Use 1st. Is God infinite in knowledge, 1 John i. 5. " He is light, and in him is no darkness;" then how unlike are they to God, who are darkness, and in whom is no light, — who are destitute of knowledge, such as the Indians who never heard of God ? And are there not many among us who ai"e no better than baptized heathens ? Who are to seek in the first principles of the oracles of God ? It is sad that after the sun of the gospel hath shined so long in our horizon, yet to this day the veil should be upon their heart. Such as are enveloped with igno- rance cannot give God a " reasonable ser- vice," Rom. xii. 1. Ignorance is the nurse of impiety; the schoolmen say, " Omnepec- catur fundatur in ignorantia." Jer. ix. 3., " ' They proceed from evil to evil ; and they know not me,' saith the Lord." Where ig- norance reigns in the understanding, lust rageth in the affections : Prov. xix. 2., " That the mind be without knowledge, it is not good ;" such have neither faith nor fear. No faith, for Knowledge carries the torch before Faith : Ps. ix. 10., " 'i'hey that know thy name sliall put their trust In thee." A man can no more believe without know- ledge, than the eye can see without light. Nor fear of God. How can they fear lilra whom they do not know ? The covering of Haman's face was a sad presage of death. When people's minds are covered with ig- norance, this covering of the face is a fatal forerunner of destruction.
OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.
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2. If God be a God of knowledge, then nee tlie folly of liypocrisy. Hypocrites do not ''^ virtutumfacerc" hwi fingere, Melanct. They carry it fair with men, but care not how bad their hearts are ; they live in secret sin: Ps. Ixxiii. 11., "They say how doth God know?" Ps. x. 11., " God hath for- gotten, he hideth his face, he will never see it." But, Ps. cxlvii. 5., " His understand- ing is infinite." He hath a grate [crates] that looks into men's breasts ; he hath a key for the heart; he beholds all the sinful work- ings of men's spirits, as in a glass-hive we can see the bees working in their combs. Matt. vi. 4., " He sees in secret ;" in impi- ous habel. Rivet. As a merchant enters down debts in his book, so God hath his diary or day-book, and he enters down every sin into the book ; he makes a critical de- scant upon men's actions. Jeroboam's wife disguised herself that the prophet should not know her, but he discerned her : 1 Kings xiv. C, " Why feignest thou thyself to be another ?" The hypocrite thinks to preva- ricate and juggle with God, but God will unmask him : Ecc. xii. 14., " God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing ;" Jer. xxix. 23., " They have committed villany in Israel," " even 1 know, and am a witness, saith the Lord." Ay, but the hypocrite hopes he shall colour over his sin, and make it look very specious ! Absalom masks over his treason with the pretence of a religious vow ; Judas dissem- bles his envy at Christ, and covetousness, with the pretence of charity to the poor, John xii. 5. ; Jehu makes religion a stirrup to his ambitious design, 2 Kings x. 16. ; but God sees through these fig-leaves. You may see a jade under his gilt trappings : Jer. xvi. 17., " Their iniquities are not hid from mine eyes." And he that hath an eye to sec will find an hand to punish.
Use 2d. Of Exhortation. Is God so infi- nite in his knowledge ? Then we should always set ourselves as under his omniscient eye. " Sic vivendum est lanquam in conspcc- tu," Senkca. Let us set David's prospect before our eye, Ps. xvi. 8., " I have set the Lord alw.ays before me." Seneca counsel- led Lucillius that whatever he was doing he should imagine some of the Roman worthies stood before him, and then he would do no-