2 50 An Expofition of the Epij11e --~~~----~~~ ~ But now of him , of whom? Is it God the Father, or Chrifl, for JrJ will Ser.XIX. bear either of them, ~ My Brethren, he fpeaks of God the Father juil before, tht God of ottr Lord .7efiu (/;riff, the Fc•ther ofGlory,that htmay g•ve yotl the Sptnt ofWt(dom and Revef,,tioll ill the knowledgt ofbtm,He fpake both ofGod and he fpake of Chrirt. Who is the Him here then? I take it efpeciallyGod the Fathn·; for in the 19th verfe, helpeai<S of Chriil while he is praying this Prayer, as of a diflinct pcrfon. That)'otlmayknow (faith he,) the power that he wrought ill Chr:fl. That ' fame He there; is the Him here; yet fo as becaufe it may refer to either, take both : It is the knowledt,e of GodmzdChrif/, or rather of God 111 Chnfl, to know God as he is the God of Chrijl, and as he is the Father of Glory, and fo to have the heart taken with him, to have the heart drawn into communion with him. This is the knowledge the Apoille here meaneth, you have them both put toge– ther. 2 Cor. 4· 6. God who commmtdedthe flght tojhi11e o11t of darknefs, bath jhined ill OilY hearts, to give the lzght of the k11owledge of the Glory of God,· irt the face of Jejiu Chrijl. How come you to know Htm here but in and through Chriil ? So that it is the knowledge of both, but efpecially of the Fa,rher. And fo in Cola{ 1. 10. where the fame words are ufed, it is called ;,;;,;;.,,,-as here, ]ucrtajing faith be, in the knowledge of God. You have them both mentioned 2 Pet. 1 . 2 • GraamtdPeaa bemllltzpliedthrough theknowlnlgeof God, and of our Lord Jejtu Cbrifl. Therefore I fay take both in. So much now for this of him, of God i11 Ghrifl, of the Glory of God 111 the face of Jefru Chrifl; as the Apoille exprelfeth himfelf m that 2 Cor. 4· 6. Now let us confider what is meant by the knowledge here he fpenks of. It is certainly meant an excellency of k!towledge, as Y'""'' is often takerr,nor rneer· ly for aknowledge, bur for an excellency of knowledge, as Grotitu well obfer– veth. Rom, l· 20. By the Law ;,the kH~wledgeof Sm. The word there is the fame that is ufed here, '"'"'""'· That 1s, though a Man know what is fin, by the light of nature, yet he cometh to an exact, to a perfect knowledge by the Law. I b11d 1lot k110Wil fill (faith the Apofrle, Rom. 7· 7·) 611t by the L aw. Well, then the thing the ApoiHe prayeth for here is, an exafler knowledge, cl more perfert knowledge ofGod. Yea,but what manner of knowledge? - My Br~tbren,if you will have me plainly fpeak what I think the Apoille chiefly aimeth at, is this. It is nor only a more inlargcd knowledge about the things of God, as it is faid of Chriil, Luke 24- Tbat he expotmded the Scriptures con– cer~ting himfe!f; fo it is not to know more things concerning God, to have their knowledge inlarged for the matrer of it; bet the thing he aimetl1 at here, being tbeperfefltott of k11owledge, and the end cmd iffiu of a/J k11owledge to grrr.v11 Chriflzans ,to foaled Chnjlums, it is Commmzio11 with God, is fuch a knowledge as the Apoille here meanc;th. Not fuch a btowledge as Jhall e~able you to exprefs God to others, but fucb·a knowledge as makes you perfonally holy, and hathper– fonal communion with God joyned with it. The reafon wAo/ I interpret it fo, is, not only becaufe the word will bear it, for yv.:.,>, is indeed an acknowledgement or owning. One knoweth a flranger, bur he cloth Ag•tojcere, he cloth acknowledge, (as fome Interpreters well dillin– guilh,) one he knew before, ?is friend. So that the intimate knowl<dge ofGod as of a friend, ashefa1dof Mojes; Iknowthee6y 11ame, •and Mojes he knew God again, as the Phrafe is; .1oh. ro. '4· I know my jhtfp, and am kuow" of mi1u. To liave this mutual knowledge, God k11owi>tg me, mtdJknowing God, mtd{o t_oco11vrrfe wtth God, mzdto have commmtio11 with him tbJ wtth ajriotd; this intimate knowledge I fay IS the thmg the Apoille meaneth. And my rea– fan ( befides what the word will bear,) is this, becaufdn C<>lof J. 9· 10. where he prayetll for the fame thing, he makes it the confequent or holy walking; he prayeth before that they might walk worthy ofthe Lord to all well pleafing and then followetb, l~tcreaji~tg ( faith he,) ill the h/I{Jwledge Of God, l the w~rd is the fame imyv•"''• there and here,) that is, l11o·eajiJJg as the reward of holy walking, and being filled with the knowledge of his will,) in communion with him, or in growing up to know him as your God, anc.l his glory and excellency, and
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