But let us not deceive ourselves; we may defer the business so long, 'till we shall get nothing by our late application to GOD, and crying to him, "LORD, "LORD, open unto us," but that severe answer, "depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, I know

ye not whence ye are." If we would not have this our doom, let us "firft feek the kingdom of "God, and his righteousness;" that fo, "having "our fruit unto holinefs, our end may be everlast"ing life."

SERMON

XCVI.

The wisdom of religion.

PSA L. CXIX. 96.

I have feen an end of all perfection; but thy commandment is exceeding broad.

T

XCVI.

HIS pfalm feems to have a great deal more SER M. of poetical number and skill in it, than at this distance from the time and age in which it was written, we can easily understand: the main scope and defign of it is very plain and obvious; namely, to magnify the law of GOD, and the obfervation of its precepts, as that wherein true religion doth mainly confist. And indeed if we attentively read and confider it, every part of this pfalm does with great variety of expreffion, and yet very little difference of the fenfe, defcant upon the fame ground, viz. the excellency and perfection of the law of God. And the words of the text feem to be as full and

com

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SER M. comprehenfive of the fenfe and defign of the whole pfalm, as any one fentence in it; "I have feen an "end of all perfection, but thy commandment is "exceeding broad."

These words are variously rendred, and understood by interpreters, who yet in this variety do very much confpire and agree in the fame fenfe. The chaldee paraphrafe renders the words thus, "I have feen an "end of all things, about which I have employed my care; but thy commandment is very large." The Syriac verfion thus, "I have seen an end of all "regions and countries" (that is, I have found the compafs of this habitable world to be finite and limited)" but thy commandment is of a vast extent.' Others explain it thus, "I have feen an end of all perfection," that is, of all the things of this world, which men value and efteem at fo high a rate; of all worldly wisdom and knowledge, of wealth and honour, and greatness, which do all perish and país away; "but thy law is eternal, and still abideth "the fame;" or, as the fcripture elsewhere expreffeth it, "the word of the LORD endureth for ever."

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Thy law; that is, the rule of our duty natural and revealed; or, in a word, religion, which confists in the knowledge and practice of the laws of God, is of greater perfection, than all other things which are fo highly valued in this world: for the perfection of it is infinite, and of a vast influence and extent; it reacheth to the whole man, to the happiness of body and foul, to our whole duration both in this world, and the next, of this life, and of that which is to come. And this will clearly appear, if we confider the reasonableness and the wisdom of religion, which

confifts

confifts in the knowledge of GoD, and the keeping S ER M. of his laws.

First, the reasonableness of religion, which is able to give a very good account of itself, because it fettles the mind of man upon a firm basis, and keeps it from rolling in perpetual uncertainty; whereas atheism and infidelity wants a ftable foundation, it centers no where but in the denial of GoD and religion, and yet fubftitutes no principle, no tenable and conftituent fcheme of things in the place of them; its whole business is to unravel all things, to unfettle the mind of man, and to fhake all the common notions and received principles of mankind; it bends its whole force to pull down and to deftroy, but lays no foundation to build any thing upon, in the stead of that which it pulls down.

It runs upon that great abfurdity which Ariftotle (who was always thought a great mafter of reason) does every where decry, as a principle unworthy of a philofopher; namely, a progrefs of caufes in infinitum, and without end; that this was the cause of that, and a third thing of that, and so on without end, which amounts to juft nothing; and finally refolves an infinite number of effects into no firft caufe; than which nothing can be more unskilful and bungling, and lefs worthy of a philofopher. But this I do not intend at present to infift upon, having treated largely on the fame fubject upon another occafion. I fhall therefore proceed in the

Second place, to confider the wisdom of religion, "the fear of the LORD is wifdom," fo faith the pfalmift; it is true wifdom indeed, it is "the begin* Vide Sermon 1ft, of the first Volume published by the Author.

XCVI.

SERM." ning of wisdom," caput fapientiæ, the top and XCVI. perfection of all wisdom. Here true wifdom begins,

and upon this foundation it is raised and carried on to perfection; and I fhall in my following difcourse endeavour to make out these two things.

First, that true wisdom begins and is founded in religion, in the fear of GOD, and in the keeping of his commandments.

Secondly, that this is the perfection of wisdom; there is no wisdom without this, nor beyond it.

Firft, true wisdom begins and is founded in religion, and the fear of GOD, and regard to his laws. This is the first principle of wisdom, and the foundation upon which the whole design of our happiness is to be built. This is in the first place to be fuppofed, and to be taken into confideration in all the defigns and actions of men: this is to govern our whole life, and to have a main influence upon all the affairs and concernments of it. As the first principle of human fociety, and that which is to run through the whole frame of it, is the publick good; this was always to be taken into confideration, and to give law to all laws and constitutions about it: fo religion is the first principle of human wisdom, by which all our actions are to be conducted and governed; and all wisdom which does not begin here, and lay religion for its foundation, is prepofterous, and begins at the wrong end; and is just as if in the forming of human fociety, every one in the fettlement of the conftitution, and the framing of laws, should have an eye to his own private and particular advantage, without regard to the publick good, which is the great end of fociety, and the rule and measure of government and laws,

and

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and in the last iffue and refult of things, the only S ERM. way to procure the settled welfare, and to fecure the lafting interests of particular perfons, so far as that is confiftent with the publick good. And it would be a very prepofterous policy to go about to found human fociety upon any other terms, and would certainly end in mifchief and confufion.

And fuch is all the wifdom of men, in relation to their true happiness, which does not begin with religion, and lay its foundation there: which does not take into confideration GoD and his providence, and a future ftate of rewards and punishments after this life. All wisdom which does not proceed upon a fuppofition of the truth and reality of these principles, will certainly end in shame and disappointment, in mifery and ruin; because it builds a house upon the fand, which when it comes to be tried by ftrefs of weather, and affaulted by violent ftorms, will undoubtedly fall, and the fall of it will be great.

And this error every man commits, who pursues happiness by following his own inclination, and gratifying his irregular defires, without any confideration of GOD, and of the restraint which his laws have laid upon us, not for his own pleasure, but for our good. For when all things are duly confidered, and all accounts caft up, it will appear upon a juft calculation of things, that all the restraints which the laws of GOD lay upon men, are highly reasonable, and greatly for their benefit and advantage, and do not abridge us of any true pleasure or happiness; but are wife and merciful provifions of heaven, to prevent our harm and mifchief; fo that we are not wife, if we act without regard to GOD, and his laws, and are

not