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of those rules and helps that God hath given us in such

cases.

That Providence has various, yea, contrary aspects upon the people of God, is a case so plain, that it needs no more than the mentioning, to let it into all our understandings. Which of all the people of God have not felt this truth?

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These vicissitudes of providence commonly cause great disorders of spirit in the best men. As intense heat and cold try the strength and soundness of the constitution of our bodies, so the alterations made by Providence upon our conditions, try the strength of our graces, and too often discover the weakness and corruption of holy men. Hezekiah was a good man, but yet his weakness and corruption were betrayed by the alterations Providence made in his condition. David had more than a common stock of inherent grace, yet not enough always to keep him in a holy temper of spirit under great alterations, Psal. xxx. 6, 7.

Though the best men are subject to such disorders of heart under the changes of Providence; yet these disorders may in a great measure be prevented by the due application of such rules and helps as God has given us in such cases.

Now, these helps are suited to a threefold aspect of Providence upon us-comfortable, calamitous, doubtful. How then may we attain to an evenness and steadiness of heart under the comfortable aspects of Providence upon us?

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Under providences of this kind the great danger is, lest the heart be lifted up with pride and vanity, and fall into a drowsy and remiss temper. To prevent this, we had need to urge humbling and awakening considerations upon our hearts; such are these that follow.-These gifts of Providence are common to the worst of men, are no special distinguishing fruits of God's love.Think how unstable and changeable all these things are. What you glory in to-day may be none of yours tomorrow, Prov. xxiii. 5.-The change of providences are never nearer to the people of God, than when their hearts

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are lifted up, or grown secure by prosperity.-This is a great discovery of the carnality and corruption that is in thy heart. It argues a heart little set upon God, little mortified to the world, little acquainted with the vanity and ensnaring nature of these things. O you know not what hearts you have till such providences try them. Was it not better with you in a low condition than it is now? Reflect and compare state with state, and time with time. How is the frame of your hearts altered with the alteration of your condition! How sad is it, that God's mercies should be the occasion of our estrangement from him!

On the other side, it is worth considering how our hearts may be established and kept steady under calamitous and adverse providences.

Here we are in equal danger of the other extreme of despondency and sinking under the frowns and strokes of cross providences. Now to support and establish the heart in this case, take three helps.-Consider that afflictive providences are of great use to the people of God; they cannot live without them. The earth doth not more need chastening frosts and mellowing snows, than our hearts do nipping providences. Let the best Christian be but a few years without them, and he will be sensible of the want of them.-No stroke or calamity upon the people of God, can separate them from Christ. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation?" Rom. viii. 35.-All your calamities will have an end shortly. The troubles of the wicked will be to eternity; but you shall" suffer but a while," 1 Pet. v. 13.

Let us consider also what may be useful to support and quiet our hearts under doubtful providences, when our dear concerns hang in a doubtful suspense before us, and we know not which way the providence of God will cast and determine them.

The best hearts are apt now to grow solicitous and pensive, distracted with thoughtfulness about the event and issue. To relieve and settle us in this case, the following considerations may be useful.-Let us consider the vanity and inutility of such a solicitude, Mat. vi. 27. We may break our peace, and waste our spirits, but not

alter the case. We cannot turn God out of his way, Job xxiii. 13.-How often do we afflict and torment ourselves by our own unquiet thoughts, when there is no real cause or ground for so doing, Isa. li. 13! O what abundance of disquiet and trouble might we prevent, by waiting quietly till we see the issues of Providence, and not bringing, as we do, the evils of the morrow upon the day!-How great ground of quietness is it that the whole disposal and management of all our affairs and concerns is in the hand of our own God and Father!-How great satisfaction must it be to all that believe the divine authority of the scripture, that the faithfulness of God stands engaged for every line and syllable found therein! And how many blessed lines in the Bible may we mark, that respect even our outward concerns, and the happy issue of them all! Not only your eternal salvation, but your temporal interests are there secured. Be quiet therefore in the confidence of a blessed issue.-How great and sure an expedient have the saints ever found it to their own peace, to commit all doubtful issues of Providence to the Lord, and devolve all their cares upon him, Prov. xvi. 3!

