936 A Di[courfe'of the Fear of God, Cha;:-;;. wh~~ wi-fe ;;;;-;;r;,;;-World, thofe that are wife inilicir{;-;,;;;:;;tion, ih:;u,;- ~pear before God, when they !hall refleB: upon all earthly ObJe£is, and confider 1{; Vamty and the Vexation of them, how w!ll they befool themfclves? What f · Ref!eB:ions will the Soul make upon it fclf, when it fhall confider for that wl~r;ous not, the Treafures of the World, for a meer Fancy, fo r that which is Madnefs':' rs felf; I have hazarded and loft the Enjoyment of an infinite Good for ever. To 1~~~ elude, there ts no Fool hke the finnmg Fool, who ventures his Soul at every turn and to obtam the World runs bhndfold mto endlefs Ruine. ' ---· -~· ----·------------- CHAP. XII. That all humane Knowledge is not foJ!icient to make a Man wifl. Vje2. FROM hence we may learn, that thofe Perfons whicl; pleafe themfclvcs onely with humane Knowledge, are not wi fe in Scripture account. If it were poffible for a Man to unravel Nature from the Cedar to the Hyfop, ·if he had fuch a Judgment as to penetrate into all natural Conclufions, and to ~~~v(a~1 y;r~~aral~'~o~~~i;n;~~P~o~di~~~ifnJe;1;~ ~~a~e~~r~t~;~~:n:;~e;~e:;fe~~ num defeendunt) he doth but wifely go to Hell. Now that I may fhew you, that all humane Knowledge without the Fear of God cannot render a Man truly wife ; con· fider it in thefe three refpe8:s, fea ~:.~re,hi~~~~[~~~t ~~~~~~~~!~ntot~~:=~:;r, ~~:, ~~;~~~~:w~~;~h~~~;.~Iel~a!':~; !!cc!c" , 3 . ;. be m•de Jlraight ; I fhall apply it thus, there is an Impoif>bil ity in natural Knowledcre to re£iifie the Spirit of Man, which is fallen from its primitive Rel.titude, or to refio~e the Image ofGod to the Soul,which is fo much diflorred by reafon ofSin, 1 Rom.2 1. The .Apoflle [peaking concerning the wifefi Heathens, Becaufe thAt when tht) knew God, they glori.fiedh~m not as God, 11either were thankful, but became vatn tn the.ir lmaginat zons, and their foolijb heart was darkened, 22. v. Profe/ling them[elves to be wi(i, thCJ became jOJit, all this is fpokcn of the w1fefl Heathens. Seneca m a Letter of hiS, where he makes !~ y;;J~;~~:Jt~;J:if~~~ ;hf~l~~~!~eb~~~s~~~~~; ~~n;;:;~~fnh~~t~or;tfo"~'ba;i~ refpeB: of its Infufficiency, it cannot make us happy. 2. Secondly, If you confider its Malignancy againtt the Truths of God,_ either a· gaiott the Sublimity of the Gofpel, or agamfl the Sunphcay of It ; 1t will appear, that it cannot render a Man wife, r. Firft, If you confider that Malignancy that there is in humane Knowledge a. gainfl tile Sublimity of the Gofpel. Thofe Truths wh1ch Reafon cannot comprehend, it will not embrace. Hence we find, that the Socinians reJe£i feveral of the Fundamentals of Chriflianity, becaufe they arc above the Flight of our Reafon. We read of the Philofophers, Ac1s 17. ~2. that they mocked at the Re(urrec1son: And we read of ']ulian, that he did upbraid Chriflians as _Perfons that were Captives to a blind Be~ lie£ Such kind of Truths Carnal Reafon m 1ts Elevations oppofeth, 2. Secondly, And the Simplicity of the Gofpel humane Knowledge is oppofite and repugnant to, and is malignant againfl: it. Thus we read, that the DoEtrme ofChnfl: was efteemed Foolifhnefs by the wife Men of the World, becaufe it was not conveyed to them in the Blandifhments of Rhe:orick, and bccaufe the very Matter of the • Gofpel was fuch, as their Pride and Lufl would not fioop unto. Experience tells us, that the Gofpel is above Natura~ and againfl corrupt Reafon. Now fince Humane Knowledge (when it is alone Without the Fear of God) IS thus malignant, fince 1t puts Sin into Armour ( as I may fo [peak) certamly tlus can never render a Man truly wife. '
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