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without this progressive wisdom; nor progress in wisdom and the true knowledge of God, without fruitfulness.

The reason of the former is this; because wisdom so directs the operation of virtue as sight does the walking faculty. Take away sight, and no one can walk aright; take away wisdom, and he can not be fruitful as he ought. For that action is bad which is not directed by knowledge, although it belong to the class of the good. And the reason of the latter is, because the desire and the practice of holiness is, by the divine economy, a certain preparation for obtaining more abundant knowledge from God; and on the other hand, the neglect of holiness and good works, is the cause why God inflicts spiritual blindness, and gives men over to a reprobate mind. I understand more than the ancients, says the Psalmist, because I keep thy precepts. "Into a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter; nor dwell in the body which is subject to sin." Wisdom i. 4. Because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, their foolish heart was darkened, and God delivered them over to a reprobate mind. Rom i. 21, 28. As therefore from true knowledge, arises the study of holiness and the practice of good works; so again from this fruitfulness knowledge itself takes a new increase: as also from ignorance arises an abandoned life; so again, from this abandoned life, ignorance and spiritual stupidity are increased.

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ALL the rules of equity and charity among men flow from a higher principle, and depend upon it; and there is no right observing of them without due regard to that: therefore this word, which expresses that principle of obedience, is fitly inserted among these rules; the first obligation of man being to the sovereign majesty of God who made him, and all the mutual duties of one to another being derived from that. A man may indeed, from moral principles, be of a mild, inoffensive carriage, and do civil right to all men; but this answers not the divine rule even in these same things, after the way that it requires them. The spiritual and religious observance of these duties toward men, springs from a respect to God, and terminates there too; it be

gins and ends in him. And generally, all obedience to his commands, both such as regulate our behavior toward himself immediately, and such as relate to man, doth arise from a holy fear of his name. Therefore this fear of God, upon which follows necessarily the keeping of his commandments, is given us by Solomon as the total sum of man's business and duty, and so, the way to solid happiness: he pronounces it the whole of man. After he had made his discoveries of all things besides under the sun, gone the whole circuit, and made an exact valuation, he found all besides this to amount to nothing but vanity and vexation of spirit. The account he gives of all other things, was only for this purpose, to illustrate and establish this truth the more, and to make it the more acceptable; to be a repose after so much weariness, and such a tedious journey, and so, as he speaks, a word of delight as well as a word of truth; that mind might sit down and quiet itself in this, from the turmoil and pursuit of vanity, that keep it busy to no purpose in all other things. But whereas there was emptiness and vanity, that is, just nothing, in all other things, there was not only something to be found, but every thing in this one, this fear of God, and that keeping of his commandments, which is the proper fruit of that fear. All the repeated declaring of vanity in other things, both severally and altogether in that book, are but so many strokes to drive and fasten this nail, this word of wisdom, which is the sum of all, and contains all the rest.

Under this fear is comprehended all religion, both inward and outward, all the worship and service of God, and all the observance of his commandments, which is in Eccl. xii. and elsewhere expressly joined with it, and therefore is included in it, when it is not expressed. So Job, To depart from evil is understanding; The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil, that is understanding. It hath in it all holiness and obedience, they grow all out of it. It is the beginning, and it is the top or consummation of wisdom, for the word signifies both.

Think it not, then, a trivial, common matter to speak or hear of this subject; but take it as our great lesson and business here on earth. The best proficients in it have yet need to learn it better, and it requires our incessant diligence and study all our days.

This fear hath in it chiefly these things: 1. A reverential

esteem of the majesty of God, which is a main, fundamental thing in religion, and moulds the heart most powerfully to the obedience of his will. 2. A firm belief of the purity of God, and of his power and justice, that he loves holiness, and hates all sin, and can and will punish it. 3. A right apprehension of the bitterness of his wrath, and the sweetness of his love; that his incensed anger is the most terrible and intolerable thing in the world, absolutely the most fearful of all evils; and, on the other hand, his love, of all good things the best, the most blessed and delightful, yea, the only blessedness. Life is the name of the sweetest good we know, and yet, his loving-kindness is better than life, says David. 4. It supposes, likewise, sovereign love to God, for his own excellency and goodness. 5. From all these springs a most earnest desire to please him in all things, and an unwillingness to offend him in the least; and because of our danger through the multitude and strength of temptations, and our own weakness, a continual self-suspicion, a holy fear lest we should sin, a care and watchfulness that we sin not, and deep sorrow, and speedy returning and humbling before him when we have sinned.

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But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits.-1 Cor. xv. 23.

