SERM. poffible Perfections, there must be a fuffiIII. cient Reafon for thefe Things; and a true Knowledge of ourselves would give us the Reason, a Reafon fufficient to juftify God in his Proceedings, and convince us, that whatever we undergo in this Life is no more than we might expect as the Confequence of our Guilt: Why then should a living Man complain, as the Prophet fays, a Man for the Punifoment of his Sins? Or, why fhall the righteous Lord be accounted unjuft for punishing us according to our Deferts? or mortal Man be more just than God for deferving it?

Tho' we can't trace out the Footsteps of the Divine Providence, and when we labour under any Afflictions, after our utmost Care and Endeavour to preferve our Integrity, may, with Job, want to know the Caufe of fuch Proceedings, yet 'tis enough that we are guilty; 'tis fufficient to answer all Objections against the Juftice of God, that we have deferv'd them, tho' perhaps they are not fent as the immediate Confequence of Sin, but as Trials to exercise our Patience and Humility, or for fome other Reason which we are not able to dif cover. For if Afflictions were always the Confequence of Sin, wicked Men could then

expect but little Content and Satisfaction, SERM.
their Life would then be one continued Scene III.
of Trouble; whereas the contrary to this is
very often true, good Men being fometimes
more afflicted than they; and tho' none are,
ftrictly speaking, fo good as not to deferve
Punishment, yet, as there are better than
others, they that are fo would, by this
Rule, have least of it. But this is not al-

ways the Cafe; Job's Friends were there-
fore very
much mistaken, when they afferted
that good Men only were profperous, and
that the Wicked were the only afflicted
Men in this Life, and confequently that
good and bad Men were always to be known
by the Comforts or Troubles that happen'd
to them; for tho' this may fometimes be
true, yet that it is no conftant Rule and Me
thod of God's Proceedings Job plainly
fhews from Hiftory and good Observation.
If this Opinion be true, he wants to be in-
form'd why many wicked Men enjoy the
good Things of this Life, and want neither
Power nor Might, nor old Age to prolong
or encrease their Enjoyment, their Children
are provided for, and they are not disturb'd
in their Habitations, they spend their Days
in Pleasure, uninterrupted with Pain or Sick-
nefs, and go easily and quietly to their

Graves.

SERM. Graves. One dies in an Affluence of Wealth III. and Profperity; and another, perhaps a

better Man than him, after a tedious Life of Sorrow, expires in Anguish and Tortures infupportable. Wherefore, fays he, do the Wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in Power, and their Seed is establish❜d in their Sight with them, and their Offspring before their Eyes? Their Houfes are Safe from Fear, neither is the Rod of God upon them; they take the Timbrel and Harp, and rejoice at the Sound of the Organ; they spend their Days in Wealth, and in a Moment go down to the Grave. One dieth in his full Strength, being wholly at Eafe and Quiet; and another dieth in the Bitterness of his Soul, and never eateth with Pleasure. They Spall lie down alike in the Duft, and the Worms fball cover them.

When David faw the Profperity of the Ungodly, that they were not in Trouble like other Men, it fo tenderly affected him, that he could not forbear breaking out into this paffionate Complaint, Verily I have cleanfed my Heart in vain, I have wash'd my Hands in Innocency; for all the Day long have I been plagued, and chaftned every Morning. And Jeremiah was fo perplex'd with the Thoughts of this, that tho' he

would

would not accufe God of Injuftice, whatever SER M happen'd, but fays; Righteous art thou, O III: Lord, when I plead with thee! Yet in the very fame Verse he can't forbear enquiring in to the Reafon of it. Tet let me talk with

thee of thy Judgments, fays hé: Wherefore does the Way of the Wicked profper? Wherefore are all they happy that deal treache rously? This indeed has troubled the Thoughts of many good Men in all the Ages of the World, and 'tis founded entirely upon this mistaken Principle, That Afflic tions are always Tokens of God's Difpleafure, and that the Comforts of Life are always Marks of Favour: And this is fo far from being always true, that the Reverse of it is very often fo; at leaft thefe Things are often fo promifcuously distributed, as to leave no Room for any fuch Conclufion. Hence fome have form'd an Objection, not against the Juftice, but against the very Being of a God. All Things come alike to all; fay they, there is one Event to the Righteous and to the Wicked; to the Good and to the Clean, and to the Unclean; to him that facrificeth, and to him that facrificeth not : As is the Good, fo is the Sinner; and he that fweareth, as he that feareth an Oath. Upon which Account they prefently conclude;

G

SERM. clude, that 'tis to no Purpose for them to III. obferve their Duty, or to take any manner of Care about regulating their Life and Manners, for that it all turns to one Account, the Effect is juft the fame, do what they will. But now, in Answer to this, let it be obferv'd that the Happiness or Mifery of a Man does not always appear by his outward State and Condition; there is no true Judgment to be made of his being happy by his being profperous and rich in the World, and enjoying his Heart's Defire; for when a Man, full of Ambition and Revenge, thrives in the World, and has it in his Power to follow the natural Bent of his Inclinations, the Mischiefs that enfue plainly fhew that Profperity was fent him as a Curfe: Nor can a Man be pronounc'd miferable from the Troubles and Disappointments he meets with; thefe Things are most commonly fent for the Trial of a Man's Virtue, or to fubdue fome growing Vice, and they will prove good or otherwife to a Man, according to the Ufe he makes of them; fo that neither the one nor the other are

Marks of God's Favour or Displeasure always.

But to proceed. The Afflictions which happen to us in this Life are no Objections against