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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66486	The excellency of wisdom, disclosing it self in the virtues of a good life recommended to the natives of Warwick-shire, in a sermon preached to them on their anniversary feast-day, in London, Nov. 30th, 1675 / by Thomas Willis ...	Willis, Thomas, 1619 or 20-1692.	1676 (1676)	Wing W2817; ESTC R18944	22,000	50

Wisdom is a Defence and Money is a Defence but the excellency of Knowledge is that Wisdom giveth Life to them that have it * Eccl. 7.12 'T is Wisdom that will give you an excellency above other men and make you no less Happy than the Angels of God But who knowes the Path of Wisdom or the Place of her Habitation Though you should digg to the Centre of the Earth or dive to the Bottom of the Sea ‖ Job 28.12 13 14. you could not find this inestimable Treasure though you should ascend to the Stars of Heaven you could not reach to the Throne of Wisdom Wisdom sets her Throne above the Stars and raigns in that Region of Light wherein God himself dwells * Prov. 3.22 But at his Appointment she descends from her high Throne and makes the Heart of man her humble Seat But then man must make his Approaches to God in the Exercises of Religion and Piety In these Paths you shall arrive at the Throne of Wisdom and she will set upon your Head a Royal Diadem of Beauty a resplendent Crown of Glory Wisdom cannot possibly be separated from Piety and the Virtues of a good Life For he that apprehends God to be the highest Being and chiefest Good if he do not honour and obey him that he may at length attain that Happiness which lies in the full Fruition of him is not wise yea he is guilty of the greatest Folly in that he neglects the onely Means by which he might attain the highest Happiness The Sun then may as soon be disrob'd of his Beams as Wisdom can be divested of the Raies of Religion and Sanctity which crown it in all Conditions with a conspicuous Glory Certainly Atheism and Irreligion Sin and Wickedness as I have endeavour'd though but in few words to evince in the following Sermon is the greatest Folly in the World It is God that made us and not we our selves ‖ Psal 100.3 and in him we live and move and have our being * Acts 17.28 and yet The Fool hath said in his Heart There is no God ‖ Psal 14.1 How great how strange is this Folly The wrath of God is reveal'd from Heaven * Rom. 1.18 against the sins of men in various Plagues and Punishments and yet Fools make a Mock at Sin ‖ Prov. 14.9 As a mad man who casteth Fire-brands Arrows and Death so is he who throwes out Oaths Curses and Blasphemies and saith Am not I in Sport * Prov. 27.18 These men play with Lightning and mock the mighty Thunder and in a proud Scorn open their naked Breasts to the flaming Arrowes of the Almighty They deride Religion scoff at Devotion laugh and jeer the Virtues of Temperance Sobriety Chastity out of Countenance These men come forth upon the Stage and so demean themselves as if they accounted it the highest Wisdom to act the greatest Follies in the Sight of God and Angels and Men. For they stand upon their Heads and Shake their Heels against Heaven They bear themselves upon the Strength of their Reason and Parts in the Contempt of Religion and Piety as if they accounted it a piece of Gallantry to dare Heaven by the Insolency of their Crimes and to awake ‖ 1 Pet. 2.3 slumbring Vengeance to their own Destruction Now are not these men guilty of great Folly and Madness What Folly is it in a mortal man to lift up a Flag of Defiance against Almighty God! Shall a poor Worm that crawls in the Dust or Moth that frets a Garment contend with a Man Alas he can instantly trample the Worm under his Feet and crumble the Moth to Dust with his Fingers Greater is the Disproportion which a mortal man bears to the Mighty God More easily can he turn the strongest man into Dust and throw the stoutest Sinner into Hell A man therefore must wash his Heart from Wickedness ‖ Eze. 4.14 and his Hands in Innocency * Psal 26.6 he must repent of his Sins and reform his Life or else though he should be admir'd by all men for the Greatness of his Wit he can never atain to the least Degree of true Wisdom Thus you see Impiety is utterly inconsistent with this Divine excellency And therefore if you do desire to become truly Wise you must resolve to become really Religious But then when you have attain'd any Degree of Wisdom let it be your chief Care to retain it as the most excellent Possession the richest Treasure in the World There is a certain * Ex God Arab. Pin. Tradition that Solomon had a Ring which while he preserved as Samson his Hair he retain'd a singular Excellency of Wisdom above all other men But being over amorous towards certain Women they robb'd him at once of a double Treasure his Ring and Wisdom Wisdom is an Excellency of the Mind 't is not so much darkned by any thing as by the Lust of the Flesh The Suns Glories are obscur'd by the Foggs