Page images
PDF
EPUB

nefs be made ftrong *, provided we truft not prefumptuously to our own efforts, but humbly join with them, faith in God, and prayer for the aid of his holy fpirit, through the mediation of Jefus Chrift: for his grace shall be sufficient for us, and his Strength made perfect in our weakness. Without him we can do nothing every wrong inclination, diffatisfaction amongst others with every thing within and without, in their turns will prevail over us: but through Chrift who ftrengtheneth us, we can do all things §. To him we owe our deliverance from the wrath to come ¶: and well may we be easy with an inferior fhare of worldly advantages; for the best of us deserve none. From him proceeds all the good, that we think or do: and furely we have no title to greater abilities in any respect, than he bestows on us. On him depend our hopes of future happinefs and the lowest place in it is too high for us. Yet we know not how far we may advance in fpiritual attainments by modeft perfeverance. We may be enabled in time to cut-do both ourselves and others, and be rewarded accordingly. But however that proves, it may abundantly fuffice us all, that we fhall make our calling and election fure ||, and enter into some degree of the joy of our Lord **, in return for our faithful improvement of the talents committed to us, be they more or fewer, if in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, we keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience +, though it be very different proportions, fome an hundred fold, fome fixty, Some thirty ‡‡.

in

* Heb. xi. 34.
§ Phil. iv.13
**Matth. xxv.21.

† 2 Cor. xii. 9.

Matth. iii. 7. tt Luke viij. 15.

John xv. 5.

2. Pct. i. 10. # Matth. xiii. 8.

SER

[blocks in formation]

I became dumb, and opened not my mouth: for it was thy doing.

IT would be our wifdom and our duty, though we had no knowledge of religion, to bear the fufferings of life with patience, and fubmit to the inequalities of it with contentment. I have therefore hitherto inforced upon you the practice of these two virtues, chiefly from prudential and moral confiderations, though I could not altogether forbear adding fome inducements of piety alfo. But these last are both fo fuperior to the former, and fo neceffary in human circumstances, that I must now dwell upon them diftinctly.

Pains of the body, and uneafiness of the mind, may sometimes be fo grievous, that, had we no invifible fovereign to obey, and nothing to hope or fear after death, it would be hard to perfuade ourselves to continue in life. At least we should undergo in it a great deal of mifery, with few and poor confolations. Thofe indeed, which I have mentioned to you, are in many cafes of confiderable ufe by themselves in all cafes they may be of fervice, when combined with reflections of a higher nature. And our groveling minds are often more affected with feeble reafons, that are level to them; than with ftrong ones, that seem above them or however may best be quieted a while by a previous ufe of the former, till they can be raised to an ability of applying the latter. And humanity requires, that even the weakest aid be called in: but at the fame time, that the principle ftrefs be laid on the firmeft fupport: else what will be the confequence? Only indeed what moft of us in our turns have probably experienced. We have been told that grieving would not help us, without being told

what

what would; and fo have been left to grieve on. We have been told, that fooner or later our fufferings would abate, which is small fatisfaction in the mean while; or that they would be fhort, because our lives are so, which is leaving us to be miferable, as long as we are any thing. We have been told perhaps, that pain is no evil, and virtue is its own reward in all circumftances, when we were actually feeling the contrary: or that others were as wretched as we, or even more fo; as if that could make our wretchedness ceafe. We have been bid to turn our thoughts from our forrows to amufement; when we could not, if we would; and poffibly fhould have abhorred to do it, if we could. Sage maxims and counfels of various and contradictory forts, have been urged upon us, which had no authority or weight to make their way into our hearts: but we have remained in the condition, which poor Job expreffes to his friends: I have heard many fuch things: miferable comforters are ye all*. Or though men have ever fo few fufferings, yet, without religious views, they may have so few enjoyments, and thofe fo low, that a rational foul must disdain. them, and feel its existence to be infipid and unfatisfactory. Or, however content, upon force, to acquiefce after a fort in our own condition, we may ftill either be perfuaded, that the general ftate of things upon the whole is wrong and unhappy, or doubt fo greatly whether it be right and good, that the world may appear very gloomy and comfortlefs to a benevolent mind.

text;

If therefore we defire to pass through it with complacency, we must extend our thoughts further, like the pfalmift in the and confider ourfelves, as in the hands of God: for then, whatever happens, or whatever is wanting, to us or to any one, we shall see cause to submit to it, compofedly and placidly, without objecting. I became dumb, and opened not my mouth: for it was thy doing.

