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28. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God. All the evils and afflictions which happen to good men, confpire one way or other to the promoting of their happinefs, many times in this world, to be fure they make a great addition to it in the other. So the fame Apoftle tells us, 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, whilst we look not, &c. And can we fay God's providence neglects us, when he rewards our temporal fufferings with eter, nal glory when through many hardships and tribulations, he at laft brings us to a kingdom? Was Jofeph neglected by God, when by a great deal of hard ufage, and a long imprifonment, he was raised to the highest dignity in a great kingdom? Or ra ther was not the providence of God very remarkable towards him, in making thofe fufferings fo many steps to his glory, and the occafion of his adyancement And is not God's providence towards good men as kind and as remarkable, in bringing them to an infinitely better and more glorious kingdom, by tribulations and fufferings; and making our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, to work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory?

.Thus you fee what is implied in God's care of us in general; that he governs the world, and difpofeth all events; and particularly, that he is peculiarly concerned for good men, and takes a more efpecial care of them. Let us now see of what force this confideration is, to perfuade to the duty enjoined in the text, to caft all your care upon God; that is, after all prudent care and diligence hath been ufed on our part, not to be anxious and folicitous about the event of things, but to leave that to God. Now this confideration, that God cares for us, fhould be an argument to us, to caft all our care upon him, upon these two accounts :

1. Because if God cares for us, our concernments are in the best and fafeft hands..

Ser. 138. 2. Because all our anxiety and folicitude will do us no good.

1. Because if God cares for us, our concernments are in the best and safest hands, and where we should defire to have them; infinitely fafer than under any care and conduct of our own. And this ought to be a great fatisfaction to our minds, and to free us from all difquieting thoughts; for if God undertakes the care of us, then we are fure that nothing fhall happen to us, but by the difpofal or permiffion of infinite wisdom and goodness. There are many things indeed, which to us feem chance and accident; but in refpect of God, they are providence and defign; they may appear to happen by chance, or may proceed from the ill will and malicious intent of fecond causes, but they are all wifely defigned; and as they are appointed or permitted by God, they are the refult of the deepest counfel, and the greatest goodness. And can we wifh that we and our concernments fhould be in better and fafer hands, than of infinite power and wifdom, in conjunction with infinite love and goodness? And if we be careful to do our duty, and to demean ourselves towards God as we ought, we may reft affured of his love and care of us; and if we do in good earnest believe the providence of God, we cannot but think that he hath a peculiar regard to thofe that love and ferve him, and that he will take a peculiar care of their concernments, and that he can, and will difpofe them better for us, than we could manage them ourselves, if we were left to ourselves, and our affairs were put into the hands of our own counsel.

Put the cafe we had the entire ordering and difpofal of ourselves, what were reasonable for us to do in this cafe? We would furely, according to our beft wisdom and judgment, do the best we could for ourselves; and when upon experience of our own manifold ignorance and weakness, we had found our weightiest affairs and defigns frequently to mifcarry, for want of forefight, or power, or skill, to obviate and prevent the infinite hazards and difap

pointments which human affairs are liable to, we thould then look about us; and if we knew any per fon much wifer, and more powerful than ourselves, who, we believed did heartily love us, and wifh well to us, we would out of kindness to ourselves, ask his counsel in our affairs, and crave his affistance; and if we could prevail with him to undertake the care of our concernments, we would commit them all to his conduct and government, in confidence of his great wisdom and good-will to us.

Now God is fuch an one, he loves us as well as we do ourselves, and defires our happiness as much, and knows infinitely better than we do, what means are most conducing to it, and will moft effectually fecure it. And every man that believes thus of God, (as every man muft do, that believes there is a God, for thefe are the natural and effential notions which all men have of the Deity) I fay, every man that believes thus of God; the first thing he would do, (if he knew not already that God had voluntarily, and of his own accord, undertaken the care of him and of his affairs) would be to apply himself to God, and to befeech him with all earnestness and importunity, that he would permit him to refer his concernments to him, and be pleafed to undertake the care of them; and he would, without any demur or difficulty, give up himself wholly to him, to guide and govern him, and to difpofe of him as to him fhould feem beft.

