answer v. 16.17 They answered and said to the King O King we are not careful to answer thee in this matter If it â—e soâ—our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thy hand O King but if not be it known unto thee O King we will not serve thy Gods nor worship thy golden Image which thou hast set up as if they had saâ—d we know the worst of it it is death and we are â—oâ— sollicâ—tons to avoid the penalty of this Law we are not careful to answer thee in this matter this is the preface or exordium The substance of their answer consisteth in two things 1. Their submission to the will of God for their deliverance from the fiery furnace wherein they assert the power of God who was able to do it vers 17. In answer to the King who said who is able to deliver out of my hand If it be so 2. Their full resolution notwithstanding though God in his wisdom should see it meet not to deliver them yet to keep close to God not to fall into so fowl a sin though they were thrown into a fiery furnace Be it known unto thee O King we will not Worship thy Gods c. So Daniel would justifie God in his Worship in the most stormy times who with a most holy resolution opposed the Kings Decree the malice of the Nobles and the severity of the Kings punishment all these could not draw him from praying to his God Dan. 6.10 When there was great dispute who Christ should be and some said John Baptist others Elias others Jeremias others one of the Old Prophets Peter resolves the doubt Thou art Christ the son of the living God Matth. 16.14 16. As men at this day some say the holiness of Christ is niceness others preciseness others faction others Singularity but what do the children of wisdom say it is the life of the Son of God CHAP. IV. In the prosecution of this point I will first shew how men are said to justifie wisdom 1. LEt us consider how we justifie God in Christ take it in that acception 1. When we adore and to astonishment admire the unsearchable wisdom of God in the contrivance of the way of Salvation in and by Christ discovered in the gospel Gods wisdom is admirable in all his works in his creatures O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all Psal 104.24 In the formation of man in the womb of his mother in all his providential courses there are unsearchable depths of wisdom but now in contriving of mans Salvation by Christ this is the choicest part of Gods wisdom the Apostle cries O the depth S. Paul cries out Great is the Mystery of Godliness God manifest in the flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The Angels admire this manifold wisdom of God they desire to peep or pry into it 1 Pet. 1.12 None but infinite wisdom could find out such a course as could non plus men and Angels a way for the satisfaction of infinite justice and yet for the glorifying of infinite mercy here is infinite merit yet infinite free-grace 2. We justifie Christ the wisdom of the Father when we take him to be the Lord our Righteousness denying the best things in our selves Herein the Pharisees and moral men reject Christ and the children of wisdom embrace him S. Paul by his own confession Phil. 3.7 8. was a Singular Pharisee touching the righteousnes of the Law blameless yet he willingly threw away the mantle of his legal obedience and wrâ—pt himself up â—nâ— the garments of ChrisTs righteousness Christ without good works justifies believers the righteousnest which is by faith not that which is by the Law A man trusting to his good works is like a naked body wrapt up â—n a net where every one may plainly see his Nakedness God seeth the nakedness of Pharisees through their praying and fasting and Almsgiving to trust to any thing but to God in Christ is to deny not to justifie wisdom it is to patch up salvation to put an old piece to new garments and so make the rent the worse How many ways do Papists reject not justifie Christ all their distrâ—ctions cannot salve it to run to other sacrifices and not to rest in Christs Sacrifice this is not to justifie Christ to run to the Saints and not to Christ is not to justifie Christ but to deny him to be the only Mediatour to Intercession to make a conjunction between Christs merits and ours that he must do a part and we must merit the rest this is not to justifie Christ as a perfect Redeemer this is to deny Christ to be the only way to life eternal and the only door at which the righteous enter in We may joyn to these moral men that content themselves with a negative holiness and empty heartless duties who have as Luther speaks a Pope in their belly and go no farther for Righteonsness and Salvation than their own duties this is to deny Christ not to justifie him such men make a Christ of all their performances of their outward restrained holiness and put all together make a justifying Christ of these menstruous raggs But the children of Wisdom cry out None but Christs Righteousness As the spirit answered the Exorcists commanding them to come sorth Jesus I know and Paul I know but who are ye Act. 19.15 So do all the children of wisdom say in point of justification Jesus I know and his righteousness I know but as for duties good works and merits who are ye Remember this that our Saviour only not our obedience can enable us to stand before the justice of God the Children of Wisdom