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S E Ŕ M. furance that their prosperity was never to change, and afterwards had cheated their hopes. Whereas, what reason ought to teach us, is, to adjust our mind to the mixed state in which we find ourfelves placed; never to prefume, never to despair; to be thankful for the goods which at present we enjoy, and to expect the evils that may fucceed. Thou haft been admitted to partake of the feast of life. Its good things are distributed, in various portions, among the guests. Thou haft had thine allotted thare. Complain not, when thy portion is removed. It is not permitted to any one, to remain always at the banquet.

II. WE are taught by the text, that both the goods and the evils which compofe this mixed state, come from the hand of God. A little reflection may convince us, that in God's world, neither good nor evil can happen by chance. If there were any one moment, in which God quitted the reins of the universe, and fuffered any power to interfere with

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his administration, it is evident, that, S ER M. from that moment, the measures of his government must become disjointed and incomplete. He who governs all things, must govern continually; and govern the least things as well as the greatest. He never flumbers nor fleeps. There are no void spaces, no broken plans, in his administration; no bleffings that drop upon us without his intention; nor any croffes that vifit us, unfent by him. I am the Lord, and there is none elfe. I form the light, and create darkness. I make peace, and create evil. I the Lord do all these things*.

2

How it has come to pass, that this life fhould contain fuch a mixture of goods and evils, and that the mixture too fhould be of God's appointment, gives rife to a difficult inquiry. For how can any thing but what is good proceed from the God of love? Can darkness iffue from the fource of light?

* Ifaiah xlv. 6, 7.

SER M. or can it be any fatisfaction to the Father XVI. of mercies, to behold the forrows of crea

tures whom he has made?-Here there was room for much perplexity, till revelation informed us, that the mixture of evils in man's eftate is owing to man himself. Had he continued as God originally made him, he would have received nothing but good from his Creator. His apoftafy and corruption opened the gates of the tabernacle of darknefs. Mifery issued forth, and has ever fince pursued him. In the prefent condition of his nature, that mifery is partly punishment, partly trial. He is become incapable of bearing uninterrupted profperity; and by the mixture of evils in his lot, merciful defigns are carried on for his improvement and restoration.

What the text leads us at prefent to confider is, the effect that will follow from imitating the example of Job, and referring to the hand of the Almighty, the evils which we fuffer, as well as the goods which we enjoy. Such a reference of the diftrefsful events of our life

to

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to the appointment of Heaven, not only SER M. is a duty which piety requires, but tends also to mitigate distress, and to fuggeft confolation. For to dwell, as is too commonly done, upon the inftruments and fubordinate means of our trouble, is frequently the cause of much grief, and much fin. When we view our fufferings as proceeding merely from our fellowcreatures, the part which they have acted in bringing them upon us, is often more grating than the suffering itself, The unreasonableness, perhaps, of an enemy, the treachery of a friend, the ingratitude or infolence of one whom we had much obliged, add weight to a load laid upon us by means fo provoking. The thoughts of their malignity, or of our own neglect in guarding against it, serve to poison the fore. Whereas, if instead of looking to men, we beheld the cross as coming from God, these aggravating circumftancès would affect us lefs; we would feel no more than our proper burden; we would fubmit to it more patiently; and many

refources

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SER M. resources would open to us, as shall in a little be shown, from thinking of the hand that lays it on. Had-Job, when defpoiled of all his fubftance, thought of nothing but the Chaldeans and Sabeans who robbed him, with what violent paffions would he have been tranfported, and with what eager defires of revenge tormented? Whereas, confidering them as rods and inftruments only in the divine hand, and receiving the correction as from the Almighty himfelf, the tumult of his mind fubfided; and with refpectful compofure he could fay, The and the Lord hath taken gave; away: Bleed be the name of the Lord, This leads me,

Lord

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III. To confider the last, and most important inftruction, arifing from the text; namely, that there are many reafons why we, who receive good from the hand of God, fhould receive with patience the evils which he is pleased to inflict. This is ftrongly conveyed by that interrogatory' form of fpeech, in which the fentiment of Job is expreffed:

What?