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SERMON XII.

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HEB. XIII. 5.

Be content with fuch Things as

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ye

have:

HEN our Minds are once eftablifhed upon this Bottom, that God is, and that he guides all Things, and is excellent in Coun fel, and doth not manage his Affairs amifs, but fo well, that all wife Men have ever fatisfied themfelves in his Government; we fhall find great Cause to welcome another Advice for our Content and Quiet in every Eftate. Which is

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VII.

To live in the conftant Exercife of a divine Faith. We have a Revelation to guide us and fupport us together with our Reafon; which bids us rely upon the Word of Almighty God. And it is a famous Saying, you know, of the Prophet Habakkuk, often cited by the holy Writers of the New Teftament, that in Time of Diftrefs and Danger [Such as thofe were when he wrote,] The just shall live by bis Faith, Hab. xi. 4. That is, he fhall be faved and delivered, or live in Chearfulness and good Comfort, by his Faith and Truft in God, and conftant Adherence to his Religion. Now there are thefe Three Things, which we fhould conftantly believe, among many others.

I. First, The Promise which our Saviour hath made us, That he will take Care of us here in this World; efpecially when we are in Trouble and Diftrels. I mentioned it the laft Sermon but one, and it followes immediately after those Words, which I chose for the Ground of this Difcourfe, Hebr. xiii. 5. He bath faid, I will not leave thee, nor forsake thee. Let us depend on the Truth of this Saying. Let us build upon his Word, that we are under a most loving and indulgent Providence, which will be fo tender of us, as not to withold any Thing from us, nor fuffer any Thing to befal

us,

us, but what he thinks moft fit, either to be denyed us, or to try us. In this you know, Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, and David, and all the Faithful in old Time (to whom God's great Love was not fo manifefted as it is to us) continually comforted themselves and therefore let not us be fo ungrateful to him and fuch Enemies to our felves as not to accept of this Confolation. When they went from one Nation to another, from one Kingdom to another People (i. e. had no certain Dwelling-place, no fixed Habitation; but, as it is faid of Abraham, Were called to Gods Foot, Ifa. xli. 2. that is, went whitherfoever he would have them,) God fuffered no man to do them wrong, yea, he reproved Kings, (fuch as Abimelech and Pharaoh. Gen. xii. and xx.) for their fake, faying, touch not mine anointed, and do my Prophets no harm. Pfal. cv. 13, 14, 15. And is he not the fame ftill? Or rather is he not more now to us, than he was to them? For he is in our Flesh ; all the Fulness of the God-head dwells in our Lord bodily; and therefore he will not fuffer us to take any Harm, he will not leave us in the moft forelorn and forfaken Condition. May not a Man well content himfelf in this Treasure of the divine Provi-. dence, fo rich in Mercy? Is there not Wealth enough in thefe Words of the Lord of all, I will take care of you? Either we have no Faith, or if we have, it cannot but conftrain us to fay, as it is in the next Verfe, The Lord

is my Helper, I will not fear what Man can do

unto me.

Read but the cxlvith Pfalm from the 5th Verse to the End, and See how the good Man comforts himself in the Knowledge and Belief that they had of God, in thofe times. He begins thus, Happy is he that hath the God of Facob for his help, whofe hope is in the Lord his God. And then he proceeds to tell us from what Confiderations this Happiness and Comfort fprung out of that Fountain of Life and Blifs. (17.) From his great Power, ver. 6. Which made the Heaven, the Earth, the Sea, and all that therein is. (2dly.) From his Faithfulness; Which keepeth Truth for ever. (3dly.) From his Juftice; ver. 8. which executeth Fudgment for the oppressed. (4thly.) From his Bounty and Commiferation towards all Men. Which giveth Food to the hungry: the Lord loofeth the Prifcners, the Lord openeth the Eyes of the Blind. (5thly.) From his more fingular Care over the Good and Pious; Ver. 1. Lord loveth the righteous. (6thly.) From his preserving of Perfons as well as providing for them; ver. 9. The Lord preferveth the Strangers, &c. (thly.) From his Executions on the evil Doers; But the way of the wicked he turneth upfide down, Laftly, From the Confideration of the Eternity of his Kingdom and Dominion his never-faling Power, Truth, Juftice and Mercy. ver. 10. The Lord fball reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations.

The

;

Praife ye the Lord. And great Reafon, truly, for it is but juft to rejoyce in God, and praise him who hath given us this Knowledge of him, the Supream Good; and made us know him better and more fully: having given us new and ftrong Inftances of his Power, and Truth, and Love, and tender Mercy; which hath intrufted one of our felves with all these, and the most foveraign Authority ever all to the World's End. Have we not Caufe to be fatisfied if we confider this? Yea, to believe in the Second Place, which will strongly compofe us, that

II. That Condition is beft in which we are. For this is but the Confequent of the former. God always makes good his Promise. It is not a Care that he fometimes exercifes, but a conftant Watchfulness over our Good. And therefore whatsoever our present Estate be, we ought to believe that it is not without his Care, and, for that Reason, must needs be fuch as he judges beft, and therefore fo it fhould feem unto us likewife. If we could always perfwade our felves that this is the Condition which God hath promised in which we are, we should be fatisfied with it; if not rejoyce, in our Lord's Care over us. Had we attained to this Degree of Faith, we should not be fo defirous of Alterations; for fear that if he accorded to us, we fhould have fomething that, may prove bad for

us.

We fhould dread our own Defires as childifh and foolish, and fay, It is well as it is; it Y 4 fuffices ;

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