He only is truly wife, and will be certainly happy that so understands himself and hates his fin, that he will not nurse it, but get to himself a reprover, whose warrant shall be liberty of accefs, whofe thanks shall be amendment, and whofe entertainment fhall be obedience.

LASTLY: Our converfation must be apt to comfort the difconfolate; than which, in this life, men can feel no greater charity. For fince half the duty of a christian consists in suffering; and the infinite variety of providence, and the perpetual adversity of chances, and the diffatisfaction and emptiness that is in things themselves, and the weariness and anguish of our spirit, do call us to the trial and exercife of patience, even in the days of fun-shine, and much more in the violent ftorms that shake our dwellings, and make our hearts tremble;-God hath fent fome of his creatures into the world, whofe office it is to refresh the forrows of the poor, and to lighten the eyes of the difconfolate. He hath made fome things, whose powers are chiefly ordained to comfort

wine and cordials, fociety, and variety; and

time it felf is checker'd with black and white: Stay but till to morrow, and your prefent forrow will be weary, and will lie down to reft.

But this is not all: The third perfon of the holy Trinity, is known to us by the name and dignity of the Holy Ghost the comforter. And God glories in the appellation, that he is the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort. And therefore to minifter in the office, is to be like unto God, and to imitate the charities of heaven.

And God hath fitted mankind for it. Man most needs it; and he feels his brother's wants, by his own experience. And God hath given us fpeech, and the endearments of fociety, and pleasantness of converfation, and powers of seasonable difcourfe, arguments to allay the forrow,-by abating our apprehenfions, and taking out the fting, or exciting our hopes, or urging a precept, and reconciling our affections, and reciting the divine promises, or changing the affliction into duty, or making the burden lefs by comparing it with greater, or

by

by proving it to be less than we deserve, and that it is fo intended, and may become the inftrument of virtue.

And certain it is, that as nothing can better do it, fo there is nothing greater, for which God made our tongues, next to reciting his praises, than to minifter comfort to a weary foul.

This is that communication which is useful indeed, for the fatisfaction of our needs; and is the greatest and most holy charity: It is, most emphatically, that which is good, to the ufe of edifying, that it may minifter grace unto the bearers.

SERMON

SERMON V.

On the goodness and condefcenfion of the divine providence.

[From Dr. CLAGET T's third volume.]

PSALM VIII. 3, 4.

When I confider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers; the moon and the ftars which thou haft ordained:

What is man that thou art mindful of him; and the son of man that thou visitest him?

F those who deny a providence, had

any good grounds for their pretence; they would have reason to charge all divine worship with folly. It would be abfurd to pray unto God, if we knew that he heard us not; or daily to praise him, if no day we receive any good from him. If he be not concerned in the good or evil that befals us, nor regards either what we do or fuffer, but leaves us to chance to be happy or miferable; it would be unaccountable and unreasonable to worship him.

Some

Some have imagined, that it is inconfiftent with the quiet and happiness of God, to attend to the innumerable paffages, and intricate affairs of human life; that a multitude of business would moleft him, and perpetually interrupt his repose.-Which is measuring the power of the creator, by the weakness of the creature; and drawing conclufions concerning God, from the infufficiency we find in our felves: that is, because we cannot attend to a great many things at once, without uneafinefs, and folicitude, and diftraction; because we are apt to be tired with multiplicity of business, and many times want means to bring our defigns to pass; and meet with croffes and disappointments in one bufinefs, while we are attending upon another; therefore, they fuppofe, neither can God, who is infinitely wife and powerful, govern and dispose, and over-rule the affairs of men, without the like trouble to himself; as if we might fancy that to be true of God, who is infinitely perfect, which is true of us, because of our imperfections.

Others have fuggefted, that the high dignity,