THIS present Evil World, is full of Troubles; has in it a World of Evil. Every Day will bring a Sufficient Evil with it. All Sublunary Things are full of Changes. A Great part of our Duty, and Prudence in this World, is to be always ready for the Changes which may come upon us: There are Unknown Changes of Adversity to come up­on us. 'Tis of mighty consequence, that none of those Changes find us wholly unprovided for them: That our Changes may not so surprize us, as to find our Spirits altogether unable to En­counter them; That when our Changes arrive, our surprised Souls may not say, I never thought of such a Thing as this! I am wholly unable to grapple with it!

[Page 2] OF this Piety, the Holy Job was a Notable and Glorious Example. There was of Old a Traditi­on in the Church of GOD; we find it in Origens Commentaries, that it was found, In Antiquorum dictis, that Moses presented the Book of Job, to the Israelites in their Aegyptian Captivity; that they might read it in their Families, and encou­rage their Hearts in GOD under their Distresses. We are yet more sure, that in the Primitive Days of Christianity they Publickly read the Book of Job, on sorrowful occasions, and privately carried it also to one another on all such occasions. I do well at this Day, to take a Text from it. Job is afraid, That Piety would signify little to bring him out of Trouble; inasmuch as it had not pre­vented his coming into Trouble. The Piety of Job, while he was yet in his Prosperity, is thus described unto us. He was not Secure; He did not fall into a Sleep of Security; He did not fall asleep with a vain Dream, that no Changes of Ad­versity would ever overtake him. He now saw Miserable Changes: But the Changes did not come altogether Unlook'd for. The Thing which I great­ly feared; This pious Fear of Job, was not such an Anxious & such a Tormenting Fear, as to take away his Easy, Pleasant, Thankful Enjoyment of his Comforts. To live always in such a Disqui­eting Fear of losing what we enjoy, as to lose all comfortable Enjoyment of it, while we have it: this were no vertue in any Man; it were a sore Judgment of GOD upon a Man. But the Fear of Job, was a Fear of Caution; a Fear that put him upon Sacrificing to GOD every Day; a Fear that [Page 3]caus'd him to entertain the Changes that came up­on him, with a Ready Resignation, and upon them to say, Blessed be the Name of the LORD! He could not foresee the particular Changes that hap­pened unto him: It was enough, That in the midst of his Prosperity he often thought, I do not know what may happen: And he did Fear the worst that could happen.

THE Lesson of Piety to be now recommended unto us, is this; ‘WE have Reason to Live in a continual Expecta­tion of Troublesome Changes; and make such a Religious Preparation for them, that we may be able suitably to bear all the Troubles of our Changes.’

IT will be our Wisdom, to be always Ready for sorrowful Changes: to be in such a Readiness for them, as may abate the Sorrows of the Changes. We may be at present in Prosperity; or at least we may have many Comfortable Possessions about us. Well, but we should have a Fear, that some Changes may be near unto us, a Devout Fear, that things will not continue long just as they are; an Holy [...] which may produce in us a Temper, that shall entertain what befalls us, with all due composedness of Mind, & Resignation. We should be so Apprehensive of all sorts of Changes, that whatever befalls us, we may be able, with some Quietness of Soul to say; ‘'Tis no other than the Thing which I fear'd, that is come upon me; I am not surprised at it; It is no worse than what I have long been looking for.’

OUR Duty & Interest is disposed into Two Ar­ticles; [Page 4]An Expectation of Changes, and a Prepara­tion for Changes. But these, as our Duty & Interest themselves, are sweetly Incorporated. They are very near to each other; They always go together; They are one and the same: Tho' they may be distinctly considered.

I. WE have Reason to Live in a continual Ex­pectation of Troublesome Changes; To Fear Changes, as things that are very likely to come upon us.

