Lord, Ch.1.21. What a madnefs is it then for us to expofe our felves to be pierc'd and wounded by every temporal adverfity, who have fo impenetrable an armour? nay what an ungrateful contumely is it to that goodnefs of God, to fhew that we cannot make him a counterpoife to the moft trivial fecular fatisfaction? on which account fure he may again take up that exprobrating complaint we find in the Prophet, goodly price that I was valued at them, Zac. 11. 13.

19. Bur how mean foever he is in our eies, tho Christ feem the fame to us in his glory which he did in his abjection, to have no beauty that we should defire him; yet he puts another rate upon himself, and tells us that he that loves Father or Mother, Son or Daughter more then me, is not worthy of me, Mat. 10. 37. Now our love and our joy are paffions coincident, and therefore whatever we joy more in then we do in him, we may be prefum'd to love better; and if he cannot endure the competition of thofe more ingenuous objects of our love he there mentions,how will he fuffer that of our vanities, our childish wanton appetites? And yet those are the things after which we fo impati

ently

ently rave. For I believe I may truly affirm, that if there were a scrutiny made into all the difcontents of mankind, for one that were faftned upon any great confiderable calamity, there are many that are founded only in the irregularity of our own defires.

20. By what has bin faid we may justly conclude in the Prophets phrafe, God hath not bin to us a wilderness, a land of darkness, Jer. 2. 31. but has graciously difpenc'd to us in all our interefts. Yet the inftances here given are only common, fuch as relate to all, or at least the far greater part of mankind: but what volums might be made, fhould every man fet down his own particular experiences of mercy? In that cafe 'twould be no extravagant Hyperbole we find; Joh.22.25. That even the world it felf could not contain the books which Jhould be written. God knows our memories are very frail, and our obfervations flight in this point: yet abstracting from all the forgotten or neglected favors, what vaft Catalogues may every man make to himself, if he would but yet recollect, what effects he has had of Gods bounty in giving, of his providence in protecting, of his grace in reftraining,

ftraining and exciting of his patience in forbearing? And certainly all these productions of the divine goodness were never defign'd to die in the birth. The Pfalmift will tell us, The Lord hath fo don his marvellous works, that they ought to be had in remembrance, Pf.111. 3. Let every man then make it his daily care to recount to himself the wonders God hath don, as for the children of men in general, fo for himfelf in particular. When the Ifraelites murmured under their bondage, Pharaoh imputes it to their idleness, and prescribes them more work, as the readieft cure: a piece indeed of inhuman Tyranny in him, but may with equity and fuccefs be practiced by us upon our felves. When we find our appetites mutinous, complaining of our prefent condition, let us fet our felves to work, impofe it as a task upon our felves to recollect the many inftances of Gods mercies. And furely if we do it fincerely, and with intention, we cannot have paft thro half our stages, before our fullen murmurs will be beat out of countenance, and retire with fhame, when they are confronted with fuch a cloud of witneffes, fuch signal teftimonies of Gods good

goodness to us: for when we have mufter'd up all our little grievances, most critically examin'd all our wants, we shall find them very unproportionable to our comforts, and to our receits; in which toute comparative notion, the next Section is to confider themNG THON, ORAS

I

SECT. IV.

Of the Surplusage of our Enjoiments above our Sufferings.

I.

1. To regulate our estimate of those

things which we either enjoy or fuffer, there are three precedent queries to be made : the first of their number or plenty, the second of their weight, the third of their conftancy and continuance; for according as they partake more of these properties every good is more good, and every evil is more evil. It will therefore be our best method of trial in the prefent cafe, to compare our bleffings and our calamities in these three refpects.

2. AND first in that of plenty, the mercies of God are the source of all our good, are fet out to us in holy fcripture in the most fuperlative ftrein, They are multitude, Pfa.102.20.Plenteous redemtion, Pfal. 130. 7. as high as the heaven, Pfal. 103. 11. He fills all things living with plenteoufnefs, Pfal.145.16. His mercies in

deed