Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v11

Chap; 3'6. vfe Expofition upon the Book of j o B. Verf. Secondly , Confider wifdotrte, as it is,appl'yed in working. 'Soule have much of that wifdome which we call Theorericalt, knowing, difoerning wifdome ; but as for praaicall, working wif- dome, how to putthings together, show to order them as to the bufinel es and affairs of this life,they are very far to feek.We fay, Great Scholars are not alwayes the wifefb mere : many are knowing,. theyknow almolt all things, they will difpute ( de oaini fcilrili ) of all things knowable , yet are very weak-when they come to lay things together for practice or g®vernment ; if it be but the go- vernment of a family, or of their private eflare , they know not how to niannage ir, much lefs can they mannage thegovernment: of great Societies or Corporations, k:atl of all of Kingdomes and Nations. But as for the Lord , he bath not only a knowing wif- dome, but a difpofing,a governing, a working,pradical wifdome, inordering all aftairs,whtchwe properly call prudence or difcre- tion, (Piet, 112. ç. ) We have feen knowing learned men do things very foolifhly, imprudently , indifcreetly. But all the works of the Lord are contrived and model'd,asalfo effeetedand perfeéted with infinite wifdome. Hence that Holy exclamation, ( PM. 104. 24. ) 0Lord, howmanifolrare thy zvorkf, in wifdomc haft thou made them a,i ? Which as it is true of all the works of Creation, folikewifeof the works of Providence, the former of which are fpoken of in the beginning of the Pfalme, and the lat- ter in the followingparts of ic. The Lord in wifdome made the world, He made the heavens by hie wifdome, (PfaI. t 36. ç. -) and by Sri fdsme bathhe founded the earth,( Pro. 3. i 9 ) If inboth thefe places we underfland Chrifi by wifdome, it dog h not hinder', but advance this truth; now as the Lord made theworld both heaven . and earth in wifdome, fo in and by the fame wifdome hegoverns heavenand earth , and all his works inboth are full of wifdome. Thus it appears that the Lord is mighty in ffrength of.wifdome, both as to theknowing and ordering ofall things : yea,the Lord is fo mighty in both thefe kinds of wifdome, that there is indeed none wife but he.And therefore the Scripture not only calls him, ThewifeGod, but God only wife,( Rom. 16. 27. Jude v. 25. ) And furely he is mighty flrong inwifdome, t ho bath all th, e; if- , dome, or is only wife. Some may fay, How are we to underfaand that ? is not wifdome one of thole communicable Arti ibures of Gìod? fo wediliinguiththe divine Attributes, Tome are commu- A a nìcable,

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