In the Word of God, the second
epistle of Paul to the Corinthians in chapter 6. I want to direct
your attention this evening to the words that we find at the
beginning of verse 9. In 2 Corinthians chapter 6, the
beginning of verse 9 as unknown and yet well known. as unknown and yet well known. In this particular epistle Paul
very carefully defends his ministry against those who were the false
teachers those who had come amongst the Corinthians and by their
subtle arguments persuaded so many to turn from that truth
that had been proclaimed amongst them by the Apostle himself and
so he writes in this particular chapter of himself he says in
verse 4 but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of
God in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings,
in fastings. How that ministry that he had
received from the Lords was indeed very costly to him, not only
in this chapter, but when he comes to At the end of the epistle
we see Paul still very much concerned to defend his own reputation
amongst them. He asks that question in verse
23 of chapter 11. Are they ministers of Christ? He's referring to those false
apostles. Are they ministers of Christ?
I speak as a fool, I am more in labours more abundant, in
strikes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft
of the Jews. Five times received I forty strikes,
saved one. Thrice was I beaten with rods,
once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck. The night and the
day I have been in the deep, in journeyings often, in perils
of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen,
in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils
in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false
brethren, in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger
and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside
those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily,
the care of all the churches. Now Paul must have felt these
things so keenly that he has to go into such detail to vindicate
himself and his own ministry amongst them. So what does he
say here at verse 11? All you Corinthians, our mouth
is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. You are not straightened
in us, but you are straightened in your own bowels. Here is Paul
then writing to the church that he had been instrumental under
God in first establishing. He'd exercised a remarkable ministry
there in that great Grecian city of Corinth, one of the principal
seaports in the world at that time, and seeing the establishment
of a church, and a church that in many ways was favoured and
blessed with people having remarkable gifts of grace and yet it's his
church that in so many ways seems to have turned against him and
he writes to defend himself and he speaks thus in great measure
concerning the very nature of his own ministry. Besides all
of this we know of course that this man Paul is the pattern
of saving faith. Under God he says as much when
he writes to Timothy. Remember there in that first
chapter of the first letter to Timothy verse 16 he says, I obey
it for this cause I obtain mercy that in me first Jesus Christ
might show forth all longsuffering for a pattern to them which would
hereafter believe on him to life everlasting." He had been himself
a persecutor of the Church of Christ. He had sought to destroy
believers, persecuting them. And yet how the Lord was long
suffering towards him and how the Lord in His mercy and grace
caught him when he was there at the very gate of Damascus. But he says that he is first
a pattern to them that should hereafter believe is a pattern
of what saving faith is and in the words that I read we see
something of what this man's experience must have been something
of the paradox of that experience which is the common lot of all
the people of God. What does he say here in verses
9 and 10? As unknown, he's speaking of
himself again, you see, in his ministry, as unknown and yet
well known, as dying and behold me live, as chastened and not
killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making
many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things. He's contradicting statements
and how there are these seeming contradictions in his own experience
how he is one who is sorrowful and yet at the same time can
be rejoicing how he is poor and yet he is able to make many rich
how he has nothing and yet he is the possessor of all things
and here I say we see him in a remarkable sense as one who
is to us a pattern, a type, of the experience of those who know
the grace of God, who are living that life of faith. In that remarkable
little book, his Gospel Sonnets, Ralph Erskine, amongst other
things, speaks of the believer as a riddle. The life of the
believer, he says, is that that is a riddle, a mystery. And we
have that little couplet there, Erskine says, I'm in my own and
others' eyes a labyrinth. of mysteries, the strangeness
of the believer's life and the believer's experience. And I want us to bear this in
mind as we come to consider these few words that I've announced
as our text here at the beginning of this ninth verse. He says,
as unknown and yet well-known. And the subject matter I want
to address tonight is that of these different views of the
believer. How is the child of God viewed? And we're going to think of a
threefold view of the believer. And first of all, to consider
the world's view. How does the world view the child
of God? How does the world look upon
the life of the Christian? We read here as unknown, and
yet well-known to the world. There is that sense in which
the believer is unknown. Doesn't that accord with the
words that John speaks there in the opening verse of the third
chapter of that first general epistle? He says at the end of
that verse, the world knoweth us not because the world knew
him not. The world knew not Christ. and
the world does not know the people of Christ. What does it mean
for the believer to be in that sense unknown in the world? Well, there is the ignorance,
the ignorance of the world. The word that we have here in
the text, unknown, literally means ignored or ignorant. The world is ignorant with regards
to that we're about tonight they might of course know something
with regards to the externals of religion that we meet together
in this fashion and that we have a service in which God's word
is read and hymns and songs and so forth, they are familiar,
they know about those external aspects but they don't really
understand or know anything about the things that we are really
engaged in tonight. Paul says to the Corinthians
in the first epistle chapter 14 and verse 38 if any man be
ignorant let him be ignorant and that is the world, the world
is ignorant with regards to the things of the child of God and
the life of the Christian and the experience of those who are
believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. What does the world know of those
fears that so often come into the lives of God's children?
