whole management) looks like a Man Thewing great Skill in the choice of curious Paintings and Hangings, and o ther Rarities, wherewith to furnish his Houfe, when all the while an Enemy is burning the Town: For, thus it is that Human Wisdom provides noble Furniture for the Soul, but never reflects that the Soul it self lies perifhing at the fame inftant. Knowledge, and Art, and Reasoning, and Experience, and Dexterity, are excellent Furniture, and these Human Wisdom brings in. But, in the mean time, what need of all this Sail to run against a Rock? What needs the Pomp of all these excellent Qualities to be undone, when a Man may be undone lefs reproachfully without them? For, it is certain that all these Qualities do not in the least prevent a Man's being undone, 'tis only the Fear of God that can do that; and therefore we may moft confidently determine, That the Fear of God is the only Wisdom. Н 4 This This is Wisdom, not in Semblance, but in Deed; not Parcel-Wisdom, but Wisdom entire; not Wisdom for the Bye, but Wisdom for the Main; not Wisdom for a Day, but Wisdom for Ever. To God that is the Only Giver of this Wisdom, and of every Perfect Gift, be all Glory, &c. AMEN. A A SERMON Concerning the Bleffedness of Humility. St. MATTHEW V. 3. Bleffed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. T HE Chriftian State (that is, a Holy Life) is frequently exprefs'd in the Scriptures by the Metaphor of a Building; and the Metaphor may fuggeft thus much unto us, That there is a certain Order to be obferved in raising the Moral Structure as well as the Mechanical: There are some Virtues Virtues proper for the Foundation, upon which all the rest must be built, and without which they cannot ftand; fuch are all those that tend to the humbling of our minds, as a true knowledge of our felves, and a conviction of our unworthiness, and a juft abhorrency of our natural corrupt defires: There are others proper for the superstructure and finishing of the work; fuch are all those that tend to the raifing of our Affections, as Love, Joy, Hope and Confidence in God. Now whofoever in his Building fhall neglect this Order, and intend the raising of his Affections, before the humbling of his Mind; he that shall affect the Love of God before the Mortification of Nature, a Zeal for Religion before the condefcenfions of Charity, a fort of spiritual Saintship before a moral Change; fuch a one is like that foolish builder mentioned by our Saviour in the clofe of this his Sermon on the Mount; he may make a fair shew of a house, but he he bottoms it upon the sand; and when wind and form and flood, that is, when any searching temptation shall come and affault it, it will certainly fall. It was not therefore casually, or without a particular defign that our Saviour began his holy Inftitution with this Duty of the Text, and recommended Poverty of Spirit to his Difciples before all other ; The very Order it bears imports no less than this, That Poverty of Spirit is a Duty that requires the beginning of our care, and the firft of our applications; because that so long as we are without it, it is impoffible for us to make any holding progress into the ftate of Chriftianity. Which truth will farther appear from the explication of the words: In order to which I fhall derermine these two Questions; First, Who are meant by the poor in Spirit? Secondly, What is meant by the Kingdom of Hea ven, to which the poor in Spirit are here intitled. As to the First, I take these words, |