Now if God have prevented us herein, and with out our defire taken this care upon himself, we ought to rejoice in it, as the greateft happiness that could poffibly have befallen us; and we should, without any farther care and anxiety, ufing our own best diligence, and ftudying to please him, chearfully leave ourselves in his hands, with the greateft confidence and fecurity, that he will do all that for us which is really beft; and with a firm perfuafion, that that condition, and those circumftances of life, which he fhall choofe for us, will be no other but the very fame which we would choose for ourselves, if we were as wife as he.

And

And it is fo natural for men to think thus of God, that the very heathen Poet had the fame idea of him, and upon that ground, adviseth us to commit all our concernments to him.

66

Permittes ipfis expendere numinibus, quid
Conveniat nobis, rebufque fit utile noftris;

Nam pro jucundis, aptiffima quaque dabunt di;
Charior eft illis homo, quàm fibi.

"Leave it (fays he) to the wifer gods, to confider " and determine what is fitteft for thee, and moft "for thy advantage; and though they do not always give thee what thou defireft, and that which plea"feth thee beft, yet they will give that which is most "fit and convenient for thee; for man is more dear to the gods, than he is to himself." Not much different from this, is the divine counfel of Solomon, Prov. iii. 5, 6. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. It is confiderable who it is that gives this advice; the wifeft of the fons of men; and yet he advifeth to trust in God for direction, and not to lean to our own understandings.

If therefore we be fully perfuaded of God's infinitely wife and good providence, we ought certainly to refer ourselves to him, and perfectly to acquiefce in his difpofal, and to rett fatisfied in whatever he does and whatever condition he affigns to us, we ought to be contented with it if we be not, we find fault with his wifdom, and reproach his goodness, and wish the government of the world in better hands.

So that a firm belief of the providence of God, as it would take away all anxiety concerning future events, fo would it likewife filence all those murmurings and difcontents, which are apt to arife in us when things fall out cross to our defires, when difafters and difappointments happen to us, and the providence of God cafts us into fickness, or poverty, or difgrace. This quieted. David, when he was ready

ready to break out into murmuring at the afflictions and calamities which befel him; I held my peace, (fays he) and spake not a word, because thou, Lord, didft it. And this likewife fhould keep us from fretting and vexing at inftruments and fecond caufes; to confider that the wife providence of God over-ruleth and difpofeth the actions of men, and that no harm can happen to us without his permiffion. This confideration reftrained David's anger, under that high provocation of Shimei, when he followed him, reproaching him, and curfing him; Let him alone; the Lord hath faid unto him, Curfe David. He confidered that God's providence permitted it; and looking upon it as coming from an higher hand, this calmed his paffion, and made him bear it patiently. If a man be walking in the street, and one fling water upon him, it is apt to provoke him beyond all patience; but no man is in a paffion for being wet ten times as much by rain from heaven. What calamity fo ever befalleth us, when we confider it as coming from heaven, and ordered and permitted there, this will ftill and hush our paffion, and make us, with Eli, to hold our peace, or only to fay, It is the Lord, let him do what feemeth him good.

We are, indeed, liable to many things in this world, which have a great deal of evil and affliction in them, to poverty, and pain, and reproach, and reftraint, and, the lofs of our friends and near res lations; and thefe are great afflictions, and very crofs and diftaftful unto us; and therefore, when we are in danger of any of these, and apprehend them to be making towards us, we are apt to be anxious, and full of trouble; and when they befal us, we are prone to cenfure the providence of God, and to judge rafhly concerning it, as if all things were not ordered by it for the beft: But we fhould confider, that we are very ignorant and fhortfighted creatures, and fee but a little way before us, are not able to penetrate into the defigns of God, and to look to the end of his providence.

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