THeſe have always been the Enemies and oppoſers of Truth, and Setters up of falſe Images thereof in all ages, The Wiſe, the Learned, the great Diſputants. To theſe Truth hath ſtill been mean and contemptible, their Eye hath ſtill overlooked it, and their imaginatious have ſtill out-run it, finding out ſomewhat elſe in the ſtead thereof, for which they have been ſtill able and vigorous to contend, and againſt the Truth it ſelf. And indeed, how can the Wiſe Eye ſee that, how can the learned Eye acknowledge that, which comes quite out of the way of it's knowledge and learning, even in a path that it is not at all acquainted with? Wiſdom is juſtified of her Children, Thoſe that are wiſe to Salvation, thoſe that are learned in the Spirit, thoſe that can diſpute in the power of the life and demonſtration of the Spirit, theſe know her habitation, and her out goings, and can own her in every age, and in every diſpenſation and coming forth: but the Wiſe and Learned of this World are ſhut out of this wiſdom, and in all their ſearches after Truth, cannot find her; and if at any time they do find and taſt ſomewhat of her, yet they cannot keep her, but the Wiſdom, and Learning, and Strength of the earthly part in them, ſoon betrayes and makes a prey of the ſimplicity that is in Chriſt, and of his pure Goſpel, which cannot be comprehended nor will take up a dwelling place with this wiſdom, but brings it to nothing, tramples upon it, and keeps it down for ever, where it abides.

Three ſorts of Enemies of the Wiſe, the Learned, the great Diſputants, Truth hath always had. Firſt, Of ſuch as have denyed the true form of knowledge and worſhip. Secondly, Of ſuch as have owned the form, but withſtood the power. Thirdly, Of ſuch as have had a taſt of the power, but afterward erred from it, and ſo held that, which once they had a true taſt of, in the unrighteous part, and likewiſe added to it by their own imaginations,

When Iſrael was in Aegypt (that poor illiterate company of Brickmakers) in bondage under that wiſe people; the Egyptians, withal their wiſdom, could not own their God or their worſhip, but their God was an unknown Being to all that wiſdom (Exod. 5.2.) and his worſhip and ſacrifice the abomination of their Eyes, Exod. 8.26. and Jannes and Jambres, with other wiſe Magitians, withſtood the appearance of God, and Pharoah and his people with their wiſdom thought to have kept God's Iſrael from multiplying, Exod. 1.10. and to have held Iſrael ſtill under their ſervitude, after the Lord was riſen to ſtretch out his Arm for their deliverance, Exod 5.8, 9 And how did all the wiſe Nations ſtill watch to make a prey of God's Jeruſalem! How did they count the Towers! How often did they think to divide the ſpoyl! Iudg. 5.28. Iſai. 33.18. How did Senacharib and Rabſh • ka make her their own! And when the Lord did at any time give Jacob for a ſpoyl, and Iſrael to the Robbers, how did they think to keep her under for ever! The wiſe Aſſyrian, the Moabite, the Ammonite, the Edomite, the Philiſtim, the Amalekite, the wiſe Babylonian or Chaldean thought to keep her under, as Pharoah had done, even till their wiſedome and knowledge perverted them alſo, Iſai. 47.10. and the Prince of Tire, who was wiſer then Daniel, Ezek. 28.3. he alſo could inſult over Ieruſalem, and rejoyce at her downfal and captivity, chap. 26.2.

But to come cloſer; Come to Iſrael it ſelf. That people, by all the wiſdome it could gather from the Law, by all the experiences it had had of God's power, by all the faith that was wrought in them upon deliverances, yet had not Eyes to ſee, nor Ears to hear, nor Hearts to perceive, but were a people that did always err in their Hearts, and did not underſtand the way of Truth and Peace. The Prophets among them were ſtill Fools, yea, the Spiritual man mad, Hoſ. 9 7. The Prieſts were generally ignorant of the Lord (for though they had the Ark of his preſence, his Tabernacle, his Temple, Altar, Sacrifices, Worſhip, &c. yet they did not know where he was, nor did inquire after him, but contented themſelves with a form of knowledge and worſhip.) And they that handled the Law knew not him who gave the Law, and was the ſole true interpreter of the Law, but the Paſtors tranſgreſſed againſt him, and the Prophets prophecied by another Spirit, Ier. 2.8. They were wiſe, and did abound in their own meanings, gueſtings and gathered knowledge, but they knew not the Truth, no nor of the Let er according to the Law, and according to that Light, which God ſometimes cauſed to ſhine among them from his Prophets. Hence it was that that people, with their Rulers, their Teachers, their Prieſts, their Prophets, were generally enemies to the Prophets whom God raiſed up, hating, perſecuting, impriſoning, ſtoning them, &c. The Prophets of God (that ſpake his Truth in his Wiſdom, in his Life, in Power, in the demonſtration of his Spirit) they could not away with: theſe were Fools with them, theſe were mad-men with them, (2 Kings 9.11. Ier. 29.26.) theſe were poor illiterate Herdſmen and Plowmen: they had learned men, that were brought up at the Schools of the Prophets, that could Prophecy Divine things, ſweet things, that could open the Law learnedly; theſe Prophets, and theſe Prieſts the Rulers cheriſhed, and the people loved, Ier. 5.31. and 23.26, 27. Ezek 13.3, &c.

