it? Neither is it beyond the fea, that thou SER M. Shouldeft fay, Who shall go over the fea to II. bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it? The word is nigh unto thee, even in thy heart, and in thy mouth, Deut. xxx. 12.

But, ftill, let us remember what I obfer. ved before, that the fense we have of the excellency of wisdom, and the strong light in which it appeareth to every one who reflecteth upon it, layeth no conftraint upon us; if it did, there could be no such thing as virtue or religion at all, for that kind of neceffity is inconfiftent with its very nature; the approbation is neceffary, the election or determination to act, is not; between these two there is a great difference, they are of ten feparated, but always to the reproach of an intelligent creature.

My brethren, it has pleafed God to favour us with a gracious revelation by Jefus Christ, with a new and clear publication of the doctrines and laws of religious wisdom. When men had darkened their understanding by their own fault; when, as the apostle faith, The world by wisdom knew not God ; and elsewhere, the Gentiles walked in the vanity of their minds, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of E 2 God,

SERM. God, through the ignorance that is in them, II. because of the hardness of their hearts; who being paft feeling, have given themselves over unto lafciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness; when they were funk into a wretched impotence to good, the flesh prevailed against the fpirit, carnal and fenfible things made a ftrong impreffion on the mind; and though they could not altogether efface the fense of true wifdom, yet very much obfcured it, and drew away the heart from an attention to its dictates; when corrupt customs, the vain converfation received by tradition from their fathers, had prevailed to the enflaving of finners; in this case it pleased God, in great mercy, to find out a way for redeeming them by his fon Jefus Christ, his fubftantial word and wisdom, who hath appeared to put away fin, and bring the fimple to understanding. The gofpel fheweth us true wisdom in its native fimplicity and purity, and in that form which is beft accommodated to the circumftances of our condition, enforcing its inftructions by new and powerful motives. The fum of what the grace of God, that bringeth falvation, teacheth us, is, that denying ungodliness and worldly luft, we should

live foberly, righteously, and godly, in this SERM.. prefent world, which is just the abridgment II. of the wisdom which Solomon recommendeth. It fhineth with a peculiarly attractive grace in the life and precepts of the holy Jefus, and a peculiar obligation is added by a clear and pofitive law, with a very important fanction, the promise of a glorious reward to the obedient, and the threatening of a terrible punishment to the obftinately disobedient, in order to reclaim finners, and to strengthen men against the many temptations they are liable to in this state of imperfection: And yet farther, in compaffion to our infirmities, God hath been pleased to give his Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; whose office it is to illuminate our minds, and affift our feeble endeavours in seeking after wisdom; so that in neglecting it, we shall be altogether inexcufable.

Secondly, Let us entertain our minds with the excellency of wisdom as a very agreeable contemplation. We naturally incline to meditate on those things which are much in our esteem, and by that the prevailing difpofitions of the heart discover themselves as much

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SERM. much as any way. The men of the world, II. who have their portion in this life, as the

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Pfalmift fpeaketh, fpend their folitary hours in thinking on their treasures, contriving how to encrease or preferve them; or they delight themselves with fcenes of pleasure which their imagination formeth in the fruition of them; as our Lord's parable of the rich man in the 12th of St. Luke's gofpeľ reprefenteth him, as firft, confidering with himself how he should difpofe of the vaft increase of his ground; and then, faying to his foul, Thou haft much goods laid up for many years, take thine eafe, eat, drink, and be merry. The good man, on the contrary, meditateth on the law of God night and day; and a very reasonable exercise this is, if we have a just sense of its excellency; nay, fuch as may well fupport the mind under moft afflicting circumftances; for any difappointment, or that which for the present feemeth to be grievous, may be borne, when the foul can relieve itself by having recourse to fomething more noble and important ftill within its reach. That man must have a fpirit of a very odd conftitution, who cannot encourage himself under a difagreeable incident, when he feeth his most important in

terest

terest in a flourishing condition. It was a SERM. strange perverseness in Haman's temper, that II, when he was in a profperous ftate, applauding himself in the glory of his riches, the multitude of his children, and his high promotion in the court of Abafuerus, distinguished by the favour of that great monarch and his queen, which was the ruling defire of his ambitious mind; yet all this availed him nothing, because a single man, fo little esteemed by him as Mordecai the Jew, did not pay him the refpect he required. We find by experience the power of innocent amusements in an afflicted state of mind; the pleasures of the fenfes and the imagina tion, agreeable founds, the beauties of nature and of art, foothe the paffions, and charm the troubled mind to reft. Now, is not the beauty of holiness, the excellence of wif dom, a nobler fubject, and which must have a greater force, if we turn our ferious attention to it, when we are oppreffed with

cares?

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In the laft place, the excellence of wifdom fhould affect the characters of men in our esteem, and regulate our regards to them. If it be fo excellent in itself, then, certainly, those

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