or judgment to come.

thought of God, or Christ, of death, of heaven, of hell, But, when God doth cast them into sickness or some great affliction, they (through the blessing of God) begin to come to themselves, like the prodigal, and think of returning again to their father. Several instances to this purpose might be given. The Earl of Rochester is a late one, whose life was notoriously lewd, profane, and atheistical; and who had wickedly employed his wit and parts to the ridicule of religion; yet when he was afflicted with pain and sickness, and brought to the gates of death, he began to entertain quite other apprehensions than he had done before; he professed he had serious and reverend thoughts of religion and holiness, which before he laughed at; he most earnestly and affectionately warned others to abandon their evil courses, and to live religiously and soberly, and to look upon religion as the greatest reality in the world; he retracted all his impious and profane language, wherewith he used to reflect on the ways of godliness, and willingly attested all this under his hand.

Pray then for the divine blessing on your sickness, that it may contribute to the conversion of your soul, which it doth several ways; 1st, By opening men's eyes to get a true sight of things, to behold religion in its true shape, and sin in its proper colours; hence the rod is said to give wisdom, Prov. xxix. 15. They who have mocked at religion, and made light of sin all their days, have been taught by bodily sickness to change their tune. Then they begin to have esteem of the Bible, and to value and send for a pious minister, and to desire the prayers of the people of God; now they perceive sin to be bitter as gall and wormwood, they loathe and abhor that which they liked before; now the word of God makes a deep impression on them, and particularly such a word as that, Jer. ii. 19. "Know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God."

2dly, Sickness helps to set the word preached home

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upon the heart. When God speaks to us in the day of health and prosperity, we oft give him a deaf ear, Jer. xxii. 21. but when distress comes, it brings the words of God and of his ministers to our remembrance, as it brought Joseph's to the remembrance of his brethren, Gen. xlii. 21.

3dly, Sickness contributes to loose a man's heart from the world, and to cool his love thereto; whereby a great hindrance of conversion is removed out of the way, and the man is made to say, "How vain and helpless are the world's comforts to me now! these things I delighted in formerly are tasteless to me at this time. There is no portion can suit soul's needs, but God himself."

4thly, It spurs a man on to prayer that formerly neglected it. When the prodigal is brought to distress, he says, "I will arise, and go to my father." He forgat his father before, but now he will address him, Hos. v. 15. "In their affliction they will seek me early." Thus the Lord frequently begins and promotes the conversion of souls to himself. And, O sinner, if this be the fruit of thy sickness, it will not be unto death, but the glory of God.

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DIRECT. III. Be careful to obey God's voice in the rod, and beware of slighting it.

EVERY sickness hath a message from God, and

his voice you ought to hearken to with reverence

and attention, Micah vi. 9. What saith he to you at this time? O sinner, he saith, "Retire from the world, think on death and eternity, abhor these lusts and idols which God is smiting you for, flee speedily to the strong hold," "repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." This is God's voice to you, and consider how provoking it will be to him, if you slight it.

1st, You will provoke God to slight your voice when you cry to him, and stop his ear against the voice of your supplications, Zech. vii. 13.

2dly, You will provoke God to cease from being a reprover to you, so that he will speak to you no more. 3dly, You will provoke him to bring heavier judgments on you, yea, so to draw his sword of justice against you, that he will sheathe it up no more, as he threatens, Ezek. xxi. 5.

4thly, God may break off all intercourse and correspondence with you, as with those, Ezek. xx. 31. "As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you."

5thly, He may seal you up for ever under your sins, hardness and pollutions; and say to you, as to some we read of, Ezek. xxii. 13. Hos. iv. 7. Rev. xxi. 11. "Because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. Ephraim is joined to his idols, let him alone. He that is filthy, let him be filthy still. He that is hardened against the voice of my rods, let him be hardened still." Well then, O sinners, while God is in speaking terms with you, hearken to his voice, and obey it; say, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"

DIRECT. IV. Cast back your eyes upon the sins of your by-past life, and labour to be deeply humbled for them before the Lord.

SEEING you are summoned to prepare for going to

the judgment-seat of God, where your soul is to receive its final sentence, labour to prevent the terror of that appearance, by your judging yourself beforehand. And this you must do, by summoning yourself before the bar of conscience, examining narrowly into your state, accusing and condemning yourself for your sins. And see that you be impartial in this work, willing to know the truth, and discover the worst of your You must see and be duly sensible of your danger, otherwise you cannot think to escape it. Take a narrow view of your sins in their nature, number, ag

case.

gravations and deservings. And in order to this, if thou hast any measure of strength for it, let the exposition of the ten commandments in our Larger Catechism be distinctly read over unto thee. Make a pause upon every question, and say within thyself, "Have I not omitted what is here required by God? And, have I not committed what is here forbidden by God? How oft have I repeated these sins? How long have I lived in the practice of them? O! do not so many years' sins need a very serious repentance, a very deep humiliation? O! doth not such a vile sinner as I, stand greatly in need of Christ to be my cautioner and ransomer for such a vast number of sins? Will not their weight press me eternally down to the lowest hell, if they remain unpardoned, and be laid upon my back?" Wherefore view them closely, and confess them particularly before God.

1st, In the first place, bewail thy original sin, the fountain of all thy actual transgressions, as did David, Psalm li. 5. "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me."

2dly, Acknowledge and mourn over the sinful outbreakings of thy life, whereby thou hast dishonoured God, and grieved his Holy Spirit: and especially sins against light.

3dly, Be humbled for thy sins of omission, for neglecting of commanded duties, particularly for the neglect of prayer in secret, and of family-religion.

4thly, Mourn for the loss of precious time. Alas! for the time of youth misspent, many Sabbath-days trifled away!

5thly, Lament thy long slighting of Christ, and salvation through his righteousness, which so pressingly hath been offered to thee in the gospel.

6thly, Bewail thy stifling the convictions, and quenching the motions of the Spirit, and thereby provoking him to depart from you.

7thly, Mourn for thy unthankfulness to God for mercies and deliverances, which might have allured you to repentance and newness of life.

8thly, Confess thy stubbornness under former afflictions, which hath provoked God to send new trials upon you.

9thly, Be humbled for thy earthly-mindedness, in that thou hast all thy days been careful and cumbered about many things, and hast neglected the one thing necessary.

10thly, Mourn for the lateness of thy repentance, and thy prodigious folly in delaying so long to bethink thyself, and to turn to the Lord. "Oh how unwisely have I acted, to misspend the time of health, and delay so great a work till now that I am laid on a sick-bed! And now, if I die before I am converted, I am lost for ever. O Lord, I am ashamed and confounded at my madness and folly, and have no excuse to plead for myself, but must stand afar off, with the poor publican, and smite upon my breast, and cry, "God be merciful to me a sinner."

DIRECT. V. Flee presently to Jesus Christ by a true faith, and close with him as offered to you in the gospel.

ART thou sensible, O sinner, of thy grievous guilt

and ill-deservings before God? Then do not despair; for Jesus Christ, who hath offered to divine justice, an all-sufficient sacrifice for sin, is offering himself to thee, saying, O distressed sinner, "Look unto me and be saved. Turn unto me, why will ye die? Come unto me, heavy laden soul, and I will give you rest. He that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." Will not such gracious words, such moving calls, melt thy heart within thee, and make thee cry to him, "Lord Jesus, I flee to thee as my refuge for deliverance from sin, and protection from the wrath to come; I look to thy wounds, I trust in thy righteousness, I depend on thy merit, I lie at thy feet; and this I am resolved to do as long as I have breath to draw in the world."