cost us many tears, and involved us in deep distress, were the very best things that could have befallen us; and that to have had our wishes gratified in those circumstances, would have been in danger of alienating our minds from God and our duty; and by putting us out of our proper pursuit, would have plunged us at length in deeper and more lasting distress. We may then probably tremble to think how narrowly we escaped the most imminent dangers, and see that had we been suffered to proceed, as we then wished, we should have been inevitably lost.

Timely chastisements are, certainly, the most benevolent parts of the divine conduct. There is no. thing that, in general, we all stand in greater need of; and in many cases nothing could be more hurtful to us than success in our favourite pursuits. It is happy for us that God does not always answer us according to our own meaning in our prayers." How possible is it that we may be most earnest in our prayers for what would infallibly ruin us, and desire with all importunity to be delivered from a thing which would constitute or ulti mately produce our greatest good.

This ignorance of our own best good should teach us not to be either particular, or importunate,

in

=

in our prayers, but always to express ourselves with great latitude, and a most entire resignation. God knows all our wants, and therefore has no need that we should inform him of them; nor does he want any good-will towards us, if we have taken care, by doing our duty, to make ourselves proper objects of his favour; so that he hath already every disposition that we should wish to excite in him. But by praying we express the sense we have of our dependence upon him, and of our obligations to him; and we should express ourselves in such a manner as that our language shall imply no more; and least of all, any thing that should look like dictating to him what he should do for us. Our business is solely with our own minds, own tempers and dispositions. Farther than this is wholly within the sphere of providence and we have nothing to do, but to submit, and rejoice.

Thirdly, without resignation to the will of God, in disagreeable situations and prospects, the end of our afflictions cannot be answered, and consequently we ourselves shall be the losers. Men are by their frame and their obvious connections designed for a state of trial and discipline, and the scriptures every where suppose and consider us in such

a state. We are so placed, that the circumstances we are in, and the various incidents of our lives, all appointed by divine providence, are adapted to affect our tempers and dispositions; and they are

all capable of affecting us, either favourably or unfavourably. Whether our circumstances be prosperous or adverse, they may either improve our minds in virtue, or they may lead us farther off from the paths of virtue, and consequently of happiness. But so wise and gracious is the appointment of all things, that nothing befals but what may be made a means of good to us. There is no event in our lives, but, if it be considered in a proper light, and be duly meditated upon, may have the most happy effect on our minds, and prepare us for our proper happiness; at the same time that, if we receive them in a different manner, they may have the most fatal effect upon our tempers and conduct, and thereby lead us to certain ruin.

New afflictions, and every thing that is disagreeable and calamitous, are things that are naturally capable of leading to virtue or to vice, and consequentially of yielding us happiness or misery. They improve our tempers and promote our happiness, if they make us resigned to the will of God,

God, because they then wean our minds from the pursuit of a species of happiness which is not capable of yielding us any real satisfaction, and they direct our views to God, and such objects as will not finally disappoint us. Considering them in this light, they are kind admonitions to shun what though flattering, is, nevertheless, hurtful to us. We have, therefore, reason to receive them with gratitude, as things exceedingly salutary, for though, for the present they be not joyous, but grievous, as the apostle says, they work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, but no otherwise can afflictions be of any

use to us. :

On the contrary, it is plain, that if afflictions have any other effect than such as I have now described, they must be exceedingly hurtful to us. If they feed discontent, they introduce a state of the most complete wretchedness that can invade the mind of man. Every emotion of discontent adds to the growth of worldly mindedness, and makes a man more a slave to his irregular appetites and passions. Thus by indulging discontent, we frustrate the kind intentions of providence in our afflictions.

Fourthly,

Fourthly, resignation to the will of God is a temper of mind peculiarly pleasing to him, as we may learn both from the nature of the thing itself, and the most express declarations of scripture. That God must be peculiarly pleased with this temper of mind is evident from the nature of it. Whence arises dissatisfaction with our condition in life? Can we indulge this temper without entertaining a suspicion that the course of things has taken some wrong turn, and that the Divine Being has not been sufficiently attentive to us and our concerns. This disposition of mind is, in effect, an arranging of providence, and arises from what may be properly called impiety. It is a calling in question the wisdom and goodness of God, the most important of all his attributes, those which make him the proper object of our reverence, love and confidence; and can any thing be more justly displeasing to him than this?

On the contrary, a contented temper of mind does honour to God. It gives glory to God by believing him to be what he is, and being fully impressed with that belief. Resignation is the language of a heart that is fully persuaded that God is a Being infinitely wise, powerful and good, and who gives an unremitted attention to all the N works