WE will Enquire; First, What Reason have we to Live Expecting of Troublesome Changes? The First Answer shall be; Where do we Live? In­deed, if we were got safe to Heaven, we were then got beyond all Troublesome Changes. Of them that are got out of this World, into a better, we read, Rev. XIV. 13. They Rest from their Labours. Even so, They Rest from then Changes. When Death, which is our great Change, has come upon a Child of God, he shall find it his Last Change; that is to say, the last that will have any Trouble in it. It is true, There is a Change to be Expected after Death; The Resurrection of the Dead, will be a wondrous & an Happy Change upon them. It is of that Change, that we read; Job 14.14. I will wait until my Change come. But the Saint shall never see any Troublesome Change after Death. In the mean time, while we Live in this World, we are in a World full of Changes. Nothing in this World is Constant, but the Inconstancy of the World. In the Natural World, there are continual Changes. We read; Psal. LXXIV. 16, 17. Day & Night, Sum­mer & Winter. And the Political World, has as many Changes. The Vicissitudes in the World are ad­mirable. All things are in Motion. Things can­not [Page 5]continue long in one Posture. The condition of Things in this World, is compared unto that of Wheels. In the Visions of the Prophet Ezekiel, we have Wheels assigned unto all the Four Empires of the World; and all the Four Quarters of it. All Things are upon Wheels; Nations find it so; And Persons find it so. It is the Fate, both of Crowns and of Spades. The Victorious King of Aegypt had his Chariot drawn by Four Captive Princes. One of them kept looking very Atten­tively on the Wheels of the Chariot, and when the King Sesostrys, ask'd him, What he saw there; Sir, said he, I see, that what is now uppermost soon becomes undermost! I see, 'tis a Rolling sort of a World that we live in! Indeed, who sees it not? It is not until the World to come, that we shall Re­ceive the Kingdom that cannot be moved. While we are in such a World, we are mad, if we don't Expect Changes every Moment! Where is there any one Person free from this Common Lot of the World! The Experience of all the Men in the World, cries aloud unto us: ‘Behold, Changes! Changes upon all the World!’ In this universal Experience, we may see Reason enough to Expect Changes upon us. Man, Why shouldest thou Ex­pect an Exemption from the Common Lot of the World!

BUT then, Secondly. Our Sin, makes us De­serve Troublesome Changes; it makes us worthy of all sorts of Troubles. Man was at first created a Changeable Creature: It was fit he should be so. This was the occasion of his first Falling into Sin. Since our Fall into Sin, we are now obnoxious to [Page 6]all kinds of Troublesome Changes. Our Changes are part of the Death, which is the Wages of Sin. It it because we have Sinned, that we make that Complaint, Job X. 17. Witnesses against me, — Indignation upon me, — Changes against me. Our Changes are oftentimes Witnesses of the Divine In­dignation against us, for our Follies We do Change our Gl [...]. We Forsake the Unchangeable GOD. We pursue a Satisfaction in Objects, which are so liable to Changes, that they cannot Satisfy. We must Expect that we shall be Pun­ished with Changes. Changes with Troubles, how proper a Punishment are they for us! We are at­tended with no Comforts, but we are too Unthank­ful for them, we are too Unfruitful with them, we grievously Forfeit them. We may justly Ex­pect Changes every day, to take away those Com­forts, which we don't improve to the Glory of GOD, as we ought to do.

Thirdly. TO Expect Changes, is the way to Prevent Changes, that they shall not come, or to Sweeten Changes, when they come. It is often so, That the Expectation of Changes, proves our Deli­verance from them. Tho' the World usually proves worse than we hope, yet it usually proves also Better than we fear. 'Tis true, Job could say, The Thing which I greatly feared, is come upon me. But then, he speaks of the case, as a Rare case; he wonders at it, that it should be so. 'Tis most frequently otherwise; The Changes which we most Expect, are those that we most frequently Escape. It may be, our Fear puts us on those Me­thods of Safety, that save us from our Feared Changes. [Page 7]If we were upon the Stroke of Prognostication, would we most probably Prognosticate, what Chan­ges a Man shall have befalling of him? I know not a more probable Rule of Conjecture than this; What is the Mans greatest Point of Security? The Thing that a Man does least of all Fear, 'tis great­ly to be Feared, that this is the Thing that is to come upon him. We read, Psal. XXX. 6, 7. I said, I shall never be moved, — Thou hiddest thy Face, and I was troubled. What is the Thing that a Man has least apprehension to see Moved? It is very likely, That is the very Thing, which he shall see moved & changed, and be Troubled. Or, if Expectation will not keep off our Changes, but the Thing which we greatly fear must come upon us, yet it will moderate and mollify our Troubles, in our Changes. Tela Praevisa minus feriunt. By being Fore-warn'd of our Changes, we are Fore-arm'd for them. Our Spirits being afore-hand a little Fa­miliariz'd unto our Changes, will be when they come, the less Affrighted at them. We less com­plain of those things, which we know, are to be look'd for. The Wound is the less, when the Dart was Look'd for. The Expectation of Changes will fortify us, with Patience to bear them the more easily & handsomely. The Messenger of Death put the famous Martyr into no Disturbance, for, said, he, This is no other than what I have been this long while Daily Looking for!

