"Here we have no continuing city; but seek "one to come." Heb. xiii. 14.

"God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; "and there shall be no more death, neither sor"row, nor crying, neither shall there be any more "pain: for the former things are passed away." Rev. xxi. 4.

"There remaineth a rest for the people of God." Heb. iv. 9.

"Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory "through Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. xv. 57.

Helps for conversing with a child at any time; especially in a time of sickness.

God made all things; God knows all things; God sees you every where; God is able to help you, and restore you to health. He is gracious and merciful: you want his protection by night and day to keep you from evil, and to make you always safe and happy; you are a sinful creature, and want forgiveness; you stand in need of his grace to do your duty, [especially now in the time of sickness.] These blessings you know are to be sought for of God by prayer, therefore you will pray to him all are his mercies which you receive, for which he ought to be praised, therefore you will praise him. You should acknowledge that all your hopes of acceptance is through Jesus Christ, your Mediator, and humbly beg of God, that [whether you recover, or whether this sickness be unto death,] you may be accepted of him. Helps for conversing with one who has no suitable religious impressions on his mind.

Men too often think lightly of religion till death is ready to surprise them. Consider this before time and hope are for ever gone.

1. Think what you are, and for what end and work you came into the world. You are a man of reason, and not a brute. You were made to

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know, love, and serve your Maker, not with the leavings of the flesh, but with all your heart and might and should not a creature live to the end and uses for which it was made? How will you answer for such treacherous ungodliness?

2. It is time for you to have serious thoughts of that eternal life, to which you are now hastening. If you could sleepily forget it all the way, surely it would be time to awake when you were come almost thither.

3. Seeing you are so near the judgment of God, where your soul must receive its final sentence, it is high time to judge yourself, and know in what state you now are; whether in a state of salvation or condemnation.

4. I would advise you therefore to look back upon your sinful life with sorrow; not only because of the danger to yourself, but also because you have offended God. What think you now of

a sinful and an holy life?

5. Resolve then to give yourself up in an hearty covenant to God. Take him as your Creator, Christ as your Redeemer, and the Holy Ghost as your Sanctifier; and he will take you as one of his children. Though late, he will accept and pardon you, if you do it in sincerity. But see that you be truly willing, and never forsake him any

more.

6. And if God have thus changed your heart and drawn it to himself," (John vi. 44.) be thankful for such a mercy. Oh! bless him for having given you a Redeemer, and a Sanctifier, and the pardoning covenant of grace: and now

Let us not measure ourselves (says the late Bishop of Llandaff, Dr. Watson) by worldly riches. The soul is the standard of the man, and raises him vastly above all that is earthly. How foolish then, shameful, and impious is it, to prostitute ourselves to the trifles of this world, to be fond of earthly things, and to make our reason a drudge to sensual pursuits!

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be not afraid or unwilling to leave a sinful world, and come unto God.

7. Because there are so many cases of the sick which require the presence of a judicious instructor, endeavour to get the assistance of such an one. Remember at the same time that God would be just, were he to deny men that benefit in their distress, which in time of their health and prosperity they rejected with scorn and contempt. What ever may be the end of this sickness, cleave to that God, whom you may enjoy for ever.

Helps for conversing with one who is sick relating to his spiritual wants.

1. You want the perpetual exertion of God's power, for the continuance of your life, and the support of your faculties.

2. You want his wisdom, to direct your uneertain steps.

3. You want his goodness, to supply your daily necessities.

4. You want his mercy, to pardon your numberless sins.

5. You want his grace, to assist you in the discharge of your various duties.

6. You want likewise a greater knowledge of God. 7. You want more faith in Christ.

8. You want true repentance, pardon of sin, the love of God, and grace of Christ.

Now you should plead for supply of these and your other wants in prayer.

Because your wants are great.

Because God alone can help you.

Because he is good and compassionate.

Because he hears prayer, and has promised the assistance of the Holy Spirit.

And you should rejoice, that he is ever ready and able to aid and befriend you, because we all depend on him for temporal and eternal life.

Helps for conversing with one in his sickness who had lived religiously, in order to prepare him for death.

1. Consider your sickness as a fruit of sin, yet wisely and graciously designed to produce the peaceable fruits of righteousness, and a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

2. Thus consider affliction, and it will reconcile you to the disposals of Providence.

3. Pray for divine grace and comfort suited to your weak and low condition.

4. Renew your repentance towards God, and your faith in Christ.

5. Warn all about you to set their hearts on heaven, and to make it the business of their lives to prepare for death.

6. Tell them what evil you have found in sin, what vanity in the world, what goodness in God and holiness, what comfort in Christ and the promises; and how miserable you had been if you had never cared for your soul till now.

7. Beg of them to live as they would die; to give their hearts to God in Christ; to redeem their precious moments; and to make sure of everlasting life..

8. Recollect your past mercies; such as to have been born in a Christian land; to have had conviction and conversion; pardon and reconciliation; deliverance from sin and hell, and lively hopes of glory. Let your views of the goodness and love of God to you fill you with contentment and satis faction, and turn your fears into fervent love of Christ, and ardent desires to be with him.

9. Be delighted in the thoughts of the everlasting rest, to which you are going, where you shall neither fear, nor sin, nor suffer any more; but love and rejoice more than you can now conceive. 10. Resign your soul into the hand of God and Christ, without one distrusting care for yourself.

11. Magnify the goodness of God, and speak well of his name, his word, and his ways. Let others see there is a reality in the comforts of faith, and hope, and that the death of the righteous has enough in it to make their life also desirable.

As your tongue was given you to praise God, (and as you have but a little while more to speak,) exert all your remaining strength in his praise, in telling what you have found him, and in celebrating the glories of his kingdom, into which you are entering, that others may feel something of your hopes and desires. Then imitate your dying Saviour, and say, "Into thy hands I commend my 66 spirit."

Helps for conversing with one in sickness who has lived irreligiously, in order to prepare him for death.

Sickness is an improper time for a preparation for death: little can be done.

1. Be assured, that till you are convinced of your need of a Saviour and Sanctifier, you are in an unconverted state; destitute of God's favour, and exposed to everlasting destruction.

2. If you are convinced of this, and humbly acknowledge your sinfulness and misery, then Christ and salvation, with all the blessings of the covenant of grace, should be sought after most earnestly.

3. Give your immediate and hearty consent to have God for your reconciled Father, Christ for your Saviour, and the Holy Spirit for your Sanctifier.

4. Resolve, if you recover, to live to God through Christ, in all new and holy obedience.

5. Think of the infinite love of God in providing a Saviour for you, and how exceeding great and precious the promises are, and what glory there is in heaven for every true penitent..