The Christians Daily Monitor, Part 14
14. §. The Character of a wiſe Chriſhian.
1. He takes the word along with him in all his concernments and actions; he that ſteers his courſe by any other rule is like a man that leaves the Pole-ſtar, and ſails by a Meteor, Read Pſal. 119.98, 99, 100.
2. He doth above all things labour to …leaſe God. All wiſdome without this … naught and rotten: but to make the pleaſing God our firſt and chief car eis …he trueſt wiſdom.
3. He is careful to ſecure the main. The Serpents wiſdome is to ſave his head. And a Chriſtians wiſdome is to ſave his ſoul.
4. He doth all things with a plain, ho…eſt, ſincere, upright heart: he main…ains the Doves innocency with the Ser…ents policy, Mat. 10.16. True wiſdom is a pure, chaſt, Virgin wiſdom, …hat will not mix and blend with world…y and carnal policy; he knows that honeſty is the beſt policy, and hath the advantage of all things, 2 Cor. 1.12.
5. He exerciſes a holy Government …ver his paſſions: for there is nothing …peaks a man further from wiſdome, …hen inordinate affections. Wiſdome is …he ballaſt of the mind, that keeps it ſteady. If all Government be the reſult of wiſdom, much more muſt the Government of a mans ſelf ſpeak him in poſſeſſion of true wiſdom.
6. His eyes are in his head; He carefully diſcerns between good and evil, between things and things, between man and man, that he may approve what is good, and reject what is evil, for otherwiſe the knowledge of good and evil is not true wiſdom.
He is careful to aptly fit means to the end. The folly of men in the falſe Church, is, they ſet up other means then God hath appointed; and the folly of men in the true Church is they ſeperate the end, and the means, and think they may come to holineſs without happineſs: But a wiſe Chriſtian knows, as there is no coming to the end but by the means, ſo no means which bring us to the end, but ſuch as are of Gods appointing.
8. He is careful to time all his actions; and in order to it, to obſerve and improve all opportunities, becauſe to all things there is a time and ſeaſon that renders them beautifull and facile, which if ſlipt, things become doubly difficult, and ſometimes impoſſible. …on if it be ſtruck while it is hot, you …ay work it to any figure; ſo it is …n matters of Religion. There are golden moments, that a wiſe Chriſtian will obſerve and redeem.
9. He doth conſider with himſelf what will be the iſſue and event of things. A wiſe man underſtands conſequences. True wiſdom, Janus like, looks backward and forward, it hath eyes before and behind. Every wiſe man holds intelligence with time paſt by memory, with time preſent by prudent circumſpection, with time to come, by providence, labouring to fore-ſee what ſuch and ſuch things will end in. Thus God himſelf to keep our firſt Parents in integrity, gave them the commination, In the day thou eateſt thereof thou ſhalt dye, expecting that in wiſdome they ſhould diſcern what the event and iſſue of diſobedience would be.
10. He doth provide for his latter end. This is a great point of wiſdome, Deut. 32.29. One of the greateſt perfections a man attains unto is wiſdome. The proper act of wiſdome is conſideration; the chiefeſt point of conſideration is our latter end; every man muſt dye, and it is not an eaſie thing to dye well; and therefore it is wiſdom to dye daily in meditation and preparation, that when that time comes, we may have nothing to do but to dye.