abyfs. What are the truths discovered in Chrift, but the very fecrets that from eternity lay hid in the bofom of God? Eph. iii. 8, y. God's heart is opened to men in Chrift, John i. 18. this makes the gofpel fuch a glorious difpenfation, because Chrift is fo gloriously revealed therein, 1 Cor. iii. 9. and the studying of Chrift in the gospel, ftamps fuch a heavenly glory upon the contemplating foul, verfe 18.

sthly, It is the most sweet and comfortable knowledge; to be studying Jefus Chrift, what is it but to be digging among all the veins and fprings of comfort? and the deeper you dig, the more do thofe fprings flow upon you. How are hearts ravished with the discoveries of Chrift in the gospel? what extafies meltings, tranfports, do gracious fouls meet there? Doubtless, Philip's extafy, John i. 45. supaper Inov, "We have found Je"fus," was far beyond that of Archimedes. A believer could fit from morning to night, to hear difcourfes of Chrift; "His "mouth is moft fweet," Cant. v. 16. *

Secondly, Let us compare this knowledge with all other knowledge, and thereby the excellency of it will farther appear.

1. All other knowledge is natural, but this wholly fupernatural, Mat. xi. 27. "No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; "neither knoweth any the Father, fave the Son, and he to whom"foever the Son will reveal him." The wifeft Heathens could never make a discovery of Chrift by their deepest searches into nature; the moft eagle-eyed philofophers were but children in knowledge, compared with the most illiterate chriftians.

2. Other knowledge is unattainable by many: All the helps and means in the world would never enable fome Chriftians to attain the learned arts, and languages; men of the best wits, and most pregnant parts, are moft excellent in these but here is the mystery and excellency of the knowledge of Christ, that men of moft blunt, dull and contemptible parts attain, through the teaching of the Spirit, to this knowledge, in which the more acute and ingenious are utterly blind, Mat. xi. 25. "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou haft "hid these things from the wile and prudent, and haft reveal"ed them unto babes." 1 Cor. i. 26, 27. " You fee your calling, brethren, how that not many wife men after the flesh, not ma

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* Every discovery of thy truth is, above all, the pleasantest, most ravishing and delightful, and even invites and offers itself to every one of its own accord : What exquifite pleasure is there in that, which lies concealed within the inmoft receffes of your heart, and is fhut up, as it were, with locks and bars? Brightman on Cant.

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ny mighty, not many noble are called: but God hath cholen "the foolish things of the world, to confound the wife," &c.

3. Other knowledge, though you should attain the highest degree of it, would never bring you to heaven, being defective and lame both in the integrity of parts, the principal thing, viz. Christ, being wanting; and in the purity of its nature: for the knowing Heathens grew vain in their imaginations, Rom. i. 21. and in the efficacy and influence of it on the heart and life, They held the truth in unrighteousness; their lufts were stronger than their light, Rom. i. 18. But this knowledge hath potent influences, changing fouls into its own image, 2 Cor. iii. 12. and so proves a faving knowledge unto men, 1 Tim. ii. 4. And thus I have in a few particulars pointed out the tranfcendency of the knowledge of Christ.

The ufe of all this I fhall give you in a few inferences, on which I shall not enlarge, the whole being only preliminary to the doctrine of Chrift; only for the prefent I fhall hence infer,

Inference 1.

* The fufficiency of the doctrine of Chrift, to make men wife unto falvation. Paul defired to know nothing else; and, indeed, nothing elfe is of abfolute neceffity to be known: A little of this knowledge, if faving and effectual upon thy heart, will do thy foul more fervice, than all the vain fpeculation and profound parts that others fo much glory in. Poor Christian, be not dejected, because thou feeft thyself out ftript and excelled by fo many in other parts of knowledge: if thou know Jefus Christ, thou knowest enough to comfort and fave thy foul. Many learned philofophers are now in hell, and many illiterate Christians in heaven.

Inference 2.

If there be fuch excellency in the knowledge of Chrift, let it humble all, both faints and finners, that we have no more of this clear and effectual knowledge in us, notwithstanding the excellent advantages we have had for it. Sinners, concerning you I may figh and fay with the apoftle, í Cor. xv. 34. "Some "have not the knowledge of Christ, I speak this to your shame.” This, O this is the condemnation. And even for you that are iolightned in this knowledge, how little do you know of Jefus Christ, in comparison of what you might have known of him?

* He is completely learned, who has learned the gospel; but that perfon is quite foolish and mad, who feeks for faving knowledge any where else; for here is a large field of fuch knowledge; here all the treafures of it. Davenant on Coloff.

What a fhame is it, that you should need to be taught the very first truths, "when for the time you might have been teachers ** of others?" Heb. v. 12, 13, 14. “That your minifters cannot fpeak unto you as fpiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto "babes in Chrift," 1 Cor. iii. 1, 2. O how much time is spent in other ftudies, in vain difcourfes, frivolous pamphlets, worldly employments? how little in the fearch and study of Jelus Christ?

Inference 3.

How fad is their condition that have a knowledge of Christ, and yet as to themselves it had been better they had never had it *! Many there be that content themselves with an unpractical, ineffectual, and merely notional knowledge of him; of whom the apoftle faith, "It had been better for them not to *have known," 2 Pet. ii. 21. It ferves only to aggravate fin and mifery for though it be not enough to fave them, yet it puts fome weak restraints upon fin, which their impetuous lufts breaking down, exposes them thereby to a greater damnation.

Inference 4.

