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for opportunity thereby of humane prudential confiderations, which otherwife by hafte and precipitance in Actions or Words would be loft; and it habituates the Mind to a temper, of Caution, Advertence, and confideration in matters as well of fmaller as of greater moment, and fo make a wife, attentive, and confiderate Man.

7. It mightily advanceth and improveth the worth and excellency of most bumane Actions in the World, and makes them a nobler kind of a thing than otherwife without it they would be. Take a Man that is employed as a Statesman or Politician, though he have much wisdom and prudence, it commonly degenerates into craft, and cunning, and pitiful fhuffling, without the Fear of God: but mingle the Fear of Almighty God with that kind of Wisdom, it renders it noble, and generous, and ftaid, and honeft, and stable. Again a Man that is much acquainted with the fubtiler kind of Learning, as Philofophy for Inftance, without the Fear of God upon his Heart, it will carry him over to pride, arrogance, felf-conceit, curiofity, prefumption: but mingle it with the Fear of God, it will ennoble that knowledge, carry it up to the honour and glory of that God that is the Author of Nature, to the admiration of his Power, Wisdom, and Goodnefs; it will keep him humble, modeft, fober, and yet rather with an advance than detriment to his knowledge. Take a Man induftrious in his Calling, without the fear of God with it, he becomes a drudge to worldly ends, vexed when difap. pointed, overjoyed in fuccefs: mingle but the fear of God with it, it will not abate his induftry but fweeten it; if he profper he is thankful to God that gives him power to get Wealth; if he mifcarry he is patient under the will and difpenfation of the God he fears; it turns the very employment of his calling to a kind of religious duty and exercife of his Religion, without damage or detriment to it.

8. The Fear of God is certainly the greatest Wisdom, because it renders the Mind full of tranquility, and evenness in all ftates and conditions; for he looks up to the great great Lord of the Heavens and Earth, confiders what he commands and requires, remembers that he obferves and eyes all men; knows that his Providence governs all things, and this

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keeps him still even and fquare without any confiderable alteration, whatever his condition is. Is he rich, profperous, great? yet he continues fafe, because he continues humble, watchful, advertent, left he fhould be deceived and tranfported; and he is careful to be the more thankful, and the more watchful because the command of his God, and the nature of his condition requires it: Is he poor, neglected, unfuccefsful? yet he remains ftill patient, humble, contented, thankful, dependent upon the God he fears. And furely every man muft needs agree, that fuch a man is a wifer man than he who is ever changed and transported with his condition; that if he be rich or powerful, there is nothing more vain, proud, infolent than he; and again let his condition become poor, low, defpifed, there is nothing under Heaven more defpondent, difpirited, heartlefs, difcontented and tortured than fuch a Man: and all for the want of the Fear of Almighty God, which being once put into the Heart, like the Tree put by Mofes into the Waters, cures the diförder and uneafinefs of all conditions.

9. In as much as the true Fear of God is always mingled with the knowledge of the Will of God, and that Will is contained most fully in his written word, it must needs be that a man that truly fears the Lord, and instructed in the Word of God, the Precepts thereof muft needs be deeply digefted into his Mind. Now as this Word is the Word of the ever-wife God, and therefore certainly must be fuil of moft wife directions: So let any man but impartially and deeply confider the Precepts contained in the Word of God, he hall affuredly find the best directions in the World for all kind of moral and divine Wildom: And I do confidently fay, that in all other Books of Morality there are not fo found, deep, certain, evident Inftruction of Wif dom (yet molt ftrictly joyned with Innocence and Goodnefs) as there are in this one Book, as would be eafily demonftrable even to a reasonable judgment; but this is too large a Theme for this place.

io. But befides all this, there is yet a fecret, but a most certain truth, that highly improveth that Wisdom, which,

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the Fear of the Lord bringeth, and that is this, That thofe that truly Fear God have a Secret Guidance from a higher Wisdom than what is barely humane; namely, by the Spirit of Truth and Wisdom, that doth really and truly, but fecretly prevent and direct them. And let no man think that this is a piece of Fanaticifin. Any man that fincerely and truly fears Almighty God, relies upon him, calls upon him for his guidance and direction, hath it as really as the Son hath the counfel and direction of his Father: And though the Voice be not audible, nor the direction always perceptible to fenfe, yet is equally as real as if a man heard the Voice saying, This is the way, walk in it: And this fecret direction of Almighty God is principally feen in matters relating to the good of the Soul; but it may also be found in the great and momentous concerns of this life, which a good man, that fears God and begs his direction, fhall very often,if not at all times find. 2 Befides this direction, a good man, fearing God, fhall find His Blessing upon him. It is true that the portion of men fearing God is not in this Life; oftentimes he meets with croffes, afflictions and troubles in it, his portion is of a higher and more excellent ftate and condition than this Life; yet a man that fears God hath alfo his bleffing in this Life, even in relation to his very temporal condition: For either his honeft and juft intentions and endeavours are bleffed with fuccefs and comfort; or if they be not, yet even his croffes and difappointments are turned into a Bleffing; for they make him more humble and less esteeming this prefent World, and fetting his Heart upon a better, Rom. 8. 28. For it is an everlasting Truth, That all things fhall work together for the best to them that love and fear Almighty God,and therefore certainly such a man is the wisest man.

