is

Troubles, and under them. It is most certainly true, that the very Sting and Venom of all Croffes and Troubles, is Sin, and a Confciousness of the guilt of it. This is that which gives Troubles and Croffes, and Calamities their Vigour, Force, and Sharpness; it is the Elixir, the very Life of them, when a man fhall be under extream outward Calamities, lofs of Goods, lofs of Liberty, lofs of Country, all outward hopes failing, and ftill greater Billows, and Waves and Storms, and Fears in Profpect, and within an angry, unquiet, avenging Confcience, then indeed Troubles have their perfection of Malignity. But if a Man in the midst of all these black and stormy appearances, hath a Confcience full of Peace, and Integrity, and Com. fortable atteftation, this gives a Calm in the midst of all thefe Storms. And the reafon is apparent, for it is not the Tempestuoufness or Tranquility of Externals, that creates the trouble or the quietness of the Man, but it is the Mind, and that ftate of compofure or difcompofure that the mind put into occasionally from them: and fince there is nothing in the world that conduceth more to the Compofure and Tranquility of the mind, than the Serenity and Clearness of the Confcience, keep but that fafe and untainted, the mind will enjoy a Calm and Tranquility in the midst of all the ftorms of the World: and although the Waves beat, and the Sea Works, and the Winds blow, that mind that hath a quiet and clear Confcience within will be as ftable and as fafe from perturbation, as a Rock in the midst of a Tempeftuous Sea, and will be a Goshen to and within it felf, when the reft of the World without, and round about a Man, is like an Egypt for Plagues and Darkness. If therefore either before the accefs or irruption of troubles, or under their preffure, any thing or perfon in the world follicit thee to cafe or deliver thy felf by a Breach or Wound of thy Confcience, know they are about to cheat thee of thy beft fecurity under God, against the power and malignity of troubles; they are about to clip off that Lock, wherein next under God, thy ftrength lieth. Whatever therefore thou doft hazard or lofe, keep the Integrity of thy Confcience both before

the

the access of troubles; and under them. It is a Jewel, that will make thee Rich in the midst of Poverty; a Sun that will give thee Light in the midft of Darkness; a Fortress that will keep thee fafe in the greatest danger, and that is never to be taken unless thou thy felf betray it and deliver it up.

4. The next Expedient is this; namely, an Afurance that the Divine Wijdom, Power, and Providence, doth dif pofe, govern, and order all the things in the World, even thofe that feem moft confufed, irregular, tumultuous, and contumacious. This, as it is a moft certain Truth, fo it is a moft excellent Expedient to compofe and fettle the Mind, especially of fuch a Man who truly loves and fears this great God, even under the blackest and most difmal Troubles and Confufions; for it muft moft neceffarily give a found, prefent, and practical Argument of Patience and Contentation: For even thefe black Difpenfations are under the Government and Management of the most wife and powerful God. Why fhould I, that am a foolish vain Creature, and can scarce fee to any diftance before me, take upon me to cenfure thefe Difpenfations, to ftruggle impatiently with them, to difquiet and torment my felf with Vexation at them: Let God alone to govern and order the World as he thinks fit: As his Power is infinite, and cannot be refifted, fo is his Wisdom infinite, and knows beft what is to be done, and when, and how. 2. As it gives a found Argument of Patience and Contentedness, fo it gives a clear inference of Refignation of our felves up unto him, and to his Will, and Difpofal, upon the account of his Goodnefs. It is the meer Bounty and Goodness of God that first gave being to all things, and preferves all things in their Being; that gives all thofe Accommodations and Conveniencies that accompany their Being; why fhould I therefore diftruft his Goodness? As he hath Power to do what he pleaseth; Wisdom to direct and difpofe that Power; fo he hath infinite Goodness, that accompanies that Power and that Wisdom. As I cannot put my Will into the Hands of greater Wisdom, fo I cannot put my will into the hands of greater Goodness. His Beneficence to his Creatures is

greater

Now fince the ftate of Mankind in this World is for the moft part thus cloudy and ftormy, and that ordinarily we can expect it to be no otherwise, there are these Confiderations which become every wife and good Mind to acquaint himself with.

1. What Preparation is fit to be made by every Man be fore they come.

2. How they are to be received, and entertained, and improved, when they come, and while they are in

cumbent.

3. What is the beft and fafeft temper of Mind when any

of them are removed.

