Ver. 5, 6. tending to thimble we. tendency unto this end. And what knowwe hereof ? As unto the things of this life, do we know, whether it will be áai for us to be rich or poor, to have houles or to be harbourlefs, to abound or to want, to leave wealth and inheritances unto our Children, or to leave themnaked unto the providence ofGod ? do we knowwhat Rate, what condition will moti further our Obedience, bcfi obviare our temptations, or call moti on us to mortifie our Corruptions ? and if we know nothing at all of thefe things, as indeed we do not, were it not bett for us to leave them quietly unto Gods difpofal ? I doubt not but it will appear at the lati day, that a world of evil in the hearts of men was füfled by the detiru&ion of their outward concern - ments, more by their inward troubles. That many were de- livered from temptations by it, who otherwifewould have been overtaken to their ruine and fcandal of the Gofpel; that many a fecret Impojtbume hath been lanced and cured by a (hake, for God doth not fend Judgements on his own, for Judgements fake, for punifhment fake, but alwayes to accomplifh Come ble.lfed defìgn of Grace towards them. And there is no one foul in particular which (hall rightly fearch it fell and Confi- der its fiate and Condition, but will be able to fee wifdom, grace and care towards it (CIE in all difpenfations of God. And if I would here enter upon the benefits that throngh the fan&ifying hard of God, do redound unto believers by Af- fli Lions, Calamities, troubles, difireffes, temptations and the like Effe&s of Gods vifitations, it would be of ufe unto the fouls of men in this Cafe. But this fubje& hath been fo often, and fowell fpoken unto, that I 1hall not infifi upon it. I delire only that we would ferioufly confider how utterly Ignorant we are of what is good for sts, or ufefull unto us in thefe out- ward things, and fo leave them quietly unto Godsdilpofal. 4.We may Confider that all thefe things about which we are troubled, fall direlywithin the compafs of that good word of Gods grace, that he will make all things work together for the goodof them that love him, Rom. S. 28. All things that we en- joy, all thingsthat we are deprived of, all that we do, all that we fuffer ; our loffes, troubles, miferies, difireffes in which the Apofile infianceth in the following verfes, they (hail all work E e e together 395
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