June 24

"And thou shalt know the Lord,"—Hosea 2:20.

NOTHING can be more false and erroneous than to say that ignorance is the mother of devotion. She is a mother, and has a large offspring, prejudice, superstition, and every species of vice and dissipation. There can be no right feeling, either towards God or man, while ignorance envelops the mind. The union that subsists between God and his people is compared to the marriage relation, and the possession of knowledge is necessary to the realization of it. We have here

A STATE OF IGNORANCE IMPLIED. We are by nature ignorant of God,

In the perfections of his nature. These are displayed in his manifold works; but the unbeliever discerns not the traces of a Divine hand in them. He has no just views and conceptions of the being and attributes of the Deity.

In the salvation of his Son. The ungodly cannot estimate the value of his atonement, the all-sufficiency of his grace, and the extent of the privileges he has to bestow. Having never seen themselves in their vileness, they know nothing of Christ in his preciousness.

In the operations of his Spirit. This was the case with Nicodemus; when our Lord talked to him of the amazing change produced in the soul by the Spirit's power and grace, he exclaimed, "How can these things be?"

In the excellency of his word. What a rich treasury have we here! It is full of glorious and important truths; but the man who is ignorant of God has not the key that unlocks it. The natural man discerns not the beauties, neither does he appreciate the worth, of Scripture.

A STATE OF KNOWLEDGE INSURED. "And thou shalt know the Lord." Contemplate

The glory of its object. "The Lord." It includes an acquaintance with the blessed Trinity, God as a Father, Christ as a Redeemer, and the Spirit as a Sanctifier; and all three adorable Persons engaged in covenant for our salvation.

The excellency of its nature. It surpasses all other knowledge in every point of view. It is spiritual, experimental, and personal. Thou shalt know the Lord.

The value of its effects. It will humble us before God, and this self-abasement will increase as our knowledge becomes more extensive; it will impart pleasure and satisfaction to the mind. We read of the savor of this knowledge: it will lead us to cultivate spirituality of mind, and a love of holiness, and to fill up our several stations in life according to the rules of God's word, and the dictates of an enlightened conscience. Let me therefore seek it, and esteem all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord.

"Blest are the souls that hear and know The gospel's joyful sound; Peace shall attend the paths they go, And light their steps surround"