III.

Which are fuch as thefe: He is the moft SERM. able and skilful, the most tender and compaffionate, the most faithful and friendly, the moft willing and condefcending Physician. Of each of these briefly.

1. He is a most able and skilful Physician. The Skill of a Phyfician confifts in his understanding the nature of Diftempers in their various Symptoms and Appearances, the Habit and Strength of his Patient's Constitution, together with an exact Knowledge of the virtue of his Medicines, the Manner how, the Quantity in which, and the Time when to apply them. If he does know the virtue of his Medicines, yet if he be ignorant of his Patient's Conftitution, or mistake the nature of his Distemper, he may kill, instead of cure. Or if he understand all three, the Distemper, Conftitution, and Medicine, yet if he knows not how to compound, mix and temper it, or when is the properest time to apply it, he may do more Harm than Good. A mistake in any one of these Cafes may prevent the defired effects, and be attended with vebad ones.

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But none of thefe Cafes now can be hid from Chrift our spiritual Phyfician, who is

III.

SERM. the only infallible One. There is not a Diftemper our Souls are fubject to, but he knows it, with all it's concomitant Symptoms, and the various stages of it's Progrefs; and that much better than we do ourfelves. From the exact Knowledge he hath of the natural Temper and Conftitution of our Minds, he fees very well what we are able to undergo in the courfe of our Cure, and what Medicines are moft proper to effect it: whether rough and fevere, or mild and gentle methods are fitteft to work upon us. He precisely knows the virtue of all the means he ufes for our Recovery from Sin and Death, and what effect they have upon us; the true nature of all the Medicines he applies, and the critical Time to apply them. And from his moft perfect Knowledge of thefe things, we have all the reason in the World to confide in him as our fpiritual Phyfician, and truft our distempered Souls in his Hands. And may apply to him with the fame Faith and Confidence the poor Leper did, Mat. viii. 2. faying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

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2. Chrift is not only the most able and fkilful, but the most tender and compaffionate Phyfician

Phyfician. When we fend for a Phyfician SERM, for our Bodies we fometimes know not III. whom we truft. Or if we are fatisfied of his Skill, we may doubt his Tenderness. He may prefcribe the most fevere and cruel Means and Operations, and those unneceffary too, without any regard to our Weaknefs, or exquifite Senfibility of Pain, so that the Distemper itself may be more fupportable to Nature, than the terrible Methods that are used for the Cure of it.

But our spiritual Physician is most tender and compaffionate; and hath this Property peculiar to him, that he exactly knows what we feel; knows every degree of Pain we fuffer, either from the Distemper itself, or from the Means used to remove it. Nay, more than this, he feels it himself. His tender Heart is touched with a Sympathy, which makes him, in a degree, feel the Pain himself, which, as our Phyfician, he is obliged, from the Nature of the Distemper, to make us bear, in order to a Cure of it. So the Apostle tells us, Heb. iv. 15. that he is touched with a feeling of our Infirmities; that is, of our Weakneffes and Sufferings. Sure then we have no reason to be afraid to ven

ture

SERM. ture ourselves under his Hands, or to truft III. our Souls to his Care and Cure. Efpecially if we add,

3. That he is the most faithful and friendly Phyfician. One who hath an Interest in our Health and Recovery, and of all things most defires it. He not only takes care of us as a Phyfician, but loves us as a Friend; and frequently visits us under both those Capacities. He hath no finifter or mercenary views in his conftant Attendance. It is not the Confideration of any Profit or Credit that may accrue to him from our Recovery; that makes him fo affiduous and careful in waiting upon us. But it is his Love to us, his Friendship for us, his fincere Defire of, and the Interest he hath in our Recovery, as the Friend, as well as the Physician, of our Souls. And dare we not truft ourfelves in the Hands of our Friend, our most faithful Friend? whofe Fidelity is equal to his Ability! As our Friend, he comforts and affifts us under our fpiritual Weaknesses; whilft, as our Phyfician, he administers to the Cure and Removal of them. And therefore we may be fure he will ufe no Methods of Severity but what are moft necef

fary,

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fary, and will never fail to adminifter the SERM. moft reviving Cordials when they are most seasonable and needful. Again,

4. He is the most willing and condefcending Physician. Which is a Quality not always to be found in fome of the Faculty we are obliged to apply to for the Cure of our bodily Diseases; but is evidently found in him, who is more ready and defirous to heal us, than we are to be healed by him. He stays not for a formal Meffage from us, but kindly comes and offers himself to us as the Physician of our Souls; and not only fo, but entreats us to accept him as fuch; because he knows, that without his Help our Souls will perish.

Nay further, when we profess to put ourfelves under his Care, and appear reluctant to his Prescriptions, and backward to follow his Directions (which is too often the Cafe,) fuch is his Condefcenfion and Goodnefs, that he importunes and befeeches us to make use of the Means which he fees abfolutely ne ceffary for our Recovery. And what is more, he hath not disdained to ftoop to the lowest Offices, nay, to undergo the greatest Sufferings, for the Recovery of our Souls

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