and that he has had too high an opinion of human ability, even though he may have been foremost and loudest in exclaiming against it.

He who can do any thing for himself that is truly and religiously good, without divine assistance, may hope consistently enough to be made perfect by the flesh, or by creaturely ability, which imports the same thing; and he that attempts to move of himself, unassisted, in the performance of any outward acts of devotion, in any vocal religious duties and performances, is, whether he knows it or not, attempting to be made perfect by the flesh.

Perhaps this may seem like a digression; but I was led into it from the consideration that the merely searching the letter of the scriptures cannot bring a soul to the real knowledge of God, but that the letter tends, when dwelt in without the life, to kill; and so far these views are naturally connected with the subject I am upon--" the knowledge of God."

But to proceed. How shall he be known, sceing neither. reading nor reasoning can make us know him?

Answer. He never was, nor can ever be savingly known, but by immediate revelation; or if this word offend any, who may ignorantly suppose revelation is ceased, and not to be known in our day, though this is a most unreasonable conclusion concerning days of gospel light and privileges, I will explain. I mean here, by immediate revelation, the same as if I should, to accommodate myself to their ideas, express myself thus: God cannot be clearly and savingly known, but in and by the shinings and manifestations of his own light, " for whatsoever doth make manifest is light," Ephes. v. 13. This the apostle positively asserts, and we know it is true. We cannot see any outward object without light; in the light objects become manifest. What light then is that wherein is the manifestation and knowledge of God? Surely it must be a light that shineth in the soul; for that which may be known of God is manifest in man. Read Romans i. 19.

Seeing then nothing but light can make manifest, and that the manifestation of God is to be made within; seeing there is no eternal life to the soul, without the knowledge of God, what

light has he afforded to the souls of men whereby they may know him? Answer. "The true light, that now shineth," 1 John ii. 8. and "that lighteth every man that cometh into the world; John i. 9. the very life of God, the life of the word, that was in the beginning with God, and was God. Read John i. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Hence it is clear that the light which enlightens all men is Christ, the life of him that was in the beginning, that "was and is God." Well then might the primitive testimony and message be, that " God is light and in him is no darkness at all;" 1 John i. 5. and well might the primitive labourers in the gospel of Christ be sent expressly to turn people “ from darkness to light; from the power of satan unto God." Acts xxvi. 18. That is, to turn their attention to that true light, that had enlightened them in degree, and would and did enlighten them much more abundantly, as their attention became thus turned to it.

But many hated this light, because their deeds were evil, and so it became their condemnation; for "this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." John iii. 19. But they that love it, obey it, and bring their deeds to it, thereby discover that they are wrought in God; for the light reveals God and the knowledge of his will and approbation.

Were it not for this inward divine light, all nations must forever have been in darkness. And had it not enlightened every man, it could not be the condemnation of the wicked and abandoned. God will never condemn a soul for non-attention to a light that never shined in him, or upon him, or for the non-improvement of a talent never afforded. Some were condemned of old for the non-occupation of their talents, but none for neglecting, or not improving, what never was bestowed or offered to them, and so not possible to have been improved.

Indeed this cannot be ; God is just. Therefore as sure as the condemnation is, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, so sure the light must enlighten all that are thus condemned, else they could not be condemned for the rejection of it.

Observe how sweetly this conclusion coincides with, and con:

firms John's testimony, that "the true light enlighteneth every man!" But some may say, we know the light is sufficient to condemn, but it is not able to save nor to give the knowledge of God. Surely such are mistaken, for it is abundantly able to do both, and in those who attend to it, it most joyfully and assuredly does both.

But, can this light certainly reveal, or give the knowledge of God? Yea, most certainly; and nothing else can. He inhabits eternity, and dwells in the light. In the light only, therefore, can he possibly be known, or manifested to the soul. He is the light, and extends beams of his light to the eye of our souls or minds, as the outward light, the sun, does to the eye of our bodies. Hereby we may receive the manifestation and knowledge of God, and that too by his own light.

As we cannot know the outward sun, but by its own light and influence, no more can we know God, but by his own immediate light and influence.

Whatsoever makes manifest is light. The light of the sun manifests the sun, and the things of this world. The light of the Lord, that the house of Israel is called upon to walk in, and that only, can manifest God.

