ARMED FORCI^IfffilCAL UBRARY Washington, D. C. THE Afflicted Man's Companion: Oil A DIRECTORY T FOR PERSONS AND FAMILIES AJFLICTED WITH Sickn^f or any other Distress. ■•0 with DIRECTIONS TO THE SICK? Both under and after Affliction. VS ALSO^ Directions to the Friends of the Sick, and others who vi&i-t them. And likewife to ALL, how to prepare Loth for Sick- ness and lhATKj and how to be exercifed at the time or" Dying. to which is added, A Collection of Comfortable Texts of Scripture, \ery suitablefor Dying Believrrs. The Choice Sayings of many eminent; Dying Saints. The Author's Last Advice to his V/ ife and Children : And his Dying Words, written byhimself, and found among his papers after his death. ■^©©C©1*" --- • By the Rev. Mr. JOHN WILLISQy, »(M Late Minister of trie Gospel in Dundee, ■■m i €S>e3B> €&€£«■*—---- VERT NECESSARY FOR / LL FAMILIES. INE1 : W-YORK: rUBLISHED BY FA\EKT DUTCaUVCK. J. C. TOTTS.NjTpF.IxrF.a. •* ly0 « V yyu 00-3 % r TO THE READER. ^ r~pHE fubjeft of this Book, however melancholy it J A may appear to fome, yet it is neceffaVy unto all; its (heath, God only fcqowt.' The evil arrow of fa- % To the ReadeK 11 mine (as God calls it, Ezek. v. 16.) is let flyagainft us at the fame time, and famine is the arrow which is the foreft of the three. When it was put to [David's choice which pf the three he would be the butt of, he would not choofe* famine. The prophet Joel doth bewail and de- precate this judgment in the moft pathetic manner, and calls the whole land to falling and prayer, for removing it, Joel i. ro, 14. And we See, when God is moft an- gry, and threatens to fpend his arrows upon a guilty people, he begins with the arrow of famine, as the foreft, as in Deut. xxxii. 23, 24. " I will fpend mine arrows upon them ; they Shalt be burnt with hunger." And we fee what the Spirit of God faith of thofe who die by this arrow, Lam. iv. 9. " They that be flain with the Sword are better than they that be flain with hunger; for thefe pine away, ftricken through for want of the fruits of the field ;" and therefore their death is moft lingering aad miferable. Likewife famine ufeth to bring on the moft noifome and mortal difeafes, and frequently the peftilence doth follow upon the back of famine. Is it not high time then, for our land to take the alarm, when God begins to fhoot his evil arrows ? When the lion roars it becomes us to fear, yea to humble qurfelves in the duft, and mourn for our iniquities, which kindle the fire of his wrath. Let .us fearch and try our ways, and turn again t« the Lord, from whom we have deeply revolted : and parti- cularly, let us mourn for and turn from thefe fins which the word of God points out as bringing on famine: fuch as, 1. Afcribing our earthly comforts and bleffings to other things than God, the true author. This fin we find threatened with fcarcity and famine, Jer. xliv. 17, 26, 27. Hof.ii. 5, £. 2. Perverting of plenty to lux- ury and prodigality, renfWlity and excefs, revellings and dancings, balls, and affem^ies. We fee how thefe arc threatened, Ifa. v. 11, 12,1^. j^jj^vi. 4,6,7. 3. Re- jecting the bread of life, and defplfing the food of our fouls. God ufeth to punifh men for this fin, by depri- ving them of bread for their hj&es, Jer. xi. 21, 22.— 4. Men's minding their own thifigsmore than the things 12 To the Reader. of God ; and njjlecling to build his houfe, and put re- ject upon his ordinances. Upon fuch accouuts God Wings on fcarcity and famine, Hag. i. 9, 10, 11. 5. Co- venant-breaking and dealing cruelly with the poor, or with ftraugers that live among us; it is for thefe fins that God fent the three yean famine upon the land of Ifrael, 2 Sam. xxi. 1. Moreover, let us look upon all thefe temporal ftorms ann calamities which are come, or coming upon the land, as warnings to prepare for a more awful ftorm that we mult all meet with, namely, the ftorm of death and judg- ment ; let U3 ftand habitually prepared for that ftorm, and then other ftorms will not fo much affect us. If it be afked, What we fliall do to be Safe in the time of that trying ftorm ? the anfvver is, Let us fee that we be a- mong the broken in heart, or Sincere penitents, who are heartily grieved for all known fins; that we be true be- lievers in Chrift, who truft in nothing but his righteouf- nefs and merits for justification and falvation , that we be born again and made new creatures by a faving change both in heart and life ; that it be our great bufinefs to clear up our evidences of peace with God through Chrift, and our title to the maniions which he hath purchafed by his blond. O that God's judgments when they are in the earth, were means to awaken us to flee from the1 wrath to come, to Chrift our refuge ! When the floodl of great waters are fwelling up to the brim, our only fafety is to fecure a hiding-place in Cnrift's wounds. Let us follow the example of Noah, who when he faw the flood coming, took warning, and prepared an ark for faving himfelfand his hoitfhould, Heb xi. 7. Let ui even imitate the Egyptians that feared the Lord ; they, when warned of the dreadful ftorm of hatt that was com-. ing on the land, made their forvants and cattle to flee into the houfes, Exod. ix. 20. God hath in mercy provided chambers for his Bflfl^**. to hide themfelves in, wheJ ftorms are coming,Vve'fr the chambers of his attributei avid promifes, and the. chambers of Chrift's wounds and] ir.tercefiion ; in theJbonly ca« we find fafety : let us 1 To, the Reader. 13 *hen enter'into them by faith, when he invites us, Ifa. xxvi.20,2 I. Seeing, in thefe evil days, we have fo many harbingers and forerunners of death before our eyes, it will be high- ly our wifdom to keep ourfelres ftill in a waiting pofturc, nlways ready and willing to die. What is there in this weary land to tempt us to defire to abide in it ? Is it not a land overwhelmed with fin and forrow ? O believers, nr-e you toffed with tempefts here ? Seek the wings of a dove, that you may flee away, and be at reft. Be habi- tually defiring to depart, that you may be with Chrift. Surely for you to die is gain, yea, infinite gain 1 What are thj imaginary pleafures of this world to the real hap- pincfs of the next ? Though the ftruggles of death be grievous to nature, yet the gain of dying Should reconcile you to it. You do not flick at the trouble of putting eff your clothes at night, to gain a little reft to your bo- dies 4 and why Should you Stick at unclothing yourfelves cf the garment of flefli at God's call, to gain everlafting reft to your fouls, and the fruition of Chrift's glorious prefence forever ? Let the thoughts of this gain put you upon ufing all means to get your hearts weaned from the love of the world, and its comforts. " Keep the mantle of earthly enjoyments hanging loofe about you, especial- ly in.thefe calamitous times, that fo it may be eafily dropt when death comes to carry you to the eternal world. O for move of the lively faith of that world, and of him that b the Lord and purciiafer cf it! But feeing this fubj^ct is more largely infiftcd on in the book itfelf, I Shall add no more here upon it. Only I fhall fubjoin a collection of fome fweet and comfortable texts of fcrip- ture, very proper for dying believers to meditate and feed on by faith, to grip to and .plead with God, and fuck con- f olation from, when tj^y have a near profpect of going through the dark valley1, and entering into the unknown regions of eternity. God's word will then be our hope. Comfortable Ttxts for Hying Believers. f~^i OME unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy la- lfc/ den, and I will give you reft, Matth. xi. 28--- Hun that cometh to me, I will in no wife caft out, John vi. 37. In my father's houfe are many manfions; if it were not So, I would have told you : I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myfcif, that where I am, there ye may be alfo, John xiv. 2, 3. Becaufe I live ye fhalllive alfo, John xiv. 19. Chrift faith, •' Surely I come quickly." anfw. " A- men. Even fo, come Lord Jcfus." Rev. xxii. 20. There remaiueth a reft to the people of God. Heb, iv. 9. I have waited for thy falvation, O Lord, Gen. xlix. 18. Lord now letteft thou thy fervent depart in peace. For mine eyes have feen thy falvation, Luke ii. 29, 30. He is the rock, and his work is perfect, Deut. xxxii. 4. The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me, "Pfal. exxxviii. 8. Being confident—that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jefus Chrift, Philip, i. 6. I know that my redeemer liveth,and that he Shall ftand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my flcin, worms deftroy this body, yet in my :efh Shall I fee God ; whom I Shall fee for rnyfelf, and mine eyes Shall behold, and not another; though my reins be confumed within me, Job, xix. 25, 26, 27. Although my houfe be not fo with God ; yet he hatk made with me an evcrlafting covenant, ordered in all things and fure ; for this is all rf( falvation, and all my defire, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. p^' Yea, though I walk throughfthe valley of the fhadow of death, I will fear noleviIT*or thou art with .... Pfal. xxiii 4. ~Wk Into thine hand I corRmt my Spirit. \uu ha it re- deemed me, O Lord God oSf truth, Pfal. sii'. . Comfortable Texts, £>V. 15 For this God is our G > J for ever and ever ; he will be our guide even untodeat'i, Phil. xIviiL 14. Thou Shalt guide me with thy counfel, and afterward^ receive me to glory. Whom have I in haaven but thife*? and there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee. My flefh and my heart^faileth : but God is thv* Strength of my heart, and my portion for ever, Pfal. lxxiii. 24, 25,26. The Sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit: a broker* and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not defpife, Pfal, K.17. O that I had wings liks a dove! for then would I fly away and be at reft. I would haften my cfcape from the windy ftorm and tempeft, Pfal- Iv. 6, 8. Though ye have lien among the pqts, yet Shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with Silver, and her fea- thers with yellow gold; Pfal. lxviii. 13. The blood of Jefus Chrift his fon cleanCctU us from all fin, I John i. 7. Having boldnefs to enter into the holieft by the blood •f Jefus, Heb. x. 19. He hath faid I will never leave thee nor forfake thee. Jefus Chrift, the fame yefterday, to-day and forever.— Heb. xiii. 5, 8. He retaineth not his anger forever, becaufe he delight- eth in mercy, Micah vii. 18. Though he flay me, yet will I truft in him, Job xiii 15, In his name Shall the Gentiles truft, Matth. xii. 21. Bleffed are all they that put their truft in him, Pfal. ii. 12. He knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are duft,Pfal. ciii. U. I lothe it, I would not live alway, Job vii. 16. We knovrthat i£ QMA" earthly houfe of this tabernacle were diffolved, we have a building of God an houfe not made with hands, eternal |in the heavens. We are wil- ling rather to beahfent fron*th^jody, and prefent with the Lord, 2 Cor, v. 1. 8. For me to live is Chrift, anirto die is gain. Having Io Comfortable Texts a dtfire to fkpart, and'to be with Chrift ; which is iar better, Philip, i. 2 r 23. ^IrVnd now, Lord, what wait I forr" my hope is in thee, Pfalm xxxix. 7. My beloved'is mine, and I am his. His left hand is" under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. A- wake, O north wind, and come thou Souths blow upon my garden, that the fpices thereof may flow out : let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleafant fruits. Until the daybreak, and Shadows ft'eeaway. Make hafte my beloved, and be thou like to a roe, or a young hart on- the mountains of fpices, Cant. ii. 6, 16, iy> and iv. 16. .and viii. 14. O death, where is thy fling ? O grave, where is thy victory ? But thanks be to God, which giveth us the vic- tory, through our Lord Jefus Chrift, I Cor. xv. 5 c, 57. The time of my departure is at hand, I have fought a good fight, I have finifhed my courfe, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for. me a crown of righteoufnefs, which the Lord, the righteous Judge Shall give me at that day ; and not to me only, but unto all them alfo that love his appearing, 2 Tim. iv. 6, 7, 8. The day of death is better than the day of one's birth,. Ecclef. vii. 1. And God Shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there Shall be no more death, neither farrow, nor crying,' neither Shall there be any more pain ; for the former things are paffed away, Rev. xxi. 4. This is a faithful faying, and worthy of all accepta- tion, that Chrift Jefus came into the world to fave finners, of whom I am chief, 1 Tim. i. 15. God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begot- ten Son, that whofoever believeth in him Should not pe- rifh, but have everlafting life, Jojg| iii. 16. '" For he hath made him to be fin for us', who knew no Ci-i ; that we might be the rightffccHjfnefs of God in him, 2 Cor. v. 21. ££^^~ Thanks be unto GoJfor his unfpeakablc gift, 2 Cor. Ix. 15. V .„ BL-ffed be the Lord C&d of Ifrad, for he hath vifited for dying Believers* 17 and redeemed hi3 people, and hath raifed up an horn of Solvation for us in the houfe of his fervant David, Luke i. 68, 69. &* Them which Sleep in Jefus, will God bring with him. Then Shall we be-caught up together with him in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air : and fo Shall we ever be with the Lord, 1 Theft, iv. 14, 17, Unto him that loved us and waShed us from our fins, in his own blood, &c. Worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to receive power and glory, Rev. 1. 5. and 5. 12. We know that we have paffed from death unto life, becaufe we love the brethren, 1 John, iii. 14. I am perfuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor an- gels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things prefent, nor things to come, nor heighth, nor depth, nor any other creature, Shall be able to feparate us from the love of God which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord, Romans viii. 38, 39> I know whom I hare believed, and I am perfuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him againft that day, 2 Tim. i. 12. . I" count all things but lofs and dung, that I may win Chrift, and be found in him, aot having miae own righte- oufnefs, &c. Phil. iii. 8, 9. Chrift jefus, who of God is made unto us wifdom, and righteoufnefs, and fan&ification, and redemption, 1 Cor. i. 30. We rejoice in Chrift Jefus, and have no confidence m the nefh, Phil. iii. 3. ' Giving thanks unto the Father, who hath made Us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints in light, Col. i. 12. Behold, he cometh with clouds ; and every eye Shall Cce him. Amea#9^n fo, come Lord Jefus, Rev. i, 7. and xxii. 20.' v i Dundee, 5th June, 174^ B2 Some of fhe Author's 'Dying Fjaculations, as they ivere '. written by himf If a few clays 'before he died, and '** left iuiih his Bible lying on his pillow,. the — day of May, 175b. OLET me deep in Jefus ! I would not live always in this evil world, that has little in it tempting, and feems ftill to grow worfe, and where the torrent of fin and back Sliding feems to grow Stronger. I would dtfire to depart, and to be with Chrift, which is far better than to be here. I am willing rather to be abfent from the body, and prefent with the Lord. Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth I defire bcfides thee : for though my heart, Strength, and 'fl'cfh fail; yet the Lord will be the ftrength of my heart, and my portion forever. Now, Lord, what wait I for ? my hope is in thee ; I have waited for thy falvation, O Lord. O for Simeon's frame, to be faying, " Lord now let- teft thou thy fervant depart in peace, for mine eyes have feen thy falvation." When Chrift fays, " Surely I come quickly ;" may my foul anfwer, " Even fo, come Lord Jefus." I am living on the righteoufnefs of Chrift, yea, dying in the Lord. Even fo, come. I am detained here up- on the Shore, waiting for a fair wind to carry me over this Jordon. I have waited, and will wait for thy falvation, O Lord. The Lord is a Rock, and his work is perfect: Lord perfect what concerneth me. O that I could fay with Paul, " The time of my de- parture is at hand. I have kept the faith, I have fouglrt the good fight, I have run my race, I have finifhed my courfje ; henceforth is laid up for j^e a crown of righte- oufnefs, which the righteous Jpord will give me at his coming." J" lam vile and pollutecLQ^hbw Shall I be cleanfed ! — But th*| is a comfortablffpromife, " The blood of Jefus. Chrift his Son cleanfeth u» from all fin." And fo is that, *• Though ye have lain among the pots, yc Shall be as- Dying Ejaculations. )9 dcvcs, whofe wings are covered with Silver, and their fea* thers with yellow gold." 1 rrfolve to obey, to Submit to the Lord's will, to flie like Mofes and Aaron, the one at Mount Hor, the other at Mount Abarim. They went up, and died there at the command of the Lord. O that when my flefh and Strength fail, God may be the ftrength of my heart and my portion forever ! When now the keepers of the houfe do tremble, O that God may be the keeper ! when the grinders ceafe, becaufe. they are few, O that God would feed my foul with man- na, that will need none of thefe implements ! when the daughters of mufic are brought low, O' to be fitted for the heavenly mufic ! when the lookers out at the win* dows are darkened, O that my foul may be enlightened to fee Jefus my Redeemer. Lord, help the unbelief and infidelity of my heart; and help to more of the faith of a rifen Jefus, and afcend- ded Rede. mer. O let me believe and feel the fweetnefl of that word of Chrift, *' I afcend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.'* O how Shall fuch an unholy creature as Iprefume into fuch a pure and holy place ! But the apoftle has taught us, we may have boldhefs to enter into the holieft of all by the blood of Jefu?. O that when the time of my laft combat comes with my laft enemy death, I may be helped above all to take the Shield of faith, whereby I may be relieved from the fling of death, and may quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. O that I may be helped to adore the fovereignty of God, kifs his rod, and humbly fubmit to it. Save me from both extremes ; let me never defpife the chaftening of the Lord, nor ftJinfl^hen 1 am rebuked of him. Now the prince of darkjiefs will Study to raife tempefts of temptation, to Shipwreck the poor weather-beaten veffcl of my foul, when it wop£d enter into the harbour of reft above; may Chrift co»e to be pilot, fteer the helm, and it (hall be fafe. -• O for more faith !■' may q*y faith ripen to a full affu- 20 Sonic of toe Author*? ranee, that I may go eff the flage rejoicing, and that an abundant entrance nay be minillered to me into the king. . dom of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. O for more faith, that I may die like Simeon, when he had Chrift in his arms, faying, " Now let thy Ser- vant depart in peace, mine eyes have feen thy Salvation."' Lord, one fmile of thy countenance would banifh a- way all my doubts and fears, and make me ling in pains. Is my Redeemer gone to prepare a place for us ? why Should I be fo Slothful to follow his fleps, when he is fay. ing come up hither; come up, dwell here; come upr reigH here; come up, fing here. O Lord, deliver my foul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. • O fave me from the horrible pit, draw me from out of the miry clay, Set my feet upon a rock, and eftablifh-my geings, and put a new fong in my mouth. O give grace to Strive by faith and prayer to enter in- at the Strait gate. Lord, thou haft bid me knock, and it Shall be opened ; aflc, and ye Shall receive : Seek, and ye Shall find. Lord, I knock, opeu unto me ; Lord, !• - would be in, I muft be in ; let me but in over the thref- hohj; let me in within fight of my Redeemer's face, within fight of the fmiles of his countenance ; let me within hearing of the fongs of the Redeemed ; let me get to the outfide of that praifing company ; I will be well enough if I get in. Lord in I muft be, out I cannot ftay ; O Shut me not out with fwearers, fabbath-breakers, and profane perfons. Lord, I never chufed their company while in this- world; Lord, do. not gather, my foul with Sinners here- after. The redeemed are gathering, and the wicked are ga- thering, Lord, gather me with thjrfock ; they are faft a gathering ; the church's head-is gone ; ^e has left the earth, and entered into his glory ; my" brethren and friends, many of them hapr arrived where he is ; I am yet behind. O how gflat is the difference betwixt my Slate and theirs. I am jfrpaning out my complaint, they are Singing God'«praifef\a« ia darknefs,audcannot fee JL____ Dying Ejaculations. 2l thy face, but they behold thee fac« to face. O ihould I be Siti; Tird to ftay behind, when my> friends arc gone ! Shall I wander here in a hungry defart, when they are triumphing above, and dividing the fpoil ? O help me to look after them with a ftedfaft eye, and cry, O Lord,. how long.? O heavenly Father, draw me after Jefus, for none can come to him without thy aid. O Father, draw me up> there where he is, and I will mount up as on eagle's wing"?. O draw me ; and when thou feemeft to fly from? me, Lord, enable me to follow hard after thee. O thou who remembereft the dying thief, when on the way to thy kingdom, O remember me when now feated in thy kingdom, and fay to my foul, when I am dying, u This day Shalt thou be with me in paradiSe." Lord, I am called to the work I never did, O give me the ftrength I never had. O ftrengthen me like Sampfor* for this once, when at death, to pull down the Strong holds of fin within me. Lord, wafh away my Sins in the blood of Chrift, and then my foul Shall not Sink, in the ocean of thy wrath. • O what is my life but a vapour 1 a fand glafs of Sixty or feventy years! O how faft decs it rundown! how foon runs it out ! Vain, vain is the love of life ! O give me grace to overcome the love of life, and the fear of death. O for more patience, and lefs fretting. If the damned had hope of being Saved from hell after a thou- sand years of my pain, how willingly, would they endure h ? Blefled be God, my pains are not hell, their ftatc is not mine. Lord, draw near to me, and fave me ; my body is full of trouble, and my life draws near to the grave. But Lord, thy loving kindnefs is better than life : O make thy loving kindnefs^wx to me, and I will willingly part with this dying lifeT^^ Oh that I conld make all the world fee the beauty of my precious and adorable £a.riour. Nothing^but an intereft irijllhrift can- give peace in life, or comfort in death. He^is the chief among ten thoufand and altogether lovely. My body is in part i < 22 Some of the Author's dead, but I know I cannot die eternally while Jefus lives., I mult go down to the grave ; but what is the grave ; it ■. is but a refining pot Since my Saviour lay in it, it is but ' abed of rofes. " He is the rdfe of S'.uu\>n, and lilly o£ the valley." ' It was his free grace that drew me, and made me wil- ling in the day of his power ; no defire, no merit in me, it was all free and undefrrving. O let the chaftifemeut of my body be the medicine of my foul, to Cure me of fin, and bring me to Sincere repen- tance for it: for Chrift was wounded for our tranfgreSfi- •ns, he was bruifed for our iniquities ; the chaftifement 1 of our peace was upon him. ■ Lord, remember the chaftifement of Chrift for fin, and let my pains be the chaftifement of a father, and not the wounds of an enemy. Let Chrift's. fafferings mitigate mine. I rejoice in the profpect of that glorious inheritance feferved fafe. I could not comfortably enter eternity any other way but in and through this God-man media- tor ; if he was not God as well as man, I could not be fupported, bat he is God. Oh, this precious Saviour, he i6 my all in all; he is my all fufficient good, my portion, and my choice ; in him toy vaft defires are fulfilled, and ail my powers rejoice ; I am travelling through a wildernefs to a city of habita- tion, whofe builder and maker is God. Oh, delightful thought ! that I who was going on in fin, Should be plucked as a brand out of the burning Ohr how will they lie on a death bed who have nothing but their own Works to fly to ! with only this to depend oh, I Should be the moft miferable of all creatur#s ; but the, long white robe of my Redeemer's righteoufnefs is all my defire. They are truly bleffed^hey alone are happy who are enabled to exult in the garment of celeftial glo« ry, which never waxeth old, i^the illuftiVMS robes df. *', Saviour's confummate righteoufnefs, which are incorrup- tible and immortal. Thipi a robe which hides every fin of thought, word, or de«K that 1 committed. Oh hovr unfpeakably happy are the%, who are juftified by this all*" i Dying Ejaculations. 2o perfect righteoufnefs of the Lord jteis Chrift, and who therein can conftantly triumph and glory ! Lord, I live upon Chrift, I live upon his righteoufnefis, I live upon his blood aud merits ; yea I die alfo leaning wholly upon this bottom. It is not paft experiences or manifestations I depend upon : It is Chrift a prefent all- fufficient Saviour, and perfect righteoufnefs in him, I look to. All my attainments are but lofs and dung be- fides him. When I find myfelf polluted, I go to this fountain for cleanfing. Lord, give me delight in approaching to thee ; delight to be at a throne of grace. O that I could make my bed there, lie and die there. The kingdom of heaven Suffers violence, and the vio- lent take it by force. O for ftrength to offer a holy violence by faith and prayer. «' Thus the A uthor died as he lived, testifying the power of religion upon himfelf ; and that at a time when men have moft need of its comforts. The foregoing words are ti-i-ifcribed from his own manufcript, now lying in the hands pf Mr. Bell, minifter at Aberbro- thock." WILLIAM BELL. THE AFFLICTED MAN'S COMPANION,: THE INTRODUCTION. MAN, when he firft dropt from his Maker's hands, was a holy and innocent creature, pure from fin, and confequently free from ficknefsand trouble, enjoying uninterrupted health and prosperity both in body and foul. But no fooner was he tainted with fin, but he be- came liable to all forts of miferies, temporal, Spiritual, and eternal : his foul being the rcfidence of fins and lufts, his body turned the receptacle of ficknefs and difcafes. And feiing God's own children have the relicks of fin and corruption in them, while in this world, they are not to expect exemption from fuch afflictions ; and the infinite. ly wife God fees meet to make ufe of bodily diftempenj to correct the corruptions, and try the graces ef his peo- ple, and to promote both their Spiritual and eternal ad- vantage. Hence it is faid of Lazarus, John xi. 3, '• Behold, he whom thou loveft, is fick." He was be- loved, and yet fick. It is no rare thing for the deareft of God's faints to be put to chatter like cranes,* and mourn like doves, by reafon of fore ficknefs ; as Hezeki- ah did, Ifa. xxxviii. 14. Sanctified and healthy foulr may be matched with weak and fickly bodies, as was Ga- ius 3 John 2. Notwithftanding'the cafe is fometimej moft trying and exercifing to the beft of God's people|< and they are never more ready to queftion God's love, or quarrel with his providence, than under heavy ficknefi and bodily diftrefs. It is therefore highly the concern* mentofall, whether families oj^private perfons, to en- quire how they ought to behave ulider or after afflicting ficknefs; and how they fltftl provide for fuch an evil time before it come. An^ifor the help of all that defire instruction in this mattj^fl have written the following di- rectory ; which, for method's fake, 1 Shall divide into fc- veral chapters. ' Afflicted Marts Companion. 25 I. I Shall give fome general directions to all families and perfons vifited with ficknefs and affliction. II. Some particular directions to thofe who are Sharp- ly afflicted with fore fickneSs and long trouble. III. Directions to the children of God under fick- nefs. IV. Directions to unregenerate perfons under ficknefs. V. Directions to the people of God when recovered from ficknefs. VI. Directions-to unrenewed perfons recovered from ficknefs. VII. Directions to thofe fick perfons, who are appa- rently in a dying condition. VIII. Directions to the relations, acquaintances and neighbours of the fick, who are themfelves in health for the time. N. B, Let it be remembered, that what I fay to thofe vifited with ficknefs, is likewife applicable to all other af- flicted perSons, whatever their diftreSs be, CHAPTER I. Containing general directions to all families and perfons vifited with fickness. Direct, i. Diligently inquire into the ends and defgns% for which ufually God fends ficknefs and ajfli8ion up- on perfons. AN infinitely holy and gracious God hath various and wife ends in afflicting the children of men, whe- ther they be conver|$-dorunconverted ; which ought to be duly confidered by tilL and cfpecialiy by thofe who are vifited with ficknefs pKpme whereof I Shall iultance. I. God vifits with fiekrieS^, to caufe carelefs finner3 bethink themfelves concerning their fouls eftate and con- ditioc, who perhaps had aevey a ferious thought about it c 26 Afflicted Id arts Companion. before. There are many who, when in health and ftrength, are fo itffent upon the plcafures and profits of the world, tkat they mind nothing elfe; all the warnings, exhortations, and counfels of ministers, teachers and friends, are loft upon them : They cannot endure to en- tertain a thought of God, of the foul, of death, of hea- ven, of hcil, or of judgment to come ; till God doth caft them into fome ficknefs or bodily diftrtSs; and then, Sometimes, they begin with the prodigal, to come to themfelves, and bethink themfelves, concerning their Souls, and a future life. Now, this is God's defign, I Kings viii. 47. " If they bethink themfelves in the land whither they are carried captives, and repent," &c. By ficknefs, God gives a man, that before was wholly divert- ed from foul-matters by bufinefs, company, and plea- sures, occafion to bethink himfelf. The man is now con- fined to his chamber, is deprived of his former company and diversions, and fo gets time and leifure to commune with his own heart, and reflect on his former ways, and to hear what confidence fpeaks concerning a judgment day, and a world to come, and the need of a Saviour. And fo by the bleSGng of God upon fuch affliction?, not a few ,' have begun their firft acquaintance with God and Chrift, and ferious religion. Nay, the furnace is Chrift's ufual JL work-houfe, where he has formed the moft excellent vcf- Sels of honour and praife, Ifa. xlviii. 10. "I have cho- fen thee in the furnace of affliction." Manaffeh, the Prodigal, Paul, and the Jailor, were all chofen there. II. God vifits us uith ficknefs, in order to inftruct and teach us thefe things we know not, Pfal. xcvi. 12. It was a faying of Luther, Schola crucis eft fchola lucis. And indeed the fchool of affliction is the place where ma- ny of Zion's fcholars have made good proficiency in fpi- ritual and experimental knowledge — Now, there are Se- veral remarkable leffons which * 7, Chron. xxxiii. 12, 1 v* When he was brought to* affliction, &c. then ManJ|ch knew that the Lord he was . God." ThougH Mani;!.\ wn3 well educated) and early Afflicted Marts Compcnon. 27 tautrht the knowledge of God, yet till now he knew not the Lord : But now he knew him in his power and great- nefs, his holinefs and hatred of fin ; now he knew God m his good nefs of mercy, and wondered that he had kept him fo long out of hell. 2dly. Another leffon is the knowledge cf ourfelves. In time of health and profperity, we are apt to forget ourfelves, and our mortality ; but ficknefs caufeth us to know that we are but meR, and frail men, Pfal. ix. 20, that God hath an abfolute Sovereignty over us, and can as eafily crufh us, as we do a moth. 3dly. He teacheth us the emptinefs of the world. How vain a help is that, which fails a man in the time of his greateft need ! and oft-times we fee, that worldly means and friends can neither give the leaft eafe to the bodies, nor comfort to the fouls of perfons under ficknefs and diftrefs. 4thly. Another leffon is the great evil oSfin, which isthe caufeof all fickneffes and difeafes whatever, 1 Cor. xi. 30. " For this caufe many are weak and Sickly a- mong you."—Ah ! what a root of bitternefs muft that be, which brings forth fuch bitter fruit! 5thly. He fheweth us the precioufnefs and excellency of Chrift and his promifes ; which only can enable a Christian to rejoice in tribulation, and be eafy under the greateft pains and difeafes. There are many who are in- different about Chrift in time of health, that when fick- nefs comei, do change their note, and cry, O for an inter- eft in Chrift, above all things ! III. God fends fuch trials and diftreffes, in order to mortify and kill fin in us. Ifa. xxvii. 9. " By this Shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all the fruit to take away his fin." And indeed ficknefs and afflic- tion, through the b>#ngof God, hath a native tendency to weaken and fubdue T|ur prevailing fins and lulls. O man, is thy heart turned ..hard, fo as thou art not fenfible of thy own fins, or of ethers fufferings ? God fees meet to try the fire of affliction, to fee if it will melt thy frozen heart. Haft thou undervalued health, and flighted thy medics ? Now God-removfi them from thee, that by the 28 Afflicted Man's Cvwftmien. want of them, thoujpAyft know the worth of them. Art ■] thou turned proud awd Self-conceited ? God fend- tlue a thorn in the fffcfh, to prick the Swoln bladder of pride, that thou may ft not be puffed up above mtafure ; God lays thee low upon thy bed, that thou mayft be lowly in thy heart. Doth lc\e to the world prevail in thee ? God • fends affliction to difcover its tmptinefs, and wean thee from it," Art thou fallen Secure, dead, and formal ? God * fends affliction to awake thee, that thou may ft not Sleep the Sleep cf death. IV. God ftnds ficknefs, to awaken in us the Spirit at prayer and fup plication, and mike us more earneft and importunate in our addrtfles to the throne of Grace." There ia a great difference betwixt our prayers in health and in ficknefs, betwixt our hmr.iiiaticns in prosperity, and in adverfity. In proSperity we pray heavily and drowfily, but adveifity adds wings to uui defines. Ifa. XX vi. I 6. Lord, in t, cable ha vc ihey viftd} thee, they fiour- tdout a prayer when thy chafun'.ag ciw upon than. Though ihey wtre backward enough to prayer hefure, yet t!;ey pour it cut mofi iretly now. The \c-.y heathen marine is cried aloud to God iu a ftorm—What a famous prayer < did Manaffeh make when he vva" ur.dcr his iron fetters ! ' We find it thrice mentioned, 2 Chrcn. xxxiii. 