ry bleffedness of heaven. The immediate vifion of him; full communion with him, perfect conformity to him in heaven, make up the effential bleffedness of heaver. The glory of the place, and the fociety of faints and angels, are but additional circumstances. 'Tis Jefus Chrift, or God in Chrift, which is the fum of heaven's happiness. Seeing him, being with him, and like unio him, are spoken of in fcripture as conftituting compleat happiness in the kingdom of heaven. The enjoyment of communion with him in heaven is a part of bleffednefs. Job. xvii. 24. Father, I will that those whom thou hast given me, be with me, where I am. ch. xiv. 3. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myfelf, that where I am, there ye may be alfo, 1 Theff. iv. 17. So fhall we ever be with the Lord. The faints therefore defire to be with Chrift in heaven, Phil. i. 23. So, 2 Cor. v. 8. Willing to be abfent from the body, and prefent with the Lord. And as communion with Chrift is a part of heaven's bleffednefs, fo likewife is the vifion of Chrift. The beholding him in his glory is a bleffed, refreshing thing, pleasing both to the eye of the body and mind. This is the beatifick vifion, which Chrift prayed for on the account of his. Fob. xvii. 24. That they may be with me to behold my glory. This is what the faints hope for in the future world. I Job. iii. 2. We ball fee him as he is.---Again, perfect conformity to Chrift, makes a part of heaven's bleffednefs. 1 Job. iii. 2. When he shall appear, we fhall be like him; like him in glory. Col. iii. 4. When Chrift who is our life, fhall appear, we shall also appear with him in glory, partake of glorious conformity to him, which fhall fill with fatisfaction. Pfal. xvii. 15. I fall be fatisfied when I awake with thy likeness. Thus is Chrift the bleffedness of heaven, and accordingly defired by the faints as their al-fufficient portion. Pfal. lxxiii. 25,26. Whom have 1 in heaven but thee ?---Thou art my portion for ever.And as Jefus Chrift is the bleffednefs of heaven, fo he is the way to heaven: Job. xiv, am the way. He is the door, the gate of heaven

Only way to eternal life. By his merits he has purchafed heaven for men; by his word, example and holy Spirit he guides them unto the glory of heaven.

By thefe things then it appears, that Jefus Chrift is the bleffednefs of heaven, and the way to it. And confequently thofe that rightly know Chrift, do know wherein the bleffednefs of heaven confifts, and the way that leads unto it. Thus we fee, that the knowledge of Chrift is the moft comprehenfive knowledge. Thofe that know him, in knowing of him, do know all things that make for their eternal peace and falvation. And what more can a man need, or desire to know?

Upon the whole then, feeing the knowledge of Chrift is the most excellent, the most neceffary, the most fatisfying, the most useful, and most comprehenfive, it is plain, that no knowledge is comparable to that of Christ. And if the knowledge of Chrift be fo incomparable, how can we contentedly abide without it! how diligently fhould we labour after it! What pains do men take, how much time do they fpend, to gain knowledge in the liberal arts, or in a fecular calling and bufinefs? And when they have attained to ever fo much skill and knowledge therein, it is not to be compared with the knowledge of Chrift. O then, let us seriously confider, that this wisdom, to know Chrift, is the principal thing: and therefore we should strive to get this wildum, and with all our gettings to get this understanding. This is the argument ufed by the holy Ghoft, to prefs unto a purfuit of this wifdom. Prov. iii. 13,15. Happy is the iman that findeth wifdom, and the man that getteth underStanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the mercbandife of filver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things thou canft defire, are not to be compared unto her.

Motive 2. Confider how great, and how aggravated a fin it is, to abide without the knowledge of Chrift. It is a great fin in itself, and great in refpect of its aggravations.

(1.) An abiding ignorant of Chrift, is a great fin in itself. Such as are void of the true knowledge of Christ, and contentedly abide fo, do not feem to apprehend any great evil therein. Their iniquity however, is exceeding great before the Lord. For,

1. It is a contempt of Chrift. Such as live without the knowledge of Chrift, do practically defpife Chrift, and treat him with great difdain. For they do represent him, as one not much worth a knowing. Their indifferency about coming to the knowledge of him, plainly declares their mean opinion of him. Did they esteem him to be fuch an incomparably excellent and glorious. perfon as he is, they would defire the knowledge of him above all things. Were he indeed precious to them, the knowledge of him would be precious to them alfo. Such then as difregard the knowledge of Chrift, are vile defpifers of Chrift. And they that are fo, are great finners againft God; for in defpifing Chrift, they defpife God. Luk. x. 16.

