{5th.) Among christians, the gospel is not alike clearly made known. To some Christ is more plainly and purely preached, without any mixture of errors that have any considerable influence upon the main of religion. Others are in that communion in which those doctrines are yet taught, which are indeed absolutely and indispensably necessary to salvation, but many things are added which are very pernicious and dangerous in their own nature ; so that if a man could possibly be saved in that religion, he is saved as by fire, 1 Cor. iii. 13, and in a strange way of escape. As if one had poison mingled with his meat, it may be the vigour of his youth and the goodness of his digestion might work it out, but yet the man runneth a great hazard. As for instance, the papists acknowledge Christ for the Redeemer and Mediator between God and man, his two natures and satisfaction, but they intermingle doctrines that sorely weaken these foundations, and other practices that dishonour the nature of God, and the merit and inter- cession of our Saviour. Now the doom of the corrupters of the christian religion will be exceeding great, because they have poisoned
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the waters of the sanctuary, and mangled Christ's ordinances, and perverted his truths to serve their avarice, ambition, and other human passions and interests. The apostle said, 2 Thes. ii. 10-12, ' Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved, God shall send them strong delusions to believe a lie,' &c. However God may deal with the vulgar, who err in the simplicity of their hearts, we know not ; but the condition of their leaders into this apostasy from the purity and simplicity of the gospel is exceeding dangerous.
III. To examine the force of these expressions, ' Know not God/ and ' Believe not the gospel.'
1. 'Know not God.' There is a twofold knowledge of God — speculative and practical.
[1.] The speculative knowledge. The bare sight of the truth, or some empty and cold opinions about God and religion ; such may the heathen have, who, when they knew God, glorified him not as God, Bom i. 21. Such may the Jew have : Bom. ii. 19, 20, ' And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them that walk in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge, and of the truth in the law,' /bbopcpcoatv t?7<? <yv(i)areco<; iv ra vo/jlw. Such may the formal christian have : 2 Tim. iii. 5, ' Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.' A map or model of gospel truth. There are different degrees of this speculative knowledge. Memorative, such as children have, who are taught to speak of divine mysteries by rote, as of God, Christ, heaven, hell, sin, righteousness ; their memories are planted with notions about such things, but they are not affected with them ; they do not under- stand the meaning, nor believe the certainty of those things wherein they are instructed. Another degree above this is an opinionative knowledge ; when they do not only charge their memories with these notions, but have a kind of conscience and judgment about these things, and so bustle and contend about that way of religion in which they have been educated ; yet wisdom entereth not upon the heart, Prov. ii. 10. This maketh men disputers, but not serious practisers of godliness: ' They receive not the love of the truth that they may be saved/ 2 Thes. ii. 10. There is beyond these a higher degree of speculative knowledge, when men have some kind of touch upon their hearts, but it is too slender and insufficient to stand out against temptations when they rise up in any considerable strength, or to master and subdue their lusts ; they may escape the pollutions of the world through the know- ledge of Christ, 2 Peter, ii. 20. Surely it is hard to conceive how so grand a truth as the nature of God or salvation by Christ should be understood or considered without some imjiression or touch upon the heart. It doth affect men in part, and produce some partial reforma- tion, but sin prevaileth against it.
[2.] Practical and saving. We must know God so as to trust in him, PsrixTHJ/ know God so as to love him, 1 Cor. viii. 3, know God so as to obey him : 1 John ii. 4, ' He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, the truth is not in him.' So Jer. xxii. 16, ' Hejudgeth the cause of the poor and needy ; was not this to know me, saith the Lord ? ' Our practices must speak out our knowledge, and what principles are rooted in our hearts ; our actions give the world
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a better knowledge of our thoughts and opinions than our words can. Well, then, all that know not God, so as to fear him for his majesty and. power, to love him for his goodness, to trust in him for his wisdom, to imitate him for his holiness, to obey him for his authority, so as to seek to enjoy him and delight in him, they are obnoxious to Christ's judgment. Certainly that man hath no religion that hath no God, and he hath no God that preferreth his base lusts before obedience to his precepts.