upon them; for our God is a jealous God, and will not part with his glory to another. The world is full of examples of persons deprived of their comforts, husbands, wives, children, estates, on this account and by this means. If Jonah be overjoyed in his gourd, a worm is presently prepared to smite it. Hence it is that so many graves are opened for the burying of our idols out of our sight. If David says, My mountain shall stand strong, I shall not be moved;" the next news he shall hear, is of darkness and trouble, Psal. xxx. vi. 6, 7. O how true and faithful do we find these sayings of God to be! Who cannot but put to his seal, and say, "Thy words are truth?"

4. The word assures us, that sin is the cause and inlet of affliction and sorrow, and that there is an inseparable connexion betwixt them.

Inquire now at the mouth of Providence, whether this be indeed so. Ask but your own experience, and you will find, that just so has Providence ordered it all along your way. When did you grow into a secure, vain, carnal frame, but you found some rousing, startling providence sent to awaken you? When did you wound your consciences with guilt, and God did not wound you for it, in some one or other of your beloved enjoyments? Nay, so ordinary is this with God, that from the observations of their own frames and ways, many Christians have foreboded and presaged troubles at hand.

I do not say that God never afflicts his people, but for their sin; for he may do it for their trial, 1 Pet. iv. 12. Nor do I say, that God follows every sin with a rod; for who then should stand before him? Psal. cxxx. 3. But this I say, that it is God's usual way, to visit the sins of his people with rods of affliction, and this in mercy to their souls. On this account it was, that the rod of God was upon David, on his kingdom and family, in a long succession of troubles. And if we would carefully search out the seeds and principles of those miseries under which we or ours groan, we should find them to be our own turnings aside from the Lord, according to that saying in Jer. ii. 19; iv. 18. Have not all these threatenings of the word been exactly fulfilled by Providence in

your own experience? And no less evident is the truth of the promises to all who will observe how Providence makes them good every day to us.

5. For consider, how great security God has given to his people in the promise, that no man shall lose any thing, by self-denial, for his sake; Mark x. 29, 30.

Though the apostate Julian derided this promise, yet thousands and ten thousands have experienced it, and do at this day stand ready to set their seal to it. God has made it good to his people, not only in spiritual things, inward joy and peace, but even in temporal things also. O the admirable care and tenderness of Providence over those who, for conscience sake, have left all, and cast themselves upon its immediate care! Are there not at this day to be found many so provided for, even to the envy of their enemies and their own admiration? Who sees not the faithfulness of God in the promises, that has but a heart to trust God in them?

6. The word of promise assures us, that whatever wants and straits the saints fall into, their God "will never leave them, nor forsake them."

Consult the various events of your life to this point, and I doubt not but that you will find the truth of this promise to have been confirmed as often as you have been in trouble. Ask your own hearts, where or when it was that your God forsook you, and left you to sink and perish under your burdens. Most of you perhaps have been at one time or other plunged in difficulties, difficulties out of which you could see no way of escape by the eye of reason; yea, such as, it may be, staggered your faith in the promise. This was David's case, when he said, "I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul." And yet we see him emerge out of that sea of trouble, and the promises made good in every tittle to him. The like, doubtless, you may observe in your own cases. It is true, that you have experienced difficulties, wherein you could see no way of escape, but concluded you must perish in them; difficulties that have staggered your faith in the promises, and made you doubt whether the Fountain of all-sufficiency would let out itself for your relief; yea, such difficulties as have provoked you to murmuring

and impatience, and thereby provoked the Lord to forsake you in your straits; but yet you see he did not forsake you. He has either strengthened your back to bear your trouble, or lightened your burden, or opened an unexpected door of escape, so that the evil which you feared, came not upon you.

7. You read, that the word of God is the only support and relief to a gracious soul in the dark day of affliction, Psal. cxix. 50, 92; 2 Sam. xxiii. 5; that for this very purpose it was written, Rom. xv. 4.

And is not this a sealed truth, attested by a thousand undeniable experiences? Hence have the saints fetched their cordials, when fainting under the rod. One word of God can do more than ten thousand words of men, to relieve a distressed soul. If Providence has at any time directed you to such promises, as either assure you that the Lord will be with you in trouble, Psal. xci. 15; or that encourage you by inward peace to bear cheerfully outward burdens, John xvi. 33; or satisfy you of God's tenderness and moderation in his dealings with you, Isa. xxvii. 8; or that you shall reap blessed fruits from them, Rom. viii. 28; or that clear up your interest in God, and his love under your afflictions, 2 Sam. vii. 14; O what sensible ease and relief ensue ! How light is your burden, compared with what it was before!

