SERMON V.

On all Things working together for Good to the Righteous.

ROMANS, viii. 38.

We know that all Things work together for Good to them that love God, to them who are the Called according to his Purpose.

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AMONG many antient philofophers it SERM. was a favourite tenet, that all seeming diforders in the world are rendered subfervient to the order and perfection of the univerfe; or, that all things work together for the good of the whole: But to this good of the whole, they conceived the intereft of individuals to be oft-times obliged to yield. The revelation of the Gospel

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SER M. Gospel has opened to us a higher and more

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comfortable profpect. For it affures us not only of the direct tendency of all things to general order, but to the confummate happiness of every individual who loves and serves God. While the Deity is ever carrying on the general fyftem of things to its proper perfection, the intereft of no one good man is facrificed in any point to promote this end; but his life is, at the fame time, a fyftem complete within itself, where all things are made to conspire for bringing about his felicity. We know, fays the Apostle in my text, that is, we are affured, not by doubtful reasonings with regard to which the wifeft might be perplexed, but by a divine promise on which the fimple can firmly rely, that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

This is that capital encouragement of religion, which virtually contains in itself all the other promifes made in Scripture to the righteous, and, like a full and exuberant fountain, divides itself into a thousand streams to refresh the life of man with confolation and joy. It will therefore deserve

our

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our very full and particular confideration, SER M. both as to the extent of encouragement given, and the evidence on which our affurance of it refts.

THE first thing which fhould here draw our attention is, the character of thofe to whom the encouragement of the text is appropriated. For it is evidently not given indifcriminately to all, but limited to fuch as love God, and are the called according to bis purpose; that is, chofen by him to eternal life. But left the latter part of this defcription fhould appear too fecret and myfterious to afford the encouragement intended, it is cleared up by the first and explanatory character, them that love God. Here is fomething plain and fatisfactory on which we can reft. We need not say, Who fhall afcend into heaven in order to bring us down from thence any information, whether our names be written in the book of life? It is fufficient to look into ourselves, and the state of our heart. The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayeft do it*. They that

* Deut. xxx, 14.

SERM. love God, and they who are the called ac

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cording to his purpose, are the fame. Divine love is the facred character which marks those who are fealed unto the day of redemption. This love of God is not to be understood as fignifying merely fome occafional ardour of affection: it imports that steady principle of goodness which becomes the fpring of a pure and virtuous life. The fame character is here meant, which is defcribed in other paffages of fcripture, by fearing and ferving God. They who truly love God, are they who love and imitate the divine perfections; they who love and obey the divine laws; they who love and purfue the divine approbation, as the great aim of their life.Keeping this important article ever in view as a neceffary limitation of the gracious declaration in the text, let us proceed to examine the full extent of that encouragement which it affords.

We begin with confidering what the good is, for which it is here faid that all things work in favour of the righteous. It is a term fufceptible of very different accept

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acceptations. For many things appear good SER M. to fome, which do not appear fo to others; nay, the fame things which have appeared to ourselves good at one time, have been far from appearing good at another. Affuredly that good which God promifes as the reward of his fervants, must be somewhat worthy of God to beftow; fomewhat that depends not on the fluctuation of fancy and opinion, and that is not liable to change with the change of times. It must be some good of a fixed and permanent nature, which will be felt as fuch in every fituation and period of our existence. But it is evident that fuch characters are not applicable to the external advantages of the world, riches, fame, and honours. These may occafionally be defirable, and at some times confer fatisfaction on the poffeffor. But befides their uncertain and tranfient duration, they are far from conferring fatisfaction at all times, even when they laft, On the contrary, it is a certain fact, and manifeft to general obfervation, that a man may poffefs all the external advantages of fortune, and lead withal a very miserable life. Suppofe