chaff of pride in me." To crucify this corruption, Providence takes off the bridle of restraint from ungodly men, and sometimes permits them to traduce the names of God's servants, as Shimei did David's. Yea, they fall into disesteem among their friends, as Paul did among the Corinthians; and all this to keep down the swelling of their spirits at the sense of those excellencies that are in them; the design of these providences being nothing else than to hide pride from man. Yea, it deserves a special remark, that when some good men have been engaged in a public and eminent work, and have therein, it may be, too much sought their own applause, God hath withheld his usual assistance at such times from them, and caused them to faulter so in their work, that they have come off with shame and pity, how ready soever they have been at other times.

5. The corruption of the heart shows itself in raising up great expectations to ourselves from the creature, and projecting abundance of felicity and contentment from some promising and hopeful

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enjoyments we have in the world. we find to have been the case of holy Job in the days of his prosperity, "Then I said, I shall die in my nest, I shall multiply my days as the sand," Job xxix. 18. But how soon were all these expectations dashed by a gloomy providence that benighted him in the noon-tide of his prosperity; and all this for his good, to take off his heart more fully from creature expectations. We often find the best men to over-reckon themselves in worldly things and over-act their confidences about them. They who have great and well grounded expectations from heaven, may have too great and ungrounded expectations from the earth; but when it is so, it is very usual for Providence to undermine their earthly hopes, and convince them by experience how vain they are. Thus in Haggai i. 9, the people's hearts were intently set upon prosperous providences, full harvests, and great increase; whilst, in the mean time, no regard was had to the worship of God and the things of his house; therefore Providence blasts their hopes, and brings them to little.

6. Corruption discovers itself in dependence upon creature-comforts and sensible props. O how apt are the best men to lean on those things, and stay themselves upon them! Thus did Israel stay themselves upon Egypt, as a feeble man would lean upon his staff; but God suffered it both to fail them and wound them, Ezek. xxix. 6, 8. Thus we lean on our relations, and the inward thoughts of our hearts are, that they shall be to us so many springs of comfort to refresh us throughout our lives; but God will show us, by his Providence, our mistake and error in these things. Thus a husband is smitten to draw the soul of a wife nearer to God in dependence upon him. As for children, we are apt to say of this or that child, as Lamech did of Noah, "This same shall comfort us;" but the wind passes over these flowers, and they are withered, to teach us that our happiness is not bound up in these enjoyments. And as for our estates, when the world smiles upon us, and we have a warm nest, how do we prophesy of rest and peace in those acquisitions; but Providence overturns our projects, and all this to bring

back our hearts from the creature to God, our only rest.

7. Corruption discovers its strength in good men by their adherence to things below, and lothness to go hence. This often proceeds from the engaging enjoyment and pleasant fruitions we have here below. Providence mortifies this inclination in the saints, by killing those ensnaring comforts before-hand, making all or most of our pleasant things to die before us; by imbittering the world to us by the troubles of it; by making life undesirable through the pains and infirmities we feel in the body, and so loosing our root, in order to our more easy fall by the fatal stroke.

And here I cannot but make a pause, and desire you to stand with me in holy amazement and wonder at the dealings of God with such poor worms as we are! Surely God deals familiarly with men! His condescensions to his own clay are astonishing. All that I shall observe at present about it shall be under these three heads, wherein I find the matter of my present meditations summed up by the Psalmist, "Lord, what is man, that thou

takest knowledge of him? Or the son of man that thou makest account of him?” Psal. cxliv. 3.

1. In this scripture you have represented, the immense and transcendent greatness of God, who is infinitely above us and all our thoughts. "Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell, what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea," Job xi. 7, 9.

"The heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him." 2 Chron. ii. 6. "He is glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders." Exod. xv. 11. When the scripture speaks of him comparatively, see how it expresses his greatness! "Behold the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: Behold he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof for a burnt-offering. All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity," Isa. xl. 15—17.