This

any kind of Want or Trouble. had been Job's Practice in his Profperous Days; and it was a mighty Pleasure and Comfort to him, in his lowest Ebb of Fortune, to Reflect upon it: Chap. xxix. When the Ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the Eye faw me, it gave Witness to me; Because I delivered the Poor that cry'd, and the Fatherlefs, and him that had None to help him. The Bleffing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I caufed the Widow's Heart to Sing for Joy.

But He to whom God has given much, enjoys not only the Means of Doing Good to Others, but has the greatest Opportunities of Doing himself the Greatest Good. He has full Time and Leifure for the Service of God, and the Care of his own Soul; and may, if he please, attend upon God with lefs Diftraction, than it is morally poffible for thofe to Do, that are miferably Poor and Needy, and must be conftantly forecafting, as well as Labouring, for the Neceffaries of Life. But those that have the Goods of this World ready provided to their Hands, may if they will, in a great Measure take off themselves from the Distracting Cares of this Life, and beftow more of their Time and Care

in providing for Eternity. For They,

if they will take our Saviour's Advice, have a Bleffed Opportunity put into their Hands, of making themselves Friends Luke xvi. of the Mammon of Unrighteousness, that? when they fail, they may be received into Everlasting Habitations; that is, They, by the Good Disposal of their Worldly Wealth here, in the Works of Piety and Charity, to the Praife and Glory of God, may make themselves an Intereft in Heaven, and fecure to themselves against they come to Dye a Treasure that will never fail them. St. Paul inculcates the fame Advice to those that have this World's Goods, to put them to the best Use, and provide with them for their Future Happiness, 1 Tim. vi. 17. Charge them that are Rich in this World, that they Do Good, that they be Rich in Good Works, &c. Laying up in Store for themselves a Good Foundation against the Time to come, that they may lay bold on Eternal Life. There are, (fays our Lord) that are laying up Treafure for Luke xii, themselves, and are not Rich towards God; 21. and Their Riches prove their Destruction. But when Men will manage Their Riches to the Best Advantage, and with their Earthly Treasure purchase an Heavenly Inheritance, Their Riches are a Blessing to them, and they ought to be

very

very Thankful to God for the Talents committed to their Trust.

But 4thly, Confidering that we are fo continually Expos'd to Dangers as well as Wants, we ought to be as Thankful to his Providence as his Bounty. As there is No Stage of Human Life, nor any State or Condition of it, but has its peculiar Difficulties, Dangers, and Temptations, fo we ought to have a grateful Sence of that Good Providence, that preferves us from those Dangers we are fo Obnoxious to, and guides and guards us in all our ways, Every Age of Life has Many of these Providential Deliverances; But Old Age especially must have been obliged to Providence for very many of them: The Gray-Hairs are crown'd with his Mercies; They have had a thousand Difeafes, and innumerable Accidents and Cafualties flying about them: They have feen a Thousand fall befides them, and ten thousand at their Right Hand, and have been guarded from them All; both from the Terror by Night, and from the Arrow that flyeth by Day; that is, both from Secret and Open Dangers; from the Pe ftilence that walketh in Darkness, and from the Arrow that destroyeth at the Noon Day; And therefore Old Men especially are

moft

most inexcufable, if They are not deeply fenfible of, and heartily Thankful for, that Merciful Providence that has amidft all those Dangers protected them, and preferv'd them Safe and Sound to their Old Age. That has fatisfied them Pf.xci.15. with long Life, and show'd them his Sal

vation.

Hitherto we have taken but a very Imperfect Survey of the Divine Beneficence, and that only under General Heads: But fhould we now try to Retail our Gratitude to his Particular Mercies, (as we have All of us had them, more or lefs, in the Course of our Lives, fuited to our several Exigencies and Occafions,) we must be forc'd humbly to acknowledge with the Holy David, that they are more than we are able to express :Pf. xl. 7. So that it may feem Impoffible in a Strict Sence, to obferve the Apostle's Rule, in Giving Thanks for All Things. Eph. v. For if we duly Confider his Loving Kindneffes, in Number, Weight, and Measure, we fhall be able to make no other Return, than what Furnius once made to Auguftus, when he had receiv'd from him fome extraordinary Favours, (Great beyond Expreffion, or any Poffibility of Requital,) That He had forc'd him to Live Ungrateful all his Days. So has God loaded us with his Benefits,

that

20.

that We are under the fame Neceffity of Living and Dying Ungrateful: Ungrateful, I mean, in respect of those full Measures of Praifes and Thanksgivings that his Mercies might juftly challenge from us; but not according to fuch Measures of them, as he will be pleased graciously to accept from us. For though he cannot worthily be Praised by us, according to his excellent Greatness, yet we may show our Gratitude, and our Due Sence of all his Mercies, by Doing what we can, to Magnifie and fet forth his Praife.

But All the Mercies of God to us are an Endless Subject; I will therefore confine the remainder of this Discourse, to the Particular Cafe in the Text, Deliverance from Sickness, or other fuch like Imminent Danger; Wherein every one of us can beft Confider for ourselves, what our Lots have been.

We very justly reckon ourselves the Top and Mafter-piece of all Gods Vifible Creation; yet the most contemptible of all his Creatures may be made the Inftruments of our Ruine; Any one of them may foon become a Weapon in the Hand of Providence, to give us our Deaths Wound,

But