is to be chofen, than the raging Phrenzies of a Fever, or the fudden Stroke of an Apoplexy. Reflect upon the Condition of those Wretches, who are fnatched out of the World it may be, in an Act of damning Sin; but however in an Inftant; without fo much as the Power, or the Leifure, to feek Pardon or Peace, to commit their Souls to God, or fo much as once implore his Mercy at the laft Gafp. O! what would they have given, how much more would they gladly have endured to purchase this long Warning, these flow and folemn Approaches of Death, the happy Advantages thou now enjoyeft of trimming thy Lamp, and putting thy Soul in readiness to meet the Bridegroom at his coming? For, tho' we ought indeed to expect him every Hour, even in our most confirmed Health; yet well is it for that Servant, who receives exprefs Notice of his Master's Approach, and takes care fo to provide for it, as in zealous Prayers, and eager Wilhes to go out and meet him; and, having on the Wedding Garment, waits only for his laft Call, to enter with him to the Marriage.

PA. xlii. 5, 6.

xviii. 18.

cxix. 75.

Lam. iii. 22.

24.

WH

HY art thou fo heavy, O my Soul, why art thou fo difquieted within me? Still put thy Trust in God, for I will yet give him Thanks, who is the help of my Countenance, and God.

my

The Lord bath chaftened and corrected me; but he hath not given me over unto Destruction. I know, O Lord, that thy Judgments are right: and that Thou of very Faithfulness haft caufed me to be troubled.

It is of the Lord's Mercies, that I was not long ago confumed: because his Compaffions fail not. The Lord is my Portion, faith my Soul: therefore will I hope in bim.

It

It is good for a Manthat he should conftantly hope, and quietly wait for the Salvation of the Lord: for the Lord will not caft off for ever.

26.

31.

32.

But tho' be caufe Grief, yet will be bave Compaffion, according to the Multitude of bis Mercies. Yea, like as a Father pitieth bis own Pfal. ciii 13. Children, even fo is the Lord merciful unto them that fear him.

In the Multitude of the Sorrows which Ihave in my Heart,thyComforts have refreshed my Soul For, I know, That with thee there is Mercy: and with my God is plenteous Redemption. Oremember not my old Sins, but bave Mercy upon me, and that foon, for I am come to great Mifery.

Heal my Soul, which bathfinned against thee:

zciv. 19.

cxxx. 7.

lxxix. 8.

xli. 4.

and then let the Lord do what feemeth him good. 1 Sam. iii, 18. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, &c. As it was in the Beginning, &c.

H

PRAYE R.

Ear me, Almighty and most merciful God and Saviour, extend thy accustomed Goodness, to me thy poor Servant, now caft upon this Bed of Languishing, and griev'd with Sickness. Sanctify, I beseech thee this thy Fatherly Correction to me, and grant that I may receive it, with all the Patience and Submission of a Dutiful Child. I defire to acknowledge and adore thy Divine Wisdom and Goodness, in every Difpenfation of Providence towards me; and only beg, that thou wouldeft keep me fafe under all, and then use what Methods thou pleaseft, of bringing me to thy felf. Manifeft thy Strength in my Weakness. Make even my feeble Condition an Inftrumeut of thy Glory; and, the more my outward Man decayeth, Strengthen me, I beseech thee, fo much the more continually, with thy Grace and boly Spirit in the Inner Man. Let the Senfe of my weakness add Strength to my Faith,

and

and Serioufness to my Repentance. That if it be thy good Pleafure to restore me to my former Health, I may lead the Refidueof my Life in thy Fear, and to thy Glory i or elfe grant me fo to take thy Vifitation, that, after this painful Life ended, I may dwell with thee in Life Everlafting. For this, O Lord, is the chief, the most earnest Defire of my Soul; that whether I live, I may live unto the Lord; or whether I die, I may die unto the Lord ; so that living and dying I may be thine, through Jefus Chrift, my dear and on'y Saviour. Amen.

ME D. V.

Upon Recovery from Sickness.

