enabled with thy servant of old to exclaim, "I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge will give me in that day." When the solemn crisis approaches, smooth for him the passage to the grave; and impart those heavenly supports, which well supply the absence of all earthly comforts. Blessed Saviour, thou art the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in thee, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in thee, shall never die eternally. Reveal thyself to thy servant in all the fulness of thy offices; in thy mercy to the destitute; in thy compassion for sinners; in thy strength for the helpless; and trust

ing and believing in thee, may our afflicted brother, be enabled to say, "I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better." Glorify thyself in him and by him, and when he has done and suffered thy will on earth, receive him into the society of the saints made perfect; where he may for ever praise thee, and so behold thy unveiled glory, as to be transformed into the same image. May we all say, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. We ask it for thy name's sake; and may the grace of God, the love of Christ, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with us for ever. Amen.

"WHAT I do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter" is the unwearied language of God, in his providence. He will have credit every step. He will not assign reasons, because He will exercise faith. Cecil.

I see God in every thing; in pain I feel him, and know he has come near to me upon some gracious design. I never have so lively a sense of the being, presence and goodness of God, as in pain, sickness and suffering. It puts me upon thinking, and I cannot avoid coming to this conclusion, that it is ordained by his

immediate will, and that he does it in mercy. Adam.

In pain, sickness, trouble, methinks I hear God saying, Take this medicine, exactly suited to thy case, prepared and weighed by my own hands, and consisting of the choicest drugs which heaven affords. Ibid.

God who knows my state and the danger I am in, sends pain to warn me of it; to make me dread sin more than pain, and to think how I shall ever be able to endure remediless, everlasting pain. Ibid.

Suffering is an excellent preacher, sent immediately from heaven to speak aloud in the name of God to the heart, mind, and conscience, and has saved many a soul, when, humanly speaking, nothing else could. If it was not for pain, I should spend less time with God. Ibid.

In affliction, see the necessity of it

and be humble; see the use of it, and improve it; see the love there is in it, and be thankful. I know of no greater blessing than health, except pain and sickness. Adam.

Why should any man complain or think his lot hard, when he has a God to live with, and order all his affairs in this world, and to do so when he dies. Ibid.

Real, heart-felt submission to the will of God, in pain, sickness, crosses, every thing, never was the work of a man's own spirit; and when it comes from above in answer to prayer, is full amends for all we can suffer. Ibid.

When pain comes, God comes. Welcome pain. We should bear pain better, if we did not increase it by impatience or apprehension of the issue, and suffer nothing but the pain. Ibid.