Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

86 Worldlytbifedomeandpolscieistebecontemned. the gallowes, at aduanced him whom bee intended to ruine. 4.See7. t 6. Yea the Lord doth not onely defeate their carnali wife- Godturnetb dome, but alfo doth turne it to ridiculous follie,and when vvortdlyvvife- they thinke to be admired for their deepe policies, hee en- dow into AI- DA feth them to be skorned for their (hallow foolifhnes. Thus rtS.r3. Eliphat affiirmeth,that God tab`eth the wife in their craftinsfe, Efa.44.21. and the counnfellofthe lWebedif madefoolifb. And the Apofile Roma .az. faith that the Gentiles, when they profefed themfelttes to bee wife,they became feats. And elfewhere he demandech,where isthe wife ? where is the Scribe ? where is thedrfßutsr of this r.Cor.Y.zò. world? bath not (s'od(faithhe) made the wi /edomeofthieworld foolifhnes ? Not vnfitly therefore are fooles in our accuflo- med fpeech called naturals,feeing the wifefl 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 tobe di- reSted by his owne wifedome, the Prophet Samuel feilech 1$am.r3.r3. him, that bee had done foolifhly, in not keeping the com- mandementof God. And into what extreame follie did the wife counfell of Achitophel bring him, caufng him to hang himfelte,£or feare ofa whefe turne; and to auoide the Kings deferueddifplcafure,by leaping into hell? The reafon here- of is apparant,for though mans wifedome be neuer fo great,. yet it is not infinite; hee cannot forefee future contingents, . much leffe difpofe them, and therefore whilefi he auoideth one danger which hee forefaw, he is overtaken by another 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 which either 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 ofthis worldly wife - dome, Peeing i r doth not with any cerraintie procure that good,for which it is onely good, nor attaineth vnto often- times