serving that immense variety of objects subject to SERM. its view! The exercise of our mind in rational discursiveness about things in quest of truth; canvassing questions, examining arguments for and against; how greatly doth it better us, fortifying our natural parts, enabling us to fix our thoughts on objects without roving, inuring us to weigh and resolve, and judge well about matters proposed; preserving us from being easily abused by captious fallacies, gulled by specious pretences, tossed about with every doubt or objection started before us! Invention of any kind (in discerning the causes of abstruse effects, in resolving hard problems, in demonstrating theorems, in framing composures of witty description, or forcible persuasion,) how much doth it exceed the pleasure of hunting for any game, or of combating for any victory! Do any man's children so much please him, as these creatures of his brain? The reading of books, what is it but conversing with the wisest men of all ages and all countries, who thereby communicate to us their most deliberate thoughts, choicest notions, and best inventions, couched in good expression, and digested in exact method? And as to the particular matters or objects of study, all have their use and pleasure. I shall only touch them. The very initial studies of tongues and grammatical literature are very profitable and necessary, as the inlets to knowledge, whereby we are enabled to understand wise men speaking their sense in their own terms and lively strain, whereby especially we BARROW, VOL. III. R LIV. SERM. are assisted to drink sacred knowledge out of the fountains, the divine oracles. LIV. καὶ δυνατός. Acts xviii. 24. Luther would not part with a little Hebrew he had for all the Turkish empire. Rhetoric, or the art of conveying our thoughts to others by speech with advantages of clearness, force, and elegancy, so as to instruct, to persuade, to delight the auditors; of how great benefit is it, if it be well used! How much may it conduce to the service of God, and edification of men! What hath been a more effectual instrument of doing good, and working wonders not only in the world, but in the church? How many souls have been converted from error, vanity, and vice, to truth, soberness, and virAngyos, tue, by an eloquent Apollos, a Basil, a Chrysostom! The perusal of history, how pleasant illumination of mind, how useful direction of life, how sprightly incentives to virtue doth it afford! How doth it supply the room of experience, and furnish us with prudence at the expense of others, informing us about the ways of action, and the consequences thereof by examples, without our own danger or trouble! How may it instruct and encourage us in piety, while therein we trace the paths of God in men, or observe the methods of divine Providence, how the Lord and Judge of the world in due season protecteth, prospereth, blesseth, rewardeth innocence and integrity; how he crosseth, defeateth, blasteth, curseth, punisheth iniquity and outrage; managing things with admirable temper of wisdom, to the good of mankind, and advancement of his own glory! The mathematical sciences, how pleasant is the speculation of them to the mind! How useful is the practice to common life! How do they whet and excite the mind! How do they inure it to strict SERM. reasoning and patient meditation! LIV. Natural philosophy, the contemplation of this great theatre, or visible system presented before us; observing the various appearances therein, and inquiring into their causes; reflecting on the order, connection, and harmony of things; considering their original source, and their final design: how doth it enlarge our minds, and advance them above vulgar amusements, and the admiration of those petty things, about which men cark and bicker! How may it serve to work in us pious affections of admiration, reverence, and love toward our great Creator, whose eternal divinity is clearly seen, Rom. i. 20. whose glory is declared, whose transcendent per- Psal. viii. fections and attributes of immense power, wisdom, and goodness are conspicuously displayed, whose particular kindness toward us men doth evidently shine in those his works of nature! The study of moral philosophy, how exceedingly beneficial may it be to us, suggesting to us the dictates of reason, concerning the nature and faculties of our soul, the chief good and end of our life, the way and means of attaining happiness, the best rules and methods of practice; the distinctions between good and evil, the nature of each virtue, and motives to embrace it; the rank wherein we stand in the world, and the duties proper to our relations: by rightly understanding and estimating which things we may know how to behave ourselves decently and soberly toward ourselves, justly and prudently toward our neighbours; we may learn to correct our inclinations, to regulate our appetites, to moderate our passions, to govern our actions, to conduct and Psal. xix. 1. SERM. wield all our practice well in prosecution of our end; LIV. so as to enjoy our being and conveniences of life in constant quiet and peace, with tranquillity and satisfaction of mind! But especially the study of theology, how numberless, unexpressible advantages doth it yield! For It enlighteneth our minds with the best knowledge concerning the most high and worthy objects, in order to the most happy end, with the firmest assurance. It certainly and perfectly doth inform us concerning the nature and attributes, the will and intentions, the works and providence of God. It fully declareth to us our own nature, our original, our designed end, our whole duty, our certain way of attaining eternal life and felicity. It exactly teacheth us how we should demean ourselves in all respects piously toward God, justly and charitably toward our neighbour, soberly toward ourselves; without blame in the world, with satisfaction of our conscience, with assured hope of blessed rewards. It proposeth those encouragements, and exhibiteth assurances of those helps, which serve potently to engage us in all good practice. It setteth before us a most complete and lively pattern of all goodness; apt most clearly to direct, most strongly to excite, most obligingly to engage us thereto; especially instructing and inclining to the practice of the most high and hard duties, meekness, humility, patience, self-denial, contempt of all worldly vanities. 1 Pet. i. 12. It discovereth those sublime mysteries and stuTit. iii. 4. pendous wonders of grace, whereby God hath de monstrated an incomprehensible kindness to man- SERM. kind, and our obligation to correspondent gratitude. It representeth manifold arguments and incentives to love God with most intense affection, to confide in him with most firm assurance, to delight in him continually with joy unspeakable; which are the noblest, the sweetest, the happiest operations of our soul. 18. LIV. It reareth our hearts from vain thoughts, and 2 Cor. iv. mean desires concerning these poor, transitory, earthly things, to contemplations, affections, and hopes toward objects most excellent, eternal, and celestial. It engageth us to study the book of God, the book of books, the richest mine of most excellent knowledge, containing infallible oracles of truth, and heavenly rules of life; which are able to make us wise (2 Tim. iii. to salvation, and perfect to every good work. 15.) 10. And how can we otherwise be so well employed, as in meditation about such things? What occupation doth nearer approach to that of the blessed angels? What heaven is there upon earth like to that of constantly feasting our minds and hearts in the contemplation of such objects? Especially considering that this study doth not only yield private benefit to ourselves in forwarding our own salvation, but enableth us by our guidance and encouragement to promote the eternal welfare of others, and by our endeavours to people heaven, according to that exhortation of St. Paul pressing on Timothy this study with diligence: Meditate upon these things; give 1 Tim. iv. thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them; for in doing this 16. |