Yea among that people, ſuch as had had a taſt of the Truth, as Corah Dathan and Abiram might have (for ſurely it was not a ſmall matter that could ſo lift them up, to oppoſe Moſes and Aaron in that manner, and to ſtand out the conteſt with them even in the Lord's preſence, Numb. 16.18. but an apprehenſion of God's being on their ſide from ſome appearance of his to them) and as Balaam had, whoſe Eyes were opened to ſee the beauty of the Tents of Iacob; yet theſe, through the prevalency of the fleſhly luſts and wiſdome, become enemies, and try always to prevail over Iſrael, even over the Truth and over the Power. The Apoſtle Jude compares ſuch to the Angels that kept not their firſt Eſtate. The Angels that fell, had a place and ſtanding once in truth, but they kept it not (they abode not in the truth) but fell from it, and ſo became Devils, enemies to the truth from which they fell: So thoſe that fall from the truth, from the power, from the living vertue whereof they once taſted, from the true wiſdome, which once appeared to them and began to ſeaſon and ſavour them, in their fallen wiſdome they become the greateſt enemies, the greateſt accuſers, the greateſt oppoſers, and the ſtiffeſt maintainers of a falſe Image of that Truth, which they once had ſome knowledge of, and ſome unity with. Thus it was in the Jewiſh ſtate; Now come to the Apoſtles dayes.

Firſt, They had all the Wiſe men of that age againſt them, all the Wiſe Greeks, all the Wiſe Jews; the Learned men, the able Diſputants of all ſorts. The Greeks could not find wiſdome in that knowledge of Chriſt which they held forth, nor the Jews could not find power in it, 1 Cor. 1.22. and ſo the one accounted it fooliſhneſs, the other ſtumbled at it, v. 23. There were many ſorts and Sects of Wiſe-men among the Iews, but not one ſort could own the Truth, though they were looking for it, ſearching the Scriptures about it, and diſputing concerning it. The very thing then in agitation and inquirie among them was, when the Kingdom of God ſhould come. The King himſelf direct, them where it was, that they might know where to expect and wait for it, Luke 17.21. and in many parables opens it to them, but it was ſtill hid from the Eye of that wiſdom, wherewith they did ſtrive to ſee, underſtand and comprehend it. So that all the ſeveral ſorts of Wiſe-men of that age, even thoſe who were Admirers of the Law and the Prophets, yet were Strangers and Enemies to the Truth, becauſe they joyned to that Wiſdom, and to that Learning and comprehenſion of the Scriptures, out of the ſight whereof it came.

Secondly, For ſuch as did own Chriſt after the fleſh, ſuch as were convinced by his Miracles, (as Nicodemus and many of the honeſter ſort of the Iews were) yet Chriſt did not commit himſelf to them, Joh. 2.24. He knew this faith and this owning of him, which was founded upon the Wiſdom and Ingenuity of the creature would fail; and ſo he would not own it in Nicodemus, but bids him look after the new birth, (Joh. 3.2, 3.) nor in ſuch as followed him up and down upon this or any other fleſhly account, but ſometimes withdrew and hid himſelf from them, (Luke 5.16 Joh 6.14, 15,) and ſometimes preached Doctrines which ſtumbled them, and made them withdraw from him, Joh. 6, 66. And ſo in the Apoſtles days, there were many could get the form, and gain advantage thereby to the fleſhly wiſdom, to withſtand the power, 2 Tim. 3.5. 2 Cor. 11.13.

Thirdly. There were ſuch as had raſted of the heavenly gift, and of the powers of the World to come, and yet fell away, Heb. 6.4, 5, 6. There were ſuch as denyed the Lord that bought them, 2 Pet 2.1. Such as fell from the love of the Truth, to the love of their vomit, and of the mire of the World again, v. 22. 2 Tim. 4.10. Such as had a ſtanding in the Churches Heaven (like the Angels which fell) but kept not their habitation, but were ſwept down from thence to the earth by the Dragons tail, Rev. 12 4. Theſe are the notableſt Champions (in the earthly wiſdom, and for a corrupted eſtate and falſe Image) of all the reſt.

