the Lord, so that I may not be condemned with the world?

It is good for the believer that he is afflicted. Why? It springs from divine love, and it works for his soul's good. Affliction is a seal of his adoption, and no sign of reprobation. The purest gold is oftest tried, the sweetest grape is hardest pressed, and the truest Christian is heaviest crossed. But O how soon will the Christian forget all his groans when he comes to heaven? As soon as Stephen saw Christ, though at a distance, he forgot all his wounds and bruises; he minded no more the terror of the stones about his ears, but sweetly yielded his soul into his Redeemer's hands.

I read of many in the gospel, that by sicknesses and diseases were driven unto Christ, who, if they had enjoyed health and prosperity, would have neglected, like many others, to come to him. O blessed is that cross, that draweth a sinner to Christ, to lay open his own misery, and implore Christ's mercy. And blessed be that Christ, who never refuseth the sinner that cometh to him, though driven by affliction and misery. To whom shall such a distressed creature as I go, but to him who is the only physician, that can both cure my soul from sin, and my body from sickness?

Lord, thou never denied thy mercy to any sinner that asked it with a penitent heart. There were many sorts of sick sinners that came to thee in the days of thy flesh; the blind, the deaf, the lame, the lepers; these that were sick of palsies, dropsies, fevers, fluxes, and were possessed with devils; and yet never one of them came crying for mercy, that went away without their errand, were his sin ever so great, his disease ever so grievous. Nay, so merciful is my Redeemer, that he offered and gave his mercy to many that never asked it, being moved with the bowels of his own compassion, and the sight of their misery; so dealt he with the woman of Samaria, the widow of Nain, and the man that lay thirty-eight years at the pool of Bethesda: Oh, if he gave his mercy so will

ingly to them that did not ask it, and was found of them that sought him not, will he deny mercy to my soul that is crying for it?

There is but a step betwixt me and death: Lord seal my pardon to me, before I go hence and be no more. O draw nigh to me, and save me; for my soul is full of trouble, and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. Thy loving-kindness is better than life. O make me sure of that, and I will willingly part with this mortal life.

O thou who willest not that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, be pleased to make use of the chastisement of my body, as a medicine to cure my soul, and bring me to a true and sincere repentance. One day is with thee as a thousand years; O work in me in this, which may be my last day, whatsoever thou seest wanting in me. Enable me to pre

sent unto thee the sacrifice of a broken and a contrite heart, which thou hast promised not to despise. Give a true and lively faith in the blessed Jesus, who is the propitiation for our sins! He was wounded for our transgression, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him; O heal me by his stripes! Let the cry of his blood drown the clamour of my sins. I am indeed a child of wrath, but Christ is the Son of thy love; O pity me for his sake, and let my soul find sanctuary in his wounds!

O Lord, the waters of affliction are come in even unto my soul! O let the Spirit of God move on these waters, that, like the pool of Bethesda, they may cure whatever spiritual diseases thou seest in me! O Lord, consider my affliction, accept my tears, assuage my pain, increase my patience, and finish my troubles! Correct me with the chastisement of a father, and not with the wounds of an enemy, and though thou take not off thy rod, Lord, take away thine anger.

Lord, the prince of this world cometh, O let him have nothing in me; but as he accuseth, do thou absolve. I have nothing to say for myself, but be thou

my advocate, Lord; and do thou answer for me. I am clothed with filthy garments, and Satan stands at my right hand to resist me, O Lord, rebuke him, and pluck me as a brand out of the fire. Cause mine iniquities to pass from me, and clothe me with the righteousness of thy dear Son. I know, O Lord, that no unclean thing can enter into thy kingdom, and thou seest I am nothing but pollution, yea, my very righteousness is filthy rags. O wash me, and make me white in the blood of the Lamb, that I may be fit to stand before thy throne. O take me from the tents of Kedar to the mansions of light and purity. When my earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved, O let me have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. O bring my soul out

of prison, that I may eternally give thanks unto thy Amen.

name.

CHAP. VIII.

CONTAINING DIRECTIONS TO THE FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS OF THE SICK, WHO ARE THEMSELVES IN HEALTH FOR THE TIME.

WHEN the Lord sends sickness and affliction to our neighbours, we ought not to be idle and unconcerned spectators of his dispensation; but we should hearken to the voice of God's rod upon others, and consider what it is that the Lord is calling for at our hands. The following directions may be useful to those that are in health.

DIRECT. I. Be very thankful to God for the great mercy of health and strength, and improve it to his glory.

SURELY a healthful person hath still great cause to be a thankful person. Health is a mercy that

doth season and sweeten every other temporal mercy; without it the greatest wealth and honour, nay, a king's throne can give no satisfaction. It is far more eligible to be a healthy beggar than a sickly king. What comfort could it afford us under tossing sickness and torturing pains, to have the greatest heaps of money to look to, or thousands coming to pay us homage? Alas for our unthankfulness to him who is the God of our health! How little do we prize his goodness, in continuing with us such a long tract of health and strength, together with the use of our reason and senses, when many others are deprived of them. Surely God were righteous, should he teach us to value the worth of these mercies by the want of them.

Let us consider how many miserable persons there are in the world, and who it is that maketh us to differ from them; how many diseased, distracted, deformed, lame, blind, deaf, and dumb people there are; and how easy it had been for God to have put us in their condition, and them in ours. The difference is not owing to any thing in us; their sins are not greater than ours. Had we a due sense of our sins and ill-deservings, we would acknowledge ourselves unworthy of the least of all God's mercies, we would reckon every common mercy a special blessing, and an unmerited favour to us.-Again, let us take a view of the fainting sickness, racking pains, and restless nights of others. Let us look upon our sick friends, sweating and burning under fevers, let us hear them groaning and moaning under strong pain. Their soul abhors all manner of meat, and they draw near unto the gates of death. Sometimes we see them panting and fainting, and not able to speak a word to us. And what is the language of all this to us? Is it not that we should thankfully adore our gracious God, and bless and magnify him, for his distinguishing goodness to us? Oh, how much are we bound to the Lord, that it is not so with us as with others! While wearisome nights are appointed to them, and

their bones are full of tossing; all the comforts of this life are tasteless to them, their friends are weeping about them, but cannot help them: It is far otherwise with me, (may you say) my mercies and relations are comfortable and helpful to me, I relish my food, my bed gives me ease, my sleep is refreshing: I have freedom to read and pray, meditate, and attend the public ordinances. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me; bless his holy name. Forget not this benefit of health, that is the chief of all my outward blessings. Some would part with all their worldly wealth, to have so much bodily health as I have. Long have I undervalued and abused this choice mercy of health: O that I could mourn for my neglect, and resolve in God's strength to improve my remaining health, for the praise and service of that merciful God, who is the author and preserver of it! Let me spend and be spent for God, that gives me all my health and strength for his glory. Let me abhor the ingratitude of those who employ the health which God giveth, in the service of his enemies; and make a sacrifice of it to the devil, the world, and the flesh. O what a prodigious folly are these guilty of, who, for satisfying their sensual appetite, do often deprive themselves of health, which is in itself a thousand times of more value than all their brutish pleasures! God help me to prize this mercy, that can never be prized enough.'

DIRECT. II. Make conscience of visiting your Sick Friends and Neighbours, believing that it is your duty and interest so to do.

VISITING of the sick is not only the duty of the ministers of Christ, but likewise of all the members of Christ; for we are all enjoined to remember them that are in adversity, and to sympathize with the afflicted, as being ourselves also in the body.