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And therefore when we are in great pain; or fuffer wrong; when a righteous parent, or a beloved child dies: though we complain and lament, as if so sad a cafe never happened before, and perhaps fay fo too; yet these are but words of paffion; for there have been the like complaints before, and the fame reafons of complaint too. We are not made in a different mould, and to a different fenfation, from thofe that have lived in former times; for they were affected with pain and grief as we are, and from the fame causes too.

For which reafon, when providence either punishes or rewards in this life; when it either punishes the wicked, and tries the righteous, by adverfity; or rewards the righteous, and enfnares the wicked, with profperity; it goes the fame way to work, either inflicting that which is equally ungrateful to all men, as pestilence, fword, famine, difappointments, loffes, and the like; or fending the contrary things, which are always grateful.

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So that as to the good or the evil, which happens in the feveral ages of the world, There is no new thing under the fun; but that which bath been, is now; and that which is to be, bath already been.

MOREOVER; All men have the fame natural passions and appetites, which they either govern or not govern as they ought to do; and which, according as they are well used or not, will perpetually produce the fame effects of good or evil. The affections of envy, pride, ambition, revenge, covetoufnefs, and voluptuoufnefs, have reigned amongft evil men in all ages. Injuftice ftill proceeds from the fame covetoufness or ambition; cruelty, from the fame revengefulness, or anger, or hatred; luxury, from the fame inordinate love of eafe and pleasure; and infolent contempt' of others, from the fame pride and overweening conceit of one's felf. These vices have their root, in the ungoverned paffions of human nature, and in the abuse of man's free will.

And

And therefore fince God has left mankind, to a natural liberty and power over their own actions, under the disadvantage of bad inclinations, and with the help only of fuch grace as may by them be refifted;

it is no wonder, that there is so great a likeness of events ftill returning, because fo much of the good that happens to us depends upon wisdom and virtue, and fo many evils of this life, upon folly and vice.

It hath always been seen, that justice and faithfulness, reverence to God, and good will to men, have enabled men to do well for themselves. But when they degenerate, and their manners are corrupted, then their profperity begins to be undermined. And if they grow from bad to worfe, God will fuffer them to reap the fruit of their own doings; and all their fins to ripen into thofe mifchiefs, which they naturally produce: In which also it is not hard, to trace the footsteps of a divine vengeance,

Indeed it fometimes happeneth, that the race is not to the fwift, nor the battle to the ftrong; neither yet bread to the wife, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all: That is; Through the over-ruling providence of God, things do fometimes happen otherwife than by common rules; which though it doth not fall out fo feldom, as to be always new and furprising, yet neither doth it happen so often, but that the contrary is the ordinary course of things; and for the most part, a faithful man shall be trusted, a charitable man shall be loved, a religious and virtuous man fhall be honoured, an honest and diligent man shall thrive; the integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the perverfeness of tranfgreffors shall deftroy them. The wife fhall inherit glory, but Shame fhall be the promotion of fools.

So that not only the good and evil of this life are in all ages the fame, but the causes of both are the fame too; that is to fay, the virtues and the vices,- -the wifdom and

folly

folly of mankind, and the wife providence of God fuperintending all, and al ways governing all for the beft. And therefore that which hath been, is now; and that which is to be, bath already been.

AND NOW, amongst other good ufes that may be made of this confideration, this certainly is one; That we fhould always difpofe ourselves, to receive our portion in this world, be it better, or be it worse, with as much moderation and equality of temper as we can.

If we are profperous, and our affairs fuce ceed according to our defirès; let us not for this cherish pride, and self-conceit, and vain opinions of ourfelves, as if we only were fit to be regarded. Others have been as fortunate as ourfelves, and yet examples of this world's inconftancy.

Is any of us in adverfity? This alfo hath been a common cafe, and therefore let us not repine at providence.

been punished for their

men tried by afflictions.

Evil men have

fins, and good

We, as well as

others before us, carry the caufes and feeds

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of

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