Serm. CLXIV. the troubles of Life. 42; be in ány of us an evil fpirit of infidelity, o apoflatife from the living God, that is, to fall off from the profeffion of his Truth and Religion. A Religi- on worthy of all Men to be received and adhered to ; becaufe as it calls us to fufferings, fo it affords the greateft Comforts and Supports under them, as is evident from the chearful and joyful behaviour of the primitive Chriftians and Martyrs, under the greateft extremities of Sufferings and Torments, the like inftances whereto of Patience and Conftancy, under fo long and repeat- ed Perfecutions , no other Religion that ever was in the World is able to produce. IhI. And la/lly, fiuce the Prayers of Chriftians are fo effectual and prevalent with God, let us, by frequent and fervent Prayer in every thing make our re- quells known to God ; and let us with Confidence and fell llffurance of Faith addrefs our felves to the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and,find favour with bim for our feafonable help and fupport in time ofneed. Let us as our Saviour exhorts his Difciples, watch and pray, left we enter into temptation. And, as the Apoftle likewife exhorts, let us be fóber, and vigilant, and watch unto prayer , taking all opportunities for it, and fpending much time in this Duty, than which none of all the duties enjoyned by the Chriftian Religion will turn, to a better and more comfortable account, if our hearts and lives be but anfwerable to our Prayers. Let us earneftly beg of Gód , that his watchful and merciful Providence would undertake the care of us; that he would fit and prepare us for every condition which he hath defigned to bring us into ; and that he would teach us to demean our felves in it as we ought; that he would confider our frailties, and lay no greater load of afiflion upon us, than he will give us grace, and firength to bear; that if he fees it good to exercife any of us with Affli&ions and Sufferings in any kind, he would make us able to Rand in that evil day, and when we have done all to Rand. And if inftead of vain murmurings, and complaints, and terrifying our felves with fears of what may never happen, we would, after the example of holyDa- vid, betake our (elves to Prayer, and by this means engage the Providence of God for our protedion from evil, or for our fupport under it ; we fhould cer- tainly do much better for our felves, and contribute much more, than we can do any other way, to the prevention of any evil that we can fear, or to the mitigating or fhortning of it, as to God's infinite Wifdom and Goodnefs (hall feem heft. And let us always be mindful of that caution which our Saviour gives to his Difciples, that they might always be in a due preparation for the coming of our Lord to Judgment, Luke 21,. 34, 35, 36. Take heed to your (elves, left at any time your hearts be overcharged with furfeiting and drunkennefs and the cares of this life, and fo that day come uponyou unawares. For as a fnare Jhall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye there- fore and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to efcape all thefe things that /hall come to pafs, and to /land before the Son of man. This caution and coup el does proportionably hold, as to our .preparation for any other evil day of afilidion and (offering -in this.World; that we fhould beware of fenfu- ality, and an inordinate love to the things of this World, and care about them; becaufe thefe foften and effeminate our Spirits, and render them unfit for the day of adverfity : and that we fhould watch andpray; becaufe thefe are the heft preparations againft an evil day, and perhaps may prevent it, at leaft as to our felves, if God think it fit for us, and count us worthy to efcape it. To conclude then this whole Difcourfe. In all our fears and troubles, in all afflictions and adverfities that may happen to us in this World, let us encourage our felves in the Lord our God, the Father of mercy, and the God of all confola- tion; and in his bleffed Son fefies Chr f our Lord, the high prief of our pro- fegion, and the author and finifher of our faith; whom God bath exalted far a- bove all principalities and powers, and every name that is named, not only in this world,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=