1 3, ifc, 19. And the voice of fervent prayer it v.l.a the Lv>rd defires to hear. V. Another end is, to loofe our hearts from the things of this world; and caufe us to look and long for heaven. When we enjoy health and cafe in this world,. wc are apt to fay with Peter on the mount, // is good for us to be here', but when''u'lnfs rometh, God's people will turn their tongue, mid fay with the Pfal null, Pf J. Ixxiii. 27. It is good ft r me to drew nigh to Cod. When things here go well with us, we are^t to think ourfelves lit home : but, when trouble r^jieth, we begin to fi y, " arifc, let us depart, this is nM our reft." Thoup'h heaven was much out of fight and out of n:ind before, yet, when rfflicting ficknt.'s comes, the poor believer will figh, and Say with D.vitl.- Pl|i. 1,. 6. 0 that I Lad wiugs. Afflicted Man's Companion 20 like a dove I for then would I fly (tnvay (ind be at refl; 1 would haflen my efcape from the windy tempefl. VI. God defigns to make the world bitter, and Chrift fweet to us. By fuch afflictions, he lets men fee, that the world is nothing tut vanity, and vexatioH of fpint; that riches avail not in the day of wrath : then it is, that they may fee the infufficieHcy of the world to relieve them : that, as one faith, " A velvet flipper cannot cure the gout ; a golden cap cannot drive away the head-ache; nor a bed of doun give eafe in a fever." And as the world turns bitter, fo Chrift grows fweet to the believer. In time of eafe and health, Chrift is often very much ne- glected and forgot. As the difciples, while the fea was calm fuffered Chrift to Sleep with them in the Ship, think- ing they might make their voyage well enough without bis help ; but when they were ready to be drowned, then they fee their need of Chrift, they awake him, crying, Maflcr, five us, or elfe we pen/h. So the belt cf faints, when all iseafy aboutthem,are proneto fuffcr Chrift to Sleep within them, and fo to neglect the lively actings of faith on Chrift ; but when the ftorm of affliction begins to a- rife, and they are ready to be overwhelmed with diftrefs, then they cry, " None but Chrift, none but Chrift." VII. God tryfts with ficknefs and diftrefs, in order both to prove and improve his people's graces, Dcut. viii. 2. Rev. ii. 10. Grace is hereby both tried and ftrength- ened. ift. Such afflictions do prove both the truth and ftrength of our graces, as they Serve to try if we love God for himfelf; if we can endure and holdout in Serv- ing him, waiting and depending upon'him, notwithstand- ing of difcouragements. That faith will fuffice for a little affliction, that will not fuffice for a great one. Pe- ter had faith enough to come upon the fea at Chrift's call, but as foon as the waves began to fwell, his faith be- gan to fail, and his feat to fink, till Chrift mercifully caught hold of him, faying, " O thou of little faith, wherefore didft thou doubt ?" Matth. xiv. 3 i. Little did Peter think his faith waa fo weak till now. 2dly. They tend to improve our graces alfo, bjj quick- ening and Strengthening them. The Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled againft his command- ment." So doth godly Neherniah, Neh. ix. 33, " How* beit thou art juft in all that is brought upon us ; for thou haft done right, but wc have done wickedly.'-' The fame doth holy David acknowledge, Pfal. cxix. 75, "1 know O Lord, that thy judgments arc right, and that in faith- fulnefs thou haft afflicted me." Now, in order to bring you to this agreeable frame, and to convince you of the equity and juiticc of God in his difpenfatious, however heavy and long your diftrefs be, I fhall lay before you the; following considerations : ift. Confider the infinitely holy and righteous nature of that God who fmiteth thee, Pfalm cxix. 137, " Righ- teous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments." We prefume it of a righteous man, that he will do righ- teous things ; and fhall we not much more believe fo of a holy and righteous God ? We cannot be infallibly cer- tain that a righteous man will always do fo ; for a righ- teous man may leave his righteoufnefs, becaufe the crea- ture is mutable : but Sod is immutably righteous ; fo that we may be confident of it, that the Judge of all tbe earth will do right, for it is impoffible he can do other- wife, Zech, iii. 5, "The juft Lord is in the midft there- Afflicted Marts Companion. 45 of, he will not do iniquity." He will not, he cannot; for it is contrary to his nature. zdly. Confider that God never brings on any affliction. without a caufe, i Cor. xi. jo, " For this caufe many are fick." He hath ftill juft ground for the heavieft af- fliction, from thy fins and provocations, and may always fay to thee as to Ifrael Jer. ii. 17, 19, " Plaft thou not procured'this unto thyfeif, in that thou haft forfaken the Lord thy God, when he led thee by the way ? Thine own wickednefs Snail correct thee, and thy backflidinga Shall 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 affliction to be found in the beft of God's people ; and therefore it is faid, Lara. iii. 33, " For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grive the children of men." No ; it is our fins that oblige him td it. As Chrift whipped the fellers of oxen and fheep, 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 owri iniquities fhall take the wicked himfelf, and he fhall be holden with the cords of his fins." If we confider the mighty God as a Lord difpenfing grace, then we find he acts Sovereignly, and according to his will and pleafure, Matth. xi. 26, " Even fo, Father, for foit feemethgood in thy fight." But, if we confider him as a judge, dif- penfing judgments, he never doth it without a foregoing caufe on the creature's part. God's treafure of mercy is always full and ready to be let out to them that feek it; but his tteafure of wrath is empty till men fill it up by their fins, Rom. ii. 16, " Thou treafureft up to thy- feif wrath againft the day of wrath." We do always provide fuel for God's wrath before it kindle and break out upon us. $dly. Confider farther this inftance of God's equity, lhat when there is a caufe given, God dothnct prefently take it, but continues to threaten oft, and warn long, be- fore he execute the fentence of his word. He fends lef- fer ftrokes as warnings of greater, if we repent not; and he repeats his warnings many times, both by his word 46 Afflicted Mans Compunion. and providence before he fmite. Yea, cw n when repeat- ed warnings are flighted, he delays a long time, and waits to be gracious, Ifa. xxx. 18. And when man's obflinacy ana incorrigiblencfs arrive to fuch a height, that he can fpare no longer ; yet how loth is he to give them up to feverc judgments ! Hof. xi. 18, " How fhall I give thee up, Ephraim ? How fhall I deliver thee, Ifrael? How fhall I make thee as Admah ? How fhall I fet thee as Zeboim ? Mine heart is turned within me, my rcpentingf are kindled together." When the Lord hath Sinners ia j his arms, ready to give them up to fevere judgments, yet' he makes a ftand, and would fain be prevented before he proceed to his ftrange work ; for fo he calls his acts of*- judgment, Ifa. xxviii. 21. Acts of mercy are co-naturayB moft agreeable and pleafant to God, Micah vii. 18 " Heil delighteth in mercy : but judgment is his ftrange act, andifl his ftrange work. .' qthly. Confider that when at laft he fends ftrokes on "; us, they are always Short of the eaufe ; he exacts not the;j whole debt that Sinners owe to his juftice, as Ezra-doth acknowledge, Ezra ix. 13, " Thou haft punifhed us left- than our iniquities deferve." The Stroke he is therf' Speaking of, was a moft heavy judgment ; fearful ruin and defolation came upon Jerufalem, and the whole land of Judah ; the city and temple were burnt to afhes, the peo- j pie carried captives to a ftrange land, and treated as bondj Slaves among the heathens: Yet, faith the holy man, " Thou haft punifhed us lefs than our iniquities deferve." q. d. It is true we have been carried to Babylon, but in juftice we might have been fent to hell: our houfes were burnt, but our bodies might have been burnt too : Wc have been drinking water, but we might have been drink- ing blood : We have had grievous burdens on earth, but we might have been groaning in hell : We were banifhed -1 from the temple, but we might have been eternally ba- nifhed from God's prefence. We think it a great favour among men, when any punifhment is mitigated, when the' Sentence of death is changed into banifhment, or when banifhment is turned into a fine, or a great fine is made fmalkr: And will you think that God deals Severely or Afflicted Marts Companion. 47 rigoroufly with you, when he lays you on a fick-bed, when he might have juftly laid you in hell, and poured out all his wrath upon you there ? You but tafte of the brim of the cup, when God might caufe you to drink of the bottom and dregs thereof. Have you not caufe then to acknowledge God's juf- tice, nay, even his mercy too, in his dealings with you, '.however rough they feem to be ? May you not, with good rfcafon fay, any thing Iefs than hell is a mercy to fuch an ill-deferving creature as I am ? If even a hard-hearted Pharaoh, under diftrefs, came the length to own the juf- tice of God, Exod. ix. 27, "I have finned ; the Lord is jrightous ;" fhall any profefied Chriftian fall Short of that A obftinate Egyptian ? Direction ii. Labour fill to be fenfible of God's hand under heavy afliclion, and beware of fupidity and un- concrnednefs under it. IT is a fin to faint under heavy affliction, but it is a du- ty to feel it, Heb. xii. 5, " My fon, defpife not thou the chaftening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art re- buked of him." The Apoftle there doth caution againft two extremes which every chriftian under the rod fhould be careful to avoid, 1. Defpifing or making light of af- fliction. 2. Sinking or defponding upon affliction. We ■re in great hazard of running into the one or the other. As to the firft, We may be faid to defpife the chaftening of the Lord when we do not obferve God's hand in our affliction, fo as to reform the things whereby he was dif- pleafed : Or when we refolve to abide the trial, by the Strength of our own refolutions and ftout-heartednefs, without looking to God for fupporting grace : Or when we turn ftupid and infenfible under the heavy and long continued rod. This defpifing and flighting the rod is not patience, but ftupidity; it is not chriftian magnani- mity, but a ftoical temper of mind, moft Sinful and provo- king to God. We fee how angry God is with finners, when his ftrokes are not felt, Ifa. xli. 25, " He hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and it hath fet 48 Afflicted Marts Companion. him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it hath burned him, yet he bid it not to heart." Jer. v. 3, " Thou haft Stricken them, but they have not grieved: thou haft confumed them, but they have refufcd to re- ceive correction : they have made their faces harder than a rock, they have refufed to return." There is little hope of a fcholar minding his leffon, that is regardlefs of whipping. It is a dreadful fign to be like Pharaoh, Sleeping in our fins, when God is thundering in his wrath. He that will fleep when his houfe is on fire, or lie ftill in bed, as if he was not concerned, may affuredly expect to be confumed in its flames. As David could not bear it, when the meffengers, he fent to the Ammonites out of goodwill, were affronted and dcfpifed; So neither will God endure it, when the meffeHgers he fends to Sinners arc flighted ; for he that flights a meflerger, affronts hit matter. Thofe who make light of affliction, make l:gMf of God that fends it, and make light of fin that pro- cures it. Qu.efl. But, when is it that people are Suitably concern^ ed under a heavy rod. Aufw. When they fee God'l hand, hear God's voice, anfwer his intent, are curious to < know his mind, defirous to do thofe things he requires, and reform thofe things he is difpleafed with. Remember, every affliction is a meffenger from God, and defervesa hearing from you. It comes to thee with fuch a mcffage as Ehu did to Eglon, Judges iii 20, " I have an errand from God to thee, O king :" 1 have a meffage from God to thee, O christian, O Sinner. Well, lend an ear, and hearken with reverence and attention to this errand ; fay, " Speak, Lord, for thy fervant hear- eth, what wouldft thou have me to do ?" Believe it, that God Speaks as really to you by his rod, as by his word ; therefore he fays. " Hear ye the rod." God fpake a« truly by his ten plagues to Egypt, as he did by his ten precepts to Ifrael. And if the calm voice of the word were more regarded, we fhould hear lefs of the rough voice of the rod. As Gideon took briers and thorns of the wildernefs, and with them taught the men of Succoth, who would not be taught by fairer means, Judges viii. Afflicted Man's Companion. *. ^ t6. fo God takes'the Sharp prickles of fore afflictions, to teach you his ftatutes, when yon will not be taught by fofter methods. Beware the* of grieving God's Spi- rit, by turning Stupid and infenfible under fharp or long continued trials : But, the more pain* God is at with ycui by his rod, hearken the more careSully to his voice ; . and labour to make the greater proficiency in the fchool v nf affliction, where he thinks fit to continue yoa; that [ fo you may inherit that bleffiug, Pfal. xciv. 12. " Blefl- ed is the man whom thou chaftcneft, O Lord, and tcach- eft him out of thy law." f Direction iii. Beware of mifconflru8ing God's deal-. P trigs towards you, and of charging him foolishly. WE arc apt to believe fatan's fuggeftions, unier heavy trials, and to entertain wrong thoughts ._ of God and his difpenfations. Now, thefe you ought to L guard again A. A*, fo: inflance, if. Beware of harbour- ing atheiftical thoughts, as if there were no Providence, «o wife Governor of this lower World, no diitinction be- twixt the good and bad; and that it is to no purpofe to be religious, like thofe mentioned in Mai. iii. 14. " Ye have faid it is vain to fevve God ; and what profit is it, that we have kept his ordinances, asd walked mournfully before the Lord of Hofts ?" Yea, even the Pfalmift, when he begins to compare his own Sharp trials with the wick- ed's cafe and profperity, is tempted to .liink all religion •is vain, and fay, Pfaim Ixxiii. 13, 14. " Verily I have- '» eleanfed my heart in vain, and wafhed my hands in inno- "cency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and ucfeaftened every morning." But thefe are nothing but the hcllifh fujgeftium of fatan, that irreconcileable enemy of God, and precious fouls, againft which we fhould clofely lie;: owr ears. idly. Beware of charging Godwin your hearts with ri- gor or injuftice in hij dealings, like these, Ezek. %\:\i. 25. " Yet ye fay the »-ay of the Loid is not equal." How highly unjuft an J injurious, arc fuch thvi^hti tv E ,jft iJ^ * ■ i *'V; 0 - 50 Afflicted Marts Companion. him, who is the judge of all the earth, and cannot do but right ? $dly. Beware ef thinking that heavy afflictions do al- ways fpeak wrath in God againft thee. No, fometimes they fpeak forth love, and God may be carrying on a fove-defign thereby to thy foul, viz. to fubdue thy ftrong lulls, and draw thee nearer unto himfelf. As for thole who think that the Smarting rod and divine love cannot dwell together, let them read that paffage, Heb. xii. 5, 6. " And ye have forgotten the exhortation which Speak- eth unto you as unto children, My fon, defpife not thou the chaftening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art re- buked of him. For whom the Lord loveth, he chaften- eth, and fcourgeth every fon whom he receiveth." 4-thly. Beware of defpondingand diftruftful thoughts of God, under fharp afflictions. Some are ready to raze the j foundation, quit their intereft in God, and the promifes, and caft away their hope and confidence, faying with Gi» ; deon, Jadges vi. 13, " Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this evil befallen us?" So David was ready to draw a hafty conclufion, Pfalm xxxi. 22, •' I Said in my hafte, I am cut off from before thine eyes.,,;l But this was the effect of unbelief; for he that believeth J will not make hafte. Direction iv. Under fore trouble and diftrefs, labour to exercife afrong and lively faith. IT was a noble and heroic refolution in that holy man Job, under his fingular trials, Job xiii. 15. Though he flay me, yet will I truft jn him. q. d. Let my Stroke* be never fo fore and heavy, yet I will not let go my grips of his word and promifes; I will not raze thefe founda*, tions of my hope. It was the way the Pfalmift kept ' himfelf from finking under his heavy burdens, Pfal. xxviii. 13. I had fainted unlets I had believed to fee the good-J nefs of the Lord, in the, land of the living. Confider bat a little the noble influence that faith hath to Strengthen and Support the foul under fore trials. if. Faith grips to the great gofpel promiic of falva^ ______rr____:_i-__-____________________»_______1 Afflicted Marts Companion, 51 tion in and through Jefus Chrift, and fo fecures the foul's main intereft through eternity; which may may make the foul eafy in every lot. idly. Faith views God in Chrift, at the helm in the greateft ftorm, and fo it endures, as feeing him who is invi- sible, Heb. xi. 27. $dly. Faith cafts the foul's anchor upon the Rock of Ages, and ftays itfelf on God, and the faithful promifes ; whereby the foul is cafed and difburdened of its fears and melancholy apprehenfions, Pfal. iv. 22. Ifa. 1. 10. ^thly. Faith brings new ftrength and auxiliary fupplies of grace from heaven, when the former fupply is exhaust- ed and fpent; whereof David had the fweet experience, Pfal. xxvii. 13. As God doth plant and actuate grace in the foul, fo he is pleafed to come in with feaSonable fup- plies and reinforcements to the weak and decayed grace* of his people, anfwerable to their prefent exigencies and preffures—And thus he doth from time to time feed the believer's lamp with frefh oil, give in more faith, more love, more hope, and more defires ; and thereby he gives power to the faint, and Strengthens the things which re- main, when ready to die. $thly. Faith keeps the foul from finking under heavy trials, by bringing in former experiences of the power, mercy and faithfulnefs of God to the afflicted foul. Here- by was the Pfalmift fupported in diftrefs, Pfal. xiii. 6. Pfal. lxxxvii. 4. O, faith faith, remember what God hath done both for thy outward and inner man; he hath not only delivered thy body when in trouble, but he hath done great things for thy foul; he hath brought thee out of a ftate of black nature, entered into a covenant relation with thee, and made his goodnefs pafs before thee ; he hath helped thee to pray, and many times hath heard thy prayers and thy tears. Hath he not formerly brought thee out of the horrible pit, and out of the miry clay, and put a new fong in thy mouth, and made thee refolve never to give way to fuch unbelieving doubts and fears again ? And how unbecoming is it for thee now to fink in trouble ? 6tbly. Faith' Supports the foul, by giving it a pleafant 5'2 Afflicted Marts Companion. t:sw and profpect of a happy outgate from all trouble; when it fhall be admitted to See and dwell with Chrift hereafter. Thus was Job fupportcd in his greateft dif- trefs, Job xix. 25, 26, 27. " For I know that my Re- deemer Iiveth; and that he Shall Stand at the latter day upon the earth —Whom I fhall fee for myfelf, and mine eyes fhall behold," &c. A believing view of the foul's meeting with its Redeemer, and receiving a crown of glo- \ ry from him at laft, is an excellent Support to a chriftian Tinder the heavieft affliction, and fo was it to Paul, 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. ythly. Faith gives great Support, by the encouraging representations it makes cf Chrift, and of his prefent con- cern for the believer while under affliction. As for in- stance, if. Faith reprefents Chrift to a believer under trials, as Sympathizing with him under his diftrefs, feel- ing his pain, hearing his groans, bearing his burden*, and ready to relieve him in in his own appointed time, which it well becometh him to wait for. idly. Faith reprefents Chrift as putting in his almigh- ty arm under the believer's head, and conveying invisible ftrength to fupport and hold him up, under his greateft pre flares. $di'y. Faith reprefents Chrift as pleading the afflicted believer's caufe with Coel, and anfwering all the charges cv the law, the chaiie iges of confcience, and accufations of fatan a<;?iinft him. j.Mr. Faith repiefcnts Chrift as {landing by the fur- nace as a refiner where his gold is melting, carefully over-? feeing the tria'3 of his people, that they may work for their good: and re--Iy to bring them out thereof, when \ they are fiiffirisntly purified from their drofj. cthly. Faith reprefents Chrift as Smiling on his people under the crofs, whifp'erinj peace into their car, and fay- ing, Well done, good and faithful fervant. Direction v. Labour to bear with patience, whatever load of trouble the Lord appoh.ts for you. -,& 11 7 E fhall, perhaps, obferve fi>me who are Strangers to V V religion, contentedly endurii £ very paiiifui evils; Afflicted Man's Compan'u':. 53 and this they may do by virtue of a natural hurdinefs and refulution which fome are endowed with, or upon the ac- count of arguments furnifhed by human prudence. This is only patience as a moral virtue which Some attain to. But it is patience as a fpiritual grace, or a fruit of tae Spirit, which we muft aim at under our trials; that wc may bear them contentedly from divine principles, to di- vine ends. Now this grace of patience wc muft earneflly beg from God, under heavy afflictions, for it i3 only he that muft work it in us; and therefore he is called the God of patience, Rom. xv. 5. And in order to your attaining of this grace,. I fhall lay before you the follow- ing considerations, which may be ufeful, through the' Lora's blefling, for that end. if. Confider the patience of our Lord Jefus Chrift, under fufferings inexpreffibly greater than yours. When it pleafed the Lord to bruife him, and put him to grief, how patiently did he bear all? according to that remark- able word, ISe, liii. 7. 4< He w*s oppreffed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the Slaughter, and as a fheep before his Shearers is dumb, fo he opened not his mouth." Now, Chrift Suffered as an example of patience, though it was not his chief end ; and furely all the members of the body fhould Study to imitate the head in patience. Did your bleffed ' Saviour patiently endure fuch agonies and preffures of wrath for you $ and will you decline to undergo fome Short pains or ficknefs, in obedience to his commands ? idly. Confider God's fovereignty over you. He is the great potter and you arc his clay; and why may he not do with you as he fleafeth? If your children offend you, you fcourge them, and perhaps do it Sometimes without rcafon ; yet how ill do you take it, when they reiufe- to fubmit ? How will you drive and fpur your horfes under you, and may be Sometimes unreafonably ? Yet they bear ail quietly and make no refiftance. Shall they tike blows from their rr.after, and will not you from your Maker, that has far more power over you? If any challenge you for cruelty to your children or beafts, you take it not E 2 54, Afflicted Marts Companion. well, becaufe you think you may do what you will "with your own, and no man hath a right to quarrel with you: But, hath not God a greater property in you, than you in your children and cattle ? And, will you not patiently fubmit to your wife and abfolate Sove- reign ? ^dly. Confider thy fin as the meritorious caufe of all thy afflictions, however heavy they be. If thou haft t ight thoughts of thy fins, and the aggravations thereof, thy mind may be compofed to a patient fubmiffion to God's hand. If fin be heavy on thee, all thy afflictions will be light. Luther gives this as a reafon why he flighted the rage of the pope and emperor, and all his outward troubles—They are all little to me, becaufe fin is fo weighty on me. Hence it was that Paul complain- ed not at all of his fufferings, as great as they were ; but he eried out much of his fins, Rom. vii. 24. " O wretch. ?I ed man that I am, who fhall deliver me from the body of this death ? Senfe of fin doth fwallow up the fenfe of af- fliftion, as the ocean doth little brooks. For with whom Ihouldft thou quarrel, but with thyfelf, when thou bring- > eft troubles on thyfelf ? This confederation fhould bring thee to refolve and fay with the prophet Micah vii. 9. \ ** I will bear the indignation of the Lord, becaufe I have Sinned againft him. 4-thly. Confider, how Sharp Soever the pains are, you are called to bear, yet they fall infinitely fhort of what you have juftly deferved at God's hands. It is of his in- finite mercy that death and evcrlafting deftruction have not been your portion long fince, and that you are not row roaring under the extremity of his indignation in the bottomlefs pit, together with the devil and his angels. And confequently, whatfoever falls fhort of this, is truly a great mercy ; and is fo far from being ground of quar- reling, that the greateft fufferer on this fide hell,hath juft caufe to admire God's clemency in dealing more favour- ably with him than he hath deferved. e,thly. Compare thy caSe with others that have been, or. ^refently are in diftrefs,. Do not fay there is none ffr fcardly'dealt with as thou art j for thou knoweft not the Afflicted Marts Companion, SB affliction of others. Confider duly the trials of that emi- nent faint Job, in all the circumftances thereof, and fee if you can fay your Sorrow is near So great as his forrow was. Again, compare your cafe with that of the damned in hell, who he and fry in endlefs and ceafelefs flames, fo that they have no reft day nor night, but the fmoke of their torment afcends for ever. And think what a bleff- ing it is, that you are yet in a ftate of falvation, and not delivered over to thefe everlafting burnings, which were the due demerits of your fins, and to which you might long ago have been juftly condemned, had it not been for the patience and long-fuffering of Almighty God, who waiteth to be gracious to guilty finners. When you con- fider thefe thipgs, inftead of being ehffatisfied with the divine difpenfations, you have caufe to blefs God, that matters are not worfe with you, and that you are kept out of hell to this day, where thoufands, no more guilty than you, are prefently roaring in endlefs defparation. Unto thefe considerations I fhall Subjoin Some few help* or advices, in order to the attaining of patience under fore troubles. . i. Labour to get pardon of fin and peace with God, Secured to thy foul, and this will enable you to bear the heavicft crofs with patience. Hence it was that Luther cried, " Smite, Lord as thou wilt, I take all in good part, feeing my fins are pardoned. O! pardon of fin ia the crowning bleffing ! therefore will I bear any thing, I will Swallow up quarrelling into admiring, I will welcome the pruning knife, feeing there is no Sear of the bloody axe to fell me down." 2. Labour to fee God's hand in thy affliction. Do not, like the dog, Snarl at the ftone, but look up to the hand that throws it And Surely a view of the hand 6T a hoh/ God, may Serve to calm all the boiftcrous waves of thy corruption; fo did it with David, Pfalm xxxix. 9. " I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, becaufe thoif djdft it." When he looked to the inftruments and Se- cond caufes of his afflictions, his heart waxed hot, and the fire of his inward paffion began to burn and break out j but when he once cfpisd G«d's hand and Seal to the war- 56 Afflicted Marts Companion. N rant for his correction, he became filent, and pat;ent'.v Submitted to thfc divine w.-lj. 3. Get a humbled and felf-dcnied frame of fpiril, that you may have low thoughts of yourfclrei, and of all your attainments whatfoever. A proud man cannot think of fubmittingto the divine will, bi:t will break before he bow. Hence we fe« a vaft difference betwixt a proud Pharaoh, and an humble Eli, under the rod : The one fays, Who is the Lord, that I fhould ol-y hi in ? But the other faith, // // the Lord, let him do what feemcih him good. 4. Get love to Jefus Chrift. Love is an enduring principle, 1 Cor. xiii. 7. It eadureth all things. It makes the foul, like the kindly child, draw nearer to Chrift, the mere it is beaten. 5. Interpret God's ways and dealings with you al- ways in the beft fenfe. And, lafly, Be carneft in pray- er, that God may conquer your rebellious will, and fi:b- due thofe mutinous rifings of heart within you againft himfelf. Direction vi. Beware of envying wicked men, when* you fee them in htnlth and profperity. THE Pfalmift, when he was chaftened every morning and in great adverfifcy, was liable to this evil, Pfal. Ixxiii. 3. I was envious at the foolifh, when I faw the profperity of the wicked. Corrupt nature doth Strongly incline us to this finful difpofition, especially in the day of fore affliction ; for the Spirit that dwelleth in us, luft- eth to envy, James iv. 5. But, did we rightly confider the ftate of wicked men, we would fee greater rcafon to pity than envy them, in the moft profperous condition: M Why ? The profperity of the fools fhall deftroy them, Prov. i. 32. It makes them forget God, and turn har- dened and fecure in fin, which haftens their ruin. Who would envy a malefactor's going up a high ladder, and being mounted above the reft of the people, when it ii only for a little, and in order to his being turned 1 hanged ? This is juft the cafe of wicked men, :d orer and 1 a, who are | J Afflicted Marts Companion. 57 mounted up high in profperity ; for it in fo, only that they may be call down deeper ir.to de*Jru&ion. Obferve that word, Pfalm xxxvii. i, 2—Fret not thyfelf becaufe of evil-doers, neither be thou envious againft thofe that work iniquity ; For they fhall foon be eut xlown like grafs, &c. And that word, Pfalm xcii. 7—When the wicked fpring as the grafs, and when all the workers of . inquity do flourish, it is that they fhail be deflroyed for- ever. It would be a brutifh thing fo envy an ox his high and fweet pafture, when he is only thereby fitted to the day of flaughter. Who would have envied the beafts of old, the garland and ribbons with which the heathen a- dorned them when they went to befacrificed ? Thofe ex- ternal ornaments of health, wealth, pleafurcs and prefer- ments, wherewith wicked men are endowed, cannot make their ftate happy, nor change their natures to the better. ' Whatever appearance thefe things make in the eyes of the world, they are but like a noifome dunghill covered with Scarlet, as vile and loathfome in God's fight as ever.-— How quickly is the beauty of earthly things blafted ? The triumphing of the wicked is fhort, Job xx. 5. They live in pleafurcs on the earth, for a while ; hut God firts them in flippery places, from whence they foon Slide into ^perpetual pain and anguifh. .They have a fhort time of mirth, but th«y fhall have an eternity of mourning. The , longer their profperity is, their fins are the greater, and their fufferings will be more grievous. But, O believer, it is in mercy to thee, that God doth hedge up thy way with thorns, that thou mayeft not find thy paths; whilft he turns the wicked loofe, and fuffers them to ftray and wander whither they will, to their eternal ruin. God takes this method with thee, to make you meet for an inheritance, and to prepare you for a crown of glory ; but he takes a contrary way with the wicked, to fit them for deftruction ; Therefore you ought not to be fretful under his hand, but thankful. We read of Queen Eliza- beth, when fhe was in prifon, how fhe envied the poor milkmaid fhe saw paffing by, and would have thought h?rfelf happy to have been in her condition ; but had that afRictcd princefs known the glorious reign of forty-four 58 Afflicted Marts Companion. years fhe was foon to enter upon, fhe would not have re- :\ pined at the happinefs of fo mean a perfon. But, O af- flicted believer, it is not a glorious reign for a fet number of years, that is provided for thee ; it is even a reign with glorious Chrift thy Redeemer, for ever and ever: -,, And, haft thou any ground to be difcontented or envious I Direction vii. Guard againfl repining complaints and. difcontented murmurings againfl the Providence ofGodt 1 under heavy ficknefs and aficlion. 1 WE fee, the murmurers and complaincrs are clafTed,i with thofe that walk after their own lulls, Judged ver. 16. I know, the people of God are liable to mur- muring and impatience alfo under affliction ; bnt there is a great difference betwixt them and the wicked. I'll * have occafion to fpeak of believers' murmurings after- •; wards, when I come to fpeak of their cafe in particular; ] but here I fhall handle the fin of murmnring in general, '^ and as it appears mainly in the unrcgenerate, under heavy j affliction. ,* This fin of murmuring is the froth of impatience, an J 1 fcum of difeontent; it is firft cherifhed by repining A thoughts, and then vented by unfuitahle complaints and" fl cxpoftulations, taxing the administration of Providence; I as if God dealt too hardly with us. Our very thoughts^ are audible with God, yea, as loud in his ears, as words J arc in ours ; but it is yet worfe, when repining thoughts - are not crufhed, but fuffered to break out into words ] tending to the dishonour of God. : Quejl. But, it is altogether unlawful to complain of 1Jt affliction, whatever be our cafe ? Anfw. Humble complaints are not murmurings, nor finful in themfelves ; otherwife there would be no room for prayer, and for Spreading out our diftreffed cafe before j the Lord. We find God's children making complaint! in affliction ; but then they do not complain of God, but .! to God, with a humble inquiry into the caufe and mean- '*" ing of bis difpenfations, and laying all the blame upoa , themfelves, as did Job, chap x. i. 2—1 will leave my , Afflicted Marts Companion. 