would you chufe? If God (replied the) should refer it to me, I would even refer it back again to him. It becomes thee, O man, to be entirely refigned to the will of thy Master, and to ftand like a centinel in thy station, ready to move as thy great general and commander fhall give orders concerning thee. It would be pleasant and acceptable to God, to fee thee more defirous to be delivered from fin than from sickness. O, but fin is a far worse disease than any fickness in the world! Beg importunately, that the great Phyfician may cure this woful foul-difeafe, and let him do with the body what he pleaseth. This was David's practice in his affliction, Pfal: xxv. 18. "Look upon my affiction and my pain, and forgive all my fins." As for his pains and afflictions, he asks no more but that God would regard them, and look upon them, and do with them as he thought fit; but, as for his fins, no lefs will fatisfy him than a pardon, and blotting them entirely out, so as they might be remembered no more. DIRECT. V. Bind yourself with holy purposes and refolutions in Chrift's ftrength, to be more watchful against fin, more diligent in duty, and to improve the time of health better, if God fhall be pleased to restore it again to you. WHEN God is vifiting your iniquities with rods, and pleading a controverfy with you for your omiffions and flacknefs in duty, he expects that you will return from your backflidings, and fet about a ferious reformation and change of life, Hof. v. 15. "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and feek my face; in their affliction they will feek me early." See then that you open your ear to difcipline; ftudy to anfwer God's call and expectation, and in his ftrength refolve to enter upon a new life. "Surely now it is meet to be faid unto God, I have borne chaftifement, I will not offend any more. That which I fee not, teach thou me: If I have done iniquity, I will do fo no more." VOL. L F Job Job xxxiv. 31, 32. Now is the feafon, you should say with Ephraim, Hof. xiv. 8. " What have I to do any more with idols ?" Having duly examined yourfelves, and fearched out your fins, you ought to put a bill of divorce into each of their hands. Deliberately refolve against all your fins, whether fecret or open; and efpecially refolve against your darling and beloved fins, thofe fins which do moft cafily befet you. Refolve alfo against all temptations to fin; and, particularly, against the fnares of bad com. pany, whereby you have been formerly enticed; now fay with David, Pf. cxix. 115. " Depart from me, ye evil-doers; for I will keep the commandments of my You must not only purpose to forfake all fin, but also mind every known duty; that you will make religion your one thing needful; the pleafing of God, the chief bufinefs of your life; that you will fet the Lord alway before you, give him your heart in all duties, aim at nearness and communion with God in every one of them; and still prefs forward to the full. enjoyment of God in heaven through eternity. Refolve alfo, through grace, that you will, in a special manner, mind fecret duties, which the eyes of men do not obferve, and thofe duties which confcience doth most challenge you for neglecting. And you that are heads of families, refolve to make more confcience of familyreligion, of worshipping God with your families, both morning and evening; inftructing your children and fervants in the knowledge of Chrift; and recommending religion and godlinefs to all round about you, whether relations or strangers. And, if you would have your refolutions effectual, fee that they be accompanied with a deep fenfe of your infufficiency to perform them in your own ftrength. Bear always in mind the corruption and deceitfulness of your own heart; and make all your refolutions in a humble dependence on the fufficiency of Jefus Chrift your furety. Obferve the apostle Paul's advice to his fon Timothy, 2 Tim. ii. 1. "Be strong in the grace that is in Jefus Chrift." All your ftock, O believer, is in his hand, fo that without him you can do nothing; but but, through Chrift ftrengthening you, thou art able to do all things. DIRECT. VI. Set your houfe in order, by making your latter-wills, and fettling your domeftic and fecular affairs, while you have freedom and capacity for doing it. AFTER the heart is fet in order, the next work is to fet your houfe in order, according to God's counfel to Hezekiah, Ifa. xxxviii. 