AN EXTRACT

FROM

THE WORKS

OF

MR. E. YOUNG,

FELLOW OF WINCHESTER COLLEGE, AND LATE OF SARUM.

DEAN

SERMON 1:

THE WISDOM OF FEARING GOD.

JOB 28: 28.

And unto man he said, Behold the fear of the LORD, that is
wisdom, and to depari from evil is understanding.

            " THE fear of the LORD, that is wisdom," is a sentence we meet with in several places of Scripture, and delivered by several of the holy writers; so that it seems to have been in proverbial use amongst the ancients; and it is a probable conjecture, that they derived this proverb by tradition from GOD himself, and that ADAM was the man in the text to whom it was first spoken:, For when ADAM had eaten the forbidden fruit, which he was induced to do from the hopes of being made wise by it, it was then (as some have thought) that GOD thus admonished him, " The fear of the LORD, that is wisdom;" this admonition properly serving to set before him the grossness of his mistake, when he thought that any thing which made him sin, could possibly make him wise.

            If this were spoken to our first parent, we cannot doubt, but that the truth of it entered into his soul with a full con­viction: The shame and terror which he felt within him­self, for having departed from the fear of GOD in one instance, thoroughly convinced him, that there was nothing so wise as to fear him always.

And there are certain seasons, wherein every son of ADAM, even the most loose and careless, does readily deliver him­self up to the same conviction: Scarce anyone in the world, when lying under the sense of guilt, or the fear, of punishment, or the destitution of worldly comforts, or the apprehension of approaching death, but will soon acknow­ledge, that the fear of GOD is the true wisdom, and that all other attainments are but folly in comparison of it. What therefore all men at sometime or other confess for a truth, and most men with regret, that they have no more consid­ered it, that it is the prudent man's part to consider at all times, and to set it before him for a governing principle of his life.

            We may observe by the way, that if' the fear of GOD  be wisdom, it is a happy step towards the duty, that nature has planted in us a common ambition to be wise.

            To be wise, is the thing we long for above all other; as, on the contrary, to be accounted fools, is the most hated of all reproaches. And this is an appetite as universal as hun­ger itself: So that the difference between wise men and fools, lies not so much in the difference of their affections towards wisdom, but only in the controversy, What wis­dom is, and wherein it consists. Which controversy my text comes to determine, and I shall deliver the full sense of it in these two propositions: I. That the fear of the LORD is Wisdom; and, 2: That it is the only Wisdom; for so much the emphasis of the relative imports, " The fear of the LORD, that is wisdom;" as much as to say, There is no wisdom without it.

            I. I begin with the First, " The fear of the LORD is wis­dom." To fear GOD (if we  Will state the nature of it) con­sists in the having such a due sense of the Majesty, and Holiness, and Justice, and Goodness of GOD, as shall make us thoroughly fearful to offend him; for each of these attributes of GOD is proper to raise a suitable fear in every considering mind: His Majesty, a fear lest we affront it by being irreverent; his Holiness, a fear lest we offend it by being carnal; his Justice, a fear lest we provoke it by being presumptuous; and his Goodness, a fear lest we lose it by being unthankful. But through all, the ceasing to offend GOD is necessary, for otherwise we cannot be said to fear him: And therefore in the Holy Scripture we have the fear of GOD defined by departing from evil; as if its very

essence consisted in this necessary effect. So SOLOMON tells us, " The fear of GOD is to depart from evil:" And the same definition is implied in the text, where the fear of the LORD, and to depart from evil, are used only as two differ­ent expressions to signify the same thing.

            And from this observation it follows, that wicked men can never be said to fear GOD, though they do certainly fear his punishment; but where the punishment only is feared, there the person is properly hated. I confess, that to hate GOD carries a horror in the very sound of it, and implies a guilt of such a dye as few sinners will own.

            But when we consider that a man cannot continue in deli­berate sin, but that his heart must needs wish there were no GOD to punish him; and that such a wish is formal hatred; all we can conclude upon it is this That our sins are sel­dom stinted by our own intention, but when we give guilt leave to go so far, it will go farther without our leave; and so those ill habits will lead us insensibly on to pure enmity with GOD, in which, at first, we intended no more than the bare pleasing of our passions.

            Now, the wisdom of fearing God will be manifested, 1. By considering the reasonableness, and, 2. The advan­tages of it. 1. I shall consider the reasonableness of the duty. GOD Almighty gave us the passion of fear on purpose to make us wise; and its subserviency to wisdom is visible in the whole course of human affairs: For, set aside fear, and there is no providence in management, no weight in counsel, no prudence in election, no discretion in acting; all runs into rashness and folly, and ends in exposing us to all man­ner of evils.

            As therefore in a town alarmed by an enemy, a sentinel is set to watch their approaches, and to prevent a surprise; so, in regard of those many evils to which we are obnoxious in this life, God has set fear in our soul for a sentinel, to watch when and which way they come, and to give us cau­tion that we may avoid them. But the same GOD that has given us fear for a caution against evils in general, has given us notice, that his displeasure is the greatest of all evils And therefore as we account it a point of wisdom to be watchful against other evils, so it is necessarily the chief point of wisdom to be watchful against this.

            The fear of GOD is of so great importance to us, that GOD seems to have intended a gracious intimation of it in every motion of our natural fears. Our natural fears (we know) are either sudden or deliberate; the sudden are such as come upon us without deliberation, and of these we may observe, that they are very often immoderate, boundless, and ungovernable; and as they prevent our deliberation in their coming, so they often baffle it being come, and are not to be controlled by any power of reasoning.

            How wonderfully will a man sometimes be affected at the hearing of a sudden noise in the night! His blood runs back, his spirits sink, his soul melts within him, and a hor­ror passes through every part of his body.  Now such a fear as this seems absolutely unreasonable; a wise and good man would not fear any accident in life, no, nor death itself, at such a rate; and yet a wise and good man cannot sometimes hinder such a fear from rising upon a mere bugbear occasion. But how unreasonable soever this fear seems to be, it carries a most reasonable admonition along with it. And as the sentinel, when set, has a word given him, whereby to distinguish his proper officer; so GOD, when he set this fear in us, seems to have given it his own word, a word which it whispers to us upon each of its surprising motions; namely, "Thus it is that a man ought to fear GOD;" thus it is that a man ought to fear GOD, be­cause " even as a man feareth, so is his displeasure:" Even as a man feareth, when he feareth most boundlessly, most extravagantly, so is his displeasure; his displeasure bears proportion to such a fear as this, though nothing in nature does so beside it.

            Thus GOD has made nothing in vain, if we will give ourselves leisure to reflect, we may learn so important a lesson.  Our deliberate and just fears are as just to the same inti­mation; and each of their motions points out GOD to the first glance of our reasoning: For, if it be reasonable to fear want, how much more reasonable it is to fear him, whose bounty is the fountain of all our supplies! If it be reasonable to fear disappointments, how much more to fear him whose Providence disposes the issue of all we project! If it be reasonable to fear disgrace, how much more to fear him, whose intimation imports more towards it than that of all the world besides! If it be reasonable to fear pain, and other inconveniences in life, how much more to fear him, whose pleasure determines both all our ease, and all our suf­ferings! In a word, if it be reasonable to "fear them that kill the body, how much more him who, after he has killed, can cast into hell!" This then is the moral, and this is the lesson of all our fears, " Fear GOD:" And if it be not wisdom to do so, it is not folly to kick against the prick, to run under a falling tower, into the mouth of a lion, into the bottomless pit.

            2. Thus much for the reasonableness of the duty; Se­condly, Consider its advantages. And to give my thoughts a track in this wide field, I shall confine them to this parti­cular; namely, That the fear of GOD is the cure of all other fears; and when I have said this, I have implied a mighty advantage, because fear (when loose from GOD) is undoubt­edly the greatest burden and the greatest snare that human life is acquainted with.

            I call fear the greatest burden of life, because of its tor­turing power; and I call it the greatest snare of life, be­cause of its corrupting power. Let us reflect a little upon them both.

            (1.) Fear carries with it such a torturing power, that could we but estimate the conditions of all men together, we should find that the world is at all times more miserable from what it fears, than from what it feels. Nay, fear is such a tyrant, that let us feel never so much, it will still heap on weight, and make that which may be worse than that which is. As the author of the Book of Wisdom tells us concerning the Egyptians, that, when they lay under their grievous plague of darkness, "their fear was more grievous than their darkness."

            (2.) But, Secondly, Beside this torturing power, fear has in it a corrupting power; for fear is the main rock upon which most mete split their faith, their honor, their inte­grity; all are sacrificed to some sort of cowardly compli­ances, and men become vicious, perhaps less from the love of being so, than from want of courage of being otherwise. And this is a sufficient reason why, (Rev. 21: 8,) the fear­ful are set in the list of those that go to perdition.

            So that though fear was given us on purpose to make us wise, yet it never effects that purpose, till such time as it is fixed upon GOD, and receives virtue from that supreme ob­ject, to govern its motions, in reference to all the rest; for the fear of GOD, like a wise monarch set up in a disturbed state, composes all the tumults of vulgar fears, and keep­ing them subordinate to itself, renders them both harmless and useful to their proper ends.

