1. I BEFORE shewed that when I was in doubt about the holy scriptures, the devil often suggested to me, “how can you expect satisfaction in these things, when men of so much greater abilities have sought it in vain?” And this suggestion was often so violently urged, that I had no spirit left in me. 2. But when God discovered himself to me in his own light, the force of this temptation was utterly broken; though I had not a particular sight of the weakness of it till I read (some time after) the three first chapters of the first epistle to the _Corinthians_: the substance of what God then shewed me was, _First_, That his great design in the method of salvation he had chosen, was to stain the pride of all human glory, _that no flesh might glory in his sight, but he that glorieth might glory in the_ Lord. _Secondly_, That a vain ambition to be wise above what God allowed, was the spring and chief part of our apostacy from God; and still _vain man would be wise; the Jews ask a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom_. _Thirdly_, That in order to the attainment of the foregoing design, and to the recovery of man from his apostacy it was plainly necessary, that his ambition, being a flat opposition to his design, and a principal part of his corruption, should be removed. It was requisite, That God should _destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nought the understanding of the prudent_. _Fourthly_, God to vindicate his own wisdom, reproached by this vain ambition of man, to fix an eternal blot on human wisdom, and to discover his holy severity in punishing this ambition, with the other wickednesses of vain man, suffered, _for many ages, all nations to walk in their own ways_, and to try whether they were better than God’s ways; whether they could supply the defects which they fondly imagined God had made them with, or relieve themselves from the misery of their apostacy, and the event answered the design of his wisdom and justice, and the desert of them who made the attempt. For after the fruitless endeavours of four thousand years, _The world by wisdom knew not God_. They missed the mark, _their foolish hearts were darkened; seeking to be wise, they became fools_; instead of getting their eyes opened to see more than God allowed, they could see nothing but their own nakedness; and so imperfect were their discoveries even of that, they imagined fig-leaves would cover it. _Fifthly_, after they had spent the time allotted for shewing the vanity of their own wisdom; God, in the depth of his compassion stepped in to their relief; and in order thereto, was pleased to pitch upon a way quite opposite to all wisdom of foolish man. He chose not _the enticing words of man’s wisdom_, or eloquence; it was not suitable to the truth of God, to use that mean art, whereby the judgments of men are led blindfold in subjection to their passions. He made no choice of artificial reasonings, the other eye of human wisdom. It did not become