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A42555
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Wisdom justified of her children, or, Two sermons sometime preached in Cockshutt Chappel, in the county of Salop, and lately at Brightling in Sussex, on Matth. XI. XIX. and now at the request of friends enlarged, and published / by William Gearing ...
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Gearing, William.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing G439; ESTC R16127
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41,501
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72
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answer v. 16.17 They answered and said to the King O King we are not careful to answer thee in this matter If it â—e soâ—our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thy hand O King but if not be it known unto thee O King we will not serve thy Gods nor worship thy golden Image which thou hast set up as if they had saâ—d we know the worst of it it is death and we are â—oâ— sollicâ—tons to avoid the penalty of this Law we are not careful to answer thee in this matter this is the preface or exordium The substance of their answer consisteth in two things 1. Their submission to the will of God for their deliverance from the fiery furnace wherein they assert the power of God who was able to do it vers 17. In answer to the King who said who is able to deliver out of my hand If it be so 2. Their full resolution notwithstanding though God in his wisdom should see it meet not to deliver them yet to keep close to God not to fall into so fowl a sin though they were thrown into a fiery furnace Be it known unto thee O King we will not Worship thy Gods c. So Daniel would justifie God in his Worship in the most stormy times who with a most holy resolution opposed the Kings Decree the malice of the Nobles and the severity of the Kings punishment all these could not draw him from praying to his God Dan. 6.10 When there was great dispute who Christ should be and some said John Baptist others Elias others Jeremias others one of the Old Prophets Peter resolves the doubt Thou art Christ the son of the living God Matth. 16.14 16. As men at this day some say the holiness of Christ is niceness others preciseness others faction others Singularity but what do the children of wisdom say it is the life of the Son of God CHAP. IV. In the prosecution of this point I will first shew how men are said to justifie wisdom 1. LEt us consider how we justifie God in Christ take it in that acception 1. When we adore and to astonishment admire the unsearchable wisdom of God in the contrivance of the way of Salvation in and by Christ discovered in the gospel Gods wisdom is admirable in all his works in his creatures O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all Psal 104.24 In the formation of man in the womb of his mother in all his providential courses there are unsearchable depths of wisdom but now in contriving of mans Salvation by Christ this is the choicest part of Gods wisdom the Apostle cries O the depth S. Paul cries out Great is the Mystery of Godliness God manifest in the flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The Angels admire this manifold wisdom of God they desire to peep or pry into it 1 Pet. 1.12 None but infinite wisdom could find out such a course as could non plus men and Angels a way for the satisfaction of infinite justice and yet for the glorifying of infinite mercy here is infinite merit yet infinite free-grace 2. We justifie Christ the wisdom of the Father when we take him to be the Lord our Righteousness denying the best things in our selves Herein the Pharisees and moral men reject Christ and the children of wisdom embrace him S. Paul by his own confession Phil. 3.7 8. was a Singular Pharisee touching the righteousnes of the Law blameless yet he willingly threw away the mantle of his legal obedience and wrâ—pt himself up â—nâ— the garments of ChrisTs righteousness Christ without good works justifies believers the righteousnest which is by faith not that which is by the Law A man trusting to his good works is like a naked body wrapt up â—n a net where every one may plainly see his Nakedness God seeth the nakedness of Pharisees through their praying and fasting and Almsgiving to trust to any thing but to God in Christ is to deny not to justifie wisdom it is to patch up salvation to put an old piece to new garments and so make the rent the worse How many ways do Papists reject not justifie Christ all their distrâ—ctions cannot salve it to run to other sacrifices and not to rest in Christs Sacrifice this is not to justifie Christ to run to the Saints and not to Christ is not to justifie Christ but to deny him to be the only Mediatour to Intercession to make a conjunction between Christs merits and ours that he must do a part and we must merit the rest this is not to justifie Christ as a perfect Redeemer this is to deny Christ to be the only way to life eternal and the only door at which the righteous enter in We may joyn to these moral men that content themselves with a negative holiness and empty heartless duties who have as Luther speaks a Pope in their belly and go no farther for Righteonsness and Salvation than their own duties this is to deny Christ not to justifie him such men make a Christ of all their performances of their outward restrained holiness and put all together make a justifying Christ of these menstruous raggs But the children of Wisdom cry out None but Christs Righteousness As the spirit answered the Exorcists commanding them to come sorth Jesus I know and Paul I know but who are ye Act. 19.15 So do all the children of wisdom say in point of justification Jesus I know and his righteousness I know but as for duties good works and merits who are ye Remember this that our Saviour only not our obedience can enable us to stand before the justice of God the Children of Wisdom cry out to Christ To whâ—m shall we go Thou hast the words of Eternal Life 3. VVhen we yield to Christ our entire obedience this is to justifie VVisdom VVe then justifie him to be a King and set him upon the throne of D vid his Father as it is Psal 2.12 Kiss the son lest he be angry by our submissive Kiss of Faith Obedience and Love we acknowledge Christ to be the Son of God and King of his people VVhen Great Emperours and Noble Kings held Popes Styrrups and kissed the Popes Feet in token of Obedience unto his Unholy Holiness they then Professed Obedience to Anti-christ and exalted him in the place of God Then do we set up Christ in his own place when Kings Elders and People do cast down their Crowns before the throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive Honour and Glory and Power Rev. 4.12 There are two things in it first their professed Subjection to Christ in ascribing to him his tribute of Glory and Honour 2. Their justification of Christ Thou art worthy O Lord of all Glory c. This is more than the Pharisees would do they would not kiss the Son of God but blasphemed him opposed him