            It is a sad mistaken project (though yet it be a common one) to cast off the fear of GOD in order to be free; for, in so doing, men only pass from one fear which is without torment, to a multitude that are without relief; as CAIN, when he had departed from the presence of GOD, became terrified with the presence of every thing he met. And though all men in CAIN'S case are not so fearful as CAIN was, yet they make the mischief equal by being more stupid than he.

How galling must the fears about the things of this life be to one who carries an eye to the blessings of a future! They make the world look like a shaft thrust into a man's body, which grieves and tortures while it stays in, and when it is drawn out, draws away life with it; but he that fears GOD has a preservative against the fear of all worldly evils; for he fears them not before they come, because he is se­cure of the good providence of GOD on his side, and when they come, he has wherewithal to break their blow, because he has assurance of recompence at least, if not relief.

            But especially, how amazing must the fear of death be to him that fears not GOD! Death! that like a dark passage to a comfortless prison, puts an end to all he would have, and a beginning to all he would not.  I confess indeed, that sin, even while it is drawing on such formidable consequences as these, has likewise arts to fence off their affrightment; for, as there is sometimes an excess of fear, that betrays all the succors of reason, so there is sometimes on the other hand such a hardiness, and want of fear, as stifles all the actings of reason. And hence it comes to pass, that some men, who are altogether careless how they live, do yet seem as indifferent about the concern of dying.

            The Scripture gives us the emblem of such hardy spirits, in a horse rushing to the battle, and an ox going to the slaughter; creatures that are not frighted with consequen­ces, because they are not capable of thinking; which may likewise serve for an intimation to us, that when a man fears not GOD, and at the same time fears not death, it is not courage in him, but brutality; for, it is impossible there should be any guard against the fear of dying, to those who are reasonable, and aware of the issues of dying, but only the fear of GOD, which secures against all other fears. And as to this in particular, it make`s death resemble a viper, when its poison is taken out; its very form may bring some horror to our nature, but reason tells us in the mean time, that it is so far from doing harm, that it is al­together medicinal and restorative.

            By the way, it is remarkable, that this passion of fear will not suffer itself to be slighted by any of the children of pride, and therefore it takes a mocking revenge upon those that seem to slight it most for we may observe concerning such as fear not GOD, and pretend likewise not to fear death, that yet they extremely fear the vain breath of the vainest men, which they falsely set up to be the standard of honor. This breath (as despisable as it is) they fear as much as any others can fear death, and will run themselves into greater mischiefs to escape it. Whereas, in truth, no­thing is honorable neither, but only the fear of GOD, and such offices as are consequential to it, if GOD himself may pass for the standard, who says, " Them that honor me, I will honor." And, therefore, whatsoever is acted con­trary to this principle, and whatsoever men dare contrary to the rules of piety, it can be no other than dishonor­able and weak.

            As for the corrupting power of fear, it is deplorable what multitudes it brings under captivity to sin. The fear of being laughed at, of being reproached, of being frowned upon, the fear of contempt, of hardships, of poverty, of shame, of death, are each of them cords that draw men daily from their integrity; and, though they are all of different strengths, yet by means of opportunity they all equally serve the ends of the tempter; insomuch, that as many are debauched by the fear of being laughed at, as by the fear of being undone.

            But the fear of GOD is armor of proof against all these temptations; it fortifies the mind, and works it to firmness; such a firmness as was glorious in the three Israelites in Babylon, who, when the question was put, Whether they would worship the image, or be cast into the furnace, re­plied with all composedness, "Oh NEBUCHADNEZZAR, we are not solicitous to answer thee about this matter." As much as to say, The question which You, Oh King, takest to be so puzzling to us, by reason of its terror, is not worthy the shortest of our deliberations; we can resolve in an in­stant what to do in this case, because we were resolved long ago to suffer any thing rather than GOD's displeasure.

            II. I have thus far shown the reasonableness and the present advantages of the fear of GOD, in order to evidence the wisdom of it; but I must carry the argument a little further. For, although all men did not only desire to be wise (as certainly they do) but would allow us this point too, that " the fear of GOD is wisdom;" yet this would not convince them, that they must necessarily fear GOD, in order to be wise, unless it appear likewise that they c' not be wise in any other way. For, as when there are several meats of several tastes, one man's choosing what he likes best does not tax the discretion of a second for choosing another kind; so, supposing there are several kinds of wisdom, ungodly men may acquit their pretences to wisdom, by pretending to be wise after their own palate, and

in their own way. I shall show therefore, in the next place, that no such choice is to be had; but that the fear of GOD, is so essential to wisdom, that there is no wisdom without it.

            It is the design of holy JOB, in the chapter of my text, to put us in mind, that there is a mighty difference between to know and to be wise. He tells us, that " man finds out the veins of silver, and the ore of gold, and the beds of sapphires." That " he cutteth out rivers among the rocks, and his eye seeth every precious thing." That "He bind­eth the flood from overflowing, and the thing that is bid he bringeth forth to light." But amidst all this, cc Where (says he) shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man knows not the price thereof, neither is it to be found in the land of the living." In which passage the holy man intimates, that wisdom is the pure gift of GOD, and that it cannot be found by the most curious inquiries into nature. And, we may add, that nei­ther can it be found by the most curious inquiries into truth itself, whether moral or divine, till such time as grace ac­companies the inquiry. For a man may know all the offices and bounds of virtue, and all the precepts and ends of re­ligion, and yet not be wise; because wisdom is not the speculation of these things, but the love and practice of them. Wisdom is not only light, but strength to the under­standing, whereby it is enabled to govern the passions, and make the life regular; whereas, a bare knowledge leaves the understanding as weak in government, and the life as irregular as before; and, indeed, serves to nothing so much, as the more inexcusable conviction of our folly.

            In ancient Rome, when the empire was come to its height, and learning and arts were grown into reputation among them, it was the fashion for such as aimed at the credit of being accomplished gentlemen, to frequent conferences; and entertain the company with discourses of philosophy, and all other specimens of study and wit. In consequence of this, it happened that others, who had neither parts nor industry to accomplish themselves in this manner, and yet were ambitious' to have a share in every thing that made men look great, made it their practice to buy some learned slaves out of Greece, and to carry those about with them

into company, and there whatsoever wit or learning the slaves could produce, that their masters looked upon as their own, and took the glory of it unto themselves.

How ridiculous soever this practice may seem, it is but too just an emblem of the generality of mankind, priding themselves in the attainment of mistaken wisdom. For, while we please ourselves with the knowledge of arts, and laws, and policies, and business, nay of virtue and religion too; yet, in the mean time, our understanding, the faculty where this treasure of knowledge lies, is very often no other than a slave, held in servitude to our lusts and passions. These rule and command, like the Roman, gallant, and that only serves, like the poor Greek, to furnish matter for our vanity; insomuch, that we are riot really the wiser for all the wisdom we carry about us. And thus it must be; nor can it ever be otherwise, till the fear of GOD presides over what we know, and directs it to the purposes of a holy life.

            As to the opinion of the world in this present matter, which confers the character of wisdom upon several human endowments, however found separate from the fear of GOD; well may it pass for a courtesy, but its passing for a due we have this consideration to hinder, viz. that not any of those endowments, no, nor all of them together, can prevent a man from being a fool.

            And this is a truth I shall choose to prove by example; example being a good remembrancer: And this being a matter which we are not so like to doubt of, as to forget. I shall begin with the example of the rich man, mentioned, (Luke xii,) who, according to the vulgar standard, must certainly pass for a wise man; for, he understood business, and improvements, and managery, as we may guess by the increasing of his estate, and the enlarging of his barns. And another piece of reputed wisdom he was roaster of too, that is, he was resolved to enjoy what he had: And yet how emphatically is this man called " fool," in his peremptory summons from God! " You fool! this night shall thy soul be required of thee; and then whose shall those things be that you has provided?"

            The next I shall mention is AHITOPHEL, a man of such sagacity and insight into affairs, that (as the sacred story tells us) his counsel upon all occasions was, " as if a man had inquired at the oracle of GOD;" and yet this great man, for all his mighty talent of wisdom, had so little as to make a violent end of himself upon a small affront, and so at one act to cut himself off both from all the enjoyments of this life, and all the hopes of a future: Too great a proof of being a fool!

I shall end with the example of SOLOMON, whose cha­racter for universal wisdom is this: " That there never was the like before him, nor ever shall be after him;" and yet so soon as he turned his back upon the fear of GOD, see whither he sunk; " his heart clave unto strange women; he had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines: And forasmuch as most of them were Idolaters, he com­plied with them all, in worshipping their several idols. And now say how the weakest man in the world could have showed himself a greater fool than SOLOMON did in these extravagancies. Well might he take it for his motto, as he does in the Book of Ecclesiastes, (which he is supposed to have written after his recovery out of this infatuation,) " All is vanity, but the fear of God."

            And though, perhaps, few of those that fear not GOD, run to the extravagancies of SOLOMON, and fewer to the desperateness of AHITHOPHEL; yet none of them can escape the folly of the first instance; that is, to have their soul stripped of all its enjoyments together, without the provision of any to succeed.

