halt be fed. Commit thy ways unto the Lord, and put thy trust in him, and he shall bring it to pafs: The falvation of the Righteous cometh of the Lord, who is a prefent belp in time of trouble; he shall deliver them, be fhall fave them, because they put their trust in him.

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 exercise a more lively Faith and dependance 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 ceaseth. If their not trusting in God was the Caufe of their Affliction, then their hearty Affiance in him will be the mean to set 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 wifh he would, but still we fay, 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

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nefs and Mercy to them? Certainly it is.

O therefore, whatever the Event of Things be, whatever Flesh and Blood suggest to us, let us fix this as an immoveable Principle in our Hearts, that to truft 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 Circumstance of Life that we light into, to put our trust in God as the help of our Countenance, and our God. We fhould, without doubt, fpeedily find the ease 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 Defigns or Endeavours fucceed as we expected? Or are we in a poor low Condition, and hardly 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 Mafters, or under the Mifery of having wicked and undutiful Children? Why in all these Cafes let us fay to our Souls as David here in the Text did, Why art thou caft down, O my Soul, why art thou difquieted within me? Put thy trust in God. And, if we do thus, we fhall affuredly be in a Condition to give him Thanks, he will shew

himself the help of our Countenance, and our God; we fhall 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 our felves, Why art thou caft down, O my Soul, why art thou dif quieted within me? Put thy truft 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 moft convenient for them. He fits at the Helm and fees how all Things go, and will interpofe when it is fit he fhould, either in preventing the Things we fear, or in fo ordering Matters that all Things, whatever happens, fhall work together for good unto his Church. O therefore why should we be afraid of any evil Tidings, let our Hearts ftand faft and believe in the Lord.

Laftly, Are we exercised with any trouble of Mind, about our fpiritual 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 kindnefs in difpleasure? Why here again let us fay to our felves, Why art thou caft down O my Soul, why art thou

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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. These Chaftisements, 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 circumftances of Life, thus firmly to hope in God, and put our confidence in his Mercy; not difquieting our felves 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 shall at last be for the best to us.

This, one would think, fhould be one of the easiest Duties in the World to any one that believes a God and a Providence; but yet we find alas moft 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 Governour of the World, and the Difpenfer of all Events both good and bad that happen to Mankind: But yet alafs how few of us are there that dare repofe any Confidence in

him? Our care, and trouble and follicitude, 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 Caufes. We are indeed apt enough to truft God with our Souls, not caring how little Thought we take about them; but, as for our worldly Concernments, we will not truft him any farther, than as we fee we have the means of accomplishing our Designs in our own Hands. But this is a bafe, unthankful, unworthy Practice: For fhame let us quit it; let us shake off this dull, earthly, ftupid Humour : Let us caft our Eyes up to the Author and Preferver of our Beings; and, like Men, make use of the Reafon and Understanding that he hath given us, not living altogether by Senfe, as the brute Beafts do, but exercifing Faith in the goodnefs and power of God. By this mean we fhall beft approve our felves to him, and moft 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.