ther to enjoyn what might be hurtful for us, or to forbid what might be beneficial to us, for it was his free and immenfe ove that gave us at firft our Being, and therefore certainly can never envy us any thing that might be good or convenient for that Being, which he at first freely gave, and still freely continues to us. 2. Faith fhews us the Vanity and lowness of such Defires, reminds us that when death comes, all these Objects will be utterly infignificant, that they are tranfient, uncertain Objects, fuch as are not only fitted barely for the meridian of this life, but such as oftentimes take wings and fly away from us before we leave them, fuch as their very enjoyment fatisfie not, but inftead of fatisfaction are oftentimes vexations and thorns to afflict us 3. Faith presents us with better things, more fafe to be defired, more easily to be obtained, more fecurely to be kept; namely, our peace with God, and the firm and found affurance of everlafting happiness. 4. Faith prefents us with an affurance of the Divine particular Providence which gives and takes away, and grants or denies the things upon which our defires are thus fixed, and therefore renders our immoderate cares and thoughtfulness for the business of this Life, either needlefs or vain. Your Heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things, commands us to caft our care upon him, for he careth for us that knows what is fitteft for us; if abundance, he is able to fupply us without torturing our felves with care or follicitoufnefs; if the contrary, either we covet in vain, and our endeavours fhall be disappointed, or at least they fhall be given, but a curfe and vexation with them, given us in anger, given us to our hurt; and the fame may be faid in all points in relation to ambition and defire of Honours or Powers. 2. Again, in relation to Malice. or Envy against the profperity of others, Faith fhews us how vain and foolish a thing it is, and the rather, because the wife and great God is the difpencer of all things, hath the abfolute and unlimited propriety in them, difpofeth them according to his own good pleasure. What reafon hath any Man to envy that difpofal which the God of Heaven makes? Again, 3. For Revenge, the great Lord of the World hath referved that as a branch of his own

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Supream Prerogative, Vengeance is mine,faith the Lord. What have you or I to do to invade his Prerogative? It is his own right, and he best knows when, and where, and in what degree to exercise it.

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2. I come to the confideration of the World without us, as that which poffibly is here principally intended, and the Victory of the Chriftian by his Faith over it, and first in relation to the Natural World. This World, as hath been obferved, is in it felf very good, and the evil that arifeth from it is only occafional: Which is thus; It is a goodly Palace fitted with all grateful Objects to our Senfes, full of variety and pleasantness, and the Soul faftening upon them, is ready with Peter in the Mount to conclude that it is good to be here, and therefore grows careless of the thoughts of another state after death, or to think of the paffage to it, or making provision for it? but to set up hope and happiness; and reft in it, and in thefe delights and accommodations that it yields our fenfes. Faith overcometh this part of the World, by affuring the Soul, that this lower World is only the place of our probation not of our happiness; our Inn, not our home. It prefents to the Mind a state of happiness, to be attained after death, infinitely furpaffing all the contents and conveniences that this World can yield; and that one great means to attain it, is by fetting our hearts upon it, and not upon the World, but ufing this prefent World not as the end of our hopes, but as our paffage to it; and to carry a watchful hand over our defires and delights towards it, or in it; that it fteal not away our heart from our everlafting Treafure; to carry a fober and temperate mind towards it, and ufe of it, as in the fight of that God that lends it us, to excite our thankfulness and try our Obedience, not to rob him of the Love, and Service, and Duty we owe unto him. In fhort, the methods whereby Faith overcometh this part of the World, are thefe: 1. By giving us a true eftimate of it, to prevent us from over-valuing it. 2. By frequent re-minding of us, that it is fitted only to the Meridian of this Life, which is fhort and tranfitory, and paffeth away. 3. By prefenting unto us a ftate of future hap

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piness, that infinitely furpaffeth it. 4. By discovering our Duty in our walk through it, namely, of great moderation and vigilancy. 5. By prefenting unto us the example of the Captain of our Salvation, his deportment in it, and towards it. 6. By affuring us that we are. but Stewards unto the great Lord of the Family of Heaven and Earth for fo much as we have of it, and that to him we muft give an account of our Stewardship. 7. By affuring us that our great Lord and Master is a conftant obferver of all our deportment in it. 8. And that he will moft certainly give a reward proportionable to the management of our Truft and Stewardship, viz. If done fincerely, faithfully, and obediently to our great Lord and Master, a reward of everlasting Happiness and Glory; but if done falfly finfully, and difobediently, then a reward of everlasting Lofs and Mifery.