And therefore, we may conclude, that whatever com­mendable things human wisdom may do by the bye, yet it certainly fails of its main pretence; that is, of making a

man wise. For it is not some actions, done with the sem­blance of discretion, in matters of smaller moment, but the discretion a man shows in actions of chief concern, that must give him his character. And what then must be the character of those that always want discretion in the main?

            And now I shall leave the whole matter upon your thoughts, under the illustration of this sensible image, viz. Human wisdom (in the prospect of its whole management) looks like a man showing great skill in the choice of curious paintings and hangings, and other rarities, wherewith to furnish his house, when all the while an enemy is burning the town. For thus it is that human wisdom provides noble furniture for the soul, but never reflects that the soul itself lies perishing at the same instant. Knowledge, and art, and reasoning, and experience, and dexterity, are ex­cellent furniture, and these human wisdom brings in. But, in the mean time, what need of all this sail to run against a rock? What needs the pomp of all these excellent qualities to be undone, when a man may be undone less reproach­fully without them? For it is certain, that all these qualities do not in the least prevent a man's being undone; it is only the fear of GOD that can do that; and therefore, we may most confidently determine, that " the fear of GOD is the only wisdom."

            This is wisdom, not in semblance, but in deed; not parcel wisdom, but wisdom entire; not wisdom for the bye, but wisdom for the main; not wisdom for a day, but wisdom for ever.

            To GOD that is the only Giver of this wisdom, and of every perfect gift, be all glory, &c. Amen.

 

SERMON 2:

THE PRACTICAL CONSIDERATION OF GOD'S
OMNISCIENCE.

HEB. 4: 13.

But all things are naked and open to the eyes of Hint with
whom we have to do.

            AFTER the law has provided against ungodliness and wrong never so wisely, and the Magistrate attended on its execution never so diligently; yet still human justice will find, from the bare want of evidence, facts will be obscure, and circumstances doubtful, and allegations presumptive, and testimonies inconsistent; so that the probably guilty must often go unpunished, lest the possibly innocent should suffer, which would be the greater evil of the two.

But my text points at a tribunal set above the reach of this obstruction: A tribunal where all the matters of cog­nizance are thoroughly known, and the proofs all ready for conviction, and the evidence as unexceptionable as the justice.

            And this is the very scope of the words: Wherein we have, 1. GOD set forth as the Judge, *, with whom we have to do, so runs our translation; but it is some­what short of the original; which signifies more fully, To whom we are to give an account: For *, when it is applied to matters in charge, signifies an account; as when it is said to the " unjust steward," (Luke 16: i,) *, we render it, " Give an account of thy stewardship." So then, we are to give an account unto GOD: This is the first intimation of the text. But then,

            2. To intimate that this account shall be clearly taken, and the judgment upon it liable to no exceptions for want of evidence; it tells us, that " To the eyes of our, Judge, all things are naked and open," *, signifies that which has no outward covering, and * signifies that whose inside may be looked into: For it signifies primarily a beast opened down the chine; as it was the manner of the Priests to chine the sacrifice, and open it so that the state and soundness of every entrail might appear. And thus all things we do are so manifest unto GOD, that they are not capable of any covering; either from without by secrecy or collusion, or from within by palliation or denial.

            The words, therefore, are an argument for a circumspect and upright conversation, drawn both from the omniscience and justice of GOD; because GOD knows all things, and because he will judge all things.

            But I shall not now meddle with the second part of the argument, GOD's justice; I shall confine myself to the con­sideration of his omniscience: And in treating of this, I hall not take the whole extent of the attribute, (whereby GOD knows the nature, state, quality, defects, and powers, of all things, that either are, or can be,) but I shall speak only to those things for which we stand accountable, as the scope of my text prescribes me.

            Now, the things for which we stand accountable are of three kinds, viz. actions, words, and thoughts; for each of these are capable of moral good and evil, and so make up the matter of account. My business, therefore, shall be, 1: To show that GOD does know each of these things: And then, 2: To make some reflections upon the doctrine, that may further conduce to practice. I. That GOD knows all our actions, words, and thoughts, the Scripture is every where express. And,

            1. As to our actions. " You art. about my path, and about my bed, and spiest out all my ways," says the Psalmist. (Psalm cxxxix. 3.) And lest we should interpret that this inspec­tion of God was peculiar upon the actions of that particular man; SOLOMON tells us, that the same inspection is of universal extent; " for the eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good:" Whence it is evident, that GOD not only can know, if he will, but like­wise that he actually wills to know all that we do. It is profane to imagine, that the Divine Nature is incurious or regardless: And accordingly it is observable, that as holy DAVID calls it brutishness to think in any case that GOD does not know what we do; " Understand, O ye brutish among the people, he that formed the eye, shall he not see?" So he calls it blasphemy to think that God does not regard what we do: " How long shall the wicked blas­pheme GOD, saying, You, GOD, carest not for it?"

            2. As to our words. " There is not a word in my tongue, but you knows it altogether," says the Psalmist. (Psalm cxxxix. 4.) And to bring this home to every one's case, the author of the Book of Wisdom, (ch. 1: 1O,) tells us, " that GOD's ear is the ear of jealousy;" that is, an ear not only quick of hearing, but likewise always intent to hear; so that when we sometimes speak that which either shame or fear will not suffer us to speak aloud, yet the caution of whispering will not conceal it from GOD: For (as that author goes on) " The ear of jealousy heareth all things, and the noise of whispering is not hid; and there is no word so secret that it shall pass for nought."

            3. As to our thoughts, our deliberations, judgments, choices, wishes, and desires, the " Searcher of hearts" is acquainted with them all. So says holy JoB, (1xii. 2,) " I know that no thought can be withholden from thee." But the Psalmist speaks yet higher to the point, and cries, " You knows my thoughts long before." (Psalm cxxxix. 1.) You knows my thoughts long before, even before they are conceived. Nor does this expression give any ground to argue, that because GOD fore knows our thoughts, (as likewise he does our actions,) that therefore he does predetermine and ordain them.; this would be clearly to acquit ourselves, and to charge GOD with the fault of our miscarriages: And I doubt not but many would fain have the charge run so, and therefore are fond of this opinion But, on the contrary, as GOD " tempts no man," so much less does he force or predetermine any one to sin: No, he leaves us to our liberty to think either better or worse, and yet this notwithstanding he foreknows our thoughts; be­cause, having an intimate knowledge of the state of our souls, of all the affections, passions, springs, and weights wherewith they are moved, he knows infallibly how every possible object that presents itself, will determine them all. As the man that sees the setting of the chimes, can tell several hours before what tune they will play,, without any powerful influence either upon their setting, or their playing.

            Thus the Scriptures represent the omniscience of GOD. And farther, they offer us two considerations, whereby this notion may be better cleared, and the conviction of it made to sit firmer upon our minds. The First consideration is that of GOD's presence. The Second is that of his power.

            (1.) GOD's presence is that which we call omnipresence, that is, an universal presence, in all places, and with all persons: And this the author of the Book of Wisdom makes his argument for GOD's omniscience, (i. 7,) " GOD," says he, " is witness of the reins, and a true beholder of the heart, and a hearer of the tongue; for" (this is the proof of it) " the SPIRIT of the LORD filleth the world:" That is, GOD knows every thing, because he is every where. And the Psalmist asserting the omniscience of GOD at large confirms his argument, and inculcates the belief of the doc­trine with this reflection, "Whither shall I go from thy SPIRIT? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I climb up to heaven, you art there; and if I go down to hell, you art there also."

            Now this consideration of the omnipresence of GOD is proper to prevent those mistakes, which we are wont to take up by thinking of him weakly, 1: e., with resemblance to ourselves. For so, in our first thoughts, we are apt to confine GOD to a place, and to limit him to a distance in the perception of things; because we ourselves are so limited and confined.

            And so we are apt to imagine that a constant inspection and observation of all men, and all their actions, would beget either trouble or weariness, or distraction in GOD because any great application does so in us.  Most of the great men among the Heathens were over­taken with these prejudices: Whereas, on the contrary, the notion of GOD's being every where, leads our under­standing to apprehend that it is as easy for him to observe every Iran, as one man; and every action, as one single action of our lives. Remember, therefore, that GOD is as near to our mouth, when we speak, as that man is that leans his ear to our whispers: He is as near to our actions, when we act in secret, as they are whom we admit in our confederacy: He is as near to our thoughts, when we pur­pose, wish, or design any thing, as is our own soul that conceives them; and in consequence, he is as familiarly acquainted with them.

            (2.) The Second consideration which the Scripture offers to inculcate the belief of GOD's omniscience, is that of his power, viz. that operative power, whereby he is the Fountain and Author of all our beings: From which topic the Psalmist thus argues: " He that planted the ear, shall not he hear? He that formed the eye, shall not he see? He that teacheth men knowledge, shall not he know?" (Psalm lxiv. 9, 1O.) The argument (you see) reaches each particular of my matter, words, deeds, and thoughts; and to show the strength of it, I shall consider it somewhat more exactly.

            If we resolve it into a general form of reasoning, it may run thus: All our faculties of knowledge, all our organs and instruments of information we have from GOD, and can we think then that GOD wants any for his own use? All of us are his creatures, and can we think he has made any creature of such capacity as to act any thing beside his privity, or beyond his comprehension? This would be a weak, and (as the Psalmist calls it) a " brutish" ima­gination.

