Knowledge. By this, according to Sir William Hamilton," is understood the mere possession of truths," and tlie possession of those truths about which our fac- ulties have been previously employed, rather than any separate power of the understanding by which truth is perceived. " I know no authority," says Dr. Keid, "be- sides that of ilr. Locke, for calling knowledge & faculty, any more than for calling ojiinion a faculty." Knowl- edge is of two kinds, viz. historical or empirical, and philosophical, or scientific or rational. Historical is the knowledge that the thing is, philosophical is tJic knowl- edge why or how it is. The first is called historical, because in this knowledge we know only the fact — only that that phenomenon is; for history is properly only the narration of a consecutive series of phenomena in time, or the description of a co-existent series of jilio- iiomena in space; the second philosophical, to imply
that there is a way of knowing things more completely than they are known through simple experiences me- chanically accumulated in memory or hea]ied up in cv- clopredias. It seeks for \vide and deep truths, as dis- tinguished from the multitudinous detailed truths which the surface of things and actions presents, and therefore a knowledge of the highest degree of generalitj'. " The truth of philosophy,'' sa\-s Herbert Spencer, " bears the same relation to the highest scientific truths that each of these bears to lower scientific truths. As each widest generalization of science comprehends and consolidates the narrower generalizations of its own division, so the generalizations of philof'ophy comprehend and consoli- date the widest generalizations of science. It is there- fore a knowledge the extreme opposite in kind to that which experience first accumulates. It is the final product of that process which begins with a mere colli- gation of crude observations, goes on establishing prop- ositions that are broader and more separated from par- ticular cases, and ends in universal propositions. Or, to bring the definition to its simplest and clearest form, knowledge of the lowest kind is ununified knowledge ; science is partially unified knowledge ; philosophy is completely unified knowledge."
This term, however, is associated with the greatest problems and controversies of philosophy, all of which are involved in the discussion of what is meant by knowledge. The different problems, therefore, of the philosoph}' of mind will be found discussed under those names that severally suggest them.^ — Watts, On the Mind; Dr. John TLAwaxAs, Uncertainty, Deficiency, and Corruption ofJIuman Knowledge ; Eeid, Intellectual Poic- ei-s of Man ; Stennett, Sei-mon on A cts xxvi, 24, 25 : Vphnia, Intellectual Philosojjhy ; Douglas, <9m the Ad- vancement of Society ; Robert Hall, Works ; A mer. Li- brary of Useful Knowledye. See Faith and Reason ; Idealisji ; Judgjient ; Moral PHiLosopin' ; Relig- ious PniLOSOPIIY. (E. DE P.)
Knowledcje of God. By this is not meant a mere knowledge of his existence, for the devils believe that God is ; they tremble as they believe it, and they hate the God before whom they tremble. It cannot be a mere partial acquaintance with the character of God, because we cannot for a moment doubt that the Jews were partially acquainted with God's character, and yet our Lord said to them, " Ye neither know me nor my Father." Neither can it be a dry, uninfliiential, notional knowledge of God, however accurate in its outline that knowledge may be. The knowledge of God includes far more than this. It implies a real, personal, experi- mental, sanctif\-ing acquaintance with him. It espe- cially regards liim as a reconciled God in Christ — that is, the reconciliation of all his perfections in the Avay of his mercy, uni'olding them as the basis for the soul's confidence; that he is righteously and holily merciful, pardoning sin at the expense of no other perfection, but in the full and perfect harmony of all his perfections. Without this knowledge, all our advances in other branches of knowledge are but vain and unprofitable. All other knowledge is useful, cntertaininy ; this alone is needful. This may do without other knowledge, but no other Itnowledge will do without this. If you teach men the elements of education, you put into their hands a powerful weapon either Jbr good or for evil, ac- cording to the direction that may be given to it. If you put into their hands the elements of sound relig- ious knowledge, j'ou give their minds a right and safe exercise, while the knowledge will keep them from the abuse of the tremendous power you put into their hands. See Charnock, Works, ii, 3)S1 ; Saurin, Sermons, i, serm. 1 ; Gill,-Bof/?/ of IJirinity, iii, 12 (8vo); Tillotson, *SVn»o?i*, serm. 113; AVatts, ll't)?-A>", i, serm. 45; Ha]!, Sermon on the Advantages of Knowledge to the lower Classes ; Yos- ter, Essay on Popular Ignorance; D\\\(iht, Theology ; Martensen, Dogmatics. See Know. (E. de P.)
KnoTwledge, Divine. See O.mniscience.
KNOWLER
137
KNOX
KnO'wler, Wili.iaji, LL.D., an English divine, was born in May, 1C99, and was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge. He was first chaplain to the first marquis of Rocldngham, and was by him presented with the rectory of Irthlingborrow, and afterwards with Bod- ilington, both in Northamptonshire. He died, in all prol)abiiity, in 1773. Dr. Knowler pubUslied an Eng- lish translation of Chrysostom's Cominenta)-i/ on St. PauPs Epistle to the Galatians, with an account both of Chrj'- sostom and of Jerome. — Neio Gen. Biof/r. Did. viii, b'd ; Allilwne, Did. KnrjL and Am. Authors, vol. ii, s. v.