SER M. to check their exorbitances, and will have that VII. effect if we carefully attend to it, that the

objects of them are covered from our knowledge, they are out of our power and our forefight, we neither know their futurity, nor how they will affect us; for God has referved the abfolute uncontrouled direction of them in his own hands, and his judgments are unfearchable.

There is one kind of human action not affected by this argument, that is, the last event of it is not subject to uncertainty, and God has intimated with fufficient clearness, that he will diftinguish it with his favour when the mystery of providence fhall be fulfilled; I mean the practice of virtue, which we are fure is good for man under the fun; and we have the greatest reason to believe will make him happy in another world. Though the judgments of God are unfearchable with refpect to the things of this world, (no man knows what shall befal him in this life, and when the end of it fhall be; nor does he know whether profperity or adverfity, poverty or riches, fickness or health, honour or difhonour, is good for him,) yet we know what is morally good, for God hath fhewed it to us, and what he hath required, and we know it has an eftablished infeparable connexion with our hap

happiness. Solomon obferves, that the race isSER M. not to the fwift, nor the battle to the strong *;

of our

we cannot be affured of fuccess in any
prefent undertakings, let the defigns be ever
fo well laid, and the appearances promifing
as far as human skill and abilities can reach.
But in the religious and virtuous course werun
not uncertainly, and in that war we fight not
as those that beat the air, for it shall be well
with the righteous ‡, the work of righteousness
Shall be peace, and the effect of it quietness and
affurance for ever |. If wisdom, rectitude,
and goodness govern the world, and the ad-
ministration, (however perplexed it may ap-
pear at prefent,) be under the direction of
these principles, order and good must prevail;
and they cannot be finally unhappy who
steddily adhere to its interefts, and conduct
themselves by the fame principles. And,

Laftly, This important inftruction arifes from the doctrine of the text, that we should fear God. The proper objects of fear or rev-rence, are wisdom, righteoufnefs, and goodnefs. In the degree wherein those attributes belong to any character, it attracts our veneration. Among men, the wisest and the best are the most esteemed: Not that the greatest outward refpect is paid to them, for that generally

S 4

* Ecclef. ix. II. + I Cor. ix. 28. James iii. 10. Ifa. xxxii. 17.

VII.

SERM.nerally follows the outward circumftances of
VII. wordly condition, 'power, and riches; but

they have the largest share in the inward af-
fection of those to whom their worth is known.
Now, these perfections are in the Deity abfo-
lute and infinite, fo that we cannot by search-
ing find them out. It is not any defect, but
the plenitude of them which is incomprehen-
fible; therefore do they juftly claim our hum-
bleft reverence. This argument very fenfibly
affected the mind of Job, and produced in
him a religious dread of the divine Majefty *;
Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and
backward, but I cannot perceive him; on the
left hand where he doth work, but I cannot behold
him; he bideth himself on the right hand that I
cannot fee him. I am fenfible that his provi-
dence, though invifible, is continually active
in all the quarters of the world, guiding the
motions of all the creatures, and doing
whatever pleaseth him. And though the
good man could affure his heart, his consci-
ence witneffing his integrity, He knoweth, fays
he, the
way that I take, my foot hath held his

Steps, bis way have I kept and not declined, nei-
ther have I gone back from the commandments
of his lips. I have efteemed the words of his
mouth more than my neceffary food. But there
are fecrets in his difpenfations which our short

* Chap. xxiii. 8.

and

and limited understandings cannot account SER M. VII. for, nor make any certain judgment concerning the defign and the event of them. For he adds, * He is in one mind, and who can turn him? And what his foul defireth, that he doth, for be performeth the thing that is appointed for me, and many fuch things are with him. He governs the world with fteddy counsel, and pursues his defigns independently on those things that would influence and alter feeble human refolution, fo that his measures are to us impenetrable, being conducted with infinitely fuperior wisdom, as well as irresistible The conclufion is, therefore am I power. troubled at his prefence; when I confider, I am afraid of him. My inmost soul stands in awe of his tranfcendent greatnefs; and the unfathomable depth of his administration, (which is not at a distance, but intimately prefent,) taking all my concerns within its care. The fame pious person having + elsewhere defcribed the utmost efforts of human skill and industry, fhews how weak they are and defective, when compared with the infinitely more extensive knowledge of God, who only knoweth the ways of wisdom, and the place of understanding; from whence he infers, that to `man the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wif dom, and to depart from evil is understanding.

SER

* Job xxii. 13, 14. + Chap. xxiii.

SERM.
VIII.

SERMON VIII.

Religion distinguished from Superftition, and fhewn to be true Wisdom.

Job xxviii. 28.

And unto Man he faid, Behold the fear of the
Lord, that is Wifdom, and to depart from
Evil is understanding.

W

ISDOM is naturally agreeable to the human mind; and indeed cannot but be agreeable to an intelligent nature, because it is the best use of understanding, and the proper improvement of reason. What is it that makes confufion and disorder fo diftafteful, as in an irregular jumble of things and heaps of materials casually thrown together? And on the contrary, regularity in any work or fyftem, and exact proportion and relation in the parts, and harmony in the whole, appear fo beautiful? Certainly, it is because counsel and contrivance, that is, wisdom,