affects no Infenfibility of Pain, he speaks SERM. II. the genuine Language of human Nature, but of human Nature greatly ftrengthened by Grace and Reafon, which may graft upon and improve, but never deftroy Na

ture.

And indeed, through the whole Tenor of our Saviour's Life, there was nothing fhewy or oftentatious; nothing, that was filter to dazzle the Eyes of the Beholders, than to guide their Feet in the Way of Peace. The focial as well as folitary Virtues fhone with gentle yet with fprightly Beams. Piety fat gracefully upon him, with an eafy Greatness, with a fober Majefty, and withbut any frightening and forbidding Appear

T

ances.

3dly, Adverfity is of Service to difengage our Minds from earthly Purfuits, and to fix our Thoughts, where true Joys are to be found.

God, fays Solomon, has fet the Days of Adverfity over against thofe of Profperity, that a Man fhould find nothing after Him, viz, after God to complain of, or to order for the better. The Meaning is, God hath fo balanced and mixed Adversity and Profperity together; that a Man upon a ReE 2

view

SERM. II. view of the Whole, upon a full and impartial Eftimate of Things, fhould have no juft Grounds to arraign the Conduct of Providence; but fhall find he has had more good Fortune than he deserved, and as much as was beneficial to him; and no more ill Fortune than was neceffary to correct his Faults, moderate his Affections, and exercife his Virtues.

Accordingly, we have Inftances of those,. who living in a pompous Worthleffness, and thinking at that Time that to morrow would· be as to day, and more abundant, would, in all Probability, have been utterly undone for ever; if they had not been almost undone here by fome fignal Calamity. A Reverse of Fortune has forced them upon a Course of Life and Train of Thinking, which they would scarce have fallen into of themselves. Being obliged to retire from the great World, they have, in Process of Time, regretted nothing fo much, as that they did not retire fooner, to think strongly, apprehend clearly, and reafon justly; to penetrate deeply to the Bottom of Things, and to look far to the End of them. And when the Retrospect upon the past has afforded them no Comfort, they have open

ed

ed and brightened the Profpect before SERM. IT.. them.

For Riches oft beget in us a Fondness for the prefent Scene of Things, and a Deadness of Affection to God and heavenly Things. But Afflictions fet the Soul free, and leave it difencumbered in the Pursuit of Heaven. Convinced by melancholy Proof of the Infufficiency of worldly Things, we take Sanctuary in the Fulnefs of the divine Sufficiency. Finding ourselves difconfolate in a barren and dry Land, where no Water is; we defire those Rivers of Pleasure, which flow at God's Right Hand for ever

more.

Prayer is a natural Motion of the Soul to God in any deep Diftrefs; it becomes then our neceffary Refuge, even though it might not be our free Choice before: which proves, that Religion, however it may be ftifled in Profperity, is interwoven in our Frame. A Man greatly aggrieved by oppreffive Power, without a Profpect of having his Grievances redreffed below, cannot but make his humble, filent Appeal to the Great God of Heaven, as to the last Refort of Justice, who helpeth them to Right, that fuffer wrong. We cannot help look

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ing

SERM. II. ing up to that Being, the Father of Mer cies, and the God of Comforts, from whom

our Help cometh; when we fee ourfelves abandoned and forlorn, when we look around us, but there is none to fave us from imminent Ruin.

Then, whatever inborn Vigour of Mind we may have; we fly to God and beg an additional Strength from him to fupport us under our Calamities, Grace to turn them to our Advantage, and eternal Happiness to reward them. Then we chiefly value this Life, as it has a Connexion with a future; a Life in which we should be unwilling, were the Choice given us, to tread the fame Round over, and to measure Time back again; and yet Man goes on, ftill de ceived by paft Pleasures, ftill depending on those to come; till his Days are run out to the very Dregs: Whereas the obvious Thought is: If fo little Satisfaction is to be had, and fo much Pain to be undergone in the Greenness and Verdure of Youth; what shall be done in the dry Tree?

To a Man at Eafe in his Poffeffions, the Dread of Diffolution, which fometimes poifons all his Enjoyments, fhall be often a greater and more painful Ill, than his Diffo

lution,

lution, confidered in itself, and the Sha- SERM. II. dow of Death fhall be more formidably large than the Reality: But a good Man in Diftrefs could wish, if it were confiftent with the Will of his Creator, to be diffolv ed, and to be with Chrift: He wants to render unto God, what is God's, viz. his Soul, which bears that Image and Imprefs of the Deity, which it has been his Bufinefs to preserve bright and unfullied: He thinks it would not be worth his while to live a Moment here, if he were not to live for ever hereafter.

I have been led into this Train of Reflections by the Death of a Perfon, whom we all know, and to whom I have particular Obligations. The Lofs of even an inoffenfive Perfon, with whom we conftantly travelled together in the common Road of Life, without any other Circumftance to endear his Memory, cannot but in fome measure affect an humane Heart. Every Place where he generally was, fuggests the Idea of him: We mifs him there, and fcarce at first recollect, that he is now no more; but as foon as we do, that very Recollection brings a melancholy Thought across the Mind; till, by Degrees, the Impreffion

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