Sermons upon the Book of Job

the holy scripture telleth us, there is none other wisdom, but the fear of God. Then if we have our eye upon God, so as we direct §60our life according to his will, and put our whole trust in him, to have recourse to him for succour: behold, the same is our true wisdom. And here we see why S. Paul saith, that such as are learned in the Gospel, are perfectly wise. For there they find how to order their whole life without missing or erring. Although then that men be full of subtlety and fine conveyance, and ween themselves to be very wise: yet must we hold us to this that is taught us here, how it is every whit of it but folly and vanity, so long as the fear of God reigneth not in them. And now let us come to that which is said here. I have cursed the fool notwithstanding that he had taken root, yea and I have cursed his house immediately. When he speaketh of taking root: it is to express, that it seemed well that the prosperity should have continued firm and stable. If Eliphas had said, I have seen the fool advanced aloft to great dignity: he had not expressed so much as he doth. For he sayeth he is planted, because the despisers of God and all perverse & froward folk, hope to have fortune always in their sleeve. And like as a tree that is throughly well settled & deeply rooted in the ground, standeth fast though it be shaken with winds & storms: even so it seemeth that after God hath once advanced the wicked, they shall reign continually, & their triumphs shall never come to an end. But Eliphas saith, that when he saw such a likelihood, he forbore not to curse the wicked out of hand: & he saith out of hand or immediately, meaning that he tarried not till there came a change, as we commonly do, who at the first blush, when we see the despisers of God to be in their chief ruff, and to have the wind at their stern as they term it, do linger the time & are as it were astonied, saying, what will this gear prove to? If we perceive them to be falling into decay: then we change our mind: but so long as we see them flourish, we wot not what to say, we be at our wits end. Contrariwise Eliphas telleth us, that he was not abashed a whit at the matter, but spake his mind according to that which God had uttered. For his coming to give judgement & condemnation here, is not of his own head & after his own fancy:

the holy scripture telleth vs, there is none other wisedome, but the feare of God. Then if we haue our eye vpon God, so as wee direct §60