            But to come to the particular instances. GOD "has planted the ear, and formed the eye:" And yet when all is done, it is neither our ear that hears, nor

our eye that sees; but it is our spirit that hears and sees through these, as its proper instruments. It is our spirit, therefore, only that has the power of hearing and seeing; and though our spirits are limited to the use of such instruments, we must not, therefore, ima­gine but that spirits of a superior order can perform all their perceptions without them. To think otherwise would be as absurd, as if a man of weak eyes should argue that it is impossible for any eye to see without a glass. When therefore GOD or angels are said to have ears or eyes, it is only in accommodation to our mode of thinking; for when we come to reason upon the subject, we must acknowledge that it is a part of their perfection to need no such helps.

            [1.] Whereas therefore, we account that the sense of hearing is limited to a respective distance; and this thought makes us bold to whisper that which we dare not speak aloud: However we account of our own hearing, we ought not to esteem that of others to be so limited. Nay, when we find by experience, that the softest whisper, when conveyed by a smooth or hollow surface, will reach our ear distinctly, though at a greater distance from the speaker; we have no little reason to doubt whether God hears our whispers, that we may be sure (on the other hand) he can command a small ring of air to carry our whispers to the end of. the earth, and make them be heard, by whoever else he pleases. And by this very means, the Prophet ELISHA might hear what was spoken in the King of Assyria's bed chamber, (2 Kings 6: 19,,) as well as by the intercourse or ministry of an angel.

            [2.] Though our act of seeing be confined to the assist­ance of our outward light, we must not conclude that of others is so: u If I say, Peradventure darkness shall cover me, then shall my night be turned into day." Nay, we may learn from the most contemptible creatures, that outward light is not necessary to seeing; for the bat and the owl can see without it: And perhaps, Providence designed these contemptible creatures to teach us the lesson, " that darkness is no covering;" and to provoke us unto jealousy and apprehension, that many thousands may see our retired actions whom we see not, and therefore foolishly are not aware of them: Good spirits can see us and lament, and evil spirits can see us, and rejoice at our sin and folly.

            [3.] " It is GOD that teacheth man knowledge, shall he not know?"   We allow that GOD gives us the whole faculty and power of knowing: And if so, to think that we can know any thing in ourselves, which GOD does not know, is a contradiction, for it implies that we have power to know something without GOD.

The most awful faculty that GOD has given us, and that which lies most under our present consideration, is, that of knowing or remembering what we have done, together with the consciousness of that good or evil that is in it.

            Now, let us consider how this faculty performs its office: How came we to know at any time what we have spoken, done, or thought, after once those acts of speaking, doing, or thinking, are past? Is it not by seeing the images or impressions which those several acts produce within us? Do we not by seeking find such images of things, which we have spoken, done, or thought of, several years before? Nay, do not those images frequently present themselves without our seeking, and make us see them whether we will or no? Which is a proof that they have a real being and lasting subsistence within us, and are wholly inde­pendent on our will; for we cannot extinguish or erase any of them at our pleasure; we cannot do it, would we never so fain.

            We may conclude, therefore, that whatsoever we either speak or do, purpose, wish, or design, so far as these acts are of a moral concern, and bear relation to virtue or vice, they leave the notices of themselves upon our consciences, imprinted there in characters fair and intelligible, nay, I may add indelible too: For though it must be allowed that we forget many things which we have been conscious of; yet, in that case, the notices, of such things are not erased or extinguished, they are only covered over. There is no forgetfulness in a spirit; its forgetfulness is only acci­dental, and occasioned by the impediments of the flesh As we observe that sometimes a man of a faithful memory will, by the disorder of a sickness, grow delirious, and for­get all that ever he knew: And yet, upon the removal of his disease, all his former notices will appear fresh again.

            And how reasonable is it to believe that our souls, whe­ther in the state of separation from the body, or of re union to the body, when defecated and made free from obstruc­tions; (so far as all bodies, even of the unjust, shall be at the resurrection;) I say, how reasonable is it to believe, that our souls shall then have a clear view and perfect remem­brance of all that we have done; though now most of those notices he in us, like the inscriptions of a marble covered over with dust and rubbish.

            Now, if conscience be thus written, like a book, and faithful register of our behavior, there is no room to doubt but GOD can read that book, as well as we: Nay, he can "read through all those impediments that shade it, which we cannot: Nay, he can, when he pleases, make this book legible to all others, as much as it is to ourselves. For he can so far elevate the understandings of all men, or open their eyes, (in that sense that he is said to have opened the eyes of ELISHA's servant, " that he might see the host of angels:" 2 Kings 6: 14,) 1 say, God can open the eyes of all men to such a spiritual intuition, as that all shall be able, at a short glance, to read each other's history (imprinted on their consciences in intelligible signatures) as familiarly as if it were graven on their foreheads, or printed in a book.

And thus we may probably conceive, that those books mentioned by the Prophet DANIEL, (vii. 1O,) and by ST. JOHN in his Revelation, (xx. 12,) books that are to be opened in order to the universal judgment, are no other than that volume of things, recorded in every man's con­science, which, being opened and exposed to view, shall make (as it were) a tally or counterpart to that memorial which GOD himself keeps of all we do.

            II. Having said thus much for the explication of GOD’somniscience, I proceed to make some reflections upon the doctrine, that may farther conduce to practice.  GOD ALMIGHTY has planted two passions in our souls, whose proper use is to deter us from sin; and they are shame and fear: The object of fear is punishment, and the object of shame is discovery: And his omniscience does import both these consequences of sin, viz. that it shall be discovered, and that it shall be punished: For GOD's omni­science does not terminate in bare knowing: He sees and knows in order to farther acts of justice; so he tells us, " I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to the fruit of his doing." (Jer. 17: 19.)

            I shall not now extend my reflections so far as the punishment of sin; (though that be of the most moving importance;) I shall insist only upon the discovery of it; and to show what shame is threatened to it from GOD's omniscience.

            1. In order hereto, my first inference from the doctrine shall be this, viz. that no sin can be secret; absolutely speaking, no sin can be so.  Now, did this notion sit so close upon our minds as it ought to do, it would be of great advantage to the cause of virtue; because nothing gives more occasion to sin in the world, than the contrary expectation and hopes of secrecy. For even after a man has divested his soul of probity, he cannot so easily divest it of shame; and there­fore, when he has never so strong an inclination to sin, yet still he will start at the apprehension of being discovered; and be still willing to retain that reputation, which is the shadow of virtue, though he has been so hardy as to shake hands with the substance.  How many calumnies, dissimulations, frauds, and false­hoods; how many of all kinds of sinful acts (wherein there is an acknowledged baseness) would be absolutely pre­vented; if the actors, when they began to meditate the doing of these things, were thoroughly persuaded that they would come to light, and so expose them to public re­proach? Now, is not that sin sufficiently known, of which we acknowledge that GOD does know it? And is not the knowledge of GOD sufficiently awful, since he is most of all affronted by our guilt? And how comes it to pass then that our shame is so jealous and quick in regard of men, but so remiss and languishing in regard of GOD? How come, we to blush at the apprehension of a man seeing us; when yet the consideration that GOD sees us, that the most Just sees our iniquities, that the most Holy sees our filthi­ness, that the most Loving sees our unthankfulness, when this consideration is not able to move a passion, or provoke a blush? For we must acknowledge, that this is the state of that passion in us; so partial and unreasonable is our shame. It acts as if men alone had the custody of our credit, and GOD's estimation were of no importance to it.

            The best reason that can be given for such an unreason­able behavior, can be no other than a bad one; but I take the best to be this, viz.:­  We presume all men to be subject, in some measure, to such passions as would tempt them (should they be acquainted with our sins) to be severe upon us, to insult over us, and to publish our reproach; and therefore, we dare not trust our secret, and consequently our reputation, with men. But, on the other hand, we look upon GOD as purely merciful; and, at the same time, we look upon it as an office of mercy to cover sins: So that although GOD knows our sins, yet we imagine he alone shall know them; for, by some method of repentance which we propose to ourselves, we hope to atone GOD's displeasure and so to have our sins both forgiven and covered, and ourselves secured both from punishment and scandal too.

            2. But, for the correction of this mistake, I shall draw my inference one step farther, and argue from the omni­science of GOD; Secondly, That all sin shall be brought to an universal and public discovery; so that it is but des­perate hope for any man to think he shall escape the shame that is due to guilt.  That GOD's omniscience carries in it the power of such a discovery is no dispute; the question is, Whether He will actually make such a discovery. And let us fairly consult Scripture and reason, what we ought to believe concerning this.

            The Apostle tells us, that, " In that day GOD shall judge the secrets of all men." (Rom. 2: 16.) And to sig­nify that the judging of secrets implies the revealing of se­crets, he tells us again, that, in order to judgment, " He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart." (1 Cor. 4: 5.) Again he tells us, that of the actions of men, (both good and evil,) " Some are manifest in this life, and what are other­wise cannot be hid." (1 Tim. 5: 25.) And what can be more express than that of our Savior, " Nothing is se­cret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known, and come abroad." (Luke 8: 17.) Which words (as they are not capable of adequate com­pletion till the day of judgment, so) the antients interpret them purely to respect the process of that day.