59 complaint upon myfelf; I will fpeak in the bitternefs of my foul, I will fay unto God, do not condemn me ; fhew me wherefore thou contendeft with me. Thus the blefs- ed Son of God himfelf did, in his diftrefs, when he cried, My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me ? But there we may obfei ve, he complains to God, not of God; he hath not a hard word or thought of God, but expref- feth a holy confidence in God, My God, my God; he hath two words of fait:! for one word of fear, he humbly inquires into the caufe of the difpenfation, and defires to bring up his will to God, not that God fhould bring down his will to him—If it be poffible, fays he, let this cup pafs ; however, glorify thy name, provide for thy own glory, and do with me what thou pleafeft. In this mat- ter our Lord doth fet himfelf as an example of patience to us, teaching us to bewe.re of impatient murmuring and quarrelling with God's providence in our affliction; which many times we are guilty of, either when we har- I bour hard thoughts of God's dealings, or break forth into rafh and unadvifcd fpeechcs; when we charge God foolifhly, and complain either of too much feverity, as Ezek. xviii. 2. 25. or too long delay, as Ifa. xlix. 14. or when our complaints arc mixed with unbelief and dif- truft, as Pfalm Ixxviii. 19. or when we complain more of I^our punifhment than we do of our fin, and nothing will fatisfy us but deliverance from trouble. ,. Now.to deter you from thefe murmurings and corn- r plaints in trouble, I Shall lay before you the following con- [ ^derations: if. They wh;0 deferve worft, do commonly complaia and murmur moft, and are mcft ready to thi-ik that they are hardly dealt with. The unthankful Ifraelites were ^ftill murmuring. Ambitious Abfalom was difcontented. Bloody Haman, in midft of all his greatnefs, cries out, What doth all this avail me ? But humble Jacob faith, he was not worthy of the leaft of all ^he mercies and truth which God had Shewed him. Andholy Job bleffes God, and patiently Submiti, when he took from him, as well as when he gave him. idly. Murmuring is a fin that God takes Special notice 60 Afflicted Marts Companivit. of, and lo;;ks on as an injury and affront done immediate- ly againft himfelf. Numb. xiv. 27—I have heard the ^ murmurings of the children of Ifrael, which they mur- ■$■ mar againft me. He that gives ears to the groans of hi own Spirit, doth alfo hear the grumblings of thirr, and will reckon with thee for them. $dly. It can no wife benefit or relieve us in diftrefs. I may fay of finful corcplair.ing, (as Chrift of finful care) Which of you, by complaining, can add one cubit to his ftature ? What eafe or relief can you ge; by cor-trnding ^ with God ? Nay, inftead of ezfing you of your burden, ; it will make it the heavier ; as a child, the more he Strug- - gles with his parents, he is the more beaten. The Ifrael- ', ites were once within eleven days journey of Canaan^ I but by their murmurings they provoked God to leads] them forty years march in the wildernefs before they couluB reach it. qihly. Whatever be your diftrefs, there is no juft ground for complaints, whilft thou haft thy life for a '. prey. Remember that word of the afflicted church,B Lam. iii. 39—Wherefore doth a living man com plain,'a^ man for the punifhmcht of his fins ! A man living, a man upon the earth, a man out ot hell, hath no caufe to com- j plain, whatever be his affliction. For, let him compare ;j his fin arfld puniShment together, he will find tlure is no \ proportion : fin is a tranSgreffion againft the infinite God; puniShment is hut an affliction upon the finite creature: 1 fin Strikes at the very being of God; but pui-.iihment on- ly at the comfort of the creature. So that whatever your pnftifhment be, you have more caujc to give thanks than to complain ; and to fay with Ezra, Thou haft pu- nifhed us lefi than our iniquities deferve. It might have been a thouSand times worfe, if Strict juftice had been the -j rule : It is of the Lord's mercies we arc not confumed. . t cthly. When you murmur under fickr.efs, you quarrd j with the mcSTcnger of' that fovereign God, who gave you your lives, and can take them again when he think* fit; and we know that mcffengtrs ought not to bs maltrea'- ed or abufed, whatever be their commiSSion, aa far ltfj when they are fent upon a good d.-iigu. Now, ifyoul Afflicted Marts Companion. 61 confider the defign of this meffenger and his errand to you, inftead of fretting and quarreling at his coming, you ought rather to blefs God that fends fuch a fuitable harbinger and forerunner, to tell you that death is ap- proaching, and that he vouchfafes to take fo much pains on you, to wean you from the world, and make you will- ing to be gone, by long continued trouble; when he might have Seized you in a violent manner, and driven you away by main force, without ufing any means to obtain your confent. Have not many, who were moft .unwilling to die, at the beginning of a ficknefs, been brought, by the increafe and continuance of it, to be well t ^Satisfied to leave the world, and long to be with Chrift ? And was not this for their advantage ? 6thty. Confider the great evil and finfulnefs of impa- tient murmurings, complaints and qarrelings under afflic- tio*. j. Murmuring hath in it much unbelief and diftruft of God, Pfalm cvi. 24, 25—They believed not his word, but murmured in their tents. They could not believe that the wildernefs was the way to Canaan, that God would provide and furnifh a table for them there, and re- ; 4ieve them in all their ftraits. So it is with us in trouble, ; we quarrel with God's providence, becaufe we do not ' believe his promifes ; we do not believe that this can be V «onfiftent with love, or can work for good in the end. 2. It hath in it unthankfulnefs. While we complain of one affliction, we overlook a thoufand mercies. The If- raelites murmured fo for what they had not, that they unthankfully forgot all they had. Whereas a thankful perfon is fo far from fretting that God doth not give him every thing, that he wonders that God fhould give him ■any thing. I am lefs than the leaft of all thy mercies, faid Jacob ; VVe are perplexed, faid Paul, but not in de- fpair: we have God to go to, which is matter of praife. i But the murmurer unthankfully overlooks all his prefent, * and forgets all his former mercies'; and gives not God thanks for any thing. Becaufe God removes his com- forts, his health, ftrength and eafe for a time ; all the F 62 Afflicted Mail's Colnpanion. years he formerly enjoyed them, though moft unelcfefved. ly, are quite buried in oblivion. 3. It implies much pride and Self-conceit. He that eomplains of God's dealings, fecretly applauds his own defervings. Only by pride comes contention. When men have a conceit of themfelves, they pick quarrels with God's providence, being apt to think they deferve better treatment at his hands : Whereas the humble foul is fen- fible he deferves nothing but wrath, and therefore lays , his hand on his mouth when the Lord afflicts him. ' 4. It involves men into rebellion againft Gcd. When God ftrikes men for fin, murmurs fly in his face, and kick againft his ftrokes, like bullocks unaccuftomed to the yoke. They in fome refpect refcmble that deSperate apoftate Julian, of whom it is written that he Shot up his j darts againft heaven, when he was in diftrefc. They ful-j fil that word, Prov. xix. 3 - -The foolifhneft of man per-1 verteth his way, and his heart fretteth againft the Lord.:} The repining heart boils with rage againft God avd his difpcnfations, like thefe Jews when hungry and hardly beftead, Ifa. viii. 21—They fhall fret themfelves, and curfe;. their king and their God, and look upward m c. It imports much impenitency and unhumblednefl| for fin ; and that we have feen little of the iutrinfic evi!^ of fin; and of our ill-defervings for it. Can we truly believe that our fins deferve hell-fire, and yet impatient- ly repine at fick.iefs, and leffer ftrokes upon our bodies ? 6. It includes much atheifm and blafphemy againft" God, and his infinite perfections in fevcral refpects : (1.) by our impatient murnaurings, we either virtual- ly deny that things here below are governed by God's providence; or elfe, (2.) We tax bis providence with unrighteoufhefs in the management thereof J as if God did withhold from us what i3 due, or inflict on us what we have not deferv- ed. Oh what atheifm is this 1 Shall not the Judge of. all thcearth do right ? May he not, upon the juftefti ground, anfwer every murmur, as Matth. xx. 13—Friend^ I do thee no wrong ! (3.) We in effect giafp at the Sovereignty, sad ufmt» Afflicted Marts Companion. 63 the throne of the moft high God, and would have the difpofal of things in our hands ; yea, we prefume to fum- mon God to our bar to give account of his adminiftrati- on, when we take upon us to quarrel at any of his difpen- falions. Alas, we little remembered that wo is pronoun^. ced againft fo doing, Ifa. xiv. 9—Wo unto him that ftri- veth with his Maker; fhall the clay fay to him thatfafh- ^oneta it, What makeft thou ? or thy work, He hath no .' hands ? (4 ) We on the matter, take fin's part againft God ; wc either juftify it, or extenuate its evil, and alledge, by our murmurings, that God is unrighteous to punifh ■/■ fuch Small fins with fueh heavy afflictions (5 ) "We virtually queftion God's power to reach us a a greater blow, when we enter the lifts with God, and contend with our Maker ; is it not in effect to Say, we know how to reduce him to our terms, or make our par- ty good againft him. (6.) We difparage his wifdom, and take upon us to he his counfellors, as if we could inftruct him better in the management of affairs, and teach him what is fit to be done with his creatu-es. Hear what the Lord faith, Job xi. 2 - Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty, ia- 4 ftruct him ? He that reproveth God, let him anfwcr it. t Murmuring is a reproving of God, and a charging him with ill conduct, faying, in effect, with Abfalom, There is none that takes Care to order mens affairs : O that I were king of the world! then fhould things be better or- dered than they now are. So blafphemous is the lan- guage of our impatient murmurings. Let us therefore be afhamed of them, and abhor ouifelves in duft and afhes for our foolifhnefs in cenfuring the actions of the only "*wife God. Shall a poor ignorant paffenger that under- stands not the ufe of the compafb, be angry that the Skil- ful pilot will not fleer the veffel according to his pleafure? (7.) We hereby Slight and undervalue the riehes of divine goodneSs, of which we have formerly Shared, and do ftill partake : Like foolifh and petti fh children, if they rjJ|annot have their will, or get fome thing* they want, do 64 Afflicted Marts Companion. prefently throw away the things which they have, Say- ing with unthankful Haman, All this availeth me nothing. Lnfly, I might add, This fin hath fome refemblance to hell itfelf; for there the damned do continually vex and torment themfelves with their fretting and impatient thoughts, which caufe them to break out in fearful rage and blafphemy againft God. Quejl. But how fhall we prevent fuch difcontented murmurings ? for fometimes trouble is So great, we can- not bear it patiently. Anfw. God hath given you reafon, to bear rule over pafiion, and furniflied you with Strong arguments to pre* vail againft difcontents. Why then fhould you be fo bru- tifh as to dethrone reafon, and Suffer fenfe and paffion to . govern in you? Are you not chriftians, and fworn to.1 live according to the. rules of that excellent religion?1 Why then do you act fo contrary to your profeffion and \ engagaments ? iiefides what I have already faid, I Shall add fome few , remedies more, fir the cure of this murmuring diftemper. if. Look on thy murmuriugs as worfe than all thy pains and troubles whatfoever; thofe are but affliction^ from God, but thefe are fins grievous and provoking un- to God. i idly. Remember the judgments which murmuring ( hath brought down from heaven upon finners. Miriam was Smitten with leprofy for it; Dathan and Abiram were fwallowcd up alive; fiery ferpents, plagues, and ex» clufion from Canaan, were lfrael's judgments for this fin, I Cor. x. ic—Neither murmur ye, as fome of them mur- mured, and were deflroyed of the deflroyer. The ar- rows which murmurers fhoot againft heaven, do fooa re- turn upon their own heads. %dly. Whatever thy fufferings are for the prefent, yet ftill believe thy cafe might be worfe. The troubles that light upon the body are nothing fo terrible as thofe that light on the foul, Prov. xviii. I i—-A wounded Spirit who ( can bear ? They are nothing to what thy innocent Savir ' our Suffered upon the crofis, yea nothing to what fome martyrs have endured for the truths of the gofpel. Afflicted Marts Companion. 65 tfthly. Get very low thoughts of yourfelf, and a deep fcnfe of ill-defervings for fin. O ! fliould a fire-brand of hell murmur for temporal afflictions iJ $thly. Be ftill examining thyfelkflather than cenfuring God. Doth God feem to neglefir thee, fay alas ! it is moft juft ! Have not I neglecteyhim, and given a deaf -ear to his calls many a day ? 6thly. Bear in mind that thefe troubles will not laft, there is a great change near ; either they will iffue in life or death. If life, you will be afhamed you had no more patience when fick ; f death, then if you belong to Chrift, it will give a finlfhing ftroke to all troubles and complaints, and heaven will make amends for all. But if you be not in Chrift, whatever your afflictions he now, j troubles a thoufand times worfe are abiding you in ano- ther world ; death will turn thy croffes into pure unmix- , ed curfes ; and then, how gladly wouldeft thou return to" thy former afflicted ftate, and purchafe it at any rate, were there any poffibility of fueh a return ? You now fly out in a paffion, and fay, you are not able to bear what you complain of: But confider, if you will not obedient- ^ ly bear God's reds now, you will then bear more, whe- ther you will or not; and God will make you able to bear more, when there will never be any hopes of relief. fthly. Study to give vent to thy Sorrows in a way of prayer and praife. An oven ftopped-is the more hot within ; but the breath of prayer or praife gives eafe. If we did complain more to God, we fhould complain lefs of God. What a mercy is it that you have ftill God to go to ? improve the privilege, confefs unworthinefs, and beg the grace of patience and fubmiffioa out of Chrift's full treafures, Be alfo praifing God for mercies receiv- ed ; and however bad thy cafe is, blefs God it it is not iu kiell, you are in the land of hope. * F2 <36 4fflictc:J Marts Companion-. v* .^CHAPTER III. Containing fpecitl TDirections to the Children of Gor/r when under Sflknefs or any other affliction. , .Direction i. Let beRcyers efpecially guardagainf faint* ing or defponding under God's afflicting hand. T'HIS is an exhortation which God in a peculiar man- ner directs unto his children, Heb. xii. 5—My Son*, deSpife not thou the chaftening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. / There are two extremes mentioned, defpifing and fainting. I fpoke of the firft before, in Chap. II. Direct. II. It is a duty to feel out affliction, but a fin to faint under in it. God's people may be faint under their trials, when they fink or de- Spond, or give way to fretting or repining under them. In the preceding Direction, I fpoke of the evil of mur- muring in general, here I Shall Speak of the believers' faint ings in particular. I. I Shall inquire whence their fainting under afflictiot doth proceed. II. Bring fome arguments and helps againft thjs evil. 1. As to the firft, Whence thefe faintings in believeail do proceed, if. They proceed from the grievoufnefs 5 of their affliction, and the heavinefs of their burden, which is ready to amaze and ftagger their thoughts, and fink their Spirits with fear and defpondency. Hence did the \Pfalmift complain, Pfal. Ix. 3—Thou haft fhewed thy people hard things : thou halt made Us to drink the wine of aftonifliment. And Pfalm lxix. 2—I fink in deep mire, where there is no Handing ; I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. idly. From the fmallnefs of their fpiritual ftrength, and particularly the weaknefs of their faith, Prov. xxiv. 10—If thou faint in the day of adverfity, thy ftrength is Small. Whence was it that Peter Sainted and began to fink in the waters, but from the weaknefs of his faith ? 1 Matth. xiv. 30, 31. We know not our ftrength, till it be tried. Sometimes we have fuch a conceit of it, that-f Afflicted Marts Companion. '67 we think, Ike Peter, we can walk upon a fea of trouble ; but in a little, behold, Some Su-unfine blalt aflaults our confidence, arid then we faint, or cry^put with him, HJp, Lord, or elfe we perifh. Peter MClToned only upcn the fea, but he did not think of the hjpifterous wind ; and he looked to dangers, more than ^rthe power that was to carry lim through them. ylly- From their in patience of delay, when oViverance is long a coming, it is not*eafy to wait God's 1'eifure, and to keep the heart from defptrate cmsclufions, Pfalm Xxxi. 22—1 faid in my hafleV 1 am cut off from before thine eyes. t- ^thly. From thepo^er of fatan's temptations and furi- ous aflaults. When flkan is fet loofe in time of affliction to throw in his fiery dus fo.-aetinves very heavy and linking to the people of God. > II. In the next pmc£, for preventing and helping this evil ot fai'H-.-.'.g under , let believers confider, if. Hick heavy trioV are all needful for you. Detp waters are nut more neeqful to carry a Ship into the ha- ven, than great affliction* ■ are to carry the veffcls of our fouls into the poit of blifs. Strong wind and thunder are frightful, but they are neceffiiry..to purge the air. One of the fharpeft calamities that ev|r befel Ifrael, was the BabyloniSh captivity, yet even this was in mercy to them; for the Lord faith, Jer. xxiv. 5-^ have Sent them out of this plact, into the land of the Qfi ildeans for their good. Strange 1 Of freemen, to be uia'de prifnners, and that in a ftrange land among the heathen; to be removed far from their own boufes, vineyards, friends, nay, and from the temple of God and his or'dSjftnces; and yet all this for their good I. why? they were hereby effectually wean- ed and broke off from their darling fin of idolatry. idly. Confider, that your affliction, however heavy it be, will foon have an end; Ifa. Ivii. 16—For I will not contend for ever, neither will 1 be always wroth ; for the Spirit fhould fail before me, and the fouls which I have j made. The goldsmith will not let his gold lie any longer in the furnace than it is purified. The wicked have a fea of wrath to drink: but, O drooping believer, take-^ comfort; you have but a cup of affliction, which will * Soon be exhausted. The time is near when all thy trials fhall have an end: In heaven there is no crofs, no com. plaint, no tears nor Sorrows for ever. 1 3 have no eafe or reft from afflictions, tiliyuii lie down in the grave, it is " there the wicked 72 Afflicted Marts Companion. ceafe from troubling, and there the weary be at reft,'J Job iii. 17. . c^hfy. Remember that your afflictions are a part of Chrift's crofs, which your loving Redeemer hath contri- ved /or your good, and hath appointed you to take up and bear with him. Now love to Chrift fhould keep you from wearying to bear off a part of Chrift's crofs, efpeci- ally whe'i he himfelf bears the heavieft end of it, nay, bears you and your crofs both. It is faid of Jacob, .Gen. xxix. 20, that he Served feven years for Rachel, and they feemed to him but a £ew days, for the love he had to her. And, fhall we not endure a few years afflic- tion for our Lord Jefus Chrift, who lived a life of for. rows, and died a curfed death for our fakes? Had we more love to Chrift, his crofs would not be fo tedious .to us. Sthly. Should it not be good news to thee, that there is a deliverance for thee at death from all thy troubles, and that this time is haftening and very near ? Be not anxious for an outgate here in time, for that favours too much of unbelief and love to the world. Doth it not feem to fay, that you wduld be better content to be turn.| ed back again to tha Stormy tumultuous fea of this world, than to be Safely lamied at your reft above ? That you would be gladder of a few temporal mercies on earth, thail^ to enter upon your eternal inheritance with Chrift ? Object. IV. " No wonder (faith one) that I faint un- der my affliction, for I want thefe confolations and Sup- ports which God ufeth to referve for afflicted faints." Anfw. if. If Got^e prefently chaftening you for your fins, you muft he content to feel the bitternefs of fin, before you can tafte of the fweetnefs of God's confo-' lations. ^ idly. Can you faykhat your afflictions have duly hum- jled you, and fitted/ you for comfort ? Have they yet brought you to a wiuingnef6 to quit and renounce all ycur beloved fins, and even to part with all your earthly en- joyments and comforts at God's call, and be content with God in Chrift alone fo-your happinefs and porti m ? It this be not done, your afflictions have not had theirjdue Afflicted Marts Companion. 73 effect, to prepare you for comfort, and till then you can- not expect it. You are in the hands of a wife and Skilful phyfician, who will not toohaftily heal and bind up your fores, fo as to let tbem fpoil and fefter at the bottom $d/y. Though you have no fenfible confolations from. God in your prefent trials, yet you muft ftill labour to keep in the way of duty, and live by faith on his promi- fes. Believe firmly that God is good to them that love him, and that there is forgivenefs with him to the peni- tent Sinner. And if all ftars withdraw their light whilft you are in God's way, then affure yourfelf the fun is near the arifing. Object. V. " But my affliction is fuch, that it difables me from duty, and makes me ufielefs and unprofitable; and this makes me Saint under my burden." Anfw. if. God Sends afflictions never to unfit, but to quicken you for the performance of duty ; to make you repent more thoroughly, pray more fervently, flee to Chrift more earneftly, and mind heaven more intenfely. ;. idly. Ifitbeyour duty to others that your affliction jr incapacitates you for, then remember, if God in his pro- vidence difable you for that, it is no longer a duty incum- bent on you, and you muft not grudjge if God take you off, and put others in your room. God is a free and fo- ' vereign agent, and will be tied to no mean or inftrument whatfomever for carrying,on his work.f Direction ii. Let all the children of God be exemplary in patience and fubmiffwn, ttfc God, under their afflic- tion. I TREATED of patience, and gave fome motives and helps to it, to all afflicted perfoiis in general, Chap. II. Direct. V. But here I Shall bring fome Special argu- ment to Chriftian patience and fubmiflion proper for be- lievers. You that God hath done So much for beyond others, ongbt to Shine in this grace of patience, and be examples to others for it, when God chaftensyou, though with very fore affliction. v _ if. Study patience under affliction : for it h the cor?.- 74 Afflicted Marts Companion. man path and beaten road to heaven, that all the faints have trod, who hare gone thither before you. Behold the print of the foot-fteps of all the cloud of witneffes in this road ; and would ye be fingular, and choofe a way of your own ? When God folemnly renewed his covenant with Abraham, and he had prepared the facrifice, where- by it was to be ratified and confirmed, God made a fmo- king furnace to pafs betwixt the pieces of the facrifice, Gen. xv. 17. to let him know that there was a furnace of affliction attending the covenant of grace and peace, and all that entered thereto. God has appointed that all the Stones of this fpiritual and heavenly building fhall be hewed and polifhed by affliction here ; and we are not to think that God's ordinary way will be changed for us. We muft not think to walk on rofes, when fo many wor- thies have marched through briars and thorns to heaven. idly. Confider, that the greateft afflictions you meet with are confiftent with the love of God, nay, fpring from his love to you. Every Sanctified rod is a gift and roy- al donation fent by the hand of God to you, Phil. i. 29—: To you it is given, in behalf of Chrift, not only to believe on him, but alfo to fuffer for his fake. Now furely, it-, we looked on the cijofs as a gift, an honour, an advantage, and blefling, we would bear it patiently, Pfalm xciv. 12, Bleffed is the man whom thou chafteneft, O Lord. 0 believer, thy temlporal crofs comes from the fame love that thy eternal crown comes from, according to Rev. iii. 19, 21. Men will not take pains to correct Stubborn Servants, but will turn them out of doors ; but love con- strains them to chaftife' their fons. God out of hatred < lets many a Sinner go unpunifhed in this world : Sor, why Should he prune or^refs the tree which he intends for the fire ; the malefacto^efcapes Scourging that is condemned to the gallows, Job xxi. 3—The wicked ii referved to the day of destruction ; they fhall be brought forth to the day of wrath. But it is far otherwife with the children of God. That is a ftrange word which Job hath, Job vii. 17, 18—What is man that thou Shouldeft magnify him; and that thou Shouldeft fet thine heart upon him: And that thou Shouldeli vifit him every morning, andtt^* Afflicted Marts Companion. 75 him every moment? Now, if we compare this place with others in the context, we will fee how he acknowledgeth that the moft overwhelming diftrefs proceeds from the love and care of God, yea, from his fixing his heart tin him, to magnify him, and do him good ; and that for this end he doth chaften him every morning, and try him every moment ; and that with fuch afflictions as for the prefent are fo far from being joyous, as that they give the foul no reft, but even make the man weary of his life ; as he expreffetU what effects his affliction had on himSelf, Yea, it may be obferved in the Providence of God from the foundation of thejworld, that thofe who have had moft afflictions have had moft grace, and the moft eminent teftimonies of acceptance with God. Jefus Chrift the Son of Gq#, had the moft afflictions of any ; and yet the Father always loved him, and was well pleaf- ed with him. # 3<#y. Confider thjj bright examples of patience which God fets before you *in his word. Befides that of his dear fon, the Lord Jefus Chrift, of which I fpoke before; confider the patience of Job, when he was ftript of all earthly comforts, and lifM under the greateft afflictions, yet he calmly falls down and worfhips God, Job i. at. and faid—Naked came I out of my mother's womb, a;>d naked fhall I return : The Lord gave, and the Lord hath j taken away, bleffed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job finned not, nor charged Gdri foolifhly. Confi- der the patience of David, when he was driven from his throne, from his houfe, and from^#od's Sanctuary, and all this by his own fon : yet hoj^robmiSIive is he to God ? 2 Sam. xv. 16—Behold, herP&n I, let him do to me as feemeth good to him. And when Shimei curfed him. and threw Stones at him, he patiently bore it, and would fuffer no harm to be done him fork, faying, as in 2 Sam. xvi. 11—Let him alone, and let him'curfe, for the Lord ' hath bidden him. Confider the patience of holy Eli, when, though he heard Inch news as like a hidden clap .? of thunder made the ears of fuch as heard it, to tingle, and their hearts to tremble, yet he calmly and quietly frvJ&ibmittedto it, i Sara. iii. 18—It is the Lord, let bi:a 76 Afflicted Marts Companion. do what feemeth him good. He doth not fly in God*« face in a paffion, but falls down at his feet in a humble fubmrfiion. Obfei ve alfo the wonderful patience of Aa- ron, when God afflicted him very fore he is filent and fub- ttiiffive under the Lord's hand, Lev. x. 3—And Aaron held his peace. If we confider the greatnefs of the pu- nishment, we will fee the more caufe to commend the gr*atnef3 of his patience. 1. Aaron loft his children 5 not his eftate or worldly fubftance, but his children, thefe are a part of a man's bowels ; other earthly loffci are not comparable to this ; therefore it was that fatan, that cunning enemy,^eferved the lofs of Job's children to the laft onfet, a3 his great mufter-piece and fharpeft attack. How fadly did Rachel lament and weep for het ,| children! Matth. ii. 18—Aardk held his peace. 2. Aaron loft his two fons at once. ' How pathetically did David bewail the lofs of one fon, 2%am. xviii. 33—O my-^ fon Abfalom, my fon, my fon, Secret Aaron loft both his fons together, and faith not one word ; He held his peace. Aaron loft them by a fjidden death, of which he had no warning • Sicknefs iifaally prepares men for the Stroke that is coming by orRth ; but Aaron met with a furprifing blow, yet he held his peace. 4. Aaron's fons were not taken away by an ordinary ftroke of God's hand, but by an extraordinary Supernatural rod; for it ra faid—There went jput fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died/before the Lord, Lev. x. 2. He loft them in fuch a manner as might fpeak forth God's anger; now, a religious fatHlgJuid rather loofe all his children in the favour of God, tlunkjme child in his anger; yet, whatever were the bitt^JIgredients of-this cup* Aaron was not impatient againft God that mixed it for him, but held his peace, becauSe God did it. \thly. To engage you to patience under your trials, do but compare your cafe'fcvith that of others. Do not Say there is none afflicted as you are ; for there are many far deeper plunged in the waters of Mara than you are ; fome are ftill upon the rack and fpend theh whole days and * years in continual fightftig and ftruggling ; as in Pfalm xxxi. ic—My life is fpent with grief and my year* with*: Afflicted Marts Companion* 77 Sighing. Have you fore diftrefs in your bodies ? others have grievous wounds in their fouls. Do you bear the wrath of man ? others bear the wrath of God. You have but one Single trial, others have many twilled together. Some are ftript of all comforts, you have comfort ftill re- maining. You may have had many fad things in your trial, but you have not grJund as yet to complain as the Pfalmift doth, Pfalm m\\\. 7—All thy waves and thy billows are gone oveii^ie. Take a view of what the Son of God, what the •poftles, and what the martyrs and other worthies have endured. They had trial of cruel mockings, fcourging#|fconds and imptifonments : They wandered in defarts, in, mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth, being deftitute, afflicted, tormented. They were tempted, they a*re crucified, ftoned to death,fawn afunder, flain with tnt Sword, &c. And yet how well did they take with Ac crofs ? Saith Paul—We glory in tribulation, Rom. v/2. And what Saith James ? James i. 2—My brethren, cbant it all joy when ye fall into di- vers temptations. Ajif he had faid, Rejoice aye more and more, that you arAfflicted: God is magnifying you, he is vifiting you, doingjfciLgood. taking the more pains on you, and fitting you for glory. Sthly. The consideration of God's former mercies and kindneffes to you, Should engage you to patience in trou- ble, and make you blufh to take any thing ill out of God's hand. Thus Job taught his impatient wife, Job ii. 10—What? fhall we receive goocjj at the hand of God, and fhall we not receive evil ? (fc believer, let not thy afflictions caufe thee to bury fjfj mercies in oblivion.— HasnqtGod brought thee jfcmfatan's family, and put you among his children ; andmft you forget to underva- lue that hour i Hath he ftruck offthy fetters, taken off thy priSon-garments, and Set you^atliberty; and will you be unthankful ? Hath he given thee Chrift for thy trea- fure and portion, and entitled you to his unfearchable riches ; and will you be difcontenjed ? hath he given you the graces of his fpirit, which are more precious than ru- bies ; and will you quarrel wh0h he fmites in fome out- ward things ? hath he made you^anhcir of glory, and pro- G 2 78 Afflicted Marts Companion. vided eternal manfions above for you"; and will you bo fretful for want of fome trifles here ? The view Mofes had of the recompence of reward in heaven, caufed him to choofe to Suffer affliction patiently with the peoplf of God. 6ihly. The time of affliction is ufnally God's graciouj trying feafon with his peopl^ in the time of their rareft comforts and fweeteft foretafteVof heaven, according to 2 Cor. i. 5. Paul and Silas did ntver Sing more joyfully than when they were laid in thfifinner priSon, with their backs torn with Scourges, and their feet faft in the flocks, Acts xvi. 24. And when wa6 ljpthat Jacob faw the an- gels, of God afcending and defeending upon the ladder that reached betwixt heaven and earth, but at the time when he was in a deftitute cafe, flfcced to lie in the open field, having no canopy but the he^ens,and no pillow but a ftoae ? When was it that the tfifce children Saw Chrift j in the likenefs of the Son of ManA walking with them/i but when they were in the furnagefand when it was hot- ter than ordinary ? When was itxhat Ezekiel had a vifi- on of God, but when fitting fohjjlry by the river Chebar in the land of his captra|£? \Pien was it that John got a glorious vifion of Chriurjbut when he was an exile in the ifle of Patmos ? And, when was it that Stephen faw the heavens opened, and Chrift Standing at the right hand of God pleading for him, but when they were ftoning and bruifing him to dealh ? So that the moft remarkable ex- periences of God's kindnefs, that believers get in this world, have been trac^dto the time of affliction : the con- sideration whereof fhouuLmovo every chriftian to wait on the Lord, and bear hisgjfcfc with patience. •jthly. When you are helped to Ariftian patience and fubmiflion under God^ hand, it doth contribute much to the credit of religion,»nd to the conviction of the world, that there is a certain reality in the truths of the gofpel, and a great efficacy in the grace of God, which bears you up, and carries you through, beyond the ftrength of nature. Lafly. O believerj, bear up with patienee under the crofs, for thou haft not long to bear it. God's wrath on Afflicted Marts Companion, 79 the church abideth but for a moment, yea,'a little moment, Ifa. xxvi. 20—Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and Shut thy doors about thee, hide thyfelf as it wereSbr a little moment, until the indignation be over- paft. Sxrcly a moment, a little moment, which is the Smallcft part of time, will foon be over ; and wilt thou not have patience for a mon^nt f The Pfalmift Supported himfelf with this configuration, Pfalm ciii 9—He will not always chide, neithjr will he keep his anger for ever. The time of indignat#n will foon be overp'aft, and.4he time of confolation wilUfucceed. O believer, the end of all thy trials is near, s|ink on it, and look for it. Is it bodily pain or ficknefs that is thy affliction ? then confider the end of it will be either life or death ; if death, then what thou fuffereft is the laft brunt, bear it patiently. Thefe enemies you ndw fee, you will fee them again no more. In the manfiqns above there is no pain nor crying ; the inhabitants therd fhall never fay they are fick ; and' one hour with them wHl make thee forget a'l thy momen- tary afflictions. If thriffuc fhall b# life, you will be afhamed, when well, that you had no more patience whilft fick. , .