Chapter V
In what particulars the folly of unregenerate men consists. That they are un-
capable of considering of things.
Having thus described to you, only in the general, wherein true wisdom
consists, I will come to some particulars wherein this folly of wicked men, or their want of wisdom, consists and discovers itself.
1. It consists in an unability to consider of things.
(1.) In an unability to reflect and consider on their own ways and estate. Fools cannot turn the eyes of their minds inward, but as Solomon says, they run through the ends of the earth : Prov. xvii. 24, Wisdom is before him that hath understanding ; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth. As beasts and madmen, children, they make no inward remarks on them
selves, but pass over their times without reflecting upon the griefs or joys which they have had. Their thoughts being dispersed and scattered cannot be called in and home to themselves, to consider their condition, and to be intent on it. For still as wisdom is wanting, the reflecting power is wanting also. It is made one particular of folly not to consider what it doth : Eccles.
* Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more
v. 1,
ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools : for they consider not that
they do evil. And truly, such folly is there in the hearts of the unregenerate, their eyes look outward only to things abroad in the world, but they call them not in to view their own actions and estates, and seldom or never enter into any serious consideration of them : Jer. viii. 6,
* I hearkened and
heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness,
saying, What have I done ? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. They are madmen, and when they turn to the wisdom of the just, then, and not till then, they come to themselves, as the
prodigal did. And indeed the chiefest part of wisdom lies in knowing a man s self; and he would be a fool, who minded all business which passed in
the world, whilst he neglected his own.
(2.) A fool is uncapable of considering the issues and consequences of
things, and what will come of such ways and courses which he takes, and what will be the end of them. Providence and foresight is the chiefest part of wisdom : Prov. xxii. 3, A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on and are punished. A wise man knows the paths of drunkards, whither they lead, and that he who lays hold on a whorish woman takes hold on hell, and that in choosing sin he chooseth death : Prov. viii. 36, But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul ;
all they that hate me love death. And he knows that to walk in the high ways of wisdom, is to depart from hell beneath ; but a fool, he knows not, nor considers this : Deut. xxxii. 28, 29, For they are a nation void of coun
sel, neither is there any understanding in them. Oh that they were wise, that
they understood this, that they would consider their latter end ! Foolish man will not consider his latter end, and what condition he will be in at the
day of death and judgment. An adulterer who is led away, like a fool, by his lust, never thinks what will be the sad consequences and bitter fruits : Prov. vii. 21-23, With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks ; till a dart
strike through his liver ; or as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not
that it is for his life. But a wise, godly man sees things in the causes, and
CHAP. V.] IN RESPECT OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT. 201
foresees the effects ; he sees the punishment in the sin, whilst a foolish, wicked people never consider it, and know not the judgment of the Lord :
: no man
Jer. viii. 6-9, I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright
repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done ? every one turned
to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle, and the crane, and the swallow, observe the time of their coming ; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord. How do you say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us ? Lo, certainly in vain made he it ; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken : lo, they have re
jected the word of the Lord, and what wisdom is in them ?
(3.) A fool is unable to consider fit times, and seasons, and opportunities wherein things fall out to him, or are to be done by him. Indeed, to con
sider circumstances is the chiefest thing in which wisdom consisteth, as it is
said of the wise men, that they knew the times: Esther i. 13, Then the king said to the wise men, who knew the times, for so was the king s manner towards all that knew law and judgment. Ungodly men then are fools, who know not the times of their visitation, who do not apprehend when it is the
day of grace, and when a time of salvation comes : Jer. viii. 7, 8, Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times ; and the turtle, and the
crane, and the swallow, observe the time of their coming ; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord. How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us ? Lo, certainly in vain made he it ; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The judgment of the Lord ; that is, the season of
faith, repentance, and conversion, the season of averting God s wrath and
vengeance from them ; this they know not ; but when God calls to fasting, weeping, and mourning, they run out into all excess of riot, and this is their
great misery: Eccles. viii. 6, 7, Because to every purpose there is time and
judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him. For he knoweth not that which shall be : for who can tell him when it shall be ? But he who is wise shall know time, and judgment, and so be safe. There are times wherein heaven is offered to them, as there was a time when the king dom might have been settled on Saul ; but they regard them not, as he did not consider and discern his opportunity, and so lost it: 1 Sam. xiii. 13, 14, And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly
: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee ; for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue : the Lord hath sought him a man
after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee. It was his folly made him not discern it. But he who sees his time, and opportunity, and strikes in with it : Prov. x. 5, He that gathereth in summer is a wise son : but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame. And therefore an ant is reckoned a wise creature, but the unre-
generate are fools in neglecting their season of grace. Thus also they know not the proper season of duties, when to pray, and when to hear, &c. They know not that in the first place they should seek the kingdom of God, and then next in order mind their worldly affairs, and follow their callings
: Mat.
