SERMON XIII

THE WISDOM OF GOD.

1 TIM. i. 17.

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour, and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

In this passage of Scripture, glory and honour are ascribed to God, in the character of the eternal, immortal, and invisible Ruler of all things, and also in that of God the only wise; with a solemn Amen subjoined to the ascription. When God is called the only Wise, it is not intended, that there is no other wisdom, beside that which is inherent in him; but that he is the source of all Wisdom, and wise to such a degree, as to render all other wisdom nothing in comparison with his. The Wisdom of God is, in other words, infinite; and shall now be the subject of our consideration.

The word Wisdom, is applied indifferently to the character, and to the conduct, of an Intelligent being. As applied to the latter, it denotes the choice of good ends, and the selection and adoption of good means for the accomplishment of them. As applied to the former, it denotes that Attribute, which thus chooses, selects, and adopts.

Wisdom is, therefore, a compound attribute; being made up of the knowledge to discern, and the disposition to choose, the ends and means, which I have mentioned. The Wisdom of God is formed, therefore, of his Omniscience and Benevolence, united in planning, and accomplishing, all real good. in the progress of his immense and eternal kingdom.

It will not unnaturally be supposed, that, as the Omniscience and Benevolence of God have already been separately discuss ed, an examination of them, when combined in the attribute of wisdom, must be superfluous. I have at times adopted this opinion; but upon considering the propensity of our minds to dwell on these attributes, in this combination; a propensity encouraged abundantly by the Scriptures; and the frequency, with which the divine wisdom recurs, in forms very various and interesting, both in the conversation and writings of men, and the word of God, I have concluded, that a particular discussion of this subject would, if properly conducted, hold a useful place in this system of discourses.

After the arguments, adduced to prove the existence of these attributes, separately considered, it must, I presume, be unnecessary to allege any proofs of their existence in this combination. This discourse will, therefore, be employed only in illustrating this dignified subject, as it is exhibited in the various conduct of the Most High. From this vast field, also, a few examples only will be selected; it being neither necessary, nor possible, on this occasion to extend such an investigation to any great length. The scheme of discourse, which I propose to pursue, is to mention,

1st. Summarily, such exemplifications of the divine wisdom, as are commonly insisted on; and

2dly. More particularly, some others, which have been less the objects of public attention; or which, at least, I have seen either very little, or not at all, discussed by others.

1st. I shall mention summarily such exemplifications of the divine wisdom, as are commonly insisted on.

Among the numerous subjects, included under this head, the heavens by their magnificence undoubtedly strike the eye with the greatest force and splendour. In all ages, contemplative men have regarded the illustrious objects, presented to us in this great field of observation, as eminently indicating the wisdom of God. O give thanks, says the Psalmist, unto Him, who alone doeth great wonders; who by wisdom made the heavens; who made great lights; the Sun to rule by day, and the moon and stars to rule by night; for his mercy endureth for ever. The Lord by

wisdom, saith Solomon, hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. When he prepared the heavens, says Wisdom itself, speaking by the Voice of the same writer, I was there; when he set a compass on the face of the deep. To us, whose views are enlarged, and rectified, by the modern astronomy, this subject is presented with an importance, which it could not have assumed in the mind of the ancients. To them, the size, proportions, distances, and uses, of the heavenly bodies were in a great measure unknown; and, where this was not the fact, were so partially known, as to leave the mind in many respects perplexed and lost. With our superior advantages, we discern the Sun to be a vast, luminous world, astonishingly greater than all the others united, which compose the solar system. All these we behold arranged around this glorious world as their common centre. To them the Sun communicates motion, light, regularity, and harmony; and to their inhabitants, life, and the means of sustaining it; food, raiment, warmth, and activity; and their consequences, usefulness, and enjoyment. This amazing scene of wonders, we have the most satisfactory reason to believe, is in a sense endlessly repeated in the stellary systems, diffused throughout the boundless expansion; and repeated with a similar display of divine wisdom in their regularity, harmony, and beauty. Even an Atheist must be compelled to confess, that in this scene there is a perfect and glorious accomplishment of just such things, as, in the view of the human mind, appear to be suited to the most perfect operations of the most perfect wisdom.

In the revolution of the Seasons, intimately connected with this subject, we behold an inferior, but still a splendid, display of the same magnificence; and an exhibition, not less affecting, of the same glorious attribute. From the present position of the earth, are derived, in the different parts of its annual circuit, Summer and Winter, Seed-time and Harvest. It cannot be necessary for me to attempt a detail of the various methods, in which the divine Hand provides, through the instrumentality of the seasons, for the supply of our wants, the relief of our dis-tresses, and the uninterrupted succession of our enjoyments. A child needs not to be informed, that all creatures wait upon God, VOL. I.

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that he may give them their meat in due season; and that he opens his hand, and satisfies the wants of every living thing.

Nearly allied to the revolution of the Seasons, is that, by which the world enjoys the vicissitude of day and night. The diurnal rotation of the earth, connected with the position of its axis, furnishes to all its parts an equal enjoyment of these two great affections of our globe; just as its annual revolution, connected with the same position, distributes the seasons, alternately, in a regular succession, over all the regions from the equator to the poles. By the day, man is enabled to pursue successfully all the business of life; and by the night is, at the necessary and most proper intervals, furnished with seasons of refreshment and rest. It ought to be remarked, that by means of the refrangibility of light, and the refractive power of the atmosphere, a portion of day is added to us every morning and every evening; and the light of the Sun conveyed to us, and withdrawn from us, in that gradual manner, which, while it is eminently beautiful and delightful, is at the same time the only manner, in which it could be comfortable, or perhaps tolerable, to our eyes.

A philosopher has made it an argument of the wisdom of God, and in my view justly, that the earth is clothed in green; a colour eminently easy, refreshing, and delightful to the eye.

In the provision made for the wants of men and animals, there are innumerable, as well as wonderful proofs of the Wisdom of God. The means, by which an ample supply for all these wants is continually furnished, were they not the objects of our daily inspection, and thus rendered so familiar, as to be in a great measure unregarded, would awaken in our minds, not approba tion merely, but amazement. A single plant produces yearly a great number of seeds; so many, as to furnish, in the ordinary course of providence, abundant assurance, that that kind of plant shall be continued throughout the successive ages of the world. As a further security, these seeds are, to a great extent at least, and in all probability universally, incorruptible, when lodged below the depth, within which vegetation springs; notwithstanding they are so easily dissoluble above, that limit. By the latter circumstance, an easy, certain, and abundant vegetation is seeured: by the former, seeds are treasured in the earth for long