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died: But he perpetually appealed from SER M. the falfe Opinion of men, to the unerring Judgment of God; and vindicated, in the whole Course of his affliction, the Sovereignty and Dominion of God, his Supreme Authority and Right over his creatures, to Try them in what manner he thought fit: Maintaining to the last, (against the Opinion of all his Friends,) that even that great and unparallelled affliction, which God was pleafed to lay upon him in fo fingular and unexampled a manner, was by no means an Evidence of his being wicked and forfaken of God; but an Effect of the Divine Power and Providence which governs the World, and brings about his own Defigns, by Wife, though oft-times (for the present) fecret and infcrutable Methods: And declaring his refolution to preferve his Confidence and Reliance upon God, even beyond the Grave itself; Even though he flay me, faith he, yet will I trust in him: For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that my Eyes fhall behold him; whom I shall fee for myfelf, and not another.

SER M.

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THE chapter, out of which the words of my Text are taken, is part of the Reply of Eliphaz to that mournful Lamentation of Job, wherein he curfes the day of his Birth, and wishes to have had his Affliction prevented by Death. In which Reply of his to Job, he erroneously fupposes, that, because God frequently punishes the Wicked with fevere Judgements in this World, therefore great Afflictions are a certain Evidence of men's having been very wicked: ver. 3: I have feen the foolish taking root, but fuddenly I curfed his babitation; His children are far from fafety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them; Whole barveft the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber fwalloweth up the fubftance. From which true Obfervation, he wrongfully intends to conclude, that, becaufe Job was afflicted with the like Misfortunes, therefore he might justly be charged with having been guilty of the like Impieties; An Inference very derogatory to the Sovereignty and Wifdom of Providence, and very unjust to the Character of the pious

Sufferer.

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Sufferer. However, upon the whole, he SER M. adds this just and true general Observation, the confideration of which is of perpetual Usefulness, ver. 6; Although affliction cometh not forth of the duft, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; yet man is born unto trouble, as the Sparks fly upward.

THE words contain, ift, A pathetical defcription of the Shortness and Vanity, the Sorrows and Calamities of Humane Life: Man is born unto trouble, as the Sparks fly upward.

2dly, A Declaration, that thefe Miferies of Humane Life, do not arife from Chance or from Neceffity, from blind Fate or unaccountable Accidents; but from the wife Difpofition of the Providence of God, governing the World: Affliction cometh not forth of the duft, neither doth trouble fpring out of the ground. Wherein,

3dly, IT is implied, and intended to be inferred, that there are many juft and good, wife and useful Ends upon account of which, God permits fo many Afflictions to fall upon Mankind; and the confideration therefore of which, (fo far as we can difQ4

cover

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SER M. Cover them in this present dark and imperfect state,) ought to teach us Patience, and chearful Refignation to the Divine Will.

Ist, HERE is a pathetical description of the Shortnefs and Vanity, the Sorrows and Calamities of Humane Life: Man is born unto trouble, as the Sparks fly upwards. Afflictions and Calamities of innumerable kinds, seem, in the course of things, as neceffarily and constantly to attend the Life of Man; as it is the nature of light things to ascend upwards, or of things heavy to descend, And of this, Experience is fo continual an Evidence, that there needs no arguments of Reason to prove it, nor ornaments of Expreffion to defcribe it. We are born into the world, weak and defencelefs; we grow up, subject to numberlefs Casualties; and in the whole course of our lives, are perpetually exposed to Dangers which cannot be foreseen, and to Troubles which are not poffible to be prevented. The Weakness and Imperfections of Childhood, the Vanity and Follies of Youth, the Cares and Sollicitudes of Manhood, the Uneafinefs and Infirmities of Age; follow each other in a close and speedy fucceffion. And,

in Each of these ftates, we are continu-SER M. ally obnoxious to Pains and Difeafes of X. Body; and in most of them, to the acuter Torment of Anxiety and Vexations of Mind. All which Evils are increased, by the Accidents and Misfortunes of the World, by our own Negligences and Vices, by the Wickedness and Unreasonablenefs of other men, by the Judgements of God upon ourselves, and by the confequences of the Judgements he inflicts for the Unrighteousness of others. All which feveral calamities are emphatically described by pious men, in different places of Scripture. With refpect to our being liable to Pains and Difeafes, Man is chaftened, faith Eliku in the book of Job, with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain; (Job. xxxiii. 19:) and good Hezekiah complains; Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a Shepherd's tent; I have cut off like a weaver my life; he will cut me off with pining fickness; from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me:

like a crane or a fwallow, fo did I chatter; I did mourn as a dove; Isaiah xxxviii. 12. With respect

to