Now as the Prophets of God among the Jews had theſe enemies, and as the Apoſtles alſo had theſe enemies: ſo all along the Apoſtacy theſe enemies have been riſe. The witneſſes have had a wiſe ſort of direct oppoſers among the Papiſts, a wiſe ſort of ſecret underminers among the Proteſtants, and alſo another wiſe ſort of ſuch among themſelves, as had ſome taſt of the Truth, but departed from the power of it into the earthly wiſdom, into the earthly underſtanding: and this laſt ſort fight more ſuriouſly and more vehemently againſt the Truth, and are more ſubtile to aſſault it and grapple with it, then the other two. Oh there is no ſuch bitter deadly enemy to Chriſt and his Truth, as he who once had ſome taſt of the vertue of it, and is now turned from it into the Earth, into the wiſdom and love of the World, and yet ſtill holds ſome of the notion of that Truth (whereof he once left the power) in the earthly part.

To come yet cloſer. There is in every man (not throughly ſanctified) that Wiſdom which is not of God, that wiſdom from which God hides his precious Truths, which wiſdom lyes ready to catch every diſcovery and revelation of truth to him, that it might improve it, grow rich and wiſe by it. Now this Wiſdom cannot attain to the knowledge of any of the things of God, neither can this Wiſdom keep the true knowledge, but whatever this Wiſdom catcheth, it preſently corrupts. The true Wiſdom, the true Light, the true Knowledge of Chriſt is like the Manna in the Wilderneſs; it dayly comes down from Heaven, and muſt dayly be gathered freſh. The true Light ſprings from the Life, and it muſt be held in the Life, in the Veſſel which the Life forms, in the new Bottle, in the new Underſtanding; not in the fleſhly part, nay not in the natural part: for as the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit, 1 Cor. 2.14. So neither can he retain them. The old ſtore houſe, into which earthly things were gathered, muſt be burnt up, and not made a Treaſure for the things of God, but the new underſtanding, which is given by him that is true, (1 Joh. 5.20.) which new-forms, and preſerves, and is all in the natural. Sink out of the earthly part and read me, that thou mayſt be able to ſay within thy ſelf, and concerning thy ſelf. Where is the Wiſe? where is the Scribe? where is the Diſputer?

The Wiſe part, the knowing part, the reaching part in every man will be putting forth it's hand to gather of the Tree of Life: but what hath it ever been able to gather? I know men may gather notions of any kind, of any Sect, of any ſort of Profeſſion, of any appearance or diſpenſation: but who is able to come near the Life, to touch the Power, the Truth, the everlaſting Spring, or any ſtream or drop of water that iſſues from it? And he who hath a true touch or taſt thereof given him, can his Wiſdom add to it? nay can he ſo much as retain it? (David had a true ſence and experience of this, who cryed out, O continue thy loving kindneſs to them that know thee, and thy righteouſneſs to the upright in heart.) Indeed if he like not to retain the thing it ſelf in his knowledge, he may improve the notion, and bend that to the temperature and diſpoſition of the earthy part in himſelf and others; but this is not truth, but a dead image, or a dead remembrance of what once was truly living. Oh how doth the Soul that is begotten of the Divine breath, that is born of the living Power and Vertue, depend upon God for his continual breathings! There is nothing hath ſo much from God, and yet nothing is ſo little able to live without him. If he withdraw from it, it preſently hangs down its head: nay if he do but ſo much as hide his face, it is troubled; and all the fulneſs, which it immediatly before had from God is not able to keep up its. Life one moment, but it pants, & fails, & flags, & withers, until a new ſupply of refreſhment be adminiſtred to it. And he that knows this in any meaſure, will not wonder at, the diſtreſs and miſery of ſuch for want of God's preſence, and at their cryings out after the Spring of their Life (even as the Hart brayeth after the water brooks) though they ſhould have fulneſs of all outward things, yea and alſo fulneſs of knowledge in things of Religion, even concerning all conditions and eſtates. The thing that I wanted in my great miſery, it was not outward knowledge, it was not experience of God's mercy and goodneſs: but this I wanted, the iſſuings forth of his freſh Life, and livingly to know where to wait for it, and livingly to know it when it appeared: for it was ſtill near me all the time of my darkneſs, and did preſerve me and appear unto me, but I livingly knew it not, but thought I would be wiſer then others: For I ſaw many deceived, and ſo I would not own it in ſuch a way as it then appeared in me, leaſt I alſo ſhould be deceived like others, but waited for ſuch an appearance as could not be queſtioned by the fleſhly Wiſdom. And be that waits for that, and ſo deſpiſe the day of ſmall things, cannot but refuſe the little ſeed; and ſo, it being not received into his earth, it can never grow up in him into a great Tree, whereby the Glory of the Kingdom will be hid from him, and be ſhut out of it, when others enter into and ſit down in it. Therefore, he that will be Wiſe, let him become a Fool that be may be Wiſe; Let him receive that for his Light, his King, his Guide, which mans wiſdom never did nor never will own. He that ever looks to injoy the Comforter, let him receive the Reprover, the Convincer of ſin, and wait for his Law of judging him throughout the whole courſe of his ſinful State and Nature, paſſing along with him through the whole condemnation, until he arrive with him at the juſtification of the Life, which the fleſhly wiſdom, nor any of his knowledge of the things of God, (as they are held in the fleſhly part) muſt ever arrive with him at.