Religion and holiness that they so slightly esteem it as unpleasant and unprofitable If there were folly in Wisdom if any thing unworthy a mans praise imitation love and liking there were some shew of Shrinking from it but who can charge the wisdom of God with folly who can espy spots or darkness in the Sun who can espy blame in Gods holiness or errour in his most glorious truth The Ephesians could stand for their Diana the Philistines for Baal zebub the God of Ekron wicked men can stand for their Lusts Worldlings for Mammon Hereticks can stand for their Errours and shall God have none in all the world to stand for him and justifie heavenly Wisdom CHAP. IX Use 1 THe first use of this point may be for terrour to all Pharisaical and other profane persons who condemn the wisdom of God himself preferring their own folly their lusts and ways above the wisdom of the only wise God their own righteousness above the righteousness of Christ himself Was there ever such an impiety heard of that men should sit like Judges and condemn God the the just Judge of all the world Christ the merciful Saviour the Holiness and Religion of Christ Innocence it self Here I will shew how moral and profane men do condemn wisdom 1. When men justifie themselves by their good works their civility their legal righteousness The Scribes and Pharisees were the Peevish Children that would neither dance nor mourn after John and Christ these did and all Moral men do condemn the wisdom of God in saving man by the righteousness of Jesus Christ this is to depose Christ and to set the Crown of Salvation upon their heads making themselves their own Saviours their menstruous clothes more glorious than the Robe of Christs righteousness their fig-leaves more than the garments of salvation which God hath made for them and put Christ out of his Office making a Christ of themselves what blaspemy is it of the Papists who place the Virgin Mary above Christ and most blasphemously pray to her to command her Son to do this or that for them Thou Mother of God command thy Son to hear me There is the like blasphemy found in the hearts of all civil moral men they do place their righteousness above Christs righteousness as if that should command God to open the gates of righteousness that they may enter in thereat O vain men be proud of your own folly and wrap your selves up in your rags and build as high a tower of duties as you can and lay stone upon stone duty upon duty good work upon good work the day is coming when God will justifie this wisdom and tumble you headlong O ye self-justitiaries with all your righteousness into hell your Tower of duties will be but a Babel of eternal confusion and not one stone not one duty shall be left upon another that shall not be a very abomination of desolation 2. We condemn wisdom when we backslide from our professed Religion abjure Christ in his truth set up errour instead of truth or follow profaness and embrace the world in stead of holiness and embracing Christ Is not this a justifying of profaness a justifying of errour and of the world and a condemning of Christ's Religion truth and holiness Now consider 1. This is an upbraiding of Christ as if he were not bountiful enough to engage the hearts of men to follow him as if Great Diana of the Ephesians were far more excellent than the Lord or the Jews Queen of Heaven were better than the blessed God of Heaven 2. It is an upbraiding of his truth as if the traditions of Scribes and Pharisees the vain janglings and disputes and errours of corrupt minds were better than the Oracles of God and the Counsels of God displayed in his word in justifying the errours and traditions of men what do we but condemn the Wisdom of God for foolishness it self yea my Brethren Backsliders do the greatest mischief in the world they do not only condemn Christ and Religion themselves but as the Scribes and Pharisees did suborn false witnesses to accuse him So backsliders do suborn others to condemn Christ and Religion they harden their hearts against Christ and his ways There are many in hell perhaps O Thou backslider that curse thee for their condemnation they had not spoken evil of Religion nor condemned godliness as they did had it not been for thy Apostacy 3. We condemn Christ when we will not suffer him to rule and reign over us as King and Lord when we draw away our neck from the yoke of his holy and righteous Law We put a Kingly Crown upon the head of Christ when we obey him and suffer our whole man to be ruled by his Spirit according to his word but disobedience is a deposing of Christ a depriving him of his Kingly Crown VVe will have no King but Caesar said the wicked Jews when Pilate condemned Christ to die and profane men cry we will have no King but our Lusts or the Devil rather our Lusts are his Law our fulfilling them is subjection and obedience to him Oh how many are there that perform one part of obedience to God and think that enough If they have some shew of godliness it is without justice and honesty they have no care of their word and promise if they have honesty it is without piety they make no conscience of prayer in their closet nor in their family they can dispence with it a week a month or two perhaps together if they have any good desires and purposes they come to nothing Whence that saying There are more good purposes in Hell than in heaven not as framed there but as carried thither for want of being effected upon earth Are there not many that are superficially good but really evil Abel and Cain both Sacrificed and both to the same God the Publican and the Pharisee both did the same Act they prayed and in the same place the Temple and to the same Lord yet was Cain rejected and the Pharisee not justified because though they performed the same act yet not with the same heart and will 4. A scandalous profession of Religion is a condemning of wisdom a scandalous conversation gives not only a lie to our profession but also it justifieth the foul aspersions which wicked men cast in the face of Religion and the Professours of it Strictness of Religion is termed by profane men hypocrisie It is said of Davids gross sins that he caused the enemies of God to blaspheme thus doth every loose professour he causeth the way of God to be evil spoken of Religion is ill reported of for his sake Chrysostom hath a comparison If an Oratour make an ill speech or an Artificer a bad piece of work Men will not condemn Rhetorick for his Duncery nor Art for the Workmans want of skill But it is otherwise in Religion if professours live ill then men presently blame religion as if that were