it is no better, yea, in many a worfe temper than in reprobates. And though grace depofe fin in them from the throne, yet O what offenfive and God-provoking corruptions daily break out in the best hearts!

(3.) Confider them in their outward condition, and they are inferior (for the most part) to others. I Cor. i. 26, 27, 28, &c. and Mat. xi. 25. "I thank thee, O Father (faith Chrift) that "thou haft hid thefe things from the wife and prudent, and haft "revealed them unto babes."

And now let us confider and admire, that ever this great and bleffed God, fhould be fo much concerned as you have heard he is in all his providences, about fuch vile, defpicable worms as we are! he needs us not, but is perfectly bleffed and happy in himfelf without us. We can add nothing to him, Job xxii. 2. "Can a man be profitable to God?" No; the holieft of men add nothing to him; yet fee how great account he makes of us. For,

1. Doth not his eternal, electing love bespeak the dear account he made of us, Eph. i. 4, 5. How ancient, how free, and how aftonishing is this act of grace! This is that defign which all providences are in purfuit of, and will not reft till they have executed.

2. Doth not the gift of his only Son out of his bofom befpeak this truth, that God makes great account of this vile thing, man? Never was man fo magnified before. If David could fay, Pfal. viii. 3. "When I confider the heavens, the work of thy hands, "the moon and ftars which thou haft ordained, Lord, what is "man?" How much more may we fay? When we confider thy Son, that lay in thy bofom, his infinite excellency, and unfpeakable dearnefs to thee; Lord, what is man, that fuch a Christ fhould be delivered to death for him! for him, and not for fallen angels! Heb. ii. 19. for him when in a state of enmity with God! Rom. v. 8.

3. Doth not the affiduity of his providential care for us, fpeak his esteem of us? Ifa. xxxvii. 1. «Left any hurt it, I will keep it "night and day." "He withdraweth not his eyes from the righ"teous," Job xxxvi. 7. no, not a moment all their days; for did he fo, a thousand mitchiefs in that moment would rush in upon them, and ruin them.

4. Doth not the tenderness of this providence speak his esteem of us? Ifa. lxvi. 13. "As one whom his mother comforteth, fo "will I comfort you." He comforts his (viz. by refreshing providences) as an indulgent mother her tender child. So Ifa. xxxi. 5. "As birds flying," viz. to their nefts, when their young are in danger, "fo he defends his." No copy, no tenderness in the creature can fhadow forth the tender bowels of the Creator.

5. Doth not the variety of the fruits of his providence speak it?

Lam. iii. 23. "Our mercies are new every morning." See Pfal. xl. 5. It is a fountain from which do stream forth spiritual and temporal, ordinary and extraordinary, public and perfonal mercies, mercies without number.

6. Doth not the miniftration of angels in the providential kingdom fpeak it? Heb. i. ult. "Are they not all miniftering fpirits " fent forth," &c.

7. Doth not the providence, which this day* calls us to celebrate the memory of, bespeak the great account God hath for his people? O, if not fo, why had we not been given up as a prey to their teeth? See Pfal. cxxiv. If the Lord had not been on our fide, then wicked men, there compared to fire, water, wild beafts, had devoured us. O bleffed be God for that teeming providence that hath already brought forth more than feventy years liberty, and peace to the church of God. I fhall move, in behalf of this providence, that you would do by it, as the Jews by their Purim, Efth. ix. 27, 28. and the rather, because we feem now to be as near danger by the fame enemy, as ever fince that time: And if fuch a mercy as this be forgotten, God may fay, as Judg. x. 13. "I will deliver you no more."

The third general head.

Having proved the concernments of the people of God to be conducted by the care of special providence, and given instances in the laft ten named heads, what influence providence hath upon those interests and concerns of theirs among the reft; we come, in the next place, to prove it to be the duty of the people of God, to reflect upon thefe performances of providence for them at all times; but especially in times of ftraits and troubles.

