46                                             OF THE WISDOM OF GOD.                                                          Book I.

Eph. i. 17. but with respect to creatures, who have no
wisdom, in comparison of him; the angels, those know-
ing and wise beings, when compared with him, are
chargeable with folly, Job iv. 18. and as for "man,
though he would be wise, he is born like a wild ass's
colt;" and has very little wisdom in things civil, none in
things spiritual; and though he is wise to do evil, to
do good he has no knowledge. God is all-wise; he has
all wisdom in him; there is no defect of it in him; there
is nothing of it wanting in him, with respect to any thing
whatever. Men may be wise in some things, and not in
others; but he is wise in every thing; nemo sapit omnibus
heris; no man is wise at all times; the wisest of men
sometimes say a foolish word, and do a foolish thing: but
God, neither in his word, nor in any of his works, can be
charged with folly; not an unwise saying appears in all
the scriptures; nor an unwise action in any of his works;
Itow manifold are thy works, 0 Lord, in wisdom hast
thou made them all.t Psal. civ. 24. God is essentially
wise; there is the personal wisdom of God, which is
Christ; who is often spoken of as wisdom, and as the
wisdom of God; see Prey. viii.-l2--31.1 Cor. i. 24. and
there is his essential wisdom, the attribute now under
consideration; which is no other than the nature and
essence of God; it is himself; as he is love itself, and
goodness itself, so he is wisdom itself; his wisdom can-
not be separated from his essence; this would be con-
trary to his simplicity, and he would not be that simple
and uncompounded Spirit he has been proved to be.
God is wisdom efficiently; .he is the source and fountain
of it, the God and giver of it; all that is in the angels
of heaven comes from him; all that Adam had, or any
of his sons; or was in Solomon, the wisest of men; or
is in the politicians and philosophers of every age; or in
every mechanic; or appears in every art and science; all
is the gift of God; and particularly, the highest aad best
of wisdom, spiritual wisdom, wisdom in the hidden part,
the fear of God in the soul of man, is what God puts
there; Wherefore, as he that teacheth man knowledge,
must have knowledge himself; so he that gives wisdom
to the wise, must have infinite wisdom himself; for such
is the wisdom of God, it is unsearchable; there is no
tracing it; it has a \~bayov\~, a depth, which is unfathomable,
Rom. xi. 33. see Job xi. 6, 7, 8, 9. and xxviii.
yet; though it cannot be traced out to the full, or be found
out to perfection, there are some shining .appearances and
striking instances of it; which clearly and plainly prove
that wisdom, in its utmost extent, is with him.               And
which,
1I. Will be next observed. And,
_First, The wisdom of God appears in his purposes
and decrees, and which are therefore called his counsels,
Isa. xxv. 1. not that they are the effects of consultation
with himself or others; but because such resolutions and
determinations with men are generally the wisest, which
are formed on close thought, on mature deliberation, and
on consultation with themselves and others. Hence the
decrees of God, which are at once fixed with the highest
wisdom, are called counsels; though his counsels are
-,vithout consultation, and his determinations without deli-
beration; of which he has no need. As he sees in his
understanding, what is fittest to be done, his wisdom
directs his will to determine, at once, what shall be done;

and this is seen in appointing the end for which they are
to be, in ordaining means suitable and conducive to that
end; and in pitching upon the most proper time for ex-
ecution; and in guarding against every thing that may
hinder that. The end for which God has appointed all
that has been, or shall be, is himself, his own glory, the
best end that can be proposed; the Lord hath macle,
that is, appointed all things ybr himself; for the glorify-
ing of himself, one or other of the perfections of his
nature; for as all things are of him, as the efficient cause;
and are through him, as the wise orderer and disposer of
them; so they are to him, as the final cause, or last end
of them, his own glory, Prov. xvi. 4. Rom. xi. 36. The
means he fixes on to bring it about, are .either extraordi-
nary or ordinary; which latter are second causes depend-
mg upon him, the first Cause, and which are linked to-
gether, and under his direction and influence most cer-
tainly attain the end; see Hos. ii. 21, 22. and which is
effected in the most seasonable time ;' for as there is a
purpose for every thing done under the heavens, there is
a time fixed for every purpose; and as the times and
seasons are in the power of God, and at his disposal, he
pitches upon that which is the most suitable; for he
makes every thing beautiful in his time, Eccies. iii. 1, ll.
Acts i. 7. and being the onmiscient God, he foresees all
future events, the end from the beginning; so that no-
thing unforeseen by him can occur to hinder the execu-
tion of his purposes; wherefore his counsel shall stand,
and he will do all his pleasure, lsa. xlvi. 10. and though
there may be many devices formed to counter-work his
designs, they are all in vain; there is no wisdom nor
counsel against the Lord; he disappoints the devices of
the crafty, and the counsel of the froward is carried head-
long; so that his counsel always stands; and the thoughts
of his heart, which are his decrees, are to all generations.
All this is true of the decrees of God in general. And
if the princes of this world, under a divine direction,
form wise counsels, and make wise and righteous decrees;
with what greater, with what consummate wisdom, must
the counsels and decrees of God himself be made; con-
cerning which the apostle breaks forth into this exclama-
tion, O the depth of,the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God? Rom. xi. 33. for he is there treating
of the decrees of God, and particularly of the decree of
election: and in which the wisdom of God appears, both
in the end and means, and in the persons he has chosen:
his end is the praise of his own grace, or the glorifying
of his sovereign grace and mercy in the salvation of men,
Rom. ix. 23. Eph. i. 5, 6. to shew the sovereignty of it,
he passed this decree without any respect to the works
of men, and before either good or evil were done; and
to shew that he is no respecter of persons, he chose some
out of every nation, Jews and Gentiles; and to shew
the freeness of his grace, he chose the foolish and weak
things of this world, and things that are not; that no flesh
should glory in his presence: and as he chose those per-
sons to be holy, and to bring them to a state of holiness
and happiness, and in a way consistent with his justice;
he has pitched upon means the wisest that could be de-
vised, even "sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of
the truth; the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus," the righteousness and death of Christ, 2 'Fhess.
ii. 13. 1 Pet. i. 2. So that this decree stands firm and