JER. ix. 23, 24. Thus faith the Lord, Let not the wife man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches. But let him that glorieth, glory in this; that he understandeth, and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth; for in thefe things I delight, faith the Lord. OD by the Prophet, in the words now read, cautions the Jews against a very ridiculous folly and dangerous error; which, not only fingle men, but whole nations, do too commonly fall into: and that is, They are apt to be mightily elated with those natural providence over us, and the whole creation around us, is the fole foundation of all folid confidence and hope, the alone fource of all rational joy and triumph, the only bulwark of human happiness worthy to be gloried in. Wherefore then with great reafon God folemnly admonishes his people: Thus faith the Lord; let not the wife man glory in his wif dom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches. But let him that glorieth, glory in this: that be underftandeth, and knoweth me; that I am the Lord which exercife loving-kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth: for in thefe things I delight, faith the Lord. We are now assembled together to offer up our folemn facrifice of thanksgiving to God for those many fignal favours and glorious fucceffes, which he has been pleased to vouchsafe to this nation thro' the course of the present year. What then do we think to be the moral intention of this duty? Why are we enjoined to return thanks to God for bleffings received? Can he be pleafed or delighted with our praifes on account of any benefit, which he derives to himself from them? Can we hereby add any thing to his effential glory and bleffedness? By no means. The whole defign of this duty is to keep up. within our own minds a fenfe of our dependance upon God, and of our obligations to him; to raise our thoughts above the immediate and visible caufes of the national profperity perity and glory; to reftrain us from vainly idolizing or confiding in fecondary and inferior agents; to teach us to regard our victorious fleets and armies but as means made ufe of by the almighty Sovereign of the world to carry on his righteous defigns; to put us in remembrance, that our worthy patriots, our great ftatefmen, our wife counfellors, our able commanders, are but inftruments in his hands to accomplish the high purposes of his gracious providence; to imprint upon our fouls the moft lively apprehenfions of him, as the effective cause and original giver of every good and perfect gift; to cherish and ftrengthen within us fentiments of humility and pious gratitude towards him; and to difpefe us to glory only in his fupreme dominion over us. To comply therefore with the defign of fetting apart this day, I have chofen the words now read to you, and they naturally lead me to make the two following obfervations: Firft. That neither wifdom, might, nor glo gloried in by us, as it is the only foundation of our fecurity and happiness. But let him that glorieth, glory in this: that he underftandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, which exercife loving-kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, faith the Lord. And then apply the subject to the occafion of this day. Firft. I obferve that neither wisdom, might, nor riches are fit objects to be confided or gloried in. Wisdom; or an extenfive knowledge, profound skill, refined policy in managing things for a perfon's own intereft: Power; or an ability to execute those schemes, and to repel all the oppofition of his adversaries : Riches; or the poffeffion of those things, which conftitute worldly profperity and grandeur: These are advantages, which above all others fwell the mind with empty notions of its own self-sufficiency; and produce a boastful vanity and infolence: and therefore these are particularly enumerated in the words of the text. I fhall confider each of them feperately. 1. Let not the wife man glory in his wisdom. Did we confider that all out wifdom is derived from God, the author of our frame; that, whatever eminence we poffefs in this respect, respect, we have received it from him; and that upon his will and good pleasure we depend for the continuance of it: we should fee but little reafon to be felf confident, vain, and boastful on this account. For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what haft thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why doft thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? 1 Cor. iv. 7. And as God is the original fountain of all human wisdom; fo he can bound and limit, controul and direct it in all its operations and effects; he can withdraw the use of it, when he pleases; he can extinguish the brightest understanding ; throw a cloud over the moft penetrating judgment; fpread confufion thro' the counfels of the most fagacious; baffle the meafures of the ableft politicians; and make the best formed schemes, instead of accomplishing their ends, ferve to draw down ruin and deftruction upon the heads of their authors; and thus he can render all the efforts of human wisdom vain and fruitlefs. It was a saying among the heathens, that * fortune (by which they understood the providence of God, bringing about events by fecret and hidden causes) makes him a fool whom she intends to destroy. To the fame purpose is the language of fcripture. The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, for it is written, B Stultum facit fortuna, quem vult perdere. Syri fen tentiæ. |