Chrift tempted to Miftruft in God. When Jefus bad fafted forty Days, and forty Nights, he was afterwards an hungred. And when the Tempter came to him, he faid, If thou be the Son of GOD, command that But be anfwered, and faid, It is written, Man fhall not live by Bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the Then the Devil taketh him up into the Holy City, and fetteth him on a Pinnacle of the And faith unto him, If thou be the Son of GOD, caft thyself down: For it is writ- ten, He shall give his Angels Charge con- cerning thee, and in their Hands they shall bear thee up, left at any Time thou dash thy [1] SERMON I. The Lawfulness of Feafting, with the JOB i. 4, 5. Job's Sons went and feafted in their Houfes, every one his Day, and fent and called for their three Sifters to eat and to drink with them. And it was fo, when the Days of their Feaft ing were gone about, that Job sent and Sanctified them, and rofe up early in the Morning, and offered Burnt Offerings according to the Number of them all: for Job faid, It may be that my Sons have finned and curfed God in their Hearts. Thus did Job continually. I N these and the foregoing Words is con- SER M. tained a short Account of Job's Profperity and Integrity before his Misfortunes: The first of which is recorded to the end that we may the better judge of the Weight and BitVOL. I. B terness I. I. SER M. ternefs of his Afflictions, which, we may reafonably fuppofe, received no fmall Addition from his being fo long and conftantly used to the Height of Happiness: The other to obviate any uncharitable Cenfure we might probably have entertained, and to caution us against imputing any thing to him, which might have drawn down this Adversity, which was laid upon him as a Trial and Probation of his Patience and Virtue. If we defire any general Character of this good Man, we have it in the first Verfe, where we read that he was perfect and upright, and one that feared GOD and efchewed Evil: i. e. One whofe Virtue appeared in a moft unblameable Life, void of all Hypocrify, both in his Piety towards GOD, and in his Dealings with Men. If we further demand fome particular Inftance of his Goodnefs, the Text will fupply us, which contains an Account of his religious Care of his Children. They were from their Infancy, as we may reasonably suppose, educated in the Fear of GOD, and taught to live with one another in Love and Unity. And that this Friendship might continue inviolable, he indulged and encouraged his Sons to meet at some certain Seafons at each other's Houfe, and to make a Feast every one in his Turn: And he, whofe Turn I. I: Turn it was to entertain the reft, was to in SER M. vite their three Sifters to eat and to drink with them. It being usual, it feems, then as well. as now, to think the Obligation high enough, if the Female Sex graced the Entertainments made by the Men with their Prefence, though they were not at the Expence of entertaining again. And this Feafting and Merriment amongst his Children, Job thought doubtless a proper Means to confirm and ftrengthen them in their Amity and Concord. But because it might poffibly happen, that they might do or speak fomething that was profane, or misbe coming their Religion at thefe Times, when their Minds, loofened by Mirth, were lefs upon their Guard; their good Father never failed, as foon as ever the Time appointed for their Feafting was over, to call upon his Sons to reflect upon what had paffed in those Inter vals of Mirth, and to prepare themselves for the Sacrifices he intended to offer to avert GOD'S Anger, if by any means they had incurred it during those Seasons: Exhorting them probably at the fame time to recal themselves from those Liberties which they had then been indulging themselves in, and to apply themselves seriously to their Callings of Life, and their wonted Duties of Religion. And this we muft B 2 I. SER M. muft obferve was Job's conftant Practice; for fo faith the Text, Job's Sons went and feafted in their Houses, &c.. The Words, thus paraphrased and explained, might be of manifold Use to us, if we would take notice of all the Rules they would afford us for the Regulation of our Lives. As, First, For Inftance, Fathers of a Family may from hence learn, how much it is their Duty, and ought to be their Care, to fee that their Children and all others under their Tuition, be diligent Obfervers of their Duty to GOD.. Secondly, Children may again learn from hence, what an inestimable Bleffing their Love and Unity is both to themselves and their Parents. Add to this, Thirdly, That Children are not exempted from their Obedience to their Parents, nor Parents difcharged from their Care of their Children, though their Children may be removed from them, and fettled in Families of their own. Job's Sons were obedient to the Call of their Father, and their Father fanctified and offered Burnt Offerings for them. Again, Fourthly, All may observe that a bare Sufpicion or Surmife that ourselves or any others under our Care have finned, is a fufficient Reason |