For this reason we are exhorted, "While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of the light." John xii. 36. And further, as the influence of the sun will both harden clay and soften wax, so the internal luminary, though it is powerful in the condemnation of those who rebel against it, is the joy and consolation of those that love it. They rejoice in the increase of it. They walk therein: it is their path. "The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Prov. iv. 18. Now the just man's path is his way, and his way is Christ; for Christ says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." John xiv. 6. Here we see that Christ, the light of the world, and the way of the righteous, is truly that light which is the path of the just. And though as the light of the world, or of the unregenerate, his shining in them, by reason of many clouds and obstructions arising from themselves, may be very dim; yet whenever we come to walk in the light as the apostle advises-whenever we take it for our path, our

way, it will immediately shine more and more; and as we continue walking honestly therein, it will increase in brightness, to the perfect day. Or, as the great prophet Isaiah expresses it, "The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people." Isaiah xxx. 26. That is, it appears dim at first, like the moon, but as it is walked in, it not only increases to an equality, for clearness, to the light of the sun itself, but like the light that shined from heaven around the apostle, "above the brightness of the sun." Oh! how sweetly experience confirmeth these observations! Many cannot believe how bright the light shines in those who faithfully walk in it, because whatsoever is not experienced is disputable. They do not know and experience more than its glimmering in themselves, or as it were its reflected or moon-light shining, because they have not taken it for their pathway through life; have not given up to walk in it; and being unwilling to believe they do not know as much, or see with as much clearness as others, they ignorantly judge the real experience of those, who in this respect know manifold more, and see more clearly, than they have attained, or can attain to, whilst they thus rebel against the light, to be an idle notion, or the ef fect of imagination; whereas nothing is more certainly and really known, than what is thus known in the light of the Lord.

How would the sage philosopher despise the ignorance of a blind man, who, because he could not see the sun, nor those many objects, which it manifests, would obstinately maintain, that neither the sun, nor any of those objects have an existence, but in the imagination of those who pretend they see them! And yet just as much and as loudly does this very philosopher, in the exultation of his own sufficiency, proclaim his own ignorance of divine things, whenever he judges the experience of those, who are livingly acquainted with them, to be only imaginary. As sure as he can be that he really does see the sun, and the objects it discovers to him, so sure are those who walk in the light, that they really do see and know it, and the objects > which it alone makes manifest: and they have as substantial

ground to mourn over his ignorance, blindness, and unbelief, as he has to despise the like, in the outwardly blind man!

"How oft is the candle of the wicked put out?" Job xxi. 17— put out in them who, while the light shineth, do thereby gain some real though small knowledge of God, of his will, and their own duty, but will not submit to it, and so "glorify him not as God." The natural consequence of their rebellion against the light, is, "they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof." They become "vain in their imagination, and their foolish hearts are darkened;" thus it is by disobedience. that their candle is put out; and now they are just in a fit disposition, in this state of darkness and blindness, to be puffed up, and to profess themselves wise, with those in the text, whose hearts were so darkened, that they became fools. These not abiding in the path of the light, not knowing the way thereof, nor where or with what clearness it leadeth those who do so abide and know, can ridicule this living substantial testimony, as a matter of enthusiasm and imagination. "They are not afraid to speak evil of dignities," and to scoff at things they know not, when if they knew the reality of that knowledge and experience, which is only in the light, and had the fear of the Lord before their eyes, they would not dare to speak lightly of it, nor presume to ridicule it, or call it in question.

But blindness and ignorance have ever most confidently opposed, and absolutely denied those truths, which require real knowledge and experience to be clearly settled in. How roundly and boldly do the ignorant deny the truth of the solar system; perhaps for no other, and pretty certainly for no better reason than that of the Indian, that if the earth turned round, the succatash would fall out of his kettle. Here the philosopher may smile, and please himself with the innocent ignorance of the untutored native, even while he is building himself up, in the rejection of truths as well founded and as certainly known to be such, as any respecting the solar system, and building himself up too, by arguments altogether as futile as the poor Indian's.

Now let me ask this philosopher, dost thou certainly know, or art thou clearly settled and firmly established in any truth, which ignorance denies to be such? I doubt not but thou art. "