nable him to hear the voice of the rod, and understand its language. Hence it is faid, "He is a man of wifdom that feeth God's name upon it," Mic. vi. 9. Now, this wisdom muft only come from above: Therefore, 3. Go to God, and earneftly beg for this wisdom, that you may know his mind, and the meaning of the rod. Do as Rebekah, when the children ftruggled in her womb; fhe went to enquire of the Lord, faying, "Why am I thus ?" Gen. xxxvv. 22. Cry to God to give you his Spirit to teach and enlighten you to fee fin in its evil, and the particular evils you are guilty of. This was Job's courfe in his affliction; "Shew me," fays he, "wherefore thou contendeft with me. That which I fee not teach thou me. Make me to know my tranfgreffion and my fin." There is no better way for a prisoner to know the reafon of his confinement, than to ask the magiftrate that committed him. God is a wife agent, and can give the best account of his own actions.

4. If thou canst not find out the particular fin for which God afflicts thee, then labour to repent of every known fin, and cry for pardon of every unknown and forgotten fin alfo. Do that out of wisdom, which Herod did out of malice; who, because he could not find out the babe Jefus, killed all the children of Bethlehem, that he might be fure to kill Jefus among them. Let us feek the utter ruin and death of all our fins, that we may be fure to deftroy that fin for which God afflicts us. 5. Study to exercise a strong faith, and a humble fubmiffion, while God keeps you under the filent rod. Believe firmly that God is moft juft, though you know not for what he contends. And, however long he thinks fit to make you walk in the dark, refolve humbly to wait on him, and commit yourself to him, who many times guided the blind in the way they knew

has

not.

DIRECT. III. When any fit of Sicknefs attacks you, think seriously upon Death, and make diligent preparations for it.

I DO not mean that any man may delay the work of preparation for death, till ficknefs cometh: No, no; this fhould be the great and uptaking bufinefs of every man in the time of his health and ftrength. But ficknefs and diseases being the harbingers of death, and meffengers fent from God to warn us of its coming; every man is thereby called to renew the work of preparing for death with all earneftnefs and application. God's voice by every fit of fickness is that in Deut. xxxii. 29. "O that they were wife, that they underftood this, that they would confider their latter end !” God knows our folly, and readinefs to forget this great work in the day of health; and therefore in his mercy he fends fickness and affliction, to teach us fo to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to this piece of heavenly wisdom, of making preparation for death. And here I fhall drop, 1. Some motives to prefs it. 2. Advices for the doing it right.

I. For motives, confider these things:

1. Confider God's mercy and patience towards you, in giving you so many warnings, and fo many years to prepare for death; and in fending his meffengers and warnings fo gently and gradually, to excite you to this work; when many younger and ftronger than you are hurried into eternity, and little or no time given them to think where they are going. Have you not been fpared many years in the midft of dangers, when you have feen that bold archer, Death, fhooting his arrows, and killing thousands of your neighbours and friends round about you? Sometimes the arrow hath glanced over your head, and flain fome great man your fuperior; fometimes it hath lighted at your feet, and cut off a child or fervant, your inferiors; fometimes it hath gone by on your left hand, and killed your enemy; at other times it hath paffed on your right hand, and killed your near relations. So that you have feen friends

and

and foes, fuperiors and Inferiors, relations and ftrangers, dropping down dead round about you; and all this for a long tract of time, to give you warning to prepare for death. O let the goodnefs and forbearance of God towards you lead you to repentance, and perfuade you to fly fpeedily to Chrift for refuge and protection from wrath !

2dly, Confider how terrible death will be, if it meets you in an unprepared ftate, in a Chriftlefs and impenitent condition. What a fearful change will it bring upon you? A change from earth to hell, from hope to defpair, from pleafure to pain, from comforts to terrors; a change from the offers of grace to the revelation of wrath a change from probabilities to utter impoffibilities of falvation. Death will cut off all your hopes and expectations of mercy for ever, Job xxviii. 3. There is no coming back to amend what hath been done amifs here; and there is no work nor device in the grave whither you go. As the tree falls, fo it will le through all eternity.

