be feared to be yet too common among us; and that is, all Sorts of Uncleanness, which tho' we do not make Ceremonies of our Religion, as the Heathens did of theirs, yet the committing thereof is a moft high Provocation in God's Eyes, fuch as drew him to deftroy 'whole Cities with Fire and Brimftone, as you may read, Gen. xix nay, the whole World with Water, Gen. vi. and will not fail to bring down Judgments, and ftrange ones, on any that continue therein; and therefore the forfaking them well deferves to be looked on as an especial Part of this Promife. Befides this, all Dealing with the Devil is here vowed against, whether it be by practifing Witchcraft our felves, or confulting with those that do, upon any Occafion whatever, as the Recovery of our Health, our Goods, or whatever elfe; for this is a Degree of the former Sin, it is a forfaking. of the Lord, and fetting up the Devil for our God, whilft we go to him in our Needs for Help.

34. But we alfo renounce all the Works of the Devil; and thofe are either in general all thofe that the Devil tempts us to, or elfe thofe particular Kinds of Sin, which have moft of his Image on them; that is, thofe which he himself most practises! fuch are Pride (which brought him from being an Angel of Light, to the accurfed Condition he is now in) and Lying: He is, as our Saviour faith, John viii. 44. A Lyar, and the Father of it: And fuch alfo are Malice and Envy, especially killing and deftroying of others, for he was a Murderer from the Begining, John viii. 44. But above all, there is nothing wherein we become fo like him, as in tempting and drawing others to fin, which is his whole Trade and Bufinefs; and if we make it any Part of ours, we become like that roaring Lion, that goes about feek-· ing whom he may devour, 1 Pet. v. 8.

him, to fee if by that Means he may amend him? Nay, indeed, he could not be faid to have true Kindness to him if he fhould not. And thus it is with God, when he fees us run on in Sin; either he must leave off to love us, and fo leave us to ourselves to take our own Courfe, and that is the heaviest Curfe that can befal any Man; or elfe, if he continue to love us, he must correct and punish us to bring us to Amendment. Therefore, whenever he ftrikes, we are, in all Reason,

Thankfulness for God's Corrections.

not only patiently to lie under his Rod, but (as I may fay) kifs it alfo; that is, be very thankful to him, that he is pleased not to give us over to our own Hearts Lufts, Pfal. lxxxi. 12. but ftill continues his Care of us; fends Afflictions, as fo many Meffengers, to call us home to himself. You fee then how grofs a Folly it is to murmur at thofe Stripes, which are meant fo gracioufly: It is like that of a froward Patient, which reproaches and reviles the Phyfician that comes to cure him; and if fuch an one be left to die of his Disease, every one knows whom he is to thank for it.

7. But it is not only Quietnefs, Fruitfulness no nor Thankfulness neither under under them. Afflictions, that is the full of our Duty in this, Matter: We must have Fruitfulness alfo, or all the reft will ftand us in no ftead. By Fruitfulnefs, I mean, the bringing forth that which the Afflictions were fent to work in us, viz. the Amendment of our Lives. To which purpose in Time of Affliction it is very neceffary for us to call ourselves to an Account, to examine our Hearts and Lives, and fearch diligently what Sins lie upon us, which pro

voked God thus to fmite us; and whatfoever we find ourselves guilty of, humbly to confefs to God, and immediately to forfake for the reft of our Time.

In all Sorts of

Sufferings.

8. All I fhall add concerning this Duty of Patience is, that we are as much bound to it in one Sort of Sufferings as another; whether our Sufferings be fo immediately from God's Hand, that no Creature hath any thing to do in it, as Sickness or the like; or whether it be fuch wherein Men are the Inftruments of afflicting us. For it is most fure, when any Man doth us hurt, he could not do it without God's Permiffion and Sufferance; and God may as well make them the Inftruments of punishing us, as do it more directly by himself: And it is but a counterfeit Patience, that pretends to fubmit to God, and yet can bear nothing from Men, We fee holy Job, who is fet forth to us as a Pattern of true Patience, made no fuch Difference in his Afflictions; he took the Lofs of his Cattle, which the Chaldeans and Sabeans had robbed him of, with the very fame Meeknefs with which he did that which was confumed by Fire from Heaven. When therefore we fuffer any thing from Men, be it never fo unjustly in refpect of them, we are yet to confefs it is most just in respect of God; and therefore, instead of looking upon them with Rage and Revenge, as the common Custom of the World is, we are to look up to God, acknowledge his Juftice in the Affliction, begging his Pardon moft earnestly for those Sins which have provoked him to fend it, and patiently and thankfully bear it till he fhall fee fit to remove it; ftill faying with fob, Bleffed be the Name of the Lord.

to

9. But I told you, Humility contained in it not only a Sub

Submiffion
Ged's Vifdom. miffion to his Will, but also to his
Wiflom; that is, to acknowledge

In his Com

mands.

him infinitely Wife; and therefore that whatever he doth, is beft and fitteft to be done. And this we are to confefs both in his Commands, and in his difpofing, and ordering of Things. Firft, Whatfoever he commands us either to believe or do, we are to fubmit to his Wisdom in both; to believe whatfoever he bids us believe, how impoffible foever it seems to our fhallow Underftandings; and to do whatever he commands us to do, how contrary foever it be to our fleshly Reafon or Humour; And in both to conclude, that his Commands are moft fit and reafonable, however they appear to us.

In his Dip fels.

10. Secondly, we are to submit to his Wifdom in refpect of his Difpofal and ordering of Things; to acknowledge he difpofes of all Things moft wifely; and that not only in what concerns the World in general, but alfo in what concerns every one of us in particular; So that in what Condition foever he puts us, we are to affure

rfelves it is that which is beft for us, fince he choofes it for us, who cannot err; and therefore never to have impatient Defires of any thing in this World, but to leave it to God to fit us with fuch an Eftate and Condition as he fees beft for us, and there let us quietly and contentedly reft; yea, though it be fuch, as of all others we fhould leaft have wifhed for ourfelves. And this furely cannot but appear very reasonable to any that hath Humility; for that having taught

him that God is infinitely wife, and he very foolish, he can never doubt but that it is much more for his Good, that God fhould choose for him, than he for himself; even as it is much more for the Child's Good to have the Parent choose for it, than to be left to those filly Choices it would make for itfelf: For how many times would it cut and burn, and mifchief itself, if it might have every thing it defires? And fuch Children are we; we many Times eagerly defire thofe Things. which would undo us if we had them. Thus many Times we wish for Wealth and Honour, and Beauty, and the like; when, if we had them, they would only prove Snares to us; we should be drawn into Sin by them: And this God, who knows all Things, fees, though we do not; and therefore often denies us thofe Things, which he fees will tend to our Mischief; and it is his abundant Mercy that he doth fo. Let us therefore, whenever we are disappointed of any of our Aims and Wishes, not only patiently, but joyfully fubmit to it, as knowing that it is certainly best for us, it being chofen by the unerring Wifdom of our heavenly Father.

11. A feventh Duty to God is HO

NOUR; that is, the paying him fuch Honour. a Reverence and Refpect, as belongs to

fo great a Majefty: And this is either inward or outward. The inward is the exalting him in our Hearts, having always the highest and most excellent Efteem of him. The outward is the manifefting and fhewing forth that inward; and that is the first General in the whole Course of our Lives, the living like Men that do indeed carry that high Efteem of God. Now, you know, if we bear any fpecial Reverence but to a Man, we