8. The word tells us, that there is no such way to improve our estates as to lay them out with a cheerful liberality for God; and that our withholding our hands when God and duty call to distribute, will not be for our advantage.

O how true is the scripture-testimony herein! There are many thousand witnesses now living, who can set their seals to both parts of this proposition-what men save with one hand, Providence scatters by another hand; and what they scatter abroad with a liberal hand, and a single eye for God, is surely repaid to them or theirs. Never did any man lose by distributing for God.

9. The word assures us that the best expedient for a man to settle his own interest in the consciences and affections of men, is to direct his ways so as to please the Lord.

And does not Providence confirm this? This the three Jews found by experience, Dan. iii. 29; and so did Daniel, vi. 21, 22. This kept up John's reputation in the conscience of Herod, Mark vi. 10.

10. The written word tells us, that the best expedient to inward peace and tranquillity of mind under puzzling and distracting troubles, is to commit ourselves and our case to the Lord; Psalm xxxvii. 5, 7; Prov. xvi. 3.

And as you have read in the word, so you have found it in your own experience. O what a burden is off your shoulders when you have resigned the case to God! Then the difficulty is soon over.

Thus you see how scriptures are fulfilled by Providence in these few instances I have given of it. Compare them in all other cases and you shall find the same; for all the lines of Providence lead from the scripture, and return thither again, and do most visibly begin and end there.

III. In all your reviews and observations of Providence, be sure that you eye God as the author and orderer of them all, Prov. iii. 6.

1. In all the comfortable providences of your lives, eye God as the author or donor of them. Remember that he is "the Father of mercies," begetting every mercy for you; "the God of all comfort," without whose order no mercy or comfort can come to your hands.

And think it not enough thus to acknowledge him in a general way, but when you receive mercies, take special notice of the following particulars.-Eye the care of God for you. "He careth for you." "Your Father knoweth that you have need of these things."-Eye the wisdom of God in the way of dispensing his mercies to you, how suitably they are ordered to your condition, and how seasonably. When one comfort is cut off, and removed, another is raised up in its room.-Eye the free grace of God in them, yea, see riches of grace in every bequest of comfort to so vile and unworthy creatures, as you are; see yourselves over-topped by the least of all your mercies; "I am not worthy of the least," said Jacob. -Eye the condescension of God to your requests for those mercies, Psalm xxxiv. 6.-Eye the design and end of God in all your comforts; know that they are not

sent to satisfy the cravings of your sensual appetite, but to quicken you for a more cheerful discharge of your duty, Deut. xxviii. 47.-Eye the way and method in which your mercies are conveyed to you. They all flow to you through the blood of Christ and the covenant of grace, 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23. Mercies derive their sweetness from the channel through which they run to us.-Eye the distinguishing goodness of God in all the comfortable enjoyments of your lives. How many thousands, better than you, are denied those comforts! Heb. xi. 37.-Eye them all as comforts appointed to refresh you in your way to far better and greater mercies than themselves. The best mercies are reserved till last, and all these are introductory to better.

2. In all the sad and afflictive providences that befall you, eye God as the author and orderer of them also. So he represents himself to us in Jer. xviii. 11. "Behold, I create evil, and devise a device against you."

1. Set before you the sovereignty of God. Eye him as a being infinitely superior to you, at whose pleasure you and all you have are, Psal. cxv. 3. This is the most conclusive reason and argument for submission; For if we and all we have proceed from his will, how just is it that we should be resigned to it? It is not many years since we were not, and when it pleased him to bring us upon the stage of action, we had no liberty of covenanting with him on what terms we would come into the world; or refuse to come except we might have our being on such terms as we desired. His sovereignty is gloriously displayed in his providences. He might have put you into what rank of creatures he pleased; he might have made you the most despicable creatures, worms or toads; or, if men, the most vile, abject, and miserable among men and when you had run through all the miseries of this life, have made you miserable for ever on account of your sins, and all this without any wrong to you. And shall not this quiet you under the common afflictions of life?--Set the grace and goodness of God before you in all afflictive providences. O see him passing by you in the cloudy and dark day, proclaiming his name, The Lord, the Lord, merciful and gracious,"