This I will evidence to be your unquestionable duty, by the fol lowing particulars:

1. This is our duty, becaufe God hath exprefly commanded it, and called his people to make the most ferious reflections, and animadverfions upon his works, whether of mercy or judgment. So when that dreadfulleft of all judgments was executed upon his profeffing people for their apoftafy from God, and God had removed the fymbols of his prefence from among them, the reft are bid to go, (i. e.) by their meditations, (to fend at least their thoughts) to Shiloh, and "fee what God did to it," Jer. vii. 12. So for mercies, God calls us to confider and review them; Mic. vi. 5. "Remember, O my people, from Shittim unto Gilgal, "that ye may know the faithfulness of the Lord:" q. d. If you reflect not upon that fignal providence, my faithfulnefs will be coVOL. IV. 3 G

* Preached, November 5.

vered, and your unfaithfulness difcovered. So for God's works of providence about the creatures, we are called to confider them, that we may prop up our faith by thofe confideration for our own fupplies, Mat. vi. 28. confider the fowls and lilies.

2. It is plain, that this is our duty, because the neglect of it is every-where in fcripture condemned as a fin. To be of a heedless, unobfervant temper is very difpleafing to God; and fo much appears by that fcripture, Ifa. xxvi. 11. "Lord, when thy hand is "lifted up, they will not fee" Nay, it is a fin which God threa tens and denounces woe against in his word, Pfal. xxviii. 4, 5. and Ifa. v. 12, 13. Yea, God not only threatens, but fmites men with vifible judgments for this fin, Job xxxiv. 26, 27.

And for this end and purpose it is, that the Holy Ghost hath affixed thofe notes of attention to the narratives of the works of providence in fcripture, all which do invite and call men to a due and clear obfervation of them. So in that great and celebrated work of providence, in delivering Ifrael out of Egyptian bondage, you find a note of attention twice affixed to it, Exod. iii. 2, 9. So when that daring enemy Rabfhakeh, (that put Hezekiah and all the people into fuch confternation) was defeated by providence, there is a note of attention prefixed to that providence; 2 Kings xix. 7. "Behold, I will fend a blast upon him," &c. So when God glorifies his wisdom and power, in delivering his people from their enemies, and enfnaring them in the works of their own hands, a double note of attention is affixed to that double work of providence, Pfal. ix. 16. Higgaion, Selah. So at the opening of every feal which contains a remarkable feries or branch of providence, how particularly is attention commanded to every one of them; Rev. vi. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. " Come and fee, come and fee." All these are very useless and fuperfluous additions in scripture, if no fuch duty lies upon us. See Pfal. Ixvi. 5.

4. Without due obfervation of the work of providence, no praise can be rendered to God for any of them; praife and thankf giving for mercies depend upon this act of obfervation of them, and cannot be performed without it. Pfal. cvii. is fpent in narratives of God's providential care of men; to his people in ftraits, ver. 4, 5, 6. to prifoners in their bonds, ver. 10, 11, 12. to men that lie languishing in beds of fickness, ver. 17, 18, 19. to fcamen upon the ftormy ocean, ver. 23, &c. to men in times of famine, ver. 33. to 40. yea, his providence is difplayed in all those changes that fall out in the world, debafing the high, and exalt ing the low, ver. 40, 41. and at every paragraph men are still called upon to praise God for each of these providences: But ver. 43. fhews you what a neceffary ingredient to that duty obfervation is: "Whofo is wife, and will obferve thofe things: even they shall

understand the loving-kindness of the Lord." So that of neceffity God must be defrauded of his praise if this duty be neglected.

5. Without this, we lofe the usefulness and benefit of all the works of God for us or others, which would be an unfpeakable lofs indeed to us. This is the food our faith lives upon in days of diftrefs. Pfal. lxxiv. 14. "Thou brakeft the heads of the Levi"athan in pieces, and gaveft him to be meat to the people inha"biting in the wilderness ;" i. e. food to their faith. From providences paft, faints used to argue to fresh and new ones to come. So David, 1 Sam. xvii. 37. "The Lord that delivered me out of "the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will de"liver me out of the hand of this Philiftine." So Paul, 2 Cor. i. 10. "Who hath delivered, and in whom also we truft, that he "will yet deliver." If these be forgotten, or not confidered, the hands of faith hang down. See Mat. xvi. 9. "How is it that ye "do not remember, neither confider ?" This is a topic from which the faints have used to draw their arguments in prayer for new mercies. As Mofes, Numb. xiv. 19. when he prays for continued, or new pardons for the people, he argues from what was paft; "As thou haft forgiven them from Egypt until now." So the church, Ifa. li. 9, 10. argues for new providences, upon the fame ground Mofes pleaded for new pardons.

