Of the vvisdom and goodness of Providence two sermons preached before the Queen, at White-Hall, on August 17, 24, MDCXC / by John Moore ... Moore, John, 1646-1714. 1690 Approx. 74 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 36 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2007-10 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A51226 Wing M2551 ESTC R20154 12354058 ocm 12354058 60079 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A51226) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 60079) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 643:7) Of the vvisdom and goodness of Providence two sermons preached before the Queen, at White-Hall, on August 17, 24, MDCXC / by John Moore ... Moore, John, 1646-1714. [2], 66 p. Printed for W. Rogers ..., London : 1690. Reproduction of original in Huntington Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Bible. -- O.T. -- Proverbs III, 6 -- Sermons. Sermons, English -- 17th century. Providence and government of God -- Sermons. 2005-05 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2005-12 SPi Global Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2006-11 Taryn Hakala Sampled and proofread 2006-11 Taryn Hakala Text and markup reviewed and edited 2007-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion OF THE VVisdom and Goodness OF PROVIDENCE . TWO SERMONS Preached before the QUEEN , AT WHITE-HALL , On AUGUST 17 [ and ] 24 MDCXC . By JOHN MOORE , D.D. Rector of St. Andrews Holborn , and Chaplain in Ordinary to Their Majesties . Published by Her Majesties Special Command . LONDON : Printed for W. Rogers at the Sun over-against St. Dunstans Church in Fleetstreet . MDCXC . OF THE VVisdom and Goodness OF PROVIDENCE . TWO SERMONS BEFORE THE QUEEN . Proverbs iii. 6. In all thy ways , acknowledg him . IT would not be easie for men with little Temptation to be drawn into great Sins , if they were fully perswaded that God was present , did behold the Affronts they were putting upon him , and would call them to a strict account for them : Neither would good Christians be so affrighted with the remote appearances of danger , and sink so quickly under Affliction , had they a firm belief that God was ever nigh them , and ready to deliver and support them . Those Holy Persons who accustom themselves to conceive God always present , as they dread doing the least evil , or neglecting any part of their Duty , so the most terrible and cruel Attempts of the Wicked , cannot make them withdraw their Dependance upon the Divine Providence , or renounce the hopes they have in God's Mercy : So that the Boldness and Security which does appear in bad men , and the unreasonable and groundless Fears to be found in some Christians , do both chiefly proceed from their want of a hearty Persuasion of the Omnipresence of God , who observes their whole Behaviour , and will certainly punish Sinners , but protect and preserve his Servants . Nothing then will more suppress Wickedness , and dismay and terrifie Sinners , than frequent Meditations upon the Divine Presence ; and nothing would so uphold our Spirits in all Conditions , as to let it be our daily Practice to think of the unerring Providence of God , which disposes all Affairs and Events by wise Rules , and sends Good or Evil to men according as the circumstances of their present state do require , and ever with a design to make them the better thereby . If therefore men did believe that God governed the World , and ordered all the Affairs thereof , they could not ascribe the issue of things to their own Power , and look upon the Prosperity of their Condition to be the effect alone of their own Wisdom and good Management . Neither would they think that those Pains , Losses , and Calamities came by Accident and Chance , which God sent on purpose , either to try their love , or to reform their Manners , or to punish their Sins for an example to others . It must much abate the Bitterness of Afflictions and Losses , to be convinced , that they who are humbled under them , who bear them meekly , and dutifully do submit to the Pleasure of God , will thereby greatly improve the Graces and Virtues of their Soul , and shall receive some extraordinary Blessing from the hand of God , the relish of which will be much heighten'd by their past sufferings . So as in due time they shall see good reason for that Calamity , which was at present so grievous unto them . They then who think God does not concern himself in the Affairs of the World , nor regard the Lives of Men , can never truly Reverence him , nor Worship him sincerely ; but whereever there is a vigorous belief of Providence , it will always be followed with the Love and Fear of God. That therefore in the course of our Lives , we may set the Lord before us , and direct our Designs to his Glory , that we may use the Goods he gives us , discreetly and temperately ; and when he afflicts us , that we may be patient , quiet , and humble , and without Murmur or Complaint , make an entire Resignation of our selves , and of all we have , unto his Righteous Will , that we may be grateful for his Mercies , and in all our ways acknowledg him , and think of him ; I shall take leave to propose these following things to your Consideration . ( 1. ) That nothing can come to us through the whole Course of this Life , without the Order or Permission of Providence . ( 2. ) That we should sometimes receive Evil from the Hand of God as well as good , is very agreeable to his Wisdom . ( 3. ) That if we equally consider things , God's Goodness and Mercy will appear in our greatest Sufferings . ( 1. ) That nothing can come to us through the whole course of this Life , without the order , or at least , the permission of Providence . When God had made the World , he did not leave it to shift for it self , without any farther regard of it : But his Power does as truly appear in the Preservation and Government thereof , as it did in its Creation . What he thought fit for his Power to give Being and Life to , he thinks becoming his Goodness and Wisdom to uphold and preserve ▪ as judging all the works of his Hands , worthy of his Providence and Care. So that there is not any thing which does come by inflexible Fate , or depend upon the uncertainties of Fortune : But God does look down upon every work , he beholds the carriage of all his Creatures ; he perpetually supports the order among things , and directs the whole course of Nature in such just manner , as shall serve for the greatest good and happiness of the Creation , and most illustrate his own Glory . This all follows plainly from the Nature of God , which consists in infinite Perfection ; but the denying of Providence , or the supposal that matters go in the World , either by Fate , or Chance , is most repugnant to the Blessed Nature of God , and does contradict almost every one of his Attributes and Perfections ; who could not be Almighty if there was any Power independent upon his ; who would not be infinitely Wise if he Govern'd the vast productions of his Power by no Laws ; whose Goodness would not be boundless , if he had no care of those who Loved Him ; if he did not rescue those who suffer'd for his sake ; whose Knowledg would not be immense if he did not see all that was acted in the World , if he was not an observer of the words and deeds , but also privy to the very thoughts of his Creatures . † Without all things done under the Sun lay open to the Divine view , why should the Good hope in God's Mercy , or the Wicked tremble at his Justice ? If he did not at all mind the ways of men , they would have no motives to Love him , nor reason to Fear they should fall under his displeasure , by acting the most horrid Impieties . Prayer is the primary Duty of Christians , the great Instrument by which they obtain a supply of all necessaries , Bodily and Spiritual , and the chief support of their Minds in Trouble ; whereby they compose themselves to endure the sharpest Sufferings , and become conquerors of their strongest Temptations : But if God has no Knowledg of the affairs of this World , the reason and very foundation of Prayer will be destroyed , which supposes , that God knows all the Circumstances of our particular case , and does not only hear us when we call upon him in our want and distress , but also that he has both the Power , and the Will , to relieve , or deliver all those who make their humble supplications unto him . Did afflictions happen by meer Chance , we should not know how to behave our selves under them , we should have no encouragement to bear them Patiently , nor skill to make a due Provision for those which may seize upon us hereafter , and turn them into a benefit to our Souls . But when we know from whence they come , and that our Cup , how bitter soever it be , was mingled by the merciful hand of our Most Gracious Father for the Health of our Souls ; with what readiness and courage shall we stoop to our Burden , and what an humble and heavenly Temper shall we attain by our Sufferings ? Did not God know us , or take notice of our Lives , how could he now Govern the World , or Judge it hereafter ? Insomuch as there is no calling the truth of the Doctrine of Providence into question , without striking at the foundation of all the Arguments for Divine Worship , for the Fear and Service of God , for Trust in his Mercy , and hope in his Assistance : and without putting an end to every reasonable thought about future Rewards and Punishments . But though there be a great deal of Malice in the objections against Providence , yet upon little examination they will be found weak , and such as cannot shake the belief of any who will impartially consider them . 