Patience and its perfect work under sudden & sore trialsPatience and its perfect work under sudden & sore tryals

And there is a special and more peculiar reason, why this skill ⟨p. 142⟩of Patience should be styled Wisdom, in a more eminent sense. For what he had before uttered of rejoicing in afflictions and tentations, and exhorted unto, that Patience should have it's perfect work; these things being the hardest lessons in Christianity, do there fore need and require the highest principles of Divine Wisdom, both Doctrinal and Practical, to be deeply inlaid and fixed in the Soul, so as to bow and frame the heart unto a real practice, and willing performance of such Dictates, and conformity thereunto. For then it is that knowledge is termed Wisdom; and for that reason it is, that our whole Religion is styled Wisdom, because it rests not in bare Notional knowledge, (which is a differing thing from Wisdom) but makes men proportionably wise, to the practise of the things, in which it instructs. And particularly, ⟨p. 143⟩this skill of renduring Tentations (such as hath been described) doth deserve this stile more eminently, for it so far outvies, and is above the sphere of all Principles, whether of Philosophy, or what other profession, or professors of Patience whatsoever, who whilst in a sullen Patience (for all of theirs was no better) they professed to be wise, they became foolish: and Christianity infinitely out-shoots them in what they most gloried in.

And there is a special and more peculiar reason, why this skill ⟨p. 142⟩of Patience should be stiled Wisdom, in a more eminent sense. For what he had before uttered of rejoycing in afflictions and tentations, and exhorted unto, that Patience should have it's perfect work; these things being the hardest lessons in Christianity, do there fore need and require the highest principles of Divine Wisdom, both Doctrinal and Practical, to be deeply inlayed and fixed in the Soul, so as to bow and frame the heart unto a real practice, and willing performance of such Dictates, and conformity thereunto. For then it is that knowledge is tearmed Wisdom; and for that reason it is, that our whole Religion is stiled Wisdom, because it rests not in bare Notional knowledge, (which is a differing thing from Wisdom) but makes men proportionably wise, to the practise of the things, in which it instructs. And particularly,