Things in the World, and will be fo always, the less it is thought of in Time.

Another Impediment to Refignation, is a Conceit of our own Defervings.

How can that Perfon fubmit to mean Allotments of Providence, who fancies himfelf deferving of the best? The Uneafinefs with which a Man takes a low Rank in the World, is in Proportion to the Opinion of himself being qualified for higher Stations. Modefty and Humility fave a deal of Trouble here. "" [ "have a great deal, for one that deferves nothing; nay, for one who deferves Mifery!

Let the Lord place me where he pleases: "If it be out of Hell, I fhall have Reafon "for Praise and Thanks, enough to keep out "Murmuring." You cry and fwell, complain and repine. I afk you, Did God owe you any Thing? Is he accountable to you? Do you deserve any Thing? Who are you? And what are you more, or better, than those many, who at this Time are fuffering for God with Faith and Patience, in the Want of all things; and think they had hardly any thing to ask for, on this fide Heaven, if they could but quietly ferve God in the half of that, which can hardly make you civil to the Almighty, for want of more? To enlarge our Defires is laying ourfelves open to needlefs Vexations, as numerous as our needlefs Defires. He whofe Defires are an hundred times larger than others, is every E

Day

Day liable to fo many hundred times more Vexations and Disappointments.

SECT. VII.

Help againft immoderate Grief, from fome Confiderations with respect to God, who taketh away.

IT is the Lord, 1 Sam. 3. 18. This is the Answer made to the heavy Message brought by young Samuel to old Eli. I will do a Thing in Ifrael, fays God, at which both the Ears of every one that bears it fhall tingle: That he would cut off all his Family, and his Father's House. Thou shalt fee an Enemy in mine Habitation; and there fhall not be an old Man in thine House for ever: Or, the Man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine Altar, fhall be to confume thine Eyes, and to grieve thine Heart. And all the Increafe of thy Houfe fhall die in the Flower of their Age, and thy two Sons fhall both die in one Day; 1 Sam. 2. 31-34. Here is the Death of Children in the Flower of their Age; Poverty extreme; Extinction of his Family; and till then, the Branches of it should only live to plague the Parent: A dreadful Threatning! But he answers, It is the Lord!

His abfolute Propriety in us, and all that we have, is unanswerable. The Earth is the Lord's,

and

and the Fulnefs thereof. The Product, the Inhabitants, the Furniture of all Worlds are his. Shall be not do what he will with his own? If I myself am his Property, every thing I have muft be fo too.

His abfolute Sovereignty over all things, is uncontrollable. Behold, he taketh away, and who can hinder him? Job 9. 12. He doth what

foever be pleafes in the Army of Heaven, and among the Inhabitants of the Earth.

His tranfcendent Majefty and Excellency are not to be difputed. Shall not bis Excellency make thee afraid to murmur against him, and to find fault with bis Ways; and his Dread fall upon thee? Job 13. 11.

He that fits on the Throne of the Universe, who fhakes Heaven and Earth with his Voice; who hath Power to lodge a Heaven or Hell in thy Breast, by his Smiles or Frowns, according as he pleases to reward thy Submiffion or punith thy Difcontent; who can employ Legions of Angels to be thy Guard, or Devils to be thy Tormentors; he that can filence thy Murmurs with Thunder, or ftop thy infolent Breath with Fire and Brimstone, and horrible Tempeft; hall not his Excellency make thee afraid? He who dwells in Light that is unapproachable, before whom Angels veil their Faces; fhall I lift up my bold Front against this God, and charge that Brightness with a Spot, that Wifdom with Folly, and that Juftice of his with any Iniquity?

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His infinite Perfections, what Language do they fpeak? He is infinitely wife, and cannot err: Infinitely powerful, and cannot be refifted: Infinitely holy, and cannot behold Iniquity without Abhorrence: Infinitely good, and can do no Evil; likewife true, and cannot falfify his Word. If it were poffible to take the univerfal Management out of his Hands into your own, it would be the best Way to replace it in the Hand of God again. It is he to whofe Will all the World befide complies, why should not I? And when I read that Chrift himself said, I am come to do thy Will, O God; and, Father, not as I will, but as thou wilt; who am I, that I fhould pretend to speak any other Language?

Confider the Relation in which he ftands to us. My Will he made; fhall he not give Laws to his own Creature? Did he make this Hand to ftrike at himself? This Breath, this Tongue, to speak against him; and this Will to rebel against himself? As I am a dependent Creature, in him I live, and move, and have my Being. As I am an expectant Creature, is it the Way to obtain my Will of him, to deny the Homage of my Will to him? As I am a finful Creature, have not I enough Guilt upon me already? Should I fwell the Account, and increase my Mifery? As I am an accountable Creature, he is my Judge; as. I am a recoverable Creature, he is my Saviour: And am I angry with any of his Methods toward making all thefe Ideas concur to my Salvation? To be redeemed from the Tyranny of

my

my own Will, and Fancy, and Appetite, is no fmall Part of the Redemption by Jefus Chrift. Did he give himself up to Death for us; and fhall I think it too much to give my Will up to his? Shall the Redeemed from Thraldom difpute the Orders of the Redeemer? Shall Ser-' vants difpute the Will of their Mafter? and Subjects fay, to fuch a King, What doft thou? Are we his Friends upon any other Terms, than doing whatfoever be commands us? And if, as Children, we go to him as our Father who is in Heaven; muft we not add, Thy Will to be done?

Whether we fubmit to his Will or no, his Will fhall be done. His Counsel fhall stand, and he will do all his Pleafure. You may as well fubmit by Grace, and have the Comfort of fo doing, as be forced to it without Grace, and without Comfort, whether you will or no. If it be an Act of Homage, your Submission has a Reward; but if it be merely because you cannot help it, you have only Sorrow for your Pains. What does all my fretting amount to? Will it change the Courfe of Providence, and allay Griefs?

Confider how much God might have taken away befides He might have left me no one Comfort: He might have taken away all, as well as a Part. He might have given up my Soul to Terror, my Body to Difeafe, and my Affairs to Confufion and Calamity.

It is by his Providence that all things are conducted; the most casual, and most trivial. Lots,

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the