(Lam. iii. 27, 28.) Paul was accustomed to afflictions; and see what he saith: "What mean ye to weep, and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." (Acts xxi. 13.) "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Phil. iv. 11-13.)

4. Keep the sense of your own great sinfulness upon your hearts. -This will stop your mouths, when you would complain of the holy. hand of God upon you: "Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?" (Lam. iii. 39.) "I will bear the indignation of the Lord," saith the church elsewhere, "because I have sinned against him." (Micah vii. 9.)

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5. Christ prayed himself into this frame. (John xii. 27, 28.)-The more impatient and discontent we be, the more need of prayer. Christ did not tarry till the hurry were over, but cried to his Father while it continued. And observe how he prayed, and what. prayed brokenly, and uttered the sense and very case of his soul. matter how abrupt the prayer be, so it be the representation of our hearts. Thus did David. (Psalm lxi. 2.) Where doth he pray? In banishment. When? When his spirit "is overwhelmed." How doth he pray? He "cried." Thus Hannah prayed herself composed. Remember, resignation is the work of the Spirit of God; and therefore you must plead for it, before you have it.

6. Subdue your carnal reasonings by the reasonings of faith.-So did holy David: when the flesh had reasoned him into impatience, he "went into the sanctuary," and was composed. (Psalm lxxiii. 16, 17.) And to help in this combat between faith and sense, take these following considerations ::

(1.) That all things are good from God's will.-I am sure, all providences be: they are good, because he willeth them: "Thou art good, and doest good." (Psalm cxix. 68.) Himself is good, and [his] will; therefore are his ways good also. No matter what sense and reason say: God cannot do amiss. And therefore Jeremiah lays down this as a principle, before he dare argue about God's judgments: " Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?" (Jer. xii. 1.) And so David: "Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well-nigh slipped. envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." (Psalm lxxiii. 1—3.) So Hezekiah: "Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?" (2 Kings xx. 19.)

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(2.) That what becomes God to do or order, becomes us to suffer.

If God bring the affliction, we may bear it. If it be for his glory, it cannot be for our disadvantage. God will not do what is evil; and we may very well submit to what is good. (Job i. 21.)

(3.) It is our folly and brutishness, when there is any impatience of God's will.-Jonah was mad with passion, when he told God [that] he did well to be angry at the dying of the gourd. (Jonah iv. 9; Psalm lxxiii. 21, 22.)

(4.) That God hath managed as unlikely providences for the good of his people, as these that he is bringing upon us. And having such experience of his wisdom and faithfulness, it is reason [that] we submit; especially having the promise too: "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God." (Rom. viii. 28.)

(5.) That when there is a contrariety of will between two parties, the best, the wisest, the holiest should carry it.-If either God must not have his will, or we want ours, it is all the reason in the world [that] we should submit, and embrace the cross patiently. Methinks there should be no debate about this matter.

(6.) That God will be glorified. This silenced Aaron; (Lev. x. 3;) and what are we? This was answer enough to Christ himself in the text; and are we too good, or too proud, to acquiesce in it?

(7.) That God is glorified upon others on harder terms than any proposed to us.— -Our cup is nothing so bitter as the Lord Jesus's was; nor like that of the primitive Christians, and martyrs then and since. They were scourged with scorpions; we, in comparison, but with small rods.

(8.) Lastly. That submission breaks the blow.-God will not contend with a resigned soul: Satis est prostrasse: * but his day falls heavily upon the unquiet, proud, and obstinate. "With the froward" he will behave himself "frowardly." (Psalm xviii. 26.) Isai. ii. 11, 12.

As encouragements to resignation, consider,

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1. This frame is a greater blessing than deliverance.-Christ chose it, rather than that the cup should pass away; and the Father rather granted it. Certainly what the Father and. Son preferred is best.

2. This once attained, sufferings are free-will offerings.-Now affliction is not an absolute necessity, but the soul's choice. And what an honour is it to be willing persons in such a hard case! If we submit "willingly," we "have a reward;" if not, a necessity of suffering, however, lies upon us, to allude to 1 Cor. ix. 16, 17. David acknowledged that God put a special honour upon him and his people, when they offered willingly. (1 Chron. xxix. 9, 14, 17.) How much greater honour is it, to offer ourselves to the pleasure of God, in a suffering season!

3. This is evidently the duty of the day.-Fear is on every side; the fury of brutish men is very high: many of our brethren are already oppressed, and bear it quietly. God calls us to resignation to his will in all providences, and aloud by the voice of his word; and refuge fails us. "Why?" That we may have no possibility of

"He is satisfied with having humbled it."-EDIT.

evading this duty. And being [seeing] it is now seasonable, it should be "beautiful" and desirable in our eyes. (Eccles. iii. 11.)

4. If we resign to the will of God, faith shall be kept alive, and our hold of our relation to and interest in God continued.—Christ in the height of his sufferings could call God his God, and commit his spirit confidently into his hands. (Psalm xxxi. 5; Luke xxiii. 46.)

5. If we survive and outlive the storm, God will make us eminently vessels of honour." That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter i. 7.) What great persons were Abraham and Isaac, after they had resolved themselves into the will of God! "By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore ; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed Nay, the benefit thereof extended my voice." (Gen. xxii. 16-18.) to their posterity for many generations. What a blessed end had patient, resigned Job! (James v. 11.)