Hath not God made fooliſh the Wiſdom of this World?

The Wiſdom of this World is precious in the Eye of the World, and the Wiſdom of God in his poor, weak, deſpiſed, earthen Veſſels is ſtill fooliſhneſs with them: but the Lord ſo orders it, as he ſtill juſtifies his deſpiſed Wiſdom in his deſpiſed Veſſels, and makes the Wiſdom of the World appear fooliſh to all the ſingle and upright-hearted, who thirſt after and wait for the Revelation of his Truth. Now two ways eſpecially the Lord makes the ſolly of this Worlds Wiſdom appear,

Firſt, In that by all their Wiſdom they cannot find out the true knowledge of God, v. 21. The World by Wiſdom knew not God, though there be an exceeding deſire kindled in them to know God, though they take all the ways that heart can imagine to attain their deſires, though they ſtudy and meditate never ſo hard, though they get never ſo many Arts & Languages, nay though they read the very Scriptures never ſo diligently, though they labour in the very fire, yet what they get, what they gather, what they underſtand, what they comprehend by this Wiſdom, it is all but very vanity, Hab. 2.13. it reaches not the Immortal, it nouriſhes not the Immortal, it ſatisfies not the Soul, it refreſhes not the ſeed, but only feeds and pleaſes the earthly part, the earthly underſtanding, the earthly mind, the earthly deſires and affections, even the man's Part, the man's Spirit, the man's Nature, which though elevated and raiſed never ſo high, is ſtill but earth.

Secondly, In that all their Wiſdom cannot reach them to come down to, to ſubmit to, to come into God's way of having their Wiſdom crucified, and that raiſed up in them which might receive the Truth. This they can never learn in the fleſhly Wiſdom. They may indeed come thus far, even to ſee that there is no way of entrance but by death, and ſo ſeek death (that they may enter into the Life) but they cannot find it. The ſeed of Jacob in his ſeeking miſſes not, but this Seeker never finds, to this Asker it is never given, and to this Knocker it is never opened: and that is it which makes this Wiſdom in every appearance, in every ſort of Profeſſion and Sect of Profeſſors, ſo rage at the ſeed of Jacob, even becauſe it finds it ſelf ſtill ſhut out of the Life, into which an entrance is adminiſtred to the ſeed. And how can that which would fain have the Kingdom, but rage againſt that which takes the inheritance from it? how can every ſort of Profeſſors but ſtrive to ſlay the heir, that the inheritance might be theirs? Were it not for the living Seed, and the living Power and Vertue, which breaks forth in them and among them, the Religion and Worſhip of the firſt birth might paſs for currant: but this is it which darkens the Glory of all Profeſſions and Profeſſors upon the earth, even that living thing which God hath begotten in his people, and his living preſence with it, and bleſſing upon it: at this, all the zealous Sacrificers, Teachers, and Profeſſors out of the Life rage and are mad, and would break the cords and bands wherewith this ſtrives to bind them unto God's Altar.

Now look over all Ages, could the Wiſe Heathens ſtoop to God's diſpenſation to the Jews? was it not fooliſhneſs and abomination to them? or could the Wiſe Jews ſtoop to the Law within, to the Word in the Heart, (although directed thereto by Moſes, Deut. 30.14.) to learn there to do juſtly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with their God? Mic. 6.8. Could they wait there to have their Hearts circumciſed by that Word of power, and ſo to be waſhed and made clean? Nay were they not drowned in their outward Sacrifices, Temple, Incence, New-Moons and Sabbaths, and ſuch kind of obſervations, and could not heat the Truth of the Lord as it was delivered by Moſes, nor as it was opened by the Prophets (Iſa. 1.11.) So that this People ſeeking to know the Lord from the Letter by this Wiſdom, could never come to the knowledge of him, but the place of his Light and Wiſdom was hid from them.

