find all things perfuading and urging the doctrine of patience upon you.

First, Look upwards, when tribulations come upon you: look to that fovereign Lord, that commiffionates and fends them upon you. You know troubles do not rife out of the duft, nor fpring out of the ground, but are framed in heaven, Jer. xviii. " 11. "Behold I frame evil, and devife a device against you." Troubles and afflictions are of the Lord's framing and devising, 'to reduce his wandering people to himfelf: much like that device of Abfalom, in fetting Joab's field of corn on fire, to bring Joab to him, 2 Sam. xiv. 30. In the frame of your afflictions, you may oblerve much of divine wifdom in the choice, meafure, and feafon of your troubles: fovereignty, in electing the inftru ments of your affliction; in making them as afflictive as he pleaf'eth; and in making them obedient both to his call, in coming and going, when he pleafeth. Now, could you in times of trouble look up to this fovereign hand, in which your fouls, bodies, and all their comforts and mercies are; how quiet would your hearts be! Pfal. xxxix. 9. "I was dumb, and opened not my mouth, because it is thy doing." I Sam. iii. 18. "It is the Lord, let him do what feemeth him good." Oh, when we have to do with men, and look no higher, how do our fpirits fwell and rife with revenge and impatiency! But if you once come to fee, that man as a rod in your Father's hand, you will be quiet; Pfal. 'xlvi. 10. "Be ftill, and know that I am God;" q. d. confidèr with whom you have to do; not with your fellow, but with your God, who can puff you to deftruction with one blaft of his mouth; ́iu whose hand you are, as the clay in the potter's hand. It is for want of looking up to God in our troubles, that we fret, mur'mur, and defpond at the rate we do.

Secondly, Look downward, and fee what is below you, as well as up to that which is above you. You are afflicted, and you cannot bear it. Ch! no trouble like your trouble! never man în fuch a cafe as you are! Well, well, caft the eye of your mind downward, and fee those who lie much lower than you. Cần you fee none on earth in a more miferable ftate than yourselves? Are you at the very bottom, and not a man below you? fure there are thousands in a fadder cafe than you on earth. What is your affliction? Have you loft a relation? others have loft all. 'Have you loft an estate, and are become poor? Well, but there are fome you read of, Job xxx. 4, 5, 6, 7. "Who cut up mal"lows by the bushes, and juniper-roots for their meat. They *** are driven forth from among men, they cried after them as VOL. I. Ddd

SERM. XXIX. "after a thief. They dwell in the cliffs of the vallies, in caves "of the earth, and in the rocks. Among the bushes they bray"ed, under the nettles they were gathered together." What difference, as to manner of life, do you find between the perfons here defcribed, and the wild beafts, that herd together in a defolate place? Are you perfecuted and afflicted for Chrift's fake? What think you of their fufferings, Heb. xi. 36, 37. “Who "had trial of cruel mockings; yea, moreover of bonds and im"prifonments: they were ftoned; they were fawn afunder, were tempted, were flain with the fword, they wandred about in 66 fheep-fkins and goat-fkins, being deftitute, afflicted tormented." And are you better than they? I know not what you are ; but I am fure, these were fuch "of whom the world was not wor"thy," ver. 38.

Or are your afflictions more spiritual and inward? Say not the Lord never dealt more bitterly with the foul of any, than he hath with yours. What think you of the cafe of David, Heman, Job, Afaph, whofe doleful cries, by reafon of the terrors of the Almighty, are able to melt the ftonieft heart that reads their ftories? the Almighty was a terror to them: the arrows of God were within them; they roared by reafon of the difquietness of their hearts.

Or are your afflictions outward and inward together; an afflicted foul, in an afflicted body? Are you fallen, like the ship in which Paul failed, into a place where two feas meet? Well, fo it was with Paul, Job, and many other of those worthies, gone before you. Sure you may fee many on earth who have been, or are in far lower and fadder states than yourfelves.

Or if not on earth, dcubtlefs, you will yield there are many in hell, who would be glad to change conditions with you, as bad as you think yours to be. And were not all these moulded out of the fame lump with you? Surely, if you can see any creature below you, efpecially any reafonable being, you have no reafon to return fo ungratefully upon your Ged, and accufe your Maker of severity; or charge God foolishly. Look down, and you fhall fee grounds enough to be quiet.

Thirdly, Look inward, you difcontented fpirits, and fee if you can find nothing there to quiet you. Caft your eye into your own hearts: confider either the corruptions, or the graces that are there. Cannot you find weeds enough there, that need fuch winter-weather as this to rot them? Hath not that proud heart need enough of all this to humble it? That carnal heart need of fuch things as these to mortify it? That backslid

395 ing, wandering heart, need of all this, to reduce, and to recover it to its God?" If need be, ye are in heaviness," 1 Pet. i. 6. O Chriftian! did'ft thou not fee need of this before thou cameft into trouble? Or hath not God fhewn thee the need of it fince thou waft under the rod ? 'Tis much thou fhouldst not fee it; but be affured, if thou doft not, thy God doth; he knows thou wouldst be ruined for ever, if he should not take this courfe with thee.