What does the world know of the temptations that the believer
is troubled by? How he so often feels himself
to be bedevilled at times by his doubts and his fears. How The world can know nothing
at all of what it is for the believer when he feels himself
to be in the valley and he's experiencing the sad hidings
of the face of God. The world knows nothing of these
things. Isn't all that part and parcel
of what Paul calls, when writing to Timothy, the good fight of
faith? The good fight of faith. It's
a spiritual conflict, is it not? It's warfare with sin, it's warfare
with Satan, it's warfare with the old nature, the fallen nature
that is yet within the child of God. The world knows nothing
of those things, what we might describe as the dark side of
the Christian's experience, when he has his doubts and his fears,
when he feels the assaults of Satan, when he himself feels
as if the heavens are as brass and he has no access to God in
his prayers God seems far off from him but also the world knows
nothing at all of course of what we might say are the bright side
of the believer's experience because there are those those
joys and those blessings that come into the lives of God's
children there are those things that come and excite the soul
I remember the late pastor here, Mr. Matrinola, saying on more
than one occasion, when he came to have an understanding of the
great doctrines of the sovereign grace of God, and one would sing
some of those wonderful hymns of John Kent on the Covenant. He said, why the very singing
of those words would make the hair stand on the back of your
head. or it was such a thrilling thing to sing of sovereign grace
or sin abounding. The joys, you see, that belong
to the Christian, how these things enter into the believer's soul
and thrill his soul, those spiritual joys. The world knows nothing
of these things. The world is ignorant of these
things. This is all by the grace of God, is it not? And there's
a twofold reason, of course, why the world cannot know why
the world is so ignorant with regards to the experiences of
the believer. Again, it's in that first epistle
to this church at Corinth and in chapter 2 and verse 14 that
Paul says, The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know
them because they are spiritually discerned. Natural men do not
understand They cannot understand, they are ignorant of these things. But not only that, there is a
two-fold reason I say. Not simply because a natural
man cannot perceive these things, but also, as Paul says to the
Colossians concerning the believer, your life is hit with Christ
in God. How the believer's life is all
together bound up in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am crucified
with Christ Paul says nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth
in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me and
that life is hidden to the men of this world the world's view
then the world's view the world is ignorant as as unknown with
regards to the believer The world knows nothing. Ignorance. But worse than that, worse than
that, the world hates. The world hates the believer. Gill's remarks, his comments
on this particular verse are most interesting. He says, not
owned, esteemed, or approved of, but slighted, despised, hated,
persecuted that's the believer's attitude to the believer the
persecution might not be open and obvious it is alas it is
for some believers in this world there are those who are persecuted
cruelly persecuted but how the world is so dismissive of the
child of God how the world despises the people of God. Again, look
at what Paul says, writing in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse
9, we are made a spectacle unto the world, he says. And the word
that we have there, a spectacle, is in fact the Greek word from
which is derived our English word for theatre. We are a theatre to the world. Again we see it in what Paul
says in Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 33. He says, whilst
partly whilst ye were made a gazing stock both by reproaches and
afflictions and partly whilst ye became companions to them
that were so used. Made a gazing stock. It's the same word, a theatre.
