[Jan. 2d, 1853.]
What is wisdom? What is it to number our days? How does the latter lead us to apply the heart unto the former?
I. What is wisdom? The fact is plain that religion is in the Scriptures often called wisdom, and wickedness, folly. The good are the wise; the wicked are fools. But why is this? Because it implies the selection of the best means and the use of the best ends. The highest end is God’s glory; the best means, obedience to his will. It is the height of folly to select any creature good or temporary attainment as the chief end. This all but the righteous do, and therefore all but the righteous are fools.
The glory of God is the highest end,
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Because he is infinitely superior to any other being, and to the whole universe. To know him, and to be the means of making him known is more important than all things else.
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Because the manifestation of his glory secures all the excellence there is in the universe.
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Because it secures all the blessedness rational creatures can enjoy. This, therefore, is wisdom. The wise are those who make God’s glory the end of their being. Hence,
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The gospel is called the wisdom of God. It is that system, (a.) Which reveals God as the highest end. (b.) Which makes known the means for the attainment of that end. (c.) And because it brings those who embrace it into the possession of wisdom, i.e., it makes them wise.
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Hence the wisdom of men is called foolishness, (a.) Because it presents something else than God’s glory as the end. (b.) Its means are futile for good, (c.) Those who embrace it are fools.
II. What is it to number our days?
- To consider how few they are in the whole. 2. How few remain. 3. How many have been wasted.
III. How does a sense of the fewness of our years lead us to apply our hearts unto wisdom?
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Because it leads us to see how little time we have to attain the greatest ends.
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Because it leads us to see the folly of employing these few years to ends which can profit nothing.
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Because it makes us feel that we are unprofitable servants, who have neglected our Master’s work.
Inferences
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The duty of self-examination and reflection. We should see how we have failed in applying our hearts unto wisdom.
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The duty of decision and renewed effort to become faithful servants.
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The importance of availing ourselves of all the means in our power of impressing the uncertainty and value of time upon our hearts.
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