SECT. III.

Submiffion to the Will of God, and Refignation to bis Providence, with respect to our Thoughts.

SHALL I admit a Thought reflecting upon God and his Conduct? Shall my Ignorance impeach God's Knowledge? I do not fee the Wisdom, or the Goodness of this Providence! No more did Jacob fee either Wisdom or Goodness in his Lofs of Jofeph. All thefe Things are against me, fays he; and yet, God meant it for Good Gen. 50. 20.

All thefe Things are ordered by God. My prefent Condition is his Appointment. Afflictions rife not cut of the Duft, though they fometimes haften us thither; but out of the Mouth of the Lord cometh both Good and Evil, Lam. 3. 38. The Origin of all Evil is Sin, and the Direction of it all is in the Hand of God. I form the Light, of Prosperity; I create Darkness, of Affliction; I make Peace, and I create Evil: I the Lord do all thefe Things, Ifai. 45. 7. We are apt to dwell upon fecond Caufes, and overlook the Hand of God, who, though he cannot be the Author of Sin, he can overrule the Sins of others, fo as to be a Correction of our own Iniquity.

Shimei's ill Nature and mortal Enmity to the House of David, made him curfe David; but David plainly difcerned there was fomething more

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than

than Shimei's ill Nature or Attachment to the House of Saul, when he faid, The Lord hath bid Shimei curfe David. The Jews by wicked Hands crucified Chrift; who yet faid, It is the Cup which my Father bath given me; fhall I not drink it? As in a medicinal Prescription, whatever the Ingredients may owe their Bitterness to, it is the Skill and Kindness of the Physician that makes it up.

Since thefe Things are ordered by God, they muft needs have an End worthy of God to propofe, and for me to attend to. None of his Arrows are drawn at a Venture. He always aims at fomething, which it is worth my while to aim at

too.

He for our Profit. We have bad Fathers of our Flesh, which corrected us, and we gave them Reverence; fhall we not much rather be in Subjection unto the Father of Spirits, and live? For they verily for a few Days chaftned us, after their own PleaJure and Paffion; but be for our Profil, that we might be Partakers of bis Holiness, Heb. 12. 9, 10. To make us humble and holy; to improve the Graces of his Spirit in us; to purge out our Corruptions, and to mortify more the Body of Sin; to wean us from this World, that we may love it lefs, and leave it with more Ease; to prepare us for another World, and difpofe us more to go thither.

This is the Voice of the Rod; these the Ends of him who hath appointed it. And when these Ends are attained, fomething more confiderable is gained than what you have lost.

Mourner.

Mourner. It is hard for me to think fo when under the Pangs of Sorrow. It enters deep, and wounds me fore. How can I ever fay with David, All the Paths of the Lord are Mercy and Truth unto fuch as keep his Covenant and Testimony? What, all the Paths of the Lord? The rough, and the thorny, and the difficult; where there feems to be nothing but Severity? Friends and dear Relations dead; Eftate funk; Health impaired; Strength decaying; Difficulties increasing on every Side: O! He has touched me in a tender Part! It is the Apple of mine Eye that the Thorn is gone into. What have the Promises produced to me? Might he not have taken a Method that fhould have looked more like Mercy and Truth?

Anfwer. Can infinite Wisdom be mistaken ? Can infinite Goodness be cruel? Can infinite Truth be falfe? Allow him that knows the End from the Beginning, to know better what is good for you, than you do for yourfelf; and to know how to come to his End the best way. Since he does not willingly grieve nor afflict the Children of Men; and fince it is only, if need be, that we are in Heavinefs; what is it but Mercy and Truth that can make him do a Thing unwillingly, and 'does it only, if need be? Would it be Mercy or Truth to humour you in omitting what must needs be? You will allow him to judge of the Ne'ceffity of it too, for the fame Reason: And then, you will fee Reason to conclude, with the Royal Mourner, I know, O Lord, that thy Judgments

are

are right; and that in very Faithfulness thou haft afflicted me, Pfalm 119.75. Efpecially when you confider, in the next Place,

That he will make this, and all other Trials, work together for good. This is the general Promife. We know that all Things work together for good to them that love God, Rom. 8. 28. We

know it is fo in fact, but we know not how. Indeed that Knowledge is no Bufinefs of ours; that Part we leave to God. To believe the Truth of it, to take the Comfort of it, and to wait the Iffue of it; that is our Part. Look upon every Trouble through the Scripture: Let God take what Compass he please, it will come to this at laft. How contrary foever to my Liking Things are at prefent, they will all at length be just as I would have them. Only let me remember three or four Things:

1. Let me take care to be a qualified Object of this Promife. It is to them that love God, to them that are the Called or Converted, according to bis Purpofe, that this Promife is made, that all Things fball work together for Good.

2. Let me take care to be right in my Notion of Good. If I have no Notion of Good, but what relates to the Body, to the Mouth, or the Pocket, to Eating and Drinking, and other outward Enjoyments; I may never think this Promife fulfilled. But if I think that to be good, which is good for the Soul; and that to be good, which is good for Eternity; the Promife is as fure

as

as it is rich, gracious, and comprehenfive. And when the good Things of this Life are really good for us, they are certainly included in the Promise, and may be expected from it.

3. Whether outward Enjoyments are good for us, or no, we muft leave him to judge who made the Promife: And all the Reafon in the World he fhould, whofe Goodness made it; whofe Wisdom and Power must make it good. They who are the Objects of this Promife, who love God, will let him judge for them in this Cafe. What a Soul muft that be, that can fay, "I will have the out"ward Enjoyments of this Life, whether they be "good for me or not; and whether God judge "them good for me or not?" Does this look like one who is the Object of that Promife? One who loves God, and is called according to his Pur pose?

4. We must wait God's Time, and expect the Accomplishment of this Promise only in his Way. He that believes, makes not Hafte; nor fays, by Impatience, Why should we wait on the Lord any longer? Nor by taking unlawful Ways; left we forfeit our Share in this Promife by any fuch Misbehaviour.

To quarrel with Providence, is to charge God foolishly. It is as much as to fay that God governs the rest of the World well enough, but not in this Particular. He orders all Affairs well but mine. When others die, and other Hufbands mourn the beloved, the fuitable, and the amiable Creature