SERMON VIII.

JOB V. 6, 7.

Although Affliction cometh not forth of the Duft, neither doth Trouble Spring out of the Ground:

Yet Man is born unto Trouble, as the Sparks fly upwards.

II. THEY are providential.

THESE Propofitions have already them

selves been diftin&tly treated of; but they

furnish

furnish out to us two Inferences, each of them one, which will afford Matter fufficient for our present Discourse.

WITH refpect to the Universality of Afflictions, it was obferv'd, from Experience, that they are the common; from the prefent State and Condition of human Life, that they are the natural, the neceffary Portion of all the Sons of Men: Man, faith the Text, is born unto Trouble, as the Sparks fy upwards. It was farther obferv'd, that Afflictions are even perpetual to us; they attend upon Mankind in every Part of Life, and mix in all the Occurrences of it.

Now from this Head of Difcourfe, we may very naturally draw this Inference; viz.

AFFLICTIONS in general are neceffary for Mankind under our prefent Circumstances; it is faid in the general, because the Cafe of Afflictions befalling particular Perfons doth not fo properly belong to this Branch of our Discourse, and will be therefore referved for the other : By being neceffary doth not mean here, that they are fuch, as according to the prefent

prefent Course of things, become our unavoidable Portion; it means that they are needful and profitable to us, they are neceffary to the Well-being of Mankind; and this is inferred from their Univerfality. Were we to eftimate things from the current Notions of the World, Scarcity would ftamp a Value upon them; but if we confider the truly useful Part, the more general any thing is, the higher it will rife in our Efteem: In the natural World fubftantial Advantage is always an Attendant upon Plenty, and those Bleffings, however difregarded for being common, are neverthelefs in themfelves the moft ferviceable, and what human Life can the leaft be without: The moft curious and coftly Treasures that Art and Induftry are able to amafs, are nothing in comparison of the common Air for Ufe and Benefit: And there feems to be a plain Reafon for this Order of things; Nature would be even foolishly lavish of her Gifts, were thofe things, which are not neceffary, extremely general; and would be too niggardly in her Provision.

for

for Mankind, if those things which are abfolutely neceffary, were not likewife univerfal Accordingly we find, that as far as her Bounty is of real Service, she is diffufive; but that the Over-flowings of her Bounty are only accidental Bleffings, and are therefore made the Portion of few And this holds not only with refpect to things at the first View agreeable and beneficial to Mankind, but to all things that are general; infomuch that Time would fail us, were we to fet about enumerating Instances of this Sort; but the more we think of this Subject, the more we shall be convinced, that in the natural World at least things are more or lefs common in proportion to the Usefulnefs of them, and confequently that from the Univerfality of any thing, we may infer the abfolute Neceffity of it.

BUT the Subject now before us relates to a fuperior Order of things, where the Affairs and Actions, and Interests of Mankind are more eminently and more immediately concerned, where what is Spiritual mixes with what is Natural, and where

the