God. Such is the Defcription the Pfal- Ser. 6. mift gives us of his own Faith, or the ftate of his Soul under Trials: Nevertheless though I am fometimes afraid, yet put I my trust in thee. My heart and my flesh faileth me, but God is the ftrength of my heart, and my Portion for ever. Nor can it yet be denied, but that fometimes, fuch is the ftrength of Faith, fuch the transport of Love, fuch the confidence of Hope, fuch the luxuriancy and joy of the Holy Spirit, that the pleasure of a good Man in the midft of his Sufferings, doth infinitely outweigh and exceed his Pain and Sorrow; but this I doubt is but a very rare Cafe; and therefore God puts us often in mind, that the Afflictions of this present moment, when he calls us to them,procure for us an eternal weight of Glory: And our Saviour when he pronounceth those happy whom the World generally pronounceth miferable, doth it with an Eye to their Reward: Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the Kingdom of Нeaven: Bleffed are ye that weep now, for ye fball laugh; rejoyce and triumph to all Eternity. Bleffed are ye when men shall hate you, and perfecute you, &c. Rejoyce and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in beaven. Good God! Why fhould we fear that Evil which leads us to fuch an hap

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Vol. I. py end, or rather why fhould we call it Evil, which recommends us to God's favour here, and greater degrees of Glory hereafter? Methinks were we thorowly perfwaded of this, our Hearts, like the wife Man's in Solomon, fhould chufe to dwell in the house of mourning, and we fhould prefer the advantages of afflictions before the flumbers of Peace, the foftness and luxury of Wealth, or the false and empty glitterings of worldly power and glory, when deftitute of Vertue. But let me not be misunderstood,I have not magnified Sufferings, as if we were to be fond of them when we may with a good Confcience decline them. Whoever throws himself upon Evils, when God points him out a way to efcape them, deferts and betrays the Providence of God, forfeits all pretenfion toDivine Affiftance, and fuffers like a Fool, not a Martyr. St. Paul when he wifht his Auditors his Faith, did not wish them his Bonds too; and St. Peter, how warm foever his temper, how bold foever his Faith was,durft not throw himself upon the Waves,without his Master's exprefs Command.Nor have I dwelt fo long on the cloudy fide of that Pillar, under whofe Conduct I hope this Nation is this day, as if there were not a bright one too. No; my only de

fign herein was to fet the World in a Ser. 6. good light before you, to invite you to wife and fober Thoughts, and equally to prepare you for every Fortune; for whoever can bear Adverfity with courage and conftancy, will enjoy Profperity with modesty and moderation; he that is not daftardly and dejected under the one, will never be wanton and infolent, or forgetful of God in the other; and he whofe Will is refigned up to God, whose Soul is humbly prepared to meet whatever Evil God in his wisdom, juftice or goodness fhall think fit to lay upon him, is not only beft fitted for Succefs, but hath also the best title to it. Let us therefore pass on to the third Confideration.

3dly, God is able to prevent impending Evils, or difperfe the prefent; to doubt this is an approach towards Atheism: For to call into queftion God's Omnipotence, or Omnifcience, is in effect to call into question his Being, fince he cannot be God without both. But if he be Omnipotent and Omnifcient, then it plainly follows, that he doth whatfoever he pleafeth in heaven and in earth; and no thought of his can be hindred. Nor fhall we find it difficult to afcribe this to God, if we confider that he is without beginning, and

Vol. I. gives beginning to all things: For from hence muft follow thefe two things.

1. That all the Power and Wisdom, fcattered through the whole Creation, if it could be combined and united, would bear no proportion to that which is originally and effentially in God, fince all created Perfections are only fome faint Reflections of the Divine Brightness, some thin fprinklings of his inexhauftible store.

2. That all created Beings depend upon him,and are fubject to his Will; when therefore he commands, Theftars in their courfes fight against Sifera, and the river Kifhon Tweeps them away. Fire, Hail and Vapours, Storms and Tempefts, Earthquakes and Inundations, Famine and Plague,Sickness and Death obey his Voice, the hearts of Kings, and the hearts of the Multitude too are in his hands; in vain ⚫ therefore is Counsel, in vain is Strength against the Lord. He wants no Inftruments to deftroy, none to fave. Thus have I briefly evinced the Omnipotence of God if we confider the Exercife and Adminiftration of it. God commonly governs by fix'd and ftated Rules, and ef fects his Designs by ordinary and usual means. Yet fometimes he takes pleain humbling the Proud, and refcuing the Diftreffed, by extraordinary and unaccountable

countable ways; ways that befpeak God Serm. 6. the Contriver of them; ways that are evident Demonftrations of a Divine Power and Wifdom. And as he dothi this often by unaccountable ways, so of ten at very unexpected times too; when the proud man is in the height of fuccefs and fecurity; when the humble man hath nothing almoft to expect, but a Miracle, nothing to truft to but an act of Omnipotence, then God breaks in with fudden ruin on the one, and deliverance to the other; and all this to extort from the World an acknowledgment of his Sovereignty and Providence, and to prevent Infolence in the higheft Condition, or Defpair in the lowelt. Need I imprint this on your Minds by Inftances; Shall I trace Jofeph from the Pit in the Wilderness, to the next place to Pharach on the Throne; Mofes from his Ark of Bull-rufhes to the Ark of the Tabernacle, where he spoke with God Face to Face; or the Son of Jeffe from his Crook, to his Scepter? or fhall I on the other Hand, fhow you the great Affyrian Monarch boafting that he had dried up the Rivers of befieged places with the foles of his Feet, and threatning to cut down all the tall Cedars of Lebanon, with such like vaunts, and then in a moment a