and from God, after sound conversion unto him. The firtree (Pliny saith) casteth not its leaves, and so yields a perpetual shade both in winter and summer;-to note, that sound conversion yieldeth comfort in all conditions of life. "Though the earth be removed, and the mountains carried into the midst of the sea a," &c. "However it be, God is good to Israel; and it shall go well with the righteous: he will be for a sanctuary to his people, that they need not be afraid "." If you would have your hearts above all the troubles of the world, get under this fir-tree; cast yourselves under this protection; get into the chamber of God's providence and promises; and then, though the troubles of the world may strip you of all outward comforts, yet God will be all unto you.

Lastly, in that he saith, "From me is thy fruit found," we learn, That though good works be ours, when they are done by us, yet they come from God, who enableth us to do them; we bear them, but God worketh and produceth them in us the duty is ours, but the efficacy and blessing is his. This falleth in with what hath been handled in the first doctrine, and therefore I shall say no more of it.

a Psalm xlvi. 2, 3. Hab. iii. 16, 17, 18.

b Isai. viii. 12, 13, 14.

THE

SEVENTH SERMON.*

HOSEA XIV. 9.

Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall

therein.

THESE words are a most pathetical close, and, as it were, a seal which the prophet setteth to all the doctrine of his whole book, and to the course of his ministry: implying, First, A strong asseveration of the truth of all those things which he had, in the name of God, delivered unto them ;Secondly, An elegant and forcible excitation of the people unto a sad and serious pondering of them, laying to heart the sins therein charged, the duties therein required, the judgements therein threatened, the blessings therein promised;-And withal, Thirdly, A tacit complaint of the paucity of those who were wise unto salvation, and of the desperate use which wicked men make of the Word of God, and the ministry of his grace; namely, to stumble at it, and to turn it unto themselves into an occasion of ruin.

"Who is wise, and he shall understand?" &c.] The interrogation is, First, A secret exprobration of folly unto his hearers, or the greatest part of them; for so this kind of interrogation doth frequently in Scripture intimate either a negation", or at least the rareness and difficulty of the thing spoken of; as, "Who hath known the mind of the Lord" "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's electd?" These are negatives. "Who knoweth the power of thine anger?" "Who amongst you will give ear to this?" "Who hath

Folio-Edition, p. 592.

< 1 Cor. ii. 16.

d Rom. viii. 33.

b Vid. Glass. Rhetor. Sacr. Tract. 2. c. 5. f Isai. xlii. 23.

• Psalm xc. 11.

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believed our report? or to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" These are restrictives.-Who? that is, few or none are such.-Secondly, An earnest wish and desire of the prophet. O that men were wise to understand these things, and lay them to heart: as, "Who shall deliver me from this body of death?" that is, O that I were delivered 1 ! Who will show us any good i?" that is, O that any could do it.— Thirdly, A strong affirmation, or demonstration, wherein true wisdom doth indeed consist, and what men, that are truly wise, will do, when the ways of God are, by the ministry of his servants, set forth before them; namely, ponder and consider the great weight and consequence of them: as, "Who is the wise man, that may understand this?" namely, as it followeth, "For what the land perisheth, and is burnt up like a wilderness, that none passeth through ?" and the Lord saith, "Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them," &c. This is the character of a wise man, to resolve the judgements that are upon a people, into their proper original, and not to allege'non causam pro causa.'-Fourthly, A vehement awakening and quickening of the people unto this duty of sad attendance on the words, which he had spoken unto them; as "Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me ";" and "Who is on my side? who "?" So it is, as if the prophet should have said,

n

-“There are none of you who have been my hearers, but would willingly retain the reputation of wise and understanding men, and would esteem it a high indignity to be recorded unto all ages for fools and madmen. Well, I have preached amongst you many years together," (sixty are the fewest that we can well compute, some say seventy, others above eighty:) "but alas! what entertainment hath mine embassage received? what operation or success hath it had amongst you? Are there not the calves still standing at Dan and Bethel ? Do not carnal policies prevail still against the express will of God? O! if there be any wise, any prudent men amongst you, (and oh! that all God's people were such,) let them now at length, in the close of my ministry towards them, show their wisdom, by giving heed to what I have declared from the Lord, that they may learn

g Isai. liii. 1. 1 Folio-Edition, p. 593.

h Rom. vii. 24.

i Psalm iv. 7. m Exod. xxxii. 26.

k Jer. ix. 12, 13.

n 2 Kings ix. 32.

to walk in God's righteous ways, and may not stumble and perish by them."