'T is objected , That for God to have the care of all things upon him , would disturb his Peace ; and that for him to condescend to observe the actions of trifling Man , and to have a regard to the small and vilest parcels of the World , would be below the dignity of his Glorious Majesty . The weakness of this Objection , which is so much flourisht by the Epicureans , lyes herein , That they suppose God to be like unto men , who can hardly transact any affair wisely without much thinking ; who cannot be concern'd in many things together without great disquiet and trouble . Now the trouble , uneasiness , irresolution and difficulty , which men find in much or great business , does arise from their faculties being stinted : they are fain to turn things up and down in their thoughts , and to work their brains with long consideration before they can resolve what is fit to be done ; and after they have resolved , they are as much at a loss for means to accomplish their designs . But what is more evident , than that the boundless Power , Wisdom and Knowledg of God , cannot be exposed to any of these Objections and Difficulties ? Therefore to disown Providence in the plain consequence of things , is to deny the existence of an Infinitely perfect Being * . And though we may bear with such a sorry Objection as this in the Epicures , who were so vain , as to ascribe the Original of the World , in which do appear so many of the marks of deep Skill and Wise contrivance , to a Fortuitous concourse , or casual jumble of Atomes ; yet it would be intolerable in Christians , who profess heartily to believe God to be Maker of Heaven and Earth , to hold that he should not think the things Worthy of his Care and Protection , which he once thought Worthy of his Making : or that he should meet with Difficulties and Troubles in Governing the World , who found none in Creating it . As the firm Belief of Providence is of vast concernment to our Souls , so the Spirit of God has made many declarations of it , and fully set forth all the parts thereof in Holy Scripture , not only how God is pleased to engage himself in making provision for the Children of men , but how his care does extend to the smallest Creatures , and the meanest parts of the Creation . We are taught not only that the Rational Beings do live and move and subsist by the Goodness of their Maker ; but that he condescends to feed the little Sparrow , and to cloath the fading Lillies of the Field , and even to number the slender Hairs upon our Head. Furthermore , in the Word of God is set forth all the sorts of Instances , in which the Divine Providence does manifest it self to men , who seem to be the extraordinary Objects of God's Care and Love. There an account is given how God concerns himself in our Birth and first Production ; that he makes the barren Woman to be a joyful Mother of Children ; that it is he that takes us out of the Womb ; that he is our Hope , and our whole Dependance is upon Him , from the time we hung on our Mothers Breasts ; and that the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings , set forth the Praise of his Providence . That the Divine Providence doth not only exercise it self about particular Persons , but reaches unto Societies and Communions , and takes Cities and Nations within it's special Cognisance ; that both their Prosperity and Sufferings come from him ; that except he keep the City , the watchman waketh but in vain ; and that no Evil happens there , but he hath done it ; and that he ever makes them to Flourish or Decline , in proportion to their Virtues or their Sins , the universal good of the Creation being the great design and measure of his Providence . The Holy Scriptures sometimes acquaint us with those parts of Providence which relate to God's Infinite Knowledg , and the Righteousness of his Dealings , that nothing which we do or think can be hid from Him , but that all lies open and naked to the Presence of Him before whom we stand ; that exact observation is made of every turn and design in our Lives ; that he seeth all under the whole Heaven , and looketh unto the ends of the Earth ; that our whole behaviour is as it were registed in a Book ; that at the great Day of Judgment , this Book shall be open'd , and we be Sentenc'd to Everlasting Happiness or Misery , according as our Lives shall from thence appear to have been Good or Evil. In our Bibles we learn that God suffers Afflictions to fall upon his own People , and are there shewn the just reasons of those Proceedings of his , which at first view seem'd hardly consistent with his immense Goodness ; and that all things in the end shall work together for the good of them who love him . There we also learn , that the Preservation and Continuance of Life , is not in our power , and that length of days does not depend upon our care and skill , but that God keeps the issues of Life and Death in his own hand , and we never by any means can be assured , how long we have to live , who see the days of the weak and sickly sometimes extended to very old Age ; and they of strong Constitutions , and of firm and vigorous heal●h , lopt off in their green Years , and full Strength ; and all this , that we may never presume to set Death at a great distance from us , but manage the present time prudently , and circurnspectly , and not rely upon infinitely contingent Futurity , in the great Affair of our Souls , for the due care of which , we were sent into the world . In this Word of God we find an account not only of the uncertainty of our Lives , but of all the other Goods we possess , which belong unto the present state ; that the possession we have of them is very preca●ious , and that of a sudden we may very many ways be put out of the enjoyment of those things we esteemed most , had kept longest , and were most secure of . But tho the ways of turning us out of what we have , be many , yet the Holy Scripture gives us good assurance , that we shall never be dispossest of the least good without the Appointment or License of Providence ; that as we may not set our hearts upon any of the things of the World , which we have , so we may bear Losses quietly ; and without ruffling the Peace of our Minds , and making any abatement of our Love of God , may submit to every change in our condition , with the Patience of Job , yielding back to the Lord what he had given . Sometimes the Scriptures discourse of the strange Changes which are made in Kingdoms ; how God pulls men down , and sets others up by unlikely means , and when they least expected it ; and that in an instant he stript them of their vast Possessions , when their Power and Plenty had thrust him out of all their thoughts , and they placed their security in their own strength , and did not attribute to his Providence the Glory of their Greatness . Of the wonderful effects of Providence , we have unquestionable examples in all Ages , wherein the motion of God's hand hath been so visible , that necessity will compel men to ascribe them to him . How frequently hath the interposition of the Divine Power been clearly manifest in the Rise and Declension of Kingdoms , and in the surprizing Periods which have been put to mighty Empires by small and improbable Causes , notwithstanding they were founded in deep Policy , and had been of long continuance ; he in a moment breaking the firm frame of things , and turning up the Foundations which were laid by the Counsels of the most skilful and sagacious men ? VVhen the measure of the sins of a great People is full , and their Iniquities are grown up to a ripeness fit for ruin , so that God will no longer endure the abuse of his Mercies , and the bold affronts which are put upon his Love and Kindness ; then Destruction comes swiftly upon them , and they receive their terrible overthrow from those hands which they did despise . Histories of all Countries furnish us with