^^ I fhall clofe this direction with the words of the apof- tle James, James v. 10—Take, my brethren, the pro- £, phets, who have Spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of fuffering affliction, and cf patience. Behold we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have feen the end of the • Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. Direction iii. Let believers Be much employed in the praifes of God, while they are under affliction, by fick- nefs or otherwife. AS we fhould blefs the Lord % all times, and keep up good thoughts of God on every occafion, fo efpci- ally in the time of affliction. He^jee we are commanded to glorify the Lord in the fires, Bfi. xxiv. 15. And this the three children did in the hotteft furnace. So Job , bleffed God when he had taken few.ay his greateft com- 80 Afflicted Marts Companion. forts, Job i. 21. And this is agreeable to that command, I Theff. v. 18—In every thing give thanks. I grant in. deed we cannqt give thanks for affliction, as afflicton, but cither as it is th« means of fome good to us, or as the gracious hand of God is fome way remarkable therein to- wards us. In this refpect there is no condition on this fide of hell, but we have"cafce to praife God in, even in the greateft calamities. Henllgt was that David, when he fpeaks of his affliction, Pfalqtcxix. 67, adds prefent* ly—-Thou art good and doft gjod. And he declares, ver. 65—Thou haft dealt Well v*th thy fervant, O Lord, according unto thy word. Herr§t Paul and Silas piaifed God when they were fcourged and impriSoned. Well then, O believer, obey the command of thy God, and imitate his worthies, by praifing God under thy af- fliction. 1. This practice would* be very pleafant and acceptable to God ; for as. mufiCfcs fweeteft on the wa- ters, fo praife is moft agreeable toiGod from an afflicted foul on the waters of trouble, it is a fign of a noble and ! generous fpirit, to Sing the prwfes of God's goodnefs,; while his hand is afflicting us. , TJiftrefs and danger will make the wickedeft topjpy ; 1nvt it is a principle of love I and gratitude that makes the foul to praife. 2. It wouldj bring credit to religion, to fee faints thankful and praif-* ing God under the crofs ; it would make people fay, furely they find fweetnefs in God and his ways, that we fee not; they havemeat to eat that the world knows net of. And this wquld invite Strangers to come and try a religious life. The»joyful praifesofthe martyrs at the (takes, and in the flames, made people go home with lore to religion in their heaKflk 3. If the iffue of your af- fliction Should be death, this employment of praife would be a fweet preparatire to fit and difpofe you for the work of heaven. Ufe yourfelf much to this heavenly life, and be oft trying to finglhe fong of Mofes and the Lamb in time of ficknefs anu trouble; and this would fweeten the thoughts of death, and make you incline to be there, where praife is their a"ny days of health for one day of ficknefs. And are not; thefe to be remembered with praife ? idly. And more particularly, in thy greateft affliction, thou haft ground to praife God, O believer, thou waft born in a land of light, where thou hadft the means of 1 converfion to God, and acquaintance with Jefus Chrift ; and efpecially, that God of his free.grace made thefe means effectual to work a Saving change on you, when others were paffed by. I3 not this matter of praife, that : he opened your eyes, humbled your foul, and renewed your heart ? that he gate you Chrift, forgave your fins, -and adopted vou into his family, and made you an heft* of heaven ? Oh 1 what a fad cafe would it be, if you were yet in your fins, and in the bondage of Satan ; if you had conversion work to begin to, if you had your faith and ifhiftification and intereft in Chrift all to Seek, and all your •preparations Sor heaven to make : if you had all this to 'do with a fick and pained body, and a' disordered mind that cannot command one fettled thought with the ter- rible view of death and eternity befor%your eyes. This is the cafe that God in juftice might have left you to.—- Well then, ought you not to praife God, that fent his Holy Spirit in time to determineyo.ur heart to clofe with Chrift, and be reconciled to that God you are fhortly to . appear before; and that thefe fins^ which now would have been your terror are all forgiven and wafhed away, through the blood of Jefus Chrift A- 3 13 the main working feafon, and all fhould be then by-hand ' as - far as poffible. But, feeing even the beft generally*! find much to do at the very laft, I fhall give the follow- j >ng advices for your actual preparation. i if. Seeing ficknefs is a mean appointed of God for ; his people's good, and particularly for fitting them for a , better world ; labour earneftly to reap the benefit of fick- nefs, feek God's blefling upon it, that thereby you may be helped to difcover more of the evil of fin, that you may hate and abhor it the more, and that you may fee the .; more effectually the vanity and vexation of the world, and §et your He^rt loofed from all the things of time, and rought to a willingnefs to be diffolved, that you may be with Chrift. J idly. Seeing the time of ficknefs and death is the time of your greateft need, beg earneftly of God, for your Re- ' deemer's fake, fuch fpecial affiftance, influences and ope- rations of his holy fpirit, as he knows needful for you in your prefent low and weak condition, in order to carry on and complete your actual readinefs for meeting with him- felf at death, and entering into the invifible world, and being fixed unalteraWy in your everlafting ftate. $dly. Renew the exercife of repentance, and of faith «1 in the blood of Chrift, for removing all grounds of quarrel and controverfy betwixt God and your foul. And in order thereto, review your paft life, and look into your heart alfo, and Search out every predominant fin and idojll Afflicted Marts Companion. 8j of jealoufy ; for if there be any iniquity regarded in your heart, and unrepented of by you, it may occafion no little anguifh andbittenefs of fpirit in a dying hour. Well, when thou haft difcovered fin, humbly confefs and- bewail it before the Lord, and afk forgivnefs for it thro* the blood of Jefus Chrift the Son of God, which cleans- eth from all fin. Yea, make confeffion of all thy fins, and particularly reflect upon the fountain and fpring of them, viz. thy originalfn. Know the plague of thine own heart, and mourn over it, mourn forthe lofs and mis-fpend- ing of much precious time. Mourn for the unprofitable- ncfs of thy life. Now when the ax is laid to the root of the tree by ficknefs, it is high time to mourn for your unfruitfulnefs under the means of grace and waterings of the holy Spirit. Mourn for your finning againft fach light and love as have been many days displayed to you in the glorious gofpel. And, in a fpecial manner, mourn • for your fins of omiffion, which commonly are but little ,. -. minded by U9. Thus mourn for all thy fins, till thou doft water thy couch with tears. It is moft fuitable that death fliould find every man, even every child of God, in the exercife of mourning and repentance: for they that thus fow in tears fhall eternally reap in joy. But .lee that your tears run much in the gofpel channel, and flow from the believing views of a crucified Chrift, whom you have pierced by your fins. And in the midft of your mourn- ing, be ftill aiming to take faith's gjrips of the clefts of this rock, for fheitering thy foul from the guilt of by paft fins ; Say, "Lord Jefus, I have no refuge but thy wounds, no fountain but thy blood, no covert but thy righteouf- nefs. And feeing thou freely makeft offer of thy merite for my protection and inviteft even the chief of finners t» come unto thee, faying, Look unto me, and be yefaved; Lord, I embrace the offer, and flee to thee to cover me.'' O believer do this, not once or twice, but do it a hundred times over : do it as long as thou baft breath to draw in the world. Be ftill breathing to the very laft, after a a ucified Jefus" for relief againft the guilt of fin, which thou art always contracting ; and wilt be till the earthly houfe of this tabernacle be diffolved, H $6 Afflicted Marts Companion. 4-thly, In order to your actual readinefs to go forth to meet the bridegroom, when coming td you by death, you muft do as the wife virgins, Matth. xxiv. 7. " Arifc and trim your lamps." As it is not enough to have a fair lamp oSa profeffion, fo it is not fuflkient to have only "the oil of grace in the lamp; nay, or to have it burning in fome degree. There is more rcquifite at this time, that the foul may be actually ready ; the lamp muft be trimmed, which imports, if A fupplying it with more oil; you muft feek to have your grace increafed, to have new degrees, new Strength, and new fupplics of grace given you from Godj to fit you for the laft conflict with your Spiritual enemies, and efpecially the laft enemy death. idly It imports a Stirring up of the oil, and railing the wick fome higher: So there mult be an exhortation of grace, which may be in alow declining condition: you J muft endeavour to ftir and raife it up to a more lively ex- ercife, and moVe elevated acts. Stir up the gift that is in thee: i make the oil burn clear and fhine bright. Bring faith, love, repentauce and holy defires, to a lively exercife. idly, , This trimming imports the cleanfing of the lamp, by taking away the dead allies that hinder the light, or pre- *• vent its burning fo clearly as otherwife it would. So you muft labour to take away the dead afhes of corruption, •that hinder the Shining of grace : remove all unbelief, earthlinefs, deadnefs, felf, and formality, and whatever elfe doth Supprefs the exercife of faith, love, and heavenly mindednefs: let all theSe dead afhes be fnufled away by repentance.and mortification. As you ought to ftrive earneftly againft all thefe heart-evils in time of health, fo now labour to give them a dead ftroke when death's har- binger gives you a fummons. $lhlyt Be diligent ingathering andfumming up.allyour evidences for heaven and eternal life, that fo you may not venture into the dark valley at an uncertainty. The com-* fort of dying will much depend on the clearnefs of yonr , evidences; it is therefore your wifdom to examine them' carefully, and fee if you can fay, " I know m whom I have helieved; I have confented with my Soul to the method of falvation laid down in the covenant of grace, I am defiro»s Afflicted Marts Companion. S7 that the glory of it Should be eternally aScribed to the free grace of God, and the creature be wholly ahafed in his fight. I ha?re chofen God for my portion, and Chrift for my only Saviour: and the happinefs which I aim at is, to enjoy God in Chrift for ever. And, in order thereto,- I depend on the holy Spirit to apply the redemption which Jefus Chrift hath purchafed to me, and to Sanctify me perfectly. There is no Sin but what I hate and define to part with. I would rather have more holineSs, than to have health and all the pleafures in the world. I earneft- ly defire the flourifhing of Chrift's kingdom, and prefer Jerufalem to my chiefeft joy." If this your evidences, be clear, you may cheerfully take death by the cold hand, and welcome its grim meffengers and long to be gone that you may be with Chrift. You may fay as Pfalm xxiii. 4.- " When I walk through the valley of the fhadow of death,I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." You may go off the ftage with the Pfalmift's words in your mouth, Pfalm xxxi 5. " Into thine hand I commit my fpirit, for thou haft redeemed me, O Lord God of truth." m6thly, Labour earneftly to overcome the love of life and fears of death, fo as to be content to part with all things here at God's call. O believer, what is there in this earth to tempt thee to hang back, when God calls thee to depart ? While you are here, you may lay your account with many loffes, croffes, difappointments, griefs, and calamities of all forts. Friends will fail you, enemies will hate you, lufts will molelt you, Satan will tempt you, and the world will deceive you. Death 1; the way that the deareft of God's faints, * nd all the cloud of witneffes have gone before you; yea, the Lord Jefus your head hath trod this path and hath taken the fling out of death, and hath paved a way through its dark valley that his people may fafely follow him. Hath X the Captain of your falvation gone before you, and will any of his foldiers fhrink to follow him? Art thou con- tent to remain always at the fame diftance from him, and to enjoy no more of his prefence than now you have? are you Satisfied to live for ever with no more knowledge of God, no more love to Chrift, no more holiness or hea- 88 Afflicted Marts Companion. venly-mindednefs, than at prefent you have? Do ycu not groan under your remaining ignorance, deadntfs, wanderings, pride, pafflon, unbelief, fclfifhnefs, world- linefs, and other fins and lufts that here befet you? And are you not defirous to go to the place where you will be eternally free of them all, and where you fhall never complain of a dull, dead, and fenfelefs frame of heart, Or of any heart-wearinefs or wanderiBgin duty any more? For the heart fhall then be as a fixed pillar in the temphr of God, and fhall go no more out: the eternal adoration' and praifes of God fhall be the foul's delight and element forever. By fuch considerations Strive to conquer the fears of death and defires of life, which are often great clogs to the people of God in their preparations for flit* t, ting. 'jthty, Be oft meditating upon the heavenly glort which Shortly all believers will fee and enjoy. Be much ' in the contemplation of the glorious company above; be- [ hold Chrift upon his glorious throne, at the right hand of God and Abraham, David, Peter, Paul and all the reft of the faithful ones, with their crowns ofrighteouf- ness, triumphing about their Redeemer. Think, O be- \ h'ever, how happy will that day be, when thou Shalt meet with thy father, and brethren, and thou fhalt fee j thy elder brother on the throne, ready to pafs Sentence in thy favour. What melody will that fentence found in thine ears, Come ye blefed of my Father, &c. What frame wilt thou be in, when he fets the crown of glory on thy head! O eternally free love ! wilt thou cry, " O Sa- viour, thou didft wear a crown of thorns, that I might , wear a crown of glory ; thou didft groan on the crofs that I might now Sing. Wonderful See love, that chu- sed me, when thoufands were paffed by; that faved me from ruin, when my companions in fin muft burn in hell for ever." Think how ravilhing it will be to meet with your godly acquaintances in heaven, with whom you prayed, praifed, and converfed here? Will you not then cry out, "O my brethren what a change is here! this glorious place is not like the poor dwellings we had on earth; this body, this foul, this ftate, this place, our Afflicted Marts Companion. S9 clothes, our company, our language, our thoughts, are far unlike thofe we had then ? The bad hearts, the body of death, the corruptions and temptations we then com-' plained of, are all now gone. Wefhave no more fears of death or hell, no more ufe for repentance or prayer, faith or hope; thefe are now Swallowed up in immediate vifion, eternal love, joy and praife." And for thy help, O believer, in meditating on thefe things, read fome part of the book of Revelations, or caufe them to be read to you; and fuppofe with yourfelf you had been a compan- ion with John in the Ifle of Patmos, and had got fuch a view of the glorious Majefty, the bright thrones, the heavenly hods, and fluning Splendour which he faw; the t faints in their white robes, with crowns on their heads and palms in their hands, and heard them Singing the fong of Mofes and the Lamb, and trumpeting forth their . eternal hallelujahs; what a heavenly rapture wouldft thou '. have been in? Well then, O believer, thou Shalt Shortly have clearer and fweeter fights than all thoSe which John or any of the faints ever faw here upon earth. Surely that heavenly glory is a fubject worthy of thy thoughts, and moft fuitable for thee to meditate on in time of fick- nefs, and when in the view of death. Zthly, It would be alfo very fuitable at this time, in order to your actual readinefs for death, {o be frequently r looking out and longing for Chrift's coming. As .Abra- ham flood in his tent door, ready to go forth to meet the angels that were Sent unto him, fo Should the believ- er keep himfelf in a waiting pofture at this time. He fhould be like the loving wife, that longs and looks for the coming of her abfent huSband, according to his let- ters to her. By this time (thinks fhe) he will be at fuch a place, and againft fuch a time he will be at another place, and foin a few days I will fee him. In the char- acter of believers, they are fuch as love his appearing, 2 Tim. iv. 8. Theydefire his coming, Cant. viii. 14. Make ■ hafte, my beloved: even fo come, Lord Jefus, come qiatk- '. If. Believers Should look upon themfelves as pilgrims here, wandering in a wildernefs, ahfent from home, and at a diftance from their father's houfe j and in time of pf- H 2 90 Afflicted Marts CompanUn. fliction it is very proper for them to be crying as David doth, Pfal. Iv, 6. " O that I had wings like a dove ! for then would I fly away, and be at reft ; I would haften my efcape from the windy umpeft." " O when Shall the time of my pilgrimage, and the days of my banifh- ment be finifhed, that I may get home to my country and and friends above ! Oh! my Lord is gone, my Saviour hath left the eaith, and entered into his glory! my friends and brethren are gone to their blcffed reft, where they fee God's face, and fing his praife for ever: and, how can I be willing to flay behind, when they are gone ? Mult I fee finning here, when they are ferving God above? Mull I be groaning and Sighing, when they are triumphing and dividing the Spoil? Surely 1 will look after them, aid cry, O Lord, how long ? when Shall I be with my Savi* our and my God ? Direct, v. Let believers in time of fcknefs endeavour ,:U they can to glorify God, and edify thofe that arc about themt by their fpeech and behaviour. IF ever a child of God be active to promote the honor and glory of God, it Should be in time of ficknefs, and when death may be approaching. And there is good reafon for it; for if, This may be the laft oppor- tunity that ever thou Shalt have to do any thing for God,' and therefore thou fhouldft ftudy to improve it to theut- moft. Heaven, to which thou art going, is the place where thou Shalt receive thy reward; but thoucanft have no accefs there to advance God's glory, by commending God and Chrift, and religion to finners, or weak believeri. Upon this account, many of God's children have been content to fufpend their heavenly happinefs for a while, and to flay upon the earth for fome longer time. I have read of a certain martyr, when going to fuffer, who expreff- ed fome forrow that he was going thither, where he Should do his God no more fervice, to wit, in the Scnfe above explained. And of another, that faith, '* If it were poffible there could be place for any griefin heaven, it would arife from the Chriftian's coniidering, that he did So little for God while he was upon the earth," Now Afflicted Marts Companion. 91 is the working feafon, O believer, be bufy while it laftr, according to the example of thy bleffcd Saviour, John ix. 4. "I muft work the work of him that fent me, while k is day; for the night cometh wherein no man can work." This confideration fhould make thee be ftir thyfelf with the greateft activity, like Samfon before his death, who, when he could have no more opportunity to Serve God and his church, he cried to God, and faid, Judges xvi. l9, uO Lord God, remember me I pray thee, and ftrength- en me this once." And, then, he bowed himfelf with all his might, to pull down the pillars of Dragon's temple, being willing to facrifice his life to the ruin thereof. idly, The holy fpeech and carriage of dying believers, may, through the blefling of God, make deep impreflion upon the hearts of unregenerate men that are witneffes to them. Thefe who have derided the people of God for the ftrictnefs of their lives, and defpifed their counfels and reproofs, as proceeding from humour or precifenefs ; yet have begun to notice their words and actions, when they have feen them oa Sick-beds, and on ttrF borders of eternity, and to have other thoughts of religion and holi- riefs than formerly they had. Now they think the man is in good earneft, and fpeaketh the thoughts of his heart; and, if ever he can be believe'd, it muft be now. It is moft convincing to carnal perfons, to fee believers bearing up with patience is their ficknefs; to hear them fpeaking good of God, commending his ways, and rejoicing in God as their portion, in midft of all their fharpeft pains; to fee them behaving as thofe that are going to dwell with Chrift, fmiling and praifing God, when friends are fighing and weeping about them. This inclines them to think, furely there muft be a reality in religion, there is a vifible difference betwixt the death of the righteous and of the wicked. Hence a wicked Baalam wifhed to die the death of the righteous, and to have his laft end like his. 11 left a conviction upon that young man's confcience, who faid to his loofe companion, after they had vifited godly Am- brofe on his death-bed, and faw how cheerful he was, and triumphing over approaching death. " O that I might live with thee, and die with Anabrofe!" Nay, fuch 92 Afflicted Man's Companion. fights might draw them not only to defire to die the death of the righteous, but alfo to refolve to live their lives. If carnal men faw believers going off the ftage with fuch confidence and joy, as becomes thefe that are entering into eternal reft with Chrift, and thefe that are going out of a howling wildernefs to a glorious Canaan; it might be a powerful invitation to them to go and. feek after the fame felicity. ' ^dly, This likewife would be very edifying and con- firming to all that fear God. How much would in con- tribute to eftablifh them in the practice of holinefs, and to quicken them in their diligence in ferving and glorify* - ing God in the days of their health, to hear a dying be- liever fay, " Of all the time which I have ever lived, I have no comfort now in reflecting upon one hour, but what I fpent in the fervice of God. Were I to begin \ my life, I would redeem time more carefully than ever, \ One hour in communion with God, is far fweeter than , many years fpent in worldly plaafores. Come here, then, all ye that fear God, and I will tell you what he hath done for my foul. O tafte and fee that God is good?" r« ^thly, Confider the examples of God's children in forA mer ages, how ufeful and edifying their words have been/H at fuch a time, to all round about them. But this head I intend to infift fully upon afterwards. > S>uef. But how fhall I behave fo as I may glorify ' God and edify others, when I am fick or dyiag? I would j have fome particular directions for it. Anfw. if, You may do this by your patience under pain, and fubmiflion to God's will, with refpect to the event, whether life or death. It is ftumbling to othcrt, to fee believers fretful in trouble, and unwilling to leave the world, when God calls them. But it is moft con- vincing and confirming to fee them frankly refighing themfelves to God's difpofal, faying, " Let God him- felf choofe for me: he is wife, and knoweth beft what is needful and moft proper for me: I have no will but God*s wilLM For any man to defire to live when God calls him to die, or to defire to die when God calls him to live, is equally a fign of cowardice: for he that defire* to Afflicted Marts Companion. 93 lire, is afraid to look death in the face; and he that de- fires to die, would flee from fome calamity, and take Shel- ter in death. But he is the moft valiant man that can die willingly when God would have him die, and live as will- ingly when God would have him live j this is true chris- tian valoor. idly, By pious exhortations and warnings to thefe that ate about you. It may be the laft occafion you may have of glorifying God in this way. O do not loofe the feafon which may be ufefully improven to the good of fouls. For thus a believer may bring more honour to God, and more advantages to precious fouls by his fick- | Hefeand death, than ever he did by all his health and life in the world ; for their fpeeches have more weight with people at fuch a time than any other. Hence the Patri- archs, knowing the prevalency of fuch words, do urge / Jofeph with Jacob's dying charge, Gen. i. 16, 17, "And '* they fent a meffenger unto Jofeph, faying, Thy father did command before he died, faying, So fhall ye fay unto ■ Jofeph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trefpafs of thy brethren,"&c. And as we ought to be ready to give good \ counfel to all when we lie on fick beds, fo efpecially we fhould be concerned for children and near relations, they r are more affected than others with our fickness, and fo will they be with our fayings ; our admonitions may do them good when we are rotting in the dull. Quefl. What ought to be the subject of our difcourf- es and exhortations to others at fuch a time ? Anfw. i ft, It is very proper to be much in commend- * ing the matter you have ferved, and the excellency of his fervice, to thofe that are about you. "flft them of the equity and goodnefs of thefe laws which you have obey- ed, and of the bounty and faithfulnefs of that Lord • whom you have worftiipped, loved, and praifed; and of the greatnefs and eternity of that reward you are going to poffefs. Let the children of God extol their father, and his care of them, and kindnefs to them. Let the ranfomed of the Lord magnify their Redeemer, and his wonderful love and fufferings for them. Tell others what fweetiiefs and Satisfaction you have found in your own 94 Afflicted Matfs Companion. experience in attending God's ordinances, and in Secret duties; what comfort you have found in Chrift, and thd promifes of his covenant. And thus let your laft breath be fpent in exalting and commending Chrift and religion to others. idly, Be warning others of the vanity of the world, and of all its wealth and pleafures. Tell them that they may fee by your cafe, that thefe things which people are bewitched with in the day of their health, can fig; nify nothing to a a fick or dying man ; they cannot eafe us in, our pains, they can afford no peace to a troubled foul, they cannot lengthen our lives one hour, and far lefs can they fave from the wrath of an angry God. "Oh," may you fay, " what a miferable cafe had I been in at this time, if I had no better portion than this world, and nothing elfe to look to but its riches and pleafures! Wherefore, Sirs, fet not your hearts upon it, but for- fake it before you are forfaken by it, and make choice of( that which will be fi-ipporting to you in the evil day." $dly, Be warning them of the evil of fin, and what mif- chief and deceitfulnefs you have found in it. Tell therfl|i that though the devil and the flefh would tempt you to look upon fin as a harmlefs thing, yet the pleafure wiU foon be gone, and a Sharp fling will be left behind. Sin will appear no light matter, when the foul is going hence■ into the awful prefence of a holy God. You would give a thoufand worlds then for Chrift, and the blood of atone-. ment to anfwer for your fins. ^thly, Tell them of the great difference betwixt the godly and wicked man's choice. The godly man chufetWJ the better parvthat cannot be taken from him ; he lays up his treafure in heaven where none can reach it, fo that it yields him rich fupplies when ficknefs and death come upon him. But O how foolifh is the wicked man's choice, that for a moment's fleftily pleafure, doth loofe his im- mortal foul, and everlalting happinefs! Warn them to mind the one thing needful "in time, and not to pamper their bodies for the worms, but to fet themfelves prefent- ly to clofe with the offers of Chrift, and make lure an intereft in his righteousnefs to •ever them in the cvildaji! Afflicted Marts Companion. 95 -phly, Be telling them of the evil of floth and negli- gence in the work of their falvation : and be exhorting .them to mind it, and do it with all their might. For •however fome may centre and deride God's people now for their ftrictnefs, diligence, and zeal in the matters of ■religion; yet when they come to die, they will be ready to wifh that they had been more diligent in falvation work; that they had loved God, fled to Chrift, and had fought and ferved him with all their hearts and fouls: and to cry, "O for a little more time! O if God would re- -cover and try us once more with health, how diligent would we be !" And tell them that thefe who have been oft ferious and painful in falvation work, yet when they come to die, do much lament their floth and negligence : yea, thefe that have been moft reproached by the world for their diligence and fervency, do often wifh at that time, " O that we had been a thoufand times more dil- igent and laborious in God's fervice!" 6thly, Labour to perfuade others of the preciousnefs of time, the wifdom of improving the time of youth, and '. of health; and the great folly of delaying repentance, and putting it off to a fick bed, faying to them, " I now find by experience, that a time of ficknefs is a moft unfit afon to do any thing to purpofe for the foul; my mind is fo diverted and indispofed for fpiritual work by fick- nefs and pain, that I cannot attain to any fuitable com- pofure for it. And how miferable were I, if I had all [, ray work to begin at this time 1 O take warning, and improve precious time, and efpecially the day of the gof- pel, the time of the Spirits ftrivings, and the time of youth, which is the moft ufual feafon orthe converfion of fouls, and of bringing finners into acquaintance with Jefus Chrift. Direct, vi. Let God's children, when fck and dying, be , txprefjing a great concern for the advancements of the king- N dom of Chrif, and of true religion in the rifing generation. ZEAL and public fpiritednefs for Chrift's intereft is very becoming his people in all the periods of their life, but more efpecially at this time. When Chrift is 96 Afflicted Marts Companion. ready to take you to his kingdom in heaven, O be not unmindful of his kingdom on earth. It would be accepr> able to God, and pleafing in the fight of men, to fee yo» exprefling a warm concern for the rifing age, and for pro- moting the welfare of the fouls of your children, and others that furvive you : and feeiug you can be no longer ufeful to thefe you leave behind, by your counfels, exam- pies, or prayers, as formerly ; do your utmoft for them now. And this concern the children of God in time of ficknefs may evidence feyeral ways. if, By earneft prayers to God, both for the profperity of his church, and the flourishing of religion in general, and alfo for your children and relations in particular, that' they may be a holy feed, and a generation to ferve God, and fhew forth his praise in the world, when you are gone off the ftage. idly, By intrufting the care of your children's eduen tion to fuch tutors and guardians as will be much concern-1 ed for their fouls, and will St before them godly exam- ples and inftruAions in their young and tender years. $dly, By filling your latter.wills and teftaments with many pious advices and folemn charges to your children and relations, with refpect to their ferving of God, and worfhipping him in their families, and in fecret ; fo u they can never look into your teftaments, and the lega- cies left to them, but they will hear Something that may' be affecting, upftirring, and edifying to their Souls. ^thly, By' honouring the Lord with your fubftancc,, and leaving fonfething of what God hath bleffed you with ' to pious ufesj; particularly for the religious education of, the children ofjthe poor, for buying Bibles for them, and* other good books ; and for propagating of Chriftian i knowledge in ignorant places, fuch as the highlands and iflands, by erecting .and maintaining Schools thereind ..which glorious work is happily begun, and pretty faridJ vanced by that honourable fociety at Edinburgh, whofcl treafurer is ready to receive donations from all fuch as* the Lord pleafeth to move to make a free-will offering for j promoting that pious defign. Many pious perfons have contributed already thereto j and it were defirable that Afflicted Man's Companion. 97 * others, whom God hath enahled for it, fhould mind it be- fore they die; for by fatal experience we may obferve, that the moft godly parents do not know how their chil- dren will employ the eftate they leave them, whether as fuel for their lufts, or as oil to feed the lamps in God's fanctuary. It is proper for themfelves then, before they go off the ftage, to difpofe of fome part of their fubftance, for the glory and fervice of thai God who gave it unto them. $thly, It might contribute to promote piety, and to make the deeper imprefiions upon the minds of your chil- dren and friends, if under the warnings of death, you Should imitate the example of the prophet Elijah, who in. his life time made a writing which he procured to be deliv- ered to king Jehoram after his death, 2 Chron. xxi. 12. So in like manner you might write letters, and leave them in the hands of your friends and executors, full of advi- ces, charges, admonitions, confolations, or threatnings, to be delivered to your children or friends, upon occalion either of their good or bad canverfation after your death: which probably would be more regarded by them, than the counfels you gave them in the time of your life : for in fome refpect they would be received and read by them, as if they were letters from heaven. 