How the world looks on We are made as the filth of the
world, Paul says, and the offscouring of all things. This is how believers
are viewed by the world, and the Apostle knew it. When he
writes these things, he's not just a man who is writing out
of theory, he is writing out of his own experience as a child
of God. And we see this man as one who
was sadly misrepresented here as he writes in verse 8 he says
by honor and dishonor by evil report and good report as deceivers
and yet true that's what they seem to say they said he was
a deceiver that the report that he proclaimed was an evil report
and yet really what was this man doing He was declaring the
truth of God. He was proclaiming the great
message of the Gospel. It was not something that he
had dreamt up himself. It was not something that he
had received from others. It was that that God had given
to him. He tells the Galatians, Paul
an apostle, not of men, neither by man. but by Jesus Christ and
God the Father who raised him from the dead. And he goes on
later there in verse 11, I certify you brethren that the
gospel which was preached of me is not after man for I neither
received it of man neither was I taught it but by the revelation
of Jesus Christ. Or they said he was a deceiver
and a preacher of evil things. And yet all he was seeking to
do was to proclaim the truth of God and that gospel of the
grace of God. But of course what was true in
Paul's experience was what had also been true to a greater degree
in the experience of his Lord and Master Jesus Christ. Did they not say also that Christ
was a deceiver? even after he had died. Remember
the word that was spoken by the Jewish leaders when they came
to Pontius Pilate there in Matthew chapter 27. After Christ had been crucified
and then laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, we're told,
verse 62 of Matthew 27, the next day that followed the day of the
preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto
Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that, that deceiver." That's
how they describe the Lord. That deceiver said, while he
was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore
that the sepulcher be made sure until the third day, lest his
disciples come by night and steal him away, and say unto the people
he is risen from the dead. And so the last error shall be
worse than the first." And here Pilate answers them well. You
have a watch, go your way, make it as sure as you can. He'll
have nothing to do with it. What do they do? They go away
and they seal the stone and they said to what? Or they make the
tomb secure but still Christ breaks through the barriers of
death. The Lord Jesus rises again from
the dead. But they called Him a deceiver. They called Him a deceiver. He was in the world and the world
was made by Him. and the world knew Him not. That's what we're told concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ, unknown. In this world He was not known,
He was not recognized, though He was the Creator of all things,
yet He comes unto His own, and His own receive Him not. He is
one who is the man of sorrows, and He is one who is rejected
of men. And he tells his disciples quite
plainly that what was true in his experience would also be
true in their experience. In John 15 and verse 19 he says,
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own. But
because ye are not of the world, would I have chosen you out of
the world? Therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word
that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord.
If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they
have kept my saying, they will also keep yours also. All the world doesn't know the
people of God. The world hates and despises
the people of God. And so God's children, of course,
are not to be conformed to this world. Doesn't Paul here at the
end of the chapter speak of that great need of separation? Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers, he says? For what fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light
with darkness? And what concord hath Christ
with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the
living God. All believers are called to be separated from this
world. The world doesn't know the people
of God. The world despises the children
of God. That is the world's view, unknown. But let us turn in the second
place, to consider something of the Lord's view, God's view
of His people. And we have it here in the expression
well-known. As unknown and yet well-known. And there we do well to take
account of the adjective. Take account of the words in
Holy Scripture. Take account sometimes of the
little words. It doesn't just say as unknown
and yet known. But he introduces the adjective,
he says, well-known. All believers are well-known.