6. If we die in this frame and day according to the will of God, it shall be no loss, but infinite advantage. (Isai. lvii. 1, 2.)—See it in After Paul had submitted David and Christ. (Psalm xvi. 8—10.) himself to the will of God and the Lord Jesus, (Acts xx. 24; xxi. 13,) how confident was he at his dissolution, and in what a triumphant "For I am now ready to be offered, and the frame do we find him! I have fought a good fight, I have time of my departure is at hand. finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." (2 Tim. iv. 6-8.) When proud, unbroken, impatient souls suffer and die in dread and horror, the resigned Christian shall expire in and confidence.

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SERMON XXIX.

BY THE REV. MATTHEW SYLVESTER,*

OF ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.

HOW MAY A GRACIOUS PERSON, FROM WHOM GOD HIDES HIS FACE, TRUST IN THE LORD AS HIS GOD.

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.-Psalm xlii. 11.

1. UPON the proposal of this case to me, I rather chose this text than that in Isaiah 1. 10; because I thought God and ourselves were both to be considered, in the just resolution of the case before us. For we must as well look within as above ourselves and accordingly here we see, that David's first look was into himself; and then his next look was toward his God. So that I thought this text most suited to the case.

2. When and upon what occasion this Psalm was penned, I will not now inquire into: but whenever it was, David was then under black dispensations of Divine Providence, and under dreadful consternations of spirit, and put very severely to it how to encourage and support himself.

3. The text may be considered. I. As A HISTORY, (1.) Of David's troubles and afflictions. (2.) David's sense and temper of spirit under them, and concerning them. (3.) Of the course he took to help himself. II. AS A DOCTRINE, to teach God's saints and servants, (1.) To what they are liable. (2.) And by what and how they are to be relieved and supported. III. AS A DIRECTORY.

4. In the text then we have observable: (1.) David's self-arraignment for immoderate despondencies and dejections under the present hand of God upon him: "Why cast down? and why disquieted within me?" (2.) His self-encouragement and instruction: "Hope thou in God."

5. So that you see, David, (1.) Cites himself to his own court, to account for his own disquietments and dejection; and here his scrutiny is severe and close: (2.) He offers some things to himself as a fit course and expedient for self-redress: "Hope thou in God:" and, (3.) The remedying proposal is closely argued and urged: "For I shall yet praise him,' &c. I shall have cause, a heart, and an opportunity to praise God. Times and things will be better with me than • One of the excellences ascribed to Mr. Sylvester is that of having been an admirable textuary; of which the reader will find ample proofs in this sermon. I have quoted many of the passages in full, to which he merely referred; as they are generally needful for understanding his course of argument. This has likewise been done in some of the paragraphs toward the close of the preceding sermon.-EDIT.

now they are. I shall have cause to praise God; for He is 'the health of my countenance.' I shall have a heart to do it, for He is 'my God;' and I accordingly now avouch him to be such: I value him, and confide in him, as such. And I do hence infer, that I shall have opportunity and a call for to 'praise' (acknowledge and adore) him, in the solemnities of his own house."

I. First. Let me then consider these words as they relate unto David; and give us THE HISTORY of David's exercise and self-relief. And here,

1. The patient or afflicted person was holy David.—A man after God's own heart, enamoured on God, devoted to him, delighted in him, constant and cheerful in his attendances on God, exceeding sensible and observant of all divine approaches to him and withdrawments and retreats from him, thirsting and panting greatly after the solaces and entertainments of God's house and altars, and bitterly lamenting the loss and absence of those solemnities wherein he formerly had so copiously and frequently pleased himself, afflicted mightily with those derisions and reproaches which reflected so severely upon God through him. Though nothing could lower or abate his adoring and delightful thoughts of God; yet it struck him to the heart to hear men always saying, "Where is thy God?" Add hereunto, that David was a king, a prophet, a type of Christ, a man of vast experiences and improvements, and such a peculiar favourite to God as that he was encouraged to more than ordinary expectations from him, of which he had great seals and earnests; and yet, we see, he could not be excused from great storms, and agonies, and anxieties of spirit.

2. That which this good man underwent was a great dejection and disquietment in his own spirit, by reason of some great afflictions that befell him.-God's providence touched him in his dearest and most valuable mercies: for he was an exile from God's altars. God's great enemies touched him in that which lay nearest to his heart; for they reproached him with his God, and, consequently, with and for all his religious hopes and duties;—thus striking at his God through him. All this afflicted him the more, in that hereby great jealousies and suspicions were arising of God's deserting him, and dismal fears and thoughts of God's having hid his face from him. And he saw no likelihood, in the posture and presages of second causes, that ever it would be better with him. And hence his spirit inn was "bowed down," and by pt "disquieted within" him;

*

• Περίλυπος, ταπεινουσα. Consterneris.-Vet. edit. Conturbaris.—Chald. Paraph. Contristas me.-Syriac. Dejicis te.-Arab. Et in versu 6. "In this passage, as well as in verse 6, the Greek translators have rendered the words 'greatly dejected, much depressed; an old Latin version, 'Why art thou filled with consternation?' the Chaldee Paraphrast, Why art thou thus disturbed?' the Syriac version, Why dost thou make me sad and sorrowful?' the Arabic, 'Why dost thou render me dejected?'”—Edit. + That is, " Disquieted within me." Συνταράσσεις με ;- LXX. Tumultueris adversùm me?-Targum. Conturbas me?-Syriac. Et in versu 6. Stupidus es, et personas in me ut alii.-Arab. "In this verse, and in the sixth, the Seventy render the clause, Why dost thou perturb or terrify me?' the Targum, Why dost thou tamultuate, or raise a disturbance, against me?' the Syriac version, Why dost thou disquiet or disturb me?' the Arabic, 'Why art thou so unfeeling, and loudly railest against me, like others?””— Edit.