your graces and duties, and so they cannot be true and real."

Ans. But I count them all but loss and dung in comparison of Christ. I desire always to be deeply humbled under a sense of my sinfulness and unwor thiness, and to abhor every motion that would carry me away from Christ and his righteousness, and would tempt me to rely on my graces or duties, or put them in the least in Christ's room.

Tempt. 6. "The issue of thy sickness may be death, and thou art not ready, for thou hast no assurance of thy salvation."

Ans. A perfect certainty is not to be expected here; there will be still some questionings, some doubts, and fears; but these I resolve not to indulge now, but to break through all, that I may embrace Christ, and be found in him. The desires of my soul are to Christ and the remembrance of his name: and such, I believe, he will not suffer to perish. "I believe, Lord help my unbelief."

Tempt. 7. "But thou art a stranger to the invisible world; how wilt thou adventure into that world of spirits, with which thou hast so little acquaintance ?"

Ans. But Christ, who is my Head and best friend, is no stranger to it; he is the Lord of that land, and provides mansions for all his people there; and he will receive every one of them home and lodge them safely.

The spirits of just men made perfect" were once what my spirit now is; they were strangers to that world before they came to it, as well as I: but their Head being in it, encouraged them to go to it; and now they rejoice in it as the kindly dwelling-place of all the saints.

Tempt. 8. "But thou art vile, and God is infinitely pure and glorious; how canst thou think of approach. ing so near to him?"

Ans. Though a weak eye be not able to look u on the sun, yet I hope to be fitted and strength for that glorious sight. Besides, God doth no

pear to us in his Son Jesus Christ, where his infinite glory is pleasantly vailed, so as saints may behold him. These glorified souls above were once vile as well as others; but their Saviour did cleanse them, and present them to the Father without spot or wrinkle. And whatever be my unworthiness, I am relieved by considering my union with Christ, and looking on the glory and dignity of my Head. Surely God will not despise the members of his dear Son, nor trample on any that are his flesh and bones.

Tempt. 9. "But, what will become of thy wife and children when thou art taken from them?"

my

Ans. If I trust God so willingly with my soul, and eternal concerns, why may I not trust him with my relations also? Have I not seen how wonderfully he hath provided for others? Doth not every thing in the world depend upon his will and pleasure? How easy is it then for God to supply his own?

Tempt. 10. "But still death is terrible to nature, even the king of terrors."

Ans. But my Redeemer hath tasted death for me, and taken out its fearful sting; he hath conquered death, and keeps the keys of death and hell. Wherefore through him will I sing, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

Tempt. 11. "But it is terrible to think of appearing before God's tribunal to be tried and judged."

Ans. But my friend and intercessor will be the judge there. Will Christ condemn the members of his own body, and these he hath so often comforted?

But, besides all these, a holy God may sometimes suffer the tempter to assault his own people, in time of their affliction, with his fiery darts and his fiercest battering engines, such as temptations to atheism, blasphemy, despair, &c. whereby their souls may be terribly shaken and sore amazed.

Your relief, in this case, is to look up to your Head, and remember how he was himself buffeted by this my, and assaulted with the most odious temptations,

that he might thereby get an experimental touch and feeling of your condition, in order to his sympathizing with you, and relieving you from this enemy, whom he hath already conquered in your name. But "for these things he will be inquired of by the house of Israel." You must act faith on your exalted Head.

CHAP. IV.

CONTAINING SOME SPECIAL DIRECTIONS, TO UNREGENERATE PERSONS, WHEN AFFLICTED BY SICKNESS OR OTHERWISE.

DIRECT. I. Take a serious view of the miserable condition of a Christless person under sickness or heavy affliction.

1st, CONSIDER the vast difference betwixt your

case, and that of a true believer: he hath ground of consolation in the greatest distress, but you have none. However sharp the rod of correction be - to him, yet it is in the hand of a father, but you have to do with an angry and sin-revenging God; and who may stand in his sight, if once he be angry? For he commands both the first and second death, and he can send you both unto the grave and hell at once, Rev. vi. 8. "Hell followed the pale horse." Death is the king of terrors, but hell is a thousand times more terrible. When God afflicts his children, he stands to them in the relation of a loving father; but he deals with you as an incensed judge. Though he sees it necessary for their good to chastise them, yet he doth it with a relenting heart; yea, every stroke goeth, as it were, to his heart, Isa. lxiii. 9. In all their affliction he was afflicted." But, when he ariseth to punish his enemies, he strikes them with hatred and detestation, as a man would do a toad or venemous creature. Though they cry, he hath no pity, Prov. i. 26. "I will laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh,"

2dly, If your sickness threaten you with death, what a dark and melancholy prospect must you have

H

of your approaching change? Why, O Christless soul, it is what you are wholly unprepared for. The old house falls down about your ears, before you have another lodging provided. When death casts you to the door, you have not where to lay your head, unless it be on a bed of fire and brimstone. O how surprising and fearful will the change be, that death will make on you! A change from earth to hell, from light to darkness, from comforts to terrors, from hope to despair, from the offers of grace to the revelation of wrath, a change from the society of the saints on earth, to the company of the damned in hell. Whatever fond hopes of salvation you have now, your hope shall lead you no further than to the king of terrors; and then "your hope shall be cut off, and your trust like a spider's web," Job viii. 14. Though it cost you much pains to weave and support this web now, it will prove a weak and slender defence to your soul; when death comes with his besom of destruction, and sweeps both you and it away to hell. You will then be taken from all the means of grace you have abused, and be for ever deprived of an opportunity of buying oil; your lamp shall go out at death, and never be lighted

any more.

3dly, In this extremity, you have no where to look to for comfort. O Christless sinner, what will you do in the day of visitation? to whom will you flee for help? Your houses, your lands, your money, your honours, your companions, your relations, will all be miserable comforters to you. Every thing will look black and dismal round about you. If you look without you for help, you may see your friends weeping and lament-ing your case; but this will do nothing but increase your vexation and misery. If you look within you for relief, conscience, that before you would not suffer to speak, will meet you with bitter stings and upbraidings. It will bring to your view the sins you had forgot, the time you have mispent, the health you have misimproven, the offers of grace you have refused, the

great salvation you have neglected. What folly was it for thee to provoke God and slight Christ, for a little worldly profit, or a little brutish pleasure? Can these relieve thee, when the arrows of the Almighty stick within thee, and the terrors of God do set themselves in array against thy soul? In the mean time, the devil, that tempted you to your soul-ruining course, will step in, and represent your sins in the blackest colours and aggravations, to render you altogether hopeless and desperate. O sinner, thou that refusedst rest from Christ in the day of health and grace, shalt find no ease from the creature in the day of sickness and death. Your sickness will allow no rest to your body, and your sins will permit no ease to your soul. You may expect the fulfilling of that threatening, Deut. xxviii. 65. "The Lord shall give thee a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind. And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee, and thou shalt have fear day and night. In the morning thou shalt say, would God it were even? and at even thou shalt say, would God it were morning," because of the pain of thy body, and anguish of thy spirit.

DIRECT. II. Let unregenerate persons carefully improve their sickness and affliction as means to farther their conversion; and pray that God may bless it for that end.

MANY

ANY have begun their acquaintance with God and with themselves, in the time of affliction : the furnace is frequently the Spirit's workhouse where he forms his vessels of praise. There are many who, while health and strength continue, mind nothing but vain pleasures; one day they go to their games and sports, another day to their cups and lascivious company, another day to visiting their friends; and thus they spend the whole time of their health and prosperity in sin and vanity. All the warnings, counsels, and exhortations of parents, friends, and ministers do them no good. They cannot endure to entertain a serious