            Now the importance of all these texts is clearly this; that GOD will make a discovery of all human actions, in order to this judicial sentence, whether of absolution or condem­nation.  All that reason can have to allege against this, must (as I have intimated already) be founded on this supposition, That it is an office of mercy to cover sins; as indeed the Scripture frequently expresses it to be. And so undoubted­ly it is, during this life; where, if all sins were discovered, many men would be hindered in their repentance, and many cut off from the opportunity of repenting. And, besides, the world would be only so much the worse for the example; for sin would only grow more insolent and shameless, by reason of the more apparent number of its party. But hereafter the case will be quite otherwise; there repentance will have no opportunity to lose, nor ill example be able to do harm any longer. And when GOD passes sentence upon the lives of men, his mercy shall be as much exalted by the discovery of those sins He shall pardon, as his justice will be cleared by the discovery of those He shall punish.

            I know the main strength of the mentioned objection must be borrowed from those places of Scripture, where the terms of blotting out, and covering sins, are applied to GOD as a proper act of his mercy. It is holy DAVID'S pray­er, " Loin, blot out mine iniquities." And so he pronounces them blessed, "whose sins are covered." And GOD himself says in the Prophet, " I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remem­ber thy sins." (Isa. xliii. 25.)

            But now, to know the proper meaning of these express­ions, let us begin with the last of them, wherein GOD says, "I will not remember thy sins." Now it is certain that this phrase of GOD'S not remembering cannot be taken literally, becuse it is impossible for God to forget; but the meaning is, that He will not remember so as to punish. And so, in like manner, by blotting out and covering, is not meant literally the concealing of sins, but only the abolishing of their condemning power. And this we may evidently con­firm from the instance of DAVID himself, in that very place where he uses these expressions: It is Psalm li. 9, where he cries, " Hide thy face from my sins, O LORD, and blot out all my misdeeds." But here his petition is so far from mean­ing the concealment of his sins from the knowledge of the world, that he was then actually proclaiming them, and registering them in a form of confession, which he intended not only for the exercise of his own repentance, but like­wise for the conduct of all others. So that we cannot inter­pret him to have deprecated the notoriety of his sins, but merely the wrath of GOD, whereby he might justly have been condemned for them.

            We may therefore look upon it as one certain conse­quence of the omniscience of GOD, that all human actions shall be exposed to public view and censure; that a light shall be struck into all the works of darkness, through all the recesses of subtlety, through all the disguises of hypo­crisy. That then the mask shall be pulled off from all dis­sembled virtues, and every vice shall appear in its proper color, and every secret injury shall proclaim its author. That there shall be no summary absolutions; no pardons in gross without inquiry into the retail, as the slight repent­ances of men seem to require; but that repentances shall be weighed as well as sins, and mercy dispensed upon rational terms, and the pardon of sins justified by the measures of their contrition.

            If this reflection can work in us more abundant shame for what we have done amiss, it has its proper and whole­some effect upon us. It is the shame of being undiscover­ed that makes the sinner walk haughtily; and, on the contrary, the belief of a discovery ought in all reason to render us more abject. and vile in our own eyes, which is the first step to true repentance. Shame thus taken upon ourselves, is the only expedient the sinner has to prevent the future; penitential shame will avoid the judicial, and break that blow which will otherwise strike us with un­known confusion. For, be assured, that shame for sin is a natural debt, and it must be paid at one time or other; and we can escape it no more than we can escape death.

            Indeed, there are some men who seem to be proof against the influence of this reflection; I mean such as are arrived to sin boldly and openly; who, as they seek no covering, so they seem to fear no discovery, but bid defiance to shame.  In respect of such, I shall add one reflection more, viz. That, although the knowledge of men may not have the power of working shame in a hardy sinner, yet the omni­science of GOD, when it comes to manifest itself, shall bring even the shameless to shame; and make it appear, that, as shame for sin can be escaped no more than death, so it can be defied no more than hell.

            To open the truth of this assertion, let us but consider, how it comes to pass that when sin is naturally shameful; as being a baffle to man’s reason, as well as a blow to his conscience; I saw, since sin is naturally shameful, how comes it pass that men can sin, and yet not be ashamed?

            From corrupt notions. 2. From common guilt. And, 3. impudence of temper.

1. Shamelessness in sin may proceed from corrupt no­tions. For so it is, the world has passed its verdict; and Christians, to their scandal, are led by the imagination, that there are some sins that have nothing shameful in them. It is allowed, perhaps, that fraud, and lying, and ingratitude, and perfidiousness, and the like, are of a nature marked with infamy; but then, to be a wicked scoffer, to be a brisk revenger, to be stout in intemperance, and the like, are no other than fashionable commendations. And why then should any be ashamed for these? Now this is a dream that may hold till the world be better awakened; but when all actions shall be brought to their true stand­ard, as it will then appear, that to serve GOD is man's great­est honor, so it will appear, that there is a shame in every thing whereby we offend him.  And that those sins, which men boast of in the doing, are as inglorious as those which they acknowledge are not fit to bear the light.

            2. Common guilt may make men sin without shame ­For, even in those sins which the world owns for shameful, partnership will be able to carry off the shame. Thus a thief will not be ashamed to be surprised by a thief, nor an adulterer by an adulterer; though a man of an awful cha­racter would produce a blush from such a one at the sur­prise. And therefore we may observe, that they who give themselves up to any vice, do generally withal give them­selves up to calumniating; that is, they take pleasure to represent, or to suppose all others as bad as themselves. And all is for this very purpose, that they may beat down the reverence that is due to any good example, and so con­temn the censures of all men alike. But this is a me­thod that cannot take place when God comes to make the discovery; for as his honor is beyond the reach of calumny, as none shall be able to say of GOD, that he is either unrighteous, or a friend to those that are so, so his awful censure will not fail to reduce every guilty mind to its proper acknowledgments. But,

            3. That which consummates the evil is impudence of temper. Such as the Prophet JEREMY laments in the peo­ple of Israel, after that affluence and luxury had brought them to a great height of wickedness. "Were they ashamed, when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not ashamed at all, neither could they blush." (Jer. 6: 15.)  Now this impudence is a temper contracted by industri­ous iniquity, and raised upon the ruins of reason. It can be no otherwise; because shame for sin is so connatural to reason, that it cannot be extinguished but with reason itself. Which we may contemplate in the instance of fools and madmen; the only cause why they are not ashamed being this, that they want reason to reflect upon the turpi­tude of what they do.

And it is certain that whosoever grows impudent, he so far keeps reason a prisoner, suffers it not to act, holds it in servitude to his lusts, and so he sets his soul in the nearest approach unto brutality.

            But this is a state that will not always last: For when God comes to do right to his creatures, reason shall be as­serted to its liberty of acting; and then shame shall be let loose to demand all its arrears: It shall be let loose like an armed man; and undoubtedly it shall act then with the same force upon all bold transgressors, that it does now sometimes upon those unhappy souls that make themselves away to avoid its lashes: For as these flee from life, (though the greatest blessing they have,) so they then shall flee from God with the same confusion; and being not able to bear the terror of his Majesty, shall voluntarily betake themselves to any place that is abandoned by him, and that is simply hell.

            So that the impudent sinner seems not to need any com­pulsion to settle him in the place of torment, but that of his own shame: That will be his *, his proper, his natural place; to which (we know) all things move of their own. accord. And no less is intimated concerning JUDAS, according to our common version of that passage, (Acts 1: 25,) where it is said that’' JUDAS by transgression fell from his part in the apostleship, that he might go to his own place;" *, his own, his proper place: Implying that JUDAS'S shame sunk him down to hell, as naturally as weight sinks a stone down towards the centre.

            These reflections upon GOD's omniscience are such as seem proper to make the consideration of it useful to us. And as for the conduct of our particular practice, the best of all rules may be borrowed from holy DAVID'S example, (Psa. 16: 9,) where he says, " I have set GOD always before me:" So let us. God is always by us, let us set him always before us; his eyes are always upon us, let ours be likewise pro­portionably upon him: Let us keep our minds in a lively sense of the venerableness of his presence, and the awfulness of his inspection; and this is the best method to guard us from treating that inspection irreverently, and to keep us tender of doing any thing unsuitable to such a presence.

            " Come, see the man that told me whatever I did," cries the woman of Samaria, after her conversation with our SAVIOR at JACOB'S well: Think a little upon that conver­sation, or upon such a possible one with thyself. Think what commotions, what struggling of several pas­sions started up in that woman's breast, so soon as she found one whom she looked upon as a pure stranger to her, to break in upon all her secrets.

            The same shall one day be every one's case: The same JESUS (though in more awful circumstances) shall tell every one of us " all that ever we did:" And say, then, where lies our wisdom but in a constant endeavor to do that that will bear the telling? Happy are they that pursue this endeavor! Almighty GOD assist us all to do so by his merci­ful grace! To whom be glory and thanksgiving for ever and ever! Amen.

SERMON 3

ON THE WISDOM OF BELIEVING.

