6 r o The Knowledge of God. intá every thing, the light of the Divine Underfianding lays all things open and naked, Heb. 4. 13. In which expreffion the Apoftle alludes to the Sacrifices of Beans, which were Read and cleft down the Back-bone, that the Ptieft might lobk into them, and fee whether they were without blemifh. To the Eye of out underflandings moft Objets are dole, and have their Skins upon them : but to the Eyes of God all things are uncovered and dif ected, and lie open to his view. 3. God's Knowledge is clear and dißiind. Our Underflandings in the know.. ledge of things are hable to great confufion ; we are often deceived with the near likenefs and refemblance of things, and miftake one thing for another ; our Knowledge is but a twilight, which doth not fufficiently feparate and diflinguifh things from one another, we fee things many times together and in a heap, and do but know them in grofs ; but there is no confufion in the Divine Underfiand- ing, that is aclear Light which feparates and diftinguifheth things of the greateft nearnefs and refemblance ; God hath a particular Knowledge of the leaft things, Luke 1:z. 7. Even thevery hairsofyour Headare all numbred; thofe things which are of the leaft confideration, and have the greateft likenefs to one another, the very hairs of your Head, are feverally and diftin&ly known to God. 4. God's Knowledge is certain and infallible. We are fubject to doubt and er- ror in our underftandingof things, every thing almoft impofeth upon our Under- flandings, and tináures our Minds, and makes us look on things otherwife than they are ; our Temper and Complexion, our Education and Prejudice, our Inte- sett and Advantage, our Humours and Diflempers, thefe all mifreprefent things, and darken our Minds, and feduce our Judgments, and betrayus to Error and Mittake : but the Divine Undemanding is a clear, dl: fixed, confiant, and undi- urbed Light, a pure Mirror that receives no ftain from Affe&ion, orIntere% or any other thing. Men are many times confident and apt to impofe upon others, as if they were infallible : but this is the Prerogativeof God, the Privi- lege of theDivine Underfianding, that it is fecure from all poffibility of Error; 'tis Godonly that cannot lie, Tit. r. a. becaufe he cannot be deceived ; the infal- libility of God is the Foundation of his veracity. g. The Knowledge of God is eafie and without difficulty. We mull dig deep for Knowledge, take a great deal ofpains to know a little ; we do not attain the Knowledge of things without fearch and Rudy and great intention of Mind; we ftrive to comprehend Tome things, but they are fo van that we cannot ; other things areat fuch a diflance, that our Underilanding is too weak todifcern them ; other things are fo little, and fmall, and nice, that our Underfianding cannotlay hold of them, we cannot contract our Minds to fuch a Point as to fatten upon them : but the Underfianding of God being infinite, there is nothing at a di- fiance from it, nothing too great and van for its comprehenfion, nor is there any thing fo little that it can efcape his Knowledge and Animadverfion. The great Wifdom of Solomon is compared to the Sand on the Sea-/bore ; the Shore is van, but the Sands are little (faith one) to liignifie that the van Mind of Solomon did comprehend the lean things. 'Tis, much more true of God, his Undemanding is a van comprehenfion of the lean things, as well as the greateft ; and all this God does without difficulty or pain ; he knows all things without ftudy, and his Underfianding is in continual exercife withoutwearinefs. How many things are there which we cannot find out without fearch, without looking narrowly into, and bending our Minds to understand them ? But all things are obvious to God, and lie open to his view. He is faid indeed in Scripture to fearch the Heart, and to try the Reins, and to weigh theSpirits ; but there Exprefïions do not fgnifie the painfulnefs, but the perfelïion of his Knowledge, that he knows thofe things as perfectly, as we can do any thing about which we.ufe tie greateft diligenceand exactnefs. 6. The Knowledge of God is univerfal, and extends to all Objells. We know but a few things, our Ignorance is greater than our Knowledge, maxima pars eo- rum qua; fcimus, e/t minimapars Comm gum nefcimua : but the Divine Underftanding is
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