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on the contrary, he expects that we fhould acknow-S ER M. ledge his providence, and the juftnefs of it, in his fe-, vereft dealings with us; that we fhould be "hum"bled under his mighty hand, and turn to him that "fmites us, and bear the indignation of the LORD "patiently, because we have finned against him." Whatever is a fign of GoD's difpleasure against us, is a juft and reasonable caufe of trouble to us.

But when our SAVIOUR here forbids us to be troubled, he plainly intends to prohibit these three things.

1. Immoderate grief and forrow for any present affliction or loss, without any restraint upon ourselves, fo as to let grief loose, and to give full scope to it, to let the reins fall out of our hands, fo that the confiderations of reason and religion have no manner of power and command over us; to forrow, as Rachel did for her children," refusing to be comforted.” This is unreasonable, and ufually of pernicious confequence; for no man knows, when he once abandons himself to melancholy, and gives way to grief, and lets it pierce his heart, and enter into his foul, how it may overwhelm his fpirit, and fink it paft recovery. And to this pitch the trouble of fome men for worldly loffes and disappointments, because it was not reftrained and governed at firft, hath brought them; and it often happens, as St. Paul hath obferved, that "the trou"ble of the world worketh death."

I think hardly any man did ever die of grief for his fins, and killed himfelf by laying them to heart. It is well if our forrow for fin proceed to that degree, as to work real repentance and amendment. And the reason why our forrow for fin is commonly moderate and within bounds, is becaufe the forrow and trouble of repentance is always reasonable, and reafon keeps our grief within bounds: but "the forrow of

SERM." the world," that is, of covetous and worldlyCCXV. minded men, who have unreasonably fet their affec

tions upon this world, hath nothing to fet bounds and give limits to it. and therefore by the juft judgment of GOD, it fometimes proceeds fo far as "to "work death." Many men's hearts have been broken for the lofs of an eftate, or fome great cross and disappointment in their worldly affairs and defigns. Thus Nabal, upon the very apprehenfion of the danger that he and his eftate were in, and had so narrowly escaped, was ftruck with grief to the degree of ftupidity, fo that "his heart died within him, and he "became as a ftone;" and in a few days he died of that grief.

2. We are not to be troubled for present afflictions, and fufferings to the degree of impatience and discontent, so as to fret and murmur in our hearts against GOD, and "to charge him foolishly," as if he dealt hardly with us, and had not a due regard for us, and an equal confideration of our cafe. For we are all finners, and always deferve to fuffer, and therefore whatever temporal evils befal the beft men in this world, they are always "lefs than their iniquities have "deferved:" and yet men are very prone to cenfure and find fault with GoD, for the evils and calamities which they draw down upon themselves. So Solomon obferves, Prov. xix. 3. " the foolishness of man "perverteth his way; and his heart fretteth against "the LORD." We fuffer for our own fins and follies, and then are angry with God because we fuffer. GOD is angry with us for our fins, and when he is angry with us, and "lifts up his hand against us," it becomes us to humble ourselves under his mighty. "hand;" for "who can ftand before him when once "he is angry?" But we have no caufe to fret against

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him, for the evils which we bring upon ourselves: SERM besides that fretting is not the way to relieve and ease. us, but to vex and gall us the more.

3. As to the fear and apprehenfion of future evils, though we ought to have a juft fenfe of them, yet we ought not to be dejected and troubled for them to the degree of defpondency, fo as to conclude ourselves miferable and forfaken, utterly loft and undone, and that our cafe is past all help and remedy: we should not be fo dejected, as if we were deftitute of all comfort, and utterly without hope. Hope lies at the bottom of the worst condition; for while we are not " without God," we can never be "without hope;" fo long as the government of the world is in fo good hands, our cafe can never be defperate; and therefore we ought to rebuke the despondency of our spirits, as David did, Pfal. xliii. 5. "why art thou fo caft "down, O my foul? and why art thou difquieted "within me? hope in GoD." And we fhould fupport ourselves in the greatest dangers and fears, as he did, Pfal. iii. 1, 2, 3. "LORD, how are they increaf"ed that trouble me? How many are they that rife

up against me? Many there be which fay of my "foul, there is no help for him in GOD. But thou, "O LORD, art a fhield for me, my glory, and the " lifter up of my head."

And this caufe of trouble upon the fear and apprehenfion of future evils, was the cafe of the disciples, who were mightily dejected and disturbed, upon the apprehension of the deftitute condition they should be in upon our SAVIOUR's departure from them; that they should be expofed to a malicious world, without all manner of protection from those innumerable evils and dangers which threatned them. And this I fhall have most particular refpect to in my following difcourfe,

H 4

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SERM difcourfe, as being more particularly intended by our SAVIOUR, and being one of the most common causes of trouble in this world. I proceed therefore in the

Second place to confider, what force there is in the remedy here prefcribed by our SAVIOUR, to mitigate and allay our troubles, both in refpect of our prefent evils and fufferings, and the danger and apprehenfion of future evils, and to fupport and comfort our minds under them. "Let not your heart be troubled: ye

"believe in GOD; believe alfo in me."

In which words our SAVIOUR prescribes a double remedy against trouble.

First, faith in God, the great creator and wife governor of the world. "Ye believe in GoD," or, believe ye in GOD, to which he adds, in the

Second place, faith likewife in himself, the Son of GOD, and the SAVIOUR of men. "Ye believe in "GOD; believe alfo in me." Not as if faith in GoD were not a fufficient ground of confolation and fupport to our minds; but to acquaint us, that a firm faith in him who is the Son of GoD, and SAVIOUR of the world, would very much tend to confirm and ftrengthen our truft and confidence in GoD; as will clearly appear, when I come to fhew, what peculiar confiderations of comfort and fupport the chriftian religion offers to us, beyond what the common light and reafon of mankind, from the confideration of the divine nature and perfections, does fuggeft to us. And to explain the full ftrength and force of thefe two confiderations, I fhall do thefe two things.

First, I fhall endeavour to fhew, what confiderations of comfort and fupport, the belief of a GOD, and the natural notions and acknowledgments of mankind concerning him, do afford to good men for the allaying and mitigating of their fears and troubles. And,

Secondly,

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Secondly, what farther confiderations faith in SER M. CHRIST, and the firm belief of the chriftian religion, do afford to this purpose. "Ye believe in GoD; "belive alfo in me."

First, to fhew, what confiderations of comfort and fupport, the belief of a GoD, and the natural notions and acknowledgments of mankind concerning him, do afford to good men for the allaying and mitigating of their fears and troubles; which I fhall briefly deduce thus:

The firm belief and perfuafion of a God does neceffarily infer the belief of his infinite power, and wifdom, and holinefs, and goodnefs; for thefe are neceffary and effential perfections of the divine nature, without which we cannot conceive fuch a being as GOD is. Now from thefe effential perfections of the divine nature, thefe two principles do naturally refult.

I. That his providence governs the world, and adminifters the affairs of it, particularly of mankind, with great goodness and wisdom,

II. That his providence is more peculiarly concerned for good men, and that he hath a very tender and peculiar care of them, and regard to them.

Now these two principles, concerning which I have difcourfed at large upon another occafion *, afford us this fourfold ground of comfort, under all the evils that we labour under and are afraid of.

I. If GOD govern the world, then we and all our interests and concernments are certainly in the beft and fafeft hands; and where, if we knew how to wish well and wifely for ourfelves, we fhould defire to have them; and therefore why fhould our heart be troubled at any thing that doth or can befal us? †

* See vol. VIII. ferm. CXXXVII.

† See this matter also handled at large in the fame fermon.

II. Ano