of bodily strength; and the instance of Ahab, the richest of the kings of Israel, to deter us from confiding in our wealth and riches; of which also Solomon, king both of Judah and Israel, was a greater instance.

And yet methinks the might here spoken of may be extended farther, even to all that power and interest whatsoever which a man hath, or is able to make in this world. Let a man be never so mighty and powerful, either in his own strength and valour, or in his friends and dependents on him, or otherwise, yet he is a fool, if he presumptuously glories in this his might and power, as if it could be his security and protection without the favour of God. What is meant by the rich man and riches I need not tell you. But what is it for a man to glory either in his wisdom, or in his might, or in his riches? In the Hebrew it is אַל־יִתְהַלֵל let him not praise himself. Which the Seventy translate as we do, μὴ καυχάσθω, let him not glory; though otherwhere they themselves render the verb by the Greek ἀγαλλιᾷν, greatly to rejoice. The word undoubtedly signifies any mighty complacence, delight, and satisfaction in a thing. But here by the context it is confined to such a delight and satisfaction in a thing, as is accompanied with a trust and confidence in it as our greatest felicity, safety, and security. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, i. e. Let him not confide or depend on it, as that which will bear him out in the time of danger and distress; and so in the rest. But let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me. Which words Grotius thus paraphraseth; "Let him trust on this, "that he knoweth me, to wit, so as to express this " his knowledge of me in his life and actions a."

That I am the Lord, which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. Where Grotius again observes, that it is not said that he knoweth me according to my nature and essence; for so no man, in this life at least, can know God; but that he knoweth me which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness ; i. e. according to those properties and attributes whereby I have made myself known to men in my word and works; such as lovingkindness and goodness, justice, and a perfect ὀρθότης, rectitude or righteousness, in all my dealings towards the sons of men. The same Grotius farther notes it as remarkable, that it is added in the earth, to meet with the vain and wicked conceit of those who held that God's providence extends not to sublunary things, to things on earth, but is employed solely and wholly in the disposal of heavenly things above us; all things here below being left to the determination either of blind chance, or fatal necessity, arising from an inseparable chain of causes linked together in the first creation of things. In opposition to which impious imagination, God himself by his prophet assures us, that we are to know him as a God that exerciseth lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. Which the divine Psalmist also more fully and distinctly expresseth, Psalm cxiii. 5, 6. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth!

a In eo fidat quod me noverit, nimirum si et hoc factis ostendat.

The plain sense of the whole text in short is this: instead of glorying or trusting in our own wisdom, power, or wealth, as the men of the world use to do, we are to know, and assuredly to believe, that all the actions and concerns of men on earth are governed and disposed of by the providence of God; whom therefore we ought humbly to acknowledge, faithfully to serve and obey, and on him steadfastly to trust and depend in the whole course of our lives, this being our best and indeed only security. So that the prophet delivers the same thing here, which Solomon doth, Prov. iii. 5, 6, 7. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart-In all thy ways acknowledge him-Fear the Lord, and depart from

evil.

The whole scope of the text thus explained is comprised in these two observations.

I. It is a very sinful and vain thing for any man so to glory in his own wisdom, strength, or wealth, as to place his trust or confidence in either of them.

II. The religious acknowledgment of God's providence in the wise and righteous government and disposal of all human affairs, joined with an humble dependence and firm trust on him, in the way of obedience to him, is man's best, and indeed only security.

And first, It is a very vain and sinful thing for any man so to glory in his own wisdom, strength, or wealth, as to place his trust and confidence in either or all of them.

Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, &c. i. e. Let not any man so glory in either of these, as to confide and trust in them without a due regard to

God's providence in the government of things; for these severally and jointly are very weak and vain props for a man to build and rely upon. I shall pursue the proposition in its several parts.

(1.) Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom.

It

This indeed is the most natural pride of man. was the contempt of that simple innocence, wherein God created our first parents, and their affectation of I know not what knowledge and wisdom beside and beyond it, that was their ruin in Paradise. And the sons of fallen man are generally apt to think that they possess indeed that wisdom which their first parents vainly coveted and aspired to.

Wisdom is the idol that sinful man chiefly adores and worships; with the mere shadow of this he is pleased, upon this especially he values himself, and the very conceit of this puffs him up with pride and self-confidence. He can more contentedly be stripped of all his other vain glories, than want the reputation of this.

Hence (as one well observes) though there have been some found, not only contented with, but even glorying in, the name of irreligious, yea in being accounted atheists, and wholly void of all religion; yet scarce any have been known willing to bear the character of foolish and unwise ; and the reproach of knave in the corrupt world is esteemed less ignominious than that of fool. And even of those who have some relish of virtue and goodness in them, how few are there, that either indeed do, or would be thought to do, any thing in favour thereof, which might in the least degree impeach the credit of their wisdom in the esteem of the foolish world! So fain would all be accounted, though very few in truth are, wise. The main reason of which seems to be this, that whereas the want of wisdom imports impotence and inability; irreligion and immorality are by election and free choice.

Now the pride of man, if God's grace correct it not, makes him more impatient of any want that argues him to be naturally weak and impotent, than of a moral defect proceeding from his own free election and choice of will. And hence it is, that many boast of things craftily done by them for some particular advantage, which they know to be evil and unlawful: thus glorying in their wit, whilst they are not at all ashamed of their wickedness. In a word, every man would be wise, and be thought so too, and most men think themselves really to be so, and those few mortals that are wise indeed, in comparison to the rest, if they have not the fear of God joined with their wisdom, are infallibly proud of it, and glory in it, and trust to their own counsels, without due regard to the divine wisdom and providence, the only sure and safe guide amidst the infinite uncertainties and perplexities of human life.

Now how perfectly vain this glorying and trust of man in his own wisdom is, will appear (to omit many others) by these few following considerations.

1. Consider that the wisest of men many times most grossly mistake their measures, and, as if they were infatuated by some destiny, do the most foolish things. It is almost proverbial, that there is nothing so foolishly said, but some wise man hath said the same: and it is as certain, that there is no action so foolishly done, but that the examples of wise men may be alleged to patronise the folly of it. Solomon, the wisest, not only of kings, but of all mere mortals,