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SER M. world without wisdom. The goodnefs, and mercy, and justice, and truth of GOD, could not shine with that luftre, were it not for his wisdom, which doth illustrate these with fo much advantage.

I need not bring teftimonies from heathen writers to confirm this; their books are full of expreffions of their admiration of God's wife government of the world. I need not trouble you with quotations of particular teftimonies. Epicurus indeed denied that GOD either made or governed the world; but he muft needs acknowledge him to have been a very wife being, because he made him happy, which cannot be without wisdom, though he had taken away all other evidence of his wifdom. Ariftotle feems to have supposed the world to be a neceffary refult and emanation from GoD: but then the other fects of

philofophers did fuppofe the world to be the free product of God's goodness and wisdom.

2. From scripture; Job ix. 4. "He is wife in "heart;" xxxvi. 5. "He is mighty in ftrength "and wifdom." Dan. ii. 20. " Bleffed be the name "of GOD for ever and ever, for wisdom and might "are his." Hither we may refer those texts, which attribute wisdom to GOD in a fingular and peculiar manner, Rom. xvi. 27. and those which speak of GOD as the fountain of it, who communicates and bestows it upon his creatures, Dan. ii. 21. James i. 5. and those texts which speak of the wisdom of GOD in the creation of the world, Pfal. civ. 24. "O "LORD, how wonderful are thy works, in wisdom "haft thou made them all!" Jer. x. 12. "Who "hath established the world by his wifdom, and "ftretched forth the heavens by his difcretion:" in the providence and government of the world. Dan. ii, 20. "Wisdom and ftrength are his, and he changeth

"changeth times and feafons; he removeth kings, SER M. " and fetteth up kings:" and in many other places, CXXXVI in the redemption of mankind. Therefore CHRIST is called "the wisdom of GOD," 1 Cor. i. 24. and the difpenfation of the gospel, "the hidden wisdom "of GOD, and the manifold wifdom of GoD," Eph. ii. 10.

If then God be only wife, the original and only fountain of it, from thence we learn, First, to go to him for it, Jam. i. 5. "If any man "lack wisdom, let him afk it of God." There are many conceited men, that think they are rich and increased, and ftand in need of nothing. The apoftle doth not speak, as if there were fome that did not want wifdom, but because there are fome fo proud and conceited, that they think they lack nothing; those are start fools, and GoD refifts fuch foolish and proud men but if any man, sensible of his defect and imperfection, cometh to GoD, "he

gives liberally, and upbraids no man." We are afhamed to learn wifdom of men, left they fhould contemn and upbraid us with our folly: men are envious and unwilling that others fhould be as wife as themselves; but God's goodnefs makes him willing to impart wifdom: "he gives liberally, and up"braids no man.'

This is the most defirable accomplishment and perfection; "happy is the man that getteth wifdom; "wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wif"dom:" it is better than thofe things that are of the highest value among men, as Solomon often makes the comparifon. Now becaufe "it comes "down from above," we should look we should look up for it; it is by the revelation of his will, and the wife counfels of his word, that we are made "wife unto falvatiVOL. VIII.

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"on;"

SER M. "on," therefore we fhould beg of him, that "he CXXXVI. « would give us the fpirit of wisdom and revelation "in the knowledge of himfelf," Eph. i. 17.

2. If GOD be only wife in fuch an eminent and tranfcendent degree, then let us be humble. There is no caufe of boafting, feeing "we have nothing "but what we have received." The lowest instance, the leaft fpecimen of divine wifdom out-fhines the highest pitch of human wisdom; "the foolifhnefs "of GOD is wifer than men," 1 Cor. i. 25. thereforelet not the wife man glory in his wifdom," Jer. ix. 29. Of all things we fhould not be proud of wisdom; the proud man throws down the reputation of his wifdom, by the way that he would raise it. No fuch evidence of our folly, as a conceit that we are wife; fapientis animus nunquam turgefcit, nunquam tumet, Cic. To pride ourselves in our wifdom, is the way to have our folly made manifeft. GOD threatens "to deftroy the wisdom of "the wife men," and "to turn their wifdom into "foolifhnefs."

3. We fhould labour to partake of the wisdom of GOD, fo far as it is communicable. The greatest 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. xvi. 19. 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 fouls; thefe are the characters which the fcripture gives of wisdom. When. Job had declared, that the excellency of the divine wisdom was not to be attained by men; he tells us what that wisdom is, which is proper for us : "and unto man he faid, the fear of the LORD, that

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*is wifdom; and to depart from evil, that is un- SERM. derstanding." There are many that are wife to worldly ends and purposes, 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 fhort-witted prudence, to ferve a prefent turn, without any profpect to the future, 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 God be only wife, then put your trust and confidence in him. Whom should we truft rather than infinite wisdom, which manageth and directs infinite goodness and power? In all cafes of difficulty truft him for direction, "acknowledge him in all

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thy ways," that he may "direct thy fteps; com"mit thy way unto the LORD, and lean not to "thine own understanding. The race is not to "the swift, nor the battle to the ftrong," but the providence of GOD difpofeth all these things. And if we rely upon our own wisdom, that will prove a broken reed. And as our own wifdom is a broken reed, so the wisdom of other men, Isa. xxxi. 1, 2. GoD curseth them that "go down into Egypt, and "trust to their strength and wisdom, but look not "to the holy one of Ifrael, neither feek the LoxD; "yet he alfo is wife," faith the prophet.

5. Let us adore the wisdom of GoD, and fay with St. Paul, 1 Tim. i. 17. " To the only wife GOD, "be honour and glory for ever and ever, Amen :" and with Daniel, bleffed be the name of GOD for "ever and ever, for wifdom and might are his." Veneration is the acknowledgment of an infinite excellency and perfection. We reverence any extraordinary degree of wifdom in men, but the divine wisdom,

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SERM wifdon, which is perfect and infinite, is matter of our adoration, and bleffing and praise. Thankf giving refpects the benefits we receive: but we blefs Goo when we acknowledge an excellency: for as GOD's bleifing us is to do us good; fo our bleffing him is to fpeak good of him: as all God's perfections are the objects of our bleffing, fo more efpecially his wifdom is of our praife; for the praife of GOD is to take notice of the wife defign and contrivance of his goodness and mercy towards us.

Before I pafs on to the other particulars contained In thefe words, I cannot but take notice, that this wife GoD, here fpoken of, is ftiled our SAVIOUR, which fome understand of our SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, 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 glory, and majefty, and dominion, and power, belong to the divine being. But although I would not willingly part with any place that may fairly be brought for the proof of the divinity of CHRIST, yet feeing there are fo many plain texts in fcripture for the proof of it, we have the lefs reafon to ft.etch doubtful places; and that this is fo, will appear to any one who confiders that the title of SAVIOUR IS feveral times in fcripture attributed to Gop the father; befides that in a very ancient and authentic copy we find the words read fomewhat otherwife, and fo as to put this out of all controversy, po SEN σωτῆρι ἡμῶν διὰ Ιησε Χρισά κυρία ἡμῶν δόξα, &c.

Having premifed thus much for the clearing of thefe words, I fhall briefly confider, firit, God's glory and majefty, and then his dominion and fovereignty.

First, GoD's glory and majefty. By majefty,

we