guard us on every Side. We should then acknowledge, that 'tis God that holdeth our Soul in Life, and suffereth not our Feet to be moved, Pfal. lx. And we should cry out as David, O God, who is like unto thee? Thou who hast shewed me great and fore Troubles, shalt quicken me again, and bring me up again from the Depths of the Earth; Thou shalt increase my Greatness, and comfort me on every fide, Pfal. lxxi.

Although this wholesome and most useful Doctrine be plainly taught in Holy Writ, and sufficiently confirmed by so many Examples out of the Word of God; some there are that oppose it with many needless Objections,

In the first Place they say, That God promiseth length of Days to such Children as are obedient to their Fathers and Mothers; from whence they think to infer, that our Life hath no certain time limited, that it is prolong'd or shortned, as we prove obedient or disobedient to God and his holy Laws. There is no Difficulty to give an Answer to this Objection.

That in the Language of the holy Spirit, the Word that fignifies there to prolong, signifies not always to make a thing longer than it was, or should be, but only to make it of a long Continuance. So that God promises not here, that the Children who shall obey his facred Laws, shall enjoy a longer Life than otherwife it ought to be, but only that he will do them the favour to let them live long and happy in this World, We may prove this Exposition by St. Paul's Words, who paraphrases this first Commandment of the second Table in this manner, Children, obey your Fathers and Mothers in the Lord, for it is just; Honour thy Father and thy Mother, which is the first Commandment, with promise, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live Jong upon the Earth. This Promise is to be understood with some Exception; if God should judge it expedient for his Glory, and for the good of his

Children. For there are many pious and obedient Children,

Children, whom God withdraws out of the World in the Flower of their Age, to give them an happier Life, which shall have no other Limits than Eternity.

In the next Place, they alledg'd the remarkable History of King Hezekiah, unto whom Ifaiah was sent with this Message, Set thine House in Order, for thou shalt die and not live. Nevertheless God was entreated by his Prayers and Tears, and prevail'd upon to fuffer him to live longer. Therefore the Prophet told him, that God had added fifteen Years to his Days. Το this Objection I answer,

That according to the ordinary Course of the World, and the Disposition of the natural Causes, Hezekiah was to die of that Disease. For the Scripture saith exprefly, That Hezekiah was fick unto Death; That is to say, that his Disease was mortal in regard of the second Causes, and the ordinary Course of Nature. Therefore these Words, set thine House in Order, for thou shalt die and not live, ought to be understood with this Exception; Thou shalt die, if I don't deliver thee by a Miracle, and if I don't employ mine Almighty Power to heal thee, and restore thee to thy former Health.

This may be also understood in another Manner, Thou shalt die if thou dost not repent and turn unto me with Prayers and Tears. In the same Sense God caused it to be proclaim'd in the Streets of Nineveh, Within forty Days Nineveh shall be destroyed.

Let not any Man conclude from hence, that Hezekiah's Repentance was the Cause of the lengthening of his Days; and therefore that it was a Casualty very uncertain. On the contrary, we may understand, that God who had appointed by his eternal Decree, that this wife and religious Prince should live beyond the Difpofition of his Body, had also resolv'd to draw from his Heart Sighs and Groans, and Tears from his Eyes; for God knew all his Works from Eternity,

Acts i.

Others argue against this Doctrine more impertinently, That if God had numbred our Days, and prescribed our Life its Bounds, it is in vain to take fo much Pains, and make so much ado about our Bodies distemper'd with Sickness; and that it is to little Purpose to adminifter any Remedy to them, or to pray for the Recovery of their Health. In like manner, fuch may affirm, that 'tis to no purpose to eat or drink, and to hinder mad Persons from cafting themselves down a Precipice, or from swallowing Poifon, because they shall live neither more nor less than God has ordain'd from all Eternity. This Objection may seem very plausible at the first, altho' it be most abfurd, and to foolish, that it must needs proceed from a great Ignorance or Malice. For 'tis not to be doubted, that when any one aims at an End, he designs and fuppofes by Consequence to attain unto it, by the ordinary Means. For Example, God hath appointed in his eternal Council to preserve Jacob and his Family from that Famine which raged the Space of feven Years: In order to that end he sends Joseph into Ægypt, to gather up Provision the seven Years of Plenty. Ifaiah the Prophet had told Hezekiah from God, that he should live the Space of fifteen Years more; therefore he commanded him to apply to this Prince's Sores and Boils a Lump of dried Figs. God had promised to David, that he should be King over the House of Ifrael; to confirm this Promise, he had been anointed with Oil, by the Prophet Samuel. This Promise don't hinder him from seeking the Means to preserve himself from Saul's unjust Persecution. And when Nathan tells him, that God had agreed to eftablish his Pofterity upon his Throne after him, this don't stop his Prayers, or cool his Devotion; on the contrary, it was that which quickned him the more, and inflam'd his Soul with Love and Thankfulness to God; therefore he expresseth himself in this manner, O Lord of Hosts, God of Ifrael, thou hast revealed to thy Servant, saying, I will build thee an House, there fore