II. I come to give fome advices, in order to the right preparation for death. 1, Set about felf-examination work. Enquire if you be in Chrift or not; if you be yet far off from God, or if you be brought near by the blood of Chrift. And fee that you be impartial in this fearch, and willing to find out the truth in this important question. Be not foolishly tender of yourself, and apt to believe that you are fafe, when it is not fo; for this way thousands do ruin themselves. But be content to know the worst of your cafe, and thoroughly to understand your foul's danger, that you may be moved to take the right way to escape it. Wherefore take a view of the mark of Chriftlefs and unconverted perfons fet down in God's word, and judge yourfelf by them: and confider alfo the defigns of true grace there recorded, and fee if they be applicable to you or not.

2dly, If, after enquiry, you find your state is bad, that you have been a lover of the world more than of God, you have minded your body more than your foul, you have lived in the neglect of precious Christ, allowed yourself in known ân; O then be convinced

P

of

of your inability to help yourfelf, and of your need of Chrift to help you. And labour to be deeply humbled before God under a fenfe of your fin and folly, "Ah, how foolishly, how rebelliously, how unthankfully have I carried! I have abufed God's mercies, and left undone the work for which I was made, preferved, and enjoyed the gofpel. Oh! I had all my by-past time given me to make preparation for endles eternity, and I have never minded it, till now that ficknefs, the harbinger of death, is come upon me, And now what fhall I do to be faved?" Well, then, in order to convince and humble you the more, caft back your eyes upon the fins of your nature, and of your by-paft life; view them in their nature, number, aggravations, and deferts. O, do not fo many years fins need a very deep humiliation? O, do you not stand greatly in need of fuch a perfon as Chrift, to be your Saviour and Ranfomer from such a vaft number of fins ? O but their weight will prefs you eternally down to the lowest hell, if left to yourself, and laid upon your back.

3. O finner, art thou deeply humbled, and defirous of mercy upon any terms? Believe, then, that thy cafe is not remediless, but that there is a facrifice provided for your fins, and an able and all fufficient Saviour in your offer. Believe that the Lord Jefus Chrift is the Son of God, and become flesh to be a furety for you, that he is both able and willing to fave to the uttermoft all that come unto God by him. Though your fins, your dangers, and your fears, were never so great, yet he is able and willing to fave. O flee presently to this refuge-city, whofe gates are open to receive you. Truft your fouls upon Chrift's facrifice and meritorious blood for mercy and falvation. Apply humbly to him, that he may teach you the will of God, reconcile you to his Father, pardon your fins, renew you by his Spirit, and fave you from eternal wrath.

4. Give up yourselves to God in Chrift, by way of covenant and folemn refignation. Every man doth this facramentally in baptifm; but you must also renew it perfonally and explicitly, and thereby give a cordial

and

and voluntary confent to the covenant of grace. Acquiefce cheerfully in the gofpel way of falvation through Chrift and his righteoufnefs; and accept of God, in Chrift, as thy portion. Make choice of God the Father, as thy reconciled Father in Chrift; and God the Son as thy Redeemer and Saviour; and God the Holy Ghoft for thy fanctifier, guide, and comforter, And likewife give up thyfelf, foul and body, and all thou haft, to be the Lord's; engaging in Christ's strength to live for God, and walk with him in newness of life. And study to do all this deliberately, unfeignedly, and cheerfully. Though, perhaps, you have done this hypocritically at former times, you have profaned God's covenant, and behaved unftedfaftly and perfidiously therein; yet now endeavour to be fincere with God for

once.

Come

5. Be living daily in the exercife of faith and repentance; renew the acts thereof frequently, in proportion to your renewed fins and guiltinefs, cleave clofe to glorious Chrift your high-prieft and furety, and be ever wathing in his blood. As long as you are in the world, you have need to wash your feet, John xiii. 10. death when it will, let it find you at the fountain, always looking to and making ufe of Jefus Chrift. You have great need of Chrift every day of your life, more efpecially in fickness; but most of all at a dying hour. O what need will you have of Chrift then as an advocate with God, when the question is,to be determined, where your manfion is to be affigned through all eternity, Whether in heaven or hell? O then be looking always to Chrift with the eye of faith. Live in the constant thoughts of this bleffed Mediator. Let him be first in your thoughts in the morning, and last in your thoughts at night.

6. Be striving to mortify every fin and luft, both outward and inward. By dying to fin daily, that fo you may not die for fin eternally. O that fin may be daily lofing its ftrength, and dying in you! fo that it may be certainly dead before you. Pray earnestly, that all your fins may die before you die for if they die

not