1. Direct, vii Let the children of God labour to fortify themfelves what they can againft all Satan's temptations and affaults, which they may expect to meet with in time offeknefs and affliction. A TIME of affliction is commonly a time of-tempt- ation : for the old ferpent knows the fitteft feafons for affaulting the children of God ; and he will not be wanting to improve this opportunity of advantage fwr Set- ting upon the poor foul. When Pharaoh heard that the people were entangled in the wildernefs, he purfued them ; fo, when Satan fees a foul entangled with diltreffes and troubles, he thinks it high time to make an attack. He fceks to winnow and lift away the believer's grace, and therefore he comes when the corn is a threfhing by the rod. When Job was Smitten in his eftate, health, §8 Afflicted Marts Companion. ind all other comforts, then this coward falls upon him, f and tempts him to impatience, murmuring, and wrong thoughts of God. At this time, O heliever, you have fpecial need to be on your guard, and look out. Reckon always, whea ficknefs or trouble cometh, the prince of this world com- «th, alfo. Stand then to your defence, and put on your armour, efpecially the Shield of faith, that you may be able to quench the fiery*darts of the devil. You have need at this time to put in practice our Lord's direction, " Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation." Pray for wifdora and Skill to counteract him, and that yon may not be ignorant of his devices ; and pray particularly for grace to make you proof again ft all his falfe represen- tations of God and his providence to you; for he that .durft reprefent Job falfely to an all-Seeing and all-know- ing God, will with much holdnefs reprefent God falfely to you, who fee and know fo little. He will be ready to tempt you to think that God is angry with you, and deal- ing with you as an enemy. Thus was Job tempted, Job xxxiii. 10, n. " Behold he findeth occafions againft me, jit counteth me for his enemy: he putteth my feet in the flocks, he marketh all my paths." But obferve what Elihu anfwers, " In this thou art not juft: God is greater than man. Why doft thou Strive againft him ? for he giveth not account of any of his matters." But feeing I Spoke before of the wrong thoughts of God, which we are apt to harbour in time of affliction, Chap. II. Direct. 3. I fhall proceed to fpeak of fome other temptations wherewith Satan doth affault God's people when in dif- trefs, and furnifh fome anfwers thereto. * 1. Saith the tempter, " Thou art nothing but a hypo- crite; all thy religious performances have been done in hypocrify, to be feen of men : thou never haft repented- or believed fincerely in the fight of God." Anfw. I acknowledge there hath been much hypocrify in me, but I hope it is not allowed and reigning hypocri- fy ; I always wreftled againft it; wherefore I am not a* hypocrite. I regarded the efteem of men too much, but I hope I value the efteem of God much more. My faith and repcolance arc weak, but I hope they are Sincere. Afflicted Marts Companion. 99 *■ And whatever defects and fhort comings have formerly cleaved to thefe graces in me, I do now unfeignedly repent of all my fins, i look to him that I pierced, and mourn. I am heartily willing to be juftified by the righteoufnefs of Chrift alone, and to be chtanfed and fanctified by his Spi- rit : and here I give up myfelf to Chrift as my only Sa- viour. And this I hope is, through grace,' true re»- pcnting and believing, which God will accept'for Chrift's lake, what ever my former defects have been. Tempt. 2. But faith the tempter, "Thy repentance cannot be true; for thy heart is not broken, and thine U eyes do hot fhed tear6 for fin.'* m-^^nnfw. It is my very great burden, and conftant com- plaint to God, that I cannot attain to agrfe&ter meafure of Sorrow anj^contrition Sor fin: but yet it ijTmy comfort that repentance is not to be confined to fitch degrec-3 and fvmptoms of ferrow as fome do win at, I hope I can fay through grace, that my heart is fet |gainft all fin, great and frtlall: and I would give all! have in the world to be wholly delivered from fin. Tempi. 3. Saith the tempter, " Jut thy. day of grace is paft, it is too late for thee to think of repenting or be- lieving; God will not accept of theenow." Anfw. But I hope it is not fo with me, feeing God gives me a heart that pants after God, aild Chrift, in the way t»f commanded duty. The offers of falvation through €hrift are made to all who believe and repent: and late penitents are not excluded from the benefit of thefe gra* cious offers more than others. Tempt. 4. But faith the tempter, u Thou art none of God's elect, and if thou-be not chofen to falvation, thou canft not be Saved." H^. Anfw. Secret things belong to God, and it were pre- -emption in me to piy into his fecret decrees;-but one thing I am fure of, that every foul that is chofen to faith and repentance, is alfo chofen to falvation ; but I truft near to him?" Anfw. Though a weak eye be not able to look upon t'ie fun, yet I hope to be fitted and ftrengthencd for that glorious fight. Befides, God doth now appear to us in his Son Chrift- where his infinite glory is pleafantly vail- ed fo as the faints may behold him. Thefe glorified fouls above were once vile as well as*others? but their Saviour did cleanfe them, and prefent them to the Father with> i t4 Afflicted Marts Companion. • 101 out fpot or wrinkle. And whatever be my unworthi- neSs, I am relieved by confidering my union with Chrift, and looking on t|e glory and dignity of my head. Sure- ly God will not defpife the members of his dear Son, nor trample on€ny that are his flefh and bones. Tempt, g; But what will become of thy wife and chil- dren, when thou art taken from them ? Anfw. If I truft God fo willingly with my foul, and my eternal concerns, why may I not truft him with my relations alfo ? Have I not feen how wonderful he hath provided for others ? Doth not every thing in the world depend <5n his will and pleafure ? How eafy is it then for' IGq£To fupply his own ? jempt. 10. " But ftill death is terrible to nature, even the king of terrors." Anfw. But my Redeemer hath'tafted death for me, and taken out its fearful fting ; he hath conquered death, and keeps the keys of death and hell. Wherefore through him will I fing, " O death, where is thy fting? O grave, " where is thy victory ?" Tempt, n. " But it is terrible to think of appearing before God's tribunal, to be tried and judged." Anfw. But my friend and interceffor will be the judge there. Will Chrift condemn the members of his own body, and thefe he hath So often comforted ? But befides all thefe, a holy God may fometimes fuf- fer the tempter to affault his own people in time of their affliction with his fiery darts and his fierceft battering en- gines, fuch as temptations to Atheifm, blafphemy, def- pair, &c. whereby their fouls may be terribly Shaken, and fore amazed. Your relief in this cafe is to look to your head, and ngpember how he was himfelf buffetted by this enemy, aflalpted with the moft 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. Bat for thefe things he will be inquired of by tho houfe of Ifrael. You muft act faith on your exalted head. I 2 102 Afflicted Marts Compa.r.lo;. CHAPTER IV. Containing fome Special directions to uu^cgencrate per- i"o:i^, when a'lticted by ficknefs or otherwife. Direct, i. Take a ferious view of the miferautt condition of a Chriftlefs perfon under ficknefs or heavy affli&ion. if, /^ ONSIDER the vaft difference betwixt your \_y caSe, and that of a true believer; he 4iath ground of confolation in the greateft diftrefs. but you have none. However fharp the rod of corredMpn be to him, yet it is the hand of a Father ; but yoSJiave to do with an angry and fin-avenging God: and w ftand in his fight, if once he be angry ? for he comm both the firft and fecond death, and he can caft you both into the grave and hell at once, Rev. vi. 8. " Hell fol- lowed the pale horfe." Death is the king of terrors,, but hell is a thoufand times more terrible. When God afflicts his children, he ftands to them in the relation of a loving father; but he deals with you as an inccnfed judge. Though he fees it neceflary for their good to chaftife them, yet he doth it with a relenting hand i, yea, every ftroke goeth as it were to his heart, Ifa. lxiii. 2. "In their affliction he was afflicted." But when he arifeth to punjfh his enemies, he Strikes them with ha- tred and deteftation, as a man would do a toad or ven- omous creature. Though they cry, he hath no pity, Prov. i, 16. " I will laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh." zdly, If your ficknefs threaten you with death, what a dark and melancholy profpect muft you have of your approaching change ?. Why, O Chriftlefs foul, it is what you are wholly unprepared for. The old houfe falls down about your ears, before you have another loe* provided. When death cafts you t^the door, you no where to lay your head, unlefs it be on a bed oi and brimftone. O how furprifing and fearful wil! change be, that death will make on you ! A change from earth to hell, from light to darknefs, from comforts ta terrors, from hope to defpair, from the offers of grace to AfflicWd Marts Companion. 103 i^the revelation of wrath ; a change from the fociety of faints on earth, to the company of the damned in hell. Whatever fondjbopes of falvation you have now, your hopes fhall lead *ou no further than to the king of terrors, andjthen " your hopes fhall be cut off, and your truft like a Spider's web," Job viii. 14. Though it coft you much pains to weave and fupport this web now, it will prove a weak and flender defence to your foul, when death iconics with his befom of deftruction, and fweeps both you and it away to hell. You will then be taken from jfl thqf means of grace you have abufed, and be for- ever7 denized of an opportunity of buying oil; your ^inpjpnT go out to death, and never be lighted any more. ^IBpjIn this extremity, you have no airth to look to for comfort. O Chriftlefs finner, what will you do in the day of vifitation ? To whom will you flee for help ? Your houfes, your lands, your money, your honours, your com- panions, your relations, will all be miferable comforters to you. Every thing will look black and difmal round about you. If you look without you for help, you may fee your friends weeping and lamenting your cafe ; but this will do nothing but increafe your vexation and mife- ry. If you look within you for relief, confcience, that before you. would not fuffer to fpeak, will meet you with bitter flings and upbraidings. It will bring to your view the fins you had forgot, the time you have miffpent, the health you have mifimproven, the offers of grace you have refufed, the great falvation you have neglected. What folly was it for thee to provoke God, and flight Chrift, for a little worldly profit, or a little brutiih pleafure? Can thefe relieve thee when tlie arrows of the Almighty Slick within thee, and the terrors of God do fet them- selves in array againft thy foul ? In the mean time, the de^jL that tempted you to your foul-ruining courfe, will ftep-r.i, and reprefent your fins in their blackeft colors and aggravations, to render you altogether hopelefs and def- periKe. O finner, thou that refufeft reft from Chrift in the day of health, and grace, Shalt find no eafe from the creature in the day of ficknefs and death. Your ficknefs will allow no reft to your body, and your fias will permit 104 Afflicted Marts C&mpanion.- no eafe to your foul. You may expect the fulfilling eP* that threatening Deut. xxviii. 65:—67, " The Lord (hall give thee a trembling heart, and failing,of eyes, and for- row of mind. And thy life fhall hang'in doubt before thee, and thou fhalt have f«ar day and nij»ht. In the morning thou fhalt fay, Woidd God it were even, and at even, thou fhalt fay, Would God it were moqjijng," be-1 caufe of the pain of thy body, and anguifh of thy fpirit. Direct, n. Let unregenerate perfons carefMp approve their ficknefs ahd affliction^ as means tofurtheAtheir eon* verfion, and pray that God may blefs it for t^mena\ MANY have begun their acquaintance with' Godtff and with themfelves in the time of affliction |*tne furnace is frequently the Spirit's work-houfe, where he forms his veffeh of praife. There are many who, while health and ftrength continue, mind nothing but vain pleafures; one day they go to their games and fports,-? another day to their cups and lacivious company, anotk 4 er day to vifiting their Sriends ; and thus they Spend the 1 whole time of their health and profperity in fin and vani--, ty. All the warnings, counfels, and exhortations of pa-- rents, friends, and ministers, do them no good, they can- not endure to entertain a ferious thought of God or of Chrift, of death, of heaven, of hell, or judgment to come. But when God doth caft them into ficknefs, or fome great afflicton, they,through thebleffingof God,beginto come to themfelves, like the prodigal, and think of re- turning again to their Father. Several inftances to this purpofe might be given. The earl of Rochefter is a- late one, whofe life was notoriously lewd, profane, and- atheistical, and who had wickedly employed his wit and parts to ridicule all religion ; yet when he was affliftfldj with pain and ficknefs, and brought to the gates of d«h; he began to entertain quite other apprehenfious thafjhe had dene before ; he profefled he had ferious and rever- end thoughts of religion and holinefs, which befor?he laughed at; he moft earneftly and affectionately warnejfl others to abandon their evil courfes, and to live relig^ oufly and foberly, and to look upon religion as the great- ; »& reality in the world 3 he retracted, all hia impious and- Afflicted Man's Companion. 105 profane language, wherewith he ufed to reflect on the ways of godlinefs, and willingly attefted all this under his hand. Pray then for the divine bleffing on your ficknefs, that it may contribute to the converfation of your foul; which it doth feveral way?, ift, By opening men's eyes to get a true fight of things, to behold religion in its true fliupe, ^and fin in its proper colours ; hence the rod is faid to gi^wifdom, Prov. xxix. 15. They who have mocked at rdigion, and made light of fin all their days, have b^eti tasght by bodily ficknefs to change their tune. Then thej^egin to have an efteem of the Bible, and to \jfeM0L fend for a pious minifter, and to defire the pray- ers on. he people of God. Now they perceive fin to be bitter as gall and wormwood, they lothe and abhor that which they liked before ; now the word of God makes deep impreflion on them, and particularly Such a word as tli: t, Jer. ii. 19. " Know thereSore and fee, that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou haft forfaken the Lord t!,y God." . 'indly. Sicknefs helps to fet the word preached home upon the heart. When God fpeaks to us in the day of pealth and profperity, we oft give him a deaf ear, Jer. xxii. 21. But when diftrefs conies, it brings the words of |0od, and of his minifters, to our remembrance, as it broutht Jofeph's to the remembrance of his brethren, Genv^ii. 21. %dly. Sicknefs contributes to loofe a man's heart from the world, and to cool his Icve thereto ; whereby a great l.inorance of converiion is removed out of the way, and the iv.in is made to fay, " How vain and helplefs are the wor'.u's cotr.forts to me now ! thefe things I delighted in Jjorrneilv are taitelefs to me at this time. There is no porfcm can Siit my foul's needs, but Gcd himfelf." 4/?/y. It Spun a man on to prayer that formerly neg- lected it. When the prodigal is brought to diftrefs, he fays, " I will arife and go to my father." He forgat his father l>ef«-re, but now he will eddrefs him, Hof. v. 15. "-Til their ; Jitiction they will feek me early." Thus the Lord frequently begins and promotes the converfion of 106 Afflicted Marts Companion. fouls to himfelf. And O finner, if this be the fruit* (ft thy ficknefs, it will not be unto death, but the glory of God. Direct, iii. Be careful to obey God's voice in the rod,. and beware of fighting it. EVERY fickness hath a meffage from God, and hii voice you ought to harken to with reverence and attention, Micah vi. 9. What faith he to ycfo at tint ' time ? O finner, he faith, " Retire from theAvorld, think on death and eternity, abhor thefe lufts antodols whicH. God is fmiting you for, flee fpeedily to the ftntag hohtjd repent, and be converted, that your fins may beHjpM^ out." This is God's voice to you, and confider how provoking it will be to him, if you flight it. if, You will provoke God to flight your voice when- you cry to him, and Stop his ear againft the voice of your', fupplications, Zech. vii. 13.. idly, You will provoke God to ceafe from being a re«-' prover to you, fo that he will fpeak to you no more. $dly, You will provoke him to bring heavier judg-'i, ments on you, yea, fo to draw his fword of juftice agaihff. you, that he will fheathe it up no more, as he threaten*! Ezek. xxi. c. ^thly, God may break off all intercourfe and corres- pondence with you, as with thofe, Ezek. xx. 31. "As*; I live, faith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you." $thly, He may Seal you up forever under your fins, hardnefs, and pollution ; and fay to you, as to fome wc ,1 read of, Ezek. xxiv. 13. Hof. iv. 7. Rev. xxii. 11." Be- caufe I have purged- thee, and thou was not purged,. ( thou fhalt not be purged from thy filthinefs any mortJf" till I have caufed my fury to reft upon thee; Epjhraitn is joined to his idols, let him alone. He that is filthy, let him be filthy ftill." He that is hardened agaiqft the voice of my rods, let him be hardened ftill." WelllheR,- O finner, while God ii in fpeaking terms with you, nark- en to his voice, and obey it; fay, " Lord, what wilt- thou have me to do ?'* Afflicted Marts Companion, 101 IRECT. iv. Caf back your eyes upon the fins of your by paft life, and labour to be deeply humbled for them before the Lord. SEEING you are fummoned to prepare for going to the judgment feat of God, where your foul is to re- • ceive its final fentence ; labour to prevent the terror of that appearance, by your judging yourfelf beforehand. And this you muft do, by Summoning yourfelf before the bar of confcience, examining narrowly into your ftate, accufing and condemning yourfelf for your fins. And fee that you be impartial in this work, willing to know ||h( truth and difcover the worft of your cafe. You muft Ice sfrra be duly fenfible of your danger, otherwife you pC&nnot think to efcape it. Take a narrow view of your Sins in their nature, number, aggravations, and deServings. And in order to this, if thou haft any meafure of ftrength for it, let the expofition of the ten commandments in our 'Larger Catechifm be distinctly read over unto thee. .Make a paufe upon every queftion, and fay within thy- [ ielf, " Have I not omitted what is here required by ! God ? And have I not committed what is here forbidden by God ? How oft have I repeated thefe fins ? How Ijong have I lived in the practice of them ? O ! do not fo many years fins need very ferious repentance, a - very deep humiliation ? " O ! doth not fuch a vile finner 'as I, ftand greatly in need of Chrift to my cautioner and ranfomer for fuch a vaft number of fins ? will not their |weight prefs me eternally down to the loweft hell, if they remain unpardoned, and be laid upon my back !" There- fore view them clofely, and confefs them particularly be- fore God. ,, if. In the firft place, bewail thy original fin, the foun- tain of all thy actual tranfgreffions, as did David, Pfalm 'li. 5. " Behold, I was Shapen in iniquity, and in fin did lay mother conceive me." idly. Acknowledge ana mourn over the Sinful out- breakings of thy life, whereby thou haft dishonoured Godi and grieved his holy Spirit; and efpecially fins againft light- 108 Afflicted Marts Companion. $dly, Be humbled for thy fins ofomifiion, for ncglcd^ ing of commanded duties, particularly for the neglect of : prayer in fecret, and of family religion. ^thly, Mourn for the lofs of precious time. Alas! for the time of your youth miffpent, many S;ibbath days trifled away ! $thly, Lament thy long Hiring of Chrift, ar.d falvation through his righteoufnefs, which fo preflinglv hath, been offered to thee in the gofpel. • dthly, Bewail thy Stifling the convictions, and quench- ; ing the motions of the Spirit, and thereby provoking him to depart from you. 1|_ *- ^^ 'jthly, Mourn for thy unthankfulnefs to GocPllj^BwH cies and deliverances, which might have allured you to ' repentance and newnefs of life. Bthly. Confefs thy flubbornnefs under former afflic- tions, which have provoked God to fend new trials upon you. . gthly. Be humbled for thy earthly-mindednefn, in that thou haft all thy days been careful and cumbered about, many things, and haft neglected the one thing necefltffy..' lothly. Mourn for the latenefs of thy repentance, and thy prodigious folly in delaying fo long to bethink thy- felf, and turn to the Lord. " O how unwifely have I acted, to miffpend the time of health, and deify fo great a work till now, that I am laid on a fick bed! and now, if I die before I am converted, I am loft forever. O Lord, T am afhamed and confounded at my fnadoefs . and folly, and have no excufe to plead for myfelf, but muft'ftaud afar off with the poor publican, and finite_up- on my breaft, and cry, God be merciful to me a finner.'' . Direct, v. Flee prefent ly to Jefus Chrift by a true faith, and clofe with him as offered in the gofpel. . _ ART thou fenfible, O finner, of thy grievous guilt and ill-deServings before God ? then do .not defpair*, for Jefus Chrift, who hath offered to divine juftice an aU> fufficient facrifice for fin, is offering himfelf tot! ee,fay- inrr, " O diftreffed Sinner, look unto me, and be Saved. Turn unto me, why will ye die ? Come unto me, heavy Afflicted Marts Companion. 109 laden foul, and I will give you reft. He that cometh to me, I will in no wife caft out." Will not fuch gra- cious words, fuch moving calls, melt thy heart within thee, and make thee cry to him, " Lord Jefus, I flee to thee as my refuge, for deliverance from fin, and protec- tion from the wrath to come : I look to thy wounds, I truft in thy righteousnefs, I depend on thy merit, I lie atthy feet, and this I am refolved to do as long as I have breath to draw in the world." Direct, vi. Call for the elders of the church that they may pray for you in your ficknefs. JStnpAlS is the apoftle James, his direction to the fick, X James v. 14. He doth not fay, if any be fick, let him Send Sor the phyficians, but Sor the elders or minif- ters. It is true, phyficians are to be called, but not in the firft place. It was Afa's fault that in his difeafe he Sought not the Lord, but to the phyficians; and, alas, how many follow his example ! Minifters are only called for in the laft place, and very often when time is paft, the fick being at the point of death; and fcarce capable to fpeak or hear. But if you defire to reap benefit by the inftructions and prayers of minifters, call for them time- oufly, and open your cafe unto them ; feek their coun- fel, and beg for their prayers. It is their office to teach and pray for you, and they have authority to offer falva- tion to you through Chrift, and to minifter comfort to * them that are caft down ; wherefore a bleffing may be ex- pected on their miniftrations and performances more thaa others. Hence God faid to Abimelech of Abraham, Gen. xx. 7. "He is a prophet, and he fhall pray for thee." And to Job's friends concerning Job, Job xiii. 8. "Go to my fervant Job, and he fhall pray for you, for him will I accept: left that I deal with you after your folly." And Lafily, Remember that as the apoftle James en- joins the fick to call for the elders to pray over them, fo at the fame time he directs you, James v. 16. to cor.fcfs your faults one to another, Chriftian to Chriftia-!, or.J K 110 Afflicted Marts Companion. friend to another, the people to their minifter. Not that this gives any warrant for the Papifts their auricular confeffion, which they force upon all men to their priefts as a fatisfadtion for fin,' and when they fack their con- sciences, (when they feel no diftrefs) to confefs their moft fecret fins, to enumerate them alt under pain of damnation, a"nd which they ufe -as a politic to dive into the fecrets of princes, ftates, and all private perfons u^ But as Luther, Calvin, Beza, and many others of or- thodox divines do teach, it is very profitable ana necefla-^i ry for thefe that are inwardly troubled with a fenfe of their fins, to eafe and disburden their confcienbes, l*t confefling of them to the faithful minifters of Chrrfc^jJ order to their receiving fuitable counfels and confolations from them, fuch as Chrift hath left in his word for con- trite-hearted penitents. Thus let every man in ficknefs ufe all appointed means for preparing his foul for a future ftate. Thy prepara- tion will by no means haften death, but Sweeten it to you. Death muft furely have a moft formidable afpcct to an unprepared finner: he may falute it as Ahab did Elijah, " Haft thou found me, O mine eaemy ?" why ? it brings heavy and doleful tidings to him. But a prepa- Yed foul may falute death, Welcome, O my friend, thou bringeft me tidings of great joy; everlafting deliverance from fin, and all the bitter fruits of it. I Shall never complain of thefe any more. CHAPTER V. Containing directions to the people of God, when the Lord is pleafed to recover them from ficknefs and diftrefs. Direct, i. It is very proper, both under ficknefs and af- ter it, to examine if the affliction be fan ttfed to you, and hath come from the love of God. IT would be very comfortable for us to know that the atictions which God vi/its us with, are not the pun- Afflicted Man's Companion. Ill ifhment of a judge, but the chaftifement of a father; that they do not proceed from wrath, but from love ; that they are notcurfes, but bleflings to us. Njw, the beft way of knowing this is by the effects which they work Mid produce in us, through the bleffing of God. if. Canft thou fay, that thy affliction hath humbled thee in the fight of God, and made thee confefs and be- wail thy fins and ftrayings from God as the procuring fcaufe-tfiereof ? Hath it been like Mofes's rod, that Smote t"he rock, and fetched out much water ? Did you water your couch with tears, and mourn humbly before God for ' "all thy God-provoking fins? Thca it is a good fign fick- Cris fanctified. idly. Doth thy afflictufa drive thee nearer God, and caufe thee aim at clofer communion with God in duty than formerly, faying, " However' carclefa and overly I have been in time paft, it is furely good for me now to . draw near to God ?" Then thy ficknefs is a bleffing to thee. $dly. Affliction is fanaified, when the corruption and deceitfulnefs of the heart is the more difcovered and bid open to the view of the foul; fo as the man is n-ace tn abhor himfelf in dull and afhes, and cry out as the leper, "Unclean, unclean." I never could have thought my heart was So wicked as now I Sec it. 4//j/y. It is a fanaified ficknefs, that purgeth tie heart, and changeth the life, and gives a dead Stroke to thy fins and idols, and makes thee to loathe and it her them more than ever, faying with Ephrairc, " What have I to do any more with idols?" c,thly. It is a bleffed rod, when grace is more quick- ened and Stirred up thereby, and the man turns more fruitful in holy duties and good works ; when it is a bud- ding, and bloffoming rod, like to Aaron's, Numb. xvu. It is recorded there of Aaron's rod, that it brought forth bud?, bloomed bloffoms, and yielded almonds. So it is happy with us, when our rods and fickneffes <*o pro- duce in us, not only the buds of a profefiion, or the blof- foms or fome beginnings of a reformation; but even caufe us to yield almond^, fruit favoury to God. Is 112 Afflicted Marts Companion. confcience become more tender with refpect to fin ! Are- we more jealous over our hearts? Are wc more fervent in prayer, more lively in praife, more mortified to the world, more defirous of communion with God? Then may we fay with David, " It is good for us we have been affliaed ?" and with Hezekiah, "Thou haft, in love to my foul, delivered it from the pit of corruption.'* Direct. 11 Make confcience of offering to God the facrtfictf of thankfgiving, upon his recovering thee from fitknefs tr any difrefs. THE Pfalmift gives uethis direaion from God^Tfal.ta 1. 14, 15. And he fhews us that it was his%q|P praftice in a fuch cafe, Pfal. cxvi. 17. Pfal. ciii. 1, 2, 3, Iffc. The command is juft, let us obey it; the example excellent, let us imitate it. Praise is comely for the up- right. Here I fhall give fome motives and advices.. if, God, who is the author of all thy mercies and de- liverances, gives you tongues for this very end, that ycu may blefs and praife him for thefe mercies, James iii. 9. \ Hence man's tongue is called his glory above the reft of the creatures, Pfal. Ivii. 8. There is none in the creation fo endued and qualified for praifing God, as man is. An- gels have reafon and minds, whereby they adore and ad- mire God's goodnefs and excellency, but have no tongues to praife him ; beafts have tongues, but without fpeech or reafon to ufe them : but man hath both reafon and fpeech, that he may both admire God's goodnefs, and with his tongue found forth God's praife. See then, O believer, that you ufe your tongue to anfwcr the end of your cre- ation. God lofeth his due rent of praife from the reft of the world, but he expeas it from his children, whom he hath formed for this end, and on whom he hath bellow- ed many diftinguifhing favours. idly, The facrifice of thankfgiving is moft pleafing and aofceptab'le to God. He loves your tears and prayers, O believer, but much more your praifes. How well plea- * fed was our Lord with the poor leper Samaritan, that re- turned and gave him thanks for curing his bodily diftem- per? Luke x vii. He difmiffed him with a Special bleff- Afflicted Marts Companion. 113 itig, and cured him of his foul's difeafes, as well as of his body's. And therefore, j//(y,Confider that thankfulnefs for thy mercies received is a moft profitable courfe for ourfelf; for it is the way to get more and better bleffings bellowed upon you accord- ing to Pfal. lxvii. 5, 6. " Let the people praife thee, 0 God. Then fhall the earth yield her increafe: and ^God, even our own God, Shall blefs us." Thanksgiving for former mercies is a kindly way of petitioning for new favours, and God will underftand it in this fenfe. 4f£/jyGod is fo well pleafed with the duty of thankgiv- »ng,lhat he honours it to be the eternal work of heaven. ^■UWfereas other graces, fuch as, faith, hope, and repent- ance, will then be melted into love and joy forever, fo other duties of worfhip, fuch as, reading, hearing, and (• prayer, will then be changed into that of praife and thanhfgiving; the glorified company above will never be ,' weary of this work; and fhall not we delight in it now, when'God is'calling us to it by fo many new mercies? In the next place, that thou mayeft offer the facrifice ff thankfgiving to God for thy recovery, with geacious acceptances 1 fhall lay before you the following advices. 1. See that your heart be touched with a fenfe of the '< greatnefs of themerey, andof'the goodnefs of God man- ; ifefted therein. We muft put a due value upon our mer- cies, and have our hearts affeaed with God's kind deal- ing towards" us'in'them, 'if we would be rightly thankful to God the author of them.—Hence it was that David called upon his heart, and all within him, to blefs the Lord for his benefits, Pfal. ciii. 1. and in Pfal. exxxvifi. I. he faith, " I will praife thee with my whole heart." As in an inftrument of mufic, the more found comes out of the belly of it, it is the fweeter; fo 0(1 r praife is the more acceptable to God, when the heart is full of gra- cious affeaionsj 2. Let your praife be the native refult of faith and love in your foul, otherwife it will be but an empty found. Faith is neceflary to draw by the veil, and fhews Mtfie perfeaions of the invifible God, who is the Spring arid author of all our mercies; love gives a deep, fenfe of hi? K2 * 114 Afflic.ed Marts Companion. goodnefs, enlargeth the heart towards God, and open* the lips to fhew forth his praife. 3. Study to have a deep fenfe of your own unworthi- neSs and ill defervings at the Lord's hand, upon the ac- rcr.nt of your fins, and ill improvements of former deliv» erances, faying with Jacob, Gen. xxxii. 10. " I am not worthy of the leaft of all thy mercies." 4. Look above inftruments and fecond caufes, and do „ not afcribe your recovery to phyficians or outward means," tiut to the Lord, the prime author of it, whoSqbleffing alone it is that gives efficacy and fuccefs to the appoint.' cd means, and by whofe mercy cnly we" are Spart^iand' brought back from the gates of the grave. To tlnjM*^ apoftle attributes Epaphroditus hi* recover)', Phil. ii. 27. " Indeed he was fick nigh unto death, but God had ' meixy on him." Hence we are told, 1 Sam. ii. 6. "The "3 Lord bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up." 5. Qbferve narrowly the remarkable circumftances of the Lc id's goodnefs, and the fweet ingredicntSiof thy mercies. As for inftance, (1.) How difcernible the i Lard's hand was in thy deliverance, which obliged thee I to fay, Surely this is the finger of God 1 This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in mine eyes, (z.) How thy deliverance came to thee as the return of pray- er, makes thee fay, Surely he is a prayer-hearing God. (3.) How deliverance came when there was but little ground to hope for it. See how. Hezekiah obferved this ingredient in his recovery from ficknefs. Ifa. xxxviii. • 1 o,. 11. "I faid in the cutting off of my days, I fhall gp.> to the gates of the grave:. I am deprived of the refidue of my years.. I faid, I fhall not fee the Lord, even the Lord ia the land of the living:. I fhall behold man no more, with the^ inhabitants of the world." vcrfe 15. " What fhall I fay? he hath both Spoken to me, and .him.'eif hath done it." Sometimes God fends deliverances . to his people when they are moft hopelefs,. and faying, ;! with thec-ptiv.es in Babylon, Ezek. xxxvii. 11. Behold j out- bones are dried, and our hope is loft, ancl we are cut eff.ftf our parte" (4.) Remember how the extremity . ^f thy dJitTef* was God's opportunity of Sending relief.. Afflicted Marts Companion. 