However, it is not to be fuppofed but that the temporal fufferings of men are frequently owing to their fins: As is evident from the example of 'the impotent man in my text; and also from the cafe of that Paralytick, whom Jesus raised with thofe remarkable words,"Son be of good cheer, thy Sins be forgiven thee." Nay, the marks of particular vices are so visibly impreffed upon certain calamities, that one cannot chuse but attribute the unhappy offspring to it's rightful parent. For who amongst us is not almost a daily witnefs to the fatal ill confequences of debauchery, difhonesty, prodigality, and many other enormities, which are naturally productive of their own punishment? To say nothing of thofe fignal judgments of Providence, executed upon wicked men more immediately by God; many of which are recorded in facred story; and which it is fo far from being prefump

VOL. I.

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tuous

tuous and blameable in us to impute to the wickedness of those persons on whom they fell; that they seem to have been fent principally for this very purpose, "that the inhabitants of the world might learn righteousness;" i. e. that men seeing or hearing of God's vindictive justice manifefted upon fuch and fuch tranfgreffors, might be the more excited to take warning and fear, left they incur in like manner the displeasure of the Almighty.

But one great and good end of God's chaftisements, is without doubt to awaken the guilty sufferers into a sense of their wickedness, and an apprehenfion of their danger. And therefore, though it becomes others to be extremely cautious how they judge their afflicted brethren; yet is it the concern and duty of every one who is under any grievous affliction, to judge himself; to examine

his own heart, and try to find out the bitter fountain from whence it sprang. Perhaps the light of his conscience, if duly attended to, will direct him to the true and immediate cause of the evil ; either the commiffion of fomething which he ought not to have done, or the omiffion of what he ought to have performed. And in this cafe the fame reafoning faculty that' difcovers the occafion of his fuffering, will readily prescribe the most effectual means of removing it. For inftance, where a man's poverty or diftrefs are found to be owing either to his idleness or profufeness, his vexations to dishonesty, or his fickness to intemperance; 'tis plain the most likely method to correct thefe evils, and prevent the return of them, is to rectify every one his particular misconduct. Or if the nature of the calamity be fuch, that it cannot be fairly deduced from any default of our own; as is the cafe

of those numberless accidents, injuries, and misfortunes, to which all, even the best men, are continually obnoxious, notwithstanding their utmost care and precaution: Yet forafmuch as God "doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men," but for wife reasons, and to good purposes; therefore the use we ought to make of fuch fufferings, is, to humble ourselves before Him; to review our lives, and repent at least of our general trefpaffes, and to fubmit with patience to the divine chastisement. For we may be affured, that fin is the cause, however remote, of every evil that befals us; fince if man had never finned, God would never have afflicted him.

In a word-Self-humiliation, Repentance, and Submiffion, are ever the most certain means of fanctifying affliction ; and are too the most probable ones of removing it. So that if we are actually

under

under any fevere preffure, it behoves us to enquire of our own confciences, what guilt of our's may have brought down fuch an evil upon us; and especially if it shall please God to deliver us from it, we must never fail to lay the fame injunction on ourselves, which our Blessed Lord lay upon the impotent man when healed-Sin no more. Because if we continue in, or return to, our former fins, after that we have tafted the vifitation of the Almighty, and are again made whole; we have all the reason in the world to expect fome forer judgment, if not final condemnation. Which is fufficiently implied in the counfel of our Saviour to the poor man. in the text, Sin no more, left a worse thing come unto thee: And was therefore the next thing propofed as deferving your attention.