that rise from the Earth and the Lights of Wisdom are obfuscated and at length extinguished by an Indulgence of sensual Appetites and Inclinations And therefore be careful as becomes Citizens of Heaven who are Pilgrims and Strangers on Earth to abstain from those fleshly Lusts which war against the Soul ‖ 1 Pet. 2.11 Do not for the base and sordid Pleasure of Sin hazard the Loss of that Excellency which is your Crown and Glory Live in the serious Exercise of Solid Piety and all Christian Virtues here on Earth and you shall at length be admitted to the Participation of Everlasting Pleasures in the Presence of God in Heaven That no man who shall peruse these Lines may fall short of this Felicity this Discourse of Wisdom as a Lamp lighted from the Sun is here held forth by the Hand of London Dec. 7. 1675. A Servant of Him who is the Saviour of men THO. WILLIS THE EXCELLENCY OF WISDOM c. PROV IV. 7 8 9. VII Wisdom is the principal thing therefore get Wisdom and with all thy getting get Vnderstanding VIII Exalt her and she shall promote thee she shall bring thee to Honour when thou dost embrace her IX She shall give to thine Head an Ornament of Grace a Crown of Glory shall she deliver to thee GOD is the Beginning and End of all Things With Him as it becomes us we begin this Day to Him and to his Glory as our ultimate End it behoves us to direct the Actions of this Day and of our whole Life that in him when Time shall be no more we may be most Blessed for ever To God we owe our Being who gave us our Birth in a good Land and in a pleasant Place in the same Country the Eden-of England and thence transferr'd us for our better Being into the Great City of the Land which by its sudden Rise in so much Splendour from its woful Ruines is become the Wonder of the World

To Him give we the Glory of our Being and Brotherhood the Praise of all the Blessings which contribute to our present Well-being and encourage our Hopes of future Blessedness This is our Work this our Duty at this Time and your appearance my much Honoured and Beloved Countrimen in this Place is a visible Pledg of your Readiness and Resolution to perform it For that ye may give unto God the Glory due unto his Name ye are this Day come unto his House and are here ready to hearken to his Holy Oracles that ye may be inform'd what is most excellent most acceptable to Him and most honourable for your selves in the Discharge of your Duty Many excellent things have been recommended to you by the Ministers of his Holy Mysteries upon the like Occasion who have all design'd your Advance in Virtue that ye might become excellent Persons and truly Honourable in the Eye of the World and in the sight of God himself All that have spoken unto you in the Name of God as those three young men who contended for the Glory of uttering the wisest Sentence before K. Darius * Esdr 3. have endeavoured to recommend to you that Virtue which would render you the Worthies of your Country the most accomplisht Persons for Excellency and Goodness After them all I come forth this Day and tell your every one from the Mouth of the Lord Wisdom is the principal thing therefore c. Here 's I. An Encomium of Wisdom She is commended to us as the most excellent of all things Wisdom is the principal thing Dull Mortals Degenerate Mankind Do men discern the Glitter of Gold the sparkling Lustre of Gems the Beauty and Sweetness of Gain as one of the fairest Flowers in the Worlds Garden and can they not discern the Excellency of Wisdom without a Verbal Encomium Are things brought to that pass that she must bring her Letters of Commendation with her from Heaven or she can hardly find Entertainment amongst men upon Earth Must she have her Herald go before her to prepare her Way by proclaiming her Excellency However now we are utterly inexcusable if we do not give her an agreeable Entertainment when we are inform'd of her Quality and told she is the principal thing she holds the Principality amongst those Virtues that ennoble enrich and adorn the Mind of man II. An earnest Perswasion backt with Arguments to endeavour the Acquisition and Improvement of this Excellent Virtue Therefore get Wisdom Exalt her and she shall promote thee This is the Counsel and Advice of the Holiest of Kings David recommended to us by the Wisest of Men Solomon 'T is to a threefold Act 1. to Acquire 2. Exalt and 3. Embrace Wisdom 1. To be diligent in the endeavours for the Acquisition of Wisdom Therefore get Wisdom and with all thy getting get Vnderstanding i.e. make it thy chief Design and constant Endeavour who pursuest any Excellency any Advantage on Earth to get Wisdom as that which is most excellent and advantageous 2. To give her the Preheminence in the Government of all the Actions of our Life Which Advice is backt with an Argument a Proposal and Assurance of Honour and Estimation which shall accrue to a man thereby Exalt her and she shall promote thee Wisdom seems to say to men what the God of Wisdom said to Eli