115 Abraham never forgat the feafonablenefs of God's ap- pearing for him in his extreme need upon mount Moriab, when he called the name of the place Jehovah Jirak> for prefervnig the memorial of it; " In the mount of the Lord it will be Seen." So doth David. Pfal. cxvi. I was brought low, and he helped me." 6. Let the prefent deliverance bring all former mer- cies to thy remembrance, that fo thou mayeft praife God -.,, for thftn all, whether they be national or perfonal mer- i* ties, public or private, fpiritual or temporal. New mer- cies fhould revive the memory of the old, and all of them '■'. Should come above board at fuch times? fo doth the ■J^ialmift direa, Pfal. cv. 2. " Sing to the Lord, talk ye Tof all his wondrous works." And what he direas others to, he praaifcth himfelf in fuch a cafe, Pfal. cxvi. 12-. " What fhall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to- wards me?" 7. Be ready to communicate to others an account of the Lord's kind dealings towards you, and the fweet in- gredients of his mercies ; and particularly of his fending fpiritual deliverance to your foul, as well as outward de- liverance to your body, when he is pleafed to do fo. And - do this in order to recommend the fervice of God to oth- ers, and to engage and invite them to affift you in blef- fing and praifing the Lord. We fee how David obferved ?- his foul deliverances, Pfal. cxvi. 7, 8. and declares his experience to others, Pfal. xxii 22. I will declare thy name unto my brethren ; in the midft of the congrega- tion will I praife thee." Pfal. Ixvi. 16. " Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my foul." Laftly, Remember always to give thanks for mercies to the Father, in the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, as direaed, Eph. v. 20. Your fpiritual facrifices are only , acceptable to God, when you offer them up by Jefus Chrift, 1 Pet. ii. 5. As we muft feek all our mercies in Chrift's name, fo we muft give thanks for them alfo in his name. He is the Mediator of our praifes, as well as of our prayers. Believers have not one mercy, but what comes fwimming to them in Chrift's blood,.and is the fruit 116 Afflicted Man's Companion. ef his death and purchafe to them : and therefore he is to be owned and looked to in the receiving of every mer- cy. And as Chrift is the only mediator for conveying bleflings and mercies from God to us, fo he is the fole mediator for conveying all our Services and fpiritual facri- fices to God. God accepts of them only a6 they are per- fumed by Chrift's meritorious facrifices, and potent inter- , ceflkm. j Direct, in. When the Lord is pleafed to grant thee any fgnal mercy or deliverance from trouble, beware of forget- ting the Lord's kindnefs towards thee. FORGETTING of God's remarkably kind prUfc^ dences is an evil we are naturally prone unto when we are in a profperous ftate. Hence it is that the fpirit of God gives fo many cautions againft it in his word ; and the faints of God do fo folemnly charge their own fouh to beware of it, as in Pfal. ciii. 2. "Blefs the Lord, O my foul, and forget not all his benefits ; who hcaleth all thy difeases, who redeemeth thy life from deftruaion." Forget not his benefits, but caiefolly preferve and treafure i them up in thy meme>ry. It was ufual for faints under the Old Teftarnent to fet up fome vifible monument to remind them of God's fingular favours to them ; they ereaed ftOnes, and built altars, to be memorials of the mer- cies they received, and put names on the places for this end. Let all this teach you to guard againft this evil of forgetting, the Lord's kind providence in recovering you from ficknefs. You are guilty of this-evil, when you do not duly val- ue the mercy, but let it pafs as a turn of common provi- dence. When you let the impreflion of the mercy wear foon off your hearts ; when you make bad ufe of it, or do not rightly improve it to God's glory, and your own foul's good ; when you do not put on new refolutions to walk more exaaiy, lire more fruitfully, and Serve God; more holily and humbly; then are you guilty of forget- ting his benefits. This is an evil moft grievous and provoking, to a good *»d gracious God, as is evident from the many heavy? Afflicted Marts Companion., 117 complaints he makes of his.people for it, as in Judges viii. 34. Pfal. Ixxviii. it. Pfal. cvi. 23. Wherefore watch and pray againft it. Direct, iv. Inquire after thefe fruits of righteoufnefsr which are the genuine effetts of affliaion in the children of God, who are duly exercifed thereby. THE apoftle fpeaks of thefe fruits, Heb. xii. 11. as natively following upon fanaified affliaions, and a kindly exercife of fpirit under them. And therefore it is : .jrour duty to inquire if they be produced in you. •k if. The increafe of true repentance is one of thefe fruits which is the produa^of fanaified trials. Job found it in himfelf on the back of his affliaion, chap. xiii. 6. "Now I abhor myfelf, and repent in dull and afhes." It would be happy, if we could find our hearts more Soft and melting upon the view of fin, after we have been in the furnace of affliaion. idly. Another fruit is the improvement of faith. The affliaed believer is taught to look to, and depend more upon God in lime of need, and lefs upon the creature. He now fees that vain is the help of man in the day of calamity, and that God in Chrift is the only proper objea of the foul's truft. This was the fruit of the apoftle's \ affliaion, 2 Cor. i. 8, 9, 10. "We were prcffed out of '. 'meafure, above ftrength, iufomuch that we defpaired even- of life. We had the fentence of death in ourfelves, that we fhould not truft in ourfelves, but in God that raifeth the dead : who delivered us from fo great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we truft that he will yet deliver." ^dly, Humility and low thoughts of ourfelves is one of the fruits of righteoufnefs which fanaified affliaion doth ■ yield. How proud and lofty was Nebuchadnezzar be- fore he was affliaed, Dan. iv. 29, 30. But afterwards he ii made to own God, and humbly fubmit to him as his Supreme and incontrolable Sovereign, and to acknow- ledge, that thofe who walk in pride, he is able to abate, ver. 37. This was God's defign in the various trials of his people Ifrael in the wildernefs, Deut. viii. 16. " That 1*« might humble thee, prove thee, and do thee good at 118 Afflicted Marts Companion. thy latter end." See then, O believer, if this fruit be produced in thee. \thly, Another-fruit is the fpirit of prayer and Suppli- cation. This was vifible in the Pfalmift's cafe, after God had delivered him from the forrows of death, and heard his voice, Pfalm cvi. 2. " Therefore, fays he, will I call upon him as long as I live." O, faith the true believer, God's mercy to me in trouble, and his fend- ing me relief when I cried to him, will make me love prayer the better, and engage me to be more diligent in it all my days; for I ftill fee I have daily need of his helping hand. ^ A $thly, Heavenly-mindednefs is a fruit of fanaified af- flidion. Before the man wa3 inclined to that language, .It is good for us to be here, let us build tabernacles in this lower world. But now he turns his tongue, and changeth his thoughts, and faith, with the Pfalmift, " It is good for me to draw nigh to God. Arife, let us de- part, this is not our reft." This world is nothing but the houfe of our pilgrimage, heaven only is our home. 6thly, Another fruit of fanaified trials, is greater love ■ to God than formerly. How much was David's heartj warmed with love and gratitude to God, upon the back^ of his affliaion, fo that he wants words to exprefs the af- fe-aions of his Soul ? Pfah cxvi. 1,8, 12. "I will love the Lor,d becaufe he hath heard my voice. I was brought ■ low, but he helped me. Thou haft delivered my foul from death, mine eyes from tear?, and my feet from fail- ing. Wh.it Shall I render unto the Lord for all his be- nefits towards me?" ythly, Learning and keeping God's word is a fruit of . fanaified affliaion, Pfalm cxix. 67, 71. Let U3 inquire'* if this fruit be produced i.i U3 after ficknefs. Do we at* tend to the word more clofely ? do we believe it more firmly ? do we embrace its offers more earneftly? and do we live more in the expeaation of that glory which the word doth reveal to us? " Then it is good for us wc have been afflicted: for wc have learned more of God's word." Sthly, Tendernefs of confcience is a happy fruit of^ Sanctified trouble; when the believer, after it, becomes Afflicted Marts Companion. 119 exceedingly afraid of fin, and of making new wounds in his confcience.' He cannot think of adventuring again upon any known fin ; for the fmart of former wounds, and the pain they occafioned in the foul, when diftrefs lay upon him, makes deep and lafting impreflion on his mind, as it did on the affliaed church, Lam. iii. 19, 20. "Re- member mine affliaion, and my miSery, the wormwood and the gall, my foul hath them ftill in remembrance, and is humbled within me." Now, Such fruits of righteouf- nefs are an evidence we have been fuitably exercifed un- der affliaion: O to find them produced in us after fick- nefs is over! Direct, v. Be careful to perform thefe refolutions, engage- t ments or vows, you have come under in the time of ficknefs, W. . and walk fuitably to them. A S a time of ficknefs and affliction is a proper feafon [ JlV for making.vows to God, and binding our fouls ; with resolutions to mortify fin in the heart, and purge it away from the life, and to be diligent in duty, and walk f more humbly with God: fo a time of recovery from fick- nefs is a proper feafon for paying and performing thefe 1 vows. This was the royal Pfalmift's praaice in fuch a t cafe, Pfalm cxvi. 6, 16, 17, 18. "I was brought low, and he h/lped me. Truly I am thy fervant, I am thy Servant. I will offer to thee the facrifice of thankfgiving. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the prefence t of all his people." Now for your affiftance in this mat- I ter, I offer you thefe few advices. if, Defer not to pay your vows, but be fpeedy, and I take the firft opportunity to pay them. Delays in this j cafe are moft dangerous; Solomon, that wife man, was i fenfible of this, which made him give thee this advice, Eccl. v. 4. " When thou voweft a vow unto God, defer not to pay it." idly, Be ftill jealous of thy heart, which is prone to deal treacheroufly with God after affliaion is over. The Ifraelites praaice is a fad inftance of his truth, Pfalm Ixxviii. 34, &c. " When he flew them, then they fought him, and they returned and inquired early after God, &c. 120 Afflicted Marts Companion. Nevertheless, they did flatter him with their mouthr and they lied unto him with their tongues; for their heart was not right with him, neither were they fteadfaft in his covenant." The purpofes of many in affliaion are like to the vows of mariners in a ftorm; they are the firft things which they forget and break when once they win fafe fhore. However penitent fome feem to be in fick- nefs, yet when they recover from it, they foon return to their old fins again. They are like metals in a furnace, they melt and turn liquid while in it, but when out, they foon return to their old hardnefs. There is good reafon for that caution the Lord give us, Mai. ii. 16. "There- fore take heed to your fpirit, that you deal not treacher- ously." $dly, Cry continually for ftrength from above to ena- ble you to perform your vows. The Pfalmift took this > courfe, and found it fuccefsful, Pfalm cxxx viii. 3. "In the day when I cried to thee, thou anfweredft me, and Strengthened ft me with Strength, in my Soul." And for- get not, O believer, that God has treafured up Strength1! for thee in thy head and furety Chrift Jefus ; wherefort'l be ftill borrowing from him, for the performing of all thy *■ engagements, 2 Tim. ii. 1. "My fon be ftrong in the' • grace that is in Chrift Jefus." Put thy treacherous heart in thy furety's hand: for though thou a& weak, y«t thy Redeemer is ftrong. Whenever then you firft perceive your heart begins to Start afide from God, be fure to check it, and look up to God in Chrift for ftrength to fecure it againft treachery and perfidious deal- ing: cry with the Pialmift, "Be furety for thy Servant for g»od." ^.thly. Guard diligently againft thy predominant Sin, the fin that hath moft eafily befet thee, the fin that was moft bitter and uneafy to thee in the day of diftrefs. Keep a narrow eye upon it now; for if once that fin be got vanifhed, the reft will the more eafily be put to flight. zthly. Be frequently meditating on thy vows, and on 1 the condition thou waft in when they were taken on, and ftudy to keep alive- in thy heart the fame apprchenlion of things after fick»ef» which thou hadft in the time of it. Afflicted Marts Companion. 121 How vain and comfortlefs did the world and its vanities then appear to thee! how awful were the truths of God on thy Spirits! how far preferable was the loving-kind- nefs of Gael to thee than life i how precious was Chrift then in thy eyes ! O that your judgment, thoughts, and impreffions of thefe things, may continue ftill the fame! '6thly, Keep up the tmpreflions of the precioufnefs of time, that you may diligently improve it; and fhake off floth and idlenefs. Remember what a view you got in the time of ficknefs, of long-lafting eternity ; and what a trouble it was to you to look, back, and fee how much time you had loft in fin and vanity. When Sometimes we ttar^ brought to the brink of eternity, the near views we . then get of its vaftnefs and unchangeablenefs, are ' Sometimes So awful and amazing to us, that we are rea- 1 dy to think, though we had Methufalem's years to live, it would be ,'unreafonable wilfully to miffpend one hour of them all. Well then, is ficknefs ovef-, or time fo Short, ' and fo little of it remaining behind ? will we be fo foolifh, a».tojbe lavifh of it ftill, and trifle itilaway as before ? Ithly. Set a Special mark upon alljthefe fins, whether of omiftion or commiffion, that made death to look grim , and ghaftly upon you in the time of ficknefs, and againft i which you refolved ; and fee to get. every one of them amended and removed. Remember and confider how fad it will be for you, if ficknefs find you again in the very fame fins which formerly flung you. -What will you fay to confcience, when it fhall challenge:you ?. How.will you look-death in the Sace, if it fliould find; you living in the Very fame fir* you formerly mourtjed for* and promifed againft ! Death would then be the king of terrors to thy „foul indeed. O then, mind thy vows, and fay with the Pfalmift, Pfal. lvi 12, 13. " Thy vows are upon me, O God: I w^ll render praifes to'thee. For tho* haft delivered my I 'foul from death: wilt thou deliver, my-feet from falling, \ ,that I may walk before God in the fight of the living." L 122 Afflicted Marts Companion. CHAP. VI. Containing direaions to the unregenerate.whcn they are recovered from ficknefs, and reftored to health. . Direct, i. Seeing the affliaions of the wicked are wfanQ't- fed, it is necejfdry you examine what forts of affliSion yours hath feen, and what fruits it hath produced in you. I HAVE in the preceeding chapter fliewed, that the affliaions of believers are fatherly chaftifements pro- ceeding from love; that they are fanaified, and yield the peaceable fruits of righteoufnefs: I have given the markl of fanaified affliaions, and mentioned the happy fruits which they prpduce in the children of God. On the other hand, it is neceflary to let Chriftlefs per fons know, that their affliaions are of a different kind t they are even punifhment from God as a judge, proceed- ing from wrath: they are unfinaified to them, and pro- duce no fruits, but what are bitter and unfavory. • Well then, O Chriftlefs foul, thou haft reafon to fid- pea the worft concerning thy ficknefs, that it hath not been fanctified, and its fruits are not good. O then, laboured to know the truth'of the matter,that thou mayeft be hum- ble under a fenfe of thy mifery, and flee to Jefus Chrift for relief. And for thy affiftance in this inquiry, I will give fome marks of unfanaified affliaions. if. If ficknefs hath not humbled thee under a fenfeof thy fins, the procuring caufe thereof, nor any wife hath weakened fin in thee, nor reclaimed thee from it,'but it remaineth in thee asftremig as ever; it is a fign thy af- fliaion is unfanaified." This was the cafe of thofe of whom God complaineth, Jer. ii. 30. " In vain have I fmitten your children; they received no correaion." As if he had faid, The phytic I gave them did not purge out fin ; nor weaken Corruption in the leaSt. They have been Stricken, but- not grievad Sor fin; the fire hath 'burnt round about them, but they have not laid fin to heart, that kindled the flame. idly. It is a mark of unfanaified affliaion, when, it hath no influence upon a finner to bring him to a ferious ' Afflicted Man's Companion. 123 communing with his own heart concerning the eftate of his foul, and to inquire in what terms he Hands with God that afflias him. God's voice by affliaion is that in Hag. L 7. " Now confider your ways." In the day of adverfity confider whcic you areA what you are, what you have done, and what is the meaning of the rod, and whrft will be the iffue of it through eternity, in cafe it hath a cpmmiSTion to cut the thread of life. Now when a man remains ftupid and carelefs about thefe important matters, and never noticeth the voice of affliaion, fo as to inquire (erioufly about his foul's condition; "Am I under a cove- nant 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 ftill in a fhelterlefs ftate.? Am I ftill under a cloud of wrath,.or am I brought under the banner of love ?" I fay, where there are no fuch inquiries, the afflic- tion is unfanaified. idly. It is a certain Sign of unfanaified affliaion, when a perfon grows worfe by it, and revolts the more he in ftrickcn, like thefe, Ifa. i. 5. Quefi. When may it be faid, that a perfon grows worfe by affliaion ? Anfw. 1. When the fanner's heart turns harder than- it was before: fo every plague on Egypt, increafed the plague of hardnefsin Pharaoh's heart. It fares with ma- ny hearts, as with iron that is often heated in the fire and quenched in the water, it ftill increafeth in hnrdnefs. 2. When a perfon gives way to impatience and murmur- ing againft God while he aiflias him.. 3. When the lulls of the heart grow more ftrong and impetuous, atid after- wards rage the more, that they may,have been ftopt in their courfe by affliaion. In fuch cafes a perSon grows worfe by the rod. Direct, ii Confider the great danger of not It'u-g bettered by ficknefs, and of not complying with the voice of God's rod. GOD's voice by his-rod doth loudly call finners to .re- pentance, and fleeing to the Lord jefus Chrift for refuge from,wrath,. Now, when this voice is not harkv- 124 Affliclcd Marts Companion. cned to, but men go in their fecure and finful courfe as before, God is highly provoked, and the iffue will "be terrible. For, if. Though ficknefs be removed, and the furnace of affliaion be cooled for tt« time; yet the wrath that kind- died it, continues ftill to burn. And you have ground to fear left you be ranked among thefewho are the genera- tion of God's wrath, againft whom he will have indigna- ^ tion forever. idly. If leffer rods do not awaken you, you may ex- pea greater and foref judgments are coming on you. Yea, God may caufe them to come rolling thick upon you, as waves and billows in a ftorm, one upon the neck of another. The great depths, both above and below, may be opened together ; the difpleafure oS God, and wrath of men, may confpirfe and meet to pour out them- felves as water-fpouts upon you at once : and to whom then will ye look for help? %dly. The Lord may give over dealing with you, or Hfing any further means to reclaim you; he may re- fute to correa you any-more, or heftow a rod upon you • for your good, and fay of you, as of Ephraim, Hof. iv. 17. " Ephraim is joined to his idols, let him alor.e." Aihly. The Loid may give yon up to fpiritual plajuei and judgments; and indeed this commonly is the refult , of obftinacy and incorrigiblenef; under outward rods. ! When Ifrael would not barken to God's voice, he gave them up to their own hearts lulls, Pfal. Ixxxi. 11, 12. Now, thefe plagues are the fevercft. External judgment! ;:re Gcd's rods, but fpiritual judgments are his fwordf, which pierce the very foul. Blindnefs of mind, hard- nefs of heart, fearednefs of conScience, vile affeftion*, and a reprobate fenfe, are the very forerunners of hell and damnation. Thefe who are impenitent and unfruitful under outward affliaions, have caufe to tremble left God be provoked to inflia thefe fpiritual judgments. *"* $thty, Be aflured, though God fpare you long, yet the £kfs of his forbearance will at length run out. God's pa- tience towards firiners hath a term and bound, over which it will ndt pafs. The time will come, wkcira long fuffer- Afflicted Mart's Companion. 125 ing God will at laft fay, " My fpirit fhall no longe: ftrive ;" and the angel will cry, as in Rev. xiv. 7. " The hour of God's judgment is come." You that abufe God's patience, and prefume upon it* his treaty of peace will end with you in a little, and the matter of the houfe will rife up and fliut to the door. Then patience will come down, and juftice will afcend the ftage, and trample upon, and triumph over, all that abufe divine patience. Sodom was a wonder of God's patience for a long time, but now it is a killing monument of his angei. fyhly, If you be not bettered by God's rods or Spa- ring mercies, then your prefervatibn at prefent will be u aothing but refervation for the day of God's wrath. And ' the longer your cup of fin is a filling, the fuller fhall the cup of God's patience, you treafure up wrath for your- felves againft the day of wrath, Rom. ii. 4. and though you be delivered from fome judgments, you. are referved for worfe, yea, Seven times worfe, according to Lev. xxvi. 23, 24. Nay, there is a ruining blow defignedagainft you, both foul and body, as Soon as your cup is Sull; an'd the axe is already laid to the root of the tree, Matth.iii. 10. One blow of God's axe will cut you off forever. Remember this, O finner, though God's hand be lifted ■ off you at prefent, and his meffenger death be for a little , recalled, yet he will quickly return, and knock fo loud at your door, as not to be refufed. And what will you do in the day of vifitation ? How ghaftly muft the pale horfe be, when hell follows him at the heels ? And how hot and fiery muft that hell be, which is inflamed and blcwn up by fo long impenitence, and abufe of vatience ? Direct, hi. Wonder at the patience of God in fparing fuch heU-deftrving finners as you are, and be thankful for it. HATH along fuffcrinjr God prefcrveu the thread of your life, when it was almoft fnapt afundcr by the violence of ficknefs? hath he freed you from racking pains, under which you were groaning ? nay, faved you i from the grave and hell, into which you were failing? L 2 126 Afflicted Man's Coinpanitn. and have you not caufe of Wonder and thankfgiving ? To move you to it, confider thefe few things. ' if. How rniferable had you been through all eterni- ty, if your SickneSV had carried you off to another world in your fins? You had been howling with damned Spirits, under endlefs and ceafelefs torments, and forever cut'off from thefe hopes, and offers of mercy you now have. Then the matter .of the houfe would have had the doorfo barred againft you, as it could never have been opened again to you, knock as you would, Luke xiii. 25. • ■■'. ' idly. Confider how heavily you had burdened his pa- tience with your henious fins, and frequent relapfes there- into : and that after conviaions, calls, and various rods fent to reclaim you: fo that he was put to fay, as in Amos ii. 13. "Behold, lam preffed under you, as a cart is preffed that is full of fheaves." He was overbur- dened with your fins, fo that the axel-tree of patience was ready to break, and let you fall, into hell; and yet, behold he hears with yod ftill. :•' $dly.. Confider how Soon he could haveeafed himfelf of the load, and fhaken you off into the pit of deftmaion. In a moment could he have done it,, and yet he bears ' many years with your fins that are fo grievous to him. J Yea, it is with a fort of reluaancy that he eafes himfelf of Sinners* after he gets the utmofl provocation, Ifa. it i 4. "Ah! I! will eafe me of mine adverfaries." Alhly, How ready is he to turn away his anger* and j-prieve finners from deftruaion, when in their diftrefs ■hey make but a Shew of repentance, and turning u:Uo God ! as we fee in Pfal. Ixxviii. 36, 38, He, like a ten- tier-hearted prince, calls back the warrant for their execu- tion, after it was gone forth. ' . cthly, Confider how much'many Chriftlefs finners are beholden to Jefus Chrift for fparing mercy. He is rep- .rcfented by the dreffer, Luke xiii. i'nterce'eding; that tile fruitlefs fig-tree might be fpared and tried fome-.time lon- ger, after orders given to cut it down. Were it.not for Tefus Chrift, O fianer, however much .you forget and Slight him, you had fu.tly been,in lieil long eric now. ' How oSt doth he obtain another year, and after thai ano- ' Afflicted Marts Companion. 127 ther, for the unfruitful finner, and unthankful abufers of divine patience ! tthly, Confider how fparing mercy hath diftinguifhed you from many others, who lived not fo long, nor finned fo much as you haye done. God hath wounded the hai- ry fcalp of many, and taken them away in their youth j when he hath continued you to manhood, and perhaps to old age ; though your fins and ill defervings be greater than thefe cf many, on whom, he hath long.Since taken vengeance. • -- God hath left many also toffing and groaning on beds of pain, when he hath eafed and raifed you up. O then, return like the thankful leper, and magnify the God of your health. Hath God diftinguifhed you from others, by his goodnefi ? It becomes you to diftinguifh yourfelves from others, by your thankfulnefs. O that men would praife the Lord fpr his goodnefs ! imdeferved and dtf- tinguifhing goodnefs ! To move you to this, let me fet, the example of Hez- ekiah before you, Ifa. xxxviii. and there fee how thank- fully and affeaifcnately he remembered the Lord's mer- cies in recovering and delivering him from the bitter af- fliaion he had been under. " 1 faid, I am deprived of the refidue of my years, I fhall-behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. Like a crane or'fwallow, fo did. I chattEr; I did mourn as a dove. Behold, for peace 1 had great bitternefs ; but thou haft in love to my foul delivered it from the pit of corruption. The living:Sl:;ill praife thee, as I do this day." Yea, he wsb fo overcome with a fenfe of the Lord's patience and mercy towards him ; that he is at a lofs how to exprefs it, verfe 15.' " What,Shall I Say ? He hath both Spoken i.Klo me,, and himSelf h:.th done it." Let all who are recovered from ficknefs, ftudy to imi- tate that good king in holy admiration and thankfulnefs tokhe God of their. life. fr_ ■ Direct, iv. Study to improve the fparing mercy and'good* !. \nefs of God to you in a right^andfuitable manner. ,, '" fl\ SINNER, hath Godbmugbt you back Srom the ■' V/ ga*« of d«ath? and bliak ot kell, reftored you to Ii8 Afflicted Man's Companion. health, and given you a new offer of mercy and falvation1 through Chrift in a preached gofpel, which you formerly defpifed ? Strive now to improve the Lord's patience and kind dealings towards you with the utmoft care, and abufe his patience no longer. And ui order thereto, take the following counfels. I. Be deepiy humbled for your former obftinacy and! impeniteney, notwithftanding of God's gracious and pa- tient dealing. O let the fparing mercy and goodnefs of God towards thee, lead thee to repentance, which is. the native defign of it,' according to Rom. ii. 4. " Defpifeft thou the riches of his goodnefs, forbearance, and long* fuffering, not knowing that the goodnefs of God leadeth thee to repentance ?" As if he had faid, "Doftthou r.ot fee,' O man, the kind providence of God in fparing and recovering thee from ficknefs, taking thee by the hand, and pointing out. to thee to go to thy clofet to mourn and weep for all thy bypaft fins, and particularly for thy miffpcnding the time of health, and abufing of the Lord's patience ?" The confideration of David's goodnefs and forbearance towards Saul, melted Saul's heart, for as hard and rugged as it was, and made him to lift up his voice end weep, and fay to David, 1 Sam. xxiv. 17. &c. " Thou art more righteous than I ; for thou haft rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou haft fhewed this day, how that thou haft dealt well with me ; for as much as when the Lord had deliv- ered me into thine hand, thou killedft me not. For < (fays he) if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away ?" O far more reafon haft thou, O- man, to weep and cry, " God hath four.d me his enemy, yea in my enmity and fins, fighting againft himftdf; he had me on a Sick-bed, and on the very brink of hell, and the kaft touch of his hand would have thruft me in: but yet he hath fpared his enemy, and let me go well awayi Oh, will nol thefe cords of love draw me, and. thia mauhltfs goodnefs invite and hire me to repent r Can any confide- ration in the world be more, powerful than this to melt my hard heart into tears of holy Shame and Sorrow for' iny ftiff-neckednefe end rebellion againft a graoiouq/aiid- Afflicted Man's Companion. 120 long-fuffering God * Away with thefe c'urfed God-pro- voking fins of mine! down with thefe weapons of rebel- lion? let me never lift them more againft fuch a merciful Sovereign!" II. Zealoufly improve the time, which God in his long-Suffering hath lengthened out to you in working out the falvation of thy foul. Have you fo long been loading the patience of God with yotir fins? have you many a day been grieving his holy Spirit, by trifling away your time, flighting his motions and venturing on fins againft light ? O then beware of burdening his patience anymore; but diligently harken to every motion of God's '' fpirit, and of your own confcience for the time to come. You have much work to do and but little tithe to do it in ; therefore lay hold on every opportunity for cai-rying it on. The confideration of the much^ime you have alrea- dy loft and miffpent, fhould make you -the'more diligent in what remaineth. How much of it have you loft in youth ? how much in ignorance? how much in negli- gence ? how much in worldlinefs 1 how much in paftimes? how much in idle words? how'much in adual firts and provocations againft God ? and now it may be near the evening of youf day. And will you not fpend'the even- ing (which God is mercifully lengthening out) with ex- traordinary care and diligence r" If a traveller loofe the : beginning of the day, he muft travel the fatter in the evening, otherwiSe he may fall Short of his journey, and haye his lodging to feek when night comes. Paul had ir.iffpent much of the beginning of his life; arid this con- fideration (when his eyes were opened) did ftir him up to be niore diligent in the fervice of God fo that he was more zealous than any of the reft of the apoftles. O man, follow his example, and trifle no longer in the work of God. Art thou not Convinced thou haft fquandered away enough of this precious treafure of time already ? And wilt thou alfo miffpend and throw away the little that re- mains? Oh ? be not fo foolifh. • •'/ _- III. Be careful to raze all falfe foundations, and build your hopes of falvation, upon the only Sure rock, JeSus Chrift. Let it not difcourage thee to dig to the foun- 130 Afflicted Marts Companion. dation, that fo much of thy day is loft ; for it is better to do it late than never. Remember how miferable is the condition of that houfe which is built upon the fand, Matth. vii. 27 " For when the flood comes, and th^ ftorm arifeth and beats upon it, great and difmal will the fall of that houfe bo." Do^Vr* build your hopes of hea- ven upon Qod's "abfolute mercy, upon your conyiaions, upon your freedom from grofs fins, upon your prayers or tears upon your morality and juft dealings with men: thoughthefe.be neceflary and excellent in themfelves, yet they are falfe foundations for to build the hopes of your juftification and falvation upon, feeing they arc wholly infufficient to bear fuch a weight. Howevefr much thefe things have been efteemed and valued by you formerly, in the matter of juftification; yet if you, re- folve to be a wife builder, you will let them all now go, yea, count them all but lofs and dung, that you may win Chrift, (our only hope) build on him alone, and he found in him, not having on your own righteousneft, which is but filthy rags. Well then, raze and tear up every falfe foundation, dig deep, till you win to the rock Chrift. Dig deep in-, to the holy law and nature of God; dig till you fee thqj infinite ftrianefs of divine juftice, the unfpcakable evil that is in fin, the hidden vilenefs and abomination of the heart,, your own inability to do any thing.for your help and relief. Dig yet further, till you fee the infinite fuj- nefs and freenefs of God's peace in Jefus Chrift, ll^at fuitable remedy that anfwers all a poor finner needs. Dig deep, and dig on, till you win to this rock; let your cry be ftill. to God; Lord, lead me to the rock Chrift, and his all-fuflkient righteoufnefs only. Aa faith upon this rock, rely on it, build all your hopes on it, and fay, this is my reft forever, here will I dwell, for I have defired it. Lord, the defire of my foul is only to Chrift, and the remembrance of h.W nasie. His name is an oint- ment poured forth ; therefore do the virgins love him." . IV. If you would rightly improve the fparing mercy and goodnefs of God, let it lead you to repentance and reformation of life Turn from all thefe fins, whether cf Afflicted Marts Companion. 