nness and constancy of the spirit be known? Where should contentment
and tranquillity of mind have place? For it is a calm in a storm properly,
not a calm in a calm,--that is no virtue. If the several accidents of
providence were foreseen by us, what a marvellous perturbation and
disorder would it make in our duty! Who would do his duty out of
conscience to God's command, to commit events to him? Now, there is the
trial of obedience, to make us go by a way we know not, and resign
ourselves to the all seeing providence, whose eyes run to and fro
throughout the earth. Therefore that no grace may want matter and occasion
of exercise; that no virtue may die out for want of fuel, or rust for lack
of exercise, God hath thus ordered and disposed the world. There is no
condition, no posture of affairs, in which he hath not left a fair
opportunity for the exercising of some grace. Hath he shut up and
precluded the acting of one or many through affliction, then surely he
hath opened a wide door, and given large matter for self denial, humility,
patience, moderation, and these are as precious as any that look fairest.
In a word, I think the very frame and method of the disposing of this
material world speaks aloud to this purpose. You see, when you look below,
there is nothing seen but the outside of the earth, the very surface of it
only appears, and there your sight is terminated, but look above, and
there is no termination, no bounding of the sight,--there are infinite
spaces, all are transparent and clear without and within. Now, what may
this present unto us? One says, it shows us that our affections should be
set upon things above and not on things below, seeing below there is
nothing but an outward appearance and surface of things,--the glory and
beauty of the earth is but skin deep, but heavenly things are alike
throughout, all transparent, nothing to set bounds to the affections; they
are infinite, and you may enlarge infinitely towards them. I add this
other consideration, that God hath made all things in time dark and
opaque, like the earth. Look to them, you see only the outside of them,
the present hour, and what is beyond it you know no more, than you see the
bowels of the earth, but eternity is both transparent and conspicuous
throughout, and infinite too. Therefore God hath made us blind to the one,
that we should not set our heart, nor terminate our eyes upon any thing
here, but he hath opened and spread eternity bef