and I'll fave you from the fword of juftice. Lay your ear to the two wounds in his feet, and hear what they fay, "Run to me, and caft yourself down at my feet? and I'll protect you from the avenger of blood. Hearken to the deep wound in his fide, faying, "Flee to me, O trembling dove, and I'll shelter thee in this cleft of the Rock:" Thou haft now free accefs to the Ark, behold the window opened in the fide of it; look in at it, and fee my heart burning with love: Yea, thrust in thy hand to my fide (unbelieving Thomas) and feel my bleeding heart, how warm it is to you, and be no more faithless, but believing."

O communicant, can you come to the foot of Christ's crofs, and fee his wounds, and hear fuch language, and your hearts not be affected with love to Chrift, and hatred to fin? Can you behold Chrift thus cruelly used, nailed to the tree, bleeding and dying in your room Can you fee the heavens turning black, the fun drawing in its head, the earth quaking, and the rocks rending at the fufferings of the Son of God, and your heart not quake for fin, that awakened the fword of justice against him as our Surety. O what caufe have you to. be ashamed of the hardness and unconcernedness of your heart at fuch a fight, and to cry to God that the heart of ftone may be changed into an heart of flesh, and that the fire of Chrift's love may defcend, and. kindle fuch a flame in your foul, as may melt your frozen affections, and confume the ftubble of your lufts' and corruptions. Of old the Lord used to answer his peoples prayers and facrifices, by fire from heaven : Pray that he may anfwer your's in like manner, by kindling a holy fire in your foul, as he did in the hearts of the two difciples going to Emmaus; even a twofold fire, to wit, a fire of love to Chrift, and a fire of indig nation against. fin. O love the Lord Jefus as your treasure and portion; let your thoughts be mainly upon him, and your fouls breathing after him. Be much concerned for his intereft and caufe, and for the fpreading of his kingdom and glory.in the world. And be looking out, and longing for the full and perfect enjoyment of him. Likewife keep up a strong averfion

to

to fin, and to what is oppofite to Chrift, and injurious to his intereft and kingdom; look always upon fin as the grand enemy and murderer of Chrift; and therefore do not spare it.

ADVICE XVIII.

From John v. 6. Jefus faith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

THIS miraculous healing pool of Bethesda, at which the impotent man had lien thirty eight years, was a type of the Meffiah, and the fountain of his blood opened and fet forth in gofpel-ordinances, for healing all our fpiritual difeafes. And Chrift's method of healing this man teaches us, that if we would be healed, we must be willing to wait at the pool of ordinances, till the Spirit come to ftir the waters, apply the blood, and effect the cure. And, in the mean time, we must be fenfible of our difeafe, and look up to Chrift, our great Phyfician, with earneft defires for healing. This is imported in Chrift's queftion, " Wilt thou be made whole?"

O communicants, you are difeafed by fin, and the plagues of your hearts; these have blafted the primitive beauty of the foul, and brought on it a ghaftly deformity, with much pain and weaknefs. Your difeafes are manifold: Atheistical thoughts, mifbelief, and ignorance of God's truths, are woful plagues; hardnefs of heart, and earthly-mindednefs, formality, and heartwanderings in duty, trufting to your own righteoufnefs, ingratitude, and backflidings from God; these are difeafes you ought all to be fenfible of, God would have

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every man to know the plague of his own heart." 1 Kings viii. 38. in order to his being made whole. Thefe are the fick that Chrift is ready to come to heal, Mat. ix. 12. Chrift firft makes men fick and fenfible, before he makes them whole. Have you then any acquaintance with this healthful, preparatory fickness ? Have you been made fenfible of the dangerous nature

of

of your difeafe, and thoughtful and folicitous about the iffue of it? Have you been made to groan and moan under the burden of your disease, saying, "I am troubled and bowed down greatly, I go mourning all the day long?" Have you feen there is no healing in yourfelves, or in your convictions, prayers, tears, or reformations? and that it is only in Chrift, who hath an infinite fulness of merit and Spirit to fuit your defperate malady? Are you willing to fubmit to the Physician's prefcriptions for healing? Be the pill or potion never fo bitter, you will fwallow it: Is it your cry," Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Thefe are tokens of a right preparatory fickness. May the holy Spirit work

them in you.