6. It is a vile flighting of God, not to obferve what of himself he manifefts in his providences. For in all providences, especially in fome, he comes nigh to us. He doth fo in his judgments, Mal. ii. 5. I will come nigh to you in judgment." He comes nigh in mercies alfo, Pfal. cxlv. 18. " The Lord is nigh unto all them "that call upon him," &c. yea, he is faid to visit us by his providence, when he corrects, Hof. ix. 7. and when he faves and delivers, Pfal. cvi. 4. These vifitations of God preferve our fpirits, Job x. 12. and it is a wonderful condefcenfion in the great God to vifit us fo often, Job vii. 18. "Every morning, and every "moment." But not to take notice of it, is a vile and brutith contempt of God, Ifa. i. 3. Zeph. iii. 2. You would not do fo by a man for whom you have any respect. It is the character of the wicked not to regard God's favours, Ifa. xxvi. 10. or frowns, Jer. v. 3.

7. In a word, men can never order their addreffes to God in prayer, fuitable to their conditions, without due obfervation of his providences: your prayers are to be suitable to your conditions: fometimes we are called to praise, fometimes to humiliation. In the way of his judgments you are to wait for him, Ifa. xxvi. 8. to prepare to meet him, Zeph. ii. 1, 2. Amos iv. 12. Now your bufinefs is to turn away his anger, which you see approaching;

and sometimes you are called to praise him for mercies received, Ifa. xii. 1, 2. but then you must first observe them.

Thus you find the matter of David's pfalms still varied, according to the providences that befel him; but an inobfervant, heedlefs fpirit, can never do it. And thus you have the grounds of the duty briefly represented. We pass on to

The fourth general head.

Let us next (according to our method propofed) proceed to fhew in what manner we are to reflect upon the performances of providence for us. And certainly it is not every flight and tranfient glance, nor every cold, historical, unaffecting rehearsal, or recognition of his providences towards you, that will pafs with God for a discharge of this great duty. No, it is another manner of business than the most of men understand it to be. O that we were but acquainted with this heavenly, fpiritual exercise! how fweet would it make our lives! how light would it make our burdens! Ah firs! you live eftranged from the pleasure of the Chriftian life, while you live in the ignorance or neglect of this duty. Now, to lead you up to this heavenly, fweet, and profitable exercife, I will beg your attention to the following directions.

The Firf Direction.

Labour to get as full and thorough recognitions of the providences of God about you, from first to last, as you are able. O fill your hearts with the thoughts of him and his ways. If a fingle act of providence be fo ravishing and tranfporting, what would many fuch be, if they were prefented together to the view of the foul? If one ftar be fo beautiful to behold, what is a constellation! Let your reflections, therefore, upon the acts and workings of providence for you, be full, extensively and intensively.

(1.) Let them be as extenfively full, as may be ; fearch backward into all the performances of providence, throughout your lives. So did Afaph, in Pfal. lxxvii. 11, 12. "I will remember the "works of the Lord: Surely I will remember thy wonders of "old: I will meditate of all thy works, and talk of thy doings." He laboured to recover and revive the ancient providences of God's mercies many years paft, and fuck a fresh sweetness out of them, by new reviews of them. Ah firs, let me tell you, there is not fuch a pleasant history for you to read in all the world, as the hiftory of your own lives, if you would but fit down and record to yourselves from the beginning hitherto, what God hath been to you, and done for you: what fignal manifeftations and outbreakings of his mercy, faithfulness, and love, there have been in all the conditions you have paffed through: If your hearts do not