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therewith.' A fanctified lot is an ineftimable treafure. The bleffing of God on a cruise of oil, and a pot of meal, is better than inexhaustible mines of gold and filver. What cause of contentment and patience to the child of God!

In the last place, you may learn, from what has been faid on the fubject, what is the plaineft, the fhorteft, and indeed, the only fure way to deliverance from diftrefs or calamity of whatever kind. It is to fly to the mercy of God through the blood of Chrift, to renew the exercises of faith in him, and in proportion as it pleases God, to fill you with all joy and peace in believing; you will perceive every other covenant bleffing flow clear and unmixed from this inexhaufted fource. It will lead to repentance, humiliation and fubmiffion. The fanctified ufe of the affliction will be obtained, and this brings deliverance of itself; for no rod will be continued longer than it hath anfwered its end, At any rate, when fuffering is neceflary, grace, to fuffer with patience, shall not be withheld. Would you have any more, and is not this remedy always at hand? Can the pooreft man fay, it is not within the reach of his purse? It is at once effectual and univerfal. It was once faid in contempt of a worthy and pious minifter, that he made fo much of the blood of Chrift, that he would even apply it to a broken bone. But bating what may be thought indecent in the expreffion, chofen on purpose to bring a good man into ridicule, the thing itself, I make bold to af

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firm, is a great and precious truth. Faith in the blood of Chrift makes a man fuperior to all fufferings. It foftens their afpect-it abates their feverity nay, it changes their nature. When a man is under diftrefs or calamity of any kind, and confiders it only in itfelf, and independently of his relation to God, it retains its old nature, and taftes with all the bitterness of the original curfe; but when it is confidered as limited in its nature

its meafure, and its continuance by a kind Saviour, the believer fubmits to it with patience, as a part of his Creator's will; bears it with patience. in his Redeemer's ftrength, and fometimes is enabled to embrace it with pleafure, as ferving to carry him to his Father's prefence. Is this going too far? No, my dear brethren; there are great realities to which the word of God, and the experience of his faints, bear united evidence. Many here prefent, I doubt not, have been witnefs of this truth. in the carriage of their relations now with God; and not a few, I truft, will repeat the teftimony to fucceeding ages. I conclude all with that animated paffage of the Apoftle Paul, 2 Cor. iv. 16. F7. For which caufe we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is Irenewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, v worketh for us a far ⚫ more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.'

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The Dominion of Providence over the Paffions of Men.*\ si suro Ta

PSAL. Ixxvi. 10.

Surely the wrath of Man fhall praise thee; the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.

HERE is not a greater evidence either of the

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reality or the power of religion, than a firm belief of God's univerfal prefence, and a conftant attention to the influence and operation of his providence. It is by this means that the Christian may be faid, in the emphatical Scripture language, to walk with God, and to en• dure as seeing him who is invisible.'

The doctrine of divine providence is very full and complete in the facred oracles. It extends not only to things which we may think of great. moment, and therefore worthy of notice; but to things *Preached at Princeton on the general Faft, 17th May 1776.

things the most indifferent and inconfiderable 'Are not two fparrows fold for a farthing?" fays our Lord, and one of them falleth not to the 'ground without your heavenly Father; nay, • the very hairs of your head are all numbered.? It extends not only to things beneficial and falutary, or to the direction and affiftance of thofe who are the fervants of the living God; but to things feemingly moft hurtful and deftructive, and to persons the most refractory and disobedient. He over-rules all his creatures, and all their actions. Thus we are told, that fire, hail, fnow, vapour, and ftormy wind, fulfil his word,' in the course of nature; and even fo the most impetuous and diforderly paffions of men, that are under no reftraint from themfelves, are yet perfectly fubject to the dominion of Jehovah. They carry his commiffion, they obey his orders, they are limited and restrained by his authority, and they confpire with every thing else in proComoting his glory. There is the greater need to take notice of this, that men are not generally fufficiently aware of the diftinction between the law of God and his purpose; they are apt to fuppofe, that as the temper of the finner is contrary to the one, fo the outrages of the finner are able to defeat the other; than which nothing can be more falfe. The truth is plainly afferted and nobly expreffed by the Pfalmift in the text, Surely the wrath of man fhall praise thee; the remainder of wrath fhalt thou restrain.'

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This pfalm was evidently compofed as a fong of praise for fome fignal victory obtained, which was at the fame time a remarkable deliverance from threatening danger. The author was one or other of the later prophets, and the occafion, probably, the unfuccefsful affault of Jerufalem, by the army of Senacherib, king of Affyria, in the days of Hezekiah. Great was the infolence and boafting of his generals and fervants against the city of the living God, as may be feen in the thirty-fixth chapter of Isaiah. Yet it pleased God to deftroy their enemies, and, by his own immediate interpofition, to grant them deliverance. Therefore the Pfalmift fays, in the fifth and fixth verfes of this Pfalm, The ftout-heart

ed are fpoiled, they have flept their fleep. • None of the men of might have found their hands. At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob!

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both the chariots and the horfe are caft into a deep fleep. After a few more remarks to the fame purpose, he draws the inference, or makes the reflection in the text, "Surely the ' wrath of man fhall praife thee; the remainder ⚫ of wrath fhalt thou reftrain which may be paraphrafed thus; the fury and injuftice of oppreffors fhall bring in a tribute of praise to thee; the influence of thy righteous providence fhall be clearly difcerned; the countenance and fupport thou wilt give to thine own people shall be gloriously illuftrated: thou fhalt fet the bounds which the boldest cannot pass

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