CHRIST is the first fruits; he is already risen from the dead: for he alone could not be held by death. "Free among the dead." Death was sin's eldest daughter, and the grave-clothes were her first mantle; but Christ was conqueror of both, and came to take that away, and disarm this. This was a glory fit for the Head of mankind, but it was too great and too good to be easily believed by incredulous and weak-hearted men. It was at first doubted by all that were concerned; but they that saw it had no reason to doubt any longer. But what is that to us, who saw it not? Yes, very much: "They doubted very much, that by their confirmation, we might be established, and doubt no more," saith St. Austin. Mary Magdalene saw him first, and she ran with joy, and said she had seen the Lord, and that he was risen from the dead; but they believed her not ;-After that, divers women together saw him," and they told it, but had no

thanks for their pains, and obtained no credit among the disciples: the two disciples that went to Emmaus saw him, talked with him, ate with him, and they ran and told it: they told true, but nobody believed them: then St. Peter saw him, but he was not yet got into the chair of the catholic church, they did not think him infallible, and so they believed him not at all. Five times in one day he appeared; for after all this he appeared to the eleven; they were indeed transported with joy and wonder; but they would scarce believe their own eyes, and though they saw him, they doubted. Well, all this was not enough; he was seen also of James, and suffered Thomas to thrust his hand into his side, and appeared to St. Paul, and was seen by "five hundred brethren at once." So that there is no capacity of mankind, no time, no place, but had an ocular demonstration of his resurrection. He appeared to men and women, to the clergy and the laity, to sinners of both sexes; to weak men and to criminals, to doubters and deniers, at home and abroad, in public and in private, in their houses and in their journeys, unexpected and by appointment, betimes in the morning and late at night, to them in conjunction and to them in dispersion, when they did look for him, and when they did not; he appeared upon earth to many, and to St. Paul and St. Stephen from heaven; so that we can require no greater testimony than all these are able to give us; and they saw for themselves, and for us too, that the faith and certainty of the resurrection of Jesus might be conveyed to all that shall die, and follow Christ in their own order.

Now this being matter of fact, can not be supposed infinite, but limited to time and place, and, therefore, to be proved by them who, at that time, were upon the place; good men and true, simple and yet losers by the bargain, many and united, confident and constant, preaching it all their life, and stoutly maintaining it at their death; men that would not deceive others, and men that could not be deceived themselves, in a matter so notorious, and so proved, and so seen. And if this be not sufficient credibility in a matter of fact, as this was, then we can have no story credibly transmitted to us, no records kept, no acts of courts, no narratives of the days of old, no traditions of our fathers, no memorials of them in the third generation. Nay, if from these we have not sufficient causes and arguments of faith, how shall we be able to know the will of heaven upon

earth? unless God do not only tell it once, but always, and not only always to some men, but always to all men. For if some men must believe others, they can never do it in any thing more reasonably than in this; and if we may not trust them in this, then, without a perpetual miracle, no man could have faith; for faith could never come by hearing, by nothing but seeing. But if there be any use of history, any faith in men, any honesty in manners, any truth in human intercourse; if there be any use of apostles or teachers, of embassadors or letters, of ears or hearing; if there be any such thing as the grace of faith, that is less than demonstration or intuition; then we may be as sure that Christ, the first-fruits, is already risen, as all these credibilities can make us. But let us take heed; as God hates a lie, so he hates incredulity; an obstinate, a foolish, and pertinacious understanding. What we do every minute of our lives, in matters of little and great concernment, if we refuse to do it in religion, which yet is to be conducted, as all human affairs are, by human instruments, and arguments of persuasion proper to the nature of the thing, it is an obstinacy as cross to human reason, as it is to Divine faith.

But this article was so clearly proved, that presently it came to pass that men were no longer ashamed of the cross, but it was worn upon breasts, printed in the air, drawn upon foreheads, carried upon banners, put upon crowns imperial; presently it came to pass that the religion of the despised Jesus did infinitely prevail; a religion that taught men to be meek and humble, apt to receive injuries, but unapt to do any; a religion that gave countenance to the poor and pitiful, in a time when riches were adored, and ambition and pleasure had possessed the heart of all mankind; a religion that would change the face of things, and the hearts of men, and break vile habits into gentleness and counsel; that such a religion, in such a time, by the sermons and conduct of fishermen, men of mean breeding and illiberal arts, should so speedily triumph over the philosophy of the world, and the arguments of the subtle, and the sermons of the eloquent, the power of princes and the interests of states, the inclinations of nature and the blindness of zeal, the force of custom and the solicitation of passions, the pleasures of sin and the busy arts of the devil; that is, against wit and power, superstition and willfulness, fame and money, nature and empire, which

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