7

may

thereby intimate, that the Covetous Wretch not only delights in his Poffeffions, and loves to count over his Heaps, (for this a Man do without being an Idolater,) but that he places his End and chief Happiness in his Treasures, that he falls down and adores his Golden Calf; and in the forementioned Phrafe of Job, makes Gold his Hope, and fays to the Fine Gold, thou art my Confi dence!

But the Minds of Men (thanks be to God) are not all under this Eclypfe, nor is this Darkness spread over the whole Face of the Deep; Light and Darkness divide the Mo ral as well as the Natural World, though with the difference of unequal Proportions; the Darker is here the bigger fide. There are however, though not fo many, yet there are Secondly, a fort of Men who are Chil dren of Light, whofe Minds are more Illu minated,and their Eye more clear and fingle, > who look beyond the Veil of the Material World, the Beauty of which can neither charm, nor its Thickness detain their pierc ing Sight, and propose to themselves the Beatitudes of another Life as their true and laft End. This many do in Profeffion, and fome in Reality In Profeffion all Chriftians do it, to whom therefore the Title of Chil dren of Light is promifcuously given by the Apoftle, 1 Thef. 5. 5. Te are all the Children

of

of Light, and the Children of the Day; We are not of the Night, nor of Darkness:That is as far as concerns Profeffion and Solemn Undertaking. But that which all Chriftians profefs, fome do really do, propofing to themfelves Habitually at leaft, the Happiness of the other World as their laft End, being by repeated Experiences, as well as rational Reflections upon the Nature of things, abundantly convinced of the vanity of this. And these indeed aim at the right Mark, though all of them have not a Hand fteddy enough to hit it.

But to return again to the Children of this World, 'tis implied in the Third Place, that these do not act according to the Meafures of true Wisdom; for our Lord does not fay abfolutely that they are Wife, but only that they are Wifer in their Generatis on; which implies, that abfolutely speaking, and upon the whole, they are not Wife. Indeed they think themselves Wife, and the World for the most part is of their Opinion: They are generally esteemed not only Wife, but the only Wife Men, Men of Reach and Defign, Policy and Conduct; and he that does not play his Game, fo as to thrive in the World, is generally pitied more for his Folly, than for his Poverty. Nay hence, and hence only, are taken the Measures of Wif dom and Prudence, and this is made the

B 4

Rule

Rule and Standard of all Policy and Difcretion; a Man is counted fo far Wife, and no farther, than he knows how to get an Estate, to raise a Family, to give Birth to a Name, and make himself great and confiderable in the World: He that can do this, is a Shrewd Man, and he that can't, is either Pitied or Laugh'd at (according to the Humour the World's in) by thofe that can.

Neither is it any Allay or Abatement of their Character, to fay that all this is brought about by Sinifter and Indirect Means, by Fraud and Coufenage, by Deceit and Corrupt Proceedings: This rather Commends the Parts and Ingenuity of the Man, fhews him to be a Man of Art and Contrivance, and that he owes his Succefs more to good Management, than good Fortune; nay, he that can do thus, is the Topping Wife Man, and is thought worthy not only to have, but fo far to ingrofs the Name, that a Shrewd Cunning Man (even in their own Language) is but another Word for a Knave. This is the general Senfe of the World.

But whatever the Opinion of Men may be, we are affured by the Apoftle who had Converfed in the other World as well as in this, that the Wisdom of this World is Foolishness with God; 1 Cor. 3. 19. and if fo, to be fure 'tis Foolishness in it felf, fince the Intellect of God is the Measure of all Truth. And the

Pfalmif

Pfalmist fpeaking of Worldly-Minded Men, that think their Houfes fhall continue for ever, and call their Lands after their own Names, fays exprefly, Pfal. 49. 13. This is their Foolishness. And this Cenfure he boldly charges upon them, how fingular foever it might feem; and though not only the prefent Generation of Men should vote them Wife,but even their Pofterity; thofe of more Improved Reasonings, and more Inlarged Experience, fhould praife their Saying.

Thus light do these Men weigh in the Ballance of the Sanctuary; nor will they be found to be lefs wanting in that of Reason: For how can they deferve the Title of Wife Men,who are out in the very firft and leading part of Wisdom, the Chufing of a Right End? This is fuch a mighty Flaw, as nothing that comes after,can make up or Compenfate for. When once a Man has fixed himself a wrong End, he has cut out a falfe Chanel for the whole Courfe of his Life, which muft needs be ever after one continued Miftake, one conftant Blunder; and though he be never fo Ingenious afterward, to compafs this End, his Wisdom comes too late, and does but ferve to infure and haften his Ruin. The Ship indeed has good Sails, there is nothing wanting in the Executive part; bút fteering to a wrong Point,it has this only advantage

from

,,,,

from them, to be dafhed upon the Rock with the greater Speed and Violence.

The fhort is, no Man is, or ought to be accounted Wife for that wherein he is Miftaken; and that this is the cafe of those who propofe to themselves falfe Ends is moft certain: For no Man proposes any End but what he takes to be Good, and fit to be Profecuted, Evil as Evil being not within the Poffibilities of Choice, whether as to the End or as to the Means. If therefore the End prove really Evil (which is here fuppofed to be the Cafe,) 'tis otherwife than what he thought it, and confequently he was abufed and impofed upon in his Choice. And now let him play his After-game never fo well, and pursue this his falfe End by never fo apt and compendious Methods, the moft he can pretend to, is to drive well in a falfe Road, and the moft he can justly expect is to be thought a Canning, but he muft never fet up for a Wife Man. He may indeed pafs for fuch an one among the Many,as an Ill Acted Part is commonly the moft Applauded by the injudicious Rabble of the Theater. But this Wisdom is now Foolishness with God, the only exact and unerring Judge, and will one day be made appear fo to Angels and Men. Then alfo fhall the Children of this World, who have been so often admired and cryed up for their extraordinary Depth and Reach, and

been