WE will Enquire, Secondly; What are the Troublesome Changes, which we must Live in a daily Expectation of! The Answer to this must be very General. Of all in General; Because no [Page 8]body can tell what in Particular. The Servant of GOD could say; Act. XX. 22, 23. — Even so may we say, ‘I know not what shall befal me, but it is very sure Afflictive Changes do abide me.’ The Contingencies of this World cannot be Numbred. And what is there in this World, that is not sub­ject unto them? We read; Eccl. IX. 11. Chance happens to all. Let us be so Extensive in our Ex­pectations, as that whatever our changes may be, we may be able to say, I was a little Aware of this. And yet we will a little particularize.

WHATEVER our Estates may be, do not presume, That it is impossible for us, to be stript of these Estates. A Job, a Rich, and a Great Man, may soon be Poor to a Proverb. Tho' we may swim in Riches, yet we must live in this Expecta­tion; These Riches may soon take themselves wings, and flee away. We are guilty of Trusting in Un­certain Riches, if we lay aside all such Expectation. Of all Riches on this side Heaven; we are advised unto what they are obnoxious; Matt. VI. 19. Moth and Rust, and Thieves. Suppose, that the Fair House may be laid in Ashes, or a Stranger may be­come the Owner. Suppose, that the most boarded Cash, may become Running Cash, and Run quite a­way from the Owner. When we are sending any Interest abroad, suppose it may come short home; and the Sum Total of the Gains of the Voyage, may be that; Hag. 1.9. Ye Look'd for much, and, lo, it came to little. Suppose all that we have to be liable unto Innumerable Casualties. All the Elements may prey upon us; and Enemies may have a commission to sieze upon what we have. [Page 9]We shall not be the first, if we must come to say, I was full, I am Empty; the Almighty has Afflicted me.

AGAIN; Whatever our Honours may be, Let us not imagine, our Mountain to be so string, that we never can be Degraded, never Disgraced; we read, Psal. XLIX. 12. Man in Honour abideth not. Let them that stand on High Places, remember they stand on Slippery Places. How many Mo­narchs have been dethron'd in our Time! And Mighty Men without Number have been broken in pieces; and others been set in their head. If the cry be, Hosanna, to day, Expect, It may be, Cru­cify, to Morrow!

ARE we in Health? Let us live in Expectation of Sickness. No constitution so strong, as to be Sickness-proof. No Tabernacle of Clay, so strong, but that it may be shaken.

WE have our Desireable Relatives Don't think, 'Tis impossible for them to Dy. I hope, the Re­latives are not such, that you hope for their Death. Pe they what they will, GOD forbid, you should indulge that Hope. Yet such a Fear of their Death, you should have, that if it arrive before your own, you may truly say. The thing which I greatly feared is come unto me. Consorts, Expect a Parting-Time. Children, your Parents will be gone; you Father and your Mother will forsake you. Parents, your Children may be soon taken from you: The Flow­ers may be cropt in their Minority. If the Dear­est Friend in the World should be taken from you, Let there not be cause for you to say, I never thought of this! I always though, this Friend had been an Immortal one.

[Page 10] THERE is one Change more to be Expected. And tho' I mention it the Last, yet I would pray my Hearers to Expect it the First of any. Death, Death, is the Change I mean. Oh! let us Live in a continual Expectation of Death. It is an awful Admonition, Prov. XXVII. 1. Thou knowest not what a Day may bring forth. When we go to sleep in the Evening, it should often be with such an Ap­prehension; It may be, this Night my Soul will be required. When we get up and go out in a Mor­ning, it should often be with such an Apprehensi­on; It may be, my Sun will set before Sun-set When we part with a Friend, it should often be with such an Apprehension, 'Tis possible, this may be the last Time of my Speaking to him. And when we hear a Sermon, why should it not be with such a Medi­tation? For ought I can tell, This may be the Last Sermon I shall hear throughout Eternal Ages.