131 omiffion or commiflion, now in the day of health, which confcience challenged you for in the time of ficknefs. Mind.Chrift's caution and warning to healed finners, John v. 14. "Behold, thou art made whole ; fin no more, left a worfe thing befal thee." O let fin die with thy ficknefs ; and do not relapfe into thy former fecuri- ty and finful ways. Beware of returning with the dog to thy vomit, and like the fow that is wafhed, to the wallow- ing again in the mire of thy former fins and uncleannefs- es; left being entangled and overcome again with the filthinefs which now thou haft efcaped, thy latter end prove worfe than thy beginning. Ldfily, And to fum up all I fhall fay in this chapter, be careful to red«*em time, and aaive in providing for an eternal ftate. O prize and value the mercy of health and ftrength more than ever. Sympathize with thefe who are ftill lying on fick beds, and under languifhing diftem- pers; neglea not to pity and pray for them. Remember the diftreffed cafe you were in yourfelves, when you had no reft in your bones, when wearifome nights were ap- pointed to you, dnd you were full of tofiing to the dawn- ing of the day. Confider' how flippery is your Handing. Though the late ftorm of trouble be over, yet the clouds will return after rain. CHAPTER VII. Containing directions to thofe fick perfons, who are apparantly in a dying condition, and draw- ing near to another world. I HAVE already in the firft, third, and fourth chap- ters, given feveral direaions concerning our fubmif- fion to the will of God, making preparation for death, calling for minifters, edifying others by our discourfc, fettling our worldly affairs, 8cc. which are very proper 'for dying perfons, and therefore I fhall not repeat them, but proceed to fpeak'of other things. Only letme add this word, if you have hitherto negleaed to make your wills, fettle your worldly affairs, Send Sor minifters t» 132 Afflicted Marts Companion. difcourfe with and pray over you \ delay it no longer, but do it Speedily, while you have the ufe of your reafon aiiel underftanding. And what I have more to fay, take it in the.following direaions: Direct. I. Confider when death fares you in the face, that now is the time if ever io exert the utniofi activity in preparing'to meet with it. LAS, it is to be regretted that the moft part of men .neglea their fouls, miffpend their lives, mifimprove their healths, and leave undone the work for which they were created, preferved and enjoyed the gofpel. Surely a near profpeet of death and judgment can#pt but be un- eafy to fuch perfons, What a mekjiicholiy. thought muft it be for a dying man, " Oh 1 I had all my time given me to make preparation for endlefs eternity : and alas, I never minded it till now, that I muft leave the ftage of this world. Is there any hope for fuch a earelefs and miferable finner:" I acknowledge the cafe is fad, but yet it is not remedilefs nor defperate ; feeing there is a facrifice. provided for your fins, and there is an- aU-fufh\gent Saviour in your offer, who never did caft out any humbled foul, that came to \ him for mercy, Yoa have great reafon indeed to abhor and condemn yourfelf before God, for your fin and fol- ly ; yet defpair not, but believe, whatever be your fins, your dangers, your fears and temptations, that Jefus Chrift is both able and willing to Save to the uttermoft all that come to God by him ; and that his grace abound- erh more than your fin aboundeth. O how glad would devils and damned fouls in hell be, if they were but in your cafe, and had your offers and hopes ! how diligently i] would they improve the time of mercy! O be perfuaded / then to fpend the little time that now remains with the utmoft care, in making penitent confeffion of fin to God, and apply the blood of Chrift for pardon. Nay, even the belt of God's people have need to be diligent at thU \ time, in making actual preparation for dying. God ii now faying to. you, as Jofhua did to the ifraelites, Jnftu i. ii. " Prepare your viauals,, for within three days ye^ , Shall paSj over this Jordan, to go in to pofiefs the Jans' Afflicted Mirts Companion. 133 which the Lord your God giveth you." Lay in pro~ virion for your paffing over this Jordan of death: you know not how rough the paffage may be. I fhall give Some motives to preSs this diligent and ac- tive preparation; and therefore confider, if. The fhort'time ofyour life that remains is all the time you have for working out your falvation. Whjrt you do for attaining heaven, and avoiding hell, muft be done no v or never ; for there is no work nor device in the grave whither thou goeft, nor is there any com- ing back to this world to amend what hath been amifs, Dying is a thing yon cannot get a trial of, it is what you can only d;> once, and no more, Heb. ix. 27. . idly. Be diligent now, for as Soon as death gets commiffion to cut you off, it will execute it : it will not fpare you, nor allow you one minute more time to pre- pare for eternity. The moft mercilefs enemies have Sometimes been overcome by the prayers and tears of fuch as on their knees do beg a little more time to prepare for another world, and doharken to their requefts: but this enemy, death, will uot grant one moment's refpite. If • 3 declining hand, when people generally fall fo Short of the zeal and piety of their fathers in his matter. A^hly. It would be a commendable work of charity in dying perlons, to be giving many good counfels to their relations and'Children, and to be putting many fervent prayers to God for them. So Chrift, when near to death, committed his fpiritual children to his Father, and ear- neftlyHiegging his proteaion and care of them, John xvfi. 11. " I am no more in the world, but thefe are in the world: keep them through thy name, keep them from the evil," &c. In like manner, cry to God for your chil- dren : " Lord, thou haft gracioufly given them to me, I nowreftore them back to thee—They are born to me once, O that they may be born to thee a fecond time! I am leaving them in the midft of fnares and temptations,. O that it may be their happinefs to be preferred in Chrift Jefus! Keep them by thy power through faith unto fal- vation. O take them within the bond of thy covenant, and be thou their Father, to protea, direa, and provide for them. Give them a name in thy houfe better than of fons and daughters, that I may meet with them at thy lijht hand with everlafting joy." faflly, Be fuitably concerned alfo for the whole church of Chrift, and efpecially for thefe that are in affliaion, that God may loofe their bonds, fend them liberty and profperity in his due time, " Do good in thy good plea- fure unto Zion, build up the walls of thy Jerufalcm. Peace be within her walls, and profperity within her pal- aces." Afflicted^Marts Companion. 139 Direct, iv. Labour what you can to overcome the love of life, and fears of death : that you may attain to willing- nefs to die, and leave the world when God calleth you to it. IT is no wonder that a wicked man, or one that hath no i.itercft in Chrift, be unwilling to die : why, he is affrighted with the guilt of paft fins, and the fears of future torments ; and it is impoffible to be rid of thefe till he become a true believer in Chrift. No man hath ground to welcome death but the believer ; yet it is to be regretted that fo many of them fhould appear unwil- ling to leave this world, which is nothing to them but a wildernefs and weary land. Lot's foul was vexed and; troubled in Sodom, yet he wa& loth to leave it ; fo fome believers, when called to leave a vexing world, do Shew much hankering towards it, and linger behind. This proceeds partly from nature, which dreads a diflblutionr and partly from the weaknefs of grace. But O let all' God's children labour to overcome this averfion, and go forth to meet death halfway, and bid it welcome. And for their help in this matter, I fhall lay before them the following Arguments.- if, Confider how little reafon a believer hath to be much in love with this prefent life. i. It is a finful life; fin dwells in your nature, breaks out in your life, and pollutes all your duties. How often have you groaned under -this burden ? and fhould you not be willing to be eternally delivered from it ? 2.. It is a life of difeafes and infirmities, and fhould you not be glad to be cured ,of them all at once ? 3. It is a life of temptation, fatan is ftill harrafling thee, and fhould you not be defirous to bc- out of his reach ? 4. It is a life of perfecutions from the wicked: they hate, reproach* and injure you many ways; and is it not defirable to be " where the wicked ceafe from troubling, and the weary be at reft?" 5. It is a life of clouds and darknefs : your fun is often veiled, and your evidences obfeured, which occafions many bitter com- plaints, and fhould you not defire that time when the day Shall break, and all Shadows fly away ? 6. It is a life o£ 140 Afflicted Man's Companion. calamities and fears: It is like a ftormy fea, where one wave rolls upon the back of another, and when one cala- mity is paft, we many times fear a greater is coming; and Sometimes the heavens turn fo black and gloomy, that we fear a hurricane of judgments is ready to blow ; and Should you not blefs God when he comes, by death, to houfe your fouls, and fet you out of harm's way? It is in mercy that God takes away the righteous from the evil to come, Ifa. Ivii. i. So dealt he with Jofiah, £ Kings, xxii. 20. " I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou fhalt be put into thy grave in peace, and thiae eyes Shall not fee all the evil which I fhall bring upon this place." So it is obfervable that Mcthufelah died the ve- ry year before the flood ; Auguftine a little before the facking of Hippo; Pareus juft before the taking of Hei- delberg. Luther obferves that all the apoftles died be- fore the deftruaion of Jerufalem. And Luther himfelf died before the bloody wars broke out in Germany. Thus God frequently hides his people from the tempta- tions and troubles that are coming on the earth. Why ? he fees many of them not in cafe to endure them ; and therefore he in mercy takes them away from a tempting and finning world, to a land of holmefs and reft. While we are here, we live in a world that lies in wickednefs; every fenfe of the body betrays the foul into fin ; the poor foul can fcarce look out at the eye, and not be in- fected ; nor hear by the ear and not be diftracted; nor fmell at the noftrils and not be tainted ; nor tafte at the tongue and not be allured; nor touch by the hand and not be defiled. O believer, what is this life that thou art fo fond of: it is but a living death, or a dying life. Ti is full of grief for things paft, full of labour for things prefent, and full of fears for things future. The firft part of our life is fpent in folly; the middle part is overwhelmed wi:h cares; and the latter part of it i» burdened with infirmities and age. And what gain we by the prolonging of this life ? nothing but to do more evil, fee more evil, and fuffer more evil. And fhould a chriftian be unwilling to be rid of thofe grievances ? Afflicted Marts Companion. 141 i idly Confider that dying is appointed as the way, anef ; , the only way to glory: there is no way to enter the pro- mife-1 land, but by crofting the Jordan of death. And fhould not a ftranger defire to be at home with his friends, though he hath a rough way and Stormy fea to pafs? Is there any home like heaven, where your incomparable . friend Chrift is ? O what a happinefs is it to be with Chrift, and to fee him as he is ? how happy do you think Peter, James, and John were, in being taken up to mount Tabor, to be eye-witneffes of their Saviour's transfigura- tion ? but, O believer, death procures a greater happi- nefs to you; it ufhers you to Mount Zion, where you , fhall not only fee your Saviour whiter than thefnow, and ' brighter than the fan, but ycurfelf transfigured with ,*;him, made like him, and eternally fecurcd of his prefence. The three apoftles faw but two prophets, but you fhall fee all the prophetf, all the apoftles, all the patriarchs, all the martyrs, all the holy perfons you once converfed with on earth, and in general all the faints in heaven, each of them fliining as the fun;, and how fweet willtheir com- pany be ? O how foon will the trifles of the world vanifh ' and all its pleafures be forgot, when once the believer gets a view of that captivating glory above! When the Shep- herds-heard but fome few notes of the angels fongs, who praifed God at the nativity of our Saviour, they prefent- 1y left their flocks, and ran to Bethlehem to behold the child Jefus lying in the manger; but much more caufe £hath a believer to leave all the pleafures of the world, and rmi to behold an exalted Jefus fitting on the throne of Hiis glory, with all his faints and "angeh, Singing praifes around him. If Cato and Cleombrotus, two heathens, after reading Plato's book of the immortally of the foul, did voluntari- ly, the one fall on his fword, the other break his neck from a precipcie,that they might the fooner come(as they [, fancied) to partake of thife joys ; what a fhame is it for Chriftians, who have a far furer and clearer difcovciy of thefe things from God's own book, to be found unwilling- Uv to enter into thefe heavenly joys, when their blcffed Rcr ficcmer call* for them thither ? 1 I 142 Afflicted Marts Companion. 3«7y, Confider how willing Chrift was to come from'fj heaven to earth for you; and fhould you be unwilling to remove from earth to heaven for him ? yen, for yourfclvcs, for the gain is yours ? O did Chrift affume your nature, become obedient to death, andpurchafe an inheritance for you with his blood ; and will you be backward to go and take poffeflion of it ? O for a Chrift-like obedience •at death! Laflly, Confider what a reproach is caft on chriftianity by a believer's unwillingnefs to die. For christians to pray, and fpeak much of Chrift, of heaven and glory, and yet be unwilling to enter into that glory; what is it but a mifbelieving of God, and a tempting of Strangers fo think there is no reality in'religion ? §>uefi. Since death is not eafy to grapple with, hoV Shall I attain to this bleffed difpofition, a willingnefs to die? Anfw. if. Be frequently putting forth the afts of fi 'Upon the righteoufnefs of Chrift; 'and believe that Chri died to bring in perfea righteoufnefs for believers, that they all might be complete in him. Now why fliould % believer be afraid to appear before God in Chrift's ritditfrj oufnefs, which is fo pleating and acceptable to him ? Re^ xiv. 4, 5. they are faid to be without fault before the throne of God. If a believer were to appear before God in !:(» own righteoufnefs, clothed with his own duties and per- formances, it would be dreadful to think of dying; bit to have the white garment of an elder brother to putotf,! gives another view of death. Alas, it is our neglecting the daily exercife of faith in the righteoufnefs of Chrift, that makes the thoughts of death To unwelcome- . j idly, When you attain to peace and reconciliation with God, labour to preferve it. Be flaring and clearing accounts with God ever)'day, and watch againft there? fins that wound confcience, wafte comfort, and grieve the Spirit of adoption. When we think God is difpleafcd , with us, we will be afraid of going to him. $dly, Study to be more denied to the enjoyments of this life, and to ufe them with a holy indifferency; other- wife there will be an unwillingnefs to leave thefe tilings; Afflicted Marts Companion. 143 k tfthly. Labour to be deeply fenfible of the burden of indwelling fin and corruption, and the workings thereoS in your hearts; and this will make the thoughts of death welcome, becaufe it eternally delivers you from it. $thly, Seek further difcoveries of the lovelinefs of Chrift, and the daily exercife and increafe of your foul's love to him; for it is the nature of love to long after communion with the perfon that we love. 6thly, Make death familiar to you by the frequent forethoughts of it. Retire oft from the world to think of dying, when you are in beft health. "jthly, Be much taken up in the fweet employment cf praifing God, and exalting the worthy Lamb that was i flain; and this will incline you to be there, where this is the continued work. Laftly. Be oft thinking-of thefe warnings and forerun- ners of death, which God fends to wean your heart from i the love of life, and difpofe you to a willingnefs to die. For this end, God fends manifold difeafes, pains, infirmi- , ties, wants, ftraits, loffes, croffes, disappointments, &c. . And in a Special manner, let old people view the forerun- ners and harbingers of death, which God fends to prepare [his way : fuch as the decays and infirmities of old age, which we have elegantly defcribed in figurative expres- sions, Ecclef. xii. 2. " Then the light of the fun,_moon, 'tnd ftars fhall be darkened;" *. e. in old perfons, the in- itellcaual powers and faculties, which are as lights in the foul, fhall be weakened. And then do " the clouds re- turn after rain;" i.e. their diftempers are frequent, like a continual dropping in a rainy day ; and the endyig of one is but the beginning of another.—Verfe 3. " Then the keepers of the houfe do tremble;"./, e. the head and hands which were employed for the prefervatiotr of the body do fhake.—The ftrong men bow themfelves," i. e. the legs and thighs which are the pillars of the houfe be- come weak and feeble.—*' The grinders ceafe becaufe they are few ;" t. e. the teeth which like the upper and nether millftone do grind our meat and prepare it for con- co^ion then ceafe to do their part.—"Thofe th?t look 1 out of the windows arc darkened ;" /. e. the eyes wax 144 Afflicted Marts Companion. dim, whereby God calls us to turn them away from be- t holding vanity and to look after the things that are not , Seen.—Verfe 4. " The daughters of mufic are brought low;" i.e. they have neither voice nor ears; they can neither fing themfelves, nor take pleafure in the voice of Singing men or women. Then death pulls us, as it were by the ear, to think on the mufic above.—Verfe 5. " The s almond-tree flourifheth ;" /. e. the hair grows white, like the almond-tree in the bloffom. And as the outward parts of the body do weaken, and decay? fo alfo do the in- ward parts thereof: therefore it is faid, Verfe 6. "The •* Silver cord fhall be loofed, the golden bowl broken, the pitcher broken at the fountain, the wheel broken at the . ciftern;" i. e. the Silver cord of the finews is loofed, which carries the faculty of fenfe and motion from the < head, through the body. The head, which like a goJd-}j en bowl or box, contains the brain, that is the foun*^ tain of fenfe and morion through age is broken, and turns - crazy. The many pitchers of the veins,which carry the ~\ nourishing blood from the well to the liver unto each part of the body, become like broken veffels. And the wheels of the arteries, which convey the vital fpirit* ji from the heart to the feveral members, for quickening ^ them begin to turn faint and languid. All thefe things do warn old perfons to take their affeaions off time's things, and fet them .upon things above, that they may be helped to fay, we " defire to depart, and to be with Chrift." But after all, fome believers will have objeaions againft willingnefs to die, fome whereof I fhall confider. ObjeS. 1. ** I am threatened to be cut off in the flower of mine age." Anfw. Inftead of fretting on this account, you ought rather to adore and praife a gracious God, that is willing to beftow the reward of the whole day upon thee, who haft only laboured fome hours of it. Praife him that he is willing to take you fo foon home ; whereby you wiH prevent much fin and Sorrow in the world. Object. II. ''I have houfes and lands, and a comforta- ' ble dwelling on the earth." Afflicted Marts Companion. 145 Anfw. Thefe are only needful in your paffage through. the world ; above there is no ufe for thefe comforts. There God provideth manfions for his people a thoufand times more comfortable, John xiv. i. i Cor. v. i. Surely boufes of God's building, and of Chrift's furnifhing, are preferable to the cottages built hymen's hands. Object. III. "But I am loth to leave God's ordinances, and tae fweet communion I have had withfiim therein." Anfw. Above there will be no need of ordinances, Sacraments, bibles, or minifters; for the Lamb will be the light of the heavenly temple, and all hid things in religion will be difcovered in Chrift's face. There you will cele- '. brate an eternal Sabbath, drink the fruit of the vine new • with Chrift, be ever with the Lord, without any cloud v or interruption of your communion with him. Is it any lof3 to be taken from the fhallow ftreams, and Set by the fountain that is ever full and running over ? "*' Object. IV. " I am loth to leave the company of godly . friends and relations." Anfw. Death will take you to your friend Chrift, u that is far better than them all. And for one friend you . Jofe upon earth, you fhall find an hundred inheaven; and > the£e godly relations you leave here, you Shall foon meet with them again there ; where you will have far fweeter -communion than poffibly you can have, upon earth with them, or the beft of men, who, while here, have Several infirmities and paffions, that many times make their con- i! "verfe uncomfortable. ^ Object. V. " But I would fain fee the glory of Zion upon earth, when God's promifes to her fhall be accom- plifhed." Anfw. So Mofes would fain have had Ifrael's happi- nefs in the promifed land: but his dying in the firm belief x>f God's fulfilling all his promifes to them there, was more acceptable to God, than his beholding the perforn- ( ance. And the glory of the church militant is a fight nothing comparable to that of the church triumphant above. Object. VI. " But I would incline to ftay to do God N 146 Afflicted Marts Companion. more fervice in his church below, whole ncccfiities are claimant." Anfw. i • You will not want opportunity for fencing and glorifying God above, and where you will be in far better cafe for it. Here our hearts are oft out of tune for God's work, and we are forced to hang our harps upon* the willows ; but above there are no willows to hang them on ; no faint there will ever complain of any indifpoiitiott \ of heart or tongue. 1 idly. God knows the neceflities of his church, and is ' more concerned for them than thou eanftbc; and it is cafy for him to raife up inftruments to carry on his work when thou art gone. Object. VII. " I am afraid of the pain and pangs of death. The thoughts of thefe make me fhrink back." Anfw. ift. Many die without much Seeming fenfe of \ pain, and it is probable have lefs pain at the hour of death, than they have felt under feveral former difeafes. idly. If they be fharp, they are foon over; and each pang of death will fet fin a Step nearer the door, and thy foul a Step nearer home: and therefore it be- , cometh a Chriftian to die cheerfully, and to be glad when he can find the grave. Now, what I have faid in this chapter is to the be- lieving foul: for it is no wonder though the fouls of the ungodly, at death, fhrink back into the body, and trem- ble to go forth, when they can have no profpea of any better lodging than utter darknefs. Direct, v. Study to imitate the ancient worthies, by dying in faith. , THIS was the charaaer and epitaph of the old Tef- < tament faints, Heb. xi. 13. " Thefe all died ia faith." As they had lived by faith, l'o they died ia • faith. They not only continued true believers to the '■ laft, dying in the ftate of Saith, but they died in the ex- ercife of faith alfo. Now, the exercife of faith in dying includes feveral things, worthy to be imitated by all df- > ieg believers. if, An open and prufeffed adherance to the dearie Afflicted Marts Companion. 147 of faith, and truths of chriftianity. This faith all Chrif- tians fhould zealoufly own in the view of death, and per«- fevere in it to the laft without wavering. This would be to die like martyrs, though we die in our beds. How fteadfaftly did old Polycarp adhere to Chrift and his truths to the laft, and fo died in faith ! When he was urged by the proconful to deny Chrift, he anfwered, " Thefe fourfcore and fix years have I ferved him, and he never once offended me : and how fhall I now deny him ?" idly, Dying in faith imports an inward, hearty, and firm belief of the fundamental articles of the chriftian faith : and improving them fo, as to make them the foundation of our comfort and hope at the hour of death. As for inftance, we muft yield our departing fouls, in the firm belief of their living and exifting in a Separate condition aftef this life, and of that future ftate of blef- Sednef3 and reft which God hath prepared for all believ- er?. Again, we muft difmifs the body to the grave, in a firm belief and hope of a joyful refurreaion at the laft: day. Thus that holy man, Job, both lived and died ih faith, Job xix. 25, 26, " I know that my redeemer liv- eth, and that he Shall Hand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my fkin, worms deftroy this body, yet in my flefli I fhall See God." A Chriftian then dies in faith, when he believes thefe truths fo, as cheerfully to obey God's call, and venture into the in- vifible world, upon the teftimony which God hath given concerning it: as Abraham did in going out to an un- known land, Heb. xi. 8. " By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he fhould after receive for an inheritance, obeyed ; and he went out, not knowing whether he went." t $dly, The believer dies in faith, when he makes frefh application to Chrift as his only hope and Saviour, takes him in his arms of faith, as old Simeon did before his death, faying, " In the Lord Chrift I have righteouf- nefs and ftrength ;" though I have neither righteoufnefs nor'ftrength in myfelf, yet I have both in him, my blef-- fed furety and redeemer. We have many ufes for faith 148 Afflicted Marts Companion. in Chrift at the hour of death. By faith we muft depend » »pon Chrift's blood for making atonement, and wafiunr away the guilt of all our bypaft fins. By faith we muft put on the righteoufnefs of Chrift for covering our naked fouls, when they are to appear and Hand before God.— By faith we muft rely on Chrift for ftrength to Suffer pain, refift temptations, and conquer death and all our enemies. By faith we muft look to Chrift as our leader, < and truft him for our fafe cond»a through the dark vaU ley of death, and for fafe landing on the fhore of glory. Aithly, The believer dies in faith, when he trufts his departing foul with confidence in his Redeemer's hand, faying with Paul, 2 Tim. i. 12. "I know whom I have believed, and I am perfuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him againft that day." This ,^ was the Pfalmift's practice, Pfal. xxxi. 5. " Into thy hand I commit my fpirit ; for thou haft redeemed me, O Lord God of truth." So the man that dies in faith, commits the jewel of his foul to his Redeemer's keeping, and confides in his care of it. Why, he made it, he hath redeemed it, he loves it, it is his own, a member of his body, and he will not hate his own fiefh. He \ loves his dying faints much better than we love an eye, a hand, or any other member of our body, which, to he Sure, we will not loofe, if it be in our power to fave it. $thly, Dying in faith imports, that the dying faint confides in God's faithfulnefs and truth for making good all thefe promifes to his church and people after his death, which are not yet accomplifhed. We fhould go off the Stage in the firm belief of God's fulfilling all his promi- fes concerning the profperity of his church, the calling of the Jews, the deftruaion of Antichrift, and the fe- cond^ coming of our Lord ; and likewife concerning our . families, that God will be as good as his word, and be a father to the fatherlefs, and a hufoand to the widow. Would we then be fo happy as to cie in faith, let us take thefe advices. if, Let us be careful to get faith beforehand : for death is a time to ufe faith, not to get it. They were Afflicted Mart's Companion. 119 foolifh virgins who had their oil to buy when the bride- groom was come. idly, Study to live every day in the exercife of faith, and be ftill improving and making ufe of Chrift, in all his offices, and for all thefe ends and ufes for which God hath given him to believers. $dJy, Be frequently clearing up your evidences for heaven, and beware of letting fin blot them to you. ifthly, Record and lay up the experiences of God's . kind dealings with you, and be often refleaing upon them, that you may have them ready at hand in the ' hour of death. Lafly, Meditate much on thefe promifes which have been fweet and comfortable to you in the time of Strait ; and beg that the Lord may bring them to your remem- brance when you come to die. Direct, vi. Set the examples of other dying flints before' you, andfudy in like manner to fine in grace, heaven- ly difcourfe, and be exemplary in piety, and for the glo- ry of God, and good of fouls, when you are going off the fl age. THIS is the laft opportunity you have of doing fer- vice to God, and the intereft of religion ; wfiere- | fore Strive to improve;it dilligently for the honour of God, and the edification, of thofe that furvive .you. How, pleafantis it to fee God's people leaving the world, com- mending Chrift andiits fervice, and perfuming the place they lie in with their laft breath! I have, Chap. III. Di- rect. 5. and 6. adduced feveral modes to prefs this point, and given dircaions concerning the fpeech and behaviour of the children of God when on fick-heds, which I fjmil not repeat. That which I defign here is, to Set before you the ex- amples of fome eminent faints, and their examplary, piou* and holy f peeches and Sayings, when they were a-dying ; > and that in order to confirm and eftablifh others in reli- * gion, and alfo to excite them to imitate thefe fhining wor-- J ttiies when they alfo come to die. Surely it is for this ' very end, that God hath ordered U3 to be compafled a- L_l_ N * ____L 1 SO Afflicted Man's Companion. bout with fo great a cloud of witneffes, Heb. xii. 3.— * Thus doth the apoftle improve their example, Heb. xi. And how earneft is he in this matter ? Heb. vi. II. tz. " And we defire, that every one of you do fhew the fame diligence, to the full affurance of hope unto the end: t that ye be not Slothful, but followers of them, who thro' faith and patience inherit the promifes." I fhall begin with fome examples from the facred hif- tory ; and, in the firft place, with the King of faints, our Lord Jefus Chrift. O how fweet and comfortable were his difcourfes unto his difciples, when his death drew nigh ! and what a heavenly prayer did he make for them, and all his elea ones at that time ! Thefe we have recorded in the 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th chapters of John . which are moft feafonable at all times for us to read end meditate upon, but efpecially when death is approaching. And likewife let us read the hiftory of our Lord's pafiion, in which we may obferve the won- \ derful expreffions of his faith in God, his patience under 1 fufferings, bis pity to his enemies, his love to his mother " and his difciples,; his concern for his Father's glory, his J obedience in his death,, and his willingnefs to be offered ■ up. Thus the bleffed Sun of righteoufnefs did Shine forth moft glbrioufly at his Setting, with the radiant beams of his heavenly graces and virtues ; and herein he hath fet himfelf a pattern to all dying faints to the end of the world; Jace>b, when he was- on his death bed, called his fons together, and gave them many fpecial charges and blef- fings ; we have his excellent words recorded in Gen. xlviii. and xlix. chapters. And in particular, how fweet- ly doth he fpeak of the coming of the Mefliah to them ? Gen. xlix. to. 18. And how affeaionately doth he commend God's goodnefs and kind providence towards him through his life ? Gen. xlviii. 1 e, 16. " The God yvhich fed me all my life long unto this day," &c. Jofeph, when he was a-dying, fpoke lovingly to his brethren, who had dealt cruelly with him; and affured them of the Lord's, faithfulnefs in keeping his promife Affliaed Marts Companion. 151 to their fathers, Gen. 1. 20. " I die, and God will fure- ly vifit you, and bring you out of this land." Mofes, when he was to go up to mount Nebo to die there, left many bleffings, and gave many weighty charv ges to the children of Ifrael; we have his holy and rav- riliing words recorded, Deut. xxxii. and xxxiii. chapters, And particularly how pleafantly doth he commend God, and his ways to the people ? Deut. xxxii. 4. " He is the Rock, his work is perfea : for ail his ways are judgment ; a God of truth, and without iniquity, juft and right is he." Jofhua, when he was near his end, gave many folemn * charges and exhortations to the people, which we have ,'• narrated, Jpfh, xxiii. and xxiv. chapters. And there we may fee the remarkable methods he takes to rivet im- 1 preffions and conviaions upon them, now when he can inftnia them no longer. And, particularly, he appeal* to their confciences concerning the faithfulnefs of God in keeping his word to them, that fo he might engage > them to fidelity to him, Jofh. xxiii. 14. " And behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth, and ye know in all your hearts and in all your fouls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the l! Lord your God fpake concerning you." ¥ David, when his end was near, affembled the people, and folemnly charged them, as in the audience of God, to keep his commandments, 1 Chron. xxviii. 8, 9. And particularly, he charged his fon and fucceffor Solomon, to " know the God of his father, and to ferve him with a perfea heart, and with a willing mind." The apoftle Paul, when taking his laft farewell of the elders of Ephefus, he moft folemnly charges them, to "take heed to themfelves, and the flocks over which the Holy Ghoft had made them overfeers," Aas xx. 28.—- And how fweetly doth he fing in the view of approach- ing death ! 2 Tim. iv. 6, 7, 8.. " I. am now ready to be offered, the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finifhed my courfe, 1 have ; kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up'for me a crown of righteoufnefs, which the Lord, the righteous. 