Again, When Chriſt came, and the Kingdom was preached, and the everlaſting way of Redemption and Salvation made manifeſt, could the Wiſe Eye in the Greeks, or the Wiſe Eye in the Jews ſee it? did not the Greeks ſhut themſelves out by a Wiſdom above the Letter (as they thought) and the Jews by a knowledge and Wiſdom which they had gathered out of the Letter? How wiſe were they from the Letter to reaſon againſt the King of Life? This man cannot be of God, for he is a breaker of his Sabbath. He is a Nazarite, and can any good thing come out of Nazareth? He ſaith the Son of man muſt be lifted up, but we read that Chriſt abideth for ever. He is againſt Gods Temple, againſt Gods day of Worſhip, gives his Diſciples ſuch ſcope and liberty, as neither the Phariſces nor John gave their Diſciples, but reviles our ſtrict and Godly Teachers and Expounders of the Law, calling them Hipocrites, blind Guides, &c. And mark with what a rough ſevere Spirit he reproves them, whereas they call him Maſter, and ſpeak mildly and gently to him. O what Iew in that Nature, in that Wiſdom, in that Spirit could but find matter and occaſion of ſtumbling at Chriſt, even from the Law & the Prophets!

And as they ſtumbled at the true Chriſt, ſo have all the generations of wiſe men ſince the Apoſtacy, all the learned men generally (their Councils, Synods, Convocations and Aſſemblies) ſtumbled at the true Church, looking for ſome ſuch like building as had been in the Apoſtles days, and not underſtanding and obſerving how the Lord took down that building (as it had been ſet up in the World) and how he prepared a place in the Wilderneſs for his true Church, unto which he gave her wings to fly, Revel. 12. and how afterwards the falſe Woman, or falſe Church got up in her ſtead, who with a Golden Cup of fornication bewitched the Kings and Inhabiters of the Earth, Revel. 17.2. (even Peoples, Multitudes, Nations and Tongues, ver. 15.) So that they miſtook her for the True Church, and went into her Bed of Whoredomes? Which of all the learned men, which of all the Councils of the Papiſts have ſeen this? nay which of the Proteſtant Councils, or Convocations or Aſſemblies have beheld the State of the True Church? nay have nor every Sort and Sect of the Proteſtants endeavoured to build up ſome image or likeneſs of the True Church, not ſo much as ſuſpecting that ſhe was fled into, and was to abide in the wilderneſs for a time, times and half a time? O what darkneſs hath covered the Earth! O how hath God befooled the wiſe-men of every ſort, the wiſe-men of every age! the wiſe Proteſtants, aſwel as the wiſe Papiſts; the wiſe Independents and Baptiſts, aſwell as the wiſe Epiſcopalians and Presbiterians! and how blind and ſottiſh are Nations and Peoples, that ſtill they think to find out the Truth by having a Synod, Aſſembly or Convocation of the Wiſemen gathered together! Indeed they are fitteſt to rear upon an Image to pleaſe the earthly part of man, and the earthly Powers and intereſts with, but Truth never came in by that way, but the Wiſe and learned have ſtill been ſhut out from it, and have proved Enemies to it. And whoſoever comes out of the Apoſtacy from the Spirit and from the Truth, to the Spirit and Truth again, ſhall find nothing ſo great an Enemy, as the wiſdom in himſelf, and directions from the wiſdom in others: for that which God leads, is a ſimple, a weak Babe, a Child to the Wiſdom of this World; and he leads it in a Path, which is wholly out of the line of this worlds Wiſdom and Knowledge of the Scriptures, as the Path God choſe in Chriſts and the Apoſtles dayes, was out of the line of the Iews knowledge of the Scriptures. Such is the recovery out of the Apoſtacy: it is hid from all the fleſhly-wiſe-men of this age, even as the entrance into the Truths of the Kingdom was hid from all the fleſhly-wiſe-men of that age. Happy is he who ceaſeth from ſtriving after the knowledge and comprehending of the things of God in this Worlds Spirit and Wiſdom, and waiteth in the humility and fear of the Lord, firſt to be made a Fool, that afterwards he may be made Wiſe unto everlaſting Life.