instances of this kind ; and we may read abundance of the mysterious variety of the workings of Providence in the quick turns , and amazing changes which did happen to the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel : Either the sick or the lame have strength enough to pull down the mightiest Nation , when the crying sins thereof have provoked God peremptori 〈…〉 to resolve , that there shall be an end put to all its Glory and Power . Of this case we have a memorable declaration made from the Lord to the Jews , by the Prophet Jeremy , of the fatal Blow which should be given to their Kingdom , even by those they themselves had beaten ; and that only the wounded men which remained , should be sufficiently able to set Fire to their City , and lay it in Ashes . Thus saith the Lord , Deceive not your selves , saying , The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us ; for they shall not depart ; for tho ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans , that fight against you , and there remained but wounded men among them , yet should they rise up every man in his tent , and burn this city with fire . Now when only the wounded and shatter'd remains of a Conquer'd Army , shall be able to attack and take a well fortified City , the great disproportion between the Instruments and the Work , must force the mouths of the Inhabitants to confess , that it is the Lord's doings , and that their Misery is justly pulled down from Heaven , by their abominable sins . Wherefore when we behold any Empire or Kingdom that hath been long setled , taken deep root , enlarged its Borders , and was ● Terror to its Neighbours , to dissolve on a sudden , and tumble down , and all the Limbs of this well-built , and often-try'd Body , at once to be dis-jointed ; will not in this strange and unaccountable Revolution , the Prints be most conspicuous and plain , of the All-seeing and All-disposing Providence of God , who turns the Wisdom of the Wise into Foolishness ; does not give the Race to the Swift , nor the Battel to the Strong ? On the other hand , to see a small Society or Body of Men preserv'd when environ'd with Powerful Enemies , each of which could have devoured it ; and its State and Condition supported , when they did all conspire to work its ruin ; and Peace and Safety restored by most improbable means , where there was no appearance or likelihood of it , must be a demonstration that God governs the world , and orders all the affairs thereof . From hence it is , as the Divine Providence hath wonderfully put forth it self in all times , so God shews himself highly displeased , when his people presume to call his Care of them into question , and make any doubt whether he observes their behaviour ; declaring it to be utterly impossible , that he should either neglect or forget them . — For they say , the Lord bath forsaken the earth , and the Lord seeth not . And as for me also , my eye shall not spare , neither will I have pity . — But Zion said , The Lord hath forsaken me , and my Lord hath forgotten me . Can a woman forget her sucking children , that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb ? yea , they may forget , yet will I not forget thee . Thus I have dispatch'd the first Head of this Discourse , namely that nothing can come to us through the whole course of this life , without the Order , or at least the Permission of Providence ; and shewn , That not only the Prosperity and Adversity , the Poverty and Riches , the Wisdom and Understanding , the Length of Days , and Death of particular Persons , but also the Growth and Fall of Nations and Kingdoms , comes from the Lord : Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are done in Heaven and Earth : He sheweth loving kindness unto thousands , and recompenceth the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their Children after them : The great , the mighty God , the Lord of Hosts is his name , great in counsel , and mighty in works ; for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men , to give every one according to his ways , and according to the fruit of his doings . ( 2. ) That we should receive evil from the hand of God , as well as good , is very agreeable to his Wisdom : In the miseries God sends or suffers to fall upon men in this life , many of his great Ends in governing the world , are serv'd , and much Spiritual Profit may accrue to them , who by the cross Events and Disappointments they here encounter , are wean'd from the world , and will not be drawn in by its most alluring Temptations ; who every day discovering more the vanity of all earthly Pleasures , have an immediate recourse to God , and entirely depend upon his Wisdom and Goodness both as to their present condition , and that happy one they hope for hereafter . All men receive Prosperity from God very kindly , tho they frequently make an ill use of it ; but when he sends any affliction , how much soever they may stand in need thereof , they forthwith complain , as if he dealt hardly by them . Nay , when he lays a far lighter Judgment upon them , than their folly and sin has deserv'd , and than the present sickly condition of their soul did require , immediately both his Justice and his Wisdom must be impeached . Poor man ! he thinks he has severe usage , when God is very merciful unto him ; and is apt to grumble and be querulous , when the Divine Wisdom does use the most proper and suitable methods to do his soul the greatest good . Most men , if they might chuse for themselves , would never have any thing fall cross to their own Wills ; and the best reason that may be for their sufferings , will scarce bring them to think well of them , or to judg favourably of him who order'd and sent them . This is usually the perverse behaviour of those mean spirits , in every trouble and disappointment , who having fixt their hearts upon the goods of this world , do never lift up their hands and eyes towards the Glorious Heavens , or spend any thoughts upon the boundless Eternity into which they are ready to launch : It is also true , That God's own People may sometimes have their feet slip , and be at first stagger'd by a great evil , which suddenly surprizes them ; but with a little thought and recollection , they recover the due temper of their minds , and discern the calamity to be so fit and reasonable for their condition , that they not only frame themselves to a sincere submission to God's pleasure , but devoutly magnifie and praise his Name for the signal advantage their souls will gain thereby . This is the language of the Saints ; Behold , happy is the man whom God correcteth ; therefore despise not thou the chastning of the Almighty , Job 5.17 . Whom the Lord loveth , he correcteth , Prov. 3.12 . I know , O Lord , that thy Judgments are right ; and that thou of faithfulness hast afflicted me , Psal . 119.75 . Blaspheme not God , who makes provision for our souls with much Wisdom , and great care , and by a supply of good things , and the fear of stripes , does teach us the Elements of Virtue , and pulls up the disease of Vice by the roots , and causes bright and gladsom health in the soul . Now if by every injury against their Reputation , every damage in their Estate , every loss of dear relations , every hurt and pain in their Body , and by every melancholly and grievous thought which may happen in their minds , God designs not to torment , but to purify and reform his people , there can be no reason why they should not accept all in good part which comes , nor why it should be thought a strong Objection against the Wisdom of Providence , That the Righteous now and then suffer , and have their share of the afflictions of this world . But because this has been a difficult rub in the way , at which as well the virtuous , as bad men have stumbled ; in a more particular answer thereunto , I desire the following things may be consider'd . ( 1. ) That we are not competent judges any more of the righteousness of men , than of the reasons of their sufferings : We that do not know the hearts of men , nor see the secrets which are lodged there , cannot pronounce who are truly good . Those who make a fair shew of Religion , and take pains to have the world ●●ink well of them , may have much wickedness lurk in their hearts , and privately be exceeding vicious . But unless we knew certainly who were sincerely virtuous men , and who were hypocrites , we have no right to make this Objection ; and it will be very unjust and presumptuous in us , to charge it as a defect and blemish in the Divine Providence , That the Righteous are frequently afflicted ; since that which may look like an undeserv'd Calamity of a good man , may , for ought we know , be but a just Judgment of God , inflicted upon him for his Hypocrisie . ( 