afflicting us. For it is more fure, when any Man doth us hurt, he could not do it without God's Permiffion and Sufferance, and God may as well make them the Inftruments of punifhing us, as do it more directly by himfelf; and it is but a counterfeit Patience, that pretends to fubmit to God, and yet can bear nothing from Men; we fee holy Job, who is fet forth to us as a Pattern of true Patience, made no fuch Difference in his Afflictions; he took the Lofs of his Cattle, which the Caldeans and Sabeans robb'd him of, with the very fame Meekness with which he did that which was confumed by Fire from Hea ven. When therefore we fuffer any thing from Men, be it never fo unjúftly in refpect of them, we are yet to confefs it is moft juft in refpect of God; and therefore, inftead of looking upon them with Rage and Revenge, as the common Cuftom of the World is, we are to look up to God, acknowledge his Juftice in the Affliction, begging his Pardon moft earnestly for thofe Sins which have provoked him to fend it, and patiently and thankfully bear it, till he fhall fee fit to remove it; ftill faying with Job, Bleffed be the Name of the Lord.

Will.

day II.

9. But I told you, Humility contained in submission it a Submiffion, not only to his Will, but alfoto God's to his Wifdom, that is, to acknowledge him infinitely Wife, and therefore, that whatever he doth, is beft and fitteft to be done. And

Sunday this we are to confefs both in his Commands,
II. and in his difpofing and ordering of Things
In bis Com-Firft, whatsoever he commands us either to

mands.

believe, or do, we are to fubmit to his Wif dom in both, to believe whatsoever he bids us believe, how impoffible foever it seems to our fhallow Understandings, and to do whatever he commands us to do, how contrary foever it be to our flefhly Reafon or Humour and in both to conclude, that his Commands are moft fit and reasonable, however they appear to us.

In bis Dif1o. Secondly, We are to fubmit to his posals. Wisdom, in refpect of his Difpofal and Ordering of Things; to acknowledge he difpofes all Things moft Wifely, and that not only in what concerns the World in general, but alfo in what concerns every one of us in particular; fo that in what Condition foever he puts us, we are to affure our felves it is that which is beft for us, fince he chufes it for us who cannot err. And therefore, never to have impatient Defires of any thing in this World, but to leave to God to fit us with fuch an Estate and Condition as he fees beft for us, and there let us quietly and contentedly reft; yea, tho' it be fuch, as of all others, we fhould least have wished for ourfelves. And this furely cannot but appear very reasonable to any that hath Humility; for that having taught him, that God is infinitely Wife, and he very Foolish, he can.

hever doubt but that it is as much more for Sunday
his Good that God fhould chufe for him, than
II.
he for himfelf; even as it is as much more for
the Child's Good, to have the Parent chufe for
it, than to be left to those filly Choices it
would make for it felf. For how many times
would it cut, and burn, and mischief it felf, if
it might have every Thing it defires? And
fuch Children are we, we many times eagerly
defire those Things which would undo us, if
we had them. Thus many times we wish for
Wealth, and Honour, and Beauty, and the
like, when, if we had them, they would only
prove Snares to us, we fhould be drawn into
Sin by them. And this God, who knows all
Things, fees, though we do not, and there-
fore often denies us thofe Things, which he
fees will tend to our Mischief, and it is his a-
bundant Mercy that it doth fo. Let us there-
fore, whenever we are disappointed of any of
our Aims and Wishes, not only patiently, but
joyfully fubmit to it, as knowing that it is
certainly beft for us, being chofen by the un-
erring Wisdom of our Heavenly Father.

11. A Seventh Duty to God is HONOUR, Honour.
that is, the paying him fuch Reverence and
Refpect as belongs to fo Great a Majefty. And
this is, either inward or outward. The in-
ward, is the exalting him in our Hearts, ha-
ving always the highest and most excellent
Efteem of him. The outward, is the mani-
fefting and fhewing forth that inward; and

that

1

Sunday that is the first general in the whole Course II. of our Lives, the living like Men, that do indeed carry that high Efteem of God. Now, you know, if we bear any fpecial Reverence but to a Man, we will be careful not to do any foul or bafe Thing in his prefence; and fo if we do indeed Honour God, we fhall abhor to do any unworthy Thing in his Sight. But God fees all Things, and therefore there is no way to fhun the doing it in his Sight, if we do it at all; therefore if we do thus reverence him, we must never at any time do any finful Thing.

Several

ways of

God.

12. But befides this general way of honouring God, there are many particular Acts bonouring by which we may honour him; and thefe Acts are divers, according to the feveral Particulars about which they are exercised. For we are to pay this Honour not only immediately to himfelf, but alfo by a due Estimation and Account of all thefe Things that nearly relate or belong to him. Those are especialTy Six; firft, His Houfe; fecondly, His Revenue or Income (as I may fay;) thirdly, His Day fourthly, His Word; fifthly, His Sacraments; and, fixthly, His Name and every one of these is to have fome Degree of our Reverence and Esteem.

In bis Houfe.

13. First, His Houfe, that is, The Church, which being the Place fet apart for his Publick Worship, we are to look on it, though not as holy in refpect of itself, yet in refpect

of

of its Ufe, and therefore must not profane itundaL by imploying it to Ufes of our own. This II Chrift hath taught us by that A&t of his, Mat. 21. 12. in driving the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple, faying, My Houfeiscalled the Houfe of Prayer: And again, John 2. 16. Make not my Father's Houfe a Houfe of Merchandize. By which it is clear, Churches are to be used only for the Services of God, and we are to make that the only End of our coming thither, and not to come to Church as to a Market, to make Bargains, or dispatch Businesses with our Neighbours, as is too common among many. But whenever thou entreft the Church, remember that it is the House of God, a Place where he is in an efpecial manner prefent, and therefore take the Counsel of the Wife Man, Ecclef. 5. 1. and keep thy Foot when thou goeft into the House of God; that is, behave thyfelf with that godly Awe and Reverence, which belongs to that Great Majefty thou art before. Remember that thy Business there, is to converfe with God, and therefore hut out all Thoughts of the World, even of thy moft lawful Business, which, though they be allowable at another time, are here finful. How fearful a Guilt is it then to entertain any fuch Thoughts as are in themfelves wicked? It is like the Treafon of Judas, who pretended indeed to come to kifs his Mafter, but brought with him a Band of Souldiers to apprehend him, Mat. 26. We

make