all your waters brackish; there remains no pleasure

in them.

He that hath known the Lord, hath more or less, according to the measure of his knowledge, received in the relish and sweetness of it; and what he hath received in, he sends forth before men; he hath received, and he is a sweet savor. As the preachers, so the practitioners of piety are a sweet savor of Christ unto God, and hand down the sweetness of God unto men. They are of savory lips, and of savory lives; the savor of their graces is shed abroad in the churches of Christ. Carnal hearts send forth a stench instead of a sweet smell; they are all rottenness, the savor of a sepulchre is all they have; their ways, their words, their very breath smell of a rotten heart; yea, the very best they have, their pleasures, their garments, their gallantry, their powders and perfumes and sweet odors savor of their proud and vain and sensual hearts. But Oh, what a scent do their oaths and their curses and their scoffs and their lies send forth! Sinners, learn to know the Lord, and this will quickly change your savor. And you that know any thing of God, think not that your knowledge is saving, till your souls have received in, and your ways do send forth the savor of his knowledge.

This second mark of a heart to know the Lord, namely, the sweet savor of this knowledge, the pleasure that it brings into the soul, might be of uncertain significance if it stood alone: there may some pleasure and joy arise from the common knowledge of God; and sometimes there is but little joy where

there is true religion. But where it is found in conjunction with the former mark, the evidence of its soundness will be more full. Find all together, this transforming, this fructifying, this savory knowledge, and you may rest satisfied that this is the saving knowledge of God. And of this is the promise, "I will give them a heart to know me.”

Oh, how much need have we still to wait, and beg for the accomplishment of this promise; how little sound knowledge is there found among us! Some are weak in knowledge who have been long taught of God, and yet are not taught of God. God hath been teaching them, but they have not learned of him; they have had a good master, but have been poor scholars-weak men, as we call men of low understanding. Oh, how many weak souls are there, even among professing Christians, who, though they might have been teachers of others, yet need to be taught the first principles of the oracles of God. Some men have not the knowledge of God; I speak this to their shame. 1 Cor. 15:34.

Others are men of knowledge, but of weak knowledge, who know much, but to little purpose; their great knowledge has little power in them; their lusts are too strong for their light. I spake unto thee with a strong hand, and instructed thee. Isa. 8:11. If God have spoken to these men, yet his hand has not instructed them; the nail has not been struck deep enough, it dwells in the head only, it has not reached their heart; they have an eye, but are far enough from having a heart to know the Lord. Their know

ledge does not lead them on to religion, but must serve them instead of religion; it is made to serve, and not suffered to guide and govern-to serve their turns, to serve their interest, to serve their pride and their covetousness. Their knowledge of God makes them devils; it helps them to play the hypocrite, to be deceivers of others, yea, and of their own souls. It will seek them out acceptable words, put prayers into their mouths, praises into their lips, spiritualize their language, furnish them with savory discourse, carry them plausibly through duties, which in name are for God's glory and the good of souls, but are in truth only sacrifices to their lusts. The knowledge of God humbleth, but this knowledge puffeth up, and lifteth up-puffeth them up in their own, and lifteth them up in others' thoughts; and when it has done this, it has done them all the service they have for it to do, unless it may be they have some worse work for it— to make rents and divisions in the church of Christ, to maintain disputes, to cavil and quarrel, to divide and make parties, to make twenty religions out of one, till at length they make that one to be none. While the apostle says, "Some men have not the knowledge of God, I speak this to your shame;" I may say also, Some men have the knowledge of God, I speak this to their shame. What, the knowledge of God, and no more humility; the knowledge of God, and no more charity? I speak this to your shame. Have the faith of Christ in respect of persons? have the knowledge of God in respect of parties? know God, and yet divide and scatter and confound them that

are of God? yea, and contend and quarrel about small differences, and protest, "Here is God, and not there; with us, and not with you?" when, it may be, a little charity would tell you, for the main, he may be with both; and so much uncharitableness makes it a question whether he be with either. The more such men pretend to the knowledge of God, the greater their shame.

Friends, beware you be not undone, either by your ignorance or your knowledge. Love not darkness, and call not darkness light; call not that the knowledge of God which is not; misuse not that which is. Hast thou no knowledge? What, and such a promise before thee? "I will give them a heart to know me, they shall all know me." What, and such a gospel before thee, the work whereof is to open blind eyes, and to turn from darkness to light? Open thy mouth, sinner, and God will open thine eyes; "Ask, and thou shalt have; seek, and thou shalt find;" see, wink not at the light that shines round about thee; love not darkness, if thou love not death. "This is eternal life, to know thee." What then is ignorance? there's death in thy heart, if there be no light in thine eye.

Hast thou knowledge? be thankful, and be humble; be not high-minded, but fear; prize it, but do not abuse it. Hast thou received the knowledge of the truth? Live under the power of the truth thou knowest; resign up thyself to it-to its transforming power; give it leave to work, and to change thee into its own image; let this new light make thee a new

man-to its governing power; let it teach thee and rule thee; let it teach as one that has authority; let it rule till it hath put all thine enemies under thy feet; till every thought, every imagination, and every high thing be made low, and brought into captivity to Christ. Let not the light of the Lord help thee to do the devil's work; let it not be fodder for thy flesh, lest it be fuel for thy flames; let it not repent thy God nor thee, that ever thou hadst such a talent committed to thee; let it neither be loss to God, nor the eternal loss of thine own soul. He that hath appeared on earth in beams of light will be revealed from heaven, in flames of fire rendering vengeance to all that know God but obey not the gospel of Christ. Woe to those that neither know nor obey; but Oh, what to those that obey not, though they know?

Christian, know the Lord, but know and fear; know and serve, know and honor thy God; know God, and know thyself, thy sin and thy misery, thy dangers and thy temptations; know and mourn; know and be ashamed; know, and fear, and watch, and fight, and overcome. Know God, and know his will, thy duty and thy way, thy privileges and opportunities, thy race and thy crown. Know, and do, and run, and suffer, and wait, and hope, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Know God, but God in Christ, God reconciled, pardoning, absolving, accepting through him. Know, and believe, accept, adventure upon, resign, commit thyself to him. Know thy God, and behold him; look upon thy God in his power, in his wisdom, in his holiness, in his goodness, in his loving