SERM. to check their exorbitances, and will have that VII. effect if we carefully attend to it, that the objects of them are covered from our knowledge, they are out of our power and our forefight, we neither know their futurity, nor how they will affect us, for God has referved the abfolute uncontrouled direction of them in his own hands, and his judgments are unfearchable. There is one kind of human action not aff fected by this argument, that is, the laft event of it is not fubject to uncertainty, and God has intimated with fufficient clearness, that he will diftinguish it with his favour, when the mystery of providence fhall be fulfilled; I mean the practice of virtue, which we are fure is good for man under the fun, and we have the greateft reafon to believe, will make him happy in another world. Though the judgments of God are unfearchable with refpect to the things of this world, no man knows what fhall befal him in this life, and when the end of it fhall be, nor does he know whether profperity or adverfity, poverty or riches, ficknefs or health, honour or difhohour, is good for him, yet we know what is morally good, for God hath fhewed it to us, and what he hath required, and we know it has an eftablished infeparable connexion with our hap happiness. Solomon obferves, that the race is SERM.' not to the fwift, nor the battle to the strong *, VII. we cannot be affured of fuccefs in any of our present undertakings, let the defigns be ever fo well laid, and the appearances promifing as far as human skill and abilities can reach, but in the religious and virtuous course we run not uncertainly, and in that war we fight not as those that beat the air†, for it shall be well with the righteous, the work of righteousness Shall be peace, and the effect of it quietness and afsurance for ever ||. If wisdom, rectitude, and goodness, govern the world, and the administration, however perplexed it may appear at prefent, be under the direction of these principles, order and good must prevail and they cannot be finally unhappy who steddily adhere to its interefts, and conduct themselves by the fame principles. And, Laftly, This important inftruction arises from the doctrine of the text, that we should fear God. The proper objects of fear or reve rence, are wisdom, righteousness, and goodnefs; in the degree wherein those attributes belong to any character, it attracts our vene-. ration: Among men, the wifeft and the best are the most efteemed, not that the greatest outward respect is paid to them, for that generally * Ecclef. ix. 11, † 1 Cor, ix. 28. ‡ James iii. 10, Ifa. xxxii. 17. SERM. nerally follows the outward circumstances of VII. worldly condition, power, and riches, but they have the largest share in the inward af fection of thofe to whom their worth is known. Now, thefe perfections are in the Deity abfolute and infinite, fo that we cannot by fearching find them out, it is not any defect, but the plenitude of them which is incomprehenfible, therefore do they justly claim our humbleft reverence. This argument very fenfibly affected the mind of Job, and produced in him a religious dread of the divine Majesty*, Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive him, on the left hand where he doth work, but I cannot be bold him, he bideth himself on the right hand that I cannot fee him. I am fenfible that his providence, though invifible, is continually active in all the quarters of the world, guiding the motions of all the creatures, and doing whatever pleaseth him. And though the good man could affure his heart, his confcience witneffing his integrity, He knoweth, fays he, the way that I take, my foot bath held bis feps, his way have I kept and not declined, neither have I gone back from the commandments of his lips. I have efteemed the words of his mouth more than my neceffary food. But there are fecrets in his difpenfations which our short and Chap. xxiii. 8. and limited understandings cannot account SERM. for, nor make any certain judgment concern- VI. ing the defign and the event of them. For he adds, *He is in one mind, and who can turn him? And what his foul defireth, that he doth, for he performeth the thing that is appointed for me, and many fuch things are with bim. He governs the world with fteddy counfel, and pursues his defigns independently on those things that would influence and alter feeble human refolution, fo that his measures are to us impenetrable, being conducted with infinitely fuperior wifdom, as well as irrefiftible power. The conclufion is, therefore am I troubled at his prefence, when I confider, I am afraid of him. My inmoft foul ftands in awe of his tranfcendent greatness, and the unfathomable depth of his adminiftration, which is not at a distance, but intimately prefent, taking all my concerns within its care. The fame pious perfon having elsewhere defcribed the utmost efforts of human skill and induftry, fhews how weak they are, and defective, when compared with the infinitely more extenfive knowledge of God, who only knoweth the ways of wifdom, and the place of understanding, from whence he infers, that to man the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wifdom, and to depart from evil is understanding. SER * Job xxiii. 13, 14 + Chap. xxiii. SERM. SERMON VIII. Religion diftinguished from Superftition, and fhewn to be true Wisdom. Job xxviii. 28. And unto Man he said, Behold the fear of the W ISDOM is naturally agreeable to the human mind, and indeed can not but be agreeable to an intelli gent nature, because it is the best use of un derstanding, and the proper improvement of reason. What is it that makes confusion and diforder fo diftafteful, as in an irregular jum ble of things and heaps of materials cafually thrown together; and on the contrary, regu larity in any work or fyftem, an exact propor tion and relation in the parts, and harmony in the whole, appear fo beautiful? Certainly, it is because counfeland contrivance, that is, wisdom, |