our bad humours, and establish our future health. Without thefe, the cure of the first disease would fignify little. Every untoward fymptom might immediately revive. Those feelings, therefore, and those sentiments, which arose in our minds, when we were afflicted, fhould be the ruling thoughts of our hearts, if God should raife us again to health, or reftore us to that state of enjoyment, whatever it was, of which we had been deprived. The world is continually creeping in, and infinuating itself into all its old haunts. The channels, in which pleasure, avarice, or ambition used to run, are easily again opened, unless carefully clofed.-But we must always remember, that the Almighty physician, who administered the remedy, muft ever be applied to for the continuance of its fuccefs. Unlefs we preserve à communication with him by prayer, for the affiftance of his holy fpirit, we are in constant danger of a relapse. Our own powers cannot cope with the fubtilties of the world. Thus exercised by affliction, the faithful fervant of the Lord, makes it the means of correcting profperity, the other appendage of a state of trial. When he is in affliction, religious fentiments force themfelves upon him. When the world world fmiles, he calls them to his affiftance. He eyes thofe enfnaring fmiles with caution. He does not refuse to take a part in the innocent amusements of the world: but he always suspects them like enemies in disguise. He knows that worldly happiness is God's mode of trying his fincerity; and bringing it to proof. It is now therefore that he fortifies his mind with all thofe religious fentiments, which affliction had raised. The vanity of the world-his own dependent ftate-the bleffings of redemption-and the mercies of God, were then the principal fubjects of his thoughts and amidst all the cares, and vanities of life, he now endeavours to keep them in fight. The wrongneffes of his temper also, and the bad propensities of his heart, which were all corrected by affliction, he ftill, in the hour of enjoyment, endeavours to correct by the recollection of what he formerly felt. Thus, amidst all the exceffes of the world, he paffes through his ftate of trial-innocentholy-and devoted to God, with whom he has conftant intercourse by prayer-ever acknowledging, both in sickness, and in health, among God's other inftances of kindness to him, his fatherly correcting hand-evermore crying out, It is good for me that I have been in trouble, for now have I learned thy law. SERMON XIV. PSALM XCIV. 19. IN THE MULTITUDE OF SORROWS, WHICH I HAD IN MY HEART, THY MERCIES HAVE REFRESHED MY SOUL. THIS pfalm is fupposed to have been written by David; who though a great king, had felt as many forrows in his heart as moft men. Sorrow, you fee then belongs to all stations of life. We are affured in fcripture, that all mankind are born to trouble, as the Sparks fly upwards. If the poor feel diftreffes from having too little; the rich feel them as often, and perhaps more keenly, from having too much. Abundance. creates unfatisfied defires; and unfatisfied defires produce painful difappointments. Where there there are great poffeffions, there will be frequent lofs. While the poor are more moderate in their defires; and having little, have lefs to lofe. Diseases are incident to all: and if we live into old age, infirmities, and diforders ftare us in the face; the certain fignals of our approaching diffolution. From all thefe caufes fuch a variety of evils flow in upon us, that every man occafionally feels a multitude of forrows in his heart. - As we are all therefore, more or less, the children of forrow, it is a great happiness to have something, as the pfalmift fays, to refresh our fouls. For though our forrow makes a part of our state of trial; and is of great service to us, as I endeavoured to fhew you in a late difcourse; yet ftill our heavenly Father allows us to take all proper means of mitigating it. I shall recommend to you therefore, the holy palmift's example on this occafion; and fhew you, how you may refresh your fouls, in the multitude of your forrows, as he advises you, by the mercies of God. The worldly man indeed hath no dependence on these mercies. He acts, as if this world was his only fource of confolation. He finds all his comforts in it; and has no idea of any happiness, but what it provides, And no doubt there are great great comforts in this world; and the grateful man will always thank his heavenly Father for them. But if God provide us still better comforts, we are furely very improvident, if we do not take them alfo into the account. Though our earthly comforts are good in their kind; it is furely too much to consider them as fully fufficient to make us happy even in this world, They are in the firft place, attended with unquietnefs, and disappointment; fomething unpoffeffed, which feldom makes them what we expected.-Then again, the poffeffion of them is infecure. Some unforeseen accident may arife, which depriving us of one poffeffion after another, may, in the end, leave us nothing to refresh our fouls.-But if the good things of this world could be fecured to us even till death; what then? Do we look for nothing farther? We cannot take the comforts of this world, out of the world with us; and as we have fouls to be provided for, we fee, without fome comforts of a fpiritual kind, there will be a great want of provifion ftill. Let us then, examine with holy David, what the mercies of God will do for us: let us fec what thefe mercies are-what spiritual comforts they will afford us in our diftreffes or |