Enmity with God: for there is grafted within our very Natures fuch a natural Awe and Dread of a Divine Power, as doth neceffarily alarm all that Fear and Horror that is within us, whenfoever we knowingly provoke that Power we fo much dread and tremble at; and our Confciences being thus in a Tumult and Uproar will give a fting to all our Miseries, and render all our Dangers more terrible and amazing; 'twill represent every cross Accident to us as a Meffenger of God's Vengeance, and every little Danger as an approaching Storm from Heaven; and then how must every Danger affright, and every Mifery opprefs us that comes with a Commiffion from that Almighty Vengeance which we fo naturally dread and tremble at? How can we but fink even under our Croffes when we think what a load of Wrath there is in them? How can we but quake at our Dangers, when we look upon them as fo many Thunderbolts, which Omnipotent Fury is hurling at our Head? The Thought of this will imbitter all our Miferies, and make the most trifling Dangers to look ftern

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stern and terrible; hence is that of the Wiseman, The wicked flee when no Man purfueth, but the righteous are bold as a Lyon: For though no Man purfueth them, yet their own Confciences like restlefs Furies haunt them whither ever they go; and this makes them flee before a Shadow, and when none purfueth them, they run away from themselves. Thus whilft we are in Hoftility against God, we lie open to all Weathers, and our own Confciences do betray us to the Fury of all thofe Troubles and Dangers that furround us. But the great end of Christian Religion is to reconcile us unto God; in Order to which it both propofeth a Peace to us, and the Terms and Articles upon which it is to be obtained; which terms when we have performed, the Quarrel presently endeth in a mutual Confederacy; and of Enemies we become the Friends and Favourites of God; upon which there followeth a Jubilee of Joy and Peace within; the Confcience fmileth and groweth calm as the Ocean when the Wind is laid and now, if Troubles befal us, if Dangers encoun

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ter us, 'tis all but like the ratling of Hail upon the Tiles of a MufickHoufe, which with all their clattering and Noife will not be able to disturb the Harmony within. For a quiet Conscience will be a Paradife in a Wilderness, a Haven in the midst of Storms; it will make a Man fearlefs in Danger, joyful in Tribulation, and inable him to fing with a Thorn at his Breaft; and when Troubles and Croffes furround him on every fide, that will be a Sanctuary to him, whereunto he may retire, and be merry in spite of Fortune: Thus by reconciling us unto God, the Christian Religion armeth us against all the Miseries in the World.

Thirdly, It doth it alfo by affuring us of that special Care and Regard which the Divine Providence hath of us, and our Affairs: Chriftianity affureth us, that all things Shall work together for the good of them that love God, and keep his Commandments: That even their Afflictions shall profper them, and all the crossWinds confpire to blow them to the right Port; and what greater Security can a Man defire, than to have

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all his Affairs managed by a Providence that is infinitely wife, and knoweth what is beft for us; infinitely kind, and willeth what he knoweth beft; and infinitely powerful,

and doth what it willeth? This is the utmoft that any modeft or reasonable man can defire for his Security; and he that firmly believeth this, must neceffarily be happy whatfoever befalleth him: For whatsoever happeneth, he taketh as a Favour, because it cometh from the Hand of that wife and merciful Providence, which he is well affured doth both know and do that which is best for him: And is it not a thousand times better that our Affairs fhould be managed as God thinketh fit, who is fo much wiser than we, and loveth us far better than we do our felves, than that they should always jump with our childish Hopes, and keep pace with our extravagant Fancies? And if the Government of all Events that befal us were put into our own Hands, would it not be our Wisdom and our Interest to refign it back into God's Hands again, who, as we must needs acknowledge, can carve a thoufand

times better for us, than we for our felves? Why then should we be troubled that our Affairs fometimes runcounter to our Humours and Fancies? Did we understand the Reafon of God's Dealings, and fee what he feeth, and know what he knoweth, we fhould praise him on our bended Knees, for thofe Croffes which are now the innocent Caufes of our Repinings against him. This therefore in Reafon ought to satisfie us that we are under the Protection of a most wife and gracious Providence ; and that if Afflictions do befal us, they are but Rods in the Hands of our Benefactor, and Tokens of Love from a reconciled Father. For what Reafon can we have either to fear or complain, when we know our felves fheltered within the Bofom of that Providence, in which all the Divine Attributes, like fo many Guardian Angels, do pitch their Tents about us. Within this bleffed Ark, if we please, we may live fecurely, whilft all the Floods of Mifery do fwell, and rove about us; here we may fing Requiems in the loudest Thunders, and fleep fecurely in the midst of Storms

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