1. Touching the firft of thefe; namely, Preparation before they come; and the best Preparatives feem to be thefe:

I. A right and found Conviction, and Confideration of this moft certain experimental Truth; namely, That no Man whatsoever, how Good, Juft, Pious, Wife soever, can by any means expect to be exempt from them, but muft be more or less fubject to Afflictions, of one kind or other, at one time or another, in one measure or another; for Man is certainly born to trouble, as the fparks fly upward. And this certain Truth will be evident, if we confider the feveral kinds of Affliction that are common to Mankind : And herein I fhall forbear the Inftances which concern our Childhood and Youth, as fuch, which yet notwithftanding are fubject to Afflictions, that though they seem not fuch to Men of riper years, yet are as real and pungent, and deeply and fenfibly grievous to them, as those that feem of greater moment to Men of riper years: But I fhall apply my self to those Inftances which are more evident, and of which those that have the exercife of their reason may be more capable.

Afflictions feem to be of two kinds: 1. Such as are commonCalamities,befalling a Nation,City,or Society of Men: 2. or more Perfonal, that concern a Man in his particular. 1. Touching the former of thefe, namely, common Calamities, fuch as Wars, Devaftations, Famines, Peftilences, Spreading Contagions, Epidemical Difeafes, great Conflagrations:

And upon this Confideration, we have juft cause to blame two forts of perfons; namely, 1. The rafh cenfure of fome inconfiderate perfons, that are too ready to cenfure all fuch as fall under a common calamity, whether of Fire, Sword, or Petlilence; as if fo be they were therefore greater finners than thofe that escape: the error reproved by our Saviour in the instance of the Galileans, and those upon whom the Tower of Siloam fell. Luk. 13. v. 1, 2. John 9.2, 3. 2. The mistaken apprehenfion of Men concerning themfelves, that upon an opinion of their own righteou nefs or defert,think themfelves exempted from the ftroke of common calamities, or are ready to accufe the Divine Juftice, if they are not delivered from them. If they truly confidered the juft demerit of any fin, and their own fins and failings, they would both acknowledge the Justice and Goodness of God, if he referve an Eternal Reward of their obedience, tho he expofe them to the worst of Temporal Evils.

2. Concerning Perfonal Evils, they are of feveral kinds. 1. Such as befal the Body. 2. Such as befal the Estate. 3. Such as befal the Name. 4. Such as a Man's Friends or Relations.

1. Touching the firft of thefe Evils, namely, that befals the Body, they are of two kinds; 1. Some that are not fo epidemical or univerfal upon all men; fuch are casualties or accidental hurts, Difeafes fpringing from the particular complexion or temperament of Perfons, fuch as are here ditary Difeafes, Difeafes incident to certain Ages, infecti ous Diseases arifing from contagion, putrefaction, ill difpofition of the Air or Waters. 2. Some Difeafes are incident unto every Man in the World. If a Man lives to a great old age, his very Age is a Difeafe, and the decay of nature, heat and moisture, doth in time bring the oldest Man to his end; but if he live not to the attainment of old age, moft certainly as he meets with death in the conclufion, fo he meets with fome Difeafe or other that makes way for his diffolution. So that upon the whole account, though this or that man may not meet with this or that par ticular disease, cafualty or diftemper that it may be attacks

another,

another, yet as fure as he is mortal, fo fure fhall fome difcafe, diftemper, cafualty or weakness meet with him, that fhall bring him to the duft of death. That perfon therefore that is fubject to the Univerfal Edict and Law of death, is and must be fubject fooner or latter to those diseafes, fickneffes, cafualties or weaknesses that must usher in his death and diffolution. And altho one man may efcape a chronical disease, another an acute disease: one Man may escape a Contagion, another a confumption; one Man may escape this disease or cafualty, another that, yet most certain it is, that every Man fhall meet with fome difeafe, diftemper or cafualty that fhall be fufficient to diffolve his compofition, and put a period to his life.

2. Concerning afflictions that particularly concern a man in his Estate. It is very true that fome are more afflicted in this kind than others. The more Wealth any man hath, the more obnoxious to lofles; and the more any man loves wealth, the deeper the afflictions of this na ture wound him: And this is generally true in all worldly matters whatsoever; the more a man's heart is fet upon it, the deeper and the more bitter the cross or affliction is therein. But though affliction in this kind, pinch fome closer than others, yet there are very few that totally escape in this kind. The poor Man reckons it his Affliction that he wants wealth; and the rich man is not without his affliction either in lofs of it, or the fear f fuch lofles, which create as real a trouble as the loss it felf: Fire and Ship-wrack, Envy and Oppreffion, falfe Accufations, Robbers, a Prodigal Heir, or a falfe Friend, thousands of fuch-like avenues there are to rich mensTreafure; and either they do actually attach it, and then they caufe forrow; or they do continually menace it, and fo they caufe fear. Nay fometimes a rich man hath as great an affliction in his not knowing where or how to dispose of his Wealth, as he that wants it.

3. Touching affliction in the Name: Molt certainly of all things in the World, a good name is most easily exposed to the injury of any perfon; a falfe accufation or falfe report, an action or word mifinterpreted. A man hath no fecurity of his Wealth against invafions of others; N

but