A Discourse Grounded on Proverbs, Part 2 · Section 23
Sect. XXIII.
HE is alſo to be Holily and Reverently remembred in the Immenſity of his Wiſdom and OMNISCIENCE as well Omni-preſence,God All-wiſe omniſcient. That He is All Wiſe, as well as OnelyOnly-Wiſe, that knows us,knows Us▪ better then we know our own Hearts,1 John 3.20 who is greater then our hearts, and KNOVVS all things He knows whereof we are made, Our frame:his eyes did ſee our ſubſtance heing yet imperfect, Pſa. 103, 14 Pſa. 139, 16He books our members; He knows wherein we have ſinned,Our Sins he looks narrowly to al… our paths; and ſets a print upon the heels, Job 13 27(or as the Hebrew, upon the Roots) of our feet; And as he books our Members, ſo he bags ou… Sins;ch. 14 16, 17 Thou numbrest my ſteps doſt thou not watch over my ſin? my tranſgreſsion is ſealed up in a bag … and thou ſoweſt up mine Iniquitie But then he knows our Sorrow… too as well as our Sins,Our ſorrows thou te… leſt my wandrings, Pſalm 56:8put thou my tear into thy Bottle. Thou ſeeſt how have Sinned, obſerve how … mourn; and indeed he doth ſo… I have heard Ephraim bemoanin… himſelf. Jer. 31.18I ſaw him ſinning, a… I hear him groaning. He th… hath a Book for our Members, Bag for our Sins, hath a Bottle alſo for our tears. He knows our Soul in ſin, and he hath (ſaith David) known my Soul in adverſity; Pſal. 31 Our nee… … Matth. 6.8So that he knows alſo whereof we have need, Our heavenly Father doth ſo, even before we ask, as he knows our ſins before we confeſs. He knows the way that we take, Job 23 10and …e knows what way to take with …s,2 Pet. 2 9 He knows how to deliver if we …e Righteous, All Man.And how to reſerve …he wicked to the day of Iudgement …o be puniſhed. 1 Co…. 3.20He knows the …houghts of the wiſe, the way that …hey take (yea though they dig …eep to hide their Counſel from the …ord, Iſaia. 2 5 15) and knows too how to …ke them in that way that they …ke, ſo that the Wiſdom of the …orld is fooliſhneſs with God, 1 Co. 3; 19 as it is …itten, he taketh the wiſe in their …n craftineſs,Be they Men,knows how to being good out of ſin. or …evils. We muſt think him a God …holy as that he would never ſuffer Sin in the World, and ſo Pittiful and Gracious that he would never ſuffer ſorrows and ſufferings on his Saints,ufferings but that he is a God ſo WISE that he knows how to bring Glory to himſelf▪ and good to his Choſen, out o… All,Pſal. 74 14 to break Leviathans heads, and to make it Food for his People As the Apothecary would neve… ſuffer ſo many Poiſons in his ſhop but that he knows one way or other how to make them to conduce to the honour of his Art, An… good of his Patient; for known unt… God are all his works from the begining of the World: Acts 15:18And his way… are higher then our wayes, becau… his Thoughts are alſo higher th… our Thoughts, as the heavens a… high above the earth; …aia. 15 18So that the… is no ſearching out of his underſtan… ing. Iſaiah 55 9 chap. 40 28 James 1:5And therefore think, If a… man want wiſdom, he is to ask it God; Would I know my Sins Lord make me to know my Tranſ…reſsion & my Sin! Job 13.23Would I know …he meaſure of my days, how frail I …m, Lord make me to knew my end, Pſalm 39 4…o teach me to number my dayes as …hat I may apply my heart unto wiſ…om; Pſal 9.12would I know thy Path of Life, Lord ſhew it me; Pſal 16 11In thy light ſhall ſee light; O ſend out there…re, thy light and thy truth, Pſalm 43, 3let …hem lead me, and bring me to thy …oly hill, O thou Father of lights,James 1.5 … whom there is no darkneſs at all,
Seing therefore that we are …o light our Fire at this SVN, 1 John 1.5 All wiſdom to be ſought of God, but onelyonly in means and meaſure preſcribed,his Parent of Lights, who affords …s the Burning Glaſs of his Word …or our help herein, We are to …ink thus, ſurely, of his Wiſdom, … we will think of it rightly, …hat as we are to be thankful for …e Means, ſo contented with …e Meaſures of KNOVVING that …e preſcribes and allows, inaſ…uch as they are ſuch as are able to make us WISE to Salvation; 2 Tim. 3.15for he hath expreſsly cautioned us foreign,Rom. 12.3 Nè quis ſapeat ſupra quàm oportet, &c. (for ſo Beza, vulg. &c.) no… to be wiſe above what we ought, bu… to be wiſe unto ſobrietie.