Rom. 1: 22.

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

            WHATEVER value we set upon being wise, or whatever affectation we have of being so accounted, yet there is no greater argument of human weakness than this, That we rarely know what we mean by wisdom; nor are our notions any where more confused than upon this question, What it is to be wise?

To extricate our thoughts in some measure out of this confusion, we may distinguish wisdom into three kinds; namely, 1: The wisdom of Grace, 2: The wisdom of Nature, and, 3: The wisdom of Imagination.

            I. The wisdom of Grace is called in Scripture, "the wisdom from above; " because thence it cometh, and we cannot attain it without the influence of GOD.

Now the use of this wisdom is to secure our eternal inte­rest, by a thorough conformity to the divine will: And be­cause this is our main concern, and the rest is but loss, and shame, and misery without it, the style of the HOLY SPIRIT allows nothing to be wisdom but purely this, " the fear of GOD, that is wisdom:" And our Apostle, who had large talents of other knowledge, styles all "foolishness," none worth the owning, " but to know CHRIST JESUS, and the power of his resurrection." He that has this wisdom, has sufficient; and without it, the greater our pretences are to wisdom,. the more conspicuous is our folly.

            II. The Second kind of wisdom is that of Nature; that is, such as men may have of themselves, through the power of their native faculties, and the improvements of industry. And from this fountain have flowed many commendable fruits in all ages; all rules and arts for the conduct, em­ployment, and accommodation of life.

            But as this wisdom is often separate from that of grace, it as often turns to subtlety and artifice, to doubling and insincerity, to deceiving and being deceived. This is that great wisdom whereby, our SAVIOR says, " The children of the world are wiser in their generation than the children of light:" " Wiser in their generation;" that is, wiser to serve themselves in reference to present advantages. Not that worldly men have better understandings: It were, in a manner, blasphemous to think that godliness did ever occasion stupidity.

            The good man knows as many methods of management; but the worldly man is bolder to make use of all he knows. The good man walks on simply in the road of Providence, believing GOD'S blessing to be his portion; but the worldly man turns into every crooked way, as if it were to make himself amends for the want of that Providence and bless­ing he has no mind to trust upon. The good man looks upon the world as his inn, and therefore is not so solicitous for his accommodations here, as he is for, his arrival at his journey's end; but the worldly man looks upon it as his home, and therefore employs all his care to make it as easy and entertaining to him as he can. For example:­

            In the first ages of the world, CAIN is said to " have gone forth from the presence of GOD," that is, to have cast off all care of religion; and this personal inclination of his remained in all his posterity. On the other side, SETH " walked with GOD," and instituted his posterity to the same pious care of being religious.

In the mean time we may observe, that the chief inven­tions which serve both to the use and divertisement of the present life, as the forming of societies, building of cities, and finding out curious arts and manufactures, are all attri­buted to the profane line: But it would be very rash, for all this, to conclude, that these were men of better parts and capacities than the other.

            The children of SETH accounted it sufficient to have what was needful, and to pursue the favor of GOD as the con­summation of their enjoyments, which is undoubtedly the supreme wisdom. Whereas the other, being destitute of hopes from GOD, made it all their study to procure such enjoyment, as might be had without him.

            But let us observe a little further, and see what the world itself was the better for all these issues of its wisdom: In the power of it men brought in many agreeable advantages; but through the corruption of it they likewise brought in the flood; wherein all were destroyed but those few that had escaped the common depravation. And what then is " the wisdom of the world" but (as our Apostle calls it) " fool­ishness with God."

            III. The Third kind is what I call the wisdom of Ima­gination, that is, a wisdom that has its being in opinion; and by which men come to think well of themselves. Now this kind of wisdom is a mere shadow; for even they that are fools pretend to it, as well as they that are of greater talents; but neither are at all the wiser in truth, for this opinion of their being so: And as it is in itself a shadow, so it chiefly aims and catches at a shadow, that is, at the admiration of others.

Now we may observe of this kind of wisdom, that it is always attended with one mischievous companion, and that is the affectation of singularity: They that are wise in their own conceit, always found their conceit upon the knowledge of somewhat that is odd and out of the way They value not themselves for knowing what is vulgarly known; but esteem it their excellency to start novelties, and to be the originals of their own opinions. From which it follows that this kind of wisdom is always a direct adversary to faith:. For faith is a simple thing, and delivered purely with the design that all should receive it uniformly. In which case the man that affects singularity is never pleased till he can form some new conception of the matter revealed, whereby he may import that the reach of his understanding is above the common measure.

            So that the main characteristic of this wisdom is to be ever opposing, or scrupling, or refining upon faith, and pretending to lead that revealed light, which we all ought to follow. From this itch of pretended wise men, to un­settle religion, and to vend their own imaginations in place of divine oracles, it was that the Prophet, (Isa. 5: 21,) denounces: " Woe against them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight." And my text is no less a warning against this kind of wisdom from the exem­plary mischiefs that it has formerly brought upon others, “who, professing themselves to be wise, became fools." The truth that is pointed at in these words, I shall farther evince, and apply in these two propositions:  1. That human wisdom is a dangerous guide in matters of religion. And, 2. That GOD has vouchsafed faith as a necessary expedient in order both to make and keep men wise.

            1. The First proposition, (viz. That human wisdom is a dangerous guide in matters in religion,) I shall evidence by showing, that the greatest mischiefs relating to religion, that ever happened to mankind, have owed their original to this pretended wisdom. And I need no more to prove this than the following instances, viz. (1.) That wisdom first extinguished the common worship of GOD, and brought idolatry into the world. (2.) That wisdom first wasted man's conscience, and brought sin into the world. (3.) That this wisdom first corrupted faith and brought all here­sies into the world.

            (1.) As to the first instance, viz. That wisdom first ex­tinguished the common worship of GOD, and brought idola­try into the world; it is the express intimation of the text; for the Apostle is here treating concerning the idolatry of the Gentiles; to what extravagance it proceeded, and from what cause it sprung; a subject which cannot be duly con­sidered without matter of wonder. NOAH the preacher of righteousness, who had warned the old world and called them to repentance in vain, had at least this advantage by it, that he came with greater awe to teach and instruct the new: And he taught them in such a manner, both what they ought to believe and to do; that the Apostle says of them, (ver. 21,) " They all knew both GOD and his worship;" though it was a knowledge they liked not to retain; but instead of that, (ver. 23,) " They changed the glory of the incorruptible GOD, into the image of corruptible man, and birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things." And the corruption of faith and worship together came on so fast, that the same NOAH, who had seen the funerals of the old world, for their no religion, saw likewise in his own days the new world overspread with false religion, more absurd and irrational than none.

            Now the text tells us expressly that this state of things, as strange and gross as it was, was introduced under the pre­tences of wisdom, " Professing to be wise they became fools:" And then, as an instance of this it is added, " They changed the glory of the incorruptible GOD, into the image of cor­ruptible man, and birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things:" From which it appears that their bring­ing in of idolatry, although it was the proof of their folly, yet it was the project of their wisdom.  It was the wise amongst them that formed the design, and addressed to the multitude with a grave appearance, and prevailed (as we may conceive) by some such form of arguing as this: We are all aware, ye sons of NOAH, that religion is our chief concern, and therefore it well becomes us to improve and advance that as much as possible: And although we have received appointments from GOD for the worship that he requires, yet if these appointments may be altered for his greater glory, who doubts but it will be commendable so to alter them? Now our father NOAH has instituted us in a religion, which in truth is too simple, and too unaffecting: It directs us to worship GOD abstractedly from all sense, and under a confused notion; as having power, goodness, justice, wisdom, eternity, and the like; an idea which we neither sufficiently reach, nor does that sufficiently reach our affections: Whereas in all reason we ought to worship GOD more pompously, and more extensively too, than his own essence. We ought not only to adore his personal attributes, but likewise all the emana­tions of them and all those creatures by whom they are emi­nently represented; this will stir up and quicken and direct our devotion. Nor let any say that this method will derogate from the honor of the Creator; certainly it is most expres­sive of his honor, when we acknowledge, that not only himself, but even his creatures are adorable. We ought therefore (if we will be wise) to worship the host of heaven; or rather to worship GOD through them, because they are eminent representations of his glory and eternity: We ought to worship the elements, because they represent his benign and sustaining presence: We ought to worship the ox and the sheep; and whatever creatures are most benefi­cial, because they are the symbols of his goodness: And with no less reason, the serpent, the crocodile and other noxious animals, because they are symbols of his awful anger. Thus it is that we shall worship him more intensely, and be affected with our worship.

            Now to men desirous to be wise in religion above what was prescribed, there is no doubt but such arguments as these would seem weighty enough to enforce their design. But there was another part of idolatry which obtained first, and spread farthest, that wisdom had yet more moving pre­tences to establish. The first fruits of idolatry were offered up to men; as we learn in this chapter from the verse fol­lowing, and more at large from Wisdom xiv, where we are told that Princes were worshipped; whether present, in their persons; or distant, by their statues and pictures And then men, (inferior to Princes, but eminent in their generation for any beneficent qualities,) after their death.

