ought, or have neglected to receive that good from them that we might, but now they are dead and gone, and we can no more do any good to them, nor receive any from them; this hath troubled many on their sick and death-beds.

Inconstancy wavering in the ways of God, will also breed disquiet. And our inordinate love of creature-comforts, our setting of our hearts on friends, estates, and the like, letting out our hearts on husbands, wives, children, &c. this is to build castles in the air, expect, ing contentment in and from those things that cannot yield it. Also multitude of worldly business, and too much poring on our afflic tions, and fore-casting the events of things. You see what a croud of causes here be within ourselves of disquiet and heart-trouble.

The third particular proposed is, What is this heart-trouble which Christ here forbids his people, and that he would fortify, them against?

A. This heart-trouble is such a sense of evils felt or feared, as creates to us heart-disquietment, dejection, despondency depriving us of that tranquillity, peace and comfort which we had in ourselves, or otherwise might have: it is such a disturbance of our passions, such a storm and tempest in our spirits, as causeth inward motions, emotions and commotions of mind, putting all things in the soul out of order, and it carries in it several evil things as follow, First, sinful sorrow, worldly sorrow. When

Christ had told his disciples that he would leave them! and that after he was gone, they should be exposed to hard and heavy things from the world, bitter persecution for his name sake; then sorrow filled their hearts, John xvi. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

God's own servants, Christ's own disciples may have their hearts filled with sorrow; against this our Lord commands many preservatives in this sermon. The ground of this sorrow is from ourselves, from our own hearts, though Satan will have a hand in it and it comes not from humility, but from pride; because we cannot have our wills, therefore we are discontented. We may thank ourselves, not only for our troubles, but for our overmuch troubling of ourselves in our troubles. If we ward and guard against this worldly sorrow, our troubles would not lie so heavy on us as they do; for, as the joy of the Lord doth raise and strengthen the soul, so doth sorrow deject and weaken it. Sorrow and grief doth lie like lead to the heart, cold and heavy, and sinks it downward still; sorrow contracteth and draweth the soul into itself, from that communion and comfort it might have with God and man; and it weakeneth: the execution of the offices of it, because it drinketh up the spirits, it melteth the soul, it causeth it to drop away. Yea in this kind of heart trouble, God's own people are many times more excessive than others.

1. Because many times their burdens are

greater, their temptations, desertions, troubles for sin greater; as their joys are unspeakable and glorious, so their sorrows are sometimes above expression. Common and natural courage will carry a man through other single afflictions; but sin is a heavier burden than affliction and the wrath of God than the wrath of man.

2. They have a greater sense than others, their hearts being made tender by religion, they have also a clearer judgment than others, and see more into the nature of things than others, they see a greater evil in sin, and in the displeasure of God, than others. They value God's favour more than others, therefore when he hides his face, they cannot but be troubled. They observe more of the displeasure of God in affliction providences than others do, and therefore they have more sor

row.

3. They have more tender affections than others; the new heart is a soft heart. A stamp is sooner set upon the wax than upon a stone. A wicked man hath more cause to be troubled than a godly man; but he is not a man of that tenderness and sense, and therefore is not so affected, either with God's dealings with him, or with his dealings with God. Thus we find often in scripture good souls depressed with sorrow. David said, he was like askin-bottle in the smoak, all wrinkled and dried up. Read Ps. xxxviii. and Ps. xxxix 11, When thou with rebukes dost correct man

for sin, (that is, by sicknessess, death of relations, and other losses) thou makest his beauty (that is, of his outward man) to consume away like a moth. Whereas the beauty of the soul grows fair by affliction, but that of the body is blasted. Age, sickness, losses, will make the beauty of the body to fade, but of the soul to shine. 2 Cor. iv. 14, Though our outward man doth decay and perish, our inward man is renewed day by day. But for worldly sorrow; that, too often, not only weakeneth the body, but also causeth heart trouble. A merry heart doth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones, Prov. xvii. 22.

Quest. But is this worldly sorrow lawful and commendable?

Answ. No surely, for there are many evils in it, which we should avoid.

As,

1. Impatience and murmuring against God, that is an effect of immoderate sorrow: when our wills are crossed, we cannot bear it, for want of self-denial.

2. Quarreling at instruments.

3. Using indirect means for our relief. It is better to pine away in our afflictions, than to be freed from them by sinning.

4. Desponding and distrustful thoughts of God. Is his mercy clean gone? will he be favourable no more? Psalm lxxvii. 7, 8.

5. Questioning our interest in God, merely because of the affliction upon us. Judg. vi. 13, If God be with us, why has all this befallen us? Not considering how hard soever God

dealeth with his people, yet he loveth them, Heb. xii. 6.

6. Sometimes atheistical thoughts do arise, as if there were no God, no providence, Psal. Ixxiii. 13. as if it were in vain to serve the Lord.

7. This worldly sorrow indisposeth to all good duties; it makes a man like an instrument out of tune, or a bone out of joint: which makes the body move both uncomely and painfully it unfits for duty to God and

man.

8. It makes a man forget former mercies, and overlook present mercies; all is nothing under present sufferings. Give me children, or else I die.

9. It makes us unfit to receive mercies, and to embrace the best counsels: such plaisters will not stick, they refuse to be comforted, Psalm 1xxvii. 2.

10. It disposeth us to receive any temptation: satan hath never more advantage than upon discontent.

11. It hinders beginners from coming unto the ways of God.

12. It rejoiceth and hardeneth the wicked, and it grieves and damps the spirits of our friends. All these and many more evils are in worldly sorrow.

Therefore, this evil temper we must labour against, and not suffer ourselves to be dejected in sickness, contempt in the world, loss of friends and relations, loss of honour, and earth