L Because the word doth sufficiently instruct us in our duty : Prov. ii. 9, ' Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity ; yea, every good path.' Then ! when ? When you give up yourselves to God's direction, and take the law from his mouth, and walk in the way that is pointed out by his word and Spirit ; you shall have enough to direct you in all your ways.
2. It doth warn us of all our dangers. It doth not only in the general call upon us ' to watch,^ Mat. xiii. 37, and ' walk circumspectly,' Eph. V. 15, but it discovers all those deceits particularly whereby we may be surprised, diverted, and turned out of the way. There are snares in prosperity, snares in adversity ; temptations you meet with in praying, trading, eating, drinking, in your public undertakings, and in your private converse ; it shows your danger in all your ways, before you feel the smart of them. Therefore give up yourselves to God's direction, reading, hearing, meditating, believing, and practising ; read, hear it often, then the deceits of Satan will be laid open, and the snares of your own hearts. Christians ! an exact rule is of little use if you do not consult it : Gal. vi. 16, ' Peace and mercy be upon all them that walk according to this rule ;' that order their conversations exactly. The word signifies, that try their work as a carpenter doth by his square ; they examine their actions by the word of God, what they are now a-doing, therefore consult with it often ; then meditate of it, ponder it seriously : 2 Tim. ii. 7, ' Consider what I say, and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.' If we would have under- standing by the word, there must be consideration. Man hath a discursive faculty to debate things with himself. Why ! this is my duty. What would become of me if I step out of God's way ? Here is danger and a snare ; what if I should run into it now it is laid before me ? And then believe it surely : Heb. iv. 2, ' The word pro- fited not, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.' Believe
VeR. 100.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 19
God upon his word without making trial. You hear much of living by sense and by faith ; living by faith is when we bear up upon the bare word of God, and encourage ourselves in the Lord ; but living by sense is a trying whether it be so or no ; as they that will not believe hell shall feel hell, and they that will not believe the word of God shall smart for it : Heb. xi. 7, ' Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark.' It may be there were no preparations to the accomplishment of the curse and judgment ; the word threatened, it is a thing not seen, yet he prepared an ark. When a man is walking in an unjust course, all things prosper for a-while, the misery the word threatens is unseen. Ay ! but if you would grow wiser by the word than men can by experience, you must look to the end of things : Ps. Ixxiii. 17, ' I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end.' And then practise it diligently. A young practiser hath more understanding than an ancient notion- alist : Vs. cxi. 10, ' A good understanding have all they that do his commandments.' It is not they that are able to speak of things, and savour what the word requires, but they that do what they hear and discourse of. Gregory saith, we know no more than we practise, and we practise as we know ; these two always go together. The word doth us no good unless there be a ready obedience ; therefore this is wisdom, when we give up ourselves to God's direction, whatever it cost us in the world.
Doct. 2. That young ones may have many times more of this wisdom than those that are ancient.
Divers instances there are. Joseph was very young, sold into Egypt about seventeen years of age ; and when he was in Egypt, Ps. cv. 22, ' He taught his senators wisdom,' speaking of the senators of Egypt. With how much modesty did he carry himself when his mistress laid that snare ! Isaac was young, and permitted himself to be offered to God as a sacrifice. Samuel was wise betimes : 1 Sam. ii. 26, it is said, ' The child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord and also with men.' From his infancy he was dedicated to God, and God gives him wisdom to walk so that he was in favour with God and men ; yea, God reveals himself to Samuel Avhen he did not to EH. David, when he was but fifteen years of age, fought with the lion and bear ; and somewhile after that with Goliath, when he was a ruddy youth. Josiah, when he was but eight years old, administered the kingdom ; before he was twelve, sets upon serious reformation. Jeremiah was sanctified from the womb, Jer. i. 5 ; and John the Baptist leaped in liis mother's womb, Luke i. 35. In the 32d of Job, the ancients. Job's friends, are spoken of pleading their cause ; wise young Elihu brings wiser words and better arguments than those that came to comfort Job. Solomon asked wisdom of God when he was young. Daniel and his com- panions, those four children as they are called : Dan. i. 17, 18, it is said, ' The Lord filled them with wisdom above all the ancient Chaldeans.' And Timothy, the apostle speaks of his youth, and bids him ' flee youthful lusts ; ' he was young, yet very knowing, and set over the church of God. Our Lord Jesus at twelve years old puzzled the doctors. In ecclesiastical stories we read of one who at fifteen years of age died with great constancy for religion in the midst of sundry tor-