[2.] The second attendant. A second thing that attends and ac- companies that knowledge that accompanies salvation, is holy endear- vours to edify others, to instruct others, to enlighten and inform others in the knowledge of splHtual and heavenly things. Heavenly light cannot be hid under a bushel. You may as easily hinder the sun from shining, as you may hinder a gracious soul from diffusing and spread- ing abroad that knowledge and light that God hath given him.' Divine light in the soul is like a light in a bright lantern, that shines forth every way, or like a light in a room, or on a beacon, that gives light to others. A Christian that divinely knows, is like the lamp in the story, that was always burning and shining, and never went out. So in Gen. xviii. 17, 19, 'And the Lord said. Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do ; for I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment ; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.' He that communicates his know- ledge to others, shall be both of God's court and counsel ; he shall lie in the bosom of God, he shall know the secrets of God. Prov. xv. 7, ' The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of the foolish doth not so/ The Hebrew word that is here rendered, ' disperse,' is a metaphor taken from seedsmen scattering abroad their seed in the fur- rows of the field. Heavenly knowledge is very spreading and diffusive ; it is like the sun : the sun casteth his beams upward and downward, upon good and upon bad ; so divine light in a gracious soul will break forth for the advantage and profit of friends and enemies, of those that be in a state' of nature, and of those that be in a state df grace.^ Acts iv. 18-20, ' And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all, nor teach, in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things that we have seen and heard.' The bee doth store her hive out of all sorts of flowers for the common benefit ; so a heavenly Christian sucks sweetness out of every mercy and every duty, out of every pro- vidence and out of every ordinance, out of every promise and out of every privilege, that he may give out the more sweetness to others.^ LUmod lelammed, ' we therefore learn, that we may teach,' is a jwoverb among the Rabbins. ' And I do therefore lay in, and lay up,' saith the hea- then, * that I may draw forth again, and lay out fw the good of many,' This heathen [Socrates, &c.,] will rise in judgment against those that
• The way to get more knowledge, is to communicate that we have, according to that, habenti dabitur. Thus did Philip of Bethsaida, John i. 45 ; thus did the woman of Samaria, John iv. 28, 29 ; thus did the spouse. Cant. v. 10-16; thus did that seraphical preacher St Paul, Acts xxvi. 29.
' Augustine accounted nothing his own that he did not communicate to others.
' Opposition is the black angel that dogs the gospel at the heels. Divine knowledge is like new wine; it must have vent ; it is heavenly fire that will break forth, Jer. v. 14, and XX. 2.
Rom. VIII. 32-34.] heaven on earth. ^4)5
monopolise knowledge to themselves, that imprison their light with- in their own breasts, lest others should outshine and darken them.
Sjnesius speaks of some, who, having a treasure of rare abilities in themselves, would as soon part with their hearts as with their concep- tions.' Verily, such men are far off from that knowledge that accom- panies salvation ; for that knowledge will make a man willing to spend and be spent for the edification, consolation, and salvation of others, 2 Cor. vi. 10; Gal. iv. 19. Prov. x. 21, 'The lips of the righteous feed many.'
[3.] The third attendant. A third thing that attends and accom- panies that knowledge that accompanies salvation, is holy zeal, courage, and resolution for God. Divine knowledge makes a man as bold as a lion, Prov. xxviii. 1. Dan. xi. 32, ' And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall be corrupt by flatteries : but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.' So Prov. xxiv. 5, ' A wise man is strong ; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength,' or, * He strengtheneth might,' as it is in the Hebrew.^ Divine light makes a man full of mettle for God ; it makes the soul divinely fearless and care- less. Joshua xxiv. 15, 'Choose ye whom you will serve, I and my household will serve the Lord.' Come what will of it, we will never change our Master, nor quit his service.
Those beams of light that shined in upon Chrysostom, did so heat and warm his heart, that he stoutly tells Eudoxia the empress, that for her covetousness she would be called a second Jezebel ; whereupon she sent him a threatening message, to which he returned this answer, ' Go tell her,' nil nisi peccatum timeo, ' I fear nothing but sin.''
A prophetical man, in the ecclesiastical history, went to the pillars a little before an earthquake, and bid them stand fast, for they should shortly be shaken. Ah, Christians ! there is an earthquake a-coming, and therefore as you would stand fast, as you would not have any earth- quakes to make your hearts quake, get this zeal and courage that attends divine knowledge, and then you shall in the midst of all earthquakes be as mount Zion that cannot be removed, Ps. cxxv. 1, 2.
They that write the story of the travels of the apostles, report that Simon Zelotes preached here in England. Ah, England, England ! if ever thou needest some zealots, it is now. Oh how secure, how dull, how drowsy, how sleepy in the midst of dangers art thou ! For this and other of thy abominations, I desire my soul may weep in secret.*
[4.] The fourth attendant. The fourth and last thing that attends or accompanies that knowledge that accompanies salvation is, faiih and confidence in God.^ Ps. ix. 10, ' They that know thy name will
1 Some such there he in these days. [Synesius, Opera 1612, folio. — G.]
* tiya, in strength, n3 fOKD
^ [See Index under Chrysostom for other references to this — G.] The heavenly light and knowledge that the prophets and apostles had, made them very zealous and coura- geous for their God, in the face of all difiSculties and deaths, aa might be shewed in very many scriptures.
* Epiphanius saith that Elijah sucked fire out of his mother's breasts. There are very few such Elijahs in these days.
"Knowledge and faith are twins, they live, and lodge, and act together ; they are two lovers, that may be distinguished one from another, but they cannot be separated one from another.
446 HEAVEN ON EARTH. [RoM. VIII. 32-34.