BUT thus we are to manage the First Part of our Work. This is to be our Expectation; That we have nothing here, but what may soon be cut off. We proceed unto the Second Part of the Work. And certainly, Every one will readily grant it.

II 'TIS Reasonable for us to make a Religious Preparation for Troublesome Changes! To Fear Changes only with a Design to get into a fit posture for them. See, Psal. LV. 19. We will Explain this Frame of Christianity.

1. OUR Fear of Changes, must not be a Torturing Fear, that shall Kill or Spoil our Blessings. We read of a Miserable Thing; Eccl. VI. 2. A Man has not power to taste his own Enjoyments. Very [Page 11]dreadful is the Wrath & Curse of GOD, upon the Children of Men, when they are given up to such a Fear, as deprives them of all Relish in the Bles­sings, which He bestows upon them. When the Fear of Losing our Blessings, takes away our Sense of the Blessings, the Lord then fulfils that fearful Threatning upon us; I will curse your Blessings. Our Fear of our Changes, it should not hinder our Joy in our Blessings; What can there be better for a Man, than that he should eat & drink, and make his Soul enjoy good in his labour? It would be a fro­ward & foolish Ingratitude unto GOD, for us to threw away our Blessings, before GOD shall please to take them away. To Live in Bondage, thro' Fear, of what is coming upon us.

2 BUT yet, by our Fear of Changes, we should come to sit more loose from all our Comforts. We are thus advised; 1 Cor VII. 29, 30. The Time is short: — Be as tho' not —. Even so; since we may Expect Changes, let this Expectation produce in us, a due Mortification. We should grow very Mortifi'd & Indifferent unto all our Comforts in this World; because we may fear Changes a coming on our Comforts. We should Hold no­thing too fast. Why, we know not how soon every thing may by some Deadly Changes be snatched and fetch'd away from us. Write upon all our Enjoyments, Uncertain Things! Vanishing Things! Departing Things! And let this Lower the price of them. Of those Enjoyments for which we have most of Tenderness, let us Remember, They will not stay with us! When any thing is getting too far into our Affections, Let us cool our Immode­rate [Page 12]and Inordinate Affections, with this conside­ration; ‘I do not know, what Changes may come, and how soon these Enjoyments may be taken away.’ Oh! let your Moderation in every thing, be known unto all Men; A Change is at hand.

3. SINCE we may Fear Troublesome Changes, Let this Fear awaken us to get into such a condi­tion, that we shall Suffer no real Damage by any of our Changes. Oh! happy condition, in the midst of all Troublesome Changes! Oh! Beneficial Changes, the Fear whereof shall drive us into such a condition. Let us heartily consent unto the Covenant of GOD, and of Grace, in all the propo­sals of it. Let us Accept of our Lord JESUS CHRIST as our Saviour, and Leader, and Ruler, and of GOD in Him, as our Portion. Let us with Souls Renouncing all the ways of Sin, and Re­pairing to the CHRIST of GOD, cry out, Lord, I am Thine, Save me! Then we need Fear no Changes. For, whatever Changes now come upon us, we need not be afraid of any Damage from them. The Voice of the Good GOD unto us, now is that; Jer. XXV. 6. I will do you no Hurt. All the Changes that now pass over us, will be Servi­ceable to us; They will only bring us nearer to GOD, only make us Fitter for Heaven. That Promise will be fulfill'd unto us; Rom. VIII. 28. All things shall work together for Good. And what­ever be taken from us in any of our Changes, yet now we have Lest unto us, what will make up the want of all that is taken from us; what is infi­nitely better than all that is taken from us. GOD is ours, CHRIST is ours, Heaven is ours. Oh! [Page 13] Changes! Do your worst, we are Happy, we are Happy, you cannot Rob us of our Happiness.