ITF Dangers and Diftreffes awaken our Confideration, the Deliverance from them ought not to país unobserved. The Judgments of God extort Complaints from us; and fhall his Mercies be received in Silence? When he afflicts and wounds, we feek him early; and fhall we forget him, when he refreshes and heals us? That fure were most unworthy, moft reproachful. The rather fo, because we are able to give our felves a very plain and rational Account, how it comes to pafs that we receive Evil at the Hand of God; But the Good he vouchfafes us, furnishes just Matter no lefs of Wonder, than of Thankfulness. Death is the Punishment of Sin; The Diseases and Decays of our Bodies are fo many Degrees of, and Advances toward that Death: And our Confciences can find no Difficulty in juftifying these painful DifpenfatiFor none of us can defcend into his own Breast, without discovering infinite perfonal Offences, which might provoke God to take this forfeit Life, and to cut us off in the midft of our Days. But, when he forbares to do fo, when he checks his Wrath, and fufpends the Execution of that fatal Sentence gone

ons.

out

་

out against us; We can difcern no Reason for This in our Selves, but muft refolve it all into the fole, the undeserved, Goodness of our compaffionate and longfuffering Lord.

Ifa. xxxviii.

And fuch, my Soul, is now thy Cafe. Thou wert haftening apace to the Regions of the Dead, and in Fear that thou fhould't be depriv'd of the Refidue of thy Years. But when thou waft almost cut off with pining Sickness, and thine Eyes even failed with looking upward; when thou reckoned' ft each Night and Morning, that there would be an End of thee, upon Earth; then did the Lord ftand by thee and fave thee, even because he had

a Favour unto thee,

12, 13.

Pf. xviii. 19.

II. Now, tho' this be the Condition common to all Mankind, that we contribute no part, to the Efficient or Meritorious Caufe of fuch Goodness; yet in the Final Cause we may and must bear a very confiderable Part. We could not give the Bleffing to our felves: We could not deserve that Almighty God fhould give it us: But it will lie upon us to take care, that fuch Grace be not bestowed in vain. In one refpect indeed, and ftrictly speaking, neither This, nor any other of the Difpenfations of Providence, can poffibly be in vain. For fome Effect they will of Neceffity have, even with regard to Us. But, if they do not answer the good Purposes, for which they were defign'd, better were it for Us, that we had never received them at all. The lengthning out our Days, if we do not amend our Manners, is but the miniftring fresh and larger Opportunites of adding yet more, to our Sins here, and to our Torments hereafter. And happier had it been, to have been swept a way with a swift Deftruction, than to be deliver'd from our Fears, and live such a Life afterwards as is certain to render us more miferable in the End. For every Mercy, every Escape, must be accounted for; and these

which are entertained unthankfully, will at length prove Curfes, inftead of Bleffings, to us. It will therefore become thee, my Soul, very ferioufly to confider, wherein true Thankfulness confifts, and what are the Inftances, by which it must be express'd.

III. When Men do any fignal Acts of Kindness to each other, the Receiver esteems himself oblig'd to pay them back again, in fome Service or Benefit as good. This is what Men cannot be excufed from, provided fit Opportunities offer, and their Circumftances enable them to do it. But when the Power of doing thus is wanting, we are fenfible, that fo much as falls fhort in procuring a Friend's real Advantage, ought to be made up in all becoming Teftimonies of Refpect. In fuch a Readiness of Mind as plainly fhews, that the Party does not however want the Will and hearty Defire, of returning fuch Favours in kind, and to the full.

Now the fame Rule of Equity muft needs hold toward our great Benefactor in Heaven. He is indeed fo great, that his All-fufficiency can neither need, nor receive, any Addition. And we are so very Poor and Impotent, that it were the Extremity of Vanity and Madnefs, to imagine our felves capable of adding to him. The utmost We can do is to demean our felves, that He, and all the World, may plainly perceive us duly fenfible of his Bounty. Now this can be demonftrated only by our conftant and zealous Care, to please and honour him, by taking delight in the Obedience he hath enjoined us, and teftifying, by our Practife, that we esteem the Service of fo liberal a Master, our most reasonable Duty, and perfect Freedom. Altho' therefore our Lips ought to fet forth the Praises of the Lord, and his Kindnese fhould ever be in our Mouths; Yet are those Praises never fet forth effectually, yet is that Kindness never acknowledged as it ought, except our Lives and every Action publish it. The Profeffions of Gratitude