FOR A FAMILY OR PERSON UNDER AFFLICTION, THE INTRODUCTION. MAN, when he first dropped from his Maker's hands, was a holy and innocent creature, pure from fin, and confequently free from sickness and trouble, enjoying uninterrupted health and profperity both in body and foul. But no fooner was he tainted with fin, but he became liable to all forts of miferies, temporal, fpiritual, and eternal; his foul being the refidence of his fins and lufts, his body turned the receptacle of ficknefs and difeafes. And feeing God's own children have ths relics of fin and corruption in them while in this world, they are not to expect exemption from fuch affictions; and the infinitely wife God fees meer to make ufe of bodily distempers to correct the corruptions, and try the graces, of his people, and to promote both their fpiritual and eternal advantage. Hence it is faid of Lazarus, John xi. 3." Behold, he whom thou loveft is fick." He was beloved, and yet fick. It is no rare thing for the deareft of God's faints to be put to chatter like cranes, and mourn like doves, by reason of fore sickness, as Hezekiah did, Ifa. xxxviii. 14. Sanctified and healthy fouls may be matched with weak and fickly bodies, as was Gaius, 3 John 2. Notwithstanding the cafe is fometimes moft trying and exercifing to the beft of God's people, and they are never more ready to question God's love, or quarrel with his Providence, than under heavy VOL. I. fickness D fickness and bodily distress. It is therefore highly the concernment of all, whether families or private perfons, to enquire how they ought to behave under or after afflicting fickness; and how they fhall provide for fuch an evil time before it come. And, for the help of all that defire inftruction in this matter, I have written the following Directory, which, for method's fake, I shall divide into feveral chapters. I. I fhall give fome general directions to all families and perfons vifited with fickness and affliction. II. Some particular directions to those who are sharply afflicted with fore sickness and long trouble. III. Directions to the children of God under fickness. IV. Directions to unregenerate perfons under fickness. V. Directions to the people of God, when recovered from fickness. VI. Directions to unrenewed perfons recovered from fickness. VII. Directions to thofe fick perfons who are apparently in a dying condition. VIII. Directions to the relations, acquaintances, and neighbours of the fick, who are themselves in health for the time. N. B. Let it be remembered, that what I fay to thofe visited with sickness, is likewise applicable to all other afflicted perfons, whatever their distress be. CHAP. CHAP. I. Containing General Directions to all Families and Perfons vifited with fickness. DIRECT. I. Diligently enquire into the Ends and Defigns for which ufually God fends fickness and affliction upon perfons. AN infinitely holy and gracious God hath various and wife ends in afflicting the children of men, whether they be converted or unconverted; which ought to be duly confidered by all, and especially by those who are vifited by fickness; fome whereof I fhall inftance. I. God vifits with fickness, to caufe careless finners bethink themselves concerning their fouls eftate and condition, who perhaps had never a ferious thought about it before. There are many, who, when in health and ftrength, are so intent upon the pleasures and profits of the world, that they mind nothing elfe; all the warnings, exhortations, and counfels of minifters, teachers, and friends, are loft upon them; they cannot endure to entertain a thought of God, of the foul, of death, of heaven, of hell, or of judgment to come; till God doth caft them into some fickness or bodily distress, and then fometimes they begin, with the prodigal, to come to themselves, and bethink themfelves concerning their fouls and a future life. Now, this is God's defign, I Kings viii. 47 "If they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captives, and repent," &c. By ficknefs, God gives a man, that before was wholly diverted from foul-matters, by bufinefs, company, and pleasures, occafion to bethink himfelf. The man is now confined to his chamber, is deprived of his former company and diverfions, and fo gets time and leifure to commune with his own heart, and reflect on his former D 2 ways ways, and to hear what confcience fpeaks concerning a 1 II. God vifits us with fickness, in order to inftruct and teach us those things we know not, Pfal. xcvi. 12. It was a faying of Luther, "Schola crucis eft schola lucis." And indeed the school of affliction is the place where many of Zion's fcholars have made good proficiency in fpiritual and experimental knowledge. Now, there are feveral remarkable leffons which God would teach us by the rod. 1. The knowledge of God. It is faid of Manaffeh, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 12, 13. "When he was brought to affliction," &c. " then Manaffeh knew that the Lord he was God." Though Manaffeh was well educated, and early taught the knowledge of God; yet, till now, he knew not the Lord :--But now he knew him in his power and greatnefs, his holinefs and hatred of fin'; now he knew God in his goodness and mercy, and wondered that he had kept him fo long out of hell. 2. Another leffon is the knowledge of ourfelves. In time of health and profperity, we are apt to forget ourfelves, and our mortality: but ficknefs caufeth us to know that we are but men, and frail men, Pfal. ix. 20. that God hath an abfolute sovereignty over us, and can as easily crush us as we do a moth. 3. He teacheth us the emptiness of the world. How vain a help is that, which fails a man in the time of his greatest need! And oftentimes we fee, that worldly means and friends can neither give the least ease to the bodies, nor comfort to the fouls of perfons under fick. nefs and diftrefs. 4. Another leffon is the great evil of fin, which is the cause of all sickness and difeafes whatsoever, 1 Cor. xi. 30. "For this caufe many are weak and fickly among you." Ah! what a root of bitterness must that be, which brings forth fuch bitter fruit ! 5. He fheweth us the preciousness and excellency of Chrift and his promises; which only can enable a Chrif tian to rejoice in tribulation, and be eafy under the greatest pains and diseases. There are many who are indifferent about Chrift in time of health, that when fickness comes, do change their note, and cry, O for an intereft in Chrift above all things! III. God fends fuch trials and diftreffes, in order to mortify and kill fin in us, Ifa. xxvi. 9. "By this fhall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all the fruit to take away his fin." And, indeed, fickness and affliction, through the bleffing of God, hath a native tendency to weaken and fubdue our prevailing fins and lufts. Oman, is thy heart turned hard, fo as thou art not fenfible of thy own fins, or of others fufferings? God fees meet to try the fire of affliction, to fee if it will melt thy frozen heart. Haft thou undervalued health, and flighted thy mercies? Now God removes them from thee, that, by the want of them, thou mayest know "the worth of them. Art thou turned proud and felfconceited? God fends thee a thorn in the flesh, to prick the fwoln bladder of pride, that thou mayeft not be puffed up above measure: God lays thee low upon thy bed, that thou mayeft be lowly in thy heart. Doth love for the world prevail in thee? God fends affliction to discover its emptinefs, and wean thee from it. Art thou fallen fecure, dead, and formal ? God fends affliction to awake thee, that thou mayeft not fleep the fleep of death. IV. God fends ficknefs, to awaken in us the fpirit of prayer and fupplication, and make us more earnest and importunate in our addreffes to the throne of grace. There is a great difference betwixt our prayers in health and in fickness, betwixt our humiliations in profperity and in adversity. In profperity we pray heavily and drowfily, but adverfity adds wings to our defires, Ifa. xxvi. 16. "Lord, in trouble have they vifited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chaftening was up ΟΙ |