will be, when all your present opportunities of turning unto God shall have passed away ? This only do I ask of you : ' Act now, as you will then wish you had acted.' Methinks this is a reasonable request : it is a request which every one acknowledges to be good in reference to the things of time ; and surely it cannot be less good in reference to eternity. May God enable all of you, then, to comply with it ! and may you all not only become wise, but be made wise unto salva- tion through faith in Christ Jesus !]
Prov. iv. 7. Wisdom is the principal thing : therefore get wisdom ; and with all thy getting, get understanding.
THE inspired volume is no less useful in rectifying the prejudices of education, than it is in restraining the indulgence of forbidden appetites. As far as relates to the grosser violations of moral duty, the advice of parents and teachers is in unison with the Holy Scriptures ; but we are very rarely exhorted to follow that which is the main end and purpose of life. Get wealth, get honour, are the lessons inculcated on all the rising generation. David however sets us a better example : he earnestly entreated his son above all things to cultivate true religion. And Solomon, having reaped much advantage from those instruc- tions, has left them on record for our benefit ^ We shall endeavour, I. To shew the nature and excellence of true wisdom —
That which is usually termed wisdom is far from being the object so extolled in the text —
[We mean not to depreciate the attainments of art or science. They are valuable in themselves, and, if duly im- proved, may, like the Egyptian gold, enrich and beavitify the sanctuary of God. But the wisdom spoken of in the text, has respect entirely to spiritual things.]
True wisdom is the proposing of the best ends and
prosecuting of them by the fittest means —
[There is no end so worthy to be pursued by a rational creature, as the sanctification and salvation of his own soul.
a ver. 3 — 7.