* Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb. I sanctified thee ; ' noting God's eternal desig- nation of him to the office of a prophet, to which he at length called him. Before he was bred or born, God set him apart for this work, and had him in mind, and took special notice of him as one to be thus employed. So God said of Moses, Exod. xxxiii. 12, ' I knew thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight ; ' in a special and particular manner. So Gal. i. 15, ' It pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace.' He dateth God's care from that time, because the decree began then to take place : this child is a vessel of mercy, to be employed in an especial manner for God's glory. Now this is common to all the faithful. Christ 'calleth his sheep by name,' John x. 3. He knoweth all his flock particularly, their names and number, by head and poll, even to the meanest of God's creatures that belong to his election, and seeketh them out in all the places of their dispersion, and hath a special care of them, that they may not die in their unregeneracy.
[2.] After conversion God taketh notice of their persons and condi- tions. He hath a special affection to them and care of them : Ps. i. 6, ' The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the imgodly shall perish ; ' that is, he seeth and beholdeth them witli mercy, he knoweth their persons, and knoweth their necessities and straits : Mat. vi. 32, ' Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of these things ; ' who wanteth food, raiment, protection, and deliverance. His business in heaven is to order his providence for their good : 2 Chron. xvi. 9, ' The eyes of the Lord run to and fro through- out the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him.' Not always to give them such things as they desire, but to turn all for good : Rom. viii. 28, ' All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.'
4. The intimate familiarity that is between God and them in holy ordinances, and the whole course of their conversations. They know God, and God knoweth them, and there is much familiar intercourse between them : 1 John i. 7, ' If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.' In holy duties none have cause to say, ' My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God,' Isa. xl. 27 ; he doth nothing in my case. It is a sad thing to come to an empty ordinance. Cain was sensible of this, and afiected with it ; his countenance fell when God testified not of his gifts : Gen. iv. 6, * Why art thou wroth ? and why is thy .countenance fallen ? ' God threateneth it, Hosea v. 6, ' They shall
142 SERMON UPON I CORINTHIANS VIII. 3.
go witli their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord, but they shall not find him ; he hath withdrawn himself from them.' And executed it upon Saul : 1 Sam. xxviii. 6, ' And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams nor by Urim, nor by prophets.' They are the shell of ordinances, but not the kernel.
5. At the last day they shall be known and owned : Eev. iii. 5, * He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment ; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.' Christ will own him, and present him before God : This is one of mine. Others shall be discovered,! how great a name soever they have borne in the church : Mat. vii. 23, ' I never knew you ; depart from me, ye that work ini- quity.' Oh, how sad is that !
III. Eeasons.
1. This is like God's knowledge of himself and of us.
[1.] Of himself. God's whole happiness consists in knowing and loving himself, and having infinite contentment in his own nature. Surely then our happiness consists in knowing and loving God.
[2.] Of us. The knowledge whereby God knoweth us that we are his is not a bare and barren knowledge, but accompanied with love, and care, and blessing. So likewise our knowledge ought to be ; we must * know as we are known,' 1 Cor. xiii. 12. In heaven we shall know him perfectly, and come to a full communion and conjunction with him ; here in some measure. Thus the scripture compareth God's knowledge of us with our knowledge of God. God's knowing of us is operative, never without effect ; therefore our knowledge of him should be lively, saving, and effectual.