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SERMON I

RELIGION and VIRTUE, confidered under the Notion of WISDOM.

PROVERBS I. 1, 2, 3, 4.

The proverbs of Solomon the fon of David, king of Ifrael: To know wisdom and inAtruction, to perceive words of underftanding; to receive the inftruction of wisdom, juftice, and judgment, and equity; to give fubtilty to the fimple, to the young man knowledge and difcretion.

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NY one who readeth the proverbs SER M. of Solomon attentively, will fee that the principal scope of them is to teach men wisdom. His manner of writing is, indeed, such, that no one fubject is methodically treated by him, the whole book being no more than a collection of wife moral fayings, without any coherence, fome probably wrote down by himself, and fome extracted afterwards out of other writings which are not now extant; of the former VOL. III. fort

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SERM. fort feem to be the first twenty-four chap I. ters, and of the latter, the remaining part of the book, under this title, chap. xxv. 1. Thefe are alfo proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah copied out. But though the writing is of this unconnected kind, yet one may plainly fee a general defign in it, which the author keepeth always in his view; that is, to reclaim the fimple from their folly, by giving them a just notion, and a true tafte of real wifdom; and to furnish men in general with fuch inftructions, fuch excellent rules of life, as might be profitable to direct their whole behaviour. Thus he beginneth, fetting forth the writer's chief aim, and by its excellence beSpeaking the attention of the reader. The proverbs of Solomon the fon of David-king of Ifrael; to know wisdom and inftruction; to perceive words of understanding; to receive the inftructions of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; to give fubtilty to the fimple; to the young man knowledge and difcretion. Befides a great many scattered hints, in almost every chapter, which fet the counfels of the excellent moralift in the amiable light of wisdom, understanding, and difcretion, he fometimes, as in the 3d,

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the 8th, and 9th chapters, doth defignedly, SER M. and even out of his profeffed method, that is, more largely than in the way of proverbs, infift on the beauty and excellence of wisdom, inviting men seriously and steadily to contemplate her charms, that they may admire her inftructions, and give themselves up to her conduct.

Wisdom is introduced in the dramatick way (which is an antient, and, when well managed, a very useful way of writing) as à divine perfon appearing in a very lovely form, difplaying her native worth and beauty; and by the most powerful perfuafives, and the most affectionate manner of address, foliciting the degenerate fons of men to hearken to her counfels for their good. The reasonableness and happy effects of our complying with her proposals are represented, and the vanity of all those things which rival wisdom for our affections, is fully fhewn. The means, and the neces fary difpofitions on our part, in order to our attaining the true difcretion here juftly celebrated, are particularly mentioned, and those prejudices laid open, with the folly and unreasonableness of them, which shut mens minds, and harden their hearts against it. B 2 With

SERM. With these things in our view as its main I. defign, let us carefully read the Book of Proverbs. Some perhaps neglect and difregard it as dry morality; but certainly it containeth pure religion, and undefiled before God the Father, excellent rules for the conduct of life; and it marketh out the way in which alone we can hope for the divine acceptance, and the folid peace which arifeth from the testimony of an approving confcience. That you may read it with the greater advantage, I will endeavour, in this discourse, to explain the nature, characters, and uses of the wifdom of which it treateth; and making that the standard, we may try fome things which have the appearance of wisdom, and, perhaps, correct fome wrong notions we have entertained in a matter of fo great importance: and by that amiable character, which must be high in the esteem of every confiderate perfon, if it appeareth to be justly applied, we may be induced to confent to, and practise the rules Solomon prefcribeth.

In general, it is very plain that what this author meaneth by wisdom, is true religion and virtue; whether it be worthy of that name, especially in the peculiar and diftinguishing

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guishing manner he giveth it, in oppofition SERM. to every thing else that pretends to it, I fhall afterwards confider; at present, I obferve, that what he meaneth by wisdom, is religion and virtue; and you will fee it to be fo, if you look into the following paffages in the 7th verfe of this chapter; The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; which was a principle Solomon learn→ ed from his pious father, to whose instruc tions he often refers in this book, and acknowledgeth his great obligations to them. This was David's doctrine, Pfal. cxi. 10, and indeed it was a maxim received by wise men in ages long before theirs, as you may fee in Fob xxviii. 28. where it is represented to be the fum of what God taught men, as the substance of their duty, and their most important concern. The fear of the Lord, in the ftile of the facred writers, fignifieth univerfal religion, because it is an eminent part of it, proper enough therefore, by an ufual way of speaking, to defcribe the whole; and because it is a principle which, when the mind is duly poffeffed with, and brought thoroughly under its power, cannot fail of producing obedience to all the commandments of God. As every branch of virtue

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