the rod, what will be the issue of it through eternity, in case it hath a commission to cut the thread of lifes Now, when a man remains stupid and careless about these important matters, and never noticeth the voice of affliction so as to inquire seriously about his soul's condition; "Am 1 under a covenant of works, or a covenant of grace? Am I a child of God, or an enemy of God? Have I fled to the city of refuge, or am I still in a shelterless state? Am I still under a cloud of wrath, or am I brought under the banner of love?" I say, where there are no such inquiries the affliction is unsanctified.

3dly, It is a certain sign of unsanctified affliction when a person grows worse by it, and revolts the more he is stricken, like these, İsa, i. 5.

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Quest. When may it be said that a person grows worse by affliction?

Ans. 1. When the sinner's heart turns harder than it was before, so every plague on Egypt increased the plague of hardness in Pharaoh's heart. It fares with many hearts as with iron that is often heated in the fire, and quenched in the water, it still increaseth in hardness. 2. When a person giveth way to impatience and murmuring against God while he afflicts him. 3. When the lusts of the heart grow more strong and impetuous, and afterwards rage the more that they have been stopt in their course by affliction. In such cases a person grows worse by the rod.

DIRECT. II. Consider the great danger of not being bettered by sickness, and of not complying with the voice of God's rod.

OD'S voice by his rod doth loudly call sinners

to repentance, and fleeing to the Lord Jesus Christ for refuge from wrath. Now, when this voice is not hearkened to, but men go on in their secure and sinful course as before, God is highly provoked, and the issue will be terrible: for,

1st, Though sickness be removed, and the furnace of affliction be cooled for the time; yet the wrath that kindled it continues still to burn. And you have ground to fear lest you be ranked among those who are the generation of God's wrath, against whom he will have indignation for ever.

2dly, If lesser rods do not awaken you, you may expect greater and sorer judgments are coming on you. Yea, God may cause them to come rolling thick upon you, as waves and billows in a storm, one upon the neck of another. The great depths, both above and below, may be opened together; the displeasure of God, and wrath of men may conspire and meet to pour out themselves as water spouts upon you at once and to whom then will you look for help?

3dly, The Lord may give over dealing with you, or using any further means to reclaim you; he may refuse to correct you any more, or bestow a rod upon you for your good, and say of you, as of Ephraim, Hos. iv. 17. " Ephraim is joined to his idols, let him

alone."

4thly, The Lord may give you up to spiritual plagues and judgments, and indeed this is commonly the result of obstinacy and incorrigibleness under outward rods. When Israel would not hearken to God's voice, he gave them up to their own hearts' lusts, Psalm lxxxi. 11, 12. Now, these plagues are the severest of all others. External judgments are God's rods, but spiritual judgments are his swords, which pierce the very soul. "Blindness of mind, hardness of heart, searedness of conscience, vile affections, and a reprobate sense, are the very forerunners of hell and damnation." These who are impenitent and unfruitful under outward afflictions, have cause to tremble lest God be provoked to inflict these spiritual judgments.

5thly, Be assured, though God spare you long, yet the glass of his forbearance will at length run out,

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God's patience towards sinners hath a term and bound over which it will not pass. The time will come, when a long-suffering God will at last say, my Spirit shall no longer strive, and the angels will cry, as Rev. xiv. 7." The hour of God's judgment is come." You that abuse God's patience, and presume upon it, his treaty of peace will end with you in a little, and the master of the house will rise up and shut to the door. Then patience will come down, and justice will ascend the stage, and trample upon, and triumph over, all that abuse divine patience. Sodom was a wonder of God's patience for a long time, but now it is a lasting monument of his anger.

6thly, If you be not bettered by God's rod or sparing mercies, then your preservation at present will be nothing but a reservation for the day of God's wrath. And the longer your cup of sin is a filling, the fuller shall the cup of God's wrath be for you: By your impatience and abuse of God's patience, you treasure up wrath for yourselves against the day of wrath, Rom. ii. 4. And though you be delivered from some judgments, you are reserved for worse, yea, for seven times worse, according to Lev. xxvi. 23, 24. Nay, there is a ruining blow designed against you, both soul and body, as soon as your cup is full; and the axe is already laid to the root of the tree, Matth. iii. One blow of God's axe will cut you off for ever. Remember this, O sinner, though God's hand be lifted off you at present, and his messenger death be for a little recalled, yet he will quickly return, and knock so loud at your door, as not to be refused. And, what will you do in the day of visitation? How ghastly must the pale horse be, when hell follows him at his heels? And how hot and fiery must that hell be, which is inflamed and blown up by so long impenitence and abuse of patience.

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DIRECT. III. Wonder at the patience of God in sparing such hell-deserving sinners as you are, and be thankful for it.

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ATH a long-suffering God preserved the thread of your life, when it was almost snapt asunder by the violence of sickness? Hath he freed you from racking pains under which you were groaning? Nay, saved you from the grave and hell into which you were falling? And, have you not cause of wondering and thanksgiving? To move you to it, consider these few things.

1st, How miserable had you been through all eternity, if your sickness had carried you off to another world in your sins? You had been howling with damned spirits, under endless and ceaseless torments, and for ever cut off from these hopes and offers of mercy now you have. Then the master of the house would have the door so barred against you, as it could never have been opened again to you, knock as you would, Luke xiii. 25.

2dly, Consider how heavily you had burdened his patience with your heinous sins, and frequent relapses thereunto; and that after convictions, calls, and various rods sent to reclaim you: so that he was put to say, as in Amos ii. 13. "Behold I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves." He was overburdened with your sins, so that the axlctree of patience was ready to break, and let you fall into hell; and yet, behold, he bears with you still.

3dly, Consider how soon he could have eased himself of the load, and shaken you off into the pit of destruction. In a moment could he have done it, and yet he bears many years with your sins that are so grievous to him. Yea, it is with a sort of reluctancy that he eases himself of sinners, after he gets the utmost provocation, Isa. i. 24. "Ah! I will ease me of my adversaries."

4thly, How ready is he to turn away his anger

and reprieve sinners from destruction, when in their distress they make but a shew of repentance and turning unto God! as we see, Psalm lxxviii. 36, 38. He, like a tender-hearted prince, calls back the warrant for their execution after it was gone forth.

5thly, Consider how much many Christless sinners are beholden to Jesus Christ for sparing mercy. He is represented by the dresser, Luke xiii. interceding that the fruitless fig-tree might be spared and tried some time longer, after orders given to cut it down. Were it not for Jesus Christ, O sinner, however much you forget and slight him, you had surely been in hell long ere now. How oft doth he obtain another year, and after that another, for the unfruitful sinner, and unthankful abusers of divine patience!

6thly, Consider how sparing mercy hath distinguished you from many others, who lived not so long, nor sinned so much as you have done. God hath wounded the hairy scalp of many, and taken them away in their youth; when he hath continued you to manhood, and perhaps to old age: though your sins and ill-deservings be greater than these of many, on whom he hath long since taken vengeance, God hath left many also tossing and groaning on beds of pain, when he hath eased and raised you up. O then, return like the thankful leper, and magnify the God of your health. Hath God distinguished you from others by his goodness? It becomes you to distinguish yourselves from others by your thankfulness. O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness; undeserved and distinguished goodness!

To move you to this, let me set the example of Hezekiah before you, Isa. xxxviii. and there see how thankfully and affectionately he remembered the Lord's mercies, in recovering and delivering him from the bitter affliction he had been under. "I said, I am deprived of the residue of my years; I shall behold man no more, with the inhabitants of the world. Like a crane or swallow, so did I chatter; I did mourn as a