Wisdom, there is scarce any point wherein we betray more folly than in our judgments concerning it; rarely bringing this precious ore either to the teft or the balance; and though it is of the last confequence not to be deceived in it, we generally take it upon trust,-seldom fufpect the quality, but never the quantity of what has fallen to our lot. So that however inconfiftent a man fhall be in his opinions of this, and what abfurd measures foever he takes in confequence of it, in the condud of his life, -he still speaks comfort to his foul; and like Solomon, when he had least pretence for it, in the midst of his nonfenfe will cry out and fay,-That all my wisdom remaineth with me. Where then is wifdom to be found? and where is the place of understanding? The politicians of the world, professing themfelves wife,-admit of no other claims of wif dom but the knowlege of men and bufinefs, the understanding the interefts of ftates, the intrigues of courts,-the finding out the paffions and weakneffes of foreign minifters,-and turning them and all events to their country's glory and advantage. name. -found. -Not so the little man of this world, who thinks the main point of wisdom, is to take care of himself;-to be wife in his generation;to make use of the opportunity whilft he has it, of raising a fortune, and heraldizing a -Far wide is the speculative and studious man (whose office is in the clouds) from fuch little ideas:---wisdom dwells with him in finding out the secrets of nature;ing the depths of arts and sciences ;————meafuring the heavens; telling the number of the ftars, and calling them all by their names: fo that when in our bufy imaginations we have built and unbuilt again God's ftories in the heavens, -and fancy we have found out the point whereon to fix the foundations of the earth; and in the language of the book of Job, have searched out the corner-ftone thereof, we think our titles to wisdom built upon the fame basis with thofe of our knowlege, and that they will continue for ever. The mistake of these pretenders, is fhewn at large by the Apostle in the chapter from which the text is taken,-Profeffing themselves WISE, -in which expreffion (by the way) St. Paul is thought to allude to the vanity of the Greeks and Romans, who being great encouragers of arts and learning, which they had carried to extraordinary heights, confidered all other nations as Barbarians, in refpect of themselves; and amongst whom, particularly the Greeks, the men of study and enquiry, had affumed to themselves, with great indecorum, the title of the Wife Men. With what parade and oftentation foever this was made out, it had the fate to be attended with one of the most mortifying abatements which could happen to wifdom; and that was an ignorance of those points which most concerned man to know. This he fhews from the general state of the gentile world, in the great article of their misconceptions of the Deity and, as wrong notions produce wrong actions,- of the duties and fervices they owed to him, and in course of what they owed to one another. For though, as he argues in the foregoing verfes, The invifible things of him from the creation of the world might be clearly feen and understood, by the things that are made;—that is, Though God, by the clearest discovery of himfelf, had ever laid before mankind fuch evident proofs of his eternal Being,—his infinite powers and perfections, fo that what is to be known of his invisible nature, might all along be traced by the marks of his goodness,—and the visible frame and order of the world :yet fo utterly were they without excufe,-that though they knew God, and faw his image and fuperscription in every part of his works,—yet they glorified him not, -So bad a ufe did they make of the powers given them from this great discovery, that inftead of adoring the Being thus manifefted to them, in purity and truth, they fell into the most grofs and abfurd delufions; changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible men, -to birds, to fourfooted beafts, and creeping things;-Profeffing themselves to be wife,they became fools.All their fpecious wisdom was but a more glittering kind of ignorance, and ended in the most dishonourable of all miftakes, in fetting up fictitious gods, to receive the tribute of their adoration and thanks, - The fountain of religion being thus poifon ed, no wonder the stream fhewed it's effects, which are charged upon them in the following words, where he describes the heathen world as full of all unrighteoufnefs,-fornication,-covetoufnefs,-malicioufnefs,-full of murder,envy, — debate, -malignity,-whisperers,— backbiters, haters of God, proud,-boasters, -inventors of evil things,-difobedient to parents, without understanding, without natural affection,-implacable,-unmerciful!-God in heaven defend us from fuch a catalogue! But these disorders, if fairly confidered, you will say, have in no ages arisen so much from want of light, as a want of disposition to follow the light which God has ever imparted: that the law, written in their hearts, was clear and express enough for any reasonable crea. tures, and would have directed them, had they not fuffered their paffions more forcibly to direct them otherwife: that if we are to judge from this effect, namely the corruption of the world, the fame prejudice will recur even against the Chriftian religion; fince mankind have at least been as wicked in later days, as in . II. C & |