temporal or eternal, than the fufferer would other wife have attained to. We poor fhort-fighted mortals are very apt to miftake our friends for our enemies, and to think ourselves hardly dealt with, when the greatest kindness is intended us, and hence inexcufably complain of the ufage we meet with; and this not only in relation to one another, but to the determinations of the Divine Providence concerning us; when a little time convinces us, that our own choice, if granted, would have left us in a far worfe condition. Philog. That muft needs be, unless we are capable of forefeeing all the events of God's difpenfation towards us, and could penetrate into his aim and intent in them. (s) His ways are not as our ways, nor his thoughts as our thoughts. For as the heavens are higher than the earth; fo are his ways higher than our ways, and his thoughts than our thoughts. And for not attending to this, the Ifraelites were deservedly to be chastized, as the prophet Ezekiel threatened them; (t) Yet faith the boufe of Ifrael, The way of the Lord is not equal. O boufe of Ifrael, are not my ways equal? Are not your ways unequal? Therefore I will judge you, O boufe of Ifrael, every one according to his ways, faith the Lord God. And every one therefore ought to beware, that he fret not at God's difpofal of him, as he would not incur the like rebuke, together with the heavy punishment, that may justly be expected to follow upon it. Eufeb. As this way of cenfuring God's dealings with his fervants is impious, so I add, that it is highly unreasonable, upon another account. For this cenfurer knows not, whether what he most dislikes, will not prove a bleffing to him in the end; as neither, on the other hand, whether what he moft impatiently defires, if obtained, may not, in the event, become a fore misfortune to him. It was (u) Rachael's complaint, that the muft die of grief and difcontent, if The had no children. And yet the accomplishment of her defire in this refpect was the certain occafion (s) Ifa. lv. 8, 9. (1) Ezek. xviii. 29, 30. (u) Gen. xxx. 1. of her death. For tho' fhe bare one (w) fon Jofeph with fafety, yet no fooner was the the mother of children by the birth of (x) Benjamin, but it cost her her life. And on the contrary who would ever have thought, that her fon (y) Jofeph's flavery and imprifonment in Egypt, fhould have been the means of advancing him to the fecond place in that kingdom? Yet this it moft certainly was. Who would have imagined, that (z) Mofes fhould be taken up by Pharaoh's daughter, and educated and owned by her as a fon, by having been exposed to the wind and waves in the Nile? Or that (a) Bion should have an eftate, by being sold into flavery? Or (b) Themistocles's exile should have procured his advancement in a foreign court, and give occafion for that triumphant profeffion of his,Ὦ παῖδες, ἀπωλόμεθα ἄν, εἰ μὴ ἀπωλόμεθα, O my children, if we had never been ruined, we bad been utterly undone. Theoph. It cannot be denied, that mankind are oftentimes egregiously miftaken in their conceptions, in relation to the diftributions of Providence; and their impatient either defires, or averfations, make them chufe very disadvantageously, too often deftructively, to themselves as might be confirmed by many inftances, befides thofe now produced by Eufebius, had not these been fufficient of themfelves. However, poffibly it may not be amifs to illuftrate this by an ingenious apologue; metaphors and parables, many times, making a more lafting impreffion upon the mind, than the clofeft and moft demonftrative argu ments. Philog. I dare anfwer for all the company, that what you purpose will be very acceptable and obliging to them. And let me therefore beg that you will please to proceed. (x) Chap. xxxv. 18. (w) Gen. xxx. 23. 41, 42, 43. (z) Exod. ii. 10. (6) Plut. in vit. Themift. Anchith. Anchith. Pray do. And I will give a due attention to it; as I have done to all that Eufebius, or any of you, has faid upon this fubject. Theoph. There is a notable ftory in the writings of a late learned and reverend doctor of our church, that ftrikes my fancy in an unusual manner; and 1 hope therefore it will not be disagreeable to any of you... -Philog. Pray let us have it. You do not know what impreffion it may make upon Anchithanes, or how much you may oblige any other of us by it. Theoph. I will give you the best account of it I can at this time. So many years have paffed fince I read it, that I will not pretend to be exact in my rehearsal of it; but I am pretty confident I fhall not forget any thing material in it, however I may poffibly wrong it in the manner of telling. The ftory, in fhort, is this: (c) A certain eremite, not well fatisfied with the adminiftration of this world, and its affairs, and the divers occurrences of Divine Providence in relation to it, refolved in this diforder of mind to quit his