Four useful discourses viz. ... /Four usefull discourses viz. ... /

I verily believe that many of you may be able to look back to the providences of God towards you, and to say, That suppose God had Twenty years ago said to me, I'll give you leave to dispose of your selves as you would: ⟨p. 100⟩O many may be able to say, They certainly could never have disposed so well of themselves as God hath: And they would be loath to go back again to the Twenty years past, though they should begin and have liberty to dispose of themselves as they please: In Heb. 12. 11. saith the Apostle there, No Affliction for the present seemeth Joyous to us but Grievous, but afterwards, saith the Text, it works thus and thus. I, but things do seem to God as they are present always, but they do not seem so to us till afterwards. After the Affliction is over then they seem good to us, but they seem good to God at the very present. We judge things by the outward appearance, but God judges things according to what they are. Things seem to us according as they either make for or against our outward good, we are led so much by sense: But they seem to God according as they are for or against his Glory and the last good of all. They seem good or ill to us according as they are for or against some particular good; if they strike at such a particular we judge by particulars: But now, God he judges things by the proportion they have to the general, to all things at once. It's that that makes us to give very wrong Judgment of things when we look but to particulars, and do not compare one with another, and raise a Judgment upon things all things considered. So God doth, God doth not so much look at things how they are in reference to this or the other good; but how things are in reference to all together in the general. We know some things may cross some particular, but they may be useful to another. Now that that's good in the general doth seem good to God, though it may go cross to some particular.

I verily believe that many of you may be able to look back to the providences of God towards you, and to say, That suppose God had Twenty years ago said to me, I'll give you leave to dispose of your selves as you would: ⟨p. 100⟩O many may be able to say, They certainly could never have disposed so well of themselves as God hath: And they would be loath to go back again to the Twenty years past, though they should begin and have liberty to dispose of themselves as they please: In