2. ) Neither are we competent judges of the happy or miserable state , of the Prosperity or Calamities of men . * Those who to us appear the happy Persons , may have so many unruly Passions within their breasts , that in a manner tear their souls in pieces , and sour all the Comforts and Pleasures which their Greatness , Honour , or Plenty should produce . On the contrary , those who in our eyes pass for vile and contemptible wretches , may have that peace in their minds , being hurried by no masterless lust , nor tortur'd with the guilt of any sin ; may have that joy springing up in their souls constantly , from a sense of the Favour of God , and the conscience of their doing good to their fellow-creatures , that they would not change conditions with the greatest Monarch upon Earth . Possibly good men may be straitned with Poverty , and have little Authority and Interest in the world ; and yet for all this , they are still happy ; for happiness does not consist in abundance of Riches , nor a large compass of Power . These things to them would have been a burden , and they therefore never sought them ; but a composed mind , devout thoughts , easiness in every condition , a chearful resignation of themselves , and of what they had , to the Will of God , when Crosses and Sickness , and Disgrace and Losses should come , is what they heartily desired , and what they earnestly prayed for , and what God graciously was pleased to give them , and in the enjoyment whereof they find real and most intense happiness . Hence we may be instructed how to take the measures of our Felicity , and to form a true judgment who are the happy , who the miserable men . That no man is happy by reason of his vast Riches , but Generous Mind , which makes him to live above them , and inclines him to the highest Instances of Charity ; so that he is merciful and lendeth ; he disperseth and giveth to the poor , and the acts of his Bounty shall be had in everlasting remembrance . That no person is miserable , because by the malice of designing men he may be turned out of his Native Soil ; since he may bear his Calamity so evenly , and with such Submission to Providence , as thereby to ensure to himself an habitation in the Heavenly and Eternal Countrey , from whence all the Powers of Darkness can never banish him . That a man is not happy because he has a healthy and strong Body ; but because in an infirm and sickly one , he does carefully preserve a sound and spotless mind . That he is not miserable who meets with much unkind usage , and upon whom many cross and sharp things do fall ; But he , who being besotted with prosperous Successes , doth lift up his eyes no higher , but sits down with the brittle and deceitful Goods of the present state , and only among them seeks for rest . Thus it is manifest , that real Felicity does consist in the Innocence and Tranquility of the Mind . But notwithstanding in the general we may pronounce all those happy , who have quiet and unblemish'd Souls ; yet we cannot speak with confidence , as to the happiness or misery of particular men , because by their outward Circumstances , and appearance to the World , we can never be certain of the sincerity of their minds , nor whether they have those Virtues in their Possession , which cause solid Happiness . Wherefore seeing we are not competently qualified to judg either of the Piety or of the Happiness of particular men , it evidently follows , That there is very little in that Popular Objection against the Divine Providence , taken from the seeming Adversity of the Good , and flourishing state of the Wicked . Further ; Neither is it any disparagement of Providence , nor unkindness in God towards his faithful servants , that sometimes he translates them early from hence , and permits them to dye in the vigour of their years : For can a greater favour be done them for their short and faithful service , than for God to remove them not only from the dangers and temptations to sin , but also from the manifold troubles and vexations of this life , unto his everlasting Mercies ? He does this in honour to them , that the wicked may behold and be concern'd , they are no longer worthy of them , nor of the Good they might receive from their Holy and Wise Conversation : Besides , when the Justice of God has decreed some dreadful Judgment against a wicked Nation , he often takes away his own People from the Evil to come . But tho the righteous be prevented with death , yet shall he be in rest ; for honourable age is not , which standeth in length of time , nor that is measured by number of years ; but wisdom is the gray hair unto men , and an unspotted life is old age . He pleased God , and was beloved of him ; so that living among sinners he was translated . He being made perfect in a short time , fulfilled a long time ; for his soul pleased the Lord ; therefore hasted he to take him away from among the wicked . ( 3. ) It is to be consider'd , that the condition of the World is such , that there is a necessity the Virtuous should often be exposed to the same Troubles and Misfortunes which happen to the Ungodly : And as the Wise Man speaks , There will be one event to the righteous and to the wicked ; for the Calamities of War , Pestilence , Famine , and Fire , involve men of all Conditions , and take in the Holy with the Sinners . Neither the Nipping Frosts , nor scorching Heats , nor raging Floods , nor blasting Winds , make any difference between the lands of pious and bad Men ; nor can a storm at Sea , distinguish between their Goods which are in the same Vessel . For a Man to look that God should exempt him from these publick Evils , is to expect he should alter the Course of Nature for his sake , which is wisely establish'd , and for great ends ; and therefore all such hopes can have no ground , and must be deem'd very unreasonable . ( 4. ) Notwithstanding such common Calamities cannot be avoided , yet God always intends our good in every harsh disappointment which we meet with ; and it will admirably serve to mend the temper of our Minds . By Adversity , which God never le ts loose upon us before it is useful for us , he makes an experiment of the reality of our affections towards him , whom we ought infinitely to esteem above all other things ; by it God tries our Constancy ; whether we will equally Love him , and preserve as great a Reverence for him in the days of our Sorrow , as when he crown'd us with plenty ? And if upon this Trial we entertain as honourable thoughts of the proceedings of his Providence , as when the World went well with us , he has attained his end in Visiting us , and will quickly deliver us from our Grievance . For if under the sorest Crosses , the heaviest Losses , and sharpest Pains , we uphold in our Souls as worthy opinions of God's Administration of Affairs , as when he enricht us with his Blessings ; then we shall make an undoubted discovery of the sincerity of our Love of Him ; and it will be evident to men , that we value the Peace of Conscience , and his Favour , above all sensual comforts . Besides , nothing will more lessen our esteem of these mean and despicable pleasures , nor take off the edg of our desire for them , than frequently to be disturbed in the enjoyment of them , and to have them forced away , when we were most delighted with them , and confidently promised to our selves their long continuance . It may indeed be a general Observation , that much Prosperity corrupts mens Morals , and tempts them to rely upon their own Powers ; but Adversity reforms their Lives , and teaches them to know their own weakness and wants , which they perceive would grow insupportable , did God once withdraw his Assistance . Wherefore seeing it is so much harder to walk uprightly before God in a flourishing condition , that make us apt to forget him , than in an afflicted state , which naturally disposes us to seek the Lord , is there any reason , why we should thus murmur at his Rod , and repine when he Corrects us with the tenderness of a Father , and visits us with his Judgments , only that he may heal our spiritual diseases ? How terrible soever any Calamity may appear to us , yet it is fitted to our Circumstances , and is not greater than the crazy state of our Souls does stand in need of . For Troubles do not spring casually out of the Earth ; or fall upon us without measure or bounds : But God in his Wisdom does order the time when we shall be Afflicted ; he determines the kind of Evil which shall fall to our Lot , and metes the very quantity that we must Suffer . Which as soon as it has Humbled our Vanity , or extinguish'd our Lust , or abated our Love of Riches , and reduced us to just apprehensions of our selves , be certainly will recall from us , and let in the light of his countenance into our hearts . Now this being the true state of things , as will be plain to every honest enquirer , it may be matter of wonder , why men take Afflictions so ill at the hand of God , when they know they proceed from his Love ; and behave themselves so untowardly under almost every degree of Adversity . A great cause of all this , I judge to be , their making slight or no preparations for Afflictions before they come . Now there is that distraction and disorder raised in the Spirit of a man , who is surprized with any Calamity , that he tosseth like a Bull in a Net , and has not temper enough left to consider of the great Causes there were to move God to lay it upon him , or of the sweet fruit he might gather from it by a modest and quiet carriage under the heavenly Discipline , and a total Submission of himself to the will of his Merciful Father . They therefore who would bear troubles well , must live in a constant expectation of them , and in their good days lay up a stock of Christian Graces against the Winter of Adversity . They , I say , who in the height of their Prosperity , will often and seriously reflect upon the great change , that either by Losses and Pains , or certainly by Death , in a short time will overtake them , and provide themselves with the suffering-Virtues against that dark season , will be so far from having their spirits sink at the approach either of Afflictions or Death it self , that it will raise them above the World , and mount and carry their Hearts and Affections to God , who is the Centre of all sound Peace , and solid Joy. How happy are those souls , who when the World most smiles upon them , do not trust it ; but furnish themselves with the Humility , and the Meekness , and the Patience of Jesus against the evil day ; that as no Sickness or Trouble can much surprize them , so neither can it greatly , or long discompose their minds ; but they discern the Finger of God in it , and turn it to their spiritual advantage . And they therefore count it joy , when they fall into Temptations ; i. e. suffer affliction ; for they are assured , that God will not suffer them to be tempted above what they are able : If they are troubled on every side , yet they shall not be distressed ; if they are perplexed , they shall not despair ; if they are persecuted , they shall not be forsaken ; if cast down , they shall not be destroyed . SERMON II. III. THAT if we equally consider things , we shall be constrain'd to acknowledg , That God's Goodness and Mercy do appear in our greatest Sufferings ; and this will be evident from the following Reasons . ( 1. ) Because , if we look upon God as the Supreme Lord and Owner of the World , who alone has the Right of all , we shall find our selves to be but Tenants at will , for every thing that we have : And if God has given us nothing , but during pleasure , then let him take it away when he pleases , he can do us no wrong . Our Life , that makes us capable of his other Favours ; our Health , which makes life comfortable ; our Relations , our Estates , our Ease and Peace , are all the free Gifts of the Bounty of him , who had not the least Obligation to us ; and if he revoke them all , or any of them , we receive no Injury ; for he does but resume his own Right . Insomuch , as if God strips us of all down to nothing , he will but leave us in the state he found us : Wherefore we ought to be so far from charging him with unkindness for any temporal Evil , that we must own , it is his singular Goodness we have been permitted the Enjoyment of so many of his Blessings such a long time . ( 2. ) We cannot but acknowledg the Goodness of God in our Troubles and Losses , when we consider him as the great Judg of the Lives of Men , and examine the Conditions upon which he was pleased to grant the use of his Creatures unto them , and the Punishments he has threatned to inflict upon the disobedient . Upon this Examination it will be plain to the greatest Sufferers , that God has been merciful , in that they , in many particulars , have broken the Conditions of the Covenant , which was made between him and them , and he has not taken the whole forfeiture . There is no breach of God's Law , in any great instance , made coolly and deliberately , but it does deserve , not only a temporal punishment , but the pains of Hell , should God deal with us according to the measures of strict Justice . Now , when he , who if he proceeded strictly against us , might pass the Sentence of Death upon us , and shut us out of his presence for ever , does but gently correct us with such chastisements as are proper to reform our faults , and cause us to grieve we have offended our best Friend ; What can we do but admire his Goodness , and magnify the riches of his Mercy towards us ! If God did not let sinners , who have lived a great while securely in their iniquity , at length feel the weight of his Justice , they would lay aside all fear of his Power , and fall into ruin beyond a possibility of being recover'd . But yet we may observe , That there is a plentiful mixture of Mercy in the Punishments which God first inflicts upon the greatest sinners ; and that he does not proceed to high degrees of severity , until their hearts are so hard , that lighter Afflictions would make no impression upon them . Wherefore when very bad Men are brought to Repentance by a terrible Judgment , they discern God's Goodness in nothing more , than the terrour which attended the Judgment wherewith he corrected them ; because they are sensible it would not have reclaim'd them from their wicked Courses , had it been of a milder sort . God then tempers Judgment with Mercy , that as the contemplation of the one may preserve in Mens minds an awful regard of his Majesty , so the consideration of the other may keep them from running into despair . Where Sinners are become bold , more of his Justice is requisite to make them dread his displeasure , and to acknowledg the infirmities of their own Nature ; but on the contrary , where such a tenderness is found in the Consciences of Men , that they are extream fearful of their condition , notwithstanding to the best of their ability they sincerely endeavour to serve him ; he is so far from putting any unnecessary hardship upon them , that he letteth forth the treasures of his Compassion upon their disturb'd Souls , does scatter their groundless fears , and refresh and cherish them with his Mercies . There is no want of proof to convince Men , that as all the temporal evils they suffer are less than in rigour of justice God might lay upon them ; so they never overtake them , before they are necessary either to make them reflect upon the Errors of their own ways , or to put a stop to others in a bad Course . The Servants of God , who have been renowned for their Piety , and whose holy deeds , and glorious sufferings in the Cause of Religion , have been recorded by the Holy Ghost for the imitation of the Followers of Christ , and the support of all afflicted Saints , these eminent instruments in the work of the Lord , I say , have ever been so sensible of their own frailty , as to dread the Divine Justice . They never did presume to insist upon their own Righteousness , when they came before God , as if they had lived with such exactness , according to his Laws , that he could not afflict them , without being injurious . They were not such strangers to themselves , as not to be conscious , that in a great number of respects their behaviour came short of perfection ; which alone can justify a Man. Wherefore we shall never find that they appeal to their Innocence , when they have to deal with their Righteous Judge ; but full of the apprehension of their guilt , they cast themselves at his feet , and address their Cause wholly to his Mercy . David , a Man after God's own heart , openly confesses to him , If thou , Lord , will be extreme to mark what is done amiss , O Lord , who may abide it ! i. e. If God should reckon with the best Man in the World for his Sins , and pass Sentence upon him according to his demerits , his Punishment would be intolerable : Therefore he flies to his Compassion , Enter not into judgment with thy servant , for in thy sight shall no man living be justified . Job , who being assaulted with many violent Temptations , and harass'd with a number of bitter Calamities , yet sinned not , durst not however stand upon his own Integrity ; or think he could make a compleat defence of his Life to God : For in answer to his Friend , who had wisely observed , That mortal Man could not be more just than God , or more pure than his Maker ; he says , I know it is so of a truth : but how should man be just with God ? or if he will contend with him , he cannot answer him , one of a thousand . Jeremiah , after he had made a large List of the Troubles