grave of

murmuring! When the murmurer should be a praying, he is a murmuring against the Lord; when he should be a hearing, he is a murmuring against divine providences; when he should be a reading, he is a murmuring against instruments. The murmurer spends much precious time in musing, in musing how to get out of such a trouble, how to get off such a yoke, how to be rid of such a burden, how to revenge himself for such a wrong, how to supplant such a person, how to reproach those that are above him, and how to affront those that are below him; and a thousand other ways murmurers have to expend that precious time that some would redeem with a world. As Queen Elizabetli on her death-bed cried out, Time, time, a world of wealth for an inch of time. The murmurer lavishly and profusely trifles away that precious time, that is his greatest interest in this world to redeem, Eph. v. 16. Rev. ii. 21. Every day, every hour in the day, is a talent of time, and God expects the improvement of it, 1 Pet. iv. 2, 5. and will charge the non-improvement of it upon you at last. Cæsar observing some ladies at Rome to spend much of their time in making much of little dogs and monkeys, asked them, whether the women in that country had no children to make much of? Ah murmurers! murmurers! you who by your murmuring trifle away so many golden hours, and seasons of mercy, have you no God to honour? have you no Christ to believe in? have you no hearts to change, no

sins to be pardoned, no souls to save, no hell to escape, no heaven to seek after! Oh, if you have, why do you spend so much of your precious time in murmuring against God, against men, against this or that thing? Eternity rides upon the back of time, this is the moment; if it be well improved you are made up for ever; if not, you are undone for ever.

I have read of Archias a Lacedæmonian, that whilst he was rioting and quaffing, in the midst of his cups, one delivers him a letter, purposely to signify that there were some that lay in wait to take away his life, and withal desires him to read it presently, because it was a serious business, and matter of high concernment to him. Oh! said he, I will think of serious things to-morrow; but that night he was slain. Ah murmurer! cease from murmuring to-day, or else thou mayest be for ever undone by murmuring to-morrow. The old saying was, now or never; so say I, Now or never give over murmuring, and let it swallow up no more of your precious time. What would not many a murmurer give for one of those days, yea, for one of those hours, which he hath trifled away in murmuring, when it is a day too late?

The Rabbins glory in this conceit, That a man hath so many bones as there be letters in the decalogue, and just so many joints and members as there be days in the year; to shew that all our strength and time should be expended in God's service. Ah murmurers! you will gain more by one day's faithful ser

ving of God, than ever you have gained by murmuring against God. But,

(11.) Consider this, Christians, that of all men in the world you have least cause, yea, no cause to be murmuring and muttering under any dispensations that you meet with in this world, Lam. iii. 24. Eph. iii. 8. 1 Pet. i. 3, 4. Is not God thy portion? Chrysostom propounds this question, "Was Job miserable when he had lost all that God had given him? and gives this answer: No, he had still that God who gave him all." Is not Christ thy treasure? is not heaven thine inheritance? and wilt thou murmur? Hast thou not much in hand, and more in hope? hast thou not much in possession, but much more in reversion, and wilt thou murmur? Hath not God given thee a changed heart, a renewed nature, and a sanctified soul? and wilt thou murmur? Hath not God given thee himself to satisfy thee? his Son to save thee? his Spirit to lead thee? his grace to adorn thee? his covenant to assure thee? his mercy to pardon thee? his righteousness to clothe thee? and wilt thou murmur? Hath he not made thee a friend, a son, a brother, a bride, an heir? and wilt thou murmur? Hath not God often turned thy water into wine, thy brass into silver, and thy silver into gold? and wilt thou murmur? When thou wast dead, did not he quicken thee? and when thou was lost, did not he seek thee? and when thou was wounded, did not he heal thee? and when thou wert falling did not he support thee? and when thou wert

down, did he not raise thee? and when thou wert staggering, did not he establish thee? and when thou wert erring, did not he reduce thee? and when thou wert tempted, did not he succour thee? and when thou wert in dangers did not he deliver thee? and wilt thou murmur? What! thou that art so highly advanced and exalted above many thousands in the world? Murmuring is a black garment, and it becomes none so ill as saints.

(12.) Lastly, Consider, that murmuring makes the life of man invisibly miserable. Every murmurer is his own executioner. Murmuring vexes the heart, it wears and tears the heart, it enrages and inflames the heart, it wounds and stabs the heart. Every murmurer is his own martyr, èvery murmurer is a murderer; he kills many at once, viz. his joy, his comfort, his peace, his rest, his soul. No man is so inwardly miserable, as the murmurer; no mán hath such inward gripes and griefs as he, such inward bitterness and heaviness as he, such inward contentions and combustions as he. Every murmurer is his own tormentor; murmuring is a fire within, that will burn up all; it is an earthquake within, that will overturn all; it is a disease within, that will infect all; it is poison within, that will prey upon all. And thus I have done with those motives that may persuade us not to murmur or mutter, but to be mute and silent under the greatest afflictions, the saddest providences, and sharpest trials that we meet with in this life.

I shall now address myself to answer those objections, and to remove those impediments, which hinder poor souls from being silent and mute under the afflicting hand of God, &c.

Object. 1. "Sir, did I but know that I were afflicted in love, I would hold my peace under my affliction, I would sit mute before the Lord. But oh! how shall I come to understand that those strokes are the strokes ef love, that those wounds are the wounds of a friend?" I answer.

1. If thy heart be drawn more out to the Lord by the affliction, then the affliction is in love; if they are so sanctified, as that they draw out thy soul to love the Lord more, Ps. xviii. 1.-8. Psal. cxvi. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Ps. cxix. 67.71. Isa. xxxviii, and to fear the Lord more, and to please the Lord more, and to cleave to the Lord more, and to wait on the Lord more, and to walk with the Lord more, than they are in love. Oh! then, they are the wounds of a friend indeed. It is reported of the lionness, that she leaves her young whelps till they have almost killed themselves with roaring and yelling, and then at last gasp, when they have almost spent themselves, she relieves them, and by this means they become more courageous. And so, if the afflictions that are upon us do increase our courage, strengthen our patience, raise our faith, inflame our love, and enliven our hopes, certainly they are in love, and all our wounds are the wounds of a friend. But,

2. If you are more careful and studious