How then are you to difpofe of your cares?-What shall I fay? I might tell you, that your anxiety will do you no good, and therefore it were beft to lay it aside, and take things as they happen, without murmuring. But this were only to amufe you; for the burden would ftill prefs you with its weight, and all my reasoning would amount to nothing more than a cold unavailing advice to ftruggle with it as you can. But if your cares be very painful, though I cannot encourage you to go directly to God with them in your present ftate, yet I fhall fuggeft a hint which by the bleffing of God may be of use to you. It hath often been obferved, that one great care will fwallow up many others of smaller importance, and even banish them from the mind altogether. Thus in a ftorm at sea, the most covetous worldlings have been known to throw their most precious goods overboard with their own hands, when no other means could be found to keep the ship above water. This points out a remedy; and it is the only remedy that occurs to me. Were you awakened to a proper concern about the life of your fouls, this would have a powerful influence to cure your anxiety about leffer things. Were you brought to cry out with the jailor, "What fhall I do to be faved?" you would find neither leifure nor inclination to afk thefe difquieting anxious questions, "What shall "I eat? and what fhall I drink? and where"withal fhall I be cloathed ?" All these would be fwallowed up in your concern for "the one" "thing needful." And give me leave to add, that when this becomes your care, I fhall then

be

be at full liberty to invite you to caft it upon God; nay, I fhall be able to affure you, that he will not only accept the charge, but likewise give you what you care for, even a complete and everlasting falvation. O then "feek the Lord "while he is to be found; call upon him while "he is near."

MAY God determine and enable you to take this course, and make your worldly cares the means of leading your hearts beyond and above this world, to feek rest and happiness in himself alone. Amen.

SERMON

SERMON IX.

2 CORINTHIANS xii. 9.

He faid unto me, My grace is fufficient for thee. IN the foregoing verses of this chapter, the Apoftle relates an extraordinary revelation he had been favoured with, above fourteen years before the date of this epiftle. He informs us, that "he was caught up into paradife," or "the "third heaven (whether in the body, or out of "the body, he could not tell) where he heard

unfpeakable words, which it is not lawful," or poffible, “for a man to utter." This probably happened foon after his converfion; and was graciously intended, either to remove those doubts and fears which the remembrance of his former conduct might naturally occafion, or rather to fortify his mind against the trials and fufferings he was afterwards to meet with in the course of his miniftry.-One fhould imagine, that fuch a glorious manifeftation could not be liable to any abufe. When Satan would have tempted our Lord to worship him, it was by giving him a fight and offer of all the kingdoms of this world; and we readily admit, that fuch a temptation might prove very fatal to us. Earthly objects have indeed too powerful a tendency to inflame our fenfual appetites, and to alienate our hearts from God; but furely no danger can be appre

hended

hended from a view of heaven. The glories of the upper world, a display of thofe things above, upon which God himself hath commanded us to fet our affection, cannot be fuppofed to have any bad effect.

And no doubt this will be the cafe, when we fhall be perfectly freed from all remainders of corruption. But we learn, from what follows, that in our prefent ftate of weakness and depravity, even a view of heaven might prove a fnare to our fouls. Holy Paul, as we read verfe 7. was in danger of being "exalted above measure "through the abundance of the revelations ;" for which caufe," there was given to him a "thorn in the flesh, the meffenger of Satan to "buffet him." What this particular exercife was, is not material for us to know. The words

plainly import, that it was both violent and painful, and the effects it produced as evidently fhew, that it was appointed in mercy, and wifely calculated for his fpiritual advantage. This eminent faint, who but a little before was caught up into paradife, now humbles himself as low as the duft. He falls down upon his knees, and carneftly implores deliverance from this trial. Once and again he repeats his fupplication, but gets no answer. This could not fail to heighten his diftrefs. A meffenger of Satan is fent to buffet him, and God, by his filence, feems deaf to his intreaties. But ftill this is made to work for his good: He becomes more and more fenfible of his own weakness; he draws nearer to a throne of grace, and renews his fuit with increafing fervour and importunity.

"For this

thing,"

thing," fays he, verse 3. "I befought the "Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.". At length the answer comes in the words of my text: And be faid unto me, My grace is fufficient for thee.

You will obferve, that after all his intreaties, the Lord did not grant him the precife thing he had asked; but he gave him what was better, and more fuited to his condition. Paul needed an antidote against spiritual pride; and as the thorn in the flesh was neceffary for that end, it would have been no act of kindness to have taken it away: and therefore our Lord, who knew his fervant better than he knew himself, prolongs the trial, but at the fame time affures him of grace to fupport him under it. This meffenger of Satan muft not be sent away, left thou shouldft forget thy dependence upon me: but I will stand by thee, and ftrengthen thee to bear his affaults and buffetings: that, feeling thine own weaknefs, and the power of my grace, thy foul may be kept at an equal distance from prefumption on the one hand, and from diftruft on the other; both which extremes are utterly inconfiftent with the duties of my service, and the happinefs of my people. According to this view of the words, I propofe, in dependence upon divine aid,

I. To guard you against pride and self-confidence, by giving you a true representation of that weak and impotent ftate into which we are fallen by our apoftafy from God; and,

II. For your encouragement, I fhall lead your thoughts to that all-fufficient grace which is treasured up in Chrift, whereby the weakest of VOL. II. L

his