showers that water the earth'." After long drought, the clouds may, almost without a metaphor, be said to " drop fatness ;" and the knowledge of Christ, long and eagerly desired, shall make " the desert to blossom as the rose ;" yea, " it shall make the wilderness like Eden, and the desert as the garden of the Lord." " Instead of the brier shall grow up the fir-tree, and instead of the thorny bush shall grow up the myrtle-tree k ;" and the once-barren soul shall be " fruitful in all the fruits of righteousness to God's praise and glory."]
We may see from hence,
1. Whence it is that mankind in general are so ignorant of Christ —
[The record of God concerning Christ is this ; " He that hath the Son, hath life ; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life." This is plain, express, and immutable. Yet, alas ! the generality, instead of labouring above all things to attain the knowledge of Christ, will bestow no pains what- ever upon it. There is no other knowledge that they profess to have without study : but this they think they possess almost by intuition. Hence, notwithstanding it is infinitely more important than any other, they continue wholly ignorant of it: they are satisfied with giving a general assent to Christianity as true, while they discern nothing of its beauty, and taste nothing of its excellence. If this knowledge were unattain- able, then men would have some excuse, seeing that they would labour in vain, and spend their strength for nought. But God has promised success to persevering diligence ; " Then shall ye know, if ye follow on to know the Lord." Let us not then give way to pride or indolence : but let us search the Scriptures with an humble, teachable spirit, and beg of God to enlighten the eyes of our understanding: so shall we be " guided into all truth," and be made " wise unto salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus."]
2. Whence it is that they, who have attained some knowledge of Christ, are not made more holy, and more happy by it —
[To maintain a steady uniform course is no easy matter. To follow on, forgetting what is behind, and reaching forth unto that which is before, requires more humility and zeal than the greater part even of real Christians possess. Hence their attainments in joy and holiness are small, in comparison of what they might possess. Instead of minding uniformly the one thing needful, they suffer themselves to be distracted with
1 Ps. lxxii. G. k Isai. lv. 10—14.