Conclusion

A wise Christian has his will melted into God’s will, and thinks it best to be at his finding. God is wise, he knows whether we need food or physic; and if we could acquiesce in providence, the quarrel would soon be at an end. O what a strange creature would man be, if he were what he could wish himself! Be content to be at God’s allowance; God knows which is the fittest pasture to put his sheep in; sometimes a more barren ground does well, whereas rank pasture may rot.

If, therefore, God be our greatest good; if there can be no good but in His favour, nor any evil but in departing from Him, then it is plain, that he who judges it the best thing he can do to please God to the utmost of his power, who worships and adores Him with all his heart and soul, who would rather have a pious mind than all the dignities and honours in the world, shows himself to be in the highest state of human wisdom.

The stakes are high. The alternative to a life of wisdom is not mediocrity or monotony. The foolish, simple, and naive do not just face a mere lackluster and bland existence. Outside of wisdom is peril and disaster. In the end, there are only two ways to live: wisdom in the fear of God or folly bound up with human depravity. In this same way, there are only two ways to parent: leading our children onto the righteous paths that lead to life or leading them astray on the wicked paths that lead to destruction. Our civic involvement and vocations will take on a certain kind of quality: establishing God’s justice or contributing to the world’s unraveling. Church leadership and ministry finds itself at a similar crossroads: promoting godliness or promulgating godlessness (even if under the guise of pseudo-spiritualities). May we heed the voice of Solomon to his son, ingesting this truth as a certain guide for our personal faith, family rule, vocational pursuits, and faithful engagement with the world.