fo honeft, as to dare to do well, and truft God; and be content that God's providence fhould maintain us without other mens goods, and juftify us without falfhood, and defend us without an injury to our neighbour, and fave us without the help of fin.

SERMON

SERMON II.

Remedy against trouble.

[From Bishop PATRICK'S Heart's-Eafe.]

JOHN XIV. I.

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe alfo in me.

T is not either fineness of wit, or abun

IT

dance of wealth, or any fuch like inward or outward ornament, that makes the difference between men, and renders one man better than another; but the firmness of good principles, the fettledness of the fpirit, and the quiet of the mind. To the obtaining of which, all the old philofophers, many hundreds of years before our Saviour, did wifely fummon all their forces; all whofe leffons, when they are fummed up, amount only to this, to teach a man how to be contented. Socrates was, upon this fcore, accounted the best among them; because, though he understood but a little

of the frame of nature, yet he well under ftood himself, and perceived, that he was not the wifeft man, that could read rare things in the ftars, and could follow the paths of the fun, and trace all the heavenly bodies in the course which they run, but he that could tell how not to be troubled, either for the want of that knowledge, or for any other thing.

Christianity hath not a new defign in hand, but more rare and excellent inftruments to effect the old. What heathens could fpeak of, it enables us to do. And ftill it is as true as ever it was, that nothing betters a man's condition, but that which rids him of all his griefs, and cafes him of his troubles. Chriftians are not distinguished from the reft of the world, by outward forms and fashions, or by profeffing notions different from others; but by the renewing of their minds, by the peaceableness of their thoughts, by charity and heavenly-mindedness. And if we

behold in their minds, as in other mens, violent convulfions, unfettled thoughts, trouble, and forrow; they are ftill faft bound

to

to worldly things, they have not attained the end of their Christianity, and are but little bettered by their new condition.

That Chrift came to discharge the mind of those troublesome guests; my text, and many other verses of the enfuing chapter, plainly inform us: The fenfe of which is this, Do but believe that I am from God, and that what I fay is his mind, and you need not be troubled. The faith of Chrift is an antidote against all evil. Peace is the proper refult of the chriftian temper. It is, the great kindness which our religion doth us, that it brings us to a fettledness of mind, and a confiftency within our selves.

IN difcourfing upon which fubject, I fhall firft fet forth fome REASONS why a christian ought not to be troubled ;

And then lay down fome RULES to keep our hearts from trouble.

FOR the firft, let us confider, that trouble is a great difparagement to the promises of the gospel, which gives us ease in

every case, unless we refuse to become God's patients,

C 4

and

and will not ufe his remedies.

1

In cafe :

of the prevalency of fin; the gospel faith unto us, that fin fhall not have the dominion over us; that the law of the fpirit of life in Chrift Jefus hath made us free; that if any man fin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our fins. To the poor and perfecuted man, it faith, the Lord is our helper, and we shall not fear; and, blessed are ye, if ye be perfecuted for righteousness fake. And (not to enumerate more particulars) it faith to every christian, whatfoever condition he be in, Be careful for nothing; but in every thing, by prayer and fupplication, with thankfgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. When we fit down therefore defponding, either under the power or the guilt of our fins, and think that they can never be forgiven, or never overcome; when we murmur, or are dejected, because we are mean, defpifed, and afflicted; when we are impatient for the lofs of our friends, or our goods, or the like; we do only betray our own ignorance, or unbelief, or idleness ;