THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL KNOWLEDGE IS TO KNOW THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

PAUL, writing to the saints in Rome, says: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1: 16). Writing to the saints in Christ Jesus, at Philippi, he says, "I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know Him" (Phil. 3: 8). In his prayer for his disciples, Jesus said, "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent " (John 17: 3). "Jesus saith unto Thomas, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him" (John 14: 6). In the first chapter of First Corinthians, Paul brings the

name of Christ in seventeen times; it appears in almost every verse. He then says, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2: 1).

The following to the end of this chapter is an extract from "The Fountain of Life," by Rev. John Flavel, A.D. 1671 (American Tract Society). It is the introductory chapter, showing the importance of the knowledge of Christ.

"The excellency of the subject.

"For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."-1 Cor. 2: 2.

The former verse contains an apology for the plain and familiar manner of the apostle's preaching, which was "not with the excellency of speech, or of wisdom: "he studied not to gratify their curiosity with rhetorical strains, or philosophical niceties; for he says, "I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."

"I determined not to know." The meaning is not, that he despised or contemned all other knowledge, but so far only as it might stand in competition with, or opposition to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. As if he had said, "It is my stated, settled judgment; not a hasty, inconsiderate censure, but the result of my most

serious inquiries. After I have well weighed the case, viewed it exactly on every side, balanced all advantages and disadvantages, pondered all things that are fit to come into consideration about, it; this is the issue and final determination, that all other knowledge, how profitable, how pleasant soever, is not worthy to be named in comparison with the knowledge of Jesus Christ. This, therefore, I resolve to make the scope and end of my ministry, and the end regulates the means; such pedantic toys and airy notions as injudicious ears affect, would rather obstruct than promote my grand design among you; therefore, wholly waving that way, I applied myself to a plain, popular, unaffected dialect, fitted rather to pierce the heart and convince the conscience, than to please the fancy.

"I determined not to know any thing'-to study nothing myself, to teach nothing to you, but 'Jesus Christ.' Christ shall be the centre to which all the lines of my ministry shall be drawn. I have spoken and written of many other subjects in my sermons and epistles, but it is all as consequent upon preaching and making known Jesus Christ: of all the subjects in the world, this is the sweetest; if there be anything, on this side of heaven, worthy our time and studies, this is it. Thus he magnifies his doctrine, from the excellency of its subject, accounting all other doctrines but airy things, compared with this.

"Jesus Christ and Him crucified." This topic he singled out from all the rest of the excellent truths of Christ, on which to spend the main strength of his ministry: Christ as crucified and the rather, because hereby he would obviate the vulgar prejudice raised against Him upon the account of His cross; for Christ crucified was "to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks, foolishness." I Cor. 1: 23. This also best suited his end, to draw them on to Christ; as Christ above all other subjects, so Christ crucified above all things in Christ.

The manner in which he discoursed on this transcendent subject to them, is also remarkable; he not only preached Christ crucified, but he preached Him assiduously and plainly. He preached Christ frequently; " and whenever he preached of Christ crucified, he preached Him in a crucified style." This is the sum of the words; to let them know that his spirit was intent upon this subject, as if he neither knew nor cared to speak of any other. All his sermons were so full of Christ, that hearers might have thought he was acquainted with no other doctrine. Hence,

No doctrine is more excellent, or necessary to be preached and studied, than Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

All other knowledge, how much soever it be magnified in the world, is, and ought to be, esteemed but dross, in comparison with the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ.