Serm. I g on Divine Providence ? --^ 437 but helps of humane frailty. Particularly ,faith pa lies a twofold judge- menton them,Negative and Pofitive. 1. Negative ; and fofaith concludes. i. Thefe, and all fuch like earthly enjoyments, neveryet, of themfelves, benefitted any man for heaven.True,forne things are fo good in themfelvef, that he that bath them cannot but be good,and the better for them: Such as are the grace of God to r+', and ale graces of the Spirit in us. Thefe find us evil,but make usgood. But no man was ever made good meerly by riches and worldly wealth. Thefe indeed have found fame really good, and made them left good than they were, and have found many feem- ingly good, whom they have made flark,nought. How often hath a fat preferment fpoyl'd a good Preacher, and ¿aufed him, with him, when the fifl ss caught, to lay afide his Net ! Ufually the more we have of this, World, the lefswe mind the World to come. Our place in Paris makes us forget our portion in Paradice.T hat earth which we tread under our feet, gets up into our hearts , and makes them more earthly than the earth we tread on. 2. This high mountain,on whofe top I Hand, adds not a Cubit to my fla. ture in Gods eyes. God values not, as men do,by the rate or Subfsdy book. Not many Wife, not may Noble, not many Rich, but God hub chofen the b poor of this World, Rich in faith. b Jam.2.1 5. 3. Therefore my true blef ednefs doth riot,cannot confifl in thefsellefi con- fluence of thele worldly enjoyments. I may not, I dare not with that rich fool Ling a requiem to my foul, and bid it take its cafe, for it bath goods c Luk,12,19. laid up for many years. Here is not my refl. Faith, like the Turtle, finds vo refl`for the foie of its foot even in adeluge of Creature- comforts. Suppofe a Believers d fons at plants grown up in their youth, and d Pfal.144. his daughters, as corner flows polifhtafter the fimilitude of a Palace, 12, 13. fappofe his garners full affording all manner of Bore, His Oxen flrong tó labour and his 'beep bringing forth thoufands, and terì thoufands in the fireers, though the blear -eyed World fhould pronunce him e happy; e verf. 15, that is in filch a cafe, how would the Believer imtncdiatiy reòly with the Pfalmifls Epanorrho /is, (or, in exprefs cantradiiion rather to fo- grob a miflake :)yea, bleß» are the people ; they rather, or they only are óle fled which have the Lard for their Gad. Thus Faith conclud:s Nega. tively. 2. `Po /tively. That Divine Leffo :i which Solomon, the wif, jt of meer men,had, by filch difficult, & cooly experiments at length learnt, Faith bath got ley heart, and in the face of the World cencludes witti him f Vanity of Van ties, oll Vanity. The affertion is re pelted, as in f Eccl, 1.2, K k k 2 mobs
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