As

The great meritorious means of your healing, is the blood of Jefus Chrift, which is fet before you in the facrament, for you to look to and apply by faith. the Ifraelites were made fenfible of their ftings before they looked to the brazen ferpent for healing; fo must ye in order to your prizing of Chrift, and looking to his blood for healing your fpiritual plagues. Now the fountain is open, and the healing ftreams run freely on both fides of the table: Come then, with a feeling of your difeafes, and bathe in them for curing your hard hearts, your blind eyes, your weak hands, your feeble knees, your lame feet, and cold affections. O impotent man, are you lying at the fide of the pool while the waters are stirring? Have you no ftrength to move forward, and is there none to put you in! Öthen look up to Christ, that healed the impotent man after many years waiting; look to him by faith, as he calls you, Ifa. xlv. 22. Look unto me, and be ye faved, all the ends of the earth," As I offer myself to every diseased foul in particular, as well as to all in general; fọ kt every foul embrace me as his Saviour, and apply my blood to his particular difeafes. Faith is a healing grace, not only its touches, but its very looks, are healing; hence Chrift faid to feverals who were healed, "Thy faith hath made thee whole." O fee then if you have got this healing faith.

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Quest.

Queft. How may I know if my faith be of this kind? Anf. A healing faith will make the foul heartily approve the gofpel-method of falvation, embrace God's teftimony, and close with his gofpel-offer in all respects. And it hath in it an appropriating truft and confidence in the merit and virtue of Chrift's blood, offered to the finner, in particular, for his pardon and healing; which makes him reft upon Chrift.as his Saviour, and venture his foul and falvation upon his merits and promise. In this healing faith of a difeafed finner, there is a particular acceptance of, and confidence in a crucified Christ, correfponding to that free gofpel-offer which he makes of himself to the diftreffed foul. This faith brings him to a fixed refolution to ly at the Phyfician's door, and depend upon him alone for healing. And it makes him caft open all the doors and rooms of his foul, to receive and entertain this Phyfician. Now, O poor impotent foul, if there be fuch a faith as this wrought in thee, then thy faith in Chrift makes thee whole. The healing balm is applied, the cure begun, and fhall fhortly be perfected." "Be of good cheer, thy fins are forgiven thee; Jefus Chrift maketh thee whole."

It concerns you also, to try if the happy fruits and effects of this healing faith appear in you, whereby you may conclude, that the ftrength of your difeafe is broken, by virtue of the blood of Chrift; and that you have got it applied for curing your heart-atheism, hardness, unbelief, pride, carnality, and particularly your weakness of hands, and feebleness of knees: So that, though formerly they were so weak and feeble, that you could not lift up the one, nor bow down the other in prayer, with any fervency and livelinefs; yet now it is otherwife: Then this is a good token the ftrength of the difeafe is broken, Chriit has taken you into his hofpital, and has you under cure, by the daily application of his blood and Spirit, and you are on the way of recovery. Can you fay further, that your drought is greatly abated, your thirst after fin and the world; and that your appetite for foul-food, communion with Chrift in ordinances, is happily increased? Can you bear the light

better

better than before? Do you love fearching-fermons ? All these are good figns. Have you a high esteem of your Phylician, and do you entertain him kindly when he vifits you? Have you recovered more strength and willingness to serve him in the way of commanded duties? And have you a holy fear and jealoufy of every thing that might bring on a relapfe into your old dif tempers? Then there is "good hope, through grace," that your faith is a healing faith, the work of healing is begun, and so far carried on. Chrift is our Rock, and his work is perfect..

O then study to be thankful to your great Physician, faying, "What fhall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me? Bless the Lord, O my foul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, healeth all thy diseases, and redeemeth thy foul from deftruction; who reneweth thy youth like the eagles, maketh thee run and not weary, walk and not faint. Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again to a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jefus Chrift from the dead, to an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, referved in heaven for us." Then the cure fhall be fully perfected, and we fhall dwell always befide our Phyfician, and enjoy perfect and uninterrupted health for ever and ever. Express your thankfulness while you are here, by being witneffes for Chrift, fhining as lights before others, commending Chrift and his ways to them, hating all fin, abftaining from it; reproving fin in others, and testifying against it. Be meek and lowly in your carriage; deal uprightly with all men ; love all that bear Chrift's image; be zealous for familyreligion, for fanctifying the fabbath, and attending God's ordinances. Pray earnestly for the coming of Chrift's kingdom upon the earth, and do all you can to promote it.

Watch and pray against backflidings and relapfes in to old diftempers, and for that end be humble and felf, diffident, be denied to your own ftrength and conducti and be always jealous of your corrupt and deceitfu

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