and Calamities of God's People , charges no Injustice upon him , as if he had treated them more severely than their Case deserv'd ; but quite otherwise , he humbly acknowledges , That it was due to the Divine Goodness , that they fared no worse . It is the Lord's mercy we are not consumed , because his compassions fail not . And of this the Prophet gives a good reason ; because Life , and all a Man enjoys by that capacity , which is preferable to nothing , is the free grant of God. Wherefore doth a living Man complain , a Man for the punishment of his Sins ? i. e. While a Sinner has Life , he hath more than he can claim , and therefore hath no cause to find fault with any smaller evil that God corrects him with for his crimes . ( 3. ) We must acknowledg the Divine Goodness in our Losses and Sufferings ; when we consider , that in the Gospel there is no express Covenant , obliging God to bestow temporal prosperity upon Holy Men. In the Christian Religion there is no absolute promise of worldly Power , Honour , or Wealth , even to them who do perform the Conditions thereof . And if God has not tied himself to preserve the Saints always in a flourishing state , Shall they who are wicked expect it from him ? Shall the Sinners demand that , as justly belonging to them , which he has not made a debt to the best of his Servants ? Wherefore , if God be under no obligation in the Gospel to bestow a greater share of the things of the World , which are by Men so fiercely sought after , than what is necessary to Life , he does not , in depriving us of any of our superfluities , break any one Condition of the Covenant between us ; since the smallest Secular conveniency in our possession , is more than we can claim , or than he contracted for . Our Saviour was so far from making any engagement , That they who are his Disciples should all be Rich , or Rulers , or Men of interest in the World ; that he has declared , Father and Mother , and Wife and Children , and Houses , and Lands , must all be forsaken , where they cannot longer be had without doing dishonour to his Holy Name , or breaking the Laws of his Religion . And because upon account of their Relations , or Riches , or Power , Men would meet with the most prevailing temptations to transgress the Precepts of the Gospel , it is that Christ does pronounce , That it is easier for a Camel to go through the eye of a Needle , than for a rich Man to enter into the Kingdom of God. May we not then be sure , that Christ would not encourage his Friends to hope for a constant and steddy current of Plenty , and Honours and Pleasure , when these things powerfully draw their affections from him , and tempt them to blot him out of their thoughts ? His Kingdom being of another World , none of the Glories of this are necessary to the attainment of it . And as we do not find , that our Lord made any promise to Christians of an abundance of things , highly valued by the Men of this World ; so neither do we observe , that he treats Great Men with more respect , or gives them cause to expect they shall have kinder usage , or receive more favours from him , than the Poor , and those of low Rank . He has made no special Promises to the Rich , and Celebrated and Popular Persons : But the Beatitudes descend upon the Heads of Men of quite other Qualification : Not their outward Circumstances , but the holy dispositions in their Souls , procure and fetch down his Blessings . He blesses the Humble , the Poor in Spirit , the Holy Mourners , the Meek , they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness , and earnestly desire to fulfil God's Just and Good Will ; the Merciful , the Pure in Heart , the Peace-makers , and they that suffer Persecution , and are evil spoke of by all for Righteousness sake . And hence it follows , that no body by reason of their Wealth or Honour , are greater objects of Christ's love , or come more within the Verge of his Care ; but that men of mean and contemptible state , are as much under the Protection of his Providence , as those of highest Quality ; have as plentiful a Portion of his Grace , and stand in as near a capacity to the Kingdom of Heaven . Had our Lord come into the world incircled with all that Pomp and Power which the Jews expected the Messias should appear with , as he could have been no Example of Sufferings to his Followers , so would they have been tempted to arrive at some degrees of their Master's Glory , and have set their Hearts upon the Greatness and Splendors of the present state , when it was so principal a part of his work , to teach his Disciples to neglect and despise them . Since then the Possession of a large Portion of worldly Goods , is no part of the Bargain Jesus Christ made with men in his Religion , who only promises a Supply of the Necessaries of Life ; and since men , for the most part , have more than what is barely necessary to sustain them , they must acknowledg their great Obligation to the Divine Goodness , with respect of the fulness and ease of their condition here upon Earth . How much men under the Christian Law , owe to the Bounty of God , more than by the terms of it they could demand , is plain , notwithstanding you suppose them to perform every condition of the Gospel , and to live in a state of innocence ; but look upon them what really they are , as vile sinners , and then in God's usage of the greatest Sufferers , enough will appear to clear the Justice of his dealings , and to convince them , who complain most bitterly , That he has been Gracious , and corrected them with Mercy . But further ; When we reflect upon the utter averseness of the world to the designs of Christ's Religion , and the deep Malice which it bears against those who sincerely profess it , as we shall see reason to believe and expect , that those who live godly in Christ Jesus , should suffer affliction ; so also all good men may to their unspeakable joy observe , That their Religion does mightily thrive , when the wicked most endeavour to suppress it ; and that nothing more refines the Lives of Christians , and makes them come up to the Purity in the Gospel required , than Persecution . Of that part of Providence which extracts Good out of Evil , the Ancient Father discourses well ; It is , saith he , the greatest Argument of Divine Providence , that it not only altogether destroys the hurtful quality of the Evil which proceeds from the Apostacy of Human Will ; but also does not suffer it to abide useless and unprofitable ; for it is the business of the Divine Wisdom , Virtue , and Power , not only to do good ( for that is the Nature of God , to say it once for all , as much as it is of Fire to burn , and of Light to shine ) , but especially to order and direct , that the Devices of the Wicked should serve to good and useful Purposes . As therefore it is in the nature of Unbelievers , and of the Prophane , to hate the People of God , and to deal cruelly by them ; so it is God's Will to suffer it , that thereby his own may be improved in that Piety and Virtue which will prepare them for his Presence , and incline him to take them out of all their Troubles the sooner unto himself . And tho it be a great crime in naughty men to persecute the Servants of God , yet they have the less reason to complain of it , or to be very uneasie when afflicted ; because their sufferings do tend so much to their Perfection . Nay , on the contrary , they ought to esteem it as a mark and token of God's Kindness , that he is pleased to better and advance their Nature , even by Adversity . And it is no less than a demonstration of Infinite Wisdom , that the Plots which are laid to ruin the Saints , should make them more perfect ; and that , to the astonishment of all men , the Spight and Cruelty of Persecutors should make Religion take deeper root , to grow the faster , and in the shorter time to spread it self over the face of the Earth . If indeed we regard the Malice and Rage of men , certainly enough has been attempted to banish the Gospel and Name of Jesus Christ out of the World , had not God appeared on its side , and maintained his own Cause and People . And while God is with us , and does support the Interest of the Religion wherein we are engaged , we may remain confident , that Captivity , Imprisonment , Bonds , and Scourges , how much soever at present they may terrifie and grieve us , yet they shall never overthrow the Christian Church , or reduce to a state of Desparation , the sincere Believers ; but God's special Grace will help and carry them through troubles of every kind and degree , and make all conclude in their Salvation . Let us then not hope either that the Wicked should alter the Perverseness of their Natures ; or that for our sakes God should change the Wise Methods of his Providence . Let us not