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pinefs which they now enjoy; and that thus we may be enabled to glorify our great Redeemer, who was the plague of death, and the destruction of the grave; who, by his death, conquered him that had the power of death; and, after having confecrated the grave by his own precious body, rofe as the First Fruits of them that live, and is now gone before, to prepare a place for all his faints.

4. Let us attend to sickness or distress of body. Sickness is a hardship of our own procuring; a hardship which had never been inflicted, had we never finned. Let us therefore justify God, and turn the complaint against our own folly. Jofeph's brethren argued juftly, when they said, "We are veri"ly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw "the anguish of his foul when he befought us, and 46 we would not hear; therefore hath this diftress 66 come upon us (a)." In like manner, let us reflect upon our conduct, and we will fee that we have caufe with them to fay that we have fuffered juftly, nay, that the punishment is lefs than our iniquity de ferved.

Befides, can we not perceive the wife and gracious defign of God in thofe pains with which he afflicts our bodies? Sin.made its entrance by the fenfes into the foul. God therefore, in his infinite wisdom and mercy, expels it, the fame way by which it came in, and makes the fame paffage the entrance for repentance. Pleasure deceives the finner; and what can be more proper to undeceive him than, pain? Had we been in the fame diftress when we were fubjected to temptation, how eafily had that temptation been refifted? And furely this is fufficient reason for our bearing affliction, not only with patience, but gratitude.

Confider, farther, what the imputation of fin alone, coft the Redeemer. He was in himself holy, harmlefs, and undefiled. And let me afk you, Were any forrows like unto his forrows, wherewith the Lord

(a) Gen. xlii. 21.

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afflicted him in the day of his fierce anger? Yet he bore all with the greatest refignation. He was op"preffed, yet he opened not his mouth. He was "brought as a lamb to the flaughter; and yet, as a "fheep before her fhearers is dumb, fo he opened "not his mouth." And shall we, who, both by nature and by practice, are the children of difobedience, complain, because we receive fome temporal! correction from our Father in heaven? Think of this, and then turn your impatience into indignation against those fins which are the cause of your fuffering. Afflictions will fit eafy upon you, when once you are free from the burden of fin. Saul, you may fuppofe, rejoiced more when he was bound in fetters, than when his perfecuting zeal was carrying him to Damafcus. Remember, the way that leadeth to deftruction is broad and eafy; but the road to your Father's house is through many tribulations: and therefore you should blefs the Lord, who, by your temporal fufferings, is calling upon you to make fure of everlasting reft: and let it be your principal care to convert your bodily affliction into medicine, for the health of your foul.

5 Let us attend, Fifthly, to the apprehenfions of approaching death. Sicknefs and pain are borne by many, who would fhrink at the thoughts of diffolu- tion... While there are any hopes of a recovery, they have still some comfort; but, when these are taken t away by unqueftionable fymptoms of a fatal diftem-per, they impioufly give way to anguish and impatience. Now, to correct this criminal weakness, give me leave to propofe to you a few questions. Have you not always known that you were to die? Has not this been the univerfal fate of mankind? Why then do you complain of what you knew was to come to pafs? Would any of you, if left to his own a choice, really with to live perpetually on this earth, where there is nothing but a return of the fame plea fures? Would you not all with to attain the greatest perfection of your exiftence, to get rid of every incumbrance

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cumbrance that now mars the activity of your foul, your better part, your true felf? And who is ignorant that the way to this liberty lies through the dark valley of death; and that the prefent frame of his body must be broken down and diffolved, before it can be raised a fpiritual and glorious body? Are ficknefs, pain, death, and old age, preferable to uninterrupted health and perpetual youth? Is the company of finful men to be compared with the company of God, of Jefus Chrift, of angels, and the fpirits of just men made perfect? Yet, who does not know that this great and unfpeakable happiness is only to be enjoyed in a future ftate, after death has loofed. the bonds that unite us to this earth?

