Those that deny carnal wisdom, that deny themselves, and put themselves upon God, it is a good evidence. And as it is a sign, so it is a cause. You see in holy Abraham, wdien he had put himself on God, and left his country, and his father's house, God guided him, God took him into his government. ' I am God all-sufficient, walk before me, and be perfect,' Gen. xvii. 1. God means this, that by leaving all other things, and cleaving to me, thou shalt lose nothing, thou shalt have all in me, I will be 'all-sufficient;' therefore ' walk before me, and be perfect,' be sincere. A man shall never know what God will do for him till he put himself upon him, and cease to try him, and begin to trust him ; trust him once, honom' him of his word ; have not a double eye, partly to carnal means, and partly to him, but have a single eye to his wisdom, and know that he will reward thee and keep promise. It is an excellent thing to deny carnal wisdom.
How many cavils might blessed Noah have had, before he built the ark ? The world would scorn him as an old doating man, that would go about to be wiser than all the world besides. But he denies all carnal reason, and rejects the scorns of sinful persons, and obeys God ; and w^e see how God protected him, and went on with him. And so in David, and St Paul.
And to add a little to that I touched before, God usually strangely crosses carnal wisdom, because men ^vill not deny their carnal will, and their carnal wit. There was never any politician in the world that ever was, but complained of it, if he lived any time in the world, that God went beyond him. Saith the heathen man TuUy, ' I thought myself wise, but I never was so ; ' (.rx) and so they may all take up the same complaint. God dashes the imaginations of the proud. They build a Babel, a confusion to them- selves and others, that are led by carnal msdom, that will not trust to the grace of God.
Let no man flatter himself, but trust in God, and not rely upon carnal wisdom, and such courses. Those that will bring religion to reasons of
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 12, 289
strie, and |X)licy ; and subject the highest thing in the world to the basest thing, which is carnal wit, as I said before, we see what they do. The nature of man infinitely desireth the accomphshment of their will. We see that where corruption may have the greatest advantage in greatness, let them have their will, they will overthrow a world to have it ; their wit is bent to serve their will.
All witty men, that account it a heaven upon earth to have their will, instead of law, and conscience, and all, they set their wits on the strain to serve their will, and so set themselves against God. Is it not God's honour to set himself against them ? ' Was there ever any fierce against God and prospered?' saith Job, ix. 4. Denial of fleshly wit, and will, and wisdom, it is both a sign and evidence of grace ; and it is a means likewise why * God's grace will lead us. When we deny that which is strong in us, God will make a supply by his grace. We are no losers by it.
Sit/n 2. Again, you see here in the text, where the life is led by the grace of God, by the Spirit of God stirring us, acting us, leading, mo\dng, and strengthening of us, there a mans courses are in simplicitij and sincerity. The soul that is under grace will put itself simply upon God. That soul will be no wiser than the word of God makes it to be. It will be no hap- pier, no richer than God makes it. It will use no other means than what God allows. This is plainness, and singleness, and simplicity of heart.
Again, it will be in sincerity. Where a man leads his life graciously, his actions are sincere. This grace, as it comes from God, so it tends to God. Sincerity looks to God : it doth things as to God. So that where gi-ace is, it carries a man above himself, to seek the glory of God, and life everlasting, to have spiritual and heavenly ends, to seek God in all things. The grace of God in St Paul guided him to lead his life in the simplicity and sincerity of God, that is, sincerity that looks to, and aims at, God in all things.
And indeed, a gracious man, and only a gi'acious man, can look out of himself to an end above himself ; only a gracious man can aim at God's glory, at the pleasing of God. Why ? Because only a gracious man knows that he hath better things in God than in the world. A worldly man makes himself his term,f he makes himself his last end ; because he knows not better out of himself than in himself. He dares not venture upon God's favour, to put all upon that. He knows not whether he be his friend or no. Pie thinks he is his enemy, as he may well enough, by his ill courses. Only the gracious man can put himself upon God. He knows he is redeemed out of a miserable condition into a glorious estate ; and if he should be denied of all the world, yet he knows he hath more happiness in him than he can look for here. He knows he would be all- sutficient for him. He is assured of his salvation. Therefore he hath higher ends, he is sincere in all things.