think we shall have kinder usage from the World , than Christ and his Apostles had , and than the Army of Martyrs and Confessors , and all the Primitive Christians did meet with . But as we are baptized into the Name of Christ , so never let us be asham'd openly to profess it , or afraid to bear the Cross of our dear Master : If the world hate you , ye know that it hated me before it hated you . And let us steddily look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith , who for the joy which was set before him , endured the cross , despising the shame , and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God ; for consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself , lest ye be wearied , and faint in your minds . Heb. 12.23 . ( 4. ) We must acknowledg the Goodness of God , whether in Sickness , Pain , or Trouble , when we place our Meditations on the inestimable Rewards of the next Life , which he has provided to recompence the Sufferings of Holy Men in this . Our deep ignorance of the Joys of the other Life , will make all things said of them , to be with great disadvantage . The Philosophers , and Men of refined Reason , were generally possest with the Belief of a Future State ; of which yet their Discourses are obscure , and full of uncertainty ; and when they handle this Argument , they are often inconsistent with themselves . Neither need this be a wonder ; since it is not to be imagined that by Natural Light , we should be able to make any large discovery of the Pleasures of Heaven : For they do so vastly differ from Worldly Enjoyments , and so infinitely surpass all the Pleasures of Sense , that our present Experience will not at all enable us to frame a Conception of them . So that the best Information we are to expect in this matter , must be from the Holy Scripture ; neither doth that it self descend into a particular description of the nature of Heavenly Joys : The Spirit thought it sufficient for the support of our Faith , to give a general account of the uncounceivable Happiness of the Future Life ; and to let us have full assurance that it should be the Portion of all those , who shall to the end persevere in a sincere obedience to the Laws of the Gospel . And notwithstanding , the best Progress we can make in our enquiry after the Delights of the Glorious World above , will be chiefly by Negatives ; for eye hath not seen , nor ear heard , neither have entred into the heart of man , the things which God hath prepared for them that love him ; yet the consideration of them , will be mighty comfortable , and enough to make us bear up under all the Pressures and Troubles which shall attend the Cross of Christ . In Heaven we shall be free from all Sins ; and from every Temptation to do evil , which now proceeds from so huge a number of causes and occasions . We shall be placed above the reach of the Malice and Power of the Devil ; whose perpetual work it is , to lay Plots to corrupt our Innocence , to take and ensnare our Souls by his cunning Devices . We shall be removed from the sight and company of bad men , who by their ill example , and restless importunity , are ever inticing us to sin . We now converse among the dangerous Enemies of our Souls , who have a constant eye upon us ; so that if we do but forbear to watch never so little , they will surprize us ; if we do not walk circumspectly , we presently shall be made to fall ; if we do not pray continually , the wicked will prove too strong for us , and deceive us with the gaudy appearance of their tempting baits . O what a perpetual struggle have we with our Lusts ! and how much pains does it cost to overcome them , when they violently press upon us ! What a Vexation and Grief is it to our Minds , that we find it so hard to subdue the Motions to almost every sin ! Nay , that those Lusts which we have conquered , should rally their Forces , assault us afresh , and sometimes prove too many for us , and often so terrifie us , as to make the Victory hazardous ! so that we are fain to cry out with the great Apostle , O wretched creatures that we are , who shall deliver us from this body of Death ! Who shall deliver us from the Tyranny of our impetuous Lusts , which are always labouring to get the Rule over us , and would lead us captive into the Gates of Death ! We have not strength enough in our selves ; nothing but the Grace of God , and the cherishing Influences of his Holy Spirit , will enable us to get the Mastery over our own Rebellious Appetites . So difficult it is for the Spirit to conquer the Flesh , and to drive Satan out of his strong-holds ; who will dispute every Pass , and contend every point with us ; and never yield , while we allow him the least encouragement . O what fears must be injected into the hearts of faint and timorous Christians , by their being constantly plyed with such implacable Adversaries ! To serve God indeed , is their real desire , and they love him with all their hearts ; but despair holding out under these furious and hourly attacks of the Powers of Hell. They dread they shall fall away in this day of heavy tribulation , and would give all they were worth , to be secured from the danger and trouble of their Temptations . Now in the next world , these Sorrows , and Fears and Dangers , which are here so frightful and so constant , will all be at an end : And what an undisturbed Peace , and equality of Temper will the Mind possess , when it is got past the hazard of all kinds of Temptation ; when the Flesh shall be entirely subject to the Spirit , and make no further opposition to its reasonable dictates ; and there shall be nothing which can raise the least commotion or disorder within it ; but it shall abide in an uninterrupted course of Innocence ; and behold all its Enemies lying slain before it , as the Israelites did with Joy and Triumph look back upon the drowned Egyptians , floting on the Red Sea. And as we shall be freed from the Power of Sin , so we shall get rid of all the Vexations , Grievances , and Miseries of this world ; many of which are the natural fruit , and proper effects of our sins . We shall be strangers to the drudgery and labours , which are so necessary to get a Livelihood in this earthly state , and to all the fears and cares which are needful to preserve our Gains , and to convey th●m down safe and entire to our Children and Posterity . Neither Poverty , nor Contempt , nor Disgrace , will threaten us ; neither the Covetousness of men will lessen our Plenty , nor their Perverseness disturb our Peace , nor their Cruelty bring any Hardship upon us : We shall meet with no Difficulties to perplex our Thoughts , nor Dangers to exercise our Fears ; but abide in a state of perpetual Love and Friendship with all our fellow-creatures . And as in the Regions of Heaven we shall get above the Power of Temptation , the Malice of ill men , and all the Calamities of the lower World ; so shall these infirm , crazy , and fading Bodies , which stand in need of daily supplies to repair their decays , and which minister fuel constantly to our Passions , be changed into Incorruptible , Heavenly , and Immortal ones ; which will not solicite and make the Soul uneasie with their hunger ; nor clog and burden it with their weight ; nor discourage and grieve it with their gross and melancholly fumes ; nor spot and defile it with their Lust . We shall know nothing more of Diseases , nor Pains and Aches , nor Hunger nor Thirst . They hunger no more , neither thirst any more ; for the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne , shall feed them ; and shall lead them unto living Fountains of Waters . Then we shall be clothed with Robes of Beautiful Light , and the Righteous shall shine as the Stars of the Firmament for ever . In that Holy Place our Desires will be gratified ; our Appetites will have full satisfaction ; our highest expectations will be answer'd ; and all our hopes turn'd into Fruition : But notwithstanding every capacity of our nature will be filled with its proper pleasure , yet they shall never be glutted ; but as the Favours of Heaven increase , so will our Faculties be more and more enlarged to receive them : And although there shall be no end of our Joys , yet their perpetual abode will never cloy us ; who shall to all Eternity be improving into a greater Likeness of God ; and still attain thereby to a higher , and more quick and sensible Relish of our Heavenly Delights . Then we shall be admitted into the most desirable and pleasing Company : We shall converse with Angels , and be of the Society of all the Holy Men , who have been so renown'd in their Generations , and have set those admirable Examples of Godliness and Virtue . There we shall sit down by our nearest and most dear Relations , whose departure hence was so terrible and