worst mischief his malice could devife to do to Job, was, to touch his bone and his flesh, and to take away his life; and all that the fury and rage of man can do, is to wound these vile bodies, and to fpurn down these houses of clay, whose foundations are already in the duft: but the man's foul, which is himself, that they cannot touch; they only prevent nature a little, they do but antedate an evil a few moments, and bring our fears upon us a little fooner; they kill that which muft die within a few days, though they should let it alone; they do but cut asunder that thread which would shortly break of itself, by it's own weakness and rottenness.

God can do all that man can do, he can kill the body, and that by an immediate act of his divine power. He can blaft our reputation, and ruin our estate; and afflict our bodies with the fharpeft pains, and fmite us with death. And God doth all that with ease, which men many times do with labour; they use the utmost of their wit and power, to do us mischief; but God can do all things by a word: if he do but fpeak, judgments come: we are but a little duft, and the leaft breath of God can disperse it; he hath all creatures at his command, ready to execute his will. So that whatever man, or any creature can do, that God can do alfo; and infinitely more. His power is not confined to the body, but he hath power over the fpirit, he cannot only make body and foul miferable in this world, but in the other alfo; and that not only for a few years, but for all eternity.

founded,

XI. The homage due to God in all our wants Truft in God and dangers, is to truft in him, whereby we place our fupream confidence in him. It is founded in a perfwafion of his all-fufficiency, and of his inviolable faithfulness to perform his word and engagements. As far as I trust a man, I fuppofe him able to do, what I truft him for ; that he hath given me fome encouragement to believe his willingness, and that he will not deceive me. It must be fo in any regular truft in God. We must be firmly perOn his Pow- fwaded of his all-fufficiency, that he is able to do for us, exceeding abundantly above all that we can afk or think. But then, it is of the utmost concern to us, that we admit not expectations from God for things, which he

er.

hath

hath never promised; but that we hope in his word, our truft fhould be grounded on his promifes. Where

promises.

he has been pleased pofitively to declare what he Truth and will do, we thould firmly depend, believing that he is faithful who hath promifed, whatever difficulties or difcouragements may lie in the way of our of our hope. Thus we should commit the keeping of our fouls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful creator, relying upon a good event and isfue, while we maintain fuch a courfe, whatever we may be called to do or fuffer; because on such terms he hath undertaken for it. But where his promises are made with a reserve for his own fovereignty, or the fuperiority of his divine wifdom, as he knows far better than we what is good for man in this life; there we should not allow ourselves to be positive in our expectations of particular events, but caft our cares upon him in a more general manner; relying upon this, that in the way of duty, he will do that which, upon the whole, is beft for us to be done. Moreover,

Benefits and

ufe of it.

Whenever God cares for us, our concerns are in the best and safest hands, and where we should desire to have them; infinitely fafer than under any care and conduct of our own. And this ought to be a great fatisfaction to our minds, and to free us from all difquieting thoughts; for if God undertakes the care of us, then we are fure that nothing shall happen to us, but by the difpofal or permiffion of infinite wisdom and goodness. There are many things, which to us feem chance and accident; but in refpect of God, they are providence and defign; and as they are appointed or permitted by God, they are the refult of the deepest counsel, and the greatest goodness. And

wants.

In all conditions that befal us we must repose ourselves upon God, in confidence of his fupport and deliverance, of his care and providence, to prevent and In all our divert the evils we fear; or of his gracious help to bear us up under them; and of his mercy and goodness to deliver us from them, when he fees beft; provided always we be careful to do our duty to him. Therefore,

tions.

As our Saviour exhorts his difciples, let us Temptawatch and pray, left we enter into temptation, C 2

And

And, as the apostle likewise exhorts, let us be fober, and vigilant, and watch unto prayer, taking all opportunities for it, and spending much time in this duty, than which none of all the duties enjoined by the christian religion, will turn to a better and more comfortable account, if our hearts and lives be but answerable to our prayers.

States and conditions.

Let us earnestly beg of God, that his watchful and merciful providence would undertake the care of us; that he would fit and prepare us for every condition which he hath defigned to bring us into; and that he would teach us to demean our felves in it as we ought; that he would confider our frailties, and lay no greater load of affliction upon us, than he will give us grace and ftrength to bear; that if he fees it good to exercise any of us with afflictions and fufferings in any kind, he would make us able to stand in that evil day, and when we have done all to stand. And let us be fure to keep within the bounds of When per- our duty, trying no unlawful ways for our eafe and prefervation, and refcue from the evils which we fear and lie under; for we may affure ourselves, that God is never more concerned to appear for us, than when out of confcience of our duty to him, we are contented rather to fuffer, than work our deliverance by undue means. Let us commit ourselves to him in well doing, and do nothing, no, not for the cause of religion, which is contrary to the plain rules and precepts of it.

fecuted for

confcience fake.

