538 hre Life of Faith. Dircc. 7. When you look on the fin and mifery of the world, and fee fmall hope of its recovery, look up by Faith to that better world, where all is Light, and Love, and Peace. And pray for that comingof Chrifi, when all this fin (hall be brought to Judgment, and wifdom and godlinefs be fully ju- tlified before all the world. Let the badnefsof this world drive up your hearts to that above, where all is better than you can with. Dires. 8. When you are ready to (tumble at the confide- ration of Gods defertion of fsgreat a part of the world, quietyour minds in the implicite fubmiffion to bis infinite wifdom andgood- nefs. Dare you think that you arc more gracious and merci- ful than God ? Or that it is meet you fhould know all the fe. creta of his providence, who muti not know the myfieries of Government, in the State or Kingdomwhereyoujive ? He that cannot rea in the wifdom, will and mercies of infinite it fell, but muff have all his ownexpch'ations fatif. fie* (hall have no re(f. And think withal], how little a fpot of Gods Creation this earthly world is: and how incomprehcnfibly vaff the fuperiour Regions arc in comparifon of it. And if all the upper parts of the world be poffel ed with none but holy Spirits, and even this lower earth, have alto many millions ofSaints, prepared here for the things above, we have no more reafon to judge God to be unmerciful, becaufe this lower world is fo bad, than we have to judge the King unmerciful, when we look into the common Jayle;nor to judge ofhis government by the Rogues in a Jayle, but by his Court, and all the fubjc&s of his Kingdom. If God fhould forfake no placebut Hell, of all his Creation, you could not grudge at him as unmerciful : And it is a very hard quetfionwhether this earth, and the air about it, be not theplace of Hell; when you confider that the Devils are calf down fromHeaven,andyet that they dwell and rule in theAir, and compafs the Earth, and tempt the wicked, and work in the children of difobedienee, Ephef a. i, 2. Job i. aTim. 2. 26. And that Satan is called, the Godand Princeof this world, Joh; 12.31. & 14.30. & 16. rr. zCor. 4. q,. Ephef. 6.12. Ent if it be not theplaca of final execution, it is the place where
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