372 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [VeR. 25.
what is foreseen. He goetli not upon probability and conjecture, but certain foreknowledge. Man can attend but upon one care at once ; various thoughts scatter the mind, and weaken it ; but God in one moment of understanding seeth all things, and wisely disposeth of all things. God's wisdom doth not deliberate with hesitancy, or consult with doubt ; his thoughts are simple, and not successive, and in the way of discourse. Thus you see what good reason there is why God should be said to be only wise.
Well, then, let not the creature seem wiser than God, and cavil at what he hath revealed, because we understand it not. We cannot know the nature of an ant, we are puzzled in the least creature ; no wonder, then, if human reason grow giddy when it pryeth into the depths of God. There should be viraKor) iriarew^, ' the obedience of faith,' to all that is revealed ; and divine truth, like pills, must be swallowed rather than chewed, received upon God's single authority, when we see no reason for them, for God is ' only wise.' Again, when you think of the perfections of God, you must raise your thoughts above the law and manner of all created beinsrs.
Obs. 3. The next point is, that Christ Jesus our Saviour is worthy to be accounted the only wise God. Christ is wise as he is God, and as he is man,
1. As he is God, so he is called ' the wisdom of the Father,' 1 Cor. i. 24, and represented to the ancient church under this title ; as Pro v. i. 20, and Pro v. viii.,per totum. Wisdom is there spoken of as a per- son, and the descriptions there used are proper to Jesus Christ. Some suppose the heathens had some traditional knowledge of this mystery and appellation ; for as Christ, the wisdom of the Father, was eter- nally and ineffectably begotten in the divine essence, so they wor- shipped a goddess, whom they called the goddess of wisdom, and feigned that she was begotten by Jupiter, of his own brain, and they called her "Adijvi], which word is much like in sound with the Hebrew word, Adonai, Lord,
2. As he is man, he received the habits of all created knowledge and wisdom, as all other graces, without measure, John iii. ; and so it is said. Col. ii. 3, ' In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and know- ledge.' Well, then, since Christ hath brought down wisdom to us in our own nature, let us be more studious to get it into our hearts. As Mediator, he is fitted to make us wise to salvation, and appointed by God to be wisdom to us, 1 Cor. i. 30.
Obs. 4. Once more note, from the other title that is here given to Christ, our Saviour. Those that have had any benefit by Christ will be very much affected with his praise. There is a double ground of exalting Christ — a sight of his excellency, and a sense of his benefits ; and there is a double notion by which our honouring of Christ is set forth — pi-aise and blessing. Praise hath respect to his excellency, and blessing to his benefits, Eph. i, 3. We may praise a man for his worth, though we have no benefit by him ; and so we are bound to praise God for the excellency of his nature, though he had never done us good. But now, when he is ' our God and our Saviour,' and hath showed us so much of his goodness and mercy in Christ, we should be ever praising him : Phil. iv. 20, ' Now unto God and our Father be
VeR. 25.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JUDE. 373
glory for ever and ever. Amen.' Glory is due to him as God, much more as our Father. His worth and excellency, though he were a stranger to us, doth deserve an acknowledgment ; but when we consi- der what he is to us, and what he hath done for us, then we can hold no longer, the heart being affected with a sense of his kindness, breaketh out, ' To our Father, to our Saviour,' be glory for ever and ever. Well, then, consider the Lord's excellences more, and observe his benefits, and work them upon the heart till you be filled with a deep sense of his love, and find such an impulsion in your spirits as you cannot hold from breaking out into his praise.
Ohs. 5. I come now from the description to the ascription, to Mm he glory, &c. Can we bestow anything upon God ? or wish any real worth and excellency to be superadded to him ? I answer — No. The meaning is, that those which are in God already may be : — ■
1. More sensibly manifested : Isa. Ixiv. 2, ' Make thy name known among the nations.' It is a great satisfaction to God's people when anything of God is discovered ; they value it above their own benefit and safety ; see Ps. cxv. 1. They prefer the glory of mercy and truth before their deliverance.
2. More seriously and frequently acknowledged. It is a great pleasure to the saints to see others praise God : Ps. cvii. 8, ' Oh ! that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.'