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on him, and abundantly pardon him; and SER M. who doth not know, that the fame is ftil XI. more clearly taught in the new testament: But it is alfo perfectly agreeable to our natural sentiments concerning the Deity; what hope could men have towards him, if it were not fo, and how infignificant would religion be to its main profeffed ends?

If this be the true notion of the righteous man, a character concerning which every one is the best judge for himself, being confcious of the operations of his own mind; and of the affections, the principles, and motives from which he acts; and indeed, as the apostle John teaches us, when we can affure our hearts before God, and they do not reproach us for infincerity, or prevailing evil affections, then we have confidence towards him; but, I fay, if this be the true notion of the righteous man, our next enquiry under this head, is, in what fense it shall be well with him. The meaning certainly is not, that he shall poffefs all external advantages and enjoyments in this world, whereby his condition fhall be rendered more eafy and profperous than that of the wicked. That is contrary to fact and experience, as well as to many plain declaS 3

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SERM.rations of fcripture: It is not thus that God
XI. diftinguishes his favourites, nor do righteous

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men place their happiness in outward profperity. There be many that fay, who will fhew us any good? That inceffantly, and with the greatest eagerness purfue fenfual and earthly gratifications as their chief good, which, because they cannot find in any one object (for no one object of that fort can content the mind of man) therefore they feek it in a variety, and the end of their wishes is still undetermined: But the ftable uniform defire of the good man, is, that God may lift on him the light of his countenance, or grant him his favour, which is better than life. Nor is it to be thought, that divine providence will

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always interpofe to rescue the righteous from thofe calamities that come upon the world of the ungodly in which they live; it was not the intention of the prophet to affure them, that they should be preferved from the ruin of Jerufalem, and the common fall of Judah, which was to be expected because of their crying national fins, in which the righteous had no fhare; but that in all events they should be happy, even though they were involved in the common defolation, and perished with the multitude of

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finners; for the judgments of God pro- SERM. cured by the wickedness of men, do not al- XI. 1 ways feparate between the precious and the vile, but he suffers them frequently to fall together; ftill however, even in death itself, making a great and important difference between them. It is true, there are fome instances of providence interpofing for the deliverance of eminently good men from common destructive plagues: Thus Noah and his family escaped that flood which over1 threw the foundations of the wicked; and righteous Lot was delivered from that vengeance of eternal fire, as the apostle calls it, which confumed Sodom and Gomorrah. Such inftructive examples hew, that God has not forfaken the earth, that his eye runs to and · fro to mark the perfect, and fhew himfelf Strong in behalf of the upright, and they are imperfect sketches of his juft adminiftration, which will finally distinguish men according to their doings with the most exact equity; but they are rare examples; the ordinary courfe of things is otherwise, and as far as relates to the outward ftate of men in this world, there is one event to the righ tebus and to the finner.

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SERM. We must therefore, in order to underXI. ftand fully how it fhall be well with the righteous, enlarge our notion of the state of man; we must confider him in the whole of his being, his foul as well as his body, and in every condition and period of his exiftence. It is thus we judge concerning our state within the compafs of the present life, and its affairs: A man may be eafy and profperous in the main, when his principal interefts are flourishing, although he meets with various difappointments in things which are of leffer moment. In like manner we may justly fay, it is well with good men when their fouls profper; they enjoy inward peace and fatisfaction, and their future happiness is fecured, though they are liable to fufferings in this present time, which, as the apostle* fays, are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall hereafter be revealed in them; and though they are not exempted from the common frailties, nor the extraor dinary diftreffes which are incident to the rest of mankind, and the focieties they belong to. The pleasure, the high self-enjoyment which arifes from a confcioufness

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of virtuous integrity, together with a firm SERM, unfhaken confidence in God, the joyful ex- XI. pectation of a future more perfect happinefs, and the fure poffeffion of it when this life is ended; these are the portions of fincere perfevering righteoufnefs; for, as this prophet elsewhere teaches, chapter xxxii. 17. the work of righteoufnefs fhall be peace, and the effect of it quietness and affurance for ever. This is more fully and particutarly explained to us in the fcripture. God has brought life and immortality to clear light through the Gofpel, and by his fpirit revealed, as St. Paul teaches 1 Corinthians, xi. .9 those things which he has prepared for them that love him; things which eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, nor bath it entered into the heart of man to conceive. But at all times, and under every difpenfation of religion, there has been still fufficient reason to believe that it fhall be well with the righteous, or that there is an established infeparable connection between virtue and happiness, which leads me to what I propos'd.

Secondly, to fhew the truth of the prophet's affertion in the text, that it shall be well with the righteous, or that he shall be happy: Whatever becomes of the fociety

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