piness: "This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. It is an article of the new covenant, that they shall all know God; even the least Christian as well as the greatest. There is knowledge for necessity; and all the Lord's people have that. There is knowledge for ornament; and that some have more than others. Labour to grow in that knowledge. Do not rest in degrees attained. I look upon ignorance in the things of God to be one of the crying sins of England at this day, (A.D. 1683.) Ignorance reigns among all sorts. Would we could say that even professors were not greatly wanting in knowledge.

Knowledge is necessary to faith. How can we believe that which we do not know? 'How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard ?"

It is necessary to duties of worship. An ignorant person cannot pray; nor hear; nor sing psalms; nor receive the Lord's supper, aright. All agree that ignorance and scandal unfit for the sacrament; see 1 Cor. xi. 29.

It is necessary to obedience. Knowing is put before doing. When we stumble upon

duty unawares, without knowledge of the duty, it is not accepted of God.

It is necessary to comfort. Honest hearts often want comfort, because they have weak heads. Terrors are by reason of darkness. Men in the dark are easily affrighted.

It is necessary to our safety from seduction. The ignorant are always the seduced: "silly women," 2 Tim. iii. 6. Such are the prey

the seducers.

for

Then desire knowledge. Dost thou groan under the want of knowledge? If thou wert blind, wouldest not thou desire sight?

Offer up those desires to God by faithful, and fervent prayer. Say as the poor blind man, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." Pray, as Solomon did, for "a wise and understanding heart."

Be diligent in the use of means. Reading the word. Learning the catechism. I know none better than that of the " Assembly's." A knot of able men, upon mature deliberation, composed that "form of sound words." Study the Scriptures. These are the treasury of saving knowledge. When you go to read, your hearts should say as Joshua-"What saith my Lord Conference is another excellent help to knowledge. He that will be a scholar must be inquisitive. So must he that will be a scholar in Christ's school. You that are weak inquire of the strong. You that are strong instruct the weak.

unto his servant ?"

Be constant in the use of means. Though it doth not come quickly, persevere : "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord."

We must never leave off. We must never lay by the means. The oftener the sermon is read the more we shall find in it.

Practise what you know: "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God." To him that hath a little knowledge, and lives up to it, more shall be given. God gives up the wilfully ignorant to judicial blindness. He that is ignorant, let him be ignorant still.

It is not knowledge only, but practice also, that makes us happy. Hell is filled with those that knew their duty, but did not do it. Labour not only to know, but to do.

Knowledge is in order to practice. We know, that we may do. God hath set the eye in the body that we may walk according to the guidance of it.

Knowing and doing denominates a "wise" man. Such build on the "rock," Matt. vii. 24.

It is this that makes us of Christ's kindred: "My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.' They that hear, and do not, are but half akin to Jesus Christ. Doing is the badge of Christ's family. Christ himself did teach and do, Acts i. 1. And we that are his disciples should hear and do. Learn and do. Know and do. Else he will not own us for his followers.

Doing hath the promise; see Matt. xix. 16, 17. "Keep," not know, "the commandments." Knowing is good, but it will not save us without doing: "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them."

Knowing without doing is an aggravation both of sin and punishment: "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." "I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work." "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin; but now they have no cloke for their sin." An ignorant man that doth not know his duty hath some cloke for his sin. But, that servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." If one place in hell be better than another, that shall be his portion.

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We must be judged at the "last day "—not according to what we have known, but what we have done. You know the process of the day of judgment; see it in Matt. xxv. Mind that now which you are like to stand or fall by then.

I exhort you then, as David did his son Solomon-"Arise," and be doing, 1 Chron. xxii. 19. You that know the will of God, live up to your knowledge, as you hope and desire to be eternally happy. "Walk before me," the Lord said to Abram, "and be thou perfect." Walk before me-not stand still and look about you— but "walk.” "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a

doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was."

Would you know what God will have you to do? I will tell you in short.

He would have you to believe in his Son Jesus. You cannot please him better: "This is his commandment, That we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment."

This is "his will, even your sanctification.” He would have you holy.

He would have you to wash one another's feet. Let your love be condescending love. Walk in humility.

In all we do we must have an eye to God as a Father; looking upon ourselves as "not under the law, but under grace." While we look upon God as a "hard master," we shall never do anything to purpose in his service. He that thought his master a hard man buried his talent. See him as a Father; accepting sincere endeavours: eating "the honeycomb with the honey." Who that considers this would not strive to please such a Father?

Do all you do in "the name of the Lord Jesus." Look to him for assistance: for acceptance. It is not our doing, but his dying, that commends us to God. The most spiritual prayer that ever you prayed is accepted only "in Christ," 1 Pet. ii. 5.

Put on Christian resolution.

Be often looking at the recompence of reward. You shall lose nothing by working for God.