Israel shall know it

Israel shall know it.

Wicked men will not know till they feel; when they are struck, then they will know. The best knowledge of God's displeasure is from the causes, but if men will not know from there, they shall know from the effects. In their prosperity they had many false prophets that soothed them up, so that they were kept from knowledge, but now when they had felt God's stroke, then they should know; but he does not tell you what you should know. They should know these things.

First, they should know what a great God it is they have to deal withal.

Secondly, they should know how vile a thing sin is.

Thirdly, they should know the vanity of all their shiftings.

Fourthly, they should know the dreadfulness of divine wrath.

Fifthly, the faithfulness of God's prophets.

Sixthly, they should know the wisdom of those who dared not do as they did.

Seventhly, they should know the folly and vanity of all the false prophets that did seduce them before; they should know that the prophet is a fool, and the spiritual man is mad. Oh! the knowledge we have of these things in time of affliction is another manner of knowledge than we know in the time of our prosperity. It was the speech of a German divine in an affliction, 'In this disease I know what sin is, and how great God is in this disease.' And yet he was a divine, why did he not know before? No truly, I never knew what sin and God was so before.