with horrid contempt of him as we learn from the prophets. To know God then is, I say, to acknowledge him as our Lord; our Owner, our Proprietor, to whom we belong upon a peculiar account. And consider what that account is, and under what notion we must own him to be our Lord; namely, as we are his property, and his peculiar treasure. For so are all those who are his people, by virtue of the relation which results from their mutual contract and agreement. I entered into covenant with thee, says the Almighty to the Jews, and thou becamest mine. Ezek. 16. 8. And again, "You shall be to me a peculiar treasure before all people, for all the earth is mine." Exod. 19. 5. They who are his people he reckons them as his crown and his diadem, Isa. 62. 3. Who, says God, shall be mine in the day that I make