X.

SERM.mer Times were never fo good, and the prefent never so bad, it is none of our Bufinefs to enquire into the Causes of these things. 'Tis not our Business to inspect Providence, but to fubmit to it. Shall Man, who is but of yesterday, who came a perfect Stranger into the World, he hardly knows how or when, no fooner come into the World, but immediately set up for a Judge, and claim the Dominion of it? the World does, or however it goes with it, we may be fure God knows it, and permits it to go on; and continues to fend his Rain on the Juft and on the Unjuft: And would we have him stop the Course of his Providence, and work Miracles for nothing in the World but to keep us in Humour.

Whatever

To conclude: Let us all endeavour to leave off this murmuring complaining Temper, which tends to nothing but to make bad Chriftians and bad Subjects. 'Tis an Argument of a weak Mind, a Mind not accuftom'd to thinking, and is a Difgrace to Human Na

ture

ture, as well as to Religion. "Tis high SERM. Time now to exert the Dominion of X. Reason over Fancy and Opinion. However it goes with the World without us, let us remember that we are Men and Chriftians. Let us not be fuch Cheats to ourselves as to make imaginary Evils real ones, but confider that we have a Mind to look after, which will determine our Happiness or Mifery, according as we accuftom it to a right or a wrong way of thinking. In a word, As long as we live in this World, let us endeavour to make ourselves and others as happy as we can. We have many Vices and Infirmities, as well as other People, and therefore we ought to bear with one another, and not conclude a Peace with our own Follies, and at the fame time proclaim War against those of other People. In short, let us furnish our Minds with true Religion, which will give us fuch a chearful and eafy Deportment in every Condition of Life, as will make us truly happy; for her Ways are Ways of Pleasantness, and all her Paths are Peace.

SER

SERMON XI.

GEN. iv. IO.

And He faid, What hast thou done? The Voice of thy Brother's Blood crieth unto me from the Ground.

SERM.

XI.

I

N this Chapter we have a fhort Account of Cain and Abel, and the first propaga ting the World after Adam and Eve were driven out of Paradice: It is very concife indeed, tho' it is as long as the Nature of the Thing would admit of: For it cannot reafonably be expected, that the Scripture fhould give, a particular Account of every thing; that would have been neither neceffary nor ufeful: Not neceffary, because the Intent and Design of it was not to teach

Men

Men Systems of Hiftory and Chrono- SERM logy, but juft fo much, as may help XI. to promote and recommend a good Life: Not ufeful, because it would have fwoln the Sacred Volume to too great a Bulk for the Generality of Mankind to receive much Benefit from; efpecially, fince for fome of whom, it is to be fear'd, it would be ftill too large, were it less than it is.

Hence appears the Folly of those, who require a particular Account of every minute Circumftance of things in Scripture; as where Cain could take a Wife, when as yet the Scripture had made Mention of no other Woman in the World but Eve: Since an Account of these things is neither neceffary nor useful, especially, if we confider, that a little common Senfe will naturally lead a Man to fill up the Charm; for as to this particular Cafe, the World being, according to Chronologers, a hundred and twenty eight, or a hundred and thirty Years Old, when Cain flew Abel, it must be fuppos'd, that there were People enough in it by that Time for fuch a Purpose. The Truth of it is, fuch Questions as thefe are as uieless as they are foolish and infignificant, and argue a little Mind, and a trifling Understanding.

SERM.

XI.

But this only by the Way. Now as to the Perfons here concern'd in the Text, all that we need know is, that one was a Keeper of Sheep, and the other a Tiller of the Ground; and that, they offer'd each an Offering to the Lord; Abel of the Firstlings of his Flock, and Cain of the Fruit of the Ground; but we find both were not equally accepted, for the Lord had Refpect unto Abel, and his Offering; but unto Cain and his Offering, for want of a right Qualification, he had not Respect; upon which Account Cain was very wrath, and his Countenance fell, i.e. he did not only look dejected, and full of Sorrow, but full of Revenge too; though there was no manner of Reafon or Ground for this Wrath or Sullennefs; for it was not his God, nor his Brother, that was the Cause of his Offering's not being accepted, but himself; For, fays the Lord to him, if thou doft well, halt thou not be accepted? And if thou dost not well, Sin lieth at the Door. And this is the Way of moft wicked Men, who, like Cain, when they feel a neceffary Remorfe attending their evil Actions, discharge their Wrath upon any one rather than themselves, who are the Delinquents, and the Perfons to whom the Wrath belongs;