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THE INSUFFICIENCY OF HUMAN wisdom, &c. verend is his name." To the Christian, with his present limited comprehension, Christ may say as he said to his disciple, "What I do, thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter." 7

7 John xiii. 7.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND OF JESUS CHRIST, THE BEGINNING AND EARNEST OF ETERNAL LIFE.

JOHN Xvii. 3.

"This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."

To cultivate every sort of knowledge which may tend to improve the present condition of man, in his individual or social capacity, is commendable and useful. It is to the thirst for knowledge which characterizes the period in which we live, and to the practical application of that knowledge when acquired, that our country is, in a great measure, indebted for the lofty eminence to which it has attained. Within these few past years, and in the recollection of many of us, what mighty im

* Preached for a Sunday school.

provements have been made in the various departments of manufacture, commerce, and agriculture ! and the accumulation of individual and national wealth, the increase of national glory, and the promotion of domestic comforts and social intercourse, have been the happy results of these improvements. In these results, and apart from all selfish consideration as affecting our own individual advantage, we rejoice; because the love of our country prompts us to hail with unmingled delight, whatever may legitimately tend to increase its renown, its comfort, and its stability.

But, beneficial and gratifying as these improvements are, and laudable as are the search and acquisition of the knowledge which leads to these improvements, both the knowledge, improvements, and their happy results to an individual, to a family, to a district, or to the empire, are confined within the very narrow limits of the present life. And the man who has been most eminently distinguished by his deep researches, his ingenious and useful discoveries, his well-laid and well-executed projects, receives after death as little benefits from any of or all his laborious pursuits and successful enterprises, as if he had consumed his days in some unknown desert. When he is dead, he is as insensible to the praise which may be awarded to him, or to the benefits which may have

resulted to him during life, or to the renown which may be transmitted with his memory to distant generations, as he is to the dust that covers his coffin.

There is, however, a knowledge, of which the benefits are not limited by time, they extend through all eternity. It is the knowledge of the true God, and of Jesus Christ; and this is the knowledge alluded to in the text. This knowledge is so important as to outweigh, while it does not exclude, every other knowledge, however useful or necessary in the present world: and without this knowledge, the most learned, scientific, and renowned philosopher is but a fool, and will perish everlastingly. The world by wisdom knew not God."

In the text we are told by the Lord of life himself, that to know the only true God and Jesus Christ is life eternal. Eternal life is the consummation in heaven, of spiritual life begun and carried on in the present life and spiritual life consists in the saving and practical knowledge of God and Christ as revealed to us in the word of God. Then, to have a saving knowledge of God and Christ is to have the beginning, the foretaste, the earnest of eternal life. This appears to be implied in the text. But let us more particularly,

I. INQUIRE WHAT IT IS TO KNOW GOD AND JESUS

CHRIST: and,

II. POINT OUT BRIEFLY THE BLESSEDNESS OF KNOWING GOD AND JESUS CHRIST.

I. We inquiRE WHAT IT IS TO KNOW GOD AND JESUS CHRIST.

God is, in the text, called the only true God, to distinguish him from the many false gods which the heathen had invented, and which they worshipped. Thus does the apostle remind the Galatian Christians, of their former ignorance of God, by telling them, "When ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.” 1 There is a knowledge of God which may be derived from contemplating the works of nature: for, "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handywork."" God has not left himself without a witness of his existence, of his power, wisdom, and goodness; and the man who does not in the works of creation, in their conservation, in their regulation, and in their adaptation to their respective ends, discover and acknowledge the existence and agency of an infinitely intelligent and presiding Being, is left without excuse. He must discard the use of reason. "For

the invisible things of him from the creation of the 2 Ps xix. 1.

1 Gal. iv. 8.