Attributes of God - Charnock - XXVI - Chapter 9 (God's wisdom) commenced

Required reading
Attributes of God by Charnock (Available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Commence Chapter 9 (A discourse upon the wisdom of God) by reading up to the paragraph commencing 'IV. The fourth thing is, wherein the wisdom of God appears.'

My summary
Today we commence a new discourse on God's wisdom.

Charnock's text for this discourse is Romans 16:27: 'To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.'  And to start the chapter he gives an exposition of it (and a kind of summary of Romans in general).

Then Charnock's first main point is to show that wisdom consists of:
(i) acting for a right end;
(ii) observing all circumstances for action;
(iii) willing and acting according to the right reason.

Secondly Charnock lays down some propositions in general concerning the wisdom of God:
(i) there is an essential and a personal wisdom of God;
(ii) the wisdom of God is the same with the essence of God;
(iii) wisdom is the property of God alone.

Thirdly we are told reasons to prove that God is wise:
(i) God could not be infinitely perfect without wisdom;
(ii) without infinite wisdom, God could not govern the world;
(iii) the creatures working for an end, without their own knowledge, demonstrate the wisdom of God that guides them;
(iv) God is the fountain of all wisdom in the creatures and therefore is infinitely wise himself.

What grabbed me
A very helpful distinction was made between wisdom and knowledge: 'Hence it appears, that wisdom and knowledge are two distinct perfections. Knowledge has its seat in the speculative understanding, wisdom in the practical. Wisdom and knowledge are evidently distinguished as two several gifts of the Spirit in man; " To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit," 1 Cor. xii. 8. Knowledge is an understanding of general rules and wisdom is a drawing conclusions from those rules in order to particular cases. A man may have the knowledge of the whole Scripture, and have all learning in the treasury of his memory, and yet be destitute of skill to make use of them upon particular occasions, and unite those knotty questions which may be proposed to him, by a ready application of those rules. '

May the Lord of both knowledge and wisdom grant us both knowledge and wisdom.

Next week's reading
Continue Chapter 9 (A discourse upon the wisdom of God) by reading up to the paragraph commencing '(2) The wisdom of God appears in his government of his creatures'.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.