2. It is a gratifying the Devil. Nothing is more pleafing to fatan, than that men fhould abide ignorant of Chrift. He is the implacable enemy of Chrift; labouring all that he can to prevent Chrift's being known in the world. And therefore he vehemently opposes the spreading of the gofpel throughout the earth; not willing that men fhould come to the knowledge of Chrift. He cafts hindrances in the way of the gospel, and stirs up wicked men, as his inftruments, to obstruct the propagation of it. And where the gofpel is preached, he endeavours to the utmoft to blind the eyes of men, that they may not fee and know Chrift. 2 Cor. iv. 4. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, left the light of the glorious gofpel of Christ, who is the image of God, should fbine unto them. When men therefore do contentedly abide without the knowledge of Chrift, they cannot do Satan a greater pleasure. Hereby they do abide in bis kingdom of darkness, and under his blinding power. And how great a fin is it, thus to fulfil the will of the

Devil, and to gratify him in his enmity against Jefus Chrift?

3. It is a neglect of the great falvation. There is no falvation in any other but Chrift; for there is no other name under beaven given among men, whereby we must be faved. A&t. iv. 12. Therefore without the knowledge of Chrift, there is no obtaining falvation. Job. xvii. 3. This is life eternal, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft fent. In order to eternal life, it is neceflary, that Jefus Chrift be fo known, as to be confided in, loved, and obeyed. When men therefore are negligent about gaining fuch a knowledge of Chrift, they do neglect that great falvation, which is revealed and offered to them in the gofpel. And thus to do, is an exceeding great fin. So the apoftle reprefents it to be. Heb. ii. 3. How fhall we escape, if we neglect fo great falvation? This is fo great a fin, as that it fhall be punished, with inevitable and most intolerable damnation. The greater the good neglected is, the greater is the fin, and the greater fhall be the punishment. Thus we fee that to abide without the knowledge of Chrift, is in itself a very great fin,

(2.) To abide without the knowledge of Chrift, is a fin greatly aggravated. This fin, in us, is attended with molt heinous aggravations. The circumftances of our condition do render our ignorance of Chrift a much greater (in, than otherwise it would have been. For,.

1. We enjoy all advantages for gaining the knowledge of Chrift. God may fay of us in this cafe, as of his people of old, Ifai. v. 4. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? God is not wanting to us, in point of outward means, for com ing to the knowledge of Christ. We have the gospel of Chrift, both written and preached to us, wherein Chrift is clearly and plainly fet before us. Every thing needful for us to know concerning Chrift, in order to our falvation, is therein revealed to us. So that if anv among us are under an ignorance of Chrift, this muft proceed from our carelefnefs or wilfulnefs. Either

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men

men are careless about gaining the knowledge of Chrift; will not be at the pains to read the fcriptures, and hear the word preached, for coming at it, nor regard what is fpoken and delivered to them concerning Chrift: or elfe they are wilfully ignorant of Chrift; not only not regarding the knowledge of Chrift, but wilfully fhutting their eyes against the truths concerning Chrift, becaufe they diflike them. They crofs their beloved lufts, and condemn their evil deeds, and therefore they love darkness, rather than light, and chufe rather to be ignorant of Chrift, than to know him. Now fuch allowed, and affected ignorance of Chrift, under all advantages for gaining the knowledge of him, is an aggravated fin. Had we not enjoyed fuch a plenty of means, our ignorance of Chrift had been more excufable; but now we fhall be left without all excufe. Job. xv. 22. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had fin; but now they have no cloke for their fin.

2. The advantages we enjoy for gaining the knowledge of Chrift, are peculiar and diftinguishing. They are not granted to all men, but are denied unto the far greater part of mankind. They are but comparatively few, to whom God vouchfafes the means of coming to the knowledge of Chrift. And we are a part of this fmall number. Herein God has fhewn fpecial favour to us, and done more for us than for the most of men. If therefore we remain ignorant of Chrift, we fin against the diftinguishing goodnefs of God, which is a great aggravation of our fin. If our advantages for knowing Christ, had been common to us with the whole world of mankind, our ignorance of Chrift would have been aggravated by thofe advantages, notwithstanding the commonnefs of them but when thefe advantages are appropriated to a few, and we are of thofe few, this adds a special aggravation to our ignorance of Christ. This makes it a fin against the difcriminating mercy of divine providence....Thus we fee how great a fin it is to abide without the knowledge of Chrift. Which was the fecond Motive.

Motive 3.