5. How may a Christian work his heart into a resigned frame to the will of God, when sad providences approach him, and presage great troubles and afflictions coming on towards him?

For the right stating and resolving of this important case, it will be needful to show what is not included and intended in the question; what it does suppose and include in it; and, lastly, what helps and directions are necessary for the due performance of this great and difficult duty.

As to the first point, it must be premised that the question does not suppose the heart or will of a Christian to be at his own command and disposal in this matter. We cannot resign it, and subject it to the will of God whenever we desire so to do. The duty indeed is ours, but the power by which alone we perform it is God's. We act as we are acted on by the Spirit. "Without Christ we can do nothing." He does not say, Without me ye can do but little; or, Without me ye can do nothing but

with great difficulty; or, Without me ye can do nothing perfectly; but, Without me ye can do nothing at all. And every Christian has a witness in his own breast to attest this truth; for there are cases frequently occurring in the methods of Providence, in which notwithstanding all their prayers and desires, all their reasonings and strivings, they cannot quiet their hearts fully in the disposal and will of God; but, on the contrary, find all their endeavours in this matter, to be but as the rolling of a returning stone against the hill. Till God say to the heart, Be still, and to the will, Give up, nothing can be done.

Let us next consider what this case does suppose and include in it, and we shall find, that it supposes the people of God to have a foresight of troubles and distresses drawing near to them. I confess it is not always so, for many of our afflictions, as well as comforts, come by surprise upon us. But oftentimes we have fore-warnings of troubles, both public and personal, before we feel them. And these fore-warnings are given by the Lord to awaken us to our duties, by which they may either be prevented, Zeph. ii. 1, 2, or sanctified and sweetened to us when they come. These signs and notices of approaching troubles are gathered, partly from the observation and collation of scripture-cases and examples, God generally holding one tenor and steady course in the administration of his providences in all ages; and partly from the reflections Christians make upon the frames and tempers of their own hearts, which greatly need awakening and humbling providences. For let a Christian be but a few years or months without a rod, and how formal, earthly, dead, and vain will his heart grow! And such a temper presages affliction to them that are beloved of the Lord, as really as the giving or sweating of the stones doth

rain.

The case before us supposes also, that these premonitions and forerunners of affliction, do usually very much disturb the order, and break the peace of our souls: that they put the mind under great discomposure, the thoughts under much distraction, and the affections into tumults and rebellion. Ah, how unwilling are we to surrender

to the Lord the loan which he lent us! to be disquieted by troubles when at ease in our enjoyments! How unwelcome are the messengers of affliction to the best of men! And this arises partly from the remains of corruption in the best souls; and partly from the advantage Satan makes at the season to irritate and assist our corruptions. He knows that that which is already in motion is the more easily moved. In this confusion and hurry of thoughts he undiscernedly shuffles in his temptations; sometimes aggravating the evils which we fear, with all the sinking and overwhelming circumstances imaginable; sometimes divining and fore-casting such events and evils, as never fall out; sometimes repining at the disposals of God as more severe to us than to others; and sometimes reflecting, with very unbelieving and unworthy thoughts, upon the promises of God, and his faithfulness in them; by all which the affliction is made to sink deep into the soul before it actually comes. The thoughts are so disordered, that duty cannot be duly performed, and the soul is really weakened and disabled to bear its trial when it comes; just as if a man should be kept waking and restless all the night with the thoughts of his hard journey, which he must travel to-morrow, and so, when to-morrow is come, he faints for want of rest, in his journey.

It is here supposed also to be the Christian's great duty, under the apprehensions of approaching troubles, to resign his will to God's, and quietly commit the events and issues of all to him, whatever they may prove. O lovely and truly Christian temper! And till our hearts come to this, we can have no peace within. But this resignation is the difficulty; and therefore I shall here subjoin such helps and directions as may, through God's blessing in the faithful use of them, assist and facilitate this great and difficult work.-Labor to work into your hearts a deep and fixed sense of the infinite wisdom of God, and your own folly and ignorance. This will make resignation easy to you: Whatsoever the Lord does is by counsel, Eph. i. 11; his understanding is infinite, Psalm cxlvii. 5; his thoughts are very deep, Psalm xcii. 5. But as for man, yea, the wisest among men, how little does his understanding penetrate the

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