The Trial of True Wisdom, Section 48
Sect. 48.
BUt for men to do no good with then gifts, is not all; yea, it were well if that were the worſt, for not a few of them reſembl Achitophel, and Jonadab, who imployed their wit wickedly, and do miſchief inſteed of good with their wiſdom: like Herod, when you ſhall ſee turning over the Bible, ſearching the Scriptures, examining the Prophets; but to what end and purpoſe? To know good, but to do evil: yea, the greateſt evil under the Sun, ſlay Chriſt in the cradle: With many, their knowledge and learning is not for God and for Gideon; but for Antichriſt and for Babylon; and ſo of all other gifts; how many are the worſe for them? As give Saul a Kingdom, and he will tyrannize; give Nabal plenty, and he will be drunk; give Judas an Apoſtleſhip, and he will ſell his Maſter for mony; let Sarmantus have a good wit, he will exerciſe it in ſcoffing at holineſs. Briefly, how oft doth wiſdom without grace prove like a fair eſtate in the hands of a ſool, which not ſeldom becomes the owners ruine? Or Abſoloms hair, which was an ornament, wherewith he hanged himſelf: So that wiſdom without grace is nothing elſe but a cunning way of undoing our ſelves at the laſt. Many mens knowledge to them, being like the Ark to the Philiſtims, which did them more hurt than good: When their knowledge makes them prouder, not better; more rebellious, not more ſerviceable; as it is Iſa. 47. 10. Thy wiſdom and thy knowledge they have cauſed thee to rebel: And very often this falls out, that as the beſt ſoyl uſually yieldeth the worſt air, ſo without grace there is nothing more peſtilent than a deep wit, no ſuch prey for the Devil, as a good wit unſanctified. VVit and Iearning well uſed, is like the golden ear-rings and bracelets of the Iſraelites, abuſed like the ſame gold caſt into an Idol; than which, nothing more abominable.
Now when it comes to this, That they fight againſt God with the weapon he hath given them; when with thoſe the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks of, Pſal. 73. 9. They ſet their mouths againſt heaven, and are like an unruly Jade, that being full fed kicks at his Maſter; what courſe doth the Lord take with them? Anſw. Read but that Parable, Luk 19. 24. Iob 7. 17. it will inform you: For to him that uſeth his Talent of knowledge well, he giveth more; as to the ſervant that uſed his talents well, he doubled them: but to them that uſe not their knowledge well, much more if they abuſe it, he taketh away that which he had formerly given them: as he took heat from the fire when it would burn his Children, Dan. 3. 27. As you …, Iſa. 44. 25. 2 Theſſ. 2. 10, 11, 12. Iob. 7. 17. Pſa. 111. 10. 1 Cor. … 15. Eccleſ. 2. 26. Prov. 28 5. Matth. 21. 43. Acts 26. 18 Iſa. 29 14. & 44 25. & 6. 9, 10. Dan. 2. 19. 23. Iob 5. 13, 14. Iob 9. 39. & 12. 40. Rom. 1. 28. Ephe. 4. 18, 19. 1 Cor. 1. 20. 2 Theſſ. 2. 10, 11, 12. turn to the places, for they are rare. I will deſtory the Tokens of the Soothſayers, and make them that conjecture, fools: I will turn the wiſe men backward, and make their knowledge fooliſhneſs, ſaith the Lord, Iſa. 44. 25. He taketh the wise in their own craftineſs, and the counſel of the wicked is made fooliſh, Job. 5. 13. the caſe of Achitophel: And juſtly are they forſaken of their reaſon, who have abandoned God; yea, moſt juſt it is, that they who want grace, ſhould want wit too. And ſo much of abuſing their gifts.
Laſtly, Theſe great knowers and wiſe men are ſo far from deſiring ſoul wiſdom, and ſaving-knowledge to the ends before ſpecified, that they do not at all deſire it, for that it ſuits not with their condition. For Naturalmen deſire only humane and mundane knowledge: Spiritual men, that which is heavenly and ſupernatural; and the reaſon why they deſire it not, is, for that they know it not. A man deſireth not that he knoweth not, ſaies Chriſoſtome; neither are unknown evils feared: wherefore the work of Regeneration begins at Illumination, Acts 26. 18. Coll. 1. 13. 1 Pet. 2. 9.
Now according as men are wiſe, they prize and value this wiſdom, and endeavour to obtain it, Prov. 18. 15. For it is more true of divine wiſdom, than it was of that Grecian beauty: No man ever loved her, that never ſaw her; no man ever ſaw her, but he loved her.
And ſo on the contrary, according as men are ignorant and blockiſh, they under-value and diſ-eſteem it, hate it, and are prejudiced againſt it: And hereupon carnal men being blinded by the Prince of darkneſs, together with their own wickedneſs, and being of a reprobate judgement, do moſt uſually and familiarly term and eſteem this ſoul-wiſdom, this divine, ſpiritual, experimental, and ſaving-knowledge to be meer fooliſhneſs, or madneſs, Wiſd. 5. 3. to 9. and the Profeſſors thereof to be fools & madmen; Eliſha was counted no better, 2 King. 9. 11. and the reſt of the Prophets, Hoſea 9. 7. and Paul, Acts 26. 20. and all the Apoſtles, 1 Cor. 4. 10. Yea, our Saviour Chriſt himſelf with open mouth was pronounced mad by his carnal hearers, Joh. 10. 20. Mark. 3. 21. and this hath been the worlds vote ever ſince. The ſinceer Chriſtian was ſo reputed in Pliny's time, and after in St. Auſtin's time: yea, Julian the Pelagian could gibe St. Auſtin, that he had none of the wiſe Sages, nor the learned Senate of Philoſophers on his ſide; but only a company of mean tradeſmen, of the vulgar ſort, that took part with him: Whoſe Anſwer was, Thou reproacheſt the weak things of the world, which God hath choſen to confound the things that are mighty.
To worldly men Chriſtian wiſdom ſeems ſolly, ſaith Gregory. And well it may, for even the wiſdom of God is fooliſhneſs with the world, 1 Cor. 1. 18 23. therefore no diſparagement to us his ſervants, if they repute us fools; nor I think any honour to ſuch ſenſualiſts that ſo repute us: However we will give them their due: For,