falt be fed. Commit thy Ways unto the Lord, and put thy Trust in him, and he shall bring it to pass: The Salvation of the Righteous cometh of the Lord, who is a prefent Help in Time of Trouble; he shall deliver them, he Shall fave them, because they put their Truft in

bim.

The Truth is, God very often afflicts good Men, for this very Reason, that they may the more truft in him, that they may fit loofer from the World, and the Enjoyments thereof; that they may fee the Vanity of all earthly Things, and exercife a more lively Faith and Dependence upon his Providence; which being fo, it cannot be doubted, but that this is a certain Mean to get their Afflictions removed; for take away the Cause, and the Effect ceafeth. If their not trufting in God was the Cause of their Affliction, then their hearty Affiance in him will be the Mean to fet them free from it.

It is true, indeed, the Deliverances that God works for his Children, are not always fuch as they defire or pray for; he is many times not pleased to remove his Hand, in that Inftance they are apt to wish he would; but ftill we say, he doth deliver them. If he doth not answer their Prayers, and their Hopes, in kind; yet, if he gives them Grace and Strength to undergo what he lays upon them, and bestows other Bleffings upon them, which are more needful for them than those

they would have, is not this as great a Kindnefs and Mercy to them? Certainly it is.

O therefore, whatever the Event of Things be, whatever Flesh and Blood fuggeft to us, let us fix this as an immoveable Principle in our Hearts, that to trust in God, and chearfully to depend upon him, in a conftant Adherence to our Duty, is the most effectual Course we can take, both to fupport us under all Afflictions, and to deliver us from them.

And now what remains, but that every one of us should be seriously exhorted to put all this in Practice; in every ungrateful and difpleafing Circumftance of Life that we light into, to put our Truft in God as the Help of our Countenance, and our God? We fhould, without doubt, speedily find the Eafe and Comfort of fo doing; let our Afflictions be of what Nature they will, this is an Antidote that will reach them all. Are we troubled about our private Concernments in this World? Do not our Designs or Endearments fucceed as we expected? Or are we in a poor low Condition, and hard put to it to live? Or are our dearest Relations taken from us? Or do we groan under the Bondage of harth Parents, or cruel Masters, or under the Mifery of having wicked and undutiful Children? Why, in all these Cafes let us fay to our fouls, as David here in the Text did, Why art thou caft down, O my Soul? Why art thow dif quieted within me? Put thy Trust in God. And if we do thus, we fhall affuredly be in a Condition

Condition to give him Thanks, he will shew himself the Help of our Countenance, and our God; we shall give him Thanks, either for the fupporting us under our Afflictions, or freeing us from them; he will be our God, either by conferring thofe Bleffings we defire, or by giving us others that are fitter for our Condition.

Are we concerned for any Danger that we apprehend may threaten the Publick? Why ftill let us fay to ourselves, Why art thou caft down, O my Soul? why art thou difquieted within me? Put thy Trust yet in God. He is the fame God, that hath hitherto taken care of his People, and he will without doubt, continue fo to do, in fuch Ways, and by fuch Means, as he fees most convenient for them. He fits at the Helm, and fees how all Things go, and will interpose when it is fit he should, either in preventing the Things we fear, or in fo ordering Matters, that all Things, whatever happens, shall work together for Good unto his Church. O therefore, why should we be afraid of any evil Tidings? Let our Hearts stand fast, and believe in the Lord.

Laftly, Are we exercised with any Trouble of Mind about our Spiritual Affairs? Doth God write bitter Things against us, and make us to poffefs the Iniquities of our Youth? Doth he hide away his Face from us, and fhut up his loving Kindness in Displeasure? Why here again let us fay to ourselves, Why

C

art thou caft down, O my Soul? why art thou fo difquieted within me? Put thy Trust in God. Wait upon him with Faith and Patience, and thou fhalt fee all thefe Storms will blow over. Thefe Chaftifements, with which thou art exercised, when they have brought forth the peaceable Fruits of Righteoufnefs, will turn to thy exceeding Joy and Comfort, and thou fhalt again, more affectionately than ever, give Thanks to him, who is the Help of thy Countenance, and thy God.

O, my Brethren, that all of us were acted by fuch a Spirit as this! O that we would endeavour, in all Conditions and Circumstances of Life, thus firmly to hope in God, and put our Confidence in his Mercy; not difquieting ourfelves with the prefent Events, nor being folicitous about the future, but cafting the whole Burden of both upon the Lord, who careth for us, looking up to him in every Difpenfation of Providence, and affuredly believing that all fhall at the last be for the best

to us!

This, one would think, fhould be one of the eafieft Duties in the World to any one that believes a God and a Providence; but yet we find, alas! most of thofe, who pretend to believe both, to be very difficultly brought to it. We talk of God, as if we thought him to be the Governor of the World, and the Difpenfer of all Events, both good and bad, that happen to Mankind: But yet, alas! how few of us are there that dare repofe any Con

fidence

fidence in him! Our Care, and Trouble, and Solicitude about our Affairs, is as great, as if all Things came to pafs by Chance, or Fate, or the Will of Man: Our Fears and our Hopes do altogether depend upon fecond Causes. We are indeed apt enough to trust God with our Souls, not caring how little Thought we take about them; but, as for our worldly Concernments, we will not trust him any farther, than as we fee we have the Means of accomplishing our Defigns in our own Hands. But this is a bafe, unthankful, unworthy Practice: For Shame let us quit it; let us fhake off this dull, earthly, ftupid Humour; let us caft our Eyes up to the Author and Preserver of our Beings, and, like Men, make use of the Reason and Understanding that he hath given us, not living altogether by Senfe, as the brute Beafts do, but exercifing Faith in the Goodness and Power of God. By this Mean we shall best approve ourfelves to him, and most confult our own Interefts By this Mean we fhall obtain of him to be our Saviour and mighty Deliverer in all Dangers, and fhall for ever have Caufe to give him Thanks, who is the Help of our Countenance, and our God.

We humbly befeech thee, O Father Almighty, to look upon our Infirmities, and for the Glory of thy Name, &c.