God the treasures that we have upon earth; which being the only good use that we can possibly make of what we have, it must needs be acknowledged a great piece of wisdom thus to employ what God hath entrusted with us to our own advantage.

5. The wisdom of those who are truly righteous appears also in the resignation of their wills to God's. As we see Wisdom itself did, in our blessed Saviour, who could say, "Not my will, but thine be done." And verily, thus to resign our wills to God's so as to have no wills, as it were, of our own, but to submit ourselves wholly to be guided by the will of God, is as high an act of wisdom as it is possible for us to exert ; for by this means we may always have our wills, because they are the same with God's, which is always done. Nay, when we have thus given our wills to God's, so as to entrust him always to will for us; all providences whatsoever are, in effect, by the acts of our own wills, with this extraordinary advantage, that they are guided and directed by the infinite wisdom and goodness of God. And as it is the wisdom of a patient to let the physician choose what diet, physic, and the like, he must have, so it is much more our wisdom thus to entrust God to choose for us, and to be well pleased with his choice, though never so cross to our sinful desires; because we cannot but acknowledge that he knows infinitely better than ourselves what is good or hurtful for us; especially considering also, that by this means we may make a virtue of necessity. For God's will, be sure, must be done, whether we will or no; and, therefore, it is madness in us to resist or gainsay it, and our greatest wisdom wholly to submit ourselves unto it, and always to acquiesce contented in it.

Thus I might shew in all other acts of true piety whatsoever, that it is our wisdom to perform them; and that the truly pious manifest themselves to be the only wise men, by every act of obedience which they perform to the commandments of God. For what? Doth wisdom teach you to live happily in the world?

Then the godly are the only wise men yet; who often retire from the vexatious bustles and tumults of this distracting world, that they may fix and unite their hearts to draw nigh to God, and enjoy communion with the chiefest Good, the Fountain of all true happiness. Doth wisdom teach you to prefer the good before the evil? Then they that fear God are wise in choosing the greatest suffering rather than the least sin; there being more real evil in the least sin than in the greatest suffering imaginable. Doth wisdom teach you to consult your books to see what others owe to you, and you to others, that you may know your outward estate and condition? How much wiser are the godly, who oft examine themselves, and consider how the case stands betwixt God and their souls? Is it your wisdom to have a care of yourselves, and not to run headlong into ruin and perdition? Then there is none so wise as the godly, who are always watchful over themselves, and careful to avoid sin, the only cause of all their misery. Is it your wisdom to do that well which you can do but once, and which can never be mended if it be once ill done? Then certainly they that truly fear God must carry away the palm for wisdom from all the world besides; for they are always ready to die, and so to do that well which they can never do again. They were the foolish virgins which wanted it; the wise had oil in their lamps, true grace in their hearts, and so were ready when the bridegroom came; and therefore they entered into the bride chamber, when the others were shut out, and with all their importunities could never after be admitted to come in.

But what need I instance in any more particulars? These may be sufficient to demonstrate that the fear of the Lord, or true holiness, is the '87, both “the beginning" and "the end" of true wisdom; having proved unto you that sinners so long as such are mere fools, not having attained so far as to the first beginning of wisdom; and that saints, so far as such, are truly wise. All which I have endeavoured to explain with that clearness and perspicuity, that none of you that have

any understanding at all but must needs confess that they only have a good understanding that fear God and keep his commandments. And, therefore, I hope you have all prevented me in what I intended for the application of this truth; which was to advise and stir you up to do that which you cannot but be now convinced is not only your duty and interest, but your wisdom too to do;-even to devote yourselves for the future wholly to the service of Almighty God, to fear, honour, and obey him: for I cannot persuade myself but you all desire to act like wise men. This I am sure of, you all either are, or would be accounted, wise. But assure yourselves, whatsoever your condition be in this world, howsoever cunning and subtle you may be in the management of worldly affairs, whatsoever conceits you may have of yourselves, whatsoever opinion others may entertain of you, yet in the judgment of wise men, and of the all-wise God himself, you neither are nor can be truly wise until you be truly good. And, therefore, if any of you desire, as I hope you all do, to manifest yourselves to be sober and discreet, wise and prudent men and women, take this course to do it:-break off your former sins by repentance, and shewing mercy to the poor, and believe in Christ for pardon and salvation, love God's person and obey his precepts, trust on his promises, and fear his threatenings, sanctify his sabbaths, and reverence his name, be loyal to your sovereign, and obedient to magistrates, be faithful to your friends, and loving to your enemies, kind and charitable, just and equitable unto all: in a word, fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man', and his wisdom too.

2 Eccles. xii. 13.

SERMON XXIV.

THE MEDITATION OF GOD'S LAW, THE GOOD MAN'S

DELIGHT.

PSALM i. 2.

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (or exercise himself) day and night."

IN the Old Testament we find, that in former ages, when people had occasion and desire to know the mind. of God in any difficult and doubtful case, they went to the high priest, who asking counsel for them "after the judgment of Urim before the Lord'," the Lord was pleased to give them such responses, or answers, as clearly discovered his will in the case propounded; which were therefore called his oracles: or else, if God had raised up ever a prophet among them,-as he usually did in every age, they would go and consult him, or "enquire of the Lord by him?," and the prophet, by divine inspiration, would certainly tell them what the mind of the Lord was in the business they went about. Thus "God, at sundry times and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets." It was God who spake by the prophets; and therefore, whatsoever they said, as such, was likewise an oracle of God. And, therefore, St. Paul, speaking of the advantages which the Jews had above 3 Heb. i. I.

1 Numb. xxvii. 21.

2 Jer. xxi. 2.

other people, reckons this as the chief, "because that unto them were committed the oracles of God."

We have no such kind of oracles to consult in these latter days, as they had: neither have we any occasion for them; for now that God hath spoken to us by his Son, and hath caused what he spake by him and his apostles, as well as what he had before spoken by the prophets, to be committed to writing, and faithfully brought down and delivered to us, we may there know the mind of God in every thing that is necessary for us to consult him about, as certainly as if we received it immediately from him by the mouth of a high priest, or a prophet. For all that Holy Scripture being given by inspiration of God, it is all but as one continued. oracle of God, wherein he hath delivered and declared his divine will and pleasure in all things that are necessary for any man to know. And whatsoever is not there revealed, we may from thence conclude, that it is not necessary for us to know it; but, rather, that it is the divine will that we should not be inquisitive about it. But as whatsoever is there revealed, is therefore revealed that we might know it; so whatsoever we are really concerned to know, in order to our being happy, is there revealed, so as that we may know the mind of God himself concerning it.

As for example: it highly concerns all men to know wherein true happiness consisteth, or who may be truly said to be a blessed, or a happy man. This we can never know from men themselves; for they could never yet agree about it, some accounting one man happy, some another and most esteem those only happy, who have most of the good things, as they are called, of this life; though they which have them find, by their own experience, that they are as far from being happy as they who have them not.

Wherefore our only way to be fully resolved in this case is, to consult the oracles of God who made us, and, therefore, best knows what will make us happy. But

Rom. iii. 3.