SECT. 2. Here are two words used to express the wisdom which God requireth in those who would fruitfully hear his Word; the one importing a mental knowledge of the things, and the other a practical and prudential judgement in pondering them, and in discerning the great moment and consequence of them unto our eternal weal or woe. So the apostle prays for the Colossians, that they might be filled with the knowledge of God's will "in all wisdom and spiritual understanding P." In mere notional things, which are only to be known for themselves, and are not further reducible unto use and practice, it is sufficient that a man knows them. But in such things, the knowledge whereof is ever in order unto a further end, there is required besides the knowledge itself, a faculty of wisdom and judgement to apply and manage that knowledge respectively to that end, and for the advancement of it. Now we know that theological learning is all of it practical, and hath an intrinsecal respect and order unto worship and obedience': therefore it is called "the knowledge of the truth which is after godliness"." "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and "a good understanding have all they, that do his commandments "." Keep his judgements, and do them; "for this is your wisdom and understanding "." Therefore, besides the bare knowledge of the truth, there is required wisdom, and spiritual understanding to direct that knowledge unto those holy uses and saving ends, for which it was intended.

The doubling of the sentence it is the augmenting of the sense; to note, that it is the supreme and most excellent act of wisdom and prudence so to know the word and ways of God, as with a practical judgement to ponder them in order to salvation.

9 Οὐ τῷ εἶναι μόνον φρόνιμος,

• Duæ sunt partes rationis secundum Philosophum; una èxiσrnμovies), altera Ayiti, qua ratiocinamur et deliberamus in ordine ad mores. Vide Arist. Ethic. lib. 6. c. 2. et cap. 8. P Col. i. 9. ảλà Kai TŶ wρаkтikos, Arist. Ethic. 1. 7, c. 11. • Οἱ δ ̓ ἂν μὴ εὑρίσκωνται βιοῦντες ὡς ἐδίδαξε, γνωριζέσθωσαν μὴ ὄντες Χριστιανοὶ, κἂν λέγωσι διὰ γλώτίης καὶ τοῦ Xpioтoû didáуμara, Justin. Martyr. Apol. 2.-Qui Christiani nominis opus non agit, Christianus non esse videtur: Salvian. de Gubern. Dei, lib. 4. • Tit. i. 1. t Psalm cxi. 10.

u Deut. iv. 6.

SECT. 3. By the ways of the Lord' we are to understand, 1. The ways of his judgements, and of his wonderful providence towards men; which, however, to the proud and contentious spirit of the wicked they may seem perverse and inordinate, and are to the eye of all men unsearchable",are yet, by spiritual wisdom, acknowledged to be most righteous and holy, to have no crookedness or disorder in them, but to be carried on in an even and straight way, unto the ends whereunto his holy counsel doth direct them. "His works are perfect, and all his ways are judgement .' When Jeremy had a mind to plead with the Lord concerning his judgements, yet he premiseth this as a matter unquestionable, That God was righteous in them all.'

2d. The ways of his will, word, and worship; so the 'word' is often taken in Scripture, to signify the doctrine which men teach; as Matth. xxii. 16. Acts xiii. 10. xviii. 25. xxii. 4. And damnable heresies are called 'pernicious ways,' in opposition to the way of truth ';' and the rites or rules of corrupt worship are called by the prophet 'the way of Beersheba. And these ways of God are likewise very straight, which carry men on in a sure line unto a happy end: whereas wicked ways have crookedness and perverseness in them. And this way seems here chiefly to be meant, because it follows, "The just will walk in them ";" that is, They will so ponder and judge of the righteous ways of God in his Word, as to make choice of them for their way of happiness, wherein they intend to walk; as the psalmist speaks, I have chosen the way of thy truth "." Whereas wicked men, being offended at the purity of divine truth, do stumble and fall into perdition ;-as the Chaldee paraphrast expresseth this place.

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The words are a powerful and pathetical stirring up of the people of Israel unto the consideration and obedience of the doctrines, taught by the prophet in his whole prophecy. The arguments which he useth, are drawn, First, From the

u Judicia Dei plerumque occulta, nunquam injusta : Aug. Serm. 88. de Tempore. 'Ayan Toû Ceoû dikaiσúvn. Clem. Alex.-Vid. Tertul. contr. Marcion. 1. 2. c. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. 22 Pet. ii. 2.

cxxv. 5.

* Deut, xxxii. 4.

a Amos viii. 14. d Folio-Edition, p. 594.

y Jer. xii. 2. b Psalmxix. 8. c Psalm e Psalm cxix. 30. xxv. 12.