An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth, and thirty-seventh chapters of…

I answer, First, God is said to be only wise, because there is none so wise as he; his wisdom is so much beyond the wisdom of all men, that no man may be called wise but God. Thus also God is called the only Potentate, (1 Tim. 6.15.) because though there are many Potentates in the world, yet Gods potency is beyond them all. His life also is such, that, at the 16th verse of the same Chapter it is said, He only hath immortality, yet both the Angels and the souls of men are immortal; but God hath immortality in a way of such eminency, that the very Angels and souls of men are mortal in comparison of him. David said of his life, (Psal. 39.5.) My age is nothing to thee; I scarce live at all, when I consider the life of God; so the wisest man in the world may say of his wisdom, my wisdom is nothing unto thee, I have no wisdom when I consider how wise God is.

I answer, First, God is said to be only wise, because there is none so wise as he; his wisdome is so much beyond the wisdome of all men, that no man may be called wise but God. Thus also God is called the only Potentate, (1 Tim. 6.15.) because though there are many Potentates in the world, yet Gods potency is beyond them all. His life also is such, that, at the 16th verse of the same Chapter it is said, He only hath immortality, yet both the Angels and the souls of men are immortal; but God hath immortality in a way of such eminency, that the very Angels and souls of men are mortal in comparison of him. David said of his life, (Psal. 39.5.) My age is nothing to thee; I scarce live at all, when I consider the life of God; so the wisest man in the world may say of his wisdome, my wisdome is nothing unto thee, I have no wisdome when I consider how wise God is.

Secondly, God is said to be only wise, because there are none originally wise but he; his wisdom is of himself, yea his wisdom is himself; the wisdom of God is not a separable quality from him, as the wisdom of a man is. Many are men, but not wise men; but it is impossible for God to be God, and not to be wise; his wisdom is essential to him. The wisdom of man is like gilding upon an earthen vessel; but the wisdom of God is like a golden vessel. The wisest men are gilded over with wisdom, they are adorned and beautified with it, but no man, how wise soever is wisdom, only God is. God is (if I may so speak) an Immense and immeasurable vessel of gold, he is all gold, you cannot distinguish the gold from the vessel, 'tis gold quite through, he is massive gold, massive wisdom. The wisdom of man is another thing from himself. The wisdom of God is himself; and thus God alone is wise.