not only threatened to be a fwift witness against those that opprefs the hireling in his wages, but hath ftrictly forbidden the detaining of their wages. The Jews were commanded to make payment before the fun-fet, Deut. xxiv. 14, 15. Levit. xix. 30. Be juft in all your dealings and contracts, or never expect the righteous God fhould fmile upon your undertakings.

(4.) Falfehood and lying is a blafting fin to our employments; a fin which tends to destroy all converfe, and difband all civil focieties. And though by falfehood men may get fome prefent advantages, yet here what the Holy Ghoft faith of riches gotten this way: "The "getting of riches by a lying tongue, is a vanity toffed to and fro of "them that feek death," Prov. xxi. 6. Some trade in lies as much as in wares; yea, they trade off their wares with lies. And this proves a gainful trade (as fome men count gain) for the present; but, in reality, it is the most unprofitable trade that any man can drive. For it is but the toffing of a vanity to and fro: a phrase importing labour in vain, it profits nothing in the end, and as it profits nothing, fo it hurts much: they feek profit intentionally, but death eventually; i. e. it will bring deftruction and ruin, not only upon our trades, but our fouls. The God of truth will not long profper the way of lying; one penny gotten by a laborious hand is better than great treafures gotten by a lying tongue: take heed you seek not death in feeking an eftate this way. It is a fin deftructive to fociety; for there is no trade where there is no truft, nor no truft where there is no truth; and yet this curfed trade of lying creeps into all trades, as if there were no living (as one speaks) without lying: but fure it is better for you to be lofers than liars. He fells a dear bargain indeed that fells his confcience with his commodity.

(5.) Perjury, or false swearing, is a blasting fin. The man cannot profper that lies under the guilt thereof. It is faid, Mal. iii. 5. "That "God will be a fwift witness against the falfe fwearer, i. e. it shall not be long before God by one remarkable ftroke of judgment or another witness againft fo great and horrid an evil. And again, Zech. v. 4. the curfe, yea, the roll of curfes, "fhall enter into "the houfe of the falfe fwearer, and fhall remain in the midst of his "house, and fhall confume it, with the timber thereof, and the ftones "thereof." This is a fin that hath laid many houfes wafte, even great and fair, without inhabitant. The ruins of many that were once flourishing, and great men are at this day left to be the lafting monuments of God's righteous judgments, and dreadful warnings to pofterity.

And thus I have fhewed you what are those common evils in trade, which are the caufes of thofe blafts and difappointments upon it. It now remains that we apply it.

Inference 1. Doth God fometimes difappoint the most diligent la

* He does not make good payment who does not pay in due time.

bours of men in their lawful callings? Then this teacheth you patience and fubmiffion under your croffes and difappointments; for it is the Lord that orders it to be fo. Events are in his hand, and it is a fin of great aggravation to fret and murmur at them when they fall out croís to your defires and hopes. "Behold, is it not of the Lord "of hofts, that the people fhall labour in the very fire, and the peo"ple fhall, weary themselves for very vanity?" Hab. ii, 13.

To labour in the very fire, notes intense labour, fuch as exhaufts the very spirits of men whilft they are fweltering and toiling at it; and yet all is to no purpose, they labour but for vanity: and whence is it that fuch vigorous endeavours are blafted, and mifcarry? Is it not of the Lord? And if it be of the Lord, why do we fret and quarrel at his disposals? Indeed, many dare not openly and directly charge God, but feek to cover their difcontent at providence, by a groundless quarrel with the inftruments, who, it may be, are chargeable with nothing; but that after they have done all they could, in the use of proper means, they did not alfo fecure the event. It is true, the dominion of providence doth not excufe the negligence of inftruments; and, in many cases, thefe may be justly reproved, when providence is duly honoured and fubmitted to: But when men groundlessly quarrel with inftruments, because they are croffed in their expectations, the quarrel is commenced against God himself; and our discontents with men are but a covert for our discontents with God.

