to th'e E P HE SI A N S. I come ndw to the particular opening of, the things he Prayedfor, for the Spirit of Wijdom a11d Revdat1olltn the knowltdge of htm. fir!l: thing. I mull: explain Three things here. . Heprqyeth~ This is the Str. XIX. \,/V"o..J I. What is meant by the knowledge ofh1m. . ,. i. The ways by which he prayeth that tlwy may know, 6y W1Jd~m and 6y Re~ ve!ation. \ 3 The Author of this Knowledge, and Wifdom, and Revelation and all, Th~ ·Spirit of Chr1jl, whom he praiethmight be given t~ them as fuch, That h~ mflygivr ) 'OtJ (faith he,) the Sp1rtl of Wijdom, a11d RtvelattotJ, m the k11owledge ofhim. The Fir!l: thing you fee he praieth for, as the conclufion of all, is the knowledge of him, whether you take it of God or of Chri!l:, it is fir!l: of him; which impli– eth that all humane knowledge of humane thtngs, tf you know all the fecrets i\] nature, it is norhing to this. - Pa11/ you know defired to know nothing6ut Chrijl, and him crs~eifud. I Cor.2. Thts ts the emtnent knowledge,the knowledge ofhtm that the Apo!He here prayeth for. Hepraieth not you fee that they might have the knowledge of their own graces fo much, nor the knowledge of their own cor– ruptions fo much, ( thougb all thefe will follow upon the knowledge of him, ) but the thing he pitcheth upon for grown Chri!l:ians to grow up in, is the know– ledge of him. The eminent thing in a Chri!l:ian is to defire more knowledge of God and of Chri!l: efpecially. If they know their own corruptions, what ufe do they make of it ? To drive tbem to Chri!l:, to make them know him more, I th, 1 k God through ,7ejtts Chrifl, faith Paul, when he faw himfelf a miferable man. If they know their own graces, it is that by thofe beams they might look upon that Sun. If they know the Law,itis todireCl:them to Chri!l:; The end ( my Brethren,) of all-duties (mar~what I fay, ) the end of grace it felf; it is knoWledge of God and commumon with hrm, therefore you hear,and there– fore you pray. If you re!l: in the duties without communion with God and the knowledge of him, your foul will be found empty, and will fit down in forrow at the !all:. In Colof. I. 8. 9· you !hall fee what the Apo!l:le faith there, where he makes the very fame Prayer parallel to what is here; He trayeth that thty may /;e filled with the ks10w!edge of God's witl in att wifdom and JPirituat tmder– jlandi,.g(this is grace now,) that they may know their duties morefoi'Jhil is tht will of God, tvmyo~r fmtClijication; that Husbands may know their duties , what is the will of God to them, and Wives theirs, what is the will of God con– cerning them; take the whole will of God in the wholecompafs ofit, he praietli , for that. To what end? that JOII might walk worthy of the Lord to all plea– ' fing, ( fo it is verfe 1 o,) bei1lgjrt11tfut i11 everygood work. But mark n, what is the end of all this knowledge and of all this walking? lncr.tajing (faith he,) in tht knowledge ofGod. That cometh in lafi, as being the perlectiorl, the re– ward of all obedience, to know God more. A Chri!l:ian, a holy heart improveth the knowledge of all truth, to know God more perfectly, and to have more communion with him by it. Wicked men, they often times fee the great wifdom that is in the knowledge of God; they fee the harmony and the agreement of one truth in ~ivinity withanother, how one kilfeth another, and they are mightily taken w1th tt, as nothing w1ll take a mans under!l:anding fo much as matters ofdi" vinity, and the rationality of it. But fiill they pick not God out of all this,they do not know h1m fp <ntually and perfonally. Or take a man that is an Atheifi (as the one !l:udieth the Scripture, the .other fi~dieth the works of God,) let a man be an arrant Athet!l:, he will fee a m1ghty w1fdom that natute bath in all the works of nature; in all the caufes and effects of things, and how in weight and mea– fure they are all made, and one thing is fubordinate to anothet, but fiill he picks .not God out of all this, but fo a Chrifiian doth. So that it is the knowledge of him you fee in di!l:inction and oppofition to all thillgs elfe which the Apo!l:le here prayeth for thefe Ephiflmu. lilut
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