Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v10

Chap. 3 2. fir{ Expofition upon the Book, of Jo B. Verf. 7. .47 fpeaks that which may doe others food, or make them better. We fay proverbially and truly both of faying anddoing, .Asgood never a whit, as never the better. 1 fail dayes fhould (peak, and multitude ofyeares fhould teach wifdome. Elihaa reckons the age ofaged men, bymultitude ofyeares this he loth only to highten the matter ; what wifdome might he mot expe& from a multitude ofyeares?that is, from fuch as had lived a multitude, of yeares. Certainly' thought Elihu, they'wi /1 reach wifdome. There is a twofold wifdome; Firfl, that which is meerely ra donal ; Secondly, that which is fpirituall ; or there is firfl,a com- mon ; fecondiy, an holywifdome ; Eliha expected wifdome of both forts, but chiefely of the latter, frommultitude of yeares. Sa sentiam fn* He expected they would reach the wifdome which the Spirit of reUpsgi ittam in God had taught them; that wifdome. which confifis in the true veradei no- knowledge of God and of our (elves, that wifdome which is from firs cognition above, that which man hath not from himfelfe, nor is taught him ú a cfl -; jo bydayes or yeares, by ufe or experience only. And it was very tits or.firn ho probable, that theywho from theiryouth had been inflrueled in minis animaas, the things of Ged,beinggrowne old, fhould allo be Browne fur- non anni, non ther in this wifdome, and riper in this fort° of knowledge.. And ufua,nonexpo- therefore Eliha fpake accordingCO the rule of right reafon;when rienrta Alcrlo. he judged that thofe three aged men had attained to avery high degreeof divine light. Such is the goodnefle of God tohis peo- ple, that ufually theygrow in grace and knòwledge as they grow- in yeares ; För thoughGod isDebror tono man (but Creditor to all men) and though old age in it felfe confidered, deferves no- thing of God, yea is not onlyundeferving, but ,(becaufe fin mul-- tiplyes as our dayesdoe.) ill deferving, yet as Chrifl faith, 70 him that bath, (that is, who ufeth and improveth what he bath ), more'hall begiven ; And therefore though truewifdome bea free gift, and is infufed and wrought by the Spirit of God, yet we may in probability, and ought according to charity, jUsilge, that they who have. moil dayes, have alfomoll wifdome. Though wifdome be not entayled upon old age , yet there we are moil likely tó finde it. i ffyd multitude ofyearesfhoold teachwifdomc . Hence:

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