I.

the Weight of Affliction, and faint in a SERM. Day of Trial, is, because we depend too much on ourselves, and too little on God; and, therefore, it is juft in God to blaft our Designs, to defeat our most fubily contrived Projects, and to make Ute of the weak Things of this World, to confound the Mighty. The Almighty takes Pleasure in fhewing how weak Man's Strength is, taking them in the Snares which they themselves have laid; and making these Achitophels the Occafion of their own Ruin and Downfal. And, therefore, if we would have whatsoever we do to profper, let us be fure to make Ufe of fuch Means as are juft and lawful, and, having placed our Truft and Confidence in God, to refign up our Wills to God's Divine Will, and leave the Succefs to his wife Disposal.

who has led

4. FROM what has been faid, we may infer, how happy that Man is, a holy and religious Life. Such an one has a God to trust to, on all Occafions; no Calamity can happen to him against which he is not prepared; no Affliction which he is not able to undergo; come Life, come Death, all is alike to him; he can fay with Job, Though he flay me, yet Job xiii. will I trust in him; and with David, I'5.

C 4

will

Pla. iii. 6.

SERM. will not be afraid of ten Thousands of the PeoI. ple, who have jet themselves against me round about. In a Time of public Calamity, when Dread and Destruction seize on the Minds and Spirits of Men, he is then Mafter of himself, and, having built his Trust on this Rock of Ages, he lives fecure; though the State in which he lives fuffer Convulfions, and the People rage and imagine a vain Thing. When the greatest of all Troubles feize him, a wounded Spirit, or a mifgiving Confidence, he can rest himself on that CornerStone, his bleffed Saviour, and plead the Merits and Sufferings of the crucified Jefus. Even in his laft Hour, when Death fhews himself to be the King of Terrors, and fets all his Forces in Array against him; when his Mind is filled with Horror and Difmay, when the Wicked thall call for Mountains to fall on them, and conceal them from the Anger of an offended Judge; then will the Soul of every good Man be filled with Comfort and Self-complacency; it will be the greatest Pleasure and Satisfaction to him, to confider, that he has made his Peace with God, and got an Interest in the Merits of his crucified Saviour; that the Sting of Death is taken away, and that, from

hence

henceforth, he shall enjoy a Crown of SERM.

Glory. It is not to be imagined what I. Comfort a good Confcience will then bring him; it was always a continual Feast to him in his Life-time, and will be much more fo at the Hour of his Death: But it is far otherwife with the wicked and ungodly Perfon, fuch an one has nothing to fupport him in a Day of Affliction; and, therefore, his Condition must needs be extremely miferable, who has fo many Things to fear, and nothing to comfort him. And, let me intreat and befeech every one, who hears me this Day, to confider, that there will shortly come a Time, and we know not how foon, when we must refign up our Breath to him that gave it; and then, of all that Time which we now fo prodigally lavish away, and are at a Lofs how to fpend, none of it will bring us any Satisfaction, but thofe Moments which we have spent in the Duties of Religion, in the Bufinefs of our lawful Callings, and in Acts of Charity to our Neighbour; in informing the Ignorant, and reproving the Sinner, vifiting the Sick, binding up the Broken-hearted, and adminiftring to all the fpiritual and temporal Wants of

Our

SERM. Our indigent Brother: Nothing will bring I. us any Comfort, but that we have led fober, honeft, and devout Lives; that we have feared the Lord, and obeyed the Voice of his Servant; and, therefore, have good Reason to trust in the Lord, and to stay ourselves upon our God. Which that we may all of us do, God of his Mercy grant, for Jefus Chrift his Sake.

SERMON

SERMON II,

The Progrefs of Virtue and Holiness.

2 PET. iii. 18.

But grow in Grace.

II.

Tis a very dangerous and fatal Mif-SERM. take which the Profeffors of Chriftianity are too frequently guilty of, to fancy that they have done fufficient to obtain Heaven and eternal Happiness, when they have made only fome Approaches towards a holy and virtuous Life, and to fit down fatisfied with a partial Reformation. If they have left off fome notorious Vices (though, perhaps, they have only exchanged them for worfe, and more agreeable to their prefent Age and Confti

tution ;)