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throweth both the Wisdom and Juftice of God: It would render his Government Tyrannical, and even like to that of Hell, which sports in the Mifery of Mankind. God is a moft wife Being, and cannot do fuch a vain Act; he is a moft juft Being, and cannot execute fuch an unjuft Sentence. He never afflicts, or profpers Men by extraordinary Power in this Life, but either for their Reward, their Punishment, or their Correction. As for the Profperity or Affliction, which may befal Men in the ordinary Course of the Government of the World, they may respect indeed none of all thofe Ends, nor do they concern our prefent Cafe.

Laftly, The Opinion of Job, that God interpofeth not extraordinarily in the Affairs of Mankind, might be confuted from the fame Attributes and Confiderations. For we muft not fuppofe that God allowed and ratified whatfoever he had faid, when he gave fuch an illustrious Teftimony of Integrity to him in the clofe of the Book. That was only to vindicate him from the Afperfions of his Friends, more particularly Eliphaz and Elibu, maintaining that his Afflictions had befallen him for the Enormity of his antecedent Sins. God confirmed not his Speeches made in answer to them by this Suffrage; and therefore Job himself deploreth the rafhnefs of his Opinion in xlii. 6. Wherefore I abhor my felf, and repent in dust and afbes. And indeed nothing could be more false, or G 2 dero

derogatory to the Majefty of God, and the Prefervation of his Honour among Men. Only Job afferted not pertinaciously, as his Friends did their Opinions; he concluded not peremptorily, but only confessed, that he could not difcover any extraordinary interpofition of God, by vifible Effects in this Life.

An Opinion indeed, which too many have taken up, and fome do yet maintain; but which cannot be allowed without the utter ruin of Religion aud Reafon alfo. For do we not believe that God is infinitely Good and Juft; that he is fupreme Governor of the World, both in this Life, and after Death? But can we conceive Him to be infinitely Good, who after having created Man, and fettled him in the World, takes no farther care of him, abandons him to Chance, and there ftops the Emanations of his Goodnefs? Can he be perfectly Juft, who makes no Provision for the univerfal Calamities, or Oppreffions of Mankind, which cannot but often happen, notwithstanding the ordinary Laws of his Government, which confift only in maintaining the Course of Nature? Do we not destroy his Government, when we confine it only to another Life, or perhaps allow it no place in either? Since God hath created the World, the Government of it hath become neceffary to him; and then not to derive at any time, any extraordinary influences upon it, will be no more commendable,

mendable, than for a temporal Prince to fit ftill and be unconcerned for the Affairs of his Kingdom.

Thus far Reafon will direct us; but then Revelation giveth us greater affurance of the conftant and immediate Protection of God even in this Life. We have the Promifes of this Life, and of that which is to come; we are told, That all things fhall work together for good to us; That what foever we shall ask of God with Faith, excluding doubt, he will do it; and that he will never leave us, nor for fake us. All these and many more fuch Arguments, include an extraordinary Influence of God, whereby he adminifters the Government of theWorld, fatisfies his Justice, and declares his Goodness.

Thus all the Attributes of God naturally lead us to the Worship of him; thus we cannot conceive his Nature without adoring it; cannot confider his Judgments and Justice without fearing his Displeasure, and obeying his Commands; thus are we on every fide furrounded with Arguments of our Duty.. May God by his Grace improve the Efficacy of thefe Arguments to every one of us, for the fake of Jefus Christ our Lord.

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SERMON V.

Preach'd on the 4th of August, 1689. at Lambeth Chapel.

ROM. XII. 3.

For I fay unto you, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.

A

MONG all the miscarriages of Mankind, none are more fatal, and at the fame time more ordinary, than those which proceed from a mistaken Opinion of their own Nature or Merits. It is a deplorable misfortune indeed, that Man fhould be fubject to Mistakes in a Matter fo nearly concerning himself; that he, who pretends to fathom Heaven and Earth, to difcover the Properties of invifible Beings, and extend his Knowledge both to precedent and future Times, fhould remain in the dark as to his own Condition, and entertain erro

neous

nous Opinions of his own, either natural or acquired Merits.

Not to comprehend perfectly the Nature of God, is no wonder; the infinity of Essence furpaffeth the Capacity of our finite Underftandings. Not to conceive accurately the Properties of immaterial Beings, whether Angels or feparate Souls, may be excufable; immateriality may eafily confound an Apprehenfion inured only to fenfible Objects: but to be mistaken in the Nature, the Dignity, the Capacities of our felves, might be justly admired, if the frequency of fuch Mistakes did not take off the Admiration of them. If they extended no farther than Speculation, they might perhaps be pardoned, and befit the Confideration of Philofophers only and thinking Men; but when they reach to almost all the Actions of the Soul, introduce falfe Principles of Practice, which at laft become fatal to the real Interest of Mankind, it will concern all Men to take notice of them, and to acquire more juft Concep

tions.

To this purpose Reason invites us, the Scripture directs us, to enter inter into the ferious Confideration of our felves, to contract our Thoughts, and not carry them beyond our Merits; to form a juft Efteem of our Perfections, and not in an over-weening Confidence of them, enlarge our Pretenfions beyond the Rules of Justice and Sobriety. Which is the Sum of the Exhortati

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