Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n
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A45570
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Wisdomes character and counterfeit deliniated in two sermons : the one on the epistle of St. James, chap. 3.17 ; the other on the gospel of St. Matth., chap. 2.8 / by Nath. Hardy.
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Hardy, Nathaniel, 1618-1670.
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1656
(1656)
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Wing H752; ESTC R30729
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44,444
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78
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VVISDOMES CHARACTER AND COUNTERFEIT Deliniated in two SERMONS The one on the Epistle of St. James chap. 3. 17. The other on the Gospel of St. Matth chap. 2. 8. By NATH HARDY Minister of Gods Word and Preacher to the Parish of St. Dionis Back-Church JOB 28. 28. Behold the feare of the Lord that is wisdome and to depart from evill is understanding PSAL. 111. 10. The feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisdome a good understanding have all they that doe his commandements his praise endureth for ever LONDON Printed by I. G. for John Clark and are to be sold at his Shop under St. Peters Church in Cornhil 1656. VVISDOMES CHARACTER OR THE QUEEN OF GRACES Set forth in a SERMON Preached at the Assizes holden at Aylesbury for the County of Buckingham on Friday March 21. Anno Dom. 1655. By NATH HARDY Minister of Gods Word and Preacher to the Parish of St. Dionis Back-Church PROV 4. 7. Wisdome is the principall thing therefore get Wisdome and with all thy getting get understanding Bern. Serm. 1. de Nativit Christi Sola quae ex Deo est sapientia Salutaris qua secundum B. Iacobi definitionem primum pudica deinde pacifica est nam sapentia carnis voluptuosa est non pudica sapientia mundi tumultuosa est non pacifica LONDON Printed by I. G. for John Clarke and are to be sold at his Shop under St. Peters Church in Cornhil 1656. TO THE VVORSHIPFULL GEORGE TASH Esq. High Sheriffe of the County of Buckingham The blessings of Wisdomes right and left hand SIR AT your command this small Barke was first launched into the River and is now put forth to Sea I know the season is perillous and perhaps she may meet with a contrary winde but her Anchor of truth will preserve her from sinking in the sharpest storme She is no man of Warre nor intends offence to any onely a Merchant Man designed to advance the spirituall traffique Her outside is plaine but her lading is rich The Commodities which she bringeth are the incomparable Jewell of Wisdome the Amber of Purity the Gold of Peace the Silkes of Gentlenesse and Tractablenesse the Oyl of Mercy all sorts of pretious Fruits the Diamonds of Impartiality Sincerity and these fetched not from the uttermost Indies or any places of the earth but the uppermost Heaven of Heavens To your Coast Honoured Sir she first putteth in not doubting the Harbour of a favourable protection since though I was the unskilfull Carpenter you are the Owner and besides you have a considerable share in her goods your prudent peaceable gentle mercifull just and upright conversation being evident to all who know you Onely give me leave Worthy Friend to advise that you would continue and encrease this Heavenly Trade True you have experienced through Divine Providence blessing your ingenious industry the advantage of traffiquing in those remoter parts of the World since your returne to your Native Countrey the same Providence hath found out for and conferred on you an invaluable Jewell a Consort decked with all Wisdoms Ornaments and by her hath blessed you with those pearles Children which no riches can purchase But in the midst of all these enjoyments forget not what Solomon saith of Wisdome The merchandise of it is better then the merchandise of Silver and the gain thereof then fine Gold she is more pretious then Rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her I have nothing more but to declare to the World how much I am engaged to your selfe and vertuous second self for Multiplied Courtesies To Supplicate the Great God for the accumulation of his mercies both celestiall and terrestriall on you and yours and subscribe my self Your most affectionate Servant NATH HARDY JAM 3. 17. But the wisdome that is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without Hypocrisie OF all graces none of more singular worth and universal extent then that of wisdome If you take the altitude of its dignity you shall finde that what the Sun is among the Planets and gold amongst the Mettalls the minde among the Faculties the sight among the Senses that is Prudence amongst Vertues Hence it is not unfitly called Cardinalium cardo the hinge upon which the other cardinall vertues turne giving rules to justice setting bounds to temperance putting the reynes upon fortitude yea it is the salt which giveth a seasoning to all our graces If you measure the amplitude of its utility you shall finde that it observeth all seasons ordereth all actions and regulateth us in all conditions Some graces are excellent in their nature but confined in their use Repentance to sinne Patience to affliction Gratitude to mercy Obedience to duty But this grace is that which subdueth corruption sustaineth affliction improveth mercy manageth duty In one word what the wise mans proverb saith of money may more fully be applyed to wisdome It answereth all things This Encomium might very well serve as a Proaemium both to justifie my choyce of and gaine your attention to my discourse upon this Scripture But besides both the goodnesse and fulnesse of this grace there is yet another consideration which may render it very acceptable at this time namely the fitnesse of it both to the occasion and persons The occasion of this present meeting you all know is to hold a grand Assizes for the righting of the injured punishing of offenders deciding of differences and redressing disorders in the County nor is there any grace more needfull to the accomplishing of these weighty workes then that of wisdome The persons to whom I am now to speak are of seveverall degrees offices vocations and no grace more useful for them all in their severall spheres then this of wisdome This was King Solomons choyce for himselfe and such a choyce as God highly approved of Give thy servant an understanding heart This was his Father Davids advice to all Kings and Judges of the earth Be wise and be instructed Finally this was Moses his wish for the people of Israel Oh that they were wise And surely then it cannot be unseasonable or unsuitable for me at this time to set before you this excellent description of Wisdome which our Apostle hath made to my hand in the words of my Text But the wisdome which is from above is first pure then peaceable c. The wise man speaking of Wisdome calleth her a tree of life and there is one word fruits in the Text which giveth a fit occasion of using that metaphor conceive then Wisdome here compared by our Apostle to a Tree whose root is not as other trees in Earth but Heaven in which respect to use the Philosophers expression concerning man she is arbor inversa a tree turned upwards her fruits are both wholsome and toothsome and those of severall sorts St. John saith of the