The Creator of all things is evidently, as fuch, Lord of all things and hath a right to place us in what ftation, and expofe us to what accidents he pleafes; provided the being, which he hath given us, be not, on the whole, without cur fault, worse than not being. For who art thou, O man, that repliest against God? fhall the thing formed fay unto him that formed it, why haft thou made me thus ? Is it not lawfull for

[blocks in formation]

But

for him to do what he will with his own? He can have no need, no temptation to use us unjustly: and, without any, we never use one another fo: which knowledge alone is enough to produce in us a confiderable degree of dutiful fubmiffion. If what we diflike in our condition were the effect of mere chance or fatal neceffity, we might rebel in our hearts against it. But a principle of yielding to the lawful authority of an almighty ruler is part of human nature. Our circumstances perhaps are difadvantageous, or even our fufferings great. if we look diligently into our temper and behaviour, have we not deferved all that we undergo, have we not deserved much worfe? And if fo, furely we fhould fay in our hearts, with poor penitent Eli, It is the Lord; let him do what feemeth to him good † and with Jeremiah, wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his fins? Let us fearch and try our ways, and turn again to the Lordt. Perhaps alfo, the uneafinefs, which we feel, whether inflicted for our tranfgreffions or not, is more than overbalanced by the comforts that we enjoy. Our impatience may lead us into great miftakes in this matter: but God is liable to none. Or if, at prefent, wretchednefs preponderates, he can eafily make us a compenfation, either here or hereafter: nay, if justice requires it, he certainly will. And it is good, that a man fhould both hope, and quietly wait for the falvation of the lord §. In the midst of heathen darkness indeed, there may to fome have feemed caufe of doubt, especially on trying occafions, whether the adminiftration of things were just or not; and, fuppofing it to be fo on the whole, whether it was or could be fo in regard of each particular perfon. Now thefe, the more love and zeal they had for what was right, the more they must be diffatisfied with what appeared to be wrong: and therefore might be excufible in a degree, if they murmered against the difpenfations of providence towards themfelves, or others. Some again, impatient of the evils of this life, ignorant of the means of procuring strength to bear them, and perhaps alfo doubtful at beft of another to reward them, might, without any heinous depravity, yield to the temptation of thinking themselves allowed or even called, by the author of their beings, to put a voluntary end to them, whenever they were oppreffed by fufferings hard to fupport. But in the clearer light of our days, either of these dispositions would be unspeakably more criminal.

Yet,

Matth. xx. 15 † Sam. ii. 18. Lam. iii. 39, 40. S Lam. iii. 26.

Yet, were we only to believe, that God will do us no wrong, our fubmiffion to his will, though it might well be full of the profoundeft reverence, would not be accompanied with the highest degree of esteem. But happily he hath alfo fhewn us great kindness For every pleasure that we enjoy, every capacity of receiving pleasure that belongs to our inward or outward frame, proceeds from his bounty. And how do we commonly behave upon it? Yield ourselves up to his difpofal with a chearful trust in him? No: repine and complain, that he hath not done more for us, or that he doth not continue to us all that we ever had. But every thing is more than we are intitled to. We have no property in any thing: we ourfelves are his property. Our very being is not our own: He bestowed it, and whatever we poffefs in it, and that only during his pleasure he may allow us as few comforts, or mix with them as many afflictions as he will. Shall we receive good at the band of God, and shall we not receive evil*? All that he granted, he may withdraw at any time and our concern is only to fay with Job, the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: bleed be the name of the Lordt. He might have made any one of us the very loweft of his creation: and if the meaneft of the works of his hands hath a claim to more than he hath vouchsafed, it hath an equal claim to more without end: and if it is not bound to refignation at prefent, can never be bound to it in any fituation at all.

:

But though the fovereignty of God is. abfolute, we know not that he ever ufes it in an arbitrary manner. The fcripture tells us in exprefs terms, that he doth not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men t. And to think, that he limits the happiness of the leaft happy of his creatures without caufe, would be entertaining a disrespectful notion of his glorious attributes. Manifold as his works are, yet in wifdom bath he made them all §: and the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. The farther men fee into whatever he hath done or appointed, the more evidence they difcern of forefight and skill, of bounty and mercy: and therefore ought firmly to believe they take place, even where they fee them not. Such and fuch things we are apt to imagine might have been contrived more for our particular advantage. Yet perhaps we mistake: VOL. I.

G

and

* Job ii. 10. Pfal. civ. 24.

† Job i. 21.

Lam. iii. 33.

Pfal. xxxiii, 5.

« PreviousContinue »