Them that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed ‖ 1 Sam. 2.30 3. To entertain her with the greatest Kindness Familiarity and Endearment that may be to take her into the Arms and Bosom-embraces of the Soul To this Honour and Ornament is assur'd Glory and Renown She shall bring thee to Honour when thou dost embrace her She shall give to thine Head an Ornament of Grace a Crown of Glory shall she deliver to thee She shall procure to thee that Praise and Estimation which will be to thee as a graceful Ornament as a glorious Crown Man is the King of all Creatures the wise man is a King amongst men and the Glory of Wisdom is his Crown 'T is Wisdom will incircle thee with bright Glories on Earth and entitle thee to Honour and Happiness in Heaven And now behold I have set a noble Prize before you and would fain perswade you to a generous Contest for the Attainment of it The Contest wherein I would engage you is to excell in Wisdom the Prize is an Ornament of Grace a Crown of Glory To make plain the way before you I shall 1. Enquire what Wisdom is 2. Shew you wherein the excellency of this Acquisition lies 3. Make it plainly appear that this excellent Endowment is attainable and shew you by what Means And then I shall endeavour to perswade you every one to Diligence in the Use of the Means for the Attainment of so excellent a Virtue All with a Design to advance you to such a Degree of Excellency and Goodness that ye may be the Glory of your Native Country and the Ornament of this great City adding to the Splendour of its Riches and Honour the Lustre of Wisdom and Virtue This is the Work which now lies before us in the Management whereof I am oblig'd I. To enquire and to give you an Accompt what Wisdom is By the ancient Philosophers who are follow'd by the Greek Fathers it is thus defin'd ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alcin. de Dogm Plat. Clem. Alex. Paed. l. 2. c. 2. Bafil Sapientia est retum divinarum humanarum causarumque quibus hae res continentur scientia Cic. l. 2. Offic. Wisdom is the Knowledge of the Nature and Causes both of things Divine and Humane Or * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot 'T is the Vnderstanding and Knowledge of the most excellent things But this is but an excellent kind of Speculative Knowledge which may be in the Mind of a man utterly destitute of true Wisdom Wisdom is certainly a practick Excellency a Virtue that directs and influences our Actions to the Attainment of the most excellent Ends. It 's as the Light of the Sun which is accompanied with that Influence which fructifieth the Earth Wisdom then is an excellent Energetical Virtue of the Mind of man whereby upon a clear Apprehension and a right Judgment of things the whole Soul is carried out in a well govern'd Order in an earnest and constant Pursuit of the most excellent Attainments In this Description I have given you the liveliest Pourtraicture that I can of this excellent Virtue Be pleased to peruse her several Lineaments and while I unvail her amiable Excellencies keep your Eyes sixt upon her Beauty till you find her Image imprest upon your Soul She is an excellent Virtue of the Mind of man Man is the noblest Creature in the Universe the Soul is the noblest Part of man the Understanding is the noblest Power of the Soul and Wisdom is the noblest Virtue of that Power the most beautiful Embellishment of the Mind

not justly charged with Folly Let not an Oath a Curse or any corrupt Communication be heard to come out of your mouths drink not to excess nor provoke any other to drink to your measure Let not your Meeting this Day be a Feast of Fools If any man swear an Oath let him pay for his folly and bear his own shame while ye manifest your Wisdom in drawing from the mire and filth of your Country the swaggering swearing debauchee is no better some profit for the relief of the Poor 2. Shew your selves wise men by your Loyalty to your King Law and Government is the greatest security we have under Heaven for our Lives and Liberties our Religion and Property and whatsoever is or ought to be dear unto us Take away the fence of Law break down the Wall of Government and all is instantly laid open and common The strong will oppress the weak the Poor will prey upon the Rich and the Lives of the Innocent will be in the hands of the Cruel A fruitfull Land will soon become a barren Wildorness Cities and Dwelling-houses would be turn'd into Dens of Bruit-beasts and wild salvages in the shapes of men Loose but the Bonds of Government and all things would instantly run into Confusion and men would still prey upon one another till they became all a prey to a Foreign Foe all inslaved to a Foreign Yoke To prevent so great mischiefs it 's the Wisdom of every man to contribute what he can to the Conservation of the Law and Government under which he lives in its full Strength and Beauty Now the Loyalty and Obedience of the Subjects to their Soveraign gives the greatest strength to the