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of, "the peace of God that paffeth all "understanding, keeps his heart and mind "through Jefus Chrift." This gracious temper brings not only reft, but liberty to the foul. It breaks all thofe fetters in pieces, by which the covetous, the ambitious, the voluptuous, are chained to a prefent world, and dragged at the heels of those worse than Egyptian taskmasters, "the "luft of the eye, the luft of the flesh, and "the pride of life." Whatever God willeth is pleafing to the fanctified believer ; and the light of his Father's countenance, amidft the deepest and most complicated distress, puts greater gladnefs into his heart, than the fenfualift can feel, or is capable of conceiving, when his corn.and wine do most abound. It is this that gives the Christian the true enjoyment of life. No man can have the proper relish of any earthly comfort, who is not prepared to part with it. This looks like a paradox, but will be found upon examination to be a weighty truth. Where fear is, there is torment and nothing mars our joy fo effectually, as the profpect of being feparated from what we

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greatly love.

Talk to a carnal man of death, and the poor creature's fpirit dies within him: the awful profpect of dissolution, like the hand-writing upon the wall which Belshazzar perceived while he was drinking wine with his princes, his wives, and his concubines, will, in the height of his gaiety, change his countenance, loosen the joints of his loins, and make his knees to smite against one another. Whereas the man who hath been taught to caft his care upon God, can fit cheerfully at the feast which Providence affords him, and think of his dying hour without diminishing the relish of his prefent enjoyment. Like David, Pfal. xxiii. he can look forward without difmay, to his walk through the valley and fhadow of death; and while the gloomy object is in his eye, he can fay to his God with thankful praife, "Thou preparest a "table before me in the prefence of mine “enemies: thou anointeft my head with ❝oil, my cup runneth over: furely goodness “ and mercy fhall follow me all the days of “ my life; and I will dwell in the houfe of "the Lord for ever."

THUS

THUS have I opened the meaning of the exhortation, and at the fame time attempted to give you a general view of the dignity and excellence of the temper it recommends. But the most persuasive motive to the practice of this duty, is that which the Apostle himfelf maketh use of in the close of the verfe, where he giveth full affurance to believers in Chrift, that God, in a peculiar manner, careth for them. To this I fhall proceed in my next difcourfe. May God lead us by his Spirit to the knowledge of our duty, and difpofe us by his grace to the love and practice of it, for Christ's fake. Amen.

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398

SERMON XVI.

1 PETER V. 7.

Cafting all your care upon him, for he careth

TH

for you.

a

HESE words contain a preffing exhortation to an important duty, and a most perfuafive argument to enforce the practice of it. It was an apostle of Christ who gave the exhortation, and he addreffed it to believers in Chrift: not to those who barely profeffed Christianity in oppofition to Hea thenifm; but to real faints, as diftinguished from mere nominal Chriftians, who "have

a form of godlinefs, but deny the power "thereof." What their condition was with refpect to external things, partly appears from the infcription of the epistle, where they are called "ftrangers, fcattered abroad "throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, "Afia, and Bithynia." Such perfons were

not

not likely to enjoy much worldly eafe or affluence: and indeed we have positive evidence. that they did not; for we are told expressly, that "they were in heavinefs through ma"nifold temptations," reproached as evildoers, and cruelly perfecuted for the name. of Chrift. Nay, as if thefe trials had been only the beginning of forrows, the Apostle forewarns them, at the 12th verfe of the preceding chapter, that they were foon to enter upon a new fcene of fufferings; the feverity of which fhould far exceed any thing they had yet felt. "Beloved," faith he, "think it not strange concerning the fiery "trial which is to try you, as though fome ftrange thing happened unto you: but

rejoice in as much as ye are partakers of "Christ's fufferings; that when his glory "fhall be revealed, ye may be glad alfo "with exceeding joy."

We can hardly doubt, that fuch an awful profpect would beget many anxious difquieting thoughts. Cares it behoved them to have; not about the trivial accommodations of a prefent life, theirs would be of a more ferious and important nature:How

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