on them." Though they were backward enough to pray before, yet they pour it out most freely now. The very heathen mariners cried loud to God in a ftorm. What a famous prayer did Manaffeh make, when he was under his fetters! We find it thrice mentioned, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 13, 18, 19. And the voice of a fervent prayer is what the Lord defires to hear.

V. Another end is, to loofe our hearts from things of this world, and cause us look to and long for heaven. When we enjoy health and ease in this world, we are apt to fay with Peter on the mount, "It is good for us to be here;" but, when diftrefs cometh, God's people will turn their tongue, and fay, with the Pfalmift, Pfal. Ixxiii. 27. "It is good for me to draw nigh to.. God." When things here go well with us, we are apt to think ourselves at home; but, when trouble arifeth, we begin to fay, "Arife, let us depart, this is not our reft." Though heaven was much out of fight, and out of mind before; yet, when afflcting fickness comes, the poor believer will figh, and fay with David, Pfal. Iv. 6. "O that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away and be at rest: I would haften my escape from the windy tempest.".

VI. God defigns to make the world bitter, and Chrift fweet to us. By fuch affliction, he lets men see that the world is nothing but vanity and vexation of "Spirit; that riches avail not in the day of wrath; then it is they may fee the infufficiency of the world to relieve them, that, as one faith, " A velvet slipper cannot cure the gout, a golden cap cannot drive away the headache, nor a bed of down give eafe in a fever." And as the world turns bitter, fo Chrift grows fweet to the believer. In time of eafe and health, Chrift is often very much neglected and forgot. As the difciples, while the fea was calm, fuffered Chrift to fleep with them in the fhip, thinking they might make their voyage well enough without his help; but when they were ready to be drowned, then they faw their need of Christ, they awaked him, crying, "Master, fave us, or elfe we periíh." So the best of faints, when all is easy about them, are pronę

prone to fuffer Chrift to fleep within them, and fo to neglect the lively actings of faith in Chrift; but when the ftorm of affliction begins to arise, and they are ready to be overwhelmed with diftrefs, then they cry," None but Chrift, none but Chrift."

VII. God tryfts with fickness and diftrefs, in order both to prove and improve his people's graces, Deut. viii. 2. Rev. ii. 10. Grace is hereby both tried and ftrengthened. I. . Such afflictions do prove both the truth and ftrength of our graces, as they ferve to try if we love God for himself, if we can endure to hold out in serving him, waiting and depending upon him, notwithftanding of difcouragements. That faith will fuffice for a little affliction, that will not fuffice for a great one. Peter had faith enough to come upon the fea at Chrift's call; but, as foon as the waves began to fwell, his faith began to fail, and his feet to fink, till Chrift mercifully caught hold of him, faying, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" Mat. xiv. 31. Little did Peter think his faith was fo weak till now.

2. They tend to improve our graces alfo, by quickening and ftrengthening them. They ferve as a whetftone to fharpen faith, fo as the foul is made to renounce earthly fhelters, and to clafp about God, in Chrift, as its only refuge and portion. They excite to repentance and serious mourning for fin; for, like the winter frofts and fnows, they make the fallow ground of our hearts more tender. They prompt us to heavenly mindednefs, felf-denial, and patient waiting on God. Yea, the experience of God's people can atteft it, that grace is never more lively than under affliction. David never found himself better, as to his fpiritual state, than when he was perfecuted and hunted as a partridge on the mountains; and hence he says, Pfal. cxix. "It is good for me that I have been afflicted." . VIII. God's aim is, to awake us to redeem time, to prepare for flitting, and clear up our evidences for heaven. In time of health, we are apt to trifle away time, loiter in our journey, and forget that we are pilgrims on the earth; wherefore God fends sickness as his meffenger to mind us hereof.

17.

Now

Now it highly concerns us, when fickness attacks us, to confider and meditate upon thofe ends for which God brings on diftrefs, and pray earnestly that they may be accomplished in us; and fo our ficknets fhall not be unto death, (fpiritual or eternal) but to the glory of God, and the good of our fouls.

DIRECT. II. Let all who are visited with fickness and diftrefs, fearch for the Achan in the camp, and enquire diligently what is the ground and caufe of God's controverfy with them.

IT hath been the practice of God's people, in fcrip ture-times, to enquire into the cause and meaning of God's rods which have been laid upon them. So David, 2 Sam. xxi. When the land of Ifrael was three years under the stroke of famine, he enquired into the meaning of it. So Job is exceedingly defirous to know why God fet him up as a mark for his arrows, Job vii. 20. And hence it is that he makes that petition, Job x. 2. which is moft suitable for every man in distress, "Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me."