Is effectual

Should we instead of vain murmurings, and to falvation. complaints, and terrifying our felves with fears of what may never happen, follow the example of holy David, betake ourselves to prayer, and by this means engage the providence of God for our protection from evil, or for our fupport under it; we fhould certainly do much better for ourfelves, and contribute much more, than we can do any other way, to the prevention of any evil that we can fear, or to the mitigating or shortening of it, as to God's infinite wisdom and goodness shall seem beft. And let us always be mindful of that caution which our Saviour gives to his difciples, that they might always be in a due preparation for the coming of our Lord to judgment. Take heed to yourselves, left at any

time your hearts be overcharged with furfeiting and drunkennefs, and the cares of this life, and fo that day come upon you For as a fnare fhall it come upon all them that dwell upon the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

unawares.

This caution and counfel does proportionably hold, as to our preparation for any other evil day of affliction and fuffering in this world; that we should beware of fenfuality, and an inordinate love to the things of this world, and care about them; because these soften and effeminate our spirits, and render them unfit for the day of adverfity: and that we should watch and pray; because these are the best preparations against an evil day, and perhaps may prevent it; at least as to ourselves, if God thinks it fit for us, and counts us worthy to be delivered from it.

When ac

ceptable to

God.

If we be careful to do our duty, and to demean ourselves towards God as we ought, we may reft affured of his love and care of us; and if we do in good earneft believe the providence of God, we must think that he hath a peculiar regard to those that love and ferve him, and that he will take a peculiar care of their concerns, and that he can and will difpofe them better for us, than we could manage them ourselves, if we were left to ourselves, and our affairs were put into the hands of our own Wisdom.

Why we

fhould truft

in him.

Supposing we had the entire ordering and disposal of ourfelves, what were reasonable for us to do in this cafe? We would furely, according to our best wifdom and judgment, do the best we could for our felves; and when upon experience of our own ignorance and weakness, we had found our weightiest affairs and designs frequently to miscarry, for want of forefight, or power, or skill to obviate and prevent the hazards and difappointments, which human affairs are liable to, we should then look about us; and if we knew any person much wiser, and more powerful than ourselves, who we believed did heartily love us, and wish well to us, we would, out of kindness

to ourselves, ask his counsel in our affairs, and crave his affiftance, and if we could prevail with him to undertake the care of our affairs, we would commit them all to his conduct and government, in confidence of his great wisdom and fincere intentions to promote our welfare. Now

God is fuch an one, he loves us as well as we do ourselves, and defires our happiness as much, and knows infinitely better than we do, what means are most conducive to it, and will moft effectually fecure it. And every man that believes thus of God, as every man muft do, that believes there is a God, for these are the natural notions which all men have of the Deity: I fay, every man that believes thus of God; the first thing he would do (if he knew not already that God had voluntarily, and of his own accord, undertaken the care of him and of his affairs) would be to apply himself to God, and to befeech him with all earneftnefs and importunity, that he would permit him to refer his faid affairs to him, and be pleased to undertake the care of them; and he would, withdemur or difficulty, give up himself wholly to him, to guide and govern him, and to dispose of him as to him fhould feem beft. Therefore if God hath prevented us herein, and, without our defire, taken this care upon himself, we ought to rejoice in it, as the greatest happiness that could poffibly have befallen us; and we should, without any further care and anxiety, ufing our own beft diligence, and studying to please him, chearfully leave ourselves in his hands, with the greatest confidence and fecurity, that he will do all that for us which is really beft; and with a firm perfuafion, that that condition, and thofe circumftances of life, which he fhall chufe for us, will be the very fame, which we would chuse for ourselves, were we indued with the fame wisdom.

out any

in God.

We muft fo truft God, as to neglect no prudent How to truft and lawful means for our fecurity and prefervation from evil. Let us not, by our rashness and folly, provoke trouble and danger, and bring them upon ourselves. Let us, according to our Saviour's counfel, be wife as ferpents, and innocent as doves, Let us ufe that care and prudence, which is confiftent with innocence and a good confcience and when we have done that, let us be no farther follicitous,

but