inftant Affliction extinguifheth the Remembrance of former Mercies; and all the Good we have ever received from the Hand of God is quite forgotten, and paffes for nothing: By all means we will prefcribe to Providence, or correct its Difpenfations, if they fall cross to our Fancies, our Expectations, or our Wishes. Why did fuch an Accident, or fuch a Lofs befall me? Might not fuch an Event have been prevented or did not fuch a Perfon, who is more wicked, deferve it rather? Surely Providence Sometimes fleeps, or it is confined to the Regions above, and Chance governs all Things here below. In fuch Language, and fuch Reflections as thefe, Humane Nature is too prone to vent it felf when God is pleased to vifit us with Af flictions.

It must be confeffed, that there is much of Nature in these. The Affections of Love and Hatred; the Tranfports of Joy, and the Depreffions of Grief, are as natural to us, as the Appetites of Hunger and Thirft: Thefe have been Incident to the beft of Men; and therefore all that we have to do, is to prevent the Excefs and Sinfulness of them; to keep them within the Laws, and under the Discipline of Religion. This Exemplar of Patience, Job himself, more than once (tho' with Modefty and Submiffion) expoftulated with God, concerning the Reafon of his Punishment. And we find David uttering his Complaint, In the Palm 77. Day of my Trouble, fays he, my Sore ran, and ceafed not; and in the Night my Soul refufed

12, &c.

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to be comforted. I remembred God, and was troubled; 1 complained, and my Spirit was overwhelmed. Is his Mercy clean gone? Doth bis Promife fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath be in Anger hut up bis tender Mercies? But in the roth Verfe he retracts his Paffion, and blames himself for his Rafhnefs. I faid, this is my Infirmity; but I will remember the Tears of the Right Hand of the moft High. Now to cure this Diftemper of Human Nature; and if it may be to prevent it from breaking out into immoderate and finful Paffion; I will offer these following Advices to your Confideration.

1. Let us always keep a ftrict Watch over, and endeavour to reprefs the Haftiness, the Precipitation, and the Violence of our Natures. For the present Smart of an Affliction, falling directly upon our Senfes, eafily moves, and provokes our Paffions; we do not admit our calmer Thoughts to come into the Debate only our Grief, and our Refentments are heard all on a fudden, Nature is in a Combuftion, and like a violent Flood bears down all before it. Till these have spent their Force, we are under a perfect Lunacy, and Distraction we fpeak unadvisedly, and, it may be, impioufly; we act Follies, we commit Indecencies, we contract Guilts, which when we return to our felves, bring us under Shame, Vexation, and Repentance. Now, tho' 'tis true, the Natures of fome Men are more rafh and

hafty, more paffionate and fretful, and their Pallons more violent and furious than others ; yet, I fuppofe there are none, but are more or lefs fenfible and confcious of this. Upon this Reason, we should do well, often to ftudy our Natures, to confider what Tempers God has given us; to confult what Means are moft proper to refift that Frailty which doth fo easily befet us. And what Means can be

more proper for this End, than humbly to befeech God, that he would vouchfafe us his affifting and restraining Grace, that he would moderate our Paffions, and fanctifie his Afflictions to us? Often to fet before our Eyes the Example of the Meek, the Patient, and the Contented Jefus, who was made Perfect through Suffering; and to confider the Force and Tendency of the Precepts of our most holy Religion; the principal Defign of which is to compofe our Spirits, and to reform our Tempers.

It is reported of Julius Cafar, that when any unfortunate Occurrence croffed his Defigns, and tempted him to betray the Weaknefs of a Paffion, he was wont to fay, Cogita te effe Cafarem. Remember that thou art Cafar Thinking it below the Gallantry of a Roman General to be guilty of fuch Pufilanimity, and Meanels of Spirit. If Senfe of Honour, could fo far fway the Mind of an Heathen Soldier: Surely the more generous Encouragements, the more facred Engagements of our Religion, fhould do it much more in a Chriftian. But 2dly,

2dly, To put a Stop to thefe unreasonable Difcontents and Murmurings; confider we farther, that they carry in them a tacit Reflection upon the Providence of God. Tho' perhaps we do not, with Job's Wife, openly blafpheme and curfe God; yet the fecret Difcontents of our Minds, implicitly accufe his Providence, and take him at the Rebound: Tho' our Troubles proceed from Second, or Natural Causes, immediately; yet they are but the Inftruments of his invifible Hand who governs all Things by his Councel and Pleasure. Afflictions come not out of the Duft. They are not cafual and accidental Things, but are directed, difpofed, and managed by him, who doth nothing but upon wife Reasons, and for the most excellent Ends. The Intemperance of the Weather; the Violence of the Elements the Cruelty of Men; the Rage and Malice of the Devils: All these are but the Ministers of his permiffive Providence, and to put it in Execution. When the Air is Heathful or Infectious when the Seasons are Fruitful or Unkindly, when the Wind wracks the Ship abroad, or when it brings it fafe into the Harbour where it would be when we fuffer by the Malice and Paffions of Men; or when they are taken in their own Net and we efcape: In these, and the like Events, we are to look further than the immediate Caufes of the Good, or the Evil; we are to acknowledge the over-rulingProvidence of God in all.

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Job. 5.6

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To keep to the Cafe of Job before us: They were the Sabeans and the Chaldeans, that flew his Servants, and carried away his Cattle; it was the Lightning of Heaven that deftroyed his Sheep and it was a Tempeft from the m Wilderness, that blew down the House upon his Children; yet he does not fall into a Rage and inveigh against thefe; he does not fo much as mention the Inftrumentality of them: He knew they did but difcharge their Offices, t and act in Obedience to their proper Mafter: He applied himfelf wholly to the Confidera tion of that Providence, which had reduced jo Job. 1. 20. him to that Calamitous State. He fell down upon the Ground, and worshipped, and faid; V. 21. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: For which the Spirit of God hath gi ven him his Commendation. In all this Fob finned not, nor charged God foolishly. Why then murmur we at the Injuries, the Reproaches, the Sickneffes, or the Loffes we fuftain? It is God that inflicts; why do we repine? Why blame we the Perfons, or the Inftruments; it may be, they have wrought a good Work upon us? They have executed the Divine Will they have delivered their Errand; and let us acquiefce in this, that they could not have come, nor have had any Power over us, except they had been fent. But

V.22.

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3dly, As a farther Cure of this Distemper of our Natures; let us confider, that this Life, by the wife appointment of God, is a Mix

ture