1. It is recorded of the Patriarch Abraham, that he was careful to fettle the affairs of his family before his death, Gen. xxv. 5, 6. He difpofed of his eftate to Ifaac, and legacies to the fons of his concubines. It is too general a fault, that men delay and put off making their wills, as they do their repentance, to the very laft, and fo too frequently never make them at all. Confider the evil of deferring or neglecting this neceflary affair; for if you, upon whom God hath beftowed means, fhould die inteftate, your eftate may defcend otherwife than you intended; much of it may be spent in tedious and expenfive law-fuits; fuch differences may fall out among relations, that should live in friendship and mutual affection, as cannot be healed; fome of them may be reduced to extreme want, when a fmall legacy might have put them in a way of living; and many fuch inconveniences may follow. Well, then, if your neglect should bring on these evils, and involve pofterity into endless ftrifes and contentions, may you not justly fear that the guilt thereof will purfue you into another world, whofe wretched carelessness was the occafion of all that mischief? Pray, what is the reason that men put off this affair? Is it not because they do not incline to think fo feriously on death, as this will occafion them to do? Doth not this fmell of abominable earthly-mindedness, speak as if a man defired all his portion in this life, and cared not for a better? and that he is fo far from preparing for death, that he cannot endure to think of it? Alas, that CHAP. II. Containing fome Particular Directions to those who are Sharply afflicted with Sickness and long Trouble. DIRECT. I. Juftify God in the greatest Afflictions which befal you. TH HOUGH God fhould condemn you, fee that you acquit him, and fay, he is righteous in all his dealings. When the church was under the heavieft diftrefs, the finds caufe to juftify God, Lam. i. 18. "The Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled against his commandment." So doth godly Nehemiah, Neh. ix. 33- "Howbeit thou art juft in all that is brought upon us for thou haft done right, but we have done wickedly." The fame doth holy David acknowledge, Pfal. cxix. 75. "I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that in faithfulness thou haft afflicted me." Now, in order to bring you to this agreeable frame, and to convince you of the equity and juftice of God, in his difpenfations, however heavy and long your diftrefs be, I fhall lay before you the following confiCerations: 1. Confider the infinitely hely and righteous nature of that God who fmiteth thee, Pfal. cxix. 137. " Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments." We presume it of a righteous man that he will do righteous things; and fhall we not much more believe fo of a holy and righteous God? We cannot be infallibly certain that a righteous man will always do fo: For a righteous man may leave his righteousness, because the creature is mutable; but God is immutably righteous; fo that we may be confident of it, that the judge of all the earth will do right, for it is impoffible he can do otherwife, Zech. iii. 5. "The juft Lord is in the midst thereof, he will not do iniquity." He will not, he cannot; for it is contray to his nature. 2. Confider 2 Confider that God never brings on any affliction without a caufe, 1 Cor. xi. 30. "For this cause many are fick." He hath ftili juft ground for the heaviest affiction, from thy fins and provocations; and may always fay to thee, as to Ifrael, Jer. ii. 17, 19. "Haft thou not procured this unto thyfeif, in that thou hast forfaken the Lord thy God, when he led thee by the way? Thine own wickedness fhall corre& thee, and thy backfliding hall reprove thee: know, therefore, and fee, that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou haft forfaken the Lord." There is ftill ground enough for affiction to be found in the best of God's people; and therefore it is faid, Lam. iii. 33. "For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." No: it is our fins that oblige him to it. As Chrift whipped the fellers of oxen and sheep out of the temple with a whip (as is generally thought) made of their own cords; fo God never fcourgeth us but with a whip made of our own fins, Prov. v 22. "His own iniquities fhall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his fins." If we confider the mighty God as a Lord difpenfing grace, then we find he acts fovereignly, and according to his will and pleasure, Mat. xi. 26. "Even fo Father, for fo it feemed good in thy fight." But if we confider him as a judge, difpenfing judgments, he never doth it without a foregoing caufe on the creature's part. God's treasure of mercy is always full, and read to be let out to them that feel it; but his treasure of wrath is empty till men fill it up by their fins, Rom. ii. 15. "Thou treasureft up to thyself wrath against the day of wrath:" We always do provide fuel for God's wrath, before it kindle and break out upon us. 3. Confider further this inftance of God's equity; that when there is a cause given, God doth not prefently take it, but continues to threaten often and warn long, before he executes the fentence of his word. He fends Jeffer strokes as warnings.of greater, if we repent not; and he repeats his warnings many times, both by his word and providence, before he fmite. Yea, even when repeated warnings are flighted, he delays a long time, and waits to be gracious, Ifa. xxx. 18. And when men's obftinacy and incorrigibleness arrive to fuch a height, that |