vi. 33, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and
all these things shall be added unto you. They therefore act all things rashly, and confusedly ; and this is made the property of a fool ; when he enters into the temple, and should hear, then to fall a-reading, or praying, this is the sacrifice of a fool, because out of season.
(4.) A fool is unable to make use of a rule in any particular case. Give
202 AN UNREGENERATE MAN S GUILTINESS BEFORE GOD, [BOOK IV.
rules to them, and see what absurdities they will commit. Dum vitant vitia, in contraria currunt. While they avoid one error, they run into others of the contrary extreme. You cannot by any direction teach a fool to make a
cross. Thus let an unregenerate man have never so much knowledge and
instruction, yet he is not directed by it in his particular course, to bring forth
actions pleasing and acceptable to God ; as though you give a fool the exactest
relations of a way, yet when he comes to make use of them, and to take his
journey, in every turning or by-lane he mistakes and bewilders himself: Eccles. x. 3, Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wis dom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool. A fool when he walks in the way, all his instructions fail him ; he may tell the way, and
give it to others, but how to take it himself he knows not. Thus an ungodly man, though he is instructed by the word, what the way is wherein he should
go, yet he will miss it, for he wants the Spirit of God to say to him on all
occasions, This is the way, walk in it, which is promised to those whom God
loves, and takes care of: Isa. xxx. 21, And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left ; and as Solomon says, the wisdom of the prudent is to know his way
* The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way
: Prov. xiv. 8,
: but the folly of fools is deceit, not
the way in general only, but his way, wherein he should steer his course. And answerably the apostle exhorts us to walk exactly, Eph. v. 15, dcx^/Swc, according to a rule. It is not wisdom to understand the will of the Lord
only, but to be able to walk by that rule ; for a man may get rules, and yet not know how to turn his heart or hand to them.
(5.) A fool is stupid, and insensible, and lays not anything to heart. Fools cannot have strong or serious thoughts, for they cannot be intent on
anything, and therefore they are always merry, and will laugh even at the
wagging of a straw : Eccles. vii. 4-6, The heart of the wise is in the house
of mourning
: but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better
to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, to sorrow upon every great and just occasion ; but if a fool lays anything to
heart, they are trifles, the loss of a bauble, or a foolish word spoken ; but
tell them such a friend is dead, or that the Spaniards are on the coast, and
they art not all moved. Denounce threateniugs to an adulterer or drunkard, and they will soon shake them olF, and the most terrible things spoken in the word of God sink not at all into them, but they pass on till they are punished at last : Prov. xxii. 3,
* A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself : but the simple pass on, and are punished. They will lay the loss of trifles
to heart, but not the loss of God s favour. They will be troubled for petty matters, whilst they are not concerned at God s anger, nor the sufferings of
his people, nor the miseries and ruins of the churches of Christ abroad.
They do not weigh, nor ponder in their minds, but forget the afflictions of
* That drink wine in bowls, and
Joseph, drinking wine in bowls : Amos vi. 6,
anoint themselves with the chief ointments : but they are not grieved for the
affliction of Joseph. When God comes with armies into their country, or wastes it with fire, or a plague, still they are careless, as those in Isa. xlii.
24, 25, Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers ? did not
the Lord, he against whom we have sinned ? for they would not walk in
his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law. Therefore he hath
poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle : and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not ; and it burned him, yet
CHAP. VI.] IN RESPECT OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT. 203
he laid it not to heart. And indeed it is no wonder that they lay not God s
judgments to heart, who make light of sin, that deserves, and brings them :
Prov. xiv. 9, Fools make a mock at sin : but among the righteous there is
favour.