WE Expect Changes, we know not what Changes; Let us commit all our concerns into the Hands of a Faithful GOD, that He may order all our Changes in very Faithfulness. It was acknow­ledged, Psal. XXXI. 15. My Times are in Thy Hands. The Times of all our Changes, and all the Changes that are to pass over us in our Times, are in the Hands of GOD. Let us leave all in those Glori­ous Hands. The Psalmist could say, Psal. LVI. 3. At whatsoever Time I am afraid, I will put my Trust in Thee. Are we Afraid of Changes? Let us cheer­fully Trust GOD with all our concerns; and put our Trust in Him, that He will permit no Changes but what shall be Good for us, to befall us in any of our concerns. Humbly put over all into the Hands of a Glorious CHRIST, who is the Gover­nour of the World, who disposes all the Affairs of Providence with His Almighty Hands; and say to Him; ‘O my GOD; Great is thy Compassion; Great is thy Faithfulness; I put over all my In­terests into thy precious Hands; There I cast them; There I leave them: Oh! Let thy mar­vellous Compassion, thy infinite Faithfulness, or­der all the Changes that are to come upon me!’

CHANGES are coming on; Let us be mightily satisfied in the Conduct of GOD, the Wis­dom, and Goodness of that Conduct, which mana­ges all our Changes. We greatly Fear many Chan­ges. We may be greatly assured, that not the least of those Changes can befall us, without the will of GOD. We read, Matth. X. 29, 30. Not a [Page 14]Sparrow falls without the will of our Father; — The very Hatrs of our Heads are numbred. All our Changes are under the conduct of GOD. And anon when the Great change of Mortality comes upon a Man; Lord, Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away. But Oh! Let us be deeply affected with the Wisdom & Goodness of this Con­duct.

Think; ‘Changes are coming upon me; but they are such as the All-wise GOD sees Fit for me. It is fit, It is fit, that I should leave all to His Determination. Lord, Thy Understanding is infinite!’

Think again; ‘Changes are coming upon me; but they will be no other than GOD has meant unto Good. The Good GOD knows that it is my desire to Seek Him, and Serve Him: He is my Father, and will not let any thing befal me, that shall do me any real Harm in my Serving of Him.’

WE are to meet with Changes, and look for Changes; But let us own the Favour of GOD in it, that He keeps us Ignorant of what hanges we are to meet withal. It is an Useful Ignorance: an Holesome Ignorance; If we should certainly Know aforehand, what particular Changes are appointed for us; how uneasy should we be! Our Trouble­some Changes, would give us as much Trouble be­fore they come, as when they come. Every Trou­ble would be a Thousand. It was most Excellent Advice; Matth. VI. 34 Take no Thought for to Morrow.—Sufficient for the Day is the Evil there­of. Thus, Be not sollicitous to know, what hanges may befall you to Morrow. The Changes will [Page 15]bring Troubles enough with them, when they come to Morrow. Sufficient for the Day are the Troubles thereof. Wherefore, Oh! Do not Sin against that Favour of GOD, which we Enjoy in this our Igno­rance. Do not Sin against it by seeking after a Forbidden Knowledge. Do not Sin against it by a Criminal Curiosity, Enquiring after a Knowledge that is not convenient for us. Here, 'tis no Fault, to be willing to be Ignorant; It were a crime to be otherwise. Let us mind, what is Revealed un­to us; It is Revealed unto us, that we ought to prepare for Changes. But, the Changes themselves are Secret Things; The Secret Things let us cheer­fully leave unto the LORD.

LEAVE nothing undone, that should be done before our Fear'd Changes come upon us; nothing that we shall too late wish to have done, when we are overtaken with our Changes.

THIS matter ought to be a little Illustrated.

WHEN Changes and Losses are come on our Estates; We shall then wish; ‘Oh! That while my Talents were yet in my hands; I had more improv'd them for the Honour & Service of GOD, and honoured the LORD, and Succoured His People, with my Substance!’ Then, Sirs, Do this before the Changes come upon you.

WHEN our Friends are by Changes taken from us, we shall then wish; ‘Oh! That I had made more Use of, Oh! That I had done more Good to, my Friends, while I yet had them with me!’ Then, Sirs, Converse with your Friends, as profi­tably as you can, before you are by Mortal Change bereaved of them.

[Page 16] WHEN we come to Dy, and are under the Ar­rest of our Grand Change, then it will not only be our Advantage to have our Temporal Affairs all settled, and therefore, Let that be done Seasona­bly, be done Importance, that our Spiritual and Eternal Affairs be then found well-settled. Oh! There­fore Immediately Turn to GOD, Immediately Close with CHRIST, Immediately lay hold on Eternal Life. Let not That work be to do, when the Grand Change is just siezing upon you. Oh! That you were wise; that you understood this; that you would Consider your latter End!