cry out to Christ To whâ—m shall we go Thou hast the words of Eternal Life 3. VVhen we yield to Christ our entire obedience this is to justifie VVisdom VVe then justifie him to be a King and set him upon the throne of D vid his Father as it is Psal 2.12 Kiss the son lest he be angry by our submissive Kiss of Faith Obedience and Love we acknowledge Christ to be the Son of God and King of his people VVhen Great Emperours and Noble Kings held Popes Styrrups and kissed the Popes Feet in token of Obedience unto his Unholy Holiness they then Professed Obedience to Anti-christ and exalted him in the place of God Then do we set up Christ in his own place when Kings Elders and People do cast down their Crowns before the throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive Honour and Glory and Power Rev. 4.12 There are two things in it first their professed Subjection to Christ in ascribing to him his tribute of Glory and Honour 2. Their justification of Christ Thou art worthy O Lord of all Glory c. This is more than the Pharisees would do they would not kiss the Son of God but blasphemed him opposed him
Religion and holiness that they so slightly esteem it as unpleasant and unprofitable If there were folly in Wisdom if any thing unworthy a mans praise imitation love and liking there were some shew of Shrinking from it but who can charge the wisdom of God with folly who can espy spots or darkness in the Sun who can espy blame in Gods holiness or errour in his most glorious truth The Ephesians could stand for their Diana the Philistines for Baal zebub the God of Ekron wicked men can stand for their Lusts Worldlings for Mammon Hereticks can stand for their Errours and shall God have none in all the world to stand for him and justifie heavenly Wisdom CHAP. IX Use 1 THe first use of this point may be for terrour to all Pharisaical and other profane persons who condemn the wisdom of God himself preferring their own folly their lusts and ways above the wisdom of the only wise God their own righteousness above the righteousness of Christ himself Was there ever such an impiety heard of that men should sit like Judges and condemn God the the just Judge of all the world Christ the merciful Saviour the Holiness and Religion of Christ Innocence it self Here I will shew how moral and profane men do condemn wisdom 1. When men justifie themselves by their good works their civility their legal righteousness The Scribes and Pharisees were the Peevish Children that would neither dance nor mourn after John and Christ these did and all Moral men do condemn the wisdom of God in saving man by the righteousness of Jesus Christ this is to depose Christ and to set the Crown of Salvation upon their heads making themselves their own Saviours their menstruous clothes more glorious than the Robe of Christs righteousness their fig-leaves more than the garments of salvation which God hath made for them and put Christ out of his Office making a Christ of themselves what blaspemy is it of the Papists who place the Virgin Mary above Christ and most blasphemously pray to her to command her Son to do this or that for them Thou Mother of God command thy Son to hear me There is the like blasphemy found in the hearts of all civil moral men they do place their righteousness above Christs righteousness as if that should command God to open the gates of righteousness that they may enter in thereat O vain men be proud of your own folly and wrap your selves up in your rags and build as high a tower of duties as you can and lay stone upon stone duty upon duty good work upon good work the day is coming when God will justifie this wisdom and tumble you headlong O ye self-justitiaries with all your righteousness into hell your Tower of duties will be but a Babel of eternal confusion and not one stone not one duty shall be left upon another that shall not be a very abomination of desolation 2. We condemn wisdom when we backslide from our professed Religion abjure Christ in his truth set up errour instead of truth or follow profaness and embrace the world in stead of holiness and embracing Christ Is not this a justifying of profaness a justifying of errour and of the world and a condemning of Christ's Religion truth and holiness Now consider 1. This is an upbraiding of Christ as if he were not bountiful enough to engage the hearts of men to follow him as if Great Diana of the Ephesians were far more excellent than the Lord or the Jews Queen of Heaven were better than the blessed God of Heaven 2. It is an upbraiding of his truth as if the traditions of Scribes and Pharisees the vain janglings and disputes and errours of corrupt minds were better than the Oracles of God and the Counsels of God displayed in his word in justifying the errours and traditions of men what do we but condemn the Wisdom of God for foolishness it self yea my Brethren Backsliders do the greatest mischief in the world they do not only condemn Christ and Religion themselves but as the Scribes and Pharisees did suborn false witnesses to accuse him So backsliders do suborn others to condemn Christ and Religion they harden their hearts against Christ and his ways There are many in hell perhaps O Thou backslider that curse thee for their condemnation they had not spoken evil of Religion nor