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neglect, his wisdom of folly, and his eye of overlooking them and their affairs.

God can do nothing to pleafe us, and therefore how fhould men give us fatisfaction. We are never placed where we would; we are too much on one hand, or too much on the other; and the meaning always is, we are not fo high as we would be. God can never do enough, tho' he do every day too much for us; and therefore we would be repairing every thing, and under pretence of ferving God ferve our felves.

But a bleffing light upon that man's head, who rifes up in the morning and bleffeth God for the light, and then says, Do with me, O Lord, this day what thou wilt; behold I ftand here ready for thy fervice; I am prepared for any employment, I am ready for any encounter; raise me up or cast me down, send me to the right or to the left, I am thine, and I am at thy difpofal; and therefore if thou wilt afflict me, afflict me; if thou wilt try me, I am content; if my patience muft ferve thee in poverty, behold it is prepared and ready;

if my difgrace muft glorify truth, if my fhame must honour my God, behold my difgrace fhall be my honour, and my fhame fhall be my glory, and my affliction shall be my happiness, and my fervice fhall be my reward. This is to speak like a man, like a philofopher, and like a christian; and not like those who are always difpleafed with God's government of human affairs.

3. If God's providence governs all things, then let us learn to improve and better our Jelves, from all the issue of that providence. Let us learn to profit by all his actions, who doth nothing unprofitable in the world. When the morning dawns, let us thank God for the day to labour in; when the night approaches, let us blefs him who hath made it a reft. If our affairs fucceed, here is matter of thanks; if our designs miscarry, here is an exercise of patience.

If it be well with our friends, let us be thankful to the goodness of God; but if it be ill with them, let us reverence his juftice.

If we be in health, there is an exhortation to labour; if we be fick, there is an admonition of our mortality.

If our relations die, this bids us to live upon God without them; and if they live, this fhews us to live upon God in them, for it was he that provided them for us.

If our friends do us a kindness, let us blefs God for them; if our enemies do us an injury, here is an opportunity to blefs them for God, even for God's fake, and for the fake of the gospel, which bids us, blefs them that curfe us, and do good to them that bate us, and pray for them that despitefully ufe us and perfecute us.

Thus a fincere chriftian hath fomething in him, to receive every, thing to his advantage; he hath within him a well of living water, which sweetens every thing he drinks, tho' it be the dregs of the cup of affliction.

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Thus every thing that God doth may improved, and thus doth he intend that we should improve by it: for, as every thing that he hath revealed is for our inftruction, fo alfo is every thing that he hath wrought.

4. Since the providence of God prefides in all human affairs, let us endeavour to do

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what is pleafing in his fight. His providence faves men because they are good, and therefore let us not feek for falvation in the ways of wickedness.

To fin, is always a rebellion against God's will; but to fin, in hopes of gaining an advantage thereby, is to blafpheme his wif dom too; it is to provide against the provifion ofGod, to fecure our felves in peace by engaging in war againft God's providence, and to hope for that by doing evil, which God hath promifed only to doing well. Let us take heed therefore of doing evil that good may come. Let us never think of finning for our profit, of doing unjustly for our advantage.

Altho' we fecure our felves as well as we can, let us be affured that there is no fecurity against God. He will hunt us in all our by-paths, he will trace all our crooked fteps, he will find out all our falfhood, he will discover all our deceit, he will make us fools where we thought to be wife, and catch us where we thought to be fafe, and baffle our crafts into infatuations, and turn our fecurities into dangers.

If righteousness will not defend us, which moves by the appointment of God; how should fin ever protect us, which throws us out of the protection of divine providence. A bad caufe will in time befool the wifeft, and difarm the strongest, and ruin the greatest man upon earth.

The wifeft politician is a fool, in oppofition to God; and legions of armies are as nothing, for the defence of an unrighte ous end.

In a few words: Evil is a thing utterly indefenfible. The fword cannot defend; the shield cannot give protection; it breaketh the fpear in the arms of the mighty; and fhrinks and hides it felf in the day of battle. It is weak against its enemy, and ftrong against it felf. So that the highest mountains cannot make a fort, nor all the quarries in the earth wall it about with fafety.

Wherefore, Let us commit our felves to God in well doing. Let us commit no fin, though it were for a kingdom; nor tep out of the way of righteousness for the greatest worldly advantage. Let us be

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