I know indeed that there is i… corrupted man a Natural deſire to KNOW, Rom. 1.25but it is to ſtudy th… Creature more then the Creator, wh… is bleſſed for ever; to purſue th… Science of other things, while… the EXCELLENCY of the knowledge of Christ Jeſus our Lord, Phil. 3 8i… neglected, All which Natur… Knowledge ſhould deſignedly b… made ſubſervient to ſuch a Spir… tual end as the holy Pſalmiſt pu… ſues in his ASTRONOMICAL obſervations,Pſal. 8 3, 4 When I conſider (ſait… he) THY heavens, the work of t… fingers, the Moon and Stars whic… thou haſt ordained, What is M… …hat thou art mindful of him? &c. …ut when Solomon himſelf who …new more,1 Kin. 4 29 in Naturals,Eccleſ. 2 12 then any …eer Man, ſince Adam, caſts up …e total ſum, he tells you that …hat he did arrive at by all …is knowledge was to know …is, that the increaſe thereof is …e increaſe of ſorrow, chap. 1.18and moſt …otorious it is that ever ſince, …ho ſo comes neareſt to him in …at point of knowledge, troubleſomneſs & uncertainty of natural lawful knowledge.doth ſo …kewiſe in that part of experience. …las how long have ſome of us …een learning how ignorant we …e? And how great is his Wiſ…om that hath lock'd up from us, … the intricate labyrinths of vexati…s uncertainty, the knowledge of …at which he finds ſo apt to draw … from him, who make ſo little …ght uſe of ſo much that is clear… revealed, being ſufficient in its …nd to draw us to him? Deut, 29:2…We know …ere it is ſaid that ſecret thing belong to God, but things that ar… revealed belong to us, and to ou… Children; Acts 1▪ 7that it is not for VSUS to KNOW the times and ſeaſons th… the Father hath put into his ow… power; 2 Pet. 2.18But grow in Grace, and i… the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Ieſus Chriſt, John 17, 3for this is life Eternal, &c.
Sinfulneſs of affecting to know by familiar ſpirits, WizardsBut beſides a natural and lawfu… (if duely moderated an… ordered) Deſire of natural knowledge, there is a deſire of knowin… ſuch things, and by ſuch means as we are to think ſinful an… Satanical, being no way approved in the Word or the Wiſdo… of God;Iſaiah 8.19 ſuch is theirs, who ſ… unto them that have familiar ſpiri… and unto Wizards that peep, a… that mutter (as 'tis expreſſed … the Prophet Iſaiah) or that uſe … vination, Ezek. 21, 21that conſult with Te… phim, that look into the liver, (th… is, the intrals of Birds or Beaſt …s Ezek. ſpeaks) to direct actions or …oretel future events thereby.Iudicial Aſtrolog…. So …lſo we find a ſevere and black …r…nd faſtened by the Scripture …pon ASTROLOGERS, Star gazers, Iſa…. 47, ……d Mon…hly Progn…ticators, and …ch as are draw… by th…m from …heir ſole D pendency…s upon God; for admit we forbear to …y that here is Science f…lſly ſo called, 1 Tim. 6, 2……s the Apoſtle ſpeak…, whoſe …rinciples and Co…cluſions are …ertainly uncertain,Its unce… tainty and deluſo…y …or the Conjunctions & Aſpects …f the STARS being the ſame when …vers Children are c…nceived or …rn in theſame Place and inſtant …f Time, (as in ſome great and …pulous Cityes,) how come they … divers and contrary Fortu…e…, to uſe their own phraſe) ſome … live longer, others under the …me Stars to die ſooner, ſome to …e and die in Wealth, H…no…, …d Proſperity; Others born …n the ſame article of time, and und… as auſpitious and benigne… H…n… to a …fe of Miſery, and a death … Shame; or to adde, that undeny… ble experience frequently confu… the moſt poſitive Predictions fro… the moſt acurately erected Sc…en… and of the moſt confident Practi… ners and Masters in theſe curio… Arts;Pernitiouſneſs Curioſity of forbidden knowledge,Admit, I ſay that ſom… gratification might indeed be … pected to the curioſity and pri… of Knowing mo…e then others, … then otherwiſe we could poſſib… arrive unto,Our firſt Ruin, ſay the Tree were to deſired to make one WISE,Gen. 3 6 yet … thinks the Burnt Children of E… ſhould Dread that Five that G… will certainly make even of a … of KNOVVLEDGE if a Forbid Tree; Verſe 17and certainly were … BOOK of GOD admitted in … …owe… into the hearts and mi… of Men,Acts 19 19 it would bring … BOOKS OF …L…IOUS ARTS the prevailing Goſpel ſometimes did, to be burned in the Fire, inſtead of the Authors, and ſuch as truſt to them who are (except they repent) doom'd to the ſame Condemnation by the ſame;Iſaia, 47, 13 14 Book of God, for of Astrologers, Stargazers, and monthly Prognoſticators ſaith God by the Prophet, BEHOLD, they ſhall be as Stubble, the Fire ſhall burn them, &c. read …lſo Deut. 8 to 16.