condemned godliness as they did had it not been for thy Apostacy 3. We condemn Christ when we will not suffer him to rule and reign over us as King and Lord when we draw away our neck from the yoke of his holy and righteous Law We put a Kingly Crown upon the head of Christ when we obey him and suffer our whole man to be ruled by his Spirit according to his word but disobedience is a deposing of Christ a depriving him of his Kingly Crown VVe will have no King but Caesar said the wicked Jews when Pilate condemned Christ to die and profane men cry we will have no King but our Lusts or the Devil rather our Lusts are his Law our fulfilling them is subjection and obedience to him Oh how many are there that perform one part of obedience to God and think that enough If they have some shew of godliness it is without justice and honesty they have no care of their word and promise if they have honesty it is without piety they make no conscience of prayer in their closet nor in their family they can dispence with it a week a month or two perhaps together if they have any good desires and purposes they come to nothing Whence that saying There are more good purposes in Hell than in heaven not as framed there but as carried thither for want of being effected upon earth Are there not many that are superficially good but really evil Abel and Cain both Sacrificed and both to the same God the Publican and the Pharisee both did the same Act they prayed and in the same place the Temple and to the same Lord yet was Cain rejected and the Pharisee not justified because though they performed the same act yet not with the same heart and will 4. A scandalous profession of Religion is a condemning of wisdom a scandalous conversation gives not only a lie to our profession but also it justifieth the foul aspersions which wicked men cast in the face of Religion and the Professours of it Strictness of Religion is termed by profane men hypocrisie It is said of Davids gross sins that he caused the enemies of God to blaspheme thus doth every loose professour he causeth the way of God to be evil spoken of Religion is ill reported of for his sake Chrysostom hath a comparison If an Oratour make an ill speech or an Artificer a bad piece of work Men will not condemn Rhetorick for his Duncery nor Art for the Workmans want of skill But it is otherwise in Religion if professours live ill then men presently blame religion as if that were
the work of Redemption in and by Christ Is not this unconceivable wisdom to contrive a way how an Infinite God should become a finite Creature how he that was an Immortal God should become a mortal man how an eternal God should become a Child of an hour old a blessed God become a curse a most holy God should have a world of sins imputed to him and die for the eternal salvation of sinful man how offended justice should be satisfied yet infinite mercy be fully shewen All this is manifested in Christ this must needs be the plot of the only wise God contrived within the breast of the Ancient of days Had Angels and men been assembled to contrive a way of Salvation they would have tortured themselves with poor plots and would never have thought of such a full adaequate infinite way of Salvation as this Godly men have eyes to pry into this glorious mystery of godliness therefore with all acceptance and admiration do justifie it Pharisees and other carnal wicked men are blind and so do not justifie the wisdom of God in Christ 2. Because wisdom's children do cleerly apprehend an absolute impossibility of Salvation by any other means without Christ every broken heart that hath a real sight and sense of sin as the greatest evil will see there is no hope of salvation in himself all that he can do to merit life and glory is nothing his best things parts duties moral vertues and natural persections are meer nothings are dross dung menstruous clothes fig leaves they see all that they can suffer to satisfie offended justice is nothing it is not so much as the payment of a farthing for the debt of a thousand pounds sin being of an infinite nature is of infinite demerit and infinite satisfaction must be made which no finite Creature can do they see the suffering of the torments in hell to eternity cannot satisfie those that are already cast into prison cannot satisfie the utmost farthing so again they see there is nothing in them can move and encline God to mercy without Christ of themselves they are nothing but children of disobedience masses of sin sinks of corruption a very hell as the Martyr called himself These real and thorow apprehensions of their condition and extreme inability of getting salvation from themselves doth force them to justifie God in Christ and his way of saving them in and through Christ the soul saith there is no name under heaven by which I can be saved but by Christ there are infinite merits infinite righteousness in him there is no thing in Christ but is lovely in Gods eye and moving him to mercy I will go out of my self and rest upon Christ I will take him for my only Say our for the Lord my Righteousness from him alone will I draw my life my righteousness my salvation and if I perish I perish I will cling close unto him I do allow of no Saviour but him miserable Saviours are all my duties legal righteousness moral