God knows his children very well indeed. The reference here, you
see, is to that special knowledge. That special knowledge that God
has of his people. And it's spoken of in scripture
as his foreknowledge. God's special knowledge is his
foreknowledge. And it is the first link in that
glorious golden chain that we have in Romans chapter 8. For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of his Son. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified,
and whom he justified, them he also glorified. All that well
known and they are well known from all eternity. That's where
it begins. Whom He did foreknow. Why He
knew them in the eternal councils of the Trinity. He had set His
sovereign love upon them. Whom He did foreknow. He also
did predestine us. And now that glorious chain ends
in glory. Ultimately that is their portion. They are to be the glorified
children of God. All God knows, God's foreknowledge. And now the Arminian twists and
turns the truth of that precious word foreknowledge. You see the
Arminian reasons in this fashion. He says that foreknowledge is
simply God foreknowing a thing, foreseeing a thing. and he says
on the basis of what God foresees he forms his purpose. So God
foresees from eternity who's going to believe of their own
volition, of their own free will and because he foresees that
they're going to believe he then predestinates them to be saved. Well what utter nonsense is such
reasoning as that? It means that God's purpose is
subject to the will of man. It's those who of themselves
are able, as the Arminian imagines to believe, and God foresees
their faith, and then God predestinates them. That is a perversion of
the truth. That foreknowledge is the same as what we have here
in our text. It's the fact that God well knows
his people. His foreknowledge is that intimacy
of knowledge. The Lord knoweth them that are
his. He knows them. Why? Because he
has set his love upon them. It's the knowledge of love that
is being spoken of there. They are in acts according to
the foreknowledge of God. Oh, God knows them in such an
intimate way. They are the objects of His choice.
Yea, He says, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore
with loving kindness have I drawn them. Oh, God knows His children. Oh, He knows them in that special
way and that intimate fashion. He delights in them. And it is,
of course, therefore a knowledge of gracious purpose. God knows
everything about His people. He knows them better than they
know themselves, does He not? And He knows all that He is doing
with His people. And how this was such a comfort
to Job in the midst of all that strange trial that came into
his life. Oh, and what experiences that
man had! It's hard for us to comprehend
the great losses that Job suffered with regards to all his possessions,
with regards to his own family and the affliction that came
upon him in his own body. And yet, what does he say concerning
his God? He knoweth. He knoweth the way that I take. When He hath tried me, I shall
come forth as God. All Job knew it was a knowledge
of gracious purpose. God is the one who says, I know
the end from the beginning. He knows His children. He knows
exactly what He is doing in their lives. Whatever trials and difficulties
and problems, He knows. And He's too wise to be mistaken.
and it's too good to be unkind, isn't that our comfort friends
that God knows all about us and of course it is also at the same
time a knowledge of tender care not just a knowledge of gracious
purpose God fulfilling his own goodwill and pleasure in the
lives of his children all but the tenderness of the way in
which God deals with his children like as a father pities his children
So the Lord pities them that fear him. He knoweth our fright. He knoweth our fright. He remembereth
the weirdos. He will never permit his children
to be tempted above what they are able. Ah, but with the temptation,
Paul tells his Corinthians, he makes a way of escape that they
may be able to bear it. it is a knowledge of tender care
all the Lord well knows his children what a contrast we have then
here in the text on the one hand we have the world's knowledge and the world doesn't know anything
with regards to the people of God the world is ignorant and
yet the world in its ignorance despises the people of God and
as it has the opportunity it will even hate and persecute
the people of God and yet in the midst of all their experiences
God is the one who well knows his children but I said in considering the words of the
text we would take up a three-fold view of the believer and so finally
this evening to say something with regards to the believer's
view of himself. If you're a professed Christian,
tonight, how do you view yourself? How do I view myself? Maybe sometimes when we look
to ourselves, and we should look to ourselves, we're exhorted
many times in scripture to do that. Examine yourselves, whether
you be in the faith, prove your own selves, Know ye not your
own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobate? Paul addresses those words to
this church here at Corinth in the final chapter of this epistle,
does he not? They ought to be examining themselves,
they ought to know themselves. It's good that we look to ourselves
and certainly there is a place for that when it comes to our
observance of that Holy Supper of the Lord. Again he says in
chapter 11 of 1st Corinthians, so let a man examine himself.
