Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/d_500.lzh/D_516.TXT

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516                                         OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.                                                          Book I.

plead with God in the exercise of grace: once more,
such souls have knowledge of him as the Spirit of
truth, that guides into all truth necessary to be known
by them, and powerfully applies it to them; who
teaches them all things they should know, and brings
to their remembrance truths or promises, at proper
seasons, for their relief and comfort; and who is the
unction they have received from the holy one, the
anointing which teacheth all things, and from which
they are denominated Christians; to say no more, they
have knowledge of him as an inhabitant in them, for
he dwells in them as in his temple; of whose indwel-
ling they are sensible by the operations of his grace
upon them; they find he is in them as the earnest of
their inheritance, and as the sealer of them unto the
day of redemption. Now in this distinct, special, and
peculiar knowledge of Father, Son, and Spirit, and in
that communion with them, which arises from hence,
inward experimental religion greatly lies.
To this head of the object of knowledge all divine
things may be reduced that are knowable, that are to
be known or should be known by the Christian; there
are some things that are not to be known, and which
will ,ever be known, neither in this life nor in that to
come; there are some things that angels know not,
yea which the human soul of Christ knew not in his
state of humiliation; this is not to be called ignorance,
but nescience, or non-knowledge. Secret things belong
unto the Lord our God, but those things which are re-.
yealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, Dent.
xxix. 29. The former we should not curiously search
into, as not belonging to us, nor should we exercise
ourselves in things too high for us, and which are out
of our reach, nor should we seek to be wise above
what is written; the latter we should study the know-
ledge of, and to improve therein, even the knowledge
of the several truths and doctrines of the gospel, so
as to try and know the things that differ, and to ap-
prove the more excellent; and also of the will of God,
or duties of religion, which are to be observed, that
so we may walk worthy of God in all well-pleasing.
The next thing to be considered is,
2dly, The causes of this knowledge, and from
whence it springs. It is not to be attained to by the [
light of nature, or what light the works of nature give; II
for it may be said of this knowledge what Job says of
wisdom and understanding, when he asks, Where shall II
wisdom be found ? and Where is the place of understand-
ing ? to which he answers, it is not known by man,
nor is it here nor there, nor can any estimation be
made of it, only God understandeth ihe way thereof,
and he knoweth the place thereof; what place it is to
be found in, and in what way, and from whence it
cometh, Job xxviii. 12, 23. Nor is it to be found in
the law of Moses; by that God may be known to be
holy, just, and righteous, but not as a God gracious
and merciful; by it is the knowledge of sin, but not
the knowledge of Christ as a Saytour from sin; by it
may be known what is the will of God with respect to
what should be done and what should be avoided, but
no knowledge does it give of the Spirit of God to
help in the performance of duty, or in the exercise of
grace. Nor is it to be acquiredby carnal reason; the

deep things of God, the mysteries of his grace, are
what the carnal eye of man has not seen, nor his ear
heard, nor has it entered into his heart to conceive of.
When Peter made that excellent confession of the
Deity, Sonship and Messiahship of Christ, our Lord
said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona, flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee; not carnal
reason, nor carnal men, but my Father which is in
heaven, Matt. xvi. 17. This is not to be had from
men; the knowledge the apostle Paul had of the
mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ,
and of the glorious doctrines of the gospel, he had
them not at the feet of Gamaliel, nor from his mouth,
but by the revelation of Jesus Christ, Gal. i. 1
      1. The efficient cause of this knowledge is God;
it is God that teacheth men knowledge, and none
teaches like him; and this he teaches persons the most
unlikely to learn, even such as are weaned .from the
milk, and drawn .from the breasts; that is, .just wean-
cd, who were but the other day babes and sucklings;
this knoMedge is from God, Father, Son and Spirit.
Such as have heard and learned of the Father, come to
Christ; that is. believe on him, John vi. 45. It is the
Father who knows the Son, and reveals him, as he did
to Peter, and who reveals the things he hides from the
wise and prudent, even unto babes; and no man knows
the Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son will re-
veal him, Matt. xi. 27. he who lay in his bosom declares
him, his mind and will, his love and grace; and he
gives an understanding to know himself, who is the true
God and eternal life, t John v. 20. and the Spirit, he is
the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge
of God and Christ; he searches the deep things of
God, arid reveals them to men; and by him they know
the things that are freely given them of God, Eph. i.
17. Cor. it. 10--12..    2. The impulsive cause is
the sovereign will and pleasure of God. Even so,
Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight, Matt. xi. 25,
26. it being solely owing to his good will and pleasure
to make known to whom he would make known the
mysteries of his grace and gospel concerning himself,
his Son and Spirit; see Col. i. 27..            3. The instru-
mental cause or means is the word of God. Faith,
which sometimes goes by the name of knowledge,
comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,
Rom. x. 17. that is, by the external ministration of the
word, the Lord owning and blessing it. John the
Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, was appointed, com-
missioned, and sent of God to give knowledge of salva-
tion to kis people; and the apostles and ministers of the
gospel had the treasures of evangelical truths put into
their earthen vessels, to give the light of the knowledge
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The ministry of
the word is appointed as a standing ordinance in the
church, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and
of the knowledge of the Son of God, Luke i. 17. 2 Cot.
iv. 6. Eph. iv. 13.
3dly, The nature and properties of this knowledge
deserve notice: and,            I. This knowledge is prac-
tical; the mere theory of any science, unless reduced
to practice, is of little avail; men may have all know-
ledge that is notional and speculative, and yet be no-
thing; a profession to know God and Christ, and in