Fourthly, This may inform us by what rule to judge both minifters and doctrine. Certainly that is the higheft commen dation of a minifter, to be an able minister of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit, 2 Cor. iii. 6. He is the best artist, that can most lively and powerfully display Jefus Chrift before the people, evidently fetting him forth as crucified among them; and that is the beft fermon, that is moft full of Chrift, not of art and language. I know that a holy dialect well becometh Chrift's minitters, they fhould not be rude and careless in language or method; but furely the excellency of a fermon lies not in that, but in the plaineft difcoveries and livelieft applications of Jefus Christ.

Inference 5.

Let all that mind the honour of religion, or the peace and comfort of their own fouls, wholly fequefter and apply themfelves to the ftudy of Jefus Chrift, and him crucified. Wherefore spend we ourselves upon other ftudies, when all excellency, fweetness and defirableness is concenter'd in this one? Jefus Chrift is fairer than the children of men, the chiefest among ten thousands," as the apple-tree among the trees of the wood;" Quae faciunt divifa beatum, in hoc mixta fluunt: Thefe things which fingly ravifh and delight the fouls of men, are all found

* Vide Zanch, in Eph. iv. p. 161. de duplici cognitione Chrifti.

conjunctly in Chrift. O what a bleffed Chrift is this! whom to know is eternal life. From the knowledge of Jefus Chrift do bud forth all the fruits of comfort, and that for all feafons and conditions. Hence Rev. xxii. 2. he is called " the tree of life, "which bears twelve manner of fruits, and yields its fruit every "month; and the very leaves of this tree are for healing." In Christ fouls have, (1.) All necessaries for food and phyfick. (2.) All varieties of fruits, twelve manner of fruits; a diflinct fweetnefs in this, in that, and in the other attribute, promise, ordinance. (3.) In him are these fruits at all times, he bears fruit every month; there is precious fruit in Jefus Christ, even in the black month; winter fruits as well as fummer fruits. O then study Christ, study to know him more extenfively. There be many excellent things in Chrift, that the most eagle-ey'd beever hath not yet feen: Ah! 'tis pity that any thing of Chrift should ly hid from his people. Study to know Christ more intenfively, to get the experimental taste and lively power of his knowledge upon your hearts and affections: This is the knowledge that carries all the sweetness and comfort in it. Christian, I dare appeal to thy experience, whether the experimental taste of Jefus Chrift, in ordinances and duties, has not a higher and sweeter relish than any created enjoyment thou ever tafted in this world? O then feparate, devote, and wholly give thyfelf, thy time, thy ftrength to this most sweet tranfcendent study.

Inference 6.

Laftly, Let me close the whole with a double caution; one to ourselves, who by our callings and profeffions are the minifters, of Chrift; another to thofe that fit under the doctrine of Chrift daily.

First, If this doctrine be the most excellent, neceffary, fundamental, profound, noble, and comfortable doctrine †, let us then take heed left, while we study to be exact in other things, we be found ignorant in this. Ye know 'tis ignominious, by

*I am fure, (faith a holy one), the faints at their best, are but ftrangers to the weight and worth of the incomparable sweetness of Christ; he is so new, fo fresh in excellency every day to those that fearch more and more into him, as if heaven could furnish as many new Chrifts (if I may so speak) as there are days betwixt him and us; and yet he is one and the fame ftill: O, we love an unknown lover, when we love Christ.

+ Peritum effe, et fine doctrina pietatis periturum: i. e. To be skill'd in other things, and not in the gofpel, is to perish. Auguftin.

the common fuffrage of the civiliz'd world, for any man to be unacquainted with his own calling, or not to intend the proper bufinefs of it: 'Tis our calling, as the Bridegroom's friends, to woo and win fouls to Christ, to set him forth to the people as crucified among them, Gal. iii. 1. to present him in all his attractive excellencies, that all hearts may be ravished with his beauty, and charmed into his arms by love: We must also be able to defend the truths of Chrift againft undermining heretics, to inftil his knowledge into the ignorant, to answer the cafes and fcruples of poor doubting Chriftians. How many intri cate knots have we to unty? What pains, what skill is requifite for fuch as are imployed about our work? And fhall we spend our precious time in frivolous controverfies, philofophical niceties, dry and barren fcholaftic notions? Shall we ftudy every thing but Chrift? revolve all volumes but the facred ones? What is obferved even of Bellarmine †, that he turned with lothing from school divinity, because it wanted the fweet juice of piety, may be convictive to many among us, who are often too much in love with worse imployment than what he is faid to lothe. O let the knowledge of Chrift dwell richly in us.

Secondly, Let us fee that our knowledge of Christ be not a powerlefs, barren, ‡ unpractical knowledge: O that, in its paffage from our understanding to our lips, it might powerfully melt, sweeten, and ravish our hearts! Remember, brethren, a holy calling never faved any man, without a holy heart; if our tongues only be fanctified, our whole man must be damned. "We "and our people must be judged by the fame gofpel, and stand

at the fame bar, and be fentenced on the fame terms, and dealt "with as feverely as any other men: We cannot think to be "faved by our clergy, or to come off with a Legit ut clericus, "when there is wanting the Credit et vixit ut Chriftianus ;" as

* We are not to study the niceties of rhetoric, so much as plainnefs and perfpicuity; nor are we to speak in a high florid ftrain, as orators; but with the earnestness and zeal, and fincerity of the apostles; we are not to talk fine things, but what may convince the understanding, and touch the heart.

+ Quod a ftudiis fcholaftice theologia averteretur fere naufeabundus, quoniam fucco carebant liquidæ pietatis, Fuligat, in vita Bel.

Beware, left, while the tree of knowledge daily flourishes and thrives, the tree of practice should become barren, or bear no fruit. Take heed that ye reft not fatisfied in the gifts of the Spirit, and begin to think nothing of the Spirit himself, the beft gift. Ford, amb, Sacr. p. 35.