Senn. LXXXI. TheKnowledge of God. 61: is vaft and comprehenuive, and by an imperious view commands all Objects ; he is greater than our hearts, andknoweth all things ; he knows himfelf, and the ex- cellency and perfection of his own Nature, and the fecrets of his Will, z Cor. 2. r r. The Spirit of Godfearcheth thedeep things of God; he knows all other things that are not, and all things that are, in all differences of. time, their Powers and Qualities. The Knowledge of God is infinite, Pfal. 54.7.3. His.underflanding ii infinite ; he knows himfelf and his own Perfections, and all the poffìbilities of things, which are all infinite. Now the Underflanding of God being infinite is incapable of any Addition, or Diminution, or Change. Our finite Underfland- ings are liable to alterations, they may grow or decline : but the Knowledge of God is a full confiant-Light, 'tis always the fame, not liable to any Eclipfe, nor capable of any exaltation or improvement, but remains for ever the fame. Thirdly, I come now to draw fome Inferences from the feveral parts Of this Difcourfe. I. From the Perfection of God's Knowledge. I. The Perfection of the Divine Knowledge calls for our Veneration. Every Excellency commands Reverence, and raifeth our admiration, and none more thanKnowledge, there is nothing that we value our felves or others more by, thad this ; the higheft Knowledge of Man, the moft glorious Underftanding, that ever any one of the Soós ofMen were endowed with, is, compared to the Know- ledge of God, but as a Glow-Worm to the Sun. If we admire thefe Candles of the Lord, which Thine fo imperfectly in the dark ; if we reverence a little Know- ledge, compals'd about with ignorance ; how fhould we admire the Father of Lights, in whom is no darknefs at all, that Knowledge which hath nothingof ble- ,mifh or imperfeEtion in it ! z. We may hence learn Humility, and that on this double Account. As we have all our Knowledge from him ; what have we that we have not received ? And as our Knowledge is very imperfect, when compared with the Divine Under- flanding. We are blind and ignorant, 'cis but a few things that we are capable of knowing; and we know but a few ofthofe things which our Natures are capable, of knowing ; and of thofe things we do know, our Knowledge is very imperfect; 'Cis flight and fuperficial, attended with muchdifficulty and uncertainty in the at- taining of it, and error and confufion in the ufe of it ; the cleareft Reafon, and the brighteft Underflanding of Man hath many flaws and defects- in it , fo that the more we know of God, and of our felves, the more humble we !hall be. It is an empty Knowledge, and falfely fo calla, that puffs up ; s the empty ears of Corn are pert and raife up themfelves, but thofe which are big and full, droop and hang down their Heads ; fo 'tis only Ignorance that is proud and lifts Men up, but trueKnowledge makes Men humble. 3. This is matter of Comfort and Encouragement. Heknows our wants and weaknefs, and will lay no more upon us than we are able to bear, for he confiders that we are but Dufl ; he knows the rage and malice of our Enemies, and canwhen he pleafes put a Hook in their Nofe, . and his Bridle in their Lips, as he did to Senache- rib, 2 Kings 59. 28. a. From God's knowing our fecret Actions; I infer r:. If God fees our molt fecret Actions, this difcovers and confutes the- fecret Atheiftn of many. He that commits the molt fecret fin denies the Omnifiience of God. Thus Daviddefcribes the Atheifm of fome in his Days ; he bathPaid in his heart Godbath forgot, he hideth his face, he will never fee it ; the Lord !hall not fee, neither !hall the God of Jacob regard it ; and is not this, in effect, to de- ny God's Being ? for it is to deny him to be what he is. A Man may as well deny there is a Sun, as deny that it fhines and enlightens the World. There are fome Relicks of this even in the'belt.Men, which do at fometimes difcover themfelves, Pfal. 73. to, 55. Therefore his People return hither; andwa- ters of afullcup are wrung out to them. And they fay, how doth God know? is there knowledge in the moll high ? that is, the People of God come to this, when they are come to an aided liate, and fee theProfperity of Wicked Men, they come to this, to queflion the Providence of God, whether he takes knowledge of the iii. Affairs
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