Law and Beauty to the Government He that breaks a Law opens a Gap in the Fence and he that despiseth Authority exposes the Government to Contempt When a Multitude in pursuit of some particular Advantage or for the redress of some particular Grievance combines together to over-bear the Law and subvert the Government of a Kingdom they act the greatest folly imaginable by destroying the best security they have for all they enjoy They do but try their Forces to sink the Ship wherein they sail to pull down the House in which they dwell to overthrow the Stage on which they stand to their inevitable Ruine The Sovereign Power is the Soul of the Law and Government He that weakens this Power goes about to destroy the Law to subvert the Government But Loyalty and Obedience to the Sovereign who governs his Subjects by Good Laws preserves the Law in its full Force and the Government in its Lustre and Glory Now this is your greatest security for your dearest interests and will be a proof of your Wisdom and render you the Worthies of your Countrey 3. Demonstrate your Wisdom by your Love and Charity to one another Union is a work of Wisdom as mightily conducing to the greater good of the parts united Now Brotherly Love is the beautiful band of Union Behold how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren of the same Countrey of the same City of the same Church to dwell together in Vnity ‖ Ps 133.1 Unity is the Beauty and Strength of a Society its Safety and Glory The Branch by its Union with the Tree the Stone with the Building a Member with the Body secures it self and the Body the Building the Tree but when this Union is dissolv'd the part if not the whole is soon destroy'd 'T is then your Wisdom to maintain that Union by Brotherly Love which is so conducible to your mutual Good This will be your Strength and Beauty your Excellency and Honour The Conservation and Improvement hereof for its proper ends will be your Wisdom as Men and as Christians your Crown and Glory But then to your Brotherly Kindness add Charity * 2 Pet. 1.7 in the Relief of those that are in Distress in the Redemption of your poor Brethren from the Ignominy Obscurity and Misery of an indigent Condition This will be a singular Proof of your Wisdom as well as a visible mark of your Christianity 'T will be your Wisdom in dayes of Danger to secure your Estates and nothing can be so safe as that which by Acts of Charity is laid up in Heaven ‖ 〈◊〉 6. ●● It 's certainly an Act of great Wisdom in a man to improve his Temporal Estate to the best advantage And this improvement is the best made this advantage is best secur'd by the Offices of Charity For by doing Good to others a man treasures up Glory to himself For though the Poor may seem a barren soil he that sows this precious Seed shall reap Honour on Earth and rewards in Heaven Divine Charity is the only Excellent Chymistry it turns even Dross into Gold Hereby you may commute your Temporal Riches for Eternal Treasures 'T is the Grain not stor'd up in the Garner but sown in the Fields that yields the plentiful encrease If God then by his Blessing hath given you a Temporal Estate it 's your Wisdom to imploy some part thereof in Works of Charity as the best improvement for an Eternal Advantage They who most abound with worldly Goods are but Stewards of Gods Blessings and 't is their Wisdom to imploy them according to his Will This is the Proof of their Fidelity whereupon they may expect God's Acceptance and a great reward That Advantage is most to be valued which is of greatest extent and longest duration Such is the advantage which may be acquir'd by the Offices of Charity For hereby many persons may be rais'd from an unprofitable sloth and deep poverty to a happy Capacity of doing good to others and then will the Glory of all their good deeds redound to you So may ye do good after this Life and bring Glory to God when ye shall sleep in your Beds of Honour such are the Graves of good men who having finish'd their course of Virtue lie down in Glory and rest in the hope of a happy Resurrection to the Glorious Joys of an endless Life 'T is certainly a commendable Act of Charity to take Children out of poor Families and train them up in honest Trades and Callings whereby they may become serviceable to the Publick Good You may here behold this day some Instances of the Fruits of this Charity * Above 60 Youths put out Apprentices in London by the Charities of this Aniversary Feast From these neglected Quarries are those stones sometimes taken which are the Strength and Beauty of the Building the stately Pinnacles and Top-stones thereof Wisdom shines in her brightest splendour in the Works of Charity which are the paths to Honour Count it your Glory then to do Good to be Beneficial to your poor Brethren Hide not your selves from your own flesh ‖ Isa 58.7 Nothing is more Divine than to do Good * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Synes Ep. 31. It 's a more blessed thing to give