teous are as bold as a lion. Prov. xxviii. 1. And the Holy Psalmist tells us, that a good man shall not be afraid of any evil tidings; for his heart standeth fast, and believeth in the Lord. Ps. cxii. 7. The Lord, says he, is my Light and my Salvation; whom then shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Ps. xxvii. 1. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of Death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff comfort me. Ps. xxiii. 4. What indeed should he fear, whose soul is anchored upon the rock of ages; who has the God of Jacob for his help; whose hope is in the Lord his God? Ps. cxlvi. 5. He knows that he is in the hands of a most gracious and merciful Father, and is fully persuaded that all things shall work together for good to them that love him: he is assured, that the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him; upon them that hope in his mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Ps. xxxii. 18, 19. And there

fore he can rejoice in God, even in the midst of trouble and affliction, when he considers, that as his afflictions come from the hands of a good and gracious being, who does not willingly afflict the children of men; so he knows that as the time is short, they can be of no long continuance, and that, if he makes a right use of them, they will work for him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 2 Cor. iv. 17.

See then the folly and madness of those that take not God for their strength; but trust to the multitude of their riches, and strengthen them-selves in their wickedness, Ps. lii. 7; and think by these means to be fortified against the evils of this life!-Alas! there are numberless calamities, from which wealth and power can never shelter us: and therefore if a man withdraws his trust in God, and takes sanctuary in the strength of his wickedness, he will find himself miserably mistaken when the day of adversity comes upon him. The weight of sin superadded to that of temporal evils, is a burthen heavier than any per

son is able to bear. It is certain, whatever the great of this world may think, nothing can alleviate the pressure of worldly troubles but a good life. It is that, and that only, which is a sufficient counterpoise to balance the weight of any severe affliction: nothing else is sufficient to support a man in the evil days of his pilgrimage, and to sustain his spirit under the most oppressive calamities of this Life. All other experiments, how promising soever, will be found vain and ineffectual. The consciousness of having in some measure lived holily and unblameably, will make him look up with humble assurance to the great supporter of his being; enable him to see through the darkest clouds of sorrow, and behold with an eye of faith that heavenly country to which he is travelling, and where he hopes shortly to arrive. And this, though it will not wholly remove the afflictions which God is sometimes pleased, for wise and good ends, to send upon some men in this life, nor make us insensible of the pangs that attend them; yet it will

greatly lessen and enervate their force, and enable us to bear up under them with courage and even cheerfulness. For how strong a consolation must it be for a good man, under bodily pains, or grief of mind, to contemplate a state where there shall be no more sorrow, no more pain, and where all tears shall be wiped for ever from his eyes! or, if he is under the pressure of want and extreme necessity, how must it support and relieve his sinking spirits to consider, that he has a Father in heaven who will never leave him nor forsake him, Heb. xiii. 5. how much soever he may at present think fit to deprive him of outward comforts! and that there is no person in the world so great, so prosperous, or so happy, but that (having a little patience) he himself

shall be more so!

The sum of what I have said upon this head is so elegantly expressed by the author of a late Essay upon the Omnipresence of God, that, I am persuaded, I shall leave this reflection more strongly upon my reader's mind, if I give the words of that unknown,

but excellent, person: How happy,' (says he, speaking of the intercourse there is between God and the souls of good Men). how happy is an intellectual being, who, by prayer and meditation, by virtue and good 'works, opens this communication between God and his own soul! though the whole creation, should frown upon him, and all nature look black about him, he has this light and support within him, that are able to cheer his mind, and bear him up in the midst of all those horrors which encompass him. him. He knows that his helper is at hand, and is always nearer to him than any thing else can be which is capable of annoying or terrifying him. In the midst of calumny or contempt, he attends to that being, who whispers better things ' within his soul, and whom he looks upon as his defender, his glory, and the lifter up of his head. In his 'deepest solitude and retirement he knows, that he is in company with the greatest of Beings; and perceives within himself such real sensations of