2. As to the fecond kind of World, the Malignant World of evil Men and evil Angels; and therein firft in relation to the evil Counfels, and evil Examples, that folicit or tempt us to the breach of our Duty to God. The Methods whereby Faith overcometh this part of the Malignant World, are thefe. 1. It prefents unto us our Duty that we owe to God, and which we are bound indifpenfibly to obferve under the great penalty of lofs of our Happinefs. 2. It prefents us with the great advantage that we have in obeying God, above whatfoever advantage we can have in obeying or following the finful examples, counfels, or commands of this World; and the great excefs of our difadvantage in obeying or following the evil examples, or counfels of the World. And this makes him at a point with these Solicitations, peremptorily to conclude it is better to obey God than Man; and with Jo feph, How can I do this great wickedness, and fin against God? 3. It prefents Almighty God ftrictly obferving our carriage in relation to thefe temptations. 4. It prefents us with the displeasure and indignation of the fame God, in cafe we defert him, and follow the finful examples, or counfels of Men; and with the great favour, love, approbation, and reward of Almighty God, if we keep our Fi

delity and Duty to him. 5. It prefents us with the noble. example of our bleffed Saviour. 6. It prefents us with the tranfcendent love of God in Chrift Jefus, who to redeem and refque us from the mifery of our natural condition, and from the dominion of fin, and to make us a peculiar people zealous of good Works, chofe to become a curse and die for us, the greateft obligation of love and gratitude and duty imaginable: And then it leaves the Soul impartially to judge which is better of the two, and whether this malignant World can propound any thing that can be an equivalent motive to follow their commands or examples, or that can equal the love of our Saviour, the reward of eternal life, and the favour of the ever glorious God; all which must be denied and loft by a fiful compliance with evil counfels, commands, or examples of an evil World. It is true the World can perchance reward my compliance herein with honour, and applause, and favour, and riches or they can punish my neglects with reproach, and scorn and lofs and poverty, and it may be with death: but what proportion do these bear to the favour and love of God, and eternal recompence of glory and endless happiness? The terms therefore of my obedienee to the loving and gracious God (to whom I owe my utmoft duty and obedience, though there were no reward attending it) do infinitely out-bid, and outweigh whatsoever a finful World can either give or inflict. And fecondly, as to the other Part or Scene of this malignant World Perfecutions, Reproaches, Scorns, yea Death it felf, Faith prefents the Soul not only with the foregoing confiderations and that glorious promife, Be faithful unto Death, and I will give thee a Crown of life, but fome other confiderations that are peculiarly proper to this condition. viz. 1. That it is this ftate, that our bleffed Saviour hath not only foretold, but hath annexed a special promife of bleffednefs unto, Bleffed are they that are perfecuted for Righteousness fake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 2 That there have gone before us a noble Cloud of Examples in all Ages, yea the Captain. of our Salvation was thus made perfect by fuffering. 3. i hat though it is troublefome, it is but fhort, and ends with

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death, which will be the paffage into a state of incorrup tible happiness: And this was that that made the three Children cry out, at a point when the greatest Monarch in the World was ready to inflict the fevereft death upon them; Our God whom we ferve is able to deliver us, &c. but if not, know O King, that we will not worship thy graven Image which thou haft fet up. And therefore our Bleffed Lord redoubles the injunction of our fear toward Him that can deftroy both Body and Soul in Hell, but forbids any fear of fuch perfecutors, who can only deftroy the Body, and then can do no more. And certainly that Man that hath full affurance of an efteem with the great God of Heaven and Earth,of an incorruptible weight and Crown of Glory the next moment after death, muft needs have a low efteem of the reproaches and fcorns and perfecutions of Men for righteousness fake; and fo much the rather because that very favour with God, and that very Crown of happiness that he expects, is enhanced by these very scorns and those very afflictions. For, Our light afflictions which are here for a moment, work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

3. Concerning the third kind of World, namely the Providential World, confifting in external difpenfations of adverfity or profperity. And firft concerning the dark part of the World, namely, Adverfity, as cafualties, Iffues of Wealth or Friends, Sickneffes, the common effects whereof are impatience, diftruft, murmuring, and unquietness: Faith conquers this part of the World, and prevents thefe evil confequences, which either temptations from without, or corruptions from within are apt to raife. 1. Faith prefents the Soul with this affurance, that all external occurrences come from the wife difpenfation or permiffion of the moft glorious God; they come not by chance. 2. That the glorious God may, even upon the account of his own Sovereignty, and pro imperio, inflict what he pleafeth upon any of his Creatures in this life. 3. That yet whatsoever he doth in this kind, is not only an effect of his Power and Sovereignty, but of his Wif dom, yea and of his goodness and bounty. No affliction

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