grievous to us ; by our best Friends , Neighbours , and Acquaintance , and love and rejoice together , and praise the Lord for the great good , which by our mutual Piety we did one to another . O then we shall behold the Glorious Face of our Ever-Blessed Redeemer , who sacrificed his own Blood to rescue us from the Power and Guilt of our Sins , and to bring us into this most illustrious Habitation ! And that which swallows all the Powers of our Imagination , we shall come into the Presence of the great and mighty God , and see him as he is , and for ever be taken up in rapturous contemplations of the inconceivable brightness and splendor of his Infinite Majesty . Now when we duly consider that these shall be the unexpressible Rewards of our slight and short Afflictions , will it not appear most just and reasonable that we should submit to the Will of God in all things ? As nothing will tend more to God's Glory , so nothing will agree more with our Interest , or more produce true Comfort and Peace in our Minds ; than thankfully to receive all that God gives , and patiently and meekly to bear the loss of all he takes away ; who will so infinitely recompence all our sufferings for his sake in the next life . And since God has provided such Joys for our Souls in the other State , O that he would quicken our Desires , and help our Endeavours to prepare our selves for them ! Seeing he hath been pleased to chuse our Bodies for Temples for his Holy Spirit to dwell in , O that he would free them from all Malice and Impurity , and chase away every strange and filthy Lust from his chosen Habitation ! O that we might have so lively a sense of the Goodness of the Lord , and of the Infinite Advantage we shall gain therefrom , as not to give sleep to our eyes , nor slumber to our eye-lids , until from the bottom of our Hearts , we had repented of every sin ; until we had worked up our Souls to an utter hatred of it , and obstinately resolv'd to forsake it ; until laying aside all the Thoughts and Interests of this World , we had employed our Souls wholly in making a firm , well-grounded , and lasting Peace with our God. May we so frequently meditate on the Glories of his Nature , as earnestly to labour and strive to grow like him in his Truth , and Purity , and Love , and Mercy . May we so often spend our thoughts on Heaven , that the Joys thereof may deeply affect our souls , and become most desirable unto us . Did we deliberately consider these things , it can be no question , but we should make it the great business of our whole lives , to fit and duly qualifie our selves for the Kingdom of Heaven . We should abundantly more endeavour to live as the Righteous man doth , did we oftner reflect upon the unspeakable Comforts which attend his Death ; did we but seriously think upon the Peace and Joy with which he finisheth his course , and departs this Life . For Death will only be to him a Passage from bad Men , and malicious Devils , to Holy Angels , and Innocent and Blessed Souls ; from Labours , and Troubles , and Toils , to perpetual Ease and Quiet , and most durable Satisfaction ; from Pains and Grief , and Sickness , to Everlasting Delights . When the Wicked shall begin to tremble , and their hearts to fail and sink within them , and their Consciences to astonish and amaze them with a full and lively Representation of their many vile sins , and the notorious and shameful abuses they have put upon all God's tender Mercies , and of the intolerable slights and contempt with which they have received his Numerous and kind Invitations to turn from their evil ways and live ; and when there shall be no other Prospect before their Eyes , but that of Misery , Horror , and Confusion ; then shall you good Christians look up towards Heaven , and behold certain signs of your Salvation drawing near . O in what a Transport of Pleasure will your Souls be , in the minute they are reunited to your Bodies , and shall behold that most Blessed and most dear Saviour approching towards you on a bright Cloud , whom you have served with all your Powers , and the greatest and most solicitous Care , to the end of your days ; whom you have loved above all , and denied the fiercest Appetites of the Flesh , and stoutly resisted the most pressing Temptations of the World , that you might follow him , and exactly conform your selves to his most Holy Example : When this Glorious Saviour of yours , appearing in all his Majesty , shall call you forth from the midst of that vast Assembly of men of all Times and Places , and looking very graciously upon you , shall take particular notice of the Zeal , Love , sincere Affection and Piety with which you have always behaved your selves towards him , and in his Cause . O what Tongue can describe the Joy you will feel in your hearts , when the Camp of Heaven , as it marches and moves on , shall shout and rejoice to meet you ; when the Angels , who conceived so much Pleasure at your first Conversion , shall loudly triumph at the Consummation of your Happiness ! O how will your Souls overflow with grateful Reflections upon the Boundless Goodness of God , when the Patriarchs , and Prophets , and Holy Apostles , and Glorious Martyrs , with all the People of the Lord , shall congratulate your escape from a wicked and miserable World , and sing , and praise their Redeemer , at this the accomplishment of your Salvation ! When having put on a Splendid Body of Light , Christ shall present you to his Father on the Throne , and reckon up all your Prayers , and Fastings , and Tears ; all your Acts of Devotion ; all your Deeds of Charity and Compassion to those in Misery ; your readiness on every occasion to comfort Widows , relieve Orphans , and to deliver the humble and helpless from the hard hands of the Oppressor ; your Meekness , Temperance , and Chastity , and incessant Pains to reduce your lower appetites to a ready Obedience to the Divine Laws , and the suggestions of clear Reason ; when your Kindness to Strangers ; your Humility in a Prosperous State ; your Patience and Submission in Adversity ; your unshaken Constancy to the Interests of him your dear Master under Persecution ; and your steddy adherence to the True Faith , in the Times of greatest danger , shall be all distinctly rehearsed , and accepted , and adjudged worthy of Eternal Rewards ! O how thankful will you be to God for the day in which you did seriously begin your Repentance ! how will you love the man who did minister the occasion , and was the Instrument of your sincere Conversion , and did first guide you into the right Paths of Everlasting Happiness ! Do Thou therefore , O Lord , reveal to us so much of the Beauty of Thy Perfections , that with all our Heart , and all our Strength , we may seek Thee ; do Thou so direct our Steps , that having sought , we may find Thee ; and having found Thee , may Reverence Thy Majesty , Dread Thy Power , Obey Thy Will , Love Thy Goodness , Adore all Thy Attributes , and Increase in all Deeds of Piety , until thou shalt put an end to this mortal Life , and take us into a Glorious Eternity . FINIS . Notes, typically marginal, from the original text Notes for div A51226-e160 † Quod ni ita sit , quid veneramur , quid precamur Deos ? Cur sacris Pontifices , cur Auspiciis Augures praesunt ? Quid optamus a Diis immortalibus ? Quid vovemus ? At etiam liber est Epicuri de sanctitate . Ludimur ab homine non tam faceto , quam ad scribendi Licentiam Libero . Quae enim potest esse sanctitas , si Dii humana non Curant ? Cic. de nat . Deor Lib. 1. * Verius est igitur nimirum illud , quod Familiaris omnium nostrum Posidonius disseruit in libro quinto de natura Deorum , nullos esse Deos Epicuro videri ; quaeque is de Diis immortalibus dixerit , invidiae detestandae gratiâ dixisse . Neque enim tam desipiens fuisset , ut homunculi similem Deum singeret lineamentis duntaxat extremis , non habitu solido , membris hominis praeditum omnibus , usu Membrorum ne minimo quidem , exilem quendam ac perlucidum , nihil cuique tribuentem , nihil gratificantem omnino , nihil curantem , nihil agentem . Quae natura primum nulla esse potest , idque videns Epicurus , re tollit , oratione relinquit Deos. Cic. de nat . Deor. ib. Ezek. 9.9 , 10. Isa . 49.14 , 15. Psal . 113.6 . Jer. 32.18 , 19. Theodoret. Tom. 4. p. 376. * Let us not so far stray from the Truth , as to think any wicked man can be happy , because he is richer than Croesus ; more quicksighted than Lynceus ; stronger than Milo Crotoniates ; or more beautiful than Ganymedes : For he that has enslaved his mind to a thousand masters , to love Concupiscence , Pleasure , Fear , 〈…〉 , Folly , Lust , Injustice , can never be happy . Philo de Provident . Euseb . Praep. Ev. p. 387. Wisd . 4.7 , 10 , 13 , 14. Notes for div A51226-e1400 Clem. Alex. Strom. lib. 1. p. 312.