116 An Expofition of the Epiftle ~in or by knowledge. God when he doth frame and paint his Image upon the. Serm. IX.heart, .wha-t doth he? He lets itin by the underflanding,, openeth a mans eye to ~fee fpiritually what true holinefs IS, arid what. the love of God 1s,and how a man mufl aim at the glory of God, an~ With tlus hght let mtothe mmdand under· {landing,the heart being taken Wltn lt, the Image of God IS framed m mens fpi· rits. Therefore it is exprefl by W•fdom and Prudmce; Buthereisoneparticleyetmore to be explained, [a!tWi{dom.] Do were. ceive all wifdom and prudence when we are turned unto God ? · The meaning therefore of that is this,It is taken, Firfl,for all kinds/or all forts, fomethingof everythmg, as we ufe to fay. They are made wife to believe truths, and they are made wife to do what they know, their duties in their cal– lings, their duties in their R.elations; there are feveral parts of the will and mind of God,which God inflruCts a man in,fo far forth as it is nece!fary for him to know to be faved. 1 Johll ~- 20. it is faid, the Spirit teachnh U5 all thi11gs,what is the meaning ofthat all thi11gs? Why,all things necelfary to falvation,all things that go to fave a man; and fo the poorefl foul that is, knowcth all things, bath all wifdom and pmdence in him, he bath all necelfary knowledge to fave his foul if God lhould call him prefently, therefore it is called all wifdom and prudence.' And in the Second place it is called all wifdom and prudence for the excellency ofit, icis in flead of all wifdom, and better than all w1fdom elfe; asverfe 10. he calls the Saints all things in Heaven and in Earth : wby, there are more things in Heaven and in Earth befides them ? Yea, but they are worth them all; God lool<s upon none elfe, cares for none elfe, they are hi• all, as if there were no other tiling. So here, all wifdom andprudmce, becaufe this is inflead of all it is worth all; this is the wholeman, as the expre!lion is, Ecctej: 12, q. For whatfoever elfe is in a man, whatfoever wifdom and knowledge he bath elfe it is worth nothing; he that bath this,hath enough, he bath all, ' Then Thirdly, Take in all believers, (whom he fpeaks of here colleCtively ) and they have all wifdom and prudence amongfl them. The Apoflle fpeaks he;e of himfelf, and of the refl of the Apoflles, and of all that are called by the Gof– pel ; he fpeaks generally and colleCtively of all Saints, they have amongfl them received oil wifdom and prudence, it is in the pack of them. And then in Chrifl there is all Treafures of Wifdom and Knowledge laid up for us, and we are campleat in him, fo faith the Apoflle, Colof '1.. And all wifdom and lmowledge is hid in this word, and ifthou haft grace, thou haft a principle to underfland it favingly more or lefs. If thouwilt dig !or wifdom tbou haft a principle ofwifdom,which a wicked man wants; thou haft all wifdo~ and knowledge in Stmi1u. And though we know but in part,yet in Chrifl is hid all wifdom for us, & all the wifdom that is inChrift,is made ours too,for our good· and we lhall one day know it all, that is more. This wifdom and prudence wili bring thee to know all the Treafures tha~ are in Chrifl; and therelore God hath 'abounded to thee,ht Semi1u, in all wifdom and prudence when firfl he turns thee. All the gifts of the Apoflles and Prophets, they are all ours, all thine when thou art once called. Therefore God bath abounded toward us in all wifdom and prudence. And then Laflly, and it maybe chief of all. The Apoflle fpeaks it in relation to them under the Old Tcflament, they received truths but by piece-meal at fundry times,as the expre!lion is, Heb. r. now one and then another. Bm ~ow under the Gofpel God bath hidden nothing, he bath unlocked all; therefore the leaf! in the Kingdom of Heaven is faid to be greater than Johll the B aptifl the leaf\ Saint knows more than .7oh1J Baptifl did. So comparatively to thofe u~der the Old Teflament, God bath abounded towards us in all wifdom and know– ledge, And fo much for the opening of the words. I will come now to gather fome Obfervations from them (for Ifee I cannot ill· fiance in all I meant,) The Firfl Obfervation is this. A Godly Ma11 011/y isa wife man. Obferv. r. He that is turned to God, he that is made wife to fave his own Soul, he only is a wife man, and all the refl of the world are fools, becaufe let them feek for whatfoever excellency they will, yet they lofe their fouls in the end. Thou fool faith Chrif\, he thought himfelf a wife man to get riches, tboufoot,faithhe: where •
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=