SERMON I. indebted to t he goodneCs of our Creator, fl10uld prove dif!oyal and rebellious, when the infenour creatures wuh one confent ferve ahd glonfie hun .' Lallly, We owe fubmitlion to the will of his Providence ; there is no RJadow of ex- -cepti on can be formed againil his Soveraignty, he may do by right whatever he can do by pmrer,therefore we lhouh:l acquiefce in his difpedfations; this confideration lilenc'd Da'Uid, Pfa l. 3.9· 9· J beld.my tpngue; and[aid notl;iu:r,, becaufe t bou didjl it; as the pre. fence of a grave perfon in authority quiets a difordered multitude; fo the apprehenfton of God's fupremacy compofes.our riotous thoughts and patlions; umjuietneiS of fpirit in troubl es, fprings from<the ignorance' of God, and of our felves; by impatience we cite God before. our. Tribnrral, •and do as it were ufurp his Throne ; we fc t up an anriprovidence, .as ifi his wifdom flJOuld be taught by our folly; and lomerimes in alfli. &ions we eye the nex~ caufe, but do nor look upward to the Soveraign Difpofer of all things, like Balaam, w/;o jlruck tbe AjS, but did not fee the An:r,el wbic/; oppofed bim; thus from a brutifll imagination we regard the vifib]e. inilrument of our trouble, but confider nor the Providence of God in all; . from hence it is that our fpirirs arc full of unqu iet agitations; we live continually upon fell-created Racks : Now the humble acknowl edgement of God 's hand, and the fubmitring of our felves to his will, as it glorifies ~~~;;~~ :~~~T~: ~~:~~ ;.s/, .asA~,7~i~e,~it~r!t!efo;J,"~Z:;'k!~~Iu ~:wo~; ;;,1~~~ t:"Very tongue ]hall confefr to God; .He engages his life and honour for this: if there is not ~a voluntary,rhere mufi be a violent fubject(on to him; the wilful man nevCrwants woe; the fpring of our daily mifery, as well as our fins is, oppofirion to God's will"; .but dte chearful refignation to his P.rovidence, \~hat a bleffed Pill of reil is this to -the foul ? what a Sabbath from all thofe finful and penal diilurbanceswhich difcoinpofe our fpirits; 'tis a lower heaven ; for as in the ilate of glory there is an unchangeable agreement be. tween the will of the Creator and the creature, fo according to the fame meafure and ·degree wherein we conform our wills to God's, we proportionably enjoy' the holinefs and bleffedneCs of that !late. . SERMON l .•
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