cell, and travel abroad to view the course of things, and make what obfervations he could, whereby to form a judgment of what had thus difturbed him. But he had not gone far, not above half a day's journey, if I remember aright, before he was ⚫ overtaken by a young ftranger, who came up to him, and joined company with him; who quickly infinuated himfelf fo far into the eremite's affection, that he thought himself very happy in having fo • foon met with fo fuitable a companion. And as their journey lay the fame way, they agreed together to eat and lodge always at one houfe, wherefoever they came. Some few days they had travelled, before the eremite took notice of any thing that occurred worthy of his obfervation. But at length he could not but be concern'd to fee, that at a house, where they were very kindly and generoufly entertained, his fellow-traveller, with whom, (c) Dr. H. More's divine Dialogues. Tom. 1. Dial. 2. Sect. 24. K 4 • in in this time, he had contracted an intimate and endearing friendship, at his departure stole a gilt cup, and took it away with him. This was matter of no small astonishment to the poor eremite, that his friend, whom he fo highly efteemed, and whom he thought a truly fincere Chriftian, fhould prove guilty of fuch apparent theft, and inexcufable ingratitude to one who had been fo highly civil to them, and to whom therefore they had particular obligations. And he was refolved to fee farther what his beha⚫viour would be in other places, before he inquired ⚫ any thing concerning it. Wherefore on they went as before, till at night they met with a house of as ill accommodations as the former was of good; where the owner, being a man of a morofe inhofpitable temper, refus'd to admit them within doors, though the rain, and other hard weather, made fuch • a reception very defirable. So that they were forced to spend that night in the open court, in hardship ⚫ and great uneafinefs. and not without fome hazard ⚫ of their health. Yet fuch was the different carriage of this young traveller, towards this unmerciful furly man, that, in the morning, he rewarded all his inhumanity with this gilt cup, which he thrust into • one of the windows, and there left it. This, you may eafily fuppofe, was a fight no less surprising to the eremite, than the former; and he could not poffibly fathom the mystery of fo unequal a procedure. However, he ftill took no notice of it to his companion, though he could not forbear ruminating upon it in his thoughts. The next night they were treated with the like civility and kindnefs, as at the houfe from whence the cup was taken; but the return made for all their good entertainment was far worse than the former, and more aftonishing: For, at their leaving the place, the eremite faw his companion privately ftrangle a little child, as it lay in the cradle, the only child of the family, and of which both father and mother were • exceedingly • exceedingly fond, and in whom all their temporal happiness feem'd to be wrapped up. However, he prevail'd with himself to hold on another day; and at night they came to a house of the best entertain• ment they had met with yet. Where the mafter • of the house not only received them with the highest civility, and accommodated them with whatever might either fupport or divert them, during their short stay there; but in the morning, because the way they were to go, was fomewhat intricate, < prevailed with them to accept of a guide, a fervant, < whom he had found very faithful and diligent, and whom he therefore loved and valued, as if he had been his own child. Thus they took their journey for a while; till, coming to a bridge, that croffed a deep and rapid ftream, the young traveller, of a fudden, laid violent hands upon the fervant, and threw him over into the water, and drowned him. Upon this the eremite could contain no longer, but paffionately charged the other with his barbarous requitals for the favours they had received by the way, and the injuftice and murder he had been guilty of, refolving to keep no more company, nor ever have any thing to do, with the author of fuch abominable wickedness; chufing much rather to • confine himself again to his cell, and forbear the • converfation of mankind, than fee fuch heinous • crimes committed, without any remorfe, as if they • were never to be accounted for. But now, behold as ftrange a fight of another kind! The young man, fmiling at the honeft zeal of the good devout • eremite, and putting off his mortal difguife, appeared to him in the form and luftre of an angel of God; telling him, that he was sent to ease his mind of the perplexity and doubts he had fo long labour'd under, as to the Divine Providence; in ⚫ which, faid he, nothing can occur more astonishing ⚫ or unaccountable, than in what you have now feen, and are so uneafy at. With this the good man took ⚫ courage, |