to theE PH E S1ANS. and converfe familiarly with him as with your friend. They were fealed Chrifii- ~--. ans he wrote this to for whom he prayeth, that knew God to be their God. &r. XI::C• Now rake a man tha't harhaifurance, what is the next thing he delireth _? To~ have much communion wah God, to have much mumate converfe With h1m; to fee rhat God of whom he is aifured, by a fpmtual light revealed to h1s foul, to fe_e him and ro fee the excellency and the glory of lum, as Mofes you know It was'his great qelire, jhew me thy glory,. faith he, when God had ufed him once familiarly as a friend. Now, becaufe this Is the next great thtng that fealed Chn- {lians, (as rhefe Ephf./irms were, ) do delire, therefore the Apofile prayeth for r!1is lmowlcdge. . . . . There is a parallel place to tb1s likewtfe. 2 Pet. I .2, Grace and Peace, fatth he, 6e mult1j>lied, (the word is, befulftUed,) throttgh the kuowledge ofGodand ol '1e{tU Chrifl our Lord. The word k1wwtedge there IS the fame word that 1s ufed nere. Now my Bretlven,what is the meaning of it, Grace a1ld Peace be fulftUed, (for fo .the wc:rd figf\dieth, ..,,g,.:n7n? How are rhe.Y fulfilled, perfect– ed ? T he meamng of It IS this, God doth fulfil the utmofi tntent of h1s grace and favourroa man, by cauling him to know him, and to have intimate commu– nion with him. God dorh till a mans foul with perfect peace and joy in believing, through an intimate knowledge of God and of Chrifi. You fee there the know– ledge of God and of Chrifl, it is put for the utmoll perfection,for the utmoll iifue both of God's grace and of peace of Confcienee , and of joy in the Holy Gholl; they are fulfilled (faith he,) through the knowledge of God and of Chrifl. So that my Brethren, in one word, that is meant by the knowledge of God here which he prayeth for for thefe Ephf./ians that were already fealed , which the Apofile .'7oh11 meant, I Joh. '·1· where he faith, Our (eUowjhip is with the Father, andwith hu Soil Je[tU Chri~. That is, that you may have communi– on with God, know him as a friend, converfe daily with him, have an intimacy of knowledge, that he owns you, and you own him, he know you, and you know him, and upon this knowledge of him, that you do Ag1io{cere, that you acknowledge him, cleave to him, give up your (elves to him, and delight to con• verfe with him. This is the knowledge of God here meant. And fo much for what is meant by the h:owledge ofh1m, The next thing is, what is meant by the Spirit of Wi{dom mtd Revel,ltio1J. By Spirit, I take is meant the Holy Gojl, why? Becaufe he is called aSpirit, of Revelatio11. Indeed, ifit were only a Spirit of wi(dom, it might have been taken for a gift of the Holy Ghoil:, for a principle of faith infufed into us, inhe– rent in us, but that he is called the Spirit of Revelation; that is not a gift inhe• rent, for revealing is an act ofone without us, of a pcrfon difiin{! from us; there– fore 1 Cor. 2. Io. He hathgiven tU ( faith he,) hu Spirit to reveal the thi1;g s that are givm 1111fo tU of God. So that by Spirit of Revela1io11 mull neceifarily be meant the Holy Ghofl, who is the Author of fuch Revelation, and of fuch wifdom in a mans heart as caufeth him to have intimate communion with God. This is the meaning. Now you will fay what is meant b.'YWi(dom?.A.nd what is meant by Rwtlation? And wh)l is Revetarz:oll added to ~1(dom? By Wtfdom, ( as I !hewed in the 8th•. verfe,) IS meanta pnnc1ple of Fauh, and fo fame take it here. To open this of Revelatio11. It is not extraordinary Revelation that he meaneth here fuch as Paul had, G at. I. I 2. where it is faid, that he knew the Gofpel by R~velatio1J, he never heard any man prdch It; I 11either received it of ma11 ( faith he, ) neither wa-1 I taught it, but by the Revetariouof '}ejiu Chr1jl. It is not fuch a Revelation he meaneth, though indeed this Revelationbeareth fame Analogy with it'· for tl>ey jb.11l6eall taug1Jt of God, yet fo as it is by the word, and it 1s Revelat1011 which the hght of the word leade1h him to. And the reafon why it is taken here for ordinary Reve!atiOit is cl~ar; becaufe it is that which he would have all the Ephefta>IS wh?m he wrote to, to grow in, and to have bellowed upon them as ordmary Chnfi1ans ; thereforehe doth not mean the extraordinary Revel,ltiOIIS ofthofe times. Kk Now
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