            As for the worship of Princes, we have no reason to doubt but it was as early as NIMROD himself: BELUS and JUPI­TER, names by which he was known in other regions, import no less than his deification: So that though he failed in building his tower to heaven; which was a haughty

attempt, that GOD thought fit to repress; yet he failed not to build up himself to heaven in the estimation of his admir­ers; which was a judgment that GOD thought fit to permit upon those that so boldly sought it. As for the deifying of Princes, wisdom suggested that they were the representatives of GOD's power upon earth;

to which character worship was only due: And not only so, but because such, an adoration would best conduce to the good government of the world, forasmuch as it added a new obligation to peace and submission; and made it of religious, as well as civil importance.

            As for the worshipping of those among the dead, who had been famous in their generation, (such as former ages vulgarly called heroes, and modern the beatified, or the saints,) wisdom had abundance to allege for this establish­ment. As, [1.] That such an honor bestowed on the vir­tuous, was a proper incitement to others to imitate the same virtue. ['2.] That to honor those that were eminent in such a manner, was chiefly to honor GOD, who made them so. [3.] That to address to such as mediators, was a more modest address to GOD, than if we applied immediately to himself. [4] That by applying to those who had been so nearly touched with our infirmities, and our sins themselves not expected, we were sure to find the more compassionate and tender advocates.

I doubt not but men in that age were qualified to argue for their humors as well as they can now, and we know that wisdom has carried this point in the Church of Rome, even at this day of Gospel light. Thus wisdom brought idolatry into the world.

            (2.) The Second instance whereby I proposed to evince it a dangerous guide in matters of religion, was this: That wisdom, (or let me indifferently call it reason, a name more in vogue in reference of the subject,) it was wisdom or reason that first wasted man's conscience, and brought sin into the world.

There has been a time when human wisdom or reason had a fairer pretence to conduct than ever, it will have again.

            In Paradise where it was without the opposition of appetite, without the bias of prejudice, without the cloud of pertur­bations, who can think but it had` then more power and freedom to conduct wisely, than ever it could pretend to since? Therefore if it failed then in point of conduct; this must needs pass for an argument to abate some of that veneration, which many are willing should be ascribed to it, under this state of so unhappy a change: Let us then consider the scene of things as it lay at that time. 

            GOD charged our first parents not to eat of the tree in the midst of the garden; binding his charge with this sanc­tion, that they should die when they did it. Now at that time, there was not any *, No " law of the members warring against the law of the mind;" no re­bellion of appetite against the dictates of understanding. To suppose there was, would be to suppose our first pa­rents fallen even before the fall, and to have been made un­der the same disorder, that their posterity now complain of.

            And accordingly we find in Holy Scripture, that the sin of our first parents in that case is distinguished from those of all their offspring. For whereas other men's sins are generally called *, lusts, we may observe, that their sin is always called *, deception. The Apostle calls it no less than thrice, *, that is, a deception or im­posture that they suffered to pass upon their understanding. Whereof we may take an illustration from a scriptural passage, (1 Kings xiii,) where we find a young Prophet of Judah sent to denounce GOD'S judgments against JEROBOAM in Bethel; who withal received a command that he " should neither eat nor drink in that place."

            Now it no way appears that the violence of this young Prophet's appetite did raise in him any desire to disobey this command; on the contrary, he was upon his return resolvedly and contentedly, without either eating or drink­ing; so that it is plain his appetite did not constrain him to transgress. But an old Prophet of the place, moved pro­bably with envy that the honor of this message had been; conferred on a Prophet of Judah, and not on himself, ad­dresses to him with an imposture; telling him that GOD did reverse his former order, and did now give him liberty to eat and drink in Bethel. As consequently he did, and thereupon received the reward that is due to him who dis­obeys a certain command, for the sake of an uncertain sug­gestion. With the like imposture and fiction it was that the old serpent addressed himself to our first parents; implying by the tendency of all his discourse, that GOD had either dissembled his real will in his former order, or at least that he had now reversed it; so that now they should not die, but on the contrary receive great advantage from the eating of the fruit. And hereupon they' proceeded to eat it, being drawn aside to do so, not from the violence of appetite, but from the, temerity of reason; which suffered them to believe an uncertain suggestion, in opposition to a certain command. From which I observe that it was reason, not appetite, that made the first false step in nature, and withal opened an inlet to the succeeding violence of the passions.

            And how little’ cause have we then to lay such a stress upon that faculty, or be so fond of its guidance: For if reason betrayed in the most perfect state, how much more easily will it do so now, if ever it be permitted to argue against the obvious sense of what has been revealed?

            And if wisdom were thus originally the parent of sin, we may less wonder that in after ages it has become so indul­gent a nurse to it; as we may prove it to have been by one instance I shall offer; from which it will appear that this pretension to wisdom or reason has given a greater blow to virtue, and settled the empire of sin upon a firmer estab­lishment in the Christian world, than either ignorance or natural pravity was ever able to do in the Heathen. For example:­

When a general idolatry (but now mentioned) had brought men to desert GOD, and GOD in justice to desert them to the mischief of their option; when, in consequence of this affected blindness, men in most cases came to doubt what it was to do well, and what advantage it would be to do so; one would have thought that sin then, if, ever, was like to get the field; and that the kingdom of SATAN had been settled without reluctancy. And yet it was not so; the Heathens still found an invincible check from the bodings of their consciences, and the apprehensions thereupon that there was to be a future reckoning.

            And by this very bridle, many amongst them lived under great restraint, and were men of virtue; and they that were otherwise could not escape remorse or affrightment for their guilt.  The wisdom of the world, to arm itself against these fears, did, first from the palpable mistake concerning the gods, then in worship, start the opinion, that there was no GOD at all. But the notion of Atheism did seem so monstrous and irrational, that few would receive it; and they who professed it were looked upon as not believing themselves, but as speaking rather what they wished than what they thought.

            Others (proposing to offer less violence to the conceptions of mankind) taught, That indeed there were Gods; but that they were regardless of human affairs; and that such state of incuriousness in them was necessary to their own happiness and quiet. But neither could this notion work far; because it seemed to the generality, as absurd and af­fronting to the Divine nature, to believe that GOD was in­different and regardless, as to believe there was no GOD at all.

            A Third, and that the strongest barrier against all such ill, bodings, was drawn from the philosophy of our constitu­tion, whereby the soul was represented as mortal as the body, and thereupon secure against all future accounts.  And yet all these arguments had not power to shelter the Heathen world from frightful apprehensions concerning the future ill consequences of sin. They still doubted that for­asmuch as their souls had a notion of eternity, they had likewise an essential relation to eternity; and therefore they thought their own inward hopes and fears spoke better sense about the issues of such a duration, than they could meet with from the reasonings of them that pretended to be wiser.

            And here the Heathens were forced to stop; and though their wit and will were heartily joined to serve the cause of vice as far as they could, yet they could never remove this awful barrier. Whereas, in a more illuminated time, (as we must allow that of the Gospel to be,) the most illumi­nated of that time (as they would have us allow the Socin­ians to be) have, with great ostentation, and as great ap­plause' of their wisdom, done the cause of vice more effec­tual service, than ever could be done it before.

            Abating the outrage they have done the Scripture, (about which they are not very solicitous,) they have made this hypothesis plausible as well as grateful. They speak respectfully of GOD;; and not disrespectfully of the soul. They determine not how, or of what it is made; but they determine that, as it is a creature of GOD'S, so it is either mortal or immortal at his discretion. And thereupon, to: re­ward the pious with eternal happiness, is what well suits with GOD's goodness. But it would not do so to punish the sinful with eternal torments; That could neither suit with goodness nor justice itself; because between temporal guilt and eternal punishment, there is no proportion. And therefore all that the sinful soul may fear from GOD, is a declaration of its incapacity for heaven, and a sentence of its extinction and loss of being.

            Never was such an amulet as this offered to quiet all the bodings of conscience. Never did sin sleep upon so soft a pillow as is made up of this hypothesis, which carries care­less souls, beyond all former hope, even in the lap of their own wish; which is, Never to be acquainted with eternity, so they may undisturbedly enjoy their present inclinations.

            JIVENAL the poet, speaking of that notion that the Heathens had formed of a future state, that there was a boat, and a ferryman, and a black lake, which careless souls were to pass. over to a miserable abode, cries out, Quis puer hoc credat p That is, in its circumstantial dress,’ It were foolish to believe this; but adds, At to vera puta, Do You, whoever you art, believe this, at least something like this, to be true.

            And who can say but JUVENTAL was a wise man in this reflection? But then, is it not susprisingly strange that a more elevated wisdom should set itself to prove that no­thing like this ought to be believed? And that all fears of futurity are groundless, except that of being made insensi­ble? It was wisdom to believe hell torments, in those that neither knew GOD nor his revelation: And can it be wis­dom too for any not to believe hell torments, who are sure that GOD has revealed them? And is it not further surpris­ingly strange, that those men who pretend their zeal for morality is above that of all others, should open such a sluice to the flood of immorality? Alas, what a contradic­tory thing is professed wisdom, when once it affects to lead in matters of faith! It is much more absurd and mischiev­ous than confessed folly.

