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cause it both cleanfes and purges all noxious humours, and nourishes and strengthens the body: and the honey-comb, because it is fweet to the tafte; which is the fecond excellence of this fort of food, namely, its pleasantness; and properly urged to invite the eater: then, proceeding to compleat the comparifon, he adds, fo fhall the knowledge of wisdom be to thy foul, when thou haft found it; i. e. it fhall minifter to the purification, ftrength, and delight of thy foul. But this is not all: tho' the parallel can be extended no further between honey and wisdom; yet he does not think fit for that reafon to omit one of the greateft excellencies of wisdom: and therefore he adds, then there fhall be a reward, and thy expectation fhall not be cut off: Wisdom does not only perfect and entertain our minds; but also it gives us a title to those rewards, for the enjoyment of which it prepares and fits us. Here then we have from Solomon the true properties of true wisdom: by these we may pronounce fafely of all the different kinds of knowledge; diftinguishing the precious from the vile, and fixing the true eftimate of each. If there be any fort of truths, whofe knowledge does not promote, but obStruct thefe great ends, these we are to defpife and flight, to fhun and hate. But if there be any knowledge, that does neither oppofe or hinder, nor yet contribute

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to these ends, unlefs accidentally, and very remotely; for this we may have fome, but no very great regard or esteem. But whatever knowledge that be which is attended by these fruits, this is that which we are to fearch for as for hidden treafure this is that which, when we have found it, we are to value above the gold of Ophir, the Topaz, and the carbuncle, and all precious ftones. The diftinguishing characters then of illuminating truths are four.

1. They purify us.

2. They nourish and strengthen us.
3. They entertain and delight us.
4. They procure us a glorious reward.

1. They purify us. This is a property which the royal Pfalmift frequently attributes to the word of God, that it is pure and clean, Pfal. cxix. and elsewhere. And the New Teftament frequently afcribes to faith and hope, that they purify the heart, 1 John iii. 3. Acts xv. And this fure is the first thing neceffary to the perfecting the foul of man. 'Tis with the foul, as with the body; it must be first cleanfed from hurtful humours, before it can be fed and nourished; purged of its errors and vices, ere it can be enriched with divine virtues, and attain that liberty and ftrength,

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wherein confifts the true greatness and excellence of the mind of man. The first Step towards the Perfection of virtue, is the relinquishing our vice; for we must cease to do evil, ere we can learn to do good: and the firft ftep towards the Perfection wif dom, is the difpelling thofe errors, wich deceive and miflead the mind, and Wervert life. What these were in the Jew and Gentiles, and what they are at this day in us, it is eafy enough to difcern. The mind of man, as far as I can obferve, is naturally prone to Religious worship. Not only the confideration of the wonderful mechanifm and contrivance of the world, and of events, ftrange, fudden, and unaccountable; but also the confcience of his own impotence and obnoxiousness, inclining him to the belief, and prompting him to feek the patronage of an invisible all-fufficient power. In the next place, the mind of man is ever prone to propofe to him some great, fome foveraign good; in which he may acquiefce, and by which he may fecure himself as well as he can, against the indigence and poverty of his nature, and the changes and revolutions, the difafters and the miseries, to which this mortal State is expofed. These are two things of that importance, that no man can err in them, but the error muft prove fatal to his repose. He that fets up to himself

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for his ultimate end, an empty and uncertain good, inftead of a folid and eternal one, muft needs be as miferably deluded and disappointed, as he muft, who sets up to himself a falfe God inftead of the true; or goes out to endear and recommend himfelf toe true, by a falfe and fuperftitious worfhi Now in these points the Jew and Gentile were miferably, though not equally, miftaken. The Gentile worshipped devils, inftead of God: their mysteries. were either fenfual or cruel; their religion did oftner encourage fin than virtue. And as to their foveraign good, their hearts were fet upon this world, upon the pomp and pleasure, upon the eafe and honour of it; and they had either none, or very dark and uncertain profpects beyond the grave: all beyond it was an unknown region, full of fables and idle phantoms. The Jews, though they enjoyed the oracles of God, and generally preferved the worfhip of one true and living God, yet were they not free from very deplorable errors relating to these points: they feemed to have turned the true God into an idol, and to have entertained fome notions of him very repugnant to his nature: they looked upon him as the God of the Jews, not of the Gentiles; as a respecter of perfons, as fond and partial to the nation; and as delighted with a religion, made up of

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numerous rites and ceremonies, and external obfervances. And this could not but have a very fad influence upon their religion, as it really had: the holiness which is truly acceptable to God, being neglected and abolished; and Sadducifm or Pharifaifm, i. e. fenfuality or hypocrify, introduced in the room of it. And as to their ultimate end or fupreme good, the Sadducees denied the refurrection, angels, and fpirits; and therefore 'tis not to be expected they should entertain any defign above the pleasure of the body. And though the Pharifees acknowledged angels and a refurrection; yet can we not discern that they had a real value for any thing befides the honour, power, and wealth of this world. And no wonder, fince they could, upon their principles, fatisfy themselves in a religion which had nothing of internal purity or folid righteousness in it. So that upon the whole, the Jew and Gentile were alike wicked: only the wickedness of the Jews had this aggravation in it above that of the Gentiles, that they enjoyed the oracles of God, and the favour of a peculiar covenant. This being the ftate of darkness, which lay upon the face of the Jewish and Gentile world, our Lord, who was to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Ifrael, advanced and established in the world that doctrine, which

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