89 A SERMON Preached at WHITE-HALL, Upon Occafion of Her Late Majesties JAMES I. 2. My Brethren, count it all Joy, when ye fall into divers Tem tations. L Est the sharpness and severity of our late Affliction, which is not confined within the bounds of thefe Kingdoms, but sheds its influence over the greatest part of Christendom, and takes them in for our Fellow-mourners; Left this (I fay) should tempt us to murmur and repine, to exceed the the just Bounds of Moderation and Prudence, and to quarrel at the Unfearchable difpenfations of an all-Good and All-Wife Providence; I have therefore chofen to entertain you at the prefent, with fome fuch feasonable and useful Meditations, as may direct `us to be eafie under the moft grievous Circumstances; and by a happy kind of Christian Alchymy, to turn Judgments themselves into Bleffings. And indeed, there is nothing in which Men are more generally mistaken, than in the wrong Notions they ufually entertain, concerning the various Dispensations of Providence in this World: Becaufe Profperity carries with it present Satisfaction, and is fet off with a little Tinfel bravery, they are apt to magnifie and admire it; and are as prone to decry and vilifie Adverfity, because it is accompanied with fome fenfible uneafineffes, and has no gay Pageantry, to recommend it. Whilft Men will thus take up with outfides and appearances, and fuffer their Judgments only to play upon the Surface of things, it will be hard to perfwade them, That the former of these is commonly a fnare, being followed by a train of most dan gerous not gerous Confequences; and that the latter is frequently a Bleffing, being happily attended with confiderable Advantages: Yet to him that examines things calmly and impartially, this feeming Paradox will be evidently made out; and the Apostle will appear to have very good Grounds, for exhorting all Chriftians to rejoyce and triumph, when they find themselves encompaffed with manifold Afflictions only to undergo them with fuch a ftedfaft firmnefs and ferenity of Mind, as fome of the Heathen Philofophers applauded and attained to; but to carry their Refignation to a pitch much higher, to which nothing but Chriftianity could ever yet arrive, by finding juft matter of Joy and Confolation, in thofe mifconftrued occafions of Sorrow and Uneafinefs: My Brethren, fays he, count it all Foy, when ye fall into divers Temptations. The words afford us this fingle propofition, which I defign for the fubject of my following Difcourfe, namely, That whatsoever Afflictions may at any time befall us, if we confider them duly as Chriftians fhould do, they afford juft matter of Joy and Confolation. The The Truth of this Affertion will undeniably appear, from these three following Confiderations. First, From the Nature of our Temptations or Afflictions. Secondly, From expofing us to them. God's Defign in Thirdly, From the Confequences which attend them. First. Then, from the Nature of our Temptations or Afflictions it will evidently appear, that whenfoever they befall us, if we confider them duly, as Christians should do, they afford just matter of Joy and Confolation. Indeed, if we are unaffifted by Grace and Religion, if we are left to our felves to wrestle with Afflictions, the natural Man is unable of himself to extract Honey out of Wormwood, or to make fuch better Potions become fweet and Palatable; but if we bring them to the Bar of Religion, and try them by the Laws and Maxims of Christianity, we shall find all their Uneafinefs to drop off and fall away, and to be happily fucceeded by Comfort and Satisfaction. All those troubles and Afflictions which touch Men most fenfibly, fenfibly, and are the most likely means to disturb and difcompofe them, may be reduced under these fix Heads; The lofs of Reputation, the Lofs of Riches, the lofs of Liberty, the lofs of Friends or of Relations, the lofs of Health, and the loss of Life: Under these may be comprehended all manner of Tempta tions; and if we examin them feverally and diftinctly, we fhall fee this Doctrine verified in each particular of them, that they afford us just matter of Joy and Confolation. I. Then as to the loss of Reputation; This indeed is looked upon by the Natural Man, as a very fharp and grievous Misfortune; it makes him mean and contemptible in the Eyes of the World, to which he chiefly defires to recommend and approve himself; it expofes him to flights and difrefpects; all Men fhun and avoid his Society, as if his Infamy were Infectious, and think it base and scandalous to be seen to converse with him: he is the common Theme of abufive Tongues, the mark of malicious Eyes, and the putting forth of the Finger; and the best that he can hope for, is to be fo far despised, as at length to be forgotten H and |