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fore hath thy Servant found in his Heart to pray this Prayer unto thee, &c. 2 Sam. vii.

Our Lord Jesus Christ knew for certain all that should happen to him; nevertheless we find him spending the Days and Nights in Prayers, and when his Life was in danger, he neglected not the lawful and harmlefs Means. He told his Apostles, Are not two Sparrows fold for a Farthing? and one of them shall not fall to the Ground without your Father, but the very Hairs of your Head are numbred. This Confideration hinders him not from commanding them, that when they are persecuted in one City, they should fly to another.

God had appointed to save St. Paul's Life, and the Lives of all his Company; therefore he reveal'd it to him by an Angel; nevertheless, when he saw the Mariners seek to efcape, he told the Centurion, If these don't stay in the Ship, you cannot be saved, Acts xxvii. In short, the Means and Causes are fubordinate to the End, in sucha Manner, that 'tis mere Folly and Extravagancy to offer to divide them, or suppose them to be contrary.

'Tis without Reason that fome bring the History of King Afa against this undoubted Truth. They affirm that this Prince was reprov'd for seeking to the Physicians in his Sickness. These are the Words of the holy Scripture; Afa in the thirty ninth Year of his Reign was diseas'd in his Feet, until his Disease was exceeding great, yet in his Disease be fought not to the Lord, but to the Phyficians, 2 Chron. i. The Spirit of God blames not this Prince because he defired the Assistance of Physicians, but because he neglected to seek Help of God, or to implore his Aid in the Day of his Distress. He that is fick may as freely take Physick, as he that is well may eat and drink. I confess, we must not altogether repose our Confidence and Trust upon the Remedies, but rather upon God, who fends both Sickness and Health. As Man doth not live by Bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the Mouth of God; fo'tis not by the Physick alone that a Patient is cur'd of his Distemper, but by the Bleffing and Power of him who who gives the Wound, and binds it up; who strikes and heals when he pleaseth, Job v. Therefore as we ought never to eat nor drink before we pray to God to vouchsafe his Blessing upon our Meat and Drink, that he may grant to them the Virtue of recruiting the decay'd Strength of our Bodies: Likewife we should never take any Physick, without lifting up our Hands to God for a Blessing, that the Remedy may have the Strength to expel our Disease. All God's Creatures are good, when they are received with Thanksgiving, for they are sanctified by the Word of God, and by Prayer, 1 Tim. iv.

Take notice here how much such Persons are to be blamed, who when they lament for the Loss of their Friends or Kindred, instead of looking up to Heaven, look down upon Earth, and confider nothing but the interiour Cause of their Grief; instead of adoring with all Humility, the wife Providence of God, that disposes of all worldly Events, and appoints the meanest Circumstances: They fret and murmur, they delight to nourish in their Minds Displeasure, which confumes them; and break forth into many needlefs Complaints, which serve but to open their Wounds, and to render them more miferable. If he had not been in such a Place, if he had not been engag'd in such a Way, if such a Physician had not been called, or if another had been sent; if this, or that had not been done, if this Physick had not been adminiftred to him, if less or more Blood had been taken from him, if he had been suffered to eat more Meat, or if less had been given, my Brother or my Sifter, my Wife, my Child, or my Husband had been yet alive. It may be, thou art mistaken, Friend, the Disease could not to be cur'd but by a Miracle; but when it should be otherwise, we must nevertheless lift up our Eyes to God, and acknowledge his Finger with all respect: For ofttimes he blinds the Physicians, so that they can't understand the Nature of the Disease, and fuffers them to apply Remedies contrary to the Distemper. As God threatens