W

Reafon and the voice of Wisdom is that doctrine of Revelation, which teacheth us, that in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth": That he formed man out of the duft of the ground, and breathed into his noftrils the breath of life, and man became a living foul? Thus we trace our origin and defcent, and are all the fons of Adam, who was the Son of God. If the study of antiquity can delight us, here is the genuine account of the primæval fource of things, before which there is nothing, but he who formed all things, and is himself the ancient of days. And the fame Divine Authority, that thus acquaints us with the beginning of all things, informs us alfo, that in the beginning, or before all things, the word was with God, and was God; that all things were made by him; that in him was life, and the life was the light of men. In fo eminent a manner is distinguished the antiquity of this knowledge of the only true God, and of Jefus Chrift whom he hath fent.

But as the most powerful incentive to the defire of this heavenly knowledge, we may

reflect, that even in our present state of weaknefs and imperfection, it supplies us with the best and most lafting comfort and delight; not only from the affurance of the pardon of our fins, but from the pleafing profpect of glory and immortality. This it was which gave the Apostles and first Christians fuch exceeding joy and hope in believing, and fuch invincible courage in fuffering. The fame animating and well-grounded confidence will also fupport us under our refpective trials; will make us innocent and chearful in our lives; will take off the fting and terror of death; will give us the most folid joy in believing; and, in the end, will minister an entrance unto us abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift*.

SERMON III.

1 COR. i. 21. middle clause.

The world by wifdom knew not God.

The whole verfe runs thus,

For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleafed God, by the foolishness of preaching, to fave them that believe".

TH

HE Gospel of Christ can never appear in a more advantageous and interefting light, than when contrafted with

a The translators of this paffage have fcrupulously retained the order of the original words, and thereby occafioned a perplexity; which will foon vanifh, if we rectify that inver

D 3

fion

the efforts of the most illuftrious fages of the heathen world to investigate religious truths: the little progrefs they made in their researches, is a convincing proof of the natural impotency of man, to fearch out God, or to find out the Almighty unto perfection. The errors and abfurdities of their theological difquifitions, were, in a great measure, the unavoidable confequence of their prefuming to fpeculate upon those fubjects, which neither their acutest penetration could explore, nor their most enlarged understandings comprehend : Yet there abounded among them perfons of the most exalted genius, and most refined abilities, who occafionally valued themselves in exerting their best talents for the inftruction of mankind.

Επειδη

Ey

fion of the phrafe, (fo familiar to the learned languages, but fo unusual in our own) and render the words, not as they are placed, but as they ought to be conftrued дав τη σοφία το θες εκ εγνώ ο κόσμος Δια της σοφίας του θεον, σε After "that the world, by wifdom, knew not God in the wisdom of God, "it pleafed God, &c." That is, when men with all their wisdom could not discover God in his works, those evident marks of his wifdom, he revealed himself to them by his word.

b

↳ Job xi. 7.

St.