defpis'd or ftomach'd. So infinuating a thing is kindness, that where it has once got it felf believ'd, nothing it faies after is difputed; it fupples the mind, and makes it ductile and pliant to any impreffions.

10. BUT what human kindness is there that can come in any competition with the Divine? it furpaffes that of the nearest and dearest relations; Mothers may forget, yet will I not forget thee, Ifa. 49. 15. And the Pfalmift found it experimentally true, When my Father and my Mother forfake me, the Lord taketh me up, Pf. 27. 10. The tendereft bowels compared to his, are adamant and flint: fo that tis a most proper epithet the Wife man gives him, O Lord thou lover of fouls, Wif. 11. 26. Nor is this affection merely mental: but it attefts it self by innumerable effects. The effects of love are all reducible to two heads, doing and fuffering; and by both these God has most emi nently attefted his love to us.

II. FOR the firft, we cannot look either on our bodies or our fouls, on the whole Universe about us, or that better World above us; but we shall in each fee the Lord hath done great things for us, Pfal, 126. Nay, not only our enjoyments, but even the capacity to enjoy, is his bounty. Had not he drawn mankind out of his original clay, what had we bin concern'd in all the other works of his Creation? So that if we put any value either upon what

we

we have or what we are, we cannot but account our felves fo much indebted to this his active love. And tho the paffive was not practicable by the divine Nature fimply and apart, yet that we might not want all imaginable evidences of his love, he who was God bleffed for ever, linkt his impaffible to our paffible nature; affum'd our humanity, that he might efpoufe our forrows, and was born on purpose that he might die for us. that fure we may fay in his own words, greater love than this hath no man; Jo. 15. 13.

So

12. AND now tis very hard, iffuch an unparallel'd love in God, may not as much affect us, as the flight benefactions of every ordinary friend; if it cannot fo much recommend him to our regard, as to rescue his word from contemt, and difpofe us to receive impreffions from it; (especially when his very fpeaking is a new act of his kindness, and defign'd to our greatest advantage.)

13. BUT if all he has done and fuffer'd for us cannot obtain him fo much from us, we must surely confefs, our difingenuity is as fuperlative as his love. For in this inftance we have no plea for our felves. The discourses of men tis true may fometime be fo weak and irrational, that tho kindness may fuggeft pity, it cannot reverence; But this can never happen in God, whose wisdom is as infinite as his love. He talks not at our yain rate who often

often talk only for talkings fake; but his words are directed to the most important ends and addreft in fuch a manner as befits him in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledg, Col. 2. And this is our third confideration, the wifdom of the Speaker.

14. How attractive a thing Wisdom is, we may observe in the inftance of the Queen of Sheba, who came from the utmost parts of the earth, as Chrift faies Mat. 12. 42. to hear the Wisdom of Solomon. And the like is noted of the Greek Sages, that they were addrest to from all parts, by perfons of all ranks and qualities, to hear their Lectures. And indeed the rational nature of man do's by a kind of fympathetick motion clofe with whatever hath the ftamp of reafon upon it. But alas, what is the profoundeft wifdom of men, compar'd with that of God? He is the ef fential reason; and all that man can pretend to is but an emanation from him; a ray of his Sun, a drop of his Ocean: which as he gives, fo he can alfo take away. He can infatuate the most fubtil defigners; And (as he faies of himself) makes the diviners mad: turns the wife men back, and makes their wisdom foolishness, Efay 44. 25.

15. How impious a folly is it then in us, to Idolize human Wisdom with all its imperfections, and defpife the divine? yet this every man is guilty of, who is not attracted to the

ftudy

ftudy of facred Writ by the fupereminent wifdom of it's Author. For fuch men must either affirm that God has not fuch a fupereminency, or that, tho he have in himself, he hath not exerted it in this writing: The former is down-right blafphemy; and truly the latter is the fame, a little varied. For that any thing, but what is exactly wife can proceed from infinite wisdom, is too abfurd for any man to imagine. And therefore he that charges Gods Word with defect of wisdom, muft interpretatively charge God fo too. For tho 'tis true, a wife man may fometimes fpeak foolishly; yet that happens through that mixture of ignorance, or paffion which is in the most knowing of mortals: but in God, who is a pure act, and effential wisdom, that is an impoffible fuppofition.

16. NAY, indeed it were to tax him offolly beyond what is incident to any fenfible man; who will ftill proportion his inftruments to the work he defigns. Should we not conclude him mad, that should attemt to fell a mighty Oak with a Pen-knife, or ftop a Torrent with a wifp of Straw? And fure their conceptions are not much more reverend of God, who can fuppofe that a writing defign'd by him for fuch important ends, as the making men wife unto falvation, 2 Tim. 3. 15. the cafting down all that exalts it felf against the obedience of Chrift, 2 Cor. 10. 5. fhould it felf be foolish C 2

and

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and weak or that he fhould give it those great attributes of being harper than a twoedged fword, piercing even to the dividing a funder of foul and Spirit, of the joints and marrow, Heb. 4. 14. if its difcourfes were fo flat and infipid as fome in this profane Age would represent them.

17. 'Tis true indeed, 'tis not, as the Apoftle speaks the wisdom of this world, 1 Cor. 2. 6. The Scripture teaches us not the arts of undermining governments, defrauding and circumventing our brethren; but it teaches us that which would tend much more even to our temporal felicity; and as reason promts us to afpire to happiness, so it must acknowledg that is the highest wisdom which teaches us to attain it.

18. AND as the Holy Scripture is thus recommended to us by the wisdom of its Author; fo in the laft place is it by his truth, without which the other might rather raife our jealoufy than our reverence. For wisdom without fincerity degenerates into ferpentine guile; and we rather fear to be enfnar'd than hope to be advantag'd by it. The most fubtil addreffes, and moft cogent arguments prevail not upon us, where we fufpect fome infidious defign. But where wisdom and fidelity meet in the fame perfon, we do not only attend, but confide in his counfels. And this qualification is moft eminently in God. Th

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