Religion the Highest Wisdom, and Sin the Greatest Madness and Folly # 1

Religion the Highest Wisdom and Sin the Greatest Madness and Folly # 1

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His commandments have good understanding" (Psalm 111:10).

WISDOM is a character so honorable and ornamental to a reasonable being, that those who best knew the dignity of their own nature, have had no higher ambition than to be esteemed and called lovers of it. Hence the original of the name "philosopher", which signifies no more than a lover of wisdom. On the other hand, there is hardly any character deemed more reproachful, or that is more resented, than that of a fool. Men are often as jealous of the reputation of their understandings as of their morals, and think it as great a reproach to be without sense - as without goodness.

There is a prodigious diversity in the intellectual capacities of mankind, and their souls differ as much as their bodies, but whether it be owing to the intrinsic difference of their souls, or to the different formation of their bodies, is not my present purpose to determine. Some, who share in human nature, give very little discoveries of reason above the most sagacious sorts of brutes. The generality are endowed with common sense, which, though it has nothing brilliant or pompous in it, and does not qualify them for high improvements in science, or making a figure in the learned world - yet it is sufficient for all the purposes of life, and the necessities of a human creature. There are a few also whom seem raised beyond their species, and perhaps approach near to the lower ranks of angels by a superior genius. These have been the first inventors and improvers of useful arts and sciences; which others, of inferior understanding, are able to put in practice for their own purposes, though they had not sagacity at first to discover them.

This little world of ours is an improved spot in the creation. How vastly different an appearance does it now make from its original state of pure nature, when it emerged out of chaos, uncultivated by industry. What numerous arts and trades have been found out to furnish life with necessaries and comforts. How deeply have some penetrated into the world of knowledge.

When you see these discoveries, you would conclude mankind to be a wise race of creatures; and indeed in such things as these, they reveal great abilities. Every man forms some scheme which he apprehends will conduce to his temporal advantage; and prosecutes it with some degree of judgment.

But is this all the wisdom that befits a candidate for eternity? Has he a good understanding, who only acts with reason in the affairs of this life; but, though he is to exist forever in another world, and to be perfectly happy or miserable there - yet takes no thought about the concerns of his immortal state? Is this wisdom? Is this consistent even with common sense? No! With sorrow and solemnity I would speak it, the most of men in this respect are fools and madmen! And it is impossible for the most frantic madman to act more foolishly about the affairs of this life, than they generally do about the affairs of religion and eternity! It is with the generality of mankind in the present case. They are wise for this world; they talk and act at least agreeably to common sense; but hear them talk and observe their conduct about the concerns of their souls, and you can call them reasonable men no longer! They "are wise to do evil; but to do good they have no knowledge; there is none that understands; there is none that seeks after God." 

The text shows us the first step to true wisdom, and the test of common sense: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His commandments have good understanding." Job starts the question, "Where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?" He searches nature through in quest of it - but cannot find it; he cannot purchase it. At length he recollects the primitive instruction of God to man, and there he finds it: "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." (Job 28:28). Solomon, the wisest of men, begins his proverbs with a maxim, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." (Pro. 1:7); and again in Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy, is understanding."

The fear of the Lord, in Scripture, signifies not only that pious passion of filial reverence of our adorable Father who is in heaven - but it is frequently put for the whole of practical religion; hence it is explained in the last part of the verse, by doing His commandments. The fear of the Lord, implies all the graces and all the virtues of Christianity; in short, all that holiness of heart and life which is necessary to the enjoyment of everlasting happiness. "To practice religion and virtue, to take that way which leads to everlasting happiness, is wisdom, true wisdom, the beginning of wisdom, the first step towards it; unless you begin here, you can never attain it; all your wisdom, without this, does not deserve the name; it is madness and nonsense. To obey God's commandments is the best test of a good understanding; a good, sound understanding have all those who do this, all of them without exception; but without this, however cunning they are in other things, they have lost their understandings; they contradict common sense. In short, to pursue everlasting happiness as the end, in the way of holiness as the mean, this is wisdom, this is common sense; and there can be none without this."

Wisdom consists of two things: choosing a right end, and using right means to obtain it. Now what end so befitting a creature to live forever - as everlasting happiness? And in what way can it be obtained, but in the way of holiness? Consult the judgment of God in His Word; consult your own conscience, or even common sense, and you will find that this is the case. Therefore he is a man of sense - who pursues this end in this way. But he is a fool, he is brutish - who chooses an inferior end, or that pursues this in a wrong way. 

1. Men will not take the safest side in religion, which their reason and self-love carry them to do in other cases.

It is very possible the love of ease and pleasure, and a self-flattering disposition, may prompt your mind to form a plausible system of religion; a religion that admits of great hopes with little evidences, and that allows you many indulgences, and lays few restraints upon you; a religion purged, as you imagine, fromsome of the melancholy and gloomy doctrines of Christianity, and that releases you from those restraints, so painful to a wicked heart, which the holy religion of Jesus lays upon you. It is very possible that you may hope you shall obtain eternal happiness without much pain, and without observing the strictness of universal holiness; you may flatter yourselves that the punishments of a future state are not intolerably dreadful, nor of everlasting duration; you may excuse and diminish your sins, and make a great many plausible apologies for them.

But are you sure of your conjectures? What if you should find God to be as strict and holy as His Word represents Him? What if your sins have infinitely greater malignity in His eyes than in yours? What if in a little time you should find that the Scriptures give a more just account of the punishments of hell than your self-flattering heart suggested to you, and that they are indeed intolerable, and strictly eternal? What if you should find that those ridiculous things like regeneration, conversion, holiness of heart and practice, the mortification of sin - what if you should find they are absolutely necessary to everlasting happiness? Do you esteem a life of religion so burdensome, the pleasures of sin so sweet, so lasting - that it is your interest to run the risk of intolerable, eternal misery, rather than part with them?

~Samuel Davies~

(continued with # 2)