But fome of you, perhaps, are saying, "If we were certain that the change would be so much to 65 our advantage, we could have no reason to be un"eafy at the thoughts of death; but that is altoge"ther uncertain: and the fearful profpect of the "confequences of death make us tremble to think of "the great alteration." God forbid that I fhould publish a falfe peace to any of you. Perhaps your fears are better founded than you yourfelves imagine. The only advice, then, that I can give you, is, to let your prefent fears inftantly pufh you on to their only cure. Repent of your fins, that brought death into the world. Betake yourselves to Him, who is the way, the truth, and the life; and then your fears will be converted into the affurance of falvation, and fervent defires of being for ever with the Lord. But if you have already attained to this happy affurance, and if your reluctance proceeds from natural infirmity, and a gloominefs of thought, to which you cannot give a name; let me advife you to check, as much as poffible, all defponding thoughts, and banish them from your imagination. If faith and reafon unite, in telling you that death will introduce you to a far happier ftate, and that you are abundantly fafe in the hands of the Redeemer; then, fhut your eyes against thofe unknown circumftances that take advantage of

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your weakness, and turn your thoughts to fome fubject more adapted to increafe your fatisfaction and peace. You look, perhaps, on your decaying body; but furely its joys and yours are not effentially connected. When the body is decayed in the grave, the foul fhall flourish in immortal vigour. Let this fact then be prefent with your minds; and efpecially let me perfuade you to commit your parting fouls to Chrift, and pray for his grace to ftrengthen your faith, to enliven your hope, fo that you may depart in. peace, and be eternally with the Lord.

I fhall now conclude with a few practical directions.

1. It is neceffary to feek an intereft in the friendfhip of God, by a cordial acceptance of the Lord Jefus Chrift, the only Mediator between God and man. I begin here, because, till this is done, all the other directions that I, or any man in the world, can give, will prove useless. Wicked men, through ftupidity, may bear adverfity with a feeming compofure;

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but I do not hesitate to affirm, that no man be refigned, who is not a Chriftian indeed: for it is impoffible that our minds can be formed to a rational fubmiffion to the will of God, till once we are af fured of his friendship; till we are perfuaded that he means to bring us to happiness at laft; and that all his proceedings are calculated to promote this end. Now, the principal thing being thus fecured, having fled to Chrift for refuge;-it will be of ufe,

2. To keep your eyes conftantly fixed upon God himself and to confider every stroke of adverfity as of his appointment, whatever inftruments are used to bring it about. We are frequently in danger of fretting againft our fellow-creatures for evils that befal us. But when we confider them only as inftruments in the hand of God, we will fay, as David did to his men, when they wanted him to flay Shimei for curfing him, "Let him alone, let him alone; it is "the Lord that hath commanded him."

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3. We should lay our account with changes, and beware of entertaining the hopes of a long tract of uninterrupted profperity. Forefeen evils are easiest borne; but, when unprepared for them, we are ready to add to our own distress, and to repine at the providence of God.

4. Get your hearts weaned from all earthly enjoyments. Believe it, we lay in a great store for future trials, when we fuffer our hearts to grow too fond of any thing here below. It is good, therefore, to hearken to the advice given us in the word of God, " to

weep, as if we wept not; to rejoice, as if we re66 joiced not; to buy, as though we poffeffed not; and to ufe this world, as not abufing it; for the -fafhion thereof paffeth away."

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Laftly, Frequent prayer is an excellent mean, both of attaining and improving this gracious difpofition. To this the Spirit of God directs us by the apostle James," Is any among you afflicted, let him pray (a)." By means of prayer, we difburden our hearts to God, and obtain thofe fupplies of grace, which alone can render us fuperior to all the troubles of life, and en-able us to improve them to the glory of God, and our own spiritual advantage.

Let us then be careful for nothing; but in every thing, by prayer and fupplication, make our requests known unto God. And thus the peace of God, which paffeth all understanding, will keep our hearts. and minds, through Jefus Chrift our Lord..

(a) Ja..v. 13. -

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