perfections only Christ hath fulfilled all righteousness only Christ hath satisfied I justifie him to be my only Saviour It is the sense and sight of Christs worth excellency and necessity makes the children of wisdom to justifie Christ Jesus Pharisees and Carnal men are void of both 3. It is great equity the children of wisdom should justifie wisdom for Christ came to justifie them to take off all accusations which the Devil layeth to their charge all that he did is to justifie them he became man became a curse was subject to death to justifie them he rose again for their justification he intercedeth at the right hand of God to justifie them his merits his graces all are for their justification he was accused condemned executed to justifie them besides the unsearchable treasure of his mercy the unvaluable priviledges derived from him to them O ye children of wisdom do your sins accuse you Christ justifies you Do your sins cry vengeance vengeance his blood cries mercy mercy So Devils accuse you day and night before God and plead hard against you for your destruction Christ justifieth you and rebuketh that accuser of the brethren When your consciences vex you with accusing and condemning thoughts Christ justifies you purifies and pacifieth your consciences your duties and performances at the best are full of imperfections much corruption and defilement adhereth to the best works of the best men Christ fills them up with his righteousness and so makes them well-pleasing and acceptable works and performances unto God Furthermore remember how one day Christ will justifie all his members before men Angels and Devils and wipe off all those aspersions that have been cast upon the children of wisdom for godliness sake as faction pride singularity hypocrisie Christ will then free godliness and godly men from these calumnies and aspersions and he will make men know to their shame and sorrow it was Religion godliness and holiness the very wisdom of God himself which they branded with such ignominious titles if these things make any deep impression upon your souls you will be enforced to justifie God's wisdom in Christ Jesus 4. Another reason is drawn from God's end in saving man by Christ which is that men should magnifie his wisdom his love his goodness in contriving such an infinitely perfect way for salvation by Christ God himself justified Christ when he glorified him Christ justified himself when he was justified in the Spirit that is the Divine Nature of Christ justified the Humane Nature which was perfectly united to his Divine The Prophets Apostles Angels and Saints do justifie Christ All heaven do justifie him when they throw down their Crowns and give all honour power and glory unto him We justifie Christ set him up magnifie God in him when we make him our righteousness and by faith lay hold upon him and stick close unto him God loseth the glory of his wisdom and mercy and Christ loseth the glory of his love when men reject him as if God's wisdom were folly and weakness as if Christ were not able to save to the uttermost in rejecting Christ and his righteousness we do frustrate God of his gracious end CHAP. VIII II. I now come to the other acception of wisdom and will give you reasons why Godly men ought to justifie Religion and Holiness and all the ways of God BEcause God fully poflesseth the hearts and minds of the children of wisdom Reas 1 with the reality excellency and blessedness of that religion truth and holiness which makes them stand up for wisdom The judgements of the godly are enlightned with more high heavenly and superexcellent truths of God than other men the secrets of Gods counsels of Gods Kingdom the mystery of godliness is manifested to them they behold the Glory and Majesty of God Shining in the Truth and Purity of Religion they know the infinite consequence of the things of Eternity the blissful reward of Holiness how dear
the cause of lewdness Salvian lib. 4. brings in the heathen thus railing upon Christ for the wickedness of those that professed themselves to be Christians Sanctaâ—ab illis fierent si Sancta Christus docuisset Lo what manner of men they be that worship Christ it is false that they have a good Law as they say they have for if their Master taught them well they would live holily if they learned good things themselves would be good doubtless such is the Sect as are the Sectators and followers of it A little after he brings in the Pagans thus speaking Vide Christianos c. Look upon the Christians see what they do and by that you may easily know what Christ their Master teacheth them By this we may collect how ill the bad lives of Christians made Pagans judge of the Christian Religion and by consequent what a shadow the evil conversation of professours may occasionally cast upon their profession though in it self never so pure and glorious So then when wicked men do blaspheme God by reason of your flagitious and filthy lives you defame the Christian name and are the occasion of their horrible blasphemy Moreover hereby you give the wicked occasion to condemn all the godly they are all so is the worlds Logick hereby also you block up the way and keep off others from the profession hardning and justifying the wicked in their sins 5. Men condemn wisdom when they draw Arguments