Providence will and can have no Effect up

on us.

The Pfalmist complains of those wicked Men, who regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, 28. Pfal. 5. And a great many such there are, who have a general Notion and Belief of a Providence, but take no notice of what God does, or take no notice of God in what is done. Moft Men are too apt to attribute all Events to the immediate and vifible Causes; and though at other times they will own a God and a Providence, yet as to particular Events, take as little notice of God, as if he had nothing to do in it. Such a belief of Providence as this, is of no ufe at all in Religion; it neither gives Glory to God, nor has any Influence upon the Government of our Lives.

But if we will own Providence to the true Ends and Purposes of Religion, we must not content our felves with a general belief of God's governing the World; but whatever our State and Condition be, or whatever extraordinary Good or Evil happens to us, we must receive all as from the Hand of God. If we are Poor, we muft own this to be God's Will and Appointment that we should be Poor; if we be Rich, we must confider, that it is God's Bleffing which maketh Rich; if we lose our Eftates by Injuftice and Oppreffion, we must acknowledge, as Job did, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: And whatever Evils and Miseries befal us, we muft fay with good old Eli, It is the Lord, let hins do what feemeth him good. Or with David, I was dumb, and opened not my mouth, because it is thy doings.

Without

Without believing God's Government of all Events, we deny a particular Providence; and unless at the very time when any Good or Evil befals us, we fee and acknowledge God's Hand in it, we can have no prefent affecting Sense of his Providence: All fuch Acts of Providence are loft, as far as our taking no notice of them can lofe them; God lofes the Glory of his Goodness, Mercy, Patience, or Juftice, and we lose those Divine Comforts and Supports, or those Spiritual Inftructions and Admonitions, which a due Senfe and Acknowledgment of Providence would have furnished us with.

And therefore let us accuftom our felves in all Events, in the first place to take notice of God and his Providence; which will teach us how to behave our felves in all Circumftances, and how to make the best and wifeft Use of whatever happens; and it was neceffary to premife this; for it is in vain to teach Men their Duty to Providence, till they have learnt to attribute all particular Events to the Providence of God; and to live under a conftant Senfe and Regard of it.

2dly, When we have thus affected our Minds with a juft Senfe of the Divine Providence in every thing that befalls us, we muft in the next place take care to compofe our Souls to a quiet and humble Submiffion to the Sovereign Will and Pleasure of God in all things.

All Men confefs, that it is our Duty to fubmit to the Will of God; and if all the Events of Providence are God's doings, and what God does is his Will, as the Scripture affures us it is, and Reason tells us it muft be, unless God does any thing against his own Will, then we muft fubmit to the Providential Will of God in all

Events,

Events, as well as to the Commanding Will of God in obeying his Laws.

The Sovereign Authority and Dominion of God requires this of us; for we are his, and he may difpofe of our Condition and Fortune in the World as he pleafes. The Abfolute Power

of God makes it both Prudent and Ne9. Job 4. ceffary; For who batb bardened bimfelf against him, and profpered? That is, against his Providential Will; for that whole Difpute is about Providence: And the Wisdom and Goodness of God makes it both reasonable, and our Intereft, to submit to him; for all his Providences, how fevere foever they may appear, are ordered for the good of thofe who do fubmit to him. So that it is our Duty to submit, because he is our Sovereign Lord; whether we will submit or no, we muft fuffer his Will, because we cannot refift his Power; and there is no Danger in fubmitting to God, for he will confult our present and future Happiness, and do better for us, than we could chufe for our felves.

This is plain enough; but that which I principally intend, is to confider the Nature and various Acts of that Submiffion which we owe to Providence, or to the Providential Will of God; and I shall distinctly enquire, what Submiffion we owe to Providence under all the Evils, Afflictions, and Calamities of Life, and in those feveral States, Conditions, and Relations of Life, which the Providence of God placeth us in.

1. What Submiffion we owe to Providence under all the Sufferings and Afflictions which we meet with in this World. I do not mention a happy and profperous Fortune, for it requires no great Submiffion to be Profperous, this is what all Men defire and chufe; but to fubmit,

is to make our own Wills, and Defires, and Fears, and Averfions, and natural Paffions and Affections, ftoop, and yield to the Will of God, which there is no occafion for, but in a fuffering and afflicted State.

Now when we fuffer fuch things as are very grievous to Flesh and Blood, Submiffion to the Will of God does not require that we should not feel our Sufferings, that we should not be afflicted with them, that we should not complain of them; for to fubmit to God is not to put off the Sense and Paffions of Human Nature; it does not alter the Nature of things, nor our Opinions about them: Afflictions are Afflictions ftill, and will be felt; and though we must bear them in Submiffion to God, yet we must bear them as Afflictions can be born, and as Human Nature can bear them; with Pain, and Grief, and Reluctancy, with Sighs, and Greans, and Complaints, with vehement and importunate Defires and Prayers to God and Man to help and deliver

us.

We have frequent Examples of this in Scripture: The Plalms of David, as they abound with all dutiful Expreffions of Reverence and Submiffion to the Will of God; fo they are very full of Complaints, and of the moft paffionate Senfe of Sufferings, reprefented fo as to be felt, in fuch a ftrain of moving Eloquence, as not Art, but Afflicted Nature teaches. But we have one Example above all others, and that is the Example of our Saviour Chrift, who fuffered with Fear and Reluctancy, and with earnest Prayers to his Father, If it be poffible, let this cup pass from me.

The truth is, the greater our Fears, and Sorrows, and Averfions are, the greater is our Submiffion to God: It may be thought a great weakness

D d

weakness of Nature to be fo much afraid of our Sufferings; but it argues the greater Strength of Faith, and is a more glorious Victory over felf, to make our very Fears and Averfions fubmit to the Divine Will; for the more what we fuffer is against our own Will, the greater is our Submiffion to the Will of God. Submiffion to God does not confift in Courage and Fortitude of Mind to bear Sufferings, which Men may have without any fenfe of God; and which the profoundest Reverence for God will not always teach us; but he fubmits, who receives the bitter Cup and drinks it, though with a trembling Heart and Hand.

This ought to be obferved, for the comfort of those who have a very devout Senfe of God, and Reverence for his Judgments, but betray great weakness of Mind, and diforders of Paffions under their Sufferings; who are very impatient of Pain, and have fuch foft and tender Paffions, that every Affliction galls them, and when they reflect upon thefe Disorders, this creates new and greater Troubles to them; for they conclude, that all this is want of a due Submiffion to the Will of God: But Religion was never intended to extinguifh the Senfe and Affections of Nature, to reconcile us to Pain, or to make all things indifferent to us; and while there is any thing that we love, it will be grievous to part with it; and while there is any thing that we fear, it will be grievous to fuffer it. Religion will rectify our Opinions of things, and cure our fondneffes, and fet Bounds to our Paffions; but when all these flattering, or frightful Disguises are removed, which magnified the Good or Evil that is in things, yet Good and Evil they are, and will excite in us either troublesome or delightful Paffions; and this will

exercise