not merely a speculative knowledge of him that we ought to possess, but such a knowledge as produces suitable emotions in our minds. The devils could say to our Saviour, " We know thee who thou art:" and in like manner they are ac- quainted with all the perfections of Jehovah ; but their know- ledge is unattended with any sanctifying influence: they know God, but they cannot love him ; they see his holiness, and hate it; his justice, and tremble at it; his power, and lament it; his mercy, and despair of it ; his grace, and oppose it ; his wis- dom, and endeavour to counteract it. But this view of him must fill us with wonder, and love, and gratitude, and affi- ance ]
2. As reconciled to us in the Son of his love —
[This more particularly characterizes us as Christians, because in this view he is fully exhibited to us in the Gospel. It is our happy privilege not only to have " the day-star from on high risen upon us," but to have God himself " shining into our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," Ln the cross of Christ we should see all the perfections of God united, and harmonizing, and glorified ; or, as the Psalmist expresses it, we should see " mercy and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissing each other ^." We should realize every per- fection of the Deity in this view : we should see his wisdom as providing a plan for the redemption of a ruined world, and as opening a way for the exercise of mercy, without infringing upon the rights of justice, or holiness, or truth. We should see even justice itself become our friend, and beaming upon us with the same benignity as love or mercy, seeing that its utmost demands have been satisfied in the atonement of Christ, and all the glory of heaven has been purchased for us by his
obedience unto death In a word, the language of
David should be the language of our hearts: " Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains ; thy judgments are a great deep : O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God ! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house ; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life : in thy light shall we see light ^"]
Such is the knowledge of God which every Chris- tian ought to possess. I proceed to shew, II. Why it is a shame not to possess it —
• Ps. Ixxxv. 10. ' Vs. xxxvi. d—0.