from outward blessings that God approveth of their courses which his word condemneth As Leah called her fifth son Issachar as a reward from God for giving her maid to her husband Genes 30.18 So these men take wealth and honour too kindly from God abusing both his patience and bounty by looking upon them as a reward of their wickedness and bless God for that for which they are indebted to the Devil Thus when through covetousness the shepherds of Israel made Merchandise of the flock of the slaughter slaying them yet not holding themselves guilty they sold them and said Blessed be the Lord for I am rich Zech. 11.4 5. As impious Domitian thought the gods favoured Sacriledge because he had such a good gale of wind and weather after he had robbed their temples so these men think God likes well enough of prosperous wickedness because he doth not presently avenge it 6. When men bear themselves upon their civil behaviour in opposition to religion they condemn wisdom It is pity so fine a thing and in these days so rare a thing as Civility should be so much abused as we should have occasion to find-fault with it But by experience we find that even Civility the counterfeit of grace hath given occasion to profaness to rise up in arms against Religion This is dangerous both to the Civil man himself and to others To himself because he useth it as a strong fence to ward off religion he justifieth himself and condemneth true wisdom because he seeth not that black outside in himself which perhaps is visible in some professours of religion And because he seemeth neer to the Kingdom of God he never careth to come to it being like a parallel line that keepeth a scantling with the way of wisdom but never meeteth with it It is dangerous to others because as one well noteth he objecteth himself as a Paragon to the view of the world to pull down the price of true wisdom Thus as the Egyptian sorcerers by counterfeiting the miraculous works of God hardened the heart of Pharaoh so the meer civil man by some resemblances of good actions without holiness is an occasion that many do contomn true wisdom and condemn the generation of Gods Children These are the days wherein civil and moral men do justifie themselves because though they be not really good yet comparatively and in their own eye especially they are less evil than many professours But proud Moralists are either ignorant of or else they disdainfully overlook those choyce excellencies that are in the Children of Wisdom and therefore if they are not Atheists in profession which giveth a large scope to worldly wisdom they encline to Popery which puts on a garb of Ceremonious gravity but never troubleth the Conscience with the power of true wisdom Such a kind of religion as this may make him carry the fruits of the land of promise upon a dry staff as the Spies did but never to bear them from a living root CHAP. X. Now let us consider the aggravations of this sin of condemning wisdom any manner of way 1 BY condemning the wisdom of God in Christ you make the wisdom of God who is only wise to be foolishness as if you could have found out a better way then of Salvation by Jesus Christ You vilifie the infinite merits righteousness and sufferings of Christ an infinite Saviour as if your prayers and negative holiness were of more merit than Christ yea you play Pilate you set in judgement and condemn Christ 2. In condemning true wisdom and holiness you condemn your own happiness for holiness is the way to happiness you condemn your life your comforts your grace your glory your redemption your adoption your own souls 3. Ye that condemn Wisdom you shall be condemned in your own Consciences thus it was with Judas and thus it was with Spira after he had been at Mass and read his abjuration of the truth he thought he heard a direful voice speaking to him in these words Thou wicked wretch Thou hast denied me Thou hast renounced the Covenant of thy obedience hast broken thy vow hear Apostate bear with thee the sentence of thine eternal damnation What was this but the dreadful voice of his accusing Conscience for denying Christ and condemning Wisdom With what horrours griefs impenitency and despair are their souls filled that deny Christ and condemn religion they are no other than men living in hell What tongue can express the inward horrours of Judas for betraying Christ What the High-priest said to him the same did his conscience did God say to him so that out of a cursed envy of the condition of the damned he hung himself Oh! how doth God many times deny to such persons all hopes of mercy all power to repent to believe that they might be recovered out of that sad condition Thus Spira said of himself My heart now is estranged from God I cannot call him Father all good motions are quite gone my heart is full of hatred and blasphemy against God I grow more and more hardened in heart I cannot believe I cannot Repent I cannot Hope At the time of their death when in the anguish of their souls they shall call for mercy pardon and the salvation of their souls mercy pardon and salvation shall be denied them 4. Christ will not own them before his Father who condemn Christ and his ways though they should scrape acquaintance with him Lord we have prayed prophesied and professed thy name yet he will say to his