A fourth volume containing one hundred and fifty sermons on several texts of Scripture…

First; The Causes of this Trouble, which are;

1. Carnal Self-love, which is all for bodily Ease and Welfare, or the Pleasures, and Honours, or Profits of the World. They that are under the power of it, seek great things here; and the disappointment of their carnal Expectations breedeth Trouble. Solomon telleth us what was the result of his accurate and deep search into all worldly and humane Affairs; Eccles. 1.14. I have seen all the Works that are done under the Sun, and behold all is Vanity and vexation of Spirit. He found all worldly things, not only vain and ineffectual to confer Happiness, but which is worse, apt to bring much Trouble and Affliction upon the Hearts of those who are too earnestly conversant about them. Therefore the best way to be free from Trouble, is to look for no great Matters here in the World.

2. The Life of Sense, which only looketh to the present State of things; and if we have not all things which we affect under the View of Sense, Trouble filleth our Hearts; Heb. 12.11. No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. There are two emphatical Words, [Greek or Hebrew], for the present, and [Greek or Hebrew], seemeth; they both intimate the Causes of our Trouble, present Sense, and false Appearance. Of the latter I shall speak in the next Head, the former is to our purpose now. All Affliction is ungrateful to Flesh and Blood, and so cannot but be troublesome ⟨p. 237⟩to us, if we look only to the present: but then in the End it giveth us a full Recompense for all our Patience, namely such an Increase of Grace as bringeth Peace along with it.