Let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. When we examine
ourselves for the Lord's Supper we're not looking for certain
qualifications in the way of great holiness of life. Oh God
be thanked that the Lord Jesus Christ who is pleased to come
and and sup with his children is the one who receiveth sinners
and eateth with them we examine ourselves and we see increasingly
I trust our great needs of that grace of God which is in the
Lord Jesus Christ but there is a place for self-examination
and if we look right into our own hearts it will only cause
us the more to look to the Lord God says, pour not on thyself
too long, lest it simply lower, look to Jesus. Kind to strong,
merciful, joined with power, we look to self, we look to the
Lord. Was it not Robert Murray McShane who said, all one look
at self, ten, a hundred, a thousand looks to the Lord Jesus Christ. Look unto me, be ye saved, all
the ends of the earth, for I am God. and there is none else. We look to ourselves, but then
we look to the Lord. But all the believers view of
himself. At times, do we not have to say
that our own life is a mystery to us? Our life as the Christian. As we said, that life is a hidden
life. Your life is hid with Christ in God. How does the believer
live his life? Well, we walk by faith, not by
sight. That's the life of the believer
in this world, it's a life of faith. And you know at times
a believer can lose sight of his privileges, and can lose
sight of his blessings in this world. The life that the believer
lives is a life that has been given by God. I do like that little short chapter
in Jeremiah, Jeremiah 45 concerning Barak. What does God say there? Seekest thou great things for
thyself? Seekest thou great things for
thyself, Barak? Seek them not. For I will bring
evil upon all flesh, but thy life have I given thee for a
prey. In all places whither thou goest,
Mr. Philpott has a sermon, he was
preached at the old Salem Chapel in Portsmouth on that very text.
Life given for a prey. Life given for a prey. That's
the life of the believer in this world. It's a strange life, you
see. How do we view ourselves? What do we know of that life? It's a given life. Our life Will
I give unto them? Oh, it's a new life, it's a spiritual
life, it's the gift of God. But it is a spiritual life that
is constantly being preyed upon. And that's why the believer can
at times lose sight of his privileges. In the world, Christ says, ye
shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome
the world, But we cannot avoid the tribulation. We must, through
much tribulation, enter into the Kingdom of God. That is the way of the Christian's
life. Yea, all that will live godly
in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Are we those who
desire to live godly lives? Well, if we are seeking to live
a godly life in this sinful world, it will be a troublesome life. It's a strange cause, you see.
How strange is the cause that a Christian must fear. How perplexed
is that path he must tread. The hope of his happiness rises
from fear, and his life he receives from the dead. It's this paradox
that Paul is speaking of here, in these verses 9 and 10 as unknown
and yet well-known as dying and behold we live again observe
the word he says it's dying and he doesn't say and we live he
introduces that significant word behold and you know the force
of it why? fix your eye on this you're dying
and you're alive. There's spiritual life. You're
chastened but you're not killed. You're sorrowful yet always rejoicing. You're poor yet you make many
rich. You have nothing. You have nothing and yet you're
the possessor of all things. All the strangeness of this Christian
life. And Paul Paul was one who knew
something of the reason why it must be so. As he speaks of himself
there, verse 4, he says, as the ministers of God, in much patience,
in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in
imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings,
Oh, what a strange, strange life it is, Paul. We read also, of
course, there in chapter 4, did we not? And what does he say? Verse 7, We have this treasure
in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be
of God and not of us. We are troubled on every side,
yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in
despair, persecuted, but not forsaken. cast down, but not
destroyed, always bearing about in the body the dying of the
Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest
in our body. For we which live are always
delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus
might be made manifest in our mortal body." There it is, you
see. There it is. there in verses 10 and 11 of
that fourth chapter. It's that the believer might
see that the wholeness of his life, all of his life, is bound
up in the Lord Jesus. Bearing about him the body, the
dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be
made manifest in our body. For we which live are always
delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus
might be made manifest in our mortal body. We have to learn, do we not,
that all, all our life, all our salvation is in Christ. All it is what David confesses
when he comes to the end of his day and he remembers that covenant
that's ordered in all things and sure, it's all his salvation
he said. It's all his desire. You see,
although the believer hardly knows himself, because of this
strange and mysterious life that he has to live. This life in
which at times he loses sight of his privileges and his blessings.
