SERM. Graves. One dies in an Affluence of Wealth III. and Profperity; and another, perhaps a

better Man than him, after a tedious Life of Sorrow, expires in Anguish and Tortures infupportable. Wherefore, fays he, do the Wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in Power, and their Seed is eftablish'd in their Sight with them, and their Offspring before their Eyes? Their Houfes are safe from Fear, neither is the Rod of God upon them; they take the Timbrel and Harp, and rejoice at the Sound of the Organ; they spend their Days in Wealth, and in a Moment go down to the Grave. One dieth in his full Strength, being wholly at Eafe and Quiet; and another dieth in the Bitterness of his Soul, and never eateth with Pleasure. They fball lie down alike in the Duft, and the Worms fball cover them.

When David faw the Profperity of the Ungodly, that they were not in Trouble like other Men, it fo tenderly affected him, that he could not forbear breaking out into this paffionate Complaint, Verily I have cleanfed my Heart in vain, I have wash'd my Hands in Innocency; for all the Day long have I been plagued, and chaftned every Morning. And Jeremiah was fo perplex'd with the Thoughts of this, that tho' he

would

would not accufe God of Injuftice, whatever SERM: happen'd, but says, Righteous art thou, O III: Lord, when I plead with thee! Yet in the very fame Verse he can't forbear enquiring in to the Reason of it. Tet let me talk with thee of thy Judgments, fays hé: Wherefore does the Way of the Wicked profper? Wherefore are all they happy that deal treacherously? This indeed has troubled the Thoughts of many good Men in all the Ages of the World, and 'tis founded entirely upon this mistaken Principle, That Afflic tions are always Tokens of God's Difpleafure, and that the Comforts of Life are always Marks of Favour: And this is fo far from being always true, that the Reverse of it is very often fo; at leaft thefe Things are often fo promifcuously distributed, as to leave no Room for any fuch Conclufion. Hence fome have form'd an Objection, not against the Juftice, but against the very Being of a God. All Things come alike to all; fay they, there is one Event to the Righteous and to the Wicked; to the Good and to the Clean, and to the Unclean; to him that facrificeth, and to him that facrificeth not : As is the Good, fo is the Sinner; and he that fweareth, as he that feareth an Oath. Upon which Account they prefently conclude,

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SERM. clude, that 'tis to no Purpose for them to III. obferve their Duty, or to take any manner of Care about regulating their Life and Manners, for that it all turns to one Account, the Effect is just the fame, do what they will. But now, in Answer to this, let it be obferv'd that the Happiness or Mifery of a Man does not always appear by his outward State and Condition; there is no true Judgment to be made of his being happy by his being profperous and rich in the World, and enjoying his Heart's Defire; for when a Man, full of Ambition and Revenge, thrives in the World, and has it in his Power to follow the natural Bent of his Inclinations, the Mischiefs that enfue plainly fhew that Profperity was fent him as a Curfe: Nor can a Man be pronounc'd miferable from the Troubles and Disappointments he meets with; thefe Things are moft commonly fent for the Trial of a Man's Virtue, or to fubdue fome growing Vice, and they will prove good or otherwise to a Man, according to the Ufe he makes of them; fo that neither the one nor the other are Marks of God's Favour or Displeasure always.

But to proceed. The Afflictions which happen to us in this Life are no Objections against

:

against the Justice of God, because he made SERM. us, and confequently has a Right to deal II. with us as he pleafes. God gave us Life of his own free Gift, without our Defire or Deferving; for we could neither do the one nor the other, when as yet we were not, when we had not a Being to defire or deferve it in He therefore must certainly have a Right to allot us to what fort or kind of Life he fhall think moft proper and convenient; for the A&t of creating us implies in it alfo a Right of governing us. this is further evinc'd from the Gonfideration of our own State and Condition, which is a State of Dependance, weak and defective, which implies in it a Want of Help and Succour; fo that whatever happens to us in this Life can be no Objection against the Juftice of God, because it comes from him who alone has a Right to difpofe of us.

And

Indeed, were we altogether free from Sin, we might have fome Plea for defiring a Life of Eafe and Happiness, exempted from the common Cafualties of which every Man living has his Share. But even then, could not God do what he pleas'd with his own? Shall the Thing form'd fay to him that formi'd it, Why haft thou made me thus ? Shall we pretend to direct the Almighty in

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his

III.

SERM. his Difpenfations, or teach him what is proper for him to do? Is this the Way we take in our own Affairs? Are we willing to be taught by our Inferiors? Do we not on the contrary too often hate Counsel, and despise Reproof, even from those whom we ourfelves acknowledge to be wife? Shall we then pretend to guide the Hand of Providence, and point out the Way for him, whofe Footsteps are not known? 'Tis to confound our vain Curiofity, and to manifeft his own Glory, that God fometimes works an Effect beyond the Reach of all human Apprehenfion. So that, tho' he is a Being infinitely good and juft, and therefore will not do any thing inconsistent with Goodness and Juftice, yet he is infinitely wife too, and therefore is above any Rules we fhall think fit to prefcribe, and confequently will not be accountable to us for any of his Ways; fo that all our bufy Enquiries about thefe Things must be refolv'd into the Will of God, which is fufficient to filence all the Difputers of thisWorld. When the Difciples faw the Man that was born blind, they immediately concluded that it was the Effect of fome remarkable Sin of him or his Parents; and accordingly ask'd our Saviour, faying, Mafter, who did fin

this