me? I have been a conftant Frequenter of SERM. God's Worship, and performed the Duties I. of Religion both in Publick and in Private; I have lived juftly, foberly, and temperately; I have been charitable to the Poor, according to my Ability; and therefore, why, O Lord, doft thou write such hard Things against me? How many of my Acquaintance are there, who are very careless and remifs, as to religious Matters, and yet have none of thefe Croffes and Troubles? Nay, how many debauched and profligate Wretches are there, who caft up their Mouths against Heaven, and challenge God himself to punish them, and yet live quiet and happy Lives, and go down to their Graves in Peace? And then we are apt foolishly to conclude, that, if there was, indeed, a Providence, if God took any Care of the World, Things would not be thus carried, it would not happen to the Righteous after the Lot of the Wicked. But who art thou, O Man, who thus arguest with thy Maker? Would it be a reasonable Thing for the Clay to fay to the Potter, Why hast thou made me thus? May not God do what he will with his own? This we esteem to be the Right of the meanest Proprietor, and therefore it is but reasonable that the great Go SERM. vernor of the World fhould difpofe of I. us, as his unerring Wisdom thinks best. For the Difpenfations of God's Providence are wonderful, and his Ways paft finding out; and, though he always works for fome wife End or other, yet the Reason of his acting is not always to be measured by the fhort Plummet of our shallow Underftandings. BUT let us confider ftill farther, that all that we fuffer is the just Demerit of our evil Deeds. Let us but call ourselves to an Account, and examine our Confciences, and confider how often we have offended God in Thought, Word, and Deed, how we have abufed God's Mercies, and flighted his Judgments, how often we have grieved the Holy Spirit, crucified the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open Shame; and then we fhall find more Reafon to admire God's Goodnefs and Long-fuffering to usward, than to complain of his Rigour and Severity. And the Truth is, did we look more at Home and lefs Abroad, i. e. did we make a more exact Scrutiny into our own Faults and Infirmities, and regard thofe of our Neighbour lefs, which do not at all concern us; we should not then be fuch rigid Judges of other Men, but rather ftand amazed at God's infinite Mercy Mercy and Forbearance, in that he has SERM. not long ago given us our Portion with I. the Devil and his Angels, and caft us out like unprofitable Servants into utter Perdition. And therefore let not our Eye be evil, because God's is good; nor with Jonah, that wayward Prophet, should we be troubled, because God doth not prefently execute his Threats upon the Sinner. For why fhould we envy other Men that Mercy and Forbearance, which we ourselves have so much Need of, and that Act of Grace by which we stand reprieved from eternal Torments ? THUS We fee how unjust and unreasonable this murmuring and complaining Humour is, which we are all of us more or lefs guilty of, in a Day of Adverfity, and under a calamitous Condition; and therefore we have all the Reason in the World to be watchful over ourselves, and to keep up our Trust and Dependence upon God; more especially at fuch a Time as this. It is true Affliction works differently (like the Sun) according to the different Difpofition of the Subject it works upon. If it meets with a pliable Difpofition, a Heart well difciplined, and cultivated by God's Grace, it melts it down into a Senfe of its own Unworthinefs and Sinfulness, SERM. fulness, and a hearty Sorrow for his past I. Offences, and a firm Refolution of for~faking his Sins; and, if it falls upon a har dened and obdurate Sinner, it only makes him kick and spurn the more against Heaven, and, like heated Iron, the harder it is beaten, fly with the greater Violence in the Face of him who ftruck it. But, feeing our Natures are rather inclined to Evil than Good, and we are more apt to make a bad, than a good Ufe of Afflictions, and, from hence, we are tempted to harbour defponding Thoughts, to distrust God and his Providence; therefore we have all the Reason in the World to be very watchful over ourselves, and, to confider, that though no Chaftening is for the prefent joyous, but grievous, nevertheless af terwards it yieldeth the peaceable Fruit of Righteoufnefs to them who are exercifed Heb. xii. thereby; i. e. Those who have their Patience tried and approved, their Trust in God confirmed, and all their other Graces exercised. Ir only now remains, that I make fome Inferences from what has been faid; and fo I fhall conclude. 1. HENCE we may infer, how vain it is to put our Trust in any thing befides God; as thofe Perfons do, who depend upon upon the good Things of this World, SE RM. yet C |