And yet, although he hardly knows himself, this is his comfort
God knows. All God knows, and God knows him well. What does
David say there at the beginning of the 139th Psalm? O Lord, Thou
hast searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down-sitting
and mine uprising. Thou understandest my thoughts
afar off. He knows. He knows that God knows
everything about him. And when he comes to the end
of the Psalm, what does he say? Search me, O God. and know my
heart, try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked
way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." What is that
way everlasting? It is the way of Christ, it's
that looking to Christ. The believer then at times has
such a view of himself that he is a mystery. He's a mystery to himself. And
he loses sight sometimes of what his privileges are and what his
blessings are. And he can even lose sight of
that glorious inheritance that God has laid up for him. And
that really is the believer's greatest comfort, is it not?
I have not seen, nor heard, neither have entered into the heart of
man the things that God has prepared for them that love Him. All the
world knows nothing of those things. Eye hath not seen, ear
hath not heard. It's never one centred into men's
hearts. All but those things that God
hath laid up for his children. Those things that are laid up
in heaven. Remember the end of chapter 4.
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things
which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal.
but the things which are not seen are eternal. This is the believer's glorious
hope, is it not? But now it is God who must come
and reveal these things to us. It's all revelation, you see.
It's all from God, is it not? God hath revealed them unto us
by His Spirit, Paul says, for the Spirit searcheth all things,
yea, the deep things of God. God has to reveal to us the life
of faith. God has to reveal to us the mystery
of faith. God has to give to us faith.
There are many who have a faith, but I fear it's but a natural
faith. It's something that they've given
themselves. I imagine they have saving faith.
But it is but a notional faith. We need that faith that is of
the operation of God. And we see it, do we not? We
see it like, we have it in that man that is spoken of in the
Gospel, who comes to the Lord Jesus, and this is a language
of faith, you know, he says, Lord, I believe, help thou mine
unbelief. All those who know anything of
that life of faith, know what a tormenting thing unbelief is. As Satan, you see, that subtle
foe comes and attacks them and seeks to put into their hearts
and into their minds those doubts and those fears. Here's the paradox.
Here's the paradox of the life of faith. It's spoken of, of
course, in several of the hymns and especially those hymns of
Joseph Hart, 237 for example, he says this of what faith is, to be steadfast
in believing, yet to tremble, fear and quake, every moment
be receiving strength and yet be always weak, to be fighting,
fleeing, turning, ever thinking, yet to swim, to converse with
Jesus, mourning for ourselves or else for Him. It is that good
fight, that's a good fight of faith. That's a good fight of
faith. that's what it means to be those
who are ever looking on to the Lord because we increasingly
feel our need of that great salvation that is only to be found in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Oh God grant friends that we
might be those who know something of what Paul is expressing here
as he writes to these Corinthians. Yes, as I said at the outset
he's defending himself he's having to vindicate the very character
of his own ministry it's under assault but as he writes in his
own defense so he also discloses something of his own experience
as that one who is a pattern to what real faith is or the
world's view the believer is unknown in the world the world
is ignorant of the way of the children of God and the world
despises that way and hates the believer and will persecute the
believer and yet the believer is comforted in the midst of
all his trials and all his troubles and all the perplexity that he
feels in his own mind is this that God knows him oh God knows
him so well oh Lord David says, and remember the words, O Lord,
they will search me and know me. The believer then here, as
unknown, and yet well-known. May the Lord grant His blessing
upon his word. 304, and the tune is Williams 436.
Lord, what a riddle is my soul, alive when
wounded, dead when whole. Fondly I flee from pain, yet
ease. Cannot content, your pleasure
pleads. Number 304.