VOL. revenge upon them, for their infolent rebellion and wickedness.

II.

It is then the knowledge of God's salvation, that giveth a rise and spring to religion; and without this, there can be no fuch thing as true religion in the world. But then alfo, that righteousness is comprehended within the compafs of the object of this knowledge, as well as religion, appears from the fame context; Let the nations be glad and fing for joy, for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. As Gop, by the dispensation of the everlasting Gofpel, requires and teacheth us to live righteously, as well as godly; fo doth that knowledge, which he ingenerates and worketh in the minds of men (where ever that teaching is efficacious) produce righteousness towards one another, as well as religion towards GOD. Both thefe I take therefore to be comprehended together, in the object of this knowledge; and fo far it is divine. And,

2. It is divine also with refpect to the author of this knowledge. The promise in the new covenant, which GOD faid he would make with his people, and which is the connective bond of all that are his people indeed, is this; that they fhould be all taught of God. The paffage is quoted from Jeremiah, by the Apostle to the Hebrews. For this is the new covenant that I will make with the house of Ifrael after those days, faith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind,

Ver. 4. Chap. xxx. 33, 4.

d Chap, VIII, 9, 10.

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mind, and write them in their hearts, and I will S ERM. be to them a GOD, and they fhall be to me a people. XIX And they shall not teach every man his neighbours and every man bis brother, faying, Know the Lord; for all fall know me from the least, to the greatest. And indeed if that were not defigned and meant, we could not give a reasonable account, why this should be made the matter of requeft and fupplication to him, that his way might be known upon earth, his falvation among all nations, But though this is a knowledge to be taught and given by God himself, yet he useth means in order thereto. But by how much the more overpowering his influences are, and by how much the brighter and more penetrating his light is, in begetting this knowledge, fo much the lefs doth the inftrumentality of the means appear herein, and GOD is feen in it so much the And then,

more.

3. THE nature of this knowledge, as well as the object, and the author of it, must be underftood to be divine too; in as much as it is plainly intimated to be efficacious and transforming knowledge, fo as to make the fubject like the object that is, fo as to make men appear like fo many reprefentations of God himself in this world; with refpect to their holiness towards himself, and mutual love, equity, and righteous nefs one towards another. This is the meaning of his writing his law in their heart. For whereas his law is all gathered up (as it is by our Lord himself) into this double fummary of loving GoD

with

VOL. with all our hearts and fouls, our minds and II. strength, and loving our neighbours as ourselves; to have this divine knowledge, in truth and reality, is to have it fo efficaciously operative, as to transform the very foul into this twofold love; and fo accordingly to frame this world and the minds of men every where into compofitions of love towards GOD, as the fupreme good, and towards one another, in obedience and subordination to him. And this is that divine knowledge, which the text and context do manifeftly intend. But,

II. We are to fhew you how fucceffes, and the favourable aspects of providence, relating to the publick affairs of those who profefs his name and espouse his intereft, tend to propagate such knowledge as this in the world: that is, according to the expreffion in the text, to make it univerfal, fo as that God's way may be known in all the earth, and his falvation unto all nations; and that true religion, and the fear of GOD may take place unto the utmost ends of the earth, according to the conclufion of the pfalm. And when we behold GoD in fuch favourable afpects and appearances, how much does the hope revive, and rife in our fouls, that this fhall be the final iffue of things! namely, that GOD fhall be thus known in all the earth, fo as to be every where worshipped, and fubdue the nations of the world to his equal, mild, and merciful government. I shall proceed here by these two steps,

I. I SHALL take notice to you, that we have SER M. a great deal of reafon to hope for this end. And, XIX. 2. THAT We may observe an aptitude in fuch means to subserve it.:

1. We have a great deal of reason to hope for this end; as a thing, which God ultimately has in defign, and will effect, We find feveral unaccomplished, prophetical Scriptures of this import, as that The earth fhall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the feas. And fo operative will be this knowledge, that befides the impreffions of religion, which it fhall make upon the fouls of men Godward, it fhall also imprefs an univerfal peaceableness, and righteousness upon mens minds, towards one another; fo as that men fhall generally agree to beat their fwords into plow-fbares, and their fpears into pruning-books Nation fhall not lift up fword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Such will be the powerful efficacy of this divine knowledge, that it fhall transform the world into love and kindness, benignity and goodness; as GOD himself is love, and the fupreme, and allcomprehending goodness.

AND we fee alfo a paffage in the prophecy of Ifaiah, which hath a more particular reference unto Chrift: Behold my fervant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my foul delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon him, he shall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor caufe his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised

reed

f Ch. II. 4.

• Ifa. XI. 9.

VOL. reed shall be not break, and the smoking flax shall II. be not quench; be fhall bring forth judgement unto truth (unto victory, it is read in the New Teftament. Math. x11. 20.) He shall not fail, nor be difcouraged, till he have fet judgement in the earth; and the ifles fhall wait for his law ®. How far we are concerned in that, I fhall not infift to fhew; though many have made their observations upon that expreffion of the isles waiting for his law, and applied it to these islands that lie fo near to one another, and wherein we are so much concerned. This however was a thing to be gradually done, but withal it was to be certainly and furely done; namely, that judgement fhould at length be set by him in the earth. This expreffion plainly imports the univerfality of the effect, and not as if it were this or that single spot, to which fuch an effect was to be confined; though, in ftrictness of fpeech, if it were any where known in the world, it would be known or fet in the earth. But that cannot be the defign of the expreffion as it is generally explained; but that the earth in general is to be the fubject of this great effect: and the expreffions, though they are wont to be applied to the cafe of particular fouls, yet they have a more diffusive applicableness, which is not to be overlooked. A bruifed reed shall be not break, and the fmoking flax fhall be not quench. A meiofis is acknowledged in these words: the meaning of which is, that he fhall be fo far from

• Ch. XLII. I-5.

bruifing,