diuturnum paint is easily washed off and that which is fained must needs be fading besides this is a proper effect of wisdome that she is stedfast in her profession and maintenance of the Faith notwithstanding the greatest persecution she abhorreth the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Gnosticks who hold it an indifferent thing to forswear Christianity in time of persecution and therefore having chosen the way of truth she resolveth with David to stick to Gods Testimonies Indeed she is deliberate in her choice and will not fixe without just reason but she is no lesse resolute then deliberate and what she embraceth she retaineth Ut luna mutâ—ri to be changed as the Moon is the fools property whereas you may sooner stop the Sun in its course then divert the wise man from his pious purpose the one like the Ship is tossed up and down upon the Waves whilest the other is like the house that is built upon the rock unmoveable 2. Others conceive the sence of this word to be as much as sine disceptatione without disputing or as it is in the Margin without wrangling and thus it is a truth Divine wisdome though she will admit of calme debates yet she is an enemy to brawling disputes as being fully assured that jangling Controversies tend not to edification nay for the most part end in contention and confusion 3. Some render the word by absque dijudicatione and so it lets us see a speciall propertie of wisdome to abhor rash judging and impetuous condemning of others it is one of those three things which wisdome hateth as destructive to humane society odious comparisons malicious contradictions and censorious judging Indeed she is not to use Saint Bernards ex pression Aut curtosus explorator aut temerarâ—us â—udex either a curious inquirer into other mens faults or a captious censurer of their actions a fool is easily induced to condemn all besides himselfe but a wise man is loath to condemn any but himselfe he hath so much to doe at home that he hath no leisure to look abroad and when he seeth any thing amisse he resolveth to judge the best he can yea though he cannot but censure the sin yet he dareth not passe at least a finall sentence upon the person 4. Once more Our Translators read the word as if it signified sine discretione without partiality by having respect of and putting a difference between persons This is that which is directly contrarious to charity and equity no wonder if it be odious to wisdome Indeed there is a different respect of persons which civility requireth and prudence alloweth namely a reverence of men according to their place and dignity but that respect of persons which floweth from partiality and consists in aggravating or excusing faults extolling or extenuating vertues according to the qualification of the person this she abhorreth And hence it is she dareth not take part with what is evill in a friend no not in her selfe nor yet despise what is good in another no not in an enemy she will not commend sin or errour in the greatest no nor yet the holiest nor will she condemn truth and vertue in the meanest or the wickedst In this notion that expression of S. Bernard concerning obedience may not unfitly be made use of concerning wisdome she is Indiscreta licet prudentissima indiscrect though most prudent and as that puts no difference between commands so neither this between persons Taking the word in this sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is fitly joyned with it since wisdome is therefore without partiality because without Hypocrisie Indeed partiality is the Daughter of Pride and Hypocrisie Pride ever looketh at a mans own party with favour and at the opposites either with envy if they be above or scorne if they be below and how can such a man choose but be partiall Hypocrisie looketh upon it selfe and party in a flattering upon the opposites in a disfiguring glasse baulketh beames in its owne and spyeth motes in anothers eye no wonder if it be partiall â—ut wisdome being both humble and upright will not admit this mischievous vice of partiality to dwell with her If you please put the two last constructions of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 together and read it without partiall judging That charge which Saint Paul layeth upon Timothy may well strike all both Civill and Ecclesiasticall Gevernors with awe I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus and the elect Angels that thou observe these things without preferring one before another doing nothing by partiality and no grace more requisite to the fulfilling of this charge then wisdome This it is which teacheth a Judge both to have eyes and no eyes whilest she furnisheth him with eyes to see and discerne the cause and yet closeth up his eyes that he cannot behold the persons All sinfull respect of persons in Judging floweth from some sinister affection especially those of carnall pitty or carnall feare the one saith he is a poor man the other saith he is a great man and so the current of Justice is stopt but Wisdome is an excellent bridle of all carnall and corrupt affeâ—tions and so enableth to discerne and judge aright between person person laying aside all externall respects 8. Finally â—hat which is asserted in the close concerning wisdome is that she is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without Hypocrisie â—he Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is properly used de histrionibus of Stage-Players and indeed a Stage-Player is a fi embleme of an Hypocrite especially in two things both which wisdome abhorreth 1. A Stage Player puts on the Shapes of severall persons and callings according to the part he is to act so doth an Hypocrite take upon him severall formes according to those times he lives in and indeed this he accounts his policy to sayle with every winde and Proteus like to transforme himselfe into any shape as occasion requireth But true wisdome though she be a Time-observer is no time server her figure is not round but square and her Motto Semper eadem alwayes the same 2. A Stage-Player seemeth to be what he is not he appeareth oft times as a Lord a King when he is but a Servant a Beggar so doth the Hypocrite personate himselfe a Saint when he is a Devill a friend when he is an enemy and indeed he applauds himselfe in this his subtilty to thinke how he deludeth the vulgar and with his fayned shâ—wes carryeth his designes but Divine wisdome accounts Sincerity the onely true policy and Hypocrisie a meer folly Indeed she sometimes forbeareth to shew her selfe what she is namely when on the one hand Danger threatneth and on the other Religion requireth not an open Declaration of her selfe but she never doth or dareth to shew her selfe what she is not she well knoweth that the Hypocrite though he may cozen the dim sighted world yet he cannot delude Gods piercing eye that whilest