I grant, indeed, that God sometimes visits his people with affliction, for the trial and exercise of their grace, and for their fpiritual inftruction, more than for the correction of their fin. But, fin being the original and foundation of all affliction, it is fafeft, when it is our own cafe, and moft acceptable to God, to look on fin as the procuring caufe. Or, if our fins have not immediately procured the present affliction, yet the best of God's children mustown, that they have at leaft deferved it.

We fee the fin of the Corinthians is mentioned as the cause of their sickness, 1 Cor. xi. 30. "For this caufe many are weak and fickly among you." The Pfalmift concludes the very fame thing, Pl. cvii. 17, 18. "Fools, because of their tranfgreffions and their iniquities, are affflicted; their foul abhorreth all manner of meat, and they draw nigh unto the gates of death." But ordinarily by

fickness

fickness the Lord points at fome one fin in us more than another; fome Jonah in the fhip that hath raised the storm, which the Lord would have us to search out, and throw over-board without delay.

2. But how fhall we difcover and find out the particular fin for which God afflicts us with fickness and diftrefs?

Anf. 1. Study the Lord's word, and the chaftife ments there recorded, which he hath inflicted upon people for their fins and enquire if you be guilty of the like. Obferve what hath been God's mind to his people, and what fin he, hath pointed out to them when they have been brought under such a rod, and so you may learn his mind to you, Rom. xv. 4. "For whatfoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning.'

2. Confider what is the fin which confcience doth móft of all accuse thee for, in thy most ferious and fo litary hours. Confcience is God's deputy, and thy bo fom monitor, whofe voice perhaps thou haft little regarded in the day of thy health; wherefore God hath fent a fharper meffenger to fecond the voice of confcience. Hear now the voice of the rod, for it is the fame with the voice of conscience. In the day of prosperity, carnal profits and pleasures made fuch a noife, that the voice of conscience could not be heard; wherefore God hath brought on thee the filent night of adversity, that his deputy may obtain audience. Well then, give ear; What faith confcience now? may you not hear it faying, as Reuben to his brethren in diftrefs, fpake I not to you in the day of health, do not commit fuch a fin, and do not delay repenting for such a fin, but you would not hear? O man, let confcience get a hearing at last as it got with the Patriarchs when they were brought to diftrefs in Egypt, and made them confefs their fins in felling of Jofeph, Gen. xlii. 21. "We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we law the anguifh of his foul, when he befought us, and we would not hear him: therefore is this diftrefs come upon us." 3. Confider what are those evils that others have obferved in you, whether they be friends or foes; ́hear VOL. I.

E

ken

ken to what a Chriftian friend noticeth in you, either when fpeaking to you, or to others about you, "Let the righteous fmite me," faith David," and it shall be a kindness" Yea, do not difregard what even enemies fay of you as David got good by the malicious reproaches of Shimei, in the day of his affliction, fo may you in the time of diftrefs; for fometimes malice itfelf will fpeak truth. Enemies are fharp-fighted to fpy out our faults, and fo may, through the divine bleffing, prove monitors to us, both with refpect to fin and duty.

4. Confider the nature and circumftances of thy diftrefs. Oft times the affliction is so suitable to the tranfgreffion, that we may clearly read our fin written on the forehead of our punishment, as in the cafe of Adonibezek, and many others. And alfo you may be helped to find it out by the Lord's timing of the rod to you; was it fent when you was under much formality in duty; or when you was eagerly purfuing the things of the world; or when you was under the power of fome prevailing luft or other? then the rod comes to reprove you, and awake you to fee the evil thereof.

5. Confider what is the fin that hath been formerly moft affrighting to thy thoughts, and perplexing to thy confcience, when thou haft been in the immediate view of death and a tribunal. It is very likely (if thou haft not truly repented of it) that is the fin which God now intends to awake thee to fee the evil of, that thou mayeft fincerely mourn for and turn from it, locking to God in Chrift, for pardon and mercy.

Object." Ah! (faith one) it is my lot to lie under a dumb and filent rod, I do not understand its language, I cannot hear its voice, I cannot find out the fin that is pointed at by it; what courfe fhall I take?

Anf. 1. Be deeply humbled under this trial, and bewail thy cafe before the Lord; for it very much aggravates the affliction to God's people, when they know not the language of it; hence was it that Job lamented fo heavily, that his way was hid, and he knew not the reafon of God's contending with him, Job iii. 23.

2. A believer's cafe may be fometimes fo dark, that it requires a good deal of fpiritual art and wisdom to enable