634 Tlat, Wifdom of God 'Vol. I convenient for thee ; for man is more dear to the gods, than he is to him el . much different from this, is the Divine Counfef ofSolomon, Prov, f f Not in the Lordwith all thine heart ; and lean not unto thine own underffandin 6. 7ruff thy ways acknowledge him, andhe (hall direll thy paths. It is confiderable who is that gives this Advice; the wifefl of the Sons ofMen; and yet he advifeho t6 trufi in Godfor direfiiow, andnot to lean to ourown underflandings. If therefore we be fully perhvaded of God's infinitely Wife and Good Provi- dence, we ought certainly to refer our felves to him, and perfe &ly to acquiefce in his difpofal, and to reft fatisfied in whatever he does, and whatever condition he afîìgns to us, we ought to be contented with it : if we be not we find fault with his Wifdom, and reproach his Goodnefs, and with the Government ofthe World in better hands. So that a firm beliefof the Providence of God, asit would take away all An.. xiety concerning future Events, fo would it likewife filence all thofe Murmur- ings and Difcontents, which are apt to arife in us, when things fall out crofs to our Delires, when Difaflers and Difappointments happen to us, and the Provi- deuce of God cafts us into Sicknefs, or Poverty, or Difgrace. This quieted David, when he was ready to break out into murmuringat the Afi&ions and Calamities which befel him. I heldmy peace (fays he) and fpake not a word, becaufe thou Lorddidfl it. And this likewife fhould keep us from fretting andvexing at Infiru- ments, and fecond Caufes; to confider that the Wife Providence of God over-ru- ledi and difpofeth the Adkins of Men, and that no harm can happen tous with- out his permiflìon. This Confideration reflrained David's Anger, under that high provocation of Shimei, when he follow'd him reproaching him and curling him ; let him alone, the Lord ;bathPaidunto him, curie David. He confider'd that God's Providence permitted it; and looking upon it as coming from a higher hand, this calmed his Paflìon, and made him bear it patiently. Ifa Man be walking in the Street, and one fling Water upon him, it is apt toprovoke him be- yond all patience ; but no man is in a paffion for being wet ten times asmuch by Rain froth Heaven. What Calamity foever befalleth us, when we confider it as coming fromHeaven, and ordered and permitted there, this will Still and hufh our Pafiion, and make us with Eli to hold our peace, or only to fay, it is the Lord, lethim do whatfeemeth him good. We are indeed liable to many things in thisWorld, which have a great deal of evil and affliction in them, to Poverty, and Pain, and ,Reproach, and Refiraint, and the lofs of our Friends andnear Relations, and thefe are great afiétions, and very crofs and difiaftful to us; and therefore when we are in Danger of any of diele, and apprehend them to be making towards us, we axe apt to be anxious and full oftrouble, and when they befall us, we are prone to cenfure the Provi- dence of God, and to judge rafhly concerning it, as ifall things were not order- ed by it for the bell: but,we fhould confider, that we are very ignorant and fhort lighted Creatures, and fee but a little way before us, are not ableto penetrate in.. to the Defigns ofGod, and to look to the End of his Providence. Wecannot (as Solomon expreffeth it) fee the workof Godfrom the beginning to the end; whereas if we law the whole defign of Providence together, we fhould ftrangely admire the beauty and proportion of it, and fhould fee it to be very wife and good. And that which upon the whole matter, and in the lait iffue and refult of things, is moil for our good, is certainly belt, how grievous foever it may feèmfor the pre - fent. Sicknefs caufed by Phyfick, is many times more troublefom for the pre - fent, than theDifeafe we take it for; but every wife Man compofeth himfelf to bear it as well as he can, becaufe it is in order to his Health : The evils and of -- fliitionsof thislife are the Phyfick, and Means of Cure, which the Providence of God is often necefiïtated to makealeof; &ifwe did truft-our felves in the hands of this great Phyfician, we fhould quietly fubmit to all the feverities of his Pro- vidence, in confidence that they would all work togetherforour good. When Children are under the government of Parents, or the difcipline of their Teachers, they are apt to murmur at them, and think it very hard to be denyed fo many things which they delire, and to be conftrained by feverities to a great many
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