            (3.) Thus much for the second charge of wisdom, namely, That it brought sin into the world. The last I proposed, to warn us against fondness for its guidance, is this, namely, That it first corrupted faith, and brought all heresies into the Church. _ Suitably to this, it is commonly observed of that sect of men, who in the earliest days of Christianity invented so many corruptions of faith, that they hardly left room for the invention of subsequent ages to find out any new; that they affected for a distinguishing name to be called, Gnostici, that is, the Knowers, or such as understood more than their neighbors. And we cannot doubt but our Apostle had an eye to some of these, and their wild opinions, as well as the principle that occasioned them, (1 Tim. 6: 2O,) where charging TIMOTHY to stand firm in the faith, and to keep that Depositum, that is, that scheme of Christian doctrine which had been delivered, he prescribes to him this means as necessary to his purpose, namely, That he should avoid the "oppositions * of science (or wisdom) falsely so called; which some pro­fessing have erred concerning the faith." We know the Scripture meddles not with the impeachment of any science, or with calling it false, but barely as it entrenches upon faith, and opposes that which it ought to follow; and there­fore this science is here specified by its opposition, that. is, its inclination to oppose the faith commonly received; accounting it a restraint (as I have intimated already) to think or believe with the vulgar.

            And to evidence that this kind of science did make men err concerning faith, as the text allegeth, let us but con­sider those heresies that are mentioned in Scripture as first obtaining in the church, and we shall soon see how they took their rise, at least, their pretence, from this very principle. Some there were (we know) who erred concerning the resurrection, saying it was already past; and no doubt but it was a start of wisdom, and affectation of extraor­dinary reach, that first formed this into a heresy. For example:­ Some of the Heathen philosophers, who were grown to dress up their doctrines for ostentation, and not so much to instruct, as to make themselves admired, had pronounced of virtue, that it was a sufficient reward of itself; and that a good man. was happy enough in being good, and leading a life according to reason, although there were no expecta­tions of a future recompence.

            Whereupon, some Christian proselytes, pleasing them­selves with this notion, adopted it into Christianity, and held that it was a poor and mercenary thing to practice godliness for the expectation of another world: And that therefore, although GOD had, in the Gospel, declared a resurrection, yet this resurrection was to be understood in a figurative sense, that is, to import no more than a rising from the state of sin to the state of righteousness: And that Christian virtue would then be more glorious, and more worthy of GOD, when it shall appear that he obeys, for GOD's sake, rather than for his own.

Thus these were pleased, by dint of wisdom, to void the promises of heaven; which wild conclusion we may wonder at the less, since the wise Socinians have at this day, with no less contradiction to Scripture, been pleased to void the threatenings of hell.

            We are told of another sect in that age, who erred con­cerning the condition of the Gospel covenant, resting upon a naked faith as the entire qualification; and thereby void­ing the law, vilifying obedience, and turning the grace of GOD into wantonness.  One would not think, indeed, that wisdom could have much pretence towards this project, and   yet it had: The Antinomians alleged, that whereas it was the peculiar glory of GOD to be infinitely merciful, and the glory of CHRIST'S satisfaction to be infinitely valuable: The more guilt men had, the more abundant opportunities they gave to GOD to discover the riches of his pardon; and the more men were in debt, the greater appeared to be both the value of their ransom, and the credit of their REDEEMER.

            No doubt but this arguing seemed wise to them that used it: And at least we have this to allege for the sup­port of its pretence, "that the Antinomians were not more extravagant in asserting that CHRIST'S satisfaction was sufficient to save without the care of good living, than the Socinians are in asserting that the care of good living is sufficient to save without the satisfaction of CHRIST: For so their scheme runs:­  That CHRIST neither made nor intended any satisfaction at all; and yet every impartial man may convince himself, that it is not more evident in Scripture, that GOD requires us to be holy, than that CHRIST shed his blood for our redemption; redemption I say, not in the exemplary, but in the expiatory sense.

            We have another mass of heretical corruption spoken of by our Apostle, (2 Thess. ii,) not indeed as then reign­ing, but rather foretold as that it should reign, through occasion of a " certain man of sin sitting as God in the temple of GOD:" Even the Papists allowing that the scene of this grand corruption of faith is Rome; and we may without prejudice affirm it to be Popery itself.

            Now to see how wisdom has contributed to bring this mass of abuses into that church, let us but consider this single one; which we may look upon as the most charac­teristical; viz.  The setting up of a human infallible guide; whereby every Bishop of that See would be held for a Holy Ghost incarnate; And what can come nearer to " one sitting as GOD in the temple of GOD?"

            What hand wisdom had in hatching this conceit, we may learn from the wisest of that communion, when they allege that the belief of this is the sure and only method to end all controversies, and establish that peace and union which all good Christians desire.

And as for the means made use of to bring this conceit into credit, they have carried in them the most pompous semblance of wisdom imaginable; while its particular champions, the Jesuits, (the artificial PETAVIUS and others,) have contrived, with elaborate pains and study, to weaken the authority of the Scriptures, as being of uncertain inter­pretation, and of uncertain reception; and to puzzle the sense of all the distinguishing articles of Christianity, by alleging the opposition of heretics, and by raking up all the dissonancies of expressions that are to be met with in the writings of the ancients.

            As, indeed, how can the same truth be delivered without dissonancies of expression, supposing it to be delivered upon different occasions, and for different respects? Let the expressions of ST. PAUL and ST. JAMES upon the article of justification pass for an instance of appeal.

In the mean time, the wisdom of the Church of Rome thought fit to do all this insidiously, and with purpose to deceive, so they might serve this important end; viz.,

To make Christians believe that they must needs be bewildered while they were under such an unstable con­duct as that of the Scriptures, Councils, and Fathers; and therefore conclude themselves obliged to repair to the standing infallible guide.

            Ask the Socinians themselves whether there were not admirable wisdom in this contrivance: For even they themselves make use of the same means, and borrow their boasted arms from the Jesuits' shop; not indeed to the same end, in form; but to the same, in mischief: Not to estab­lish the Pope for an infallible guide, but to establish reason for an infallible guide; which in effect is to set up as many Popes in the world, as there are men of assuming imagi­nation.  What I have said hitherto has been in order to evince the truth of my first proposition, viz. that wisdom is a dangerous guide in matters of religion.  I offered a second, viz. that GOD had vouchsafed faith as a necessary expedient both to make and to keep men wise Which I reserve for the subject of another discourse.

SERMON 4:

ON THE SAME SUBJECT.

Rom. 1: 22.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

            FROM these words considered together with their occa­sion, I have before inferred these two heads of discourse:­

            1. That human wisdom (or reason) is a dangerous guide in matters of religion. And this I have proved already, by showing how strangely wisdom has failed in all her conduct about such matters.

            2. The Second is, That God has ordained faith as a necessary expedient, both to make and to keep men wise. The proof whereof I am now to pursue.

I suppose there is no man in the world, but will grant, that what GOD vouchsafes to reveal must be abler to make us wise, than what we can conceive of ourselves: Nor (in consequence) will any deny, that faith to what is revealed is a due which we owe not only to GOD for the honor of his truth; but likewise to ourselves, for the sake of our safe conduct: And therefore there is like to be no dispute whether faith (in general) can make men wise: The dis­pute is only upon this point, What kind of faith (in parti­cular) it must be that makes men wise: And we shall find that the judgment of mankind lies under a common preju­dice against what is true in reference to this point.

            For we may observe it to obtain in the world, that the faith adapted to make a wise man, must be a cautious and reserved faith, because all forwardness in believing exposes men to be deceived: And yet in Holy Scripture we are taught clean contrary, that GOD is only pleased with an humble and ready faith, and every abatement of forward­ness is a diminution of its value.

            Our SAVIOR in his' walk to Emmaus calls his disciples fools, because they were slow of heart to believe. And soon after he tells THOMAS, that the tardiness of his faith had robbed it of its blessing, for " blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

And because I am fallen upon the mention of this Apo­stle, I will choose to insist a little upon his character, which may serve both for an example and an illustration of the matter I am upon.

            THOMAS (as far as we may learn by all the mentions made of him in Holy Writ) was a man bold in reasoning, and extremely nice in believing; which is a character that by the standard of the present age has license to pass for an indication of wisdom.  In John 14: 2 4, we have a passage of discourse where­in this Apostle was wholly concerned: There our SAVIOR says very obligingly to those about him, " In my FATHER'S house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you. And whither I go you know, and the way you know." To this obliging declaration THOMAS answers very perempto­rily, " LORD, we know not whither you goest, and how should we know the way?" We see the answer is directly contradicting that which our SAVIOR alleged; and yet no doubt but the Apostle thought himself to have reason on his side for making such an answer. Let us imagine what that reason might be: It is possible he might form his arguing on this manner: “LORD, you sayest, you art go­ing to thy FATHER'S house to provide mansions for us Now we know thy father's house, according to natural generation, is that of JOSEPH and MARY, in which many mansions are not to be had; but if you meanest a father by any other kind of generation, or any other inheritance which you have a title to recommend us to; this is what we do not understand, and what we do not understand, it is impossible for us to believe: And therefore say to us some­thing that we may believe; or in the mean time permit us to be incredulous and to say, We know not whither you