Now this is a fore evil, a fin of great and dreadful aggravations. To be given over (faith a grave author) to a contradicting spirit, 'to dispute against any part of the will of God, is one of the greatest 'plagues that a man can be given up to.' "Who art thou that re"pliest against God?" Rom. ix. 20. It may be thou hast lost an eftate, thy friends fail, thy hopes are fallen; God hath blown upon all the projects that thy heart did fancy to itself. Poffibly in one day, the defigns, labours, and hopes of many years are destroyed: Well, be it fo, yet repine not against the Lord. Confider, he is the Sovereign, and only Lord, who may do whatever he pleafeth to do without giving thee any account of his matters. Who can fay to him, What doft thou? Befide, if thou be one that God delights in, even thefe difappointments are to be numbered with thy beft mercies. These things are permitted to perish, that thou mayeft not perish for ever; and it should trouble thee no more than when thy life is preE ferved by cafting out the wares and goods of the fhip. It is better that thefe perish than that thou fhouldft perish; but if thou be one that mingled fin (efpecially fuch as were before mentioned) with thy trade, and fo haft pulled down mifery upon thine own head, by provoking the Lord against thee: With what face canft thou open thy mouth to complain against him? Will you lay a train to blow up

* Mr Strong, Of the will of God, p. 242.

all your fuccefs, and then fret against God, when you fee the iffue? O how unreasonable is this!

But because difappointments fall out fo frequently, and it is fo hard to bring our hearts to a quiet fubmiffion to the will of God under them, I will not difmifs this point until I have offered you fome proper and weighty confiderations to work your hearts into a calm and meek fubmiflion to the will of God; and I fhall account it a great mercy, if they may prevail.

Confideration 1. And, in the firft place, if thou be one that fearest God, confider, that difappointments in earthly things fix no mark of God's hatred upon thee. He may love thee, and yet cross thee, Eccl. ix. 1, 2. "No man knows either love or hatred by all the things that "are before him. All things come alike to all; there is 'one event "to the righteous, and to the wicked." Yea, we often find fuccefs and profperity following the wicked, whilft the rod of God is upon the tabernacles of the righteous. "Thefe are the ungodly that prof"per in the world, (faith the Pfalmift) whilft in the mean time he "was plagued all the day long, and chaftened every morning," Pfal. lxxiii. 12, 14. Well then, if you have no other ground than this, you cannot infer the want of love, from the want of fuccefs. A man may be profpered in wrath, and croffed in mercy.

Confideration 2. And what though your projects, hopes, and expec tations of enlarging your eftates fail; yet you may live as happily and comfortably in the condition you are, (if God give you a heart fuitable to it) as if you had enjoyed all that fuccefs you fo fancied and defired.

It is not the increase of an eftate, but the bleffing of God upon a competency, that makes our condition comfortable to us. As the eftate enlarges, fo doth the heart. The prophet Habakkuk, speaking of the Chaldean prince, Hab. ii. 6. faith, "He keeps not at "home, he enlarges his defire as hell, and is as death, and cannot "be fatisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto " him all people." And this is the nature of every man's heart, to enlarge its defire and the greatest enlargements of providence. Still the heart is projecting for fome further comfort and content, in fome new acquifition; when, indeed, a man is as near it in a lower condition as in the highest exaltation.

It is ftoried of Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, that having enlarged his dominions by the conqueft of Macedonia, he thirfted after Italy; and demanding the advice of Cineas, his great counsellor, he asked the king what he meant to do when he had conquered Italy? Why then, faid he) I mean to get Sicily, which is near, rich, and powerful. When you have gotten Sicily, (faid Cineas) What then? Afric, faid the king, is not far off, and there be many goodly kingdoms, which by my fame, and the valour of my foldiers, I may fubdue. Be it fo,

*Plutarch in Pyrrho.

faid Cineas: When you have Afric, and all in it, what will you do then? Why then, faid the king, thou and I will be merry, and make good cheer. Cineas replied, Sir, if this be the end you aim at, what need you venture your kingdom, person, and honour, to purchase what you have already? Surely Epirus and Macedonia are fufficient to make you and me merry; and had you all the world, you could not be more merry than you may now be.

Reader, I advise thee, under all difappointments of thy expectations, to bless God for any comfortable enjoyment thou haft. If God give thee a smaller estate, and a contented heart, it is as well, yea, better than if thou hadst enjoyed thy defire. The bee makes a sweeter meal upon two or three flowers, than the ox that hath so many mountains to graze upon.

