Serra. LXXXII. Sozver'ei my of God. of his Wifdom, by the way that he would raife it. No filch evidenceof our Folly, as a conceit that we are Wife ; fapientis animw nunquam turgefcit, nunquam turret. Oc. To pride our felves in our own wifdom, is the way tohave our Fol- ly made manifeft. God. threatens to defdroy the wifdom ofthe wife man, and to turn their wifdom into foolijhnefs. 3. We fhould labour to partake of the wifdom of God, fo far as it is commu- nicable. The greateft Wifdom that we are capable of, is to diftinguifh between Good and Evil ; to be wife to that which is good, as the Apoftle fpeaks, Rom. i6. 59. that is, to provide for the future in time, to make provifion for Eternity, to think of our latter end, to fear God and obey him, to be pure and peaceable, to receive inftruction, and to win Souls; thefe are the Characters which the-Scrip- ture gives ofWifdom. When Yob had declared that excellency ofthe Divine Wif- dom was not to be attained by men ; he tells us what that Wifdom is, which is' proper for us ; Andunto man he Paid, thefear of theLord that is wifdom, and to de- part from evil, that is underjlánding. There are many that are wife to worldly Ends and Purpofes, as our Saviour tells us, wife to get Riches and to afcend to Honours: But this is not the wifdom which we are to labour after; this is but a lhort-witted Prudence, to ferve a prefent turn without regard to the next World, and the Eternity which we are to live in ; this is to be wife for a moment, and fools for ever. 4. If Godbe only Wife, than put your Truft and Confidence in him. Whom fhould.we truft rather than Infinite Wifdomwhich manageth and directs Infinite Goodnefs and Power? In all Cafes of difficulty truft him for dire&ion, acknowledge him in all thy ways, that he may direEl thy flops, commit thy way unto the Lord, and lean not to thine own underflanding. The race is not to the fwift, nor the Battei to the firong, but the Providence of God difpofeth all thefe things. And if we rely upon our own Wifdom, that will prove a broken reed. And as our own Wifdom is a broken Reed, fo the Wifdom ofother men, Ifa. 31. r, a. God curfeth them that go down into Egypt, and trial/ to their firength and wifdom, but look not to the holy one of Ifrael, neither feek the Lord;yet he ale is wife, faith the Prophet. ç. Let us adore the wifdom ofGod, and fay with St. Paul, a Tim. r. 17. To the only wife God k honour andglory, for ever and ever, Amen ; and with Daniel,Blejed bé the name of Godfor ever andever, for wifdom andmight are his Veneration is the -acknowledgment of an Infinite Excellency and Perfection. We reverence any extraordinary degreeof Wifdom in Men; but the Divine Wifdom which is Perfeét and Infinite, is matter of our Adoration, and Blefiing, and Praife. Thankfgiving refpects the Benefits we receive : but we Refs God when weacknowledge any Ex- cellency; for as God's Blefing us is to dous good, fo ourBiefing him is to fpeak good ofhim ; as all God's Perfections are the Objects of our Bleng, fo more efpe- cially his Wifdom is of our Praife ; for to praife God is to take notice of the wife Defign and Contrivance of his Goodnefs and- Mercy towards us. Before I par's on to the other Particularscontained in thefe words, Icannot but take notice that this wife God, here fpoken of, is Riled our Saviour, which forne underhand of our Saviour 7efus Chrift, and bring this place as an Argument to prove his Divinity ; and if that were fo, it were all one to my purpofe, which is in the next place to fhew that Gloryand Májefiy, and Dominion and Power belong to the Divine Being. But altho' I would not willingly part with any place that may fairly be brought for the proofof the Divinity of Chrift, yet feeing there are fomany plain Texts in Scripture for the proof of it, we have the lefs reafan to firetch doubtful places; and that this is fo, will appear to any one who confiders that the Title of Saviour is feveral times in Scripture attributedto God the Father i betides that in a very Ancient andAuthentick Copy we find the words read fòrne- tvhat otherwife, and fo as to put this out ofall Controverfie P /tivw ,95g corri,,c uö,v biz 'Lsci Y°e= 'wJeíu i'G,v Sóÿa, &c. Paving premifed thus much for the clearing of thefe words, I (hall briefly confider, full God's Glory and Majefiy,' and then his Dominion and Soveraignty. hirf,.God's Glory and Majefiy. By Meijer, we may underftand the greatnefsq Kkkk a or 6 1
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