age hath but a brutish slavish life, yokes in with his beasts, in the same kind of labour, or in little better; turmoiling and drudging to serve his base lusts, his gain, his pleasure, and forgets quite what high condition the soul that sparkles within him is born to, and made capable of; in a word, knows not God. That is both his folly and misery. How much passes ere we consider what we live for? And though all applied, how incapable are a great many to know any thing*? To this purpose there is a notable word.

Now, to stir up your desires and endeavours after this wisdom; consider, that it is the proper excellency of the rational nature, the true elevation of human nature, to be wise: And they that are not such, or know somewhat of their own defect, yet would willingly pass for such, and had rather be accounted uncomely, yea, even dishonest, than unwise, (call a man any thing rather than a fool;) but yet, if they could, would rather have the thing than the reputation of it, and desire really to be wise, if it were in their power.

Now, it were good to work on this design within us, and to have it drawn into the right channel. Would you be wise, then seek true wisdom. The most that men seek and admire in themselves and others, are but false shadows and appearanees of wisdom; knowledge either of base low things, as to scrape and gather together, or else of vain unprofitable things, and that knowledge that is for the most part but imaginary: For most things in stateaffairs take another bias and course, are not so much modelled by wit, as most men imagine; and for the secrets of nature, we have little certain knowledge of them; how short is our life to attain any knowledge? (that is an excellent word,) ́but the knowledge here set before us, is the best kind of knowledge, of the highest things, divine things:

Inter homines quid homine rarius? Among men what more. rare than man, a truly rational being."

1

I say, the best kind of knowledge of them; for there are notions, even of these things, that have little in them, either curious fruitless disputations of such points as are most removed both from our notice and our use, or an useless knowledge of useful things: But this is a well-regulated and sure-footed knowledge of divine things, as God himself hath

revealed them.

This wisdom descends from above; therefore, for the attainment of it, these two are necessary, 1st, To know that we want it, sensibly and feelingly to know this, that we know nothing of the things of God. Multi ad sapientiam pervenirent, nisi se jamjam pervenisse arbitrarentur. Many men would have attained to wisdom, if they had not fancied or imagined that they had already attained it. I speak not now of the lowest sort, the grossly, the brutishly ignorant, even of the letter of divine truths, but such as can give themselves or others, if put to it, a good account of the principles of faith and holiness, have read and heard much, and possibly learned and retained not a little that way, yet sill are but ignorants, strangers to this heavenly wisdom: Therefore men must first know this, that they may go new to school again and become as little children. Wisdom invites no other. The strange woman, and so all the inticements to sin, they invite the same persons, Ver. 16. but to a directly opposite end: She calls the fools to befool them, to drown them in folly and wretchedness ; but wisdom calls them, to unbefool them, to recover them, and teach them the way of life.

2dly, Being convinced and sensible of the want. of it, to use the right way to attain it, to give all diligent attendance on the word and ordinances of God, to desire it of him. Desire is all: If you desire much, you shall have much. Went thy desire this way heavenwards, whence this wisdom descends, this light springs from on high: Man can

not raise himself to it without another; If any man lack wisdom, if he is but once sensible, of that; why then the sweetest, easiest way to attain it that can be desired, is pointed out, let him ask it of God, who gives liberally, and upbraideth not, does neither harshly refuse, nor upbraidingly give it, delights to give it to them that ask it, even his own Holy Spirit, the spring of this wisdom, as he hath promised.

We are all too little in this humble seeking and begging this divine knowledge, and that is the cause we are so shallow and small proficients: If thou cry and lift up thy voice for understanding, search for it as for hid treasures; sit down upon thy knees and dig for it: That is the best posture, to fall right upon the golden vein, and go deepest to know the mind of God, in searching the scriptures, to be directed and regulated in his ways, to be made skilful in ways of honouring him, and doing him service; this men nor angels can teach him, but God alone.

Of this wisdom we have here the character and privilege: 1st, The character; that observes those things, that looks back to the doctrine of the Psalmist, which is very divinely sweet, extolling the goodness of God in general in his dealings with men, and instancing in divers occurrent and remarkable particulars the fitness and mildness of his chastisements, the seasonableness and sweetness of his deliverances, correcting us for our greater good, and relieving us in our greatest need, when we are nearest despairing of relief: This is exemplified in travellers and prisoners, in sick men and seamen, and in the various disposal of the state of all sorts of persons, the highest and the meanest; and the repeated sweet burden of the song is, O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, &c. And in the end the result of all, Ver. 42. the joy of the godly, the shame and silencing of the wicked, that

* Prov. ii. 3, &c.

usually either mistake, or slight, or despise the providence of God in the rule of human affairs, readily speak big their own thoughts, which are vain, promising themselves continual success: in the end he shall clear himself, and gladden the souls of his people, and cloath his enemies with shame. Wait a while, and thus it shall be; they shall change places. He pours contempt upon princes, and sets the poor on high from affliction, and so rights himself, and them that wait on him. Then the righteous shall see it and rejoice, and all iniquity_shall stop her mouth; and it is a great point of true wisdom, rightly to observe these things.

This observing hath in it, 1st, A believing notice of these things, to take such instances aright, when they meet our eye, to know these things to be indeed the Lord's doings; and so, when we are in any present strait, to believe accordingly the same inspection of his eye, and secret conduct of his hand, to be in all. Now, it is a great point to have the heart established in these persuasions. We are generally much defective in this, and they most that least suspect themselves of it. But withal, the ob

serving or keeping these things, (so the word is) this firm believing hath in it these two, following on it, and flowing from it, serious contemplation and suitable action.

1st, Often to turn our eye to the view of these things, and to keep it on them, so as to have our hearts warmed with them, to be deeply taken with wonder and love. But alas! our souls are drowned in flesh, dragged down from things that become them, and are worthy of them, to drudge and weary themselves in the mire and clay. How few are there that make it a great part of their daily business, to behold God in his works and ways with themselves and others? Some, in respect of others, are called great spirits: But Oh! What are they? What a poor greatness is it, to project for a great estate, or great places and titles, or to conceive great revenges

of little wrongs? There is something even in nature of greatness of spirit, very far beyond the bastard false character that most take of it; and that is above most things others imagine great, and despises them: But true greatness is this, to have a mind much taken up with the greatness of God, admiring and adoring him, and exciting others to do so; grieved, and holily angry, that men regard him so little, breathing forth such wishes, as these of the Psalmist, both to express their own thoughts, and to awake sleeping besotted men about them. O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, &c. could wish a voice that could reach many thousands; and if they had one audible to all the world, would use it no otherwise than to be precentors of the praises of God, to call up and begin the song, O that men would praise, &c.

Consider yourselves, my brethren, and trace yourselves into your own hearts, whether often in the day your thoughts run this way, finding the meditation of God sweet to you, or if they do not run out much more to vain things, and are seldom here; either hurried and busied in a surcharge of affairs; or, if vacant, yet spinning themselves out in frothy foolish fancies, that you would be ashamed to look back upon. You might entertain divine and heavenly thoughts, even while about your earthly employments and refreshments; but this is little known, and little sought after. Make it your business to learn more of this wisdom: Call in your hearts, commune often with yourselves and with God; be less abroad, and more within, and more above: It is by far the sweetest life. Beg of God to wind up your hearts, when you find them heavy and dull, that they follow you slowly in this, and need much pulling and hawling from your hand; a touch from his hand will make them mount up easily and nimbly. Oh! seek his drawing: Draw me, we will run after thee. And when you meet together, let this be your business, to speak of him that alone is to be exalted, that doth and disposeth