11. But yet farther; Certainly it is one of the greatest evidences of Wisdom to provide for the future, and to provide for those things for the future that are of greateft moment, importance and ufe. Upon this account.the Wife Man, Prov. 30. 25. admires the wisdom of the Ant, that little Creature, that yet provides his meat in Summer; and we esteem it the Folly of Children and Prodigals in

this, that they have no profpect for the future how they fhall fubfift hereafter. Now the wisdom of man that feareth God difcovereth it felf in this, that it provides and lays up a good and safe ftore for the future, and that in relpect of these three kinds of futurities. 1. For the future part of his Life: 2. For the future evil Days: 3. For the future life that is to take place after this present, fhort uncertain, and tranfitory Life.

1. In refpect of the future time of his Life. It is true our Lives in this World are but fhort at beft, and together with that fhortnefs, they are very uncertain. But yet the Man fearing God makes a due and fafe Provifion for that future Portion of his Life, how fhort or how long foever it be. 1. By a conftant walking in the Fear of God, he tranfmits to the future part of his Life, a quiet, ferene, and fair Confcience, and avoids thofe evil Fruits and Confequences which a finful Life produceth, even in the after-time of Man's Life: The Bruifes and Hurts we receive in Youth, are many times more painful in Age than when we first received them. Our Lives are like Husbandmen's Seedtime; if we fow evil Seeds in the time of our Youth, it may be they may live five, ten, or more Years before they come up to a full Crop, and poffibly then we tafte the fruit of those evil Ways, in an unquiet Mind or Confcience, or fome other four Effects of that evil Seed. All this Inconveniency a Man fearing God prevents, and inftead thereof reaps a pleafing and comfortable Fruit of his walk in the Fear of God; namely, a quiet Confcience, and an even, settled, peaceable Soul. 2. But befides this, by this means he keeps his Intereft in, and Peace with Almighty God, and makes fure of the beft Friend in the World for the after-time of his Life, to whom he is fure to have access at all Times and upon all Occafions with Comfort and Acceptance; for it is an infallible Truth,That God Almighty never forfakes any Man that for fakes not him first. The Second Futurity is the future evil Day, which will moft certainly overtake every Man, either the Day of feeble and decrepit Age or the Day of Sicknefs, or the Day of Death; and against all those the true Fear of God makes

a fafe and excellent Provifion: So that although he may not avoid them, he may have a comfortable Paffage through them; and in the midft of all these black Clouds, the witnefs of a good Confcience fearing God, and the evidence of the Divine Favour will fhine into the Soul like a bright Sun with Comfort, when a Man fhall be able with Hezekiah, Ifa. 38. 3. to, appeal to Almighty God, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and in uprightness of Heart, and have done that which was good in thy fight: This will be a Cordial under the Faintnefs of old Age, a Relief under the Pains of Sickness, and Cure of the Fear of Death it felf, which to fuch a Soul will be only a Gate and Paffage to a Life that will be free from all Pains and Infirmities, a Life of Glory and Immortality.

3. The Third Futurity is the Life and State after Death. Moft certain it is, that fuch a State there will be, and that it is but of two Kinds a State of everlafting Happiness, or a State of everlafting Mifery; and that all Men in the World do moft certainly belong to one of thefe two States or Conditions: And as it is moft juft and equal, so it is moft true, that they that truly fear God, and obey him through Jefus Chrift. fhall be Partakers of that everlasting State of Bieffednefs and immortal Happinefs: And on the other fide, they that reject the Fear of God, contemn and difobey his Will, fhall, without true Repentance, be subject to a State of everlafting Mifery. Now herein the truest and greatest Wisdom of a Man appears that he duly provides against the latter, and to obtain the former; all other Wisdom of Men, either to get humane Learning, Wealth, Honour, Power, all Wifdom of Statefmen and Politicians in Comparison of this Wifdom, is but vain and trivial. And this is the Wildom that the Fear of God teacheth and bringeth with it into the Soul: 1. It provides against the greateft of Evils, the everlafting ftate of Mifery, and Infelicity, and eternal Death: 2. It provides for, and attains an everlafting eftate of Bleffednefs and Happinefs, of Reft and Peace, of Glory and Immortality, and eterna' Life; a ftate of that Happiness and Glory that exceeds Expreffion and Apprehenfion; for Eye bath not fein, nor

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