152 Afflicted Marts Companion. Judge Shall give me at that day; and not to me only, bnt unto them alfo that love his appearing." In imitation of thefe fcripture faints, the people of God in all ages have ftudied to glorify God and edify men at their death, by commending God and godlinefs to their friends and families. Thefe we ought to teach by our example, both how to live and how to die, as others have done before us. Thus Said once a dying faint to his family, " I have formerly taught you how to live, and now I teach you how to die." Now, becaufe in all ages the fpeeches of dying Chrif- tians have been much obferved, and God hath remarkably bleffed them to the eftablifhment and confirmation, quickening and exciting of others to imitate them; I fhall bring feveral examples from human histories and writings, and moftly from Clark's Lives, of fundry emi~ nent Saints, whofe graces have Shone brighteft, and their fpeeches were moft heavenly, when the fun of their life was at the Setting., i. That old difciple, Polycarp, when he came to the flake at which he was burnt, defired to ftand untied, faying, " Let me alone, for he that gave me ftrength to come to the fire, will give me patience to endure the flame without your tying." i. So holy Cyprian triurr^hed over death, Saying, "'Let'him only fear death, who muft pafs from this death to the fecond death." When he heard the Sen- tence of death pronounced' aga'mft him, he faid, " I thank God for freeing me from the. prifon of this body."' 3. Bafil, when the emperor Valens fent his officers to tempt him with great preferments to turn from the faith, he rejeaed them with fcorn, faying, " Y'ou may offer thefe things to children." And when they threatened him with fufferings, Ire faid, " threaten your purple gallants xvith thefe things, that give themfel./s to their pleafures." When Modeftus the perfea threatened Eafil, to con- fiscate lis goods, to torment him, to banifh him or kilt him, he anfwered, " he need not fear confiscation, that bad nothing to loofe : sor banifhment,' to whom heavea Afflicted Marts Companion. 155 on3y is a country : nor torments, when his body would he daflied with one blow : nor death, which is the only way to fet him at liberty." The perfea telling him he was mad, faid, Opto me in eeternun%, fc detirare, I wifh I may forever be thus mad. 4. Ignatius being led from Syria to Rome to be torn in pieces of wild beafts, he expreffed h'n fear left it fhould happen to him as to fome others, that the lions out of a kind of reverence, would not dare to touch him. And therefore he oft wifhed, " that their appetites might be whetted to difpatch him. For (faid he) the lions teeth are but like a mill, which though it bruifeth, yet wafteth not the good wheat, only prepares and fits it to be made pure bread. Let me be broken by them, fo I may be made pure manchet for heaven." j. The great Mr. Knox, our reformer, when he lay a , dying, was much in prayer, ever crying, " Come Lord Jefus ; fweet Jefus, into thy hands I commend my fpirit." Being afked by thofe that attended him, if his pain was great ? he anfwered, " That he did not efteem that a pain, which would be to him the end of all trouble, and the beginning of eternal joys." Oft times, after fome deep meditations, he faid, " O ferve the Lord in fear, and death fhall not be terrible to you; Bleffed is the death of thofe that have part in the death of Jefus." After a fore temptation from Satan, (which'I former- ly mentioned) over which he triumphed at length, he faid, ♦'Now the enemy is gone away afhamed, and fhall no more return. I am Sure now my battle is at an end, and that without pain of body, or trouble of fpirit, I fhall fhortly change this mortal and miferable life, with that happy and immortal life which fhall never have an end." After one had prayed for him, he was afked whether he heard the prayer ? he anfwered, " Would to God you had heard it with fuch an ear and heart as I have done! adding, Lord Jefus, receive my fpirit." With which words, without any motion of hands or feet, as one falling afleep, rather than dying, he ended his life. 6. Dr. Gouge, when he was old and dying was fore affliaed with the ftone, and other painful maladies j yet 154 Afflicted Marts Companion. though by reafon of hi: pains he was oft heard to groan, 4 he never once grumbled againft the difpenfations of God. He never cried out, a great fufferer, but oft, a great finntr: -i yet ftill comforted himfelf, that there is a great Saviour. In his greateft torments he would fay, " Well, yet in all thefe there is nothing of hell, or of God's wrath. 0 my foul, be filent, be patient: it is thy God and Father that thus orders thine eftate. Thou art his clay ; he may tread and trample upon thee as he pleaseth ; thou haft J deferved much more. It is enough that thou art kept ' out of hell; though thy pains be grievous, yet they are not intolerable, thy God affords fome intermiffions; he j will tnrn it to thy good, and at length put an end to all; and none of thefe comforts can be expeaed in hell." In his greateft pains, he oft ufed holy Job's words, " ShaH ' we receive good from the hands of the Lord, and not evil alfo ?" When any of his friends would have comforted him, with telling him of his eminent gifts and fervice in ' the miniftry, he would anfwer, " I dare not think of any fuch thing for comfort: only Jefus Chrift, and what he I hath done and endured, is the ground of my furecomfort." , The thoughts of death were pleafant to him, which he- \ often t«rmed, his beft friend, next unto Jefus Chrift, 1 And he would blefs God, that he had nothing to do but • to die. 7. I have read of another minifter under the like extreme pains. When he was afked, how he did ? his frequent ; anfwer was, " The bufh always burning, but not confum- .] ed ; though my pains are above the ftrength of nature, ^ yet they are not above the fupports of grace." He would pray, " Lord drop comfort into thefe bitter waters •< of Marah. Let the blood of Sprinkling which extinguifh- eth the fire of thine anger, allay my burning pain. Oh if my patience were more, my pains would be lefs; Lord, * give me patience, and inflia what thou wilt. This is a' '' fiery chariot, but it will carry me to heaven. O my God, break open the prifon door, and fet my poor captive foul- free: I defire to be diffolved, but enable me willingly to wait thy time." He would again cry, " When fhall the time come, that I fhall neither fin more, nor ferrow / Afflicted Marts Companion. 155 more: Lord, keep me from difhonouring thy name by impatience. Oh, who would not, even in burnings, have honourable thoughts of God ! Lord, thou gaveft me no occalion to have hard thoughts of thee. Bleffed be God, for the peace of mine inward man, when my ■outward man is fo full of trouble. This is a bitter cup, but it is of my Father's mixing; and fhall I not then drink it?" 8. Mrs. Jean Aflcew, who was a martyr in king Henry's reign, to her confeffion in Newgate fhe thus fubfcribed ; li* Written by me Jean Afkew, that neither wifheth •'death, nor feareth its might, and as merry as one bound , towards heaven." When the chancellor fent her letters Lat the Stake, offering her the king's pardon, if fhe would •recant; fhe refufedto look upon them, gave this anfwer: " That fhe came not hither to deny her Lord andMafter." 9. Mr. James Bainham, when he was at the flake in the midft of the burning fire, which had half confumed j, his legs and arms, fpake thefe words ; " O ye Papifts! ' behold ye look for miracles, and here now ye may fee a miracle ; for in this fire 1 feel no more pain, than if I i were in a bed of down; it is to me as a bed of rofes." ^ 10. John Lambert, as he was burning in Smithfield, , and his legs were quite confumed with the fire, he lifted up his hands, his fingers flaming like torches, but his heart abounding with comfort, crying out, "None but ■Chrift, none but Chrift." n. Mr. Robert Glover, a little before his death, had loft the fenfe of God's favour, for which he was in great r heavinefs and forrow ; but when he came within fight of . the flake at which he was to fuffer, he was on a fudden fo filled with divine comfort, that, clapping his hands 1 together, he cried out to his Servant, " He is come, he is come;" and fo died moft cheerfully. 12. It was a faying of Auguftine,1 " Boughs fall off • trees, and ftones out of buildings; and why fhould it feem ftrange that mortal men die ?" 13. Mr. John Dodd had a violent fever, that there was but little hope of his life; yet at length his phyfician coming to him, faid, " Now I have hope of your recove- 156 Afflicted Marts Companion. ry." To whom Mr. Dodd anfwered, You think to / comfort me with this, but you make my heart fad. It is as if you fhould tell one who had been fore weather-beat- en at fea. aud conceiving he was now arrived at the haven where his foul longed to be, that he muft go back again to be toffed with new winds and waves." He would often fay in his ficknefs, "I am not afraid to look death in the face. I can fay, Death where is thy fting ? death cannot hurt me." He ufed to fay, "The knowledge of two things would make one willing to die, • viz. What heaven is, and that it is mine." " Yes, (Said* one) if a man were fure of that." To whom he anfwered, " Truly affurance is to be had ; and what have we been doing all this while ?" Some others of the fayings of this holy man were fo , pithy and remarkable, I cannot pafs them here. y Once Mr. Dodd coming to vifit a godly minifter on£| his death-bed, who was much oppreffed with melanchop'l ly, and complained to him, faying, " O Mr. Dodd, what will you fay of him who is going out of the world, and can find no comfort ?" To whom Mr. Dodd anfwered, \ " What will you fay of our Saviour Chrift, who, when he was going out of the world, found no comfort, but cried out, My God, my God, why haft thou forfakeH [ me?"—He Said of affliaions, "they are God's portions, which we may fweeten by faith and faithful prayer) but we, for the moft part, make them bitter, putting into God's cup the evil ingredients of our impatience and un- belief.—He calls death the friend of grace, though it be the enemy of nature; for whereas the word facraments, and prayer, do but weaken fin, death kills it." He ufed to Say, "A man is never in a hard condition, unlefs he have a hard heart, and cannot pray." He inilructed Chriftians how they fhould never have a great nor lafting affliaion, and that was, by looking upon the things that are not feen, which are eternal, 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. 1 or what can be great to him that counts the world n«;th'.. ?? And what can be long to him th'.t accounts his lit-. X a fpan long ?—When he faw a Chriftian look fad, 1 c would fay as Jonadab did to Aranon, " Art thou a king's Afflicted Marts Companion. 157 fin, and lookeft fo ill?" And when fuch complained to him cf their loffes and croffes, he would ufe the words , of EHphaz to Job, " Do the confolations of God feem f fmall unto you ? God hath .taken from you your children, your goods, &c. but he hath not taken from you him- t felf, his Chriit, nor his Spirit, nor heaven, nor eternal life/' To a friend of his that rofe from a mean to a great ef- tat", he fent word, " That this was but -.s if he fliould go out of a boat into a barge or Snip ; but he ought fcri- oufly to remember, that whilft he was in this world, he was but upon the floating fea. He oft faid, " That if it were lawful to envy any, he v.i ild envy thofe that turn to God in their youth, where- by they efcape much fin and forroiv, and arc like Jacob, that ftole the bJeffing betimes. He ufed to compare re- |> proofs given in paffion, to fcalding potions, which the pa- "r tient could not take down; in reproofs we fliould labour pr for mee-kuefs of wifdom, ufing Soft words and hard argu- fe «nents. ' He was a moft popular miniftcr, but much perfecu- ted. Once he took a journey to fee his father-in-law, Mr. Greenham, and to bemoan himfelf to him, upon ac- L count of his croffes and hard ufage. Mr. Greenham, ha-. vjng heard all he could fay, anfwered him thus: " Son, fon, when affliaion lieth heavy, fin lieth light." Mr. Dodd ufed oft to blefs God for this fpeech, faying, " If. Mr. Greenham had bemoaaed him as he cxpeaed, he P had done him much hurt." He forgot not this faying '-" in his old age, but made excellent ufe of it for himfelt ; and others, < 14. Oecolampadius, that famous divine of Switzer- land, when lying on his death-bed, and being afked, > whether the light did not offend him? he anfwered, point- I iag to his brcait, Hie fat lucis, " Here is abundance of light;" meaning of comfort and joy. He afked one of his friends, What news? His friend anfwered, none. t Then, faith he, I will tell you fome news; I fhall pre- I fently be with my Lord Chrift. I 15. A certain godly man patting through his laft fick- 158 Afflicted Marts Companion. nefs with extraordinary calmnefs of confcience, being afked by fome of his friends about it, he anfwered, that he had ftedfaftly fixed his heart upon that fweet promife, Ifa. xxvi. 3. " Thou wilt keep him in perfea peace whofe mind is ftaid on thee ; becaufe he trnfteth in thee." And my God, Said he, hath gracioufly made it fully good unto my foul. 16. Mr. Robert Bolton, minifter at Bronghton, well kr.own by his writings, in the time of his laft ficknefs, which was long and fharp, he often breathed out thefe words : " Oh, when will this good hour come ? when fhall I be diffolved ? when fhall 1 be with Chrift ?" Being told, that to be diffolved was indeed better for him, yet it would be better for the church that he would flay lyre ; he anfwered, " If I fhall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and fhew me both it and his habitation ; but if otherwife, lo, here I am, let him do what feemcth him good in his eyes." Being afked by another, if he could not be content to live, if it pleafed God ? he anfwered, " I grant that life is a great bleffing of God, neither will I negka any means that may preferve it ; and do heartily fubmit to God's will ; but of the two, I infinitely defire more to be diffolved, and to be with Chrift." He bade all that came to fee him, make Sure of Chrift before they came to die, and look upon the world now as a lump of vanity. He en- couraged the minifters that came to him, to be dilligent and courageous in the work of the Lord, and not to faint nor droop for any affliaion that fhould arife there- «i upon. When he found himfelf very weak, he called for his ■< wife and children. He defired her to bear his diffolution, which was now at hand, with a Chriftian fortitude, a thing he had been preparing her for by the fpace of twenty years ; and bade her make no doubt but fne fhould meet him again in heaven. He exhorted his chil- ' dren to remember thefe things he had frequently told them before ; adding, " That he hoped and believed, that none of them durft think to mee^ him at that great tribr.r-.jl in an unregenerate ftate." Afflicted Marts Companion. 159 Some of his parifh coming to watch with him, it was moved, that as by his doarine he had difcovered to them the exceeding comforts that were in Chrift, fo he would now tell them what he felt in his own foul. " Al$s," faid he, " do you look for that of me now, that wants breath and ftrength to fpeak ? I have told you enough in my miniftry ; but yet to fatisfy you, I am, by the wonderful mercies of God, as full of comfort as my heart can hold ; and I feel nothing in my foul but Chrift, with whom T heartily defire to be." And obferving fome weeping, he looked to them and faid, " Oh, what ■ a deal ado there is before one can die." When* the pangs of death were upon him, being told, ,that fome of his dear friends were ^bout him, to take their laft farewel, he caufed himfelf to be raifed up in his bed ; and after a few gafpings for breath, he Said, " I am now drawing on apace to my diffolution ; hold . out, faith and patience, your work will fpeedily be at an end." And then fliaking them all by the hands, he prayed heartily ar.d particularly for them, and defired them to make fure of heaven, and to bear in mind what he had formerly told them in his miniftry, protefting to them, that the doarine he had preached to them for the Space of twenty years was the truth of God, as he Should anfwer it at the tribunal of Chrift, before whom he =- fhould fhortly appear. When he was Struggling with death, a veiy dear friend taking him by the hand, afked him if he felt not much pain ? " Truly no (faid he) the greateft I feel is your cold hand." 17. Mr. John Holland, agodly minifter, continued his ufual praaice of expounding the fcripture in his fam- ily to the laft ; and the day before his death he called for a bible, and caufing another to read the 18th chapter of Romans, he difcourfed upon it, verfe by verfe ; but on v. fudden he faid, "O flay your reading ; what brightnefs is this I fee ? have you lighted up any candle ?" A ftandcr by faid no, it is the fudffhine, (for it was about five o'clock in a clear fummer's evening) " Sunfhine, faid he, nay, it is my Saviour's ftinfhine^ Now farewe! 160 Afflicted Marts Companion. world ; welcome heaven ; the day-ftar from on high hath vifited my heart : O fpeak it when I am gone, and preach it at my funeral; God dealeth familiarly with- man ; I feel his mercy, I fee his majefty ; whether in t*r.c body or out of the body, I cannot tell, God he knoweth ; hut I fee things that are Unutterable." And in this rap- ture he continued till he died. 18. I knew not long ago, an eminently godly man, G. M. that fell into feveral fuch extraordinary raptures Sometime before his death, fuch as hi? bodily ftrength and fpirit were not able to fupport under, though he had no ficknefs. Sometimes he was fo fwatlowed up and over- come by the manifeftations of God's love to his few), that his words could not be well underftood ; his natural colour, heat, and ftrength, would fo go off, that all about him would conclude him to be dying : but when he was able to get words uttered, they were fo heavenly and ravifhing concerning the love of Chrift, and freedom of grace, that by-ftanders could not hear him without weeping. Sometimes minifler*, when they came to vifit him, and found him in thefe raptures, were forced to turn all their prayers in hi* behalf into praifes ; except* fome petitions they would put up to God, " That he might gracioufly Spare nnd be tender of his weak bor'y, asd enable him to bear that load of loving kindnefs God was pleafed to let out to him, and which his prefent bod- ily ftrength was not fufflciefit for." Yea, they would be put to cry, " Lord, if it be thy will, hold thy hand, for he is but a clay veffel; this new wipe will burft the old bottle ; preferve him in life as a monument of the rich grace of God, for the conviaion of Atheifts and carnal people, and for the confirmation of the faith of the children of God."—Sometimes he would.cry in ab- rupt expreflions, " O angels ! help me to praife him ! O faints admire his love, and wonder at him. —Again, O flames of love ! my foul feeth Chrift! the heavens open ! I fee a throne, and the Lamb in the midft of the throne! O what think ye of Chrift ? my foul breathes, breathes towards him ! my fpirit is exhaled out of me by the manifestations of God !" He ufed frequently to Afflicted Marts Companion. 161 fay with a heavenly air to his friends, " O what think ye of Chrift?" When his ecftacy did Somewhat abate, fi> that he attained a pleaSant cahnnefs of thought, and freedom of fpeech, he would difcourfe of the myfteries of religion, the clc-aing love of God, the freeelom of • grace, the unfearchable riches of Chrift, and the glori- ous contrivance of redemption through his death and fac- rifice; I fay, he would talk of all thefe things more like an angel than a man., For fuch was his heavenly eloquence, fluency of words, and facility of fpeaking upon thefe Subjects, (which olherwife was not natural to him) that thofe who came to fee him were exceedingly furprifed if and aftonifhed to hear him. His body gradually weak- ened under thefe raptures of fpirit, and he longed much to be off the world, becaufe he thought he could be fo little ufeful in it for advancing God's honour. He reckoned himfelf bound to improve the fhort time he was like to have here, in commending Chrift and religion to all that he had accefs to, aud alfo to admonifh them P of any thing he knew amifs in them, which he did moft eonvincingly. And having occafion to fee fome who vilipended the eftablifhed church and the ordinances, and told them, that from his own fweet experience he could fay, that God was to be found in them. He feemed to ha»c fin wonderfully mortified ; for he complained of no other heart-plague but felf, and it was his great exercife to get felf wholly fubdued ; he purfued it through many of its windings and lurking place?, and after all he would regret his little fuccefs againft it. "For (faid he) when I am in my moft elevated frames, and admitted to the neareft accefs to my Redeemer, that Subtle enemy felf will enter in with me, and offer to pull the crown off his , head before my face." Once after hearing a fermon on Pfal. Ixxxv. 8. " I will P hear what God the Lord will fpeak," he broke out in a rapturous difcourfe toons that came to fee him,#bleffing God that he had fpoke to him in that fermon. " And 0 (faid he) what am I that the Rock of Ifrael fhould have fpoke to me thefe three fermo;i-days bygone, af- \ hiring me that all ny fins are forgiven ! What am I, a 162 Afflicted Marts Companion. vile worm, that he fhould be fo kind and condefcendingy as to difcover Chrift and heaven in fuch a manner to me, and affure me that I will Shortly be with him ! Oh I thought that I had finned him away from me, but I fee he will not bide away ! O admirable free grace ! O help me to praife him !" When death drew near, there was fome alterationiu his c.fe ; yet he never questioned his-intereft in Chrift; but ftill afferted, " I know he is my God and my Re- deemer, and I will fliortly be with him." And once when he was ready to complain for want of God's wont- ed manifeftations, he faid, " The Lord knew his body was now weak, and could not bear what formerly he had met with, yet (faid he) glory to his name, he hath given me three blinks Since my laft illnefs began." 19. Dr. Harris, head of Trinity-college in Oxford, in his laft ficknefs ufed to exhort all about him to get faith above all things. " It is (faid he) your viaory, ± your peace, your life, your crown, and your chiefeftO piece of fpiritual armour. Howbeit, get on all other piece, and go forth in the Lord's might: Stand to the fight, and the iffne fhall be glorious. Only forget not to call in the help of your General.1 • Do all from him and under him."—On the Lord's days he woold not Lave any kept from the ordinances upon his account; and, when they returned from the Sermons, he would 1 Say to them,' Come, what have you for me ?" And when any gave him account of what they had heard, he would refume the heads thereof, and fay, " O what ex- cellent truths are thefe .' Lay them up carefully,' for you will have need of them." When friends came to vifit him, he would fay, " I cannot fpeak, but I can hear." Being afked, where his comfort lay ? «He an- fwered, " In Chrift, and in the free grace of God." One telling him, that he might lake much comfort in his labours, and the good he had done ; his anfwer was, " All is nothing without a Saviour, without him my beft w^orks would condemn me. Oh, I am afhamed cti them, they are fo mixed with fin. I have done nothing fc>r God tfs I ought. Oh, lofs of time fits very heavy Afflicted Marts Companion. 165 upon my fpirit. Work, work apace ; affure yourfefves nothing will more trouble you when you come to die, than^t hat you have done no more for God, who hath clone fo much for you." Sometimes he ufed thus to breathe out himfelf, "I never in all my life faw the worth of a Chrift, nor tailed the fwectncfs of God's love in that meafure as now I do." Scing'afked -by minifters. what they Should chiefly're- queft lor him ? he anfwered, " Do not only pmy Sor me, but praife God that he fupports me, and -keeps off Satan from mc in my weaknefs ; beg that I may hold out. I am now a good way home, near the fhore, I leave ycu toffing on the fea ; Oh, it is a good time to- the' in'."' ' • /" ' ' in all the letter-v.ills which he mat'?, he took care this legacy fhould ftill be inferted ; "Item, I bequdath to all my children, and to their cljjldren's children, to tach of them a bible, with this inscription, -None but Chrift." He ufed to fay, "It is a hard thing for a faint to forgive himfelf fome faults, when God hath for- gwert-them." :,■ 20. 'David Chittjeus, when he lay a dying, lift r.p his head from the pillow to hear the difcourfes of his friends that fat Ly him; and faid, " That he fliould die with the greater comfort, if he might die learning Something." 21. Mr. Cooper, when a-dying faid, " I faw not my children when they were in the womb, yef there the Lord fed them without my care or knowledge. I fliail nOt fee them when I go out of the body,, yet fhall they not want a father.." Again, death is fomewhat driery, and the ftrcams of that Jordan between us and our Ca- naan run furioufly, but they ftand ftill when the ark com«." ' 22. The Reverend Mr. Halyburton, that fhining light in St Andrews, when a-dying commended Chrift and godlinefs with great earneftnefs, to all that came to fee him. He exhorted his brethren to diligenc* in the mis- istry. " It was the delight of my heart (faid he) to- preach the gofpel: I defired to decreafe, that the bride* groom migh increafe; and to he nothing that he rri-A: 164 Afflicted Matfs Companion. be all. I repent I did not more for him. O that I had the tongues of men and angels, to praife him!" When he wasadvifed to lie quiet, he faid, " Whereon fhould a man bellow his laft breath, but in commending the Lord Jefus Chrift, God clothed in our nature, dying for our fins ?" '. He caufed read one of Mr Rutherfod's letters, viz. that to Mr. John Mein, and thereafter faid, ** That is. a book I would commend to you all, there is more praai- cal religion in that letter, than in a book of a larger vol- ume." He exhorted fome minifters that came to fee him to faithfulnefs. " As for the work of the miniftry (faid he,} it was my deliberate choice, were my days lengthened out much more, and days as t rouble fo-ae as they are like to be, I would rather be a contemned minifter of God, than the greateft prince on earth."—He faid, when ta- king farewell of his wife, children and fervants, "Here is a demonftration of the reality of religion, that I a poor, weak, timorous man, as much afraid of death as any, am now enabled, by the power of grace, compofedly and with joy to look death iii the face, I dare look'it in the face in its mod ghaftly fhape, and hope within a little to have the victory. I cannot but commend the Lord Je- fus. As far as my word will go, I muft. proclaim it, he is the beft mafter that ever I Saw." To his fon who was a child,1 he faid, "If I had as many fons as there are hairs in yourhead, I would, beftow them all on God."—To Some prefent he faid,'4t 0 firs, I dread mightily that a rational fort of religion is corning in among us; I mean 'by, it, a religion that coofifts in a bare attendance on out- duties and ordinances, without the power of godlinefs; and thence people fhall fall into a way of ferving God, which is mere d-ejfm, having no relation to Chrift Jefus and the fpirit of God."—He expreffed his fears of a ftorm corning on the church of Scotland; but he Said, "The day would «,reak, and the Lord would arife, and he. ho- ped the church would be ^ made a wonder, and the Lord will fay, Lo, this people, have I formed for my- Se'fj he can make a nation to. be born at once.'^ He cri- Afflicted Marts Companion. 165 rd often,with the fpoufe in the fong, "When Shall the day break, and the Shadows fly away? Turn my belov- ed, and be thou as a roe, or a young hart on the moun- tains of Bether." He faid, " Shall I forget Zion ? Nay, let my right hand forget her cunning, if I prefer not Jerufalem to my chiefeft joy. O to have God returning to this chureh, and his work going on in the world; if every drop of my blood, every bit of my body, every hair of my head, were all men ; they fhould all go to the fire to have this -going on."—He faid, " If I would fay, that I would fpeak no more in the name of the Lord, it would be like a fire within me. I am calling you to fee a miracle. God is melting me down into corruption and duft, and yet he is keeping rr.c in a calm.—I could not believe that I would have borne, and borne cheerfully this rod fo long ; , this is a miracle, pain without pain; and this is not a fancy of a man diforderedin his brain, but of one lying in full compofure. O bleffed be God, that ever I was born. I have a father and mother and ten brethren and Sifters in heaven, and I fhall be the eleventh. I fhall fhoitly be at that glory that I have been long expeaing. Though I come not near Mr Shield's glory,nor Mr.An- derfon's, yet I will be well enough if I win it. Worthy is the fcmb to receive glory." 2.L. Mr Hugh Mackaiil, in his Speech before his death, faith, "I have efteemed the folemn engagement of this nation to the Lord, pregnant performances of that promife, Ifa. xliv. 5. where it is evident that where church reformations come to any maturity, they arrive at this degree of faying, I am the Lord's, and fubferi- bing with the haad tint© the Lord. So was it in trre days of the reforming kings of Judah, and after the res- toration from the captivity of Babylon in the days ofNe- hemiah. This fame promife did the Lord Jefus make yea and amen to us, when he redeemed us frevm fpiritual Babylon—I glorify-him, that he hath called me forth to fuffer for his name and ordinances, and the Solemn en- gagements oS the land to him. HereaSter I will not talk vvith fiefh and blood, nor think on the world's confek- 166 Afflicted Marts Companion. tions. Farewell all my friends, whofe company hath been refrefliful to me in my pilgrimage. I have done with the light of the fun and moon. Welcome eternal life, everlafting love, cverlafting praife, evcrlafting glo- ry. Praife to him that fits upon the throne and to the Lamb forever." »2i. The famous Mr. Durham being vifited by a min- ifterSti his laft ficknefs, which was long and lingering, who faid to him, fir, I hope you have fo Set all in order, that you have nothing elfe to do but die, I blefi God (faid Mr. Durham) I have not had that to do neither thefe many years. 25. Mr. RowlandNevet,his dying prayer for his children was that the Mediator's bleffing might be the portion of every one of them. Adding to them, I charge you all, fee to it, that you meet me on the/right hand of Chrift at the great day. When he was Sometimes n.uch fpent with his labours he would appeal to God, that though he might be wearied in his fervice, he would never be weary of it. Being oft di(tempered in his body, he would fay, he was never better than in the pulpit, and that it the beft place that he could wifh to die in. 16. Mr. Philip Henry, when a-dying, his pains were very fharp,he faid to his neighbours who came to fee him, O make fure work for your fouls by getting an intereft in Chrift, while you are in health ; for if I had that work to do now, what would come of me. A little before his laft illnefs he wrote to a reverend brother, " Methinks it is ftrange, that it Should be your lot and mine to abide fo long on earth by the fluff, when fo many*of our friends are dividing the fpoil above; but God will have itfo; and to be willing to live in obedience to his holy will, is as true an aa of grace as to be willing to die when he oalls." One afked him how he did, he anfwered, " I find the chips fly off apace, the tree will be down Short- ly." He was Sometimes taken with fainting fits, which when he recovered from, he would fay, " Dying is but a little more." Once h* faid after recovery, "Well I thought I had been putting into the harbour, but 1 hud I muft yet to fea again," Afflicted Marts Companion. 167 27. Mr. Matthew Henry, his death was Somewhat fudden, he faid a little before, to fome about him, " You have been ufed to take notice of the Sayings of dying men; this is mine, That a life fpent in the fervice of God, and communion with him, is the moft comfortable and plea.- fant life that any one can live in this world." 28. Holy and learned Mr. Rutherford, a little before his death, let a written teftimony to our covenanted work of reformation ; and therein he proves the warrantable- nefs of nations entering into covenant with God under the New Teftarnent times, and fhews, that this praaice is the accomplishment of feveral Old Teftarnent prophe-' ees, fuch as Jer. 1. 4. 5. ISa. ii. 3. Zech. viii. 2. Ifa. ' xix. 23, 24, 25. which relate to gofpel-times. And when he was dying, he fent feveral meffages to the prefbytery of St. Andrews, defiring them to adhere to God's caufe and covenant.—In his ficknefs he oft broke out in facred raptures, extolling and commending the Lord Jefus, whom he often called his bleffed Mafter, his kingly King. When his death drew near, he faid, I Shall Shine, I Shall fee him as he is, I Shall fee him reign, and all his fair company with him, and I Shall have my large Share : my eyes fhall fee my Redeemer, thefe very eyes of mine, and no other for me."—When exhorting one to be diligent in feeking God, " It is no eafy thing to be a Chriftian; but for me, I have gotten the viaory, and Chrift is hold- ing but both his arms to embrace me."—-He was won- derfully ftrengthened againft the fears of fuffering and of death, " For," fay he, " I faid to the Lord, if he fhould flay me five thoufand times, I would truft in him ; and I '; fpoke it with much trembkng, fearing I fhould not make \ my heart good. But as really as ever he fpoke to me by his Spirit, he witneffed unto my heart, that his grace '.- fhould be fufficent for me."—He faid to fome" minifters that came to fee him, "My Lord and Mafter is the chief of ten thoufand of thoufands, none is comparable to him in heaven or in earth. Dear brethren, Do all for him, pray for Chrift, preach for Chrift, feed the flock com- mitted to your charge for Chrift; vifit and catechife for Chrift: do all for Chrift, and beware of man-pleafing. 168 Affliaed Marts Companion. Feed the flock out of love, the chief fhepherd will appea-. Shortly."-----Once when he recovered from a fainting fit, he faid, " I feel, I feel, I believe, I enjoy, I re- joice, I feed on manna ."—As he took a little wine in a fpoon, Mr. Robert Blair faid to him, You feed on the dainties of heaven, and think nothing of our cordials on earth. He anfwered they are all but dung, yet they are Chrift's creatures, and in obedience to his command, I take them —After fome diScourfe Mr. Blair faid to him, what think you now of Chnft ! to which he replied, I Shall live and adore him, glory, glory to my Creator, and to my Redeemer forever. Glory Shines in Immanuel's land.—Afterwards he faid, O that my brethren did \ know what a mafter I have Served* and what peace I have this day ! I Shall Sleep in Chrift, and when I awake ' I fhall be Satisfied with his likenefs.'"' Then he faid thia night fhall clofe the door, and put my anchor within the '■< veil; I fhall go away in a flecp by five o'clock in the morning:" which exaaly fell out. That night, though he was very weak, he oft had this exprefiion, O for arms to embrace him ! O for a well tuned harp! When fome fpoke to him of his former painfnlaefs and faithfulnefