Downame - Houston-Packer Collection BX5133.D76 C552 1611 v.2

86 Worldlytbifedomeandpolscieistebecontemned. the gallowes, at aduanced him whom bee intended to ruine. 4.See7.t 6. Yea theLord doth not onely defeate theircarnali wife- Godturnetb dome,but alfo doth turne it to ridiculous follie,and when vvortdlyvvife- they thinke tobe admired for theirdeepe policies, hee en- dow intoAI- DA feth them to be skorned for their (hallow foolifhnes.Thus rtS.r3. Eliphat affiirmeth,that God tab`eth thewife in theircraftinsfe, Efa.44.21. and the counnfellofthe lWebedif madefoolifb. And the Apofile Roma .az. faith that the Gentiles, when they profefed themfelttes tobee wife,they becamefeats. And elfewhere hedemandech,where isthe wife ? where is the Scribe ? where is thedrfßutsr ofthis r.Cor.Y.zò. world? bath not (s'od(faithhe) madethe wi/edomeofthieworld foolifhnes ? Not vnfitly therefore are fooles in our accuflo- med fpeech called naturals,feeing thewifefl man who is but meerely naturall is a very Poole, both becaufe 'hee is vtterly deflitute offpirituall and fauing wifedotne,and alfo becaufe the Lord turneth that camall wifedome he hath into fottifh foolifhnes. So when Saul,leauing the Lord, began tobedi- reSted by hisowne wifedome, the Prophet Samuel feilech 1$am.r3.r3. him, that bee had done foolifhly, in not keeping the com- mandementof God. And intowhat extreame folliedid the wife counfell ofAchitophelbring him, caufng him to hang himfelte,£or feare ofawhefe turne; and toauoide theKings deferueddifplcafure,by leaping intohell? The reafon here- ofis apparant,for though mans wifedome be neuerfogreat,. yet it isnot infinite; hee cannot forefee futurecontingents, . much leffe difpofe them, and thereforewhilefi heauoideth one danger which hee forefaw, he is overtaken byanother which was without the compaffe of his providence; and hauing fetled his counfels upon the ground ofmany proba- bilities or certainties, one whereof feemech to cohere with another,fome thing whicheither was not, or could not bee forefeene, happening, difordreth and confoundeth all the refc,and fo bringeth all hispolicies to nothing; like a chaise which faileth afunder when but one linke thereof is bro- ken. Who therefore would etieeme ofthisworldly wife- dome, Peeing i r doth not with any cerraintie procure that good,for which it is onelygood, nor attaineth vnto often- times

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