Confideration 3. And what if by these disappointments, God be carrying on the great defign of his eternal love upon thy foul? This may be the defign of these providences; and if to, fure there is no caufe for thy defpondencies. There is a double aim of these providences; sometimes they are fent to awaken and rouze the dull decayed habits of grace, which under profperous providerces fall asleep by the intermiffion of acts, and remiffion of wonted vigour and activity? And fhould the Lord permit things to run on at this rate, what a deplorable cafe would this grow to?Let a man live (faith one) * ⚫ but two or three years without affliction, and he is almoft good for nothing; he cannot pray, nor meditate, nor keep his heart fixed upon fpiritual things: But let God fmite him in his health, ⚫ child, or estate; now he can find his tongue and affections again; now he awakes and falls to his duty in earneft; now God hath twice as much honour from him as he had before. Now, faith • God, his amendment pleaseth me; this rod was well beftowed: I have disappointed him to his great benefit and advantage. And thus • God chides himself friends with his people again.'

And fometimes they prove the bleffed occafions to work grace. "If "they be bound in fetters, and holden in cords of affliction, then "he fheweth them their works, and their tranfgreffion that they "have exceeded: He openeth also their ear to difcipline, and com"mandeth that they return from iniquity," Job xxxvi. 8, 9, 10.

And if this be the fruit of it, you will blefs God through eternity for these happy difappointments. Then these things perifhed, that thy foul might not perish.

Confideration 4. Be patient under disappointments; for if you meekly fubmit, and quietly wait upon God, he can quickly repair all that you have loft, and restore it by other providences double to you. Have you not heard, after all Job's deprivations, and the frultrations of all his earthly hopes, and his admirable patience under all, VOL. V.

3 F

• Mr. Steel.

what a gracious end the Lord made with him? And why may not you hope for fuch a comfortable change of providence towards you, if you also carry it under difappointments as he did? Certainly fad providences are near their change when the heart is calmed in the will of God, and corrected home to him.

Confideration 5. And why fhould it feem fo hard and grievous to you, for God to disappoint your hopes and purposes, when you cannot but know, that you have difappointed his expectations from you fo often, and that in greater and better things than these?

He hath looked for fruit (as it is, Ifa. v. 4.) for obedience, reformation, and renewed care of duty from you many times; he promifed himself, and made account of a good return of his afflictions and mercies, and you promifed him as much, and yet have failed his expectation: And is it then strange that you should fail of your hopes, who have failed God fo often?

O then fee that you are quiet in the will of God; fret not at the defeating of your hopes, wreak not your difcontent upon innocent inftruments, but look to the juft and holy, and good will of God in all things. The wife is fometimes angry with the fervant for what he hath done, till he tells her that it was his master's order, and then she is quiet.

Has a fhip mifcarried, is a voyage loft, a relation dead, an estate gone, a friend carried into captivity, whofe return was expected with fo much delight and comfort? why, if it be fo, it is the Lord hath done it, and be thou filent before him. Your repining will not make it better; fin is no proper cure for affliction. A quiet and fubmiffive fpirit is well-pleafing to God, as well as profitable for you.

Inference 2. Doth God fometimes difappoint the expectations of men in their employments? then never fet your hearts immoderately upon earthly things, nor raife up to yourselves too great expectations from thefe things. The ftronger your expectations, the heavier God's disappointments will be.

There is a double evil in over-reckoning ourfelves, and over-acting our confidence about worldly things: it provokes God to difappoint us, and then makes the difappointment much more grievous when it comes.

It provokes a difappointment, efpecially to the godly. The Lord is jealous of their affections, and will not endure that any thing fhould be a co-rival, or competitor with him for their hearts: yea, it is fo ufual with God to dash and remove whatever engroffes too much of the heart, that a gracious foul cannot but reckon that comfort in great danger to be loft, which he finds to be overloved.

If David fet his heart upon Abfalom, God will not only smite him, but fmite David by him, and make him firft the inftrument of his forrow, and then the object of it. Jonah did but take a little too much comfort in his gourd, and you know the next news we hear is, that God had prepared a worm to fmite it, and cause it to wither away.