SER M. them, is to lead them to Repentance: XII. Wherefore doth a living man complain, a

man for the punishment of his fins? Let us Jearch and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord; Lam. iii. 39, 40.

Now if Afflictions be thus fitted, in their proper Tendency, to convert the wickedeft of men that are not utterly incorrigible; much more are they fuited to convince good men of their failings, to make them fenfible of their Errors, to bring them to more frequent and ferious Confideration, and to a more perfect Repentance and Amendment. The very best of men, are far from being perfect; and too many good men, have even great imperfections; which they are not duly fenfible of, but in a day of Affliction ; and there are many Duties, and many Doctrines in Scripture, which men are not apt to understand rightly, but in a time of Sorrow, and more ferious Confideration. David himfelf confeffes; P/. cxix. 71, 67; It is good for me, that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy ftatutes; For, before I was afflicted, I went aftray, but now have I kept thy word. And that

great

5, 6;)

XII.

great man Job, after his fevere trial, ac-SER M. knowledges before God; (Job xlii. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye feeth thee; wherefore I abbor myfelf, and repent in duft and afbes. The Sons of Jacob were never truly fenfible of the greatness of their Crime in felling their Brother, till they found themselves in great distress in Egypt; And Then They faid one to another, (Gen. xlii. 21;) We are verily guilty concerning our Brother, in that we saw the anguish of his Soul, when he befought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And of the whole Nation of the Jews, 'tis remarked by the Pfalmift, (P. lxxviii. 34;) that when he flew them, then they fought him, and returned, and inquired early after God; and remembred that God was their Rock, and the High God their Redeemer.

UPON this account, the Afflictions that God fends upon his people and servants, are fo frequently declared in Scripture to be Evidences of his Love and Care towards them. When we are judged, (faith St Paul,) we are chaftened of the Lord,

that

SERM.that we should not be condemned with the XII. world; 1 Cor. xi. 32. felf declares; Rev. iii.

And our Lord him19; As many as I chaften; be zealous

love, I rebuke and
therefore and repent. Which Exhortation
the Author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews
thus excellently paraphrafes: My Son, de-
pile not thou the chaftening of the Lord,
nor faint when thou art rebuked of him;
For whom the Lord loveth, he chafteneth,
and Scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth :
If we have had fathers of our flesh, which
corrected us, and we gave them reverence;
fhall we not much rather be in fubjection
unto the Father of Spirits, and live? For
They verily for a few days
few days chaftened us
after their own pleafure; but He for our
profit, that we might be partakers of his.
Holiness. Now no chaftening for the pre-
fent feemeth to be joyous, but grievous; ne-
vertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peace-
able fruit of righteoufnefs, unto them which
are exercifed thereby; Heb. xii. 5, &c.
The Apoftle allows, that Afflictions can
not indeed but be grievous to humané
Nature, when they are actually upon us:
But the Confideration of the great ad-

vantage

XII.

vantage they may and are intended to turn SER M. to, by religious improvement; is abundantly fufficient to make any ingenuous and confiderate temper, (which fuffers not paffion and present uneafinefs to prevail wholly over Reafon,) to fay with Eli, It is the Lord, let him do what Seemeth him good; and with pious Job, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; Blessed be the Name of the Lord: For, Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not (patiently) receive evil?

THERE is one way, by which Afflictions of this kind, namely, fuch as are fent upon us by way of correction, may in great measure be prevented; and That is, if we would take care fo to behave ourselves, as not to ftand in need of them; fo to judge ourfelves, as not to be judged of the Lord. Job xxxiii. 27. God looketh upon men; and if any fay, I have finned, and perverted that which was right, and it profiteth me not; he will deliver his foul from going into the pit, and his life shall fee the light. But This must be understood only of this one particular kind of Afflictions; fuch as are intended for our correction,

and

SERM. and to lead us to Repentance for fome XII. particular Sins.

3. ANOTHER End of God's fending Afflictions and Troubles upon men, is to wean us from an over-fond love of the prejent world. There is nothing that more hinders mens progress in Religion, nothing that more foftens the minds, and cools the Zeal even of good and well-difpofed perfons, than a conftant, careless, habitual enjoyment of, and affection to, even thofe pleasures of Life, which cannot perhaps be charged with being directly finful: O Death, fays the wife Son of Sirach, Ecclus. xli. 1; How bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that livetb at rest in his poffeffions, unto the man that has nothing to vex him, and that kath profperity in all things! As a continual Calm corrupteth the Waters; fo a long and uninterrupted Profperity, is a perpetual Danger and Temptation. Of the people of the Jews 'tis obferved; Deut. xxxii. 15; that when Jeshurun waxed fat, he kicked, and forfook the God that made him, and lightly esteemed the rock of his falvation. And it is no lefs true of the Chriftian Church,

that