Thy corruptions require all this to kill them. Thy lufts will take all this, it may be more than this, and all little enough. And as your corruptions call for it, fo do your graces too, Wherefore think ye the Lord planted the principles of faith, humility, patience, &c. in your fouls? What, were they put there for nothing? Did the Lord intend they fhould lie fleeping in their drowsy habits? Or were they not planted there in order to exercife? And how fhall they be exercifed, without tribulations? Can you tell? Doth not " tribulations work patience, and patience experience, and experience hope?" Rom. v. 3, 4. Is not "the trial of your faith much more precious, "than of gold that perishes," i Pet. i. 7. O look inward, and you will be quiet.

It was

Fourthly, Look outward, and fee who stands by and obferves your carriage under trouble. Are there not many eyes upon you ? yea, many envious obfervers round about you, David's request, Pfalm v. 8. "Lead me, O Lord, in thy righte"oufnefs, becaufe of mine enemies;" or, as the Hebrew word there might be rendered, because of mine obfervers or watchers. There is many an envious eye upon you. To the wicked there can scarcely be an higher gratification and pleasure, than to fee your carriage under trouble fo like their own: for thereby they are confirmed in their prejudices against religion, and in their good opinion of themselves. Thefe may talk and profess more than we; but when they are tried, and put to it, it appears plainly enough, their religion enables them to do no more than we do: they talk of heaven's glory, and their future expectances; but it is but talk, for 'tis apparent enough their hopes cannot balance a small affliction, with all the happiness they talk of. Oh, how do you dishonour Christ before his enemies, when you make them think all your religion lies in talking of it! Confider who looks on.

Fifthly, Look backward, and fee if there be nothing behind you that may hush and quiet your impatient fpirits: confult the multitude of experiences paft and gone; both your own and

SERM. XXIX. others. Is this the first strait that ever you were in? If so, you have reafon to be quiet, yet to blefs God that hath fpared you fo long, when others have had their days filled up with forrow. But if you have been in troubles formerly, and the Lord bath helped you; if you have paft through the fire, and not been burnt; through the waters, and not drowned; if God hath stood by you, and hitherto helped you, O what cause have you to be quiet now, and patiently wait for the falvation of God! Did he help you then, and cannot he do fo now? Did he give waters, and cannot he give bread alfo? Is he the God of the hills only, and not the God of the vallies alfo? O call to mind the days of old, the years of the right-hand of the Moft High, "Thefe things I recal to mind, therefore I have hope," Lam. iii. 21. Have you kept no records of paft experiences? How upgrateful then have you been to your God, and how injurious to yourfelves, if you have not read them over in fuch a day as this for to that end they were given you.

O when you fhall confider what a God he hath been to you, at a pinch; how faithfully Jehovah-jireh hath stood by you; that this is not the first time your hearts and hopes have been low, as well as your condition, and yet God hath raised you again; furely you will find your prefent troubles made light, by a glance back upon your past experiences.

Sixthly, Look forward, to the end of your troubles; yea, look to a double end of them, the end of their duration, and the end of their operation. Look ye to the end of their duration, and that's juft by you: they fhall not be everlasting troubles, if you be fuch as fear the Lord. "The God of all

86

grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Jefus "Chrift, after that ye have [fuffered a while] make you perfect," 1 Pet. v. 10. Thefe light afflictions, are but for a moment," 2 Cor. iv. 18. They are no more comparatively, with that vaft eternity that is before you. Alas! what are a few days and nights of forrows, when they are paft? Are they not fwallowed up as a fpoonful of water in the vaft ocean? But more efpecially look to the end of their operation. What do all these afflictions tend to, and effect? Do they not work out an exceeding weight of glory? Are you not by them made "partakers "of his holiness?" Heb. xii. Is not this all the fruit, to take away your fins? What! and be impatient at this; fret and repine, because God is, this way, perfecting your happiness?

ungrateful foul! Is this a due requital of that love that dif dains not to stoop to fo low an employment, as to four and

cleanfe your fouls, that they might be shining veffels of honour to all eternity?

O look forward to the end of your troubles: the end of their duration and operation.

Seventhly, Lock to the right-hand, and fee how you are afhamed, convinced and filenced by other Chriftians; and it may be fuch too, as never made that profeffion you have done; and yet can not only patiently bear the afflicting hand of God, but are bleffing, prailing, and admiring God under their troubles; whilst you are finning againft, and difhonouring him under fmaller ones. It may be you will find fome poor Chriftians that know not where to have their next bread, and yet are fpeaking of the bounty of their God; while you are repining in the midst of plenty. Ah! if there be any ingenuity in you, let this fhame you. If this will not, then,

Eightly, Look to your left-hand, and there you will fee a fad fight, and what one would think fhould quiet you. There you may see a company of wicked, graceless wretches, carrying themselves under their troubles, but too much like yourfelves. What do they more, than fret and murmur, defpond and fink; mix fin with their afflictions, when the rod of God is upon them?

'Tis time for thee to leave off, when thou feeft how near thou art come to them, whom thou hopest thou shalt never be ranked and numbered with. Reader, fuch confiderations as thefe, I am perfuaded, would be of fingular ufe to thy foul at fuch a time, but above all, thine eying the great pattern of patience, Jefus Chrift; whofe Lamb like carriage, under a trial, with which thine is not to be named the fame day, is here recommended to thee. O how fhould this transform thee into a lamb, for meeknefs alfo !

Opens the Inftructiveness of the Death of CHRIST, in his feyen laft Words; the firft of which is here opened.

LUKE XXIII. 34. Then faid Jefus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

T

HE manner in which Chrift died, hath already been o pened in the folitude and patience in which he died. The