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Reason why we fhould humble ourselves and SER M. feek Reconcilement with GOD for ourselves and them. Job was not certain that his Sons had tranfgreffed; he only faid, It may be that they have finned. Once more and

Laftly, We may observe that it is not a few good Actions which will recommend us to GOD, but Conftancy and Perfeverance. Job's Care of his Children had not been recorded unless it had been 'his conftant Practice: But thus did Job continually.

These and several other Things might be drawn from the Text well worthy our Obfervation, which yet it muft fuffice to have only mentioned at prefent; and that because the Words fuggeft to our Minds three other Confiderations, which will make a more feafonable Subject for my prefent Difcourfe. And they are,

I. FIRST, That Feafting, Mirth and Society are not inconfiftent with the Practice of Virtue and Religion: Job's Sons (it is to be supposed with the Approbation and Confent of their good Father) 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.

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II. SECONDLY, That there is notwithstanding, great Danger of offending at fuch Seasons. Job faid, It may be that my Sons have finned and curfed GOD in their Hearts. And therefore,

III. THIRDLY, That after fuch Seasons, it ought to be the Duty of every Person to reflect upon his Behaviour as to what had paffed, and to examine himself and thofe under his Care, in order to atone for what has been done amifs, and reconcile himself and them to GOD. And it was fo, when the Days of their Feafting were gone about, that Job fent and fanctified bis Sons, and rofe up early in the Morning, and offered Burnt Offerings according to the Num ber of them all.

I. The FIRST Thing then which the Words of the Text fuggeft to our Minds as more efpecially feafonable to be treated of at prefent is, That Feafting, Mirth and Society are not inconfiftent with the Practice of Virtue and Religion. And this I fay we may infer from the Practice of Job's Sons, who went and feafted in their Houfes every one his Day, and fent and called for their three Sifters to eat

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and to drink with them. And that this was SER M. with the Indulgence, Confent and Approbation of their good Father we have very good reason to believe: It is fet down as one of the chief Bleffings of Job's Life, and doubtless it could be no fmall Comfort to a Father to fee fuch Tokens of Love and Amity among his Children. From hence then we learn that a freer Converfation than ordinary, and a more plentiful Use of God's good Creatures than is at all times requifite, is fometimes a Thing lawful in itself, and not repugnant to the Duties of Religion. But how often and upon what Occafions we may allow ourselves this Indulgence, does not appear from the Text: All which it says is that Job's Sons went and feasted in their Houfes every one his Day: But what is there meant by Day is not fo clear. Some Interpreters indeed understand by it their Birthday, and tell us that Job's Sons, every one upon his own Birth-day, made a Feaft and Entertainment for the rest of his Brethren: and That indeed carries with it fomething of Probability; because at the Beginning of the third Chapter of this Book Job is faid to curfe bis Day, which from the following Verfes appears to have been his Birth-day. But notwithstanding this, other Interpreters again would perB 4

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SER M. fuade us that these Seafons of their Feafting were upon other folemn Occafions, and in Commemoration of fome Spiritual Bleffings which they celebrated at certain Times agreed upon amongst themselves. Which of these to depend on we cannot tell, I fhall therefore fhew from other Inftances what Times are moft convenient and fuitable for the Business we are difcourfing of.

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And here the uninterrupted Examples of Holy Men in all Ages will be undoubtedly a fafe and fufficient Guide for us to follow, efpecially in fuch Things as were allowed and commanded by Gop. To begin then with GOD's peculiar People the Jews, we find amongst them many Occafions of Joy and Feasting: Some of which were stated and continual, and. related to them as a Nation; and others only accidental and peculiar to private Families and Perfons. The first of these were what they were under an indispensable Obligation of obferving; they being appointed and commanded by the exprefs Word of God, who was pleased to make the Obfervation of them an effential Part of their Religion. Of these, befides the Weekly Return of the Sabbath, they had feveral Yearly ones, as the Feaft of Paffover, of Pentecoft, of Trumpets, of Taberna

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cles and the like. Most of these Feafts lafted SER M. for seven Days together; during which Time, befides the more folemn Duties which they were then especially obliged to, they were not allowed to eat any Leavened Bread, nor to do any fervile Work, but were commanded to rejoice before the LORD their God, and to make a Feaft unto the LORD. The Occafions of these Festivals we all know, or may eafily inform ourselves of, by confulting the Law which abounds with Statutes relating to them. I shall therefore only observe further, that they were all celebrated in Commemoration of fome fignal Mercies beftowed upon That People, and may therefore be a fit Precedent to us Christians, to appoint as folemn Festivals upon as folemn Occafions. For if They, by the exprefs Command of GOD, celebrated the Paffover every Year in Commemoration of his fmiting the Egyptians, and delivering them from a Temporal Bondage; fure we have much more Reason to sanctify an Easter in Remembrance of the Rifing of Jefus Chrift from the Dead, who thereby overcame our Spiritual Enemies, Death and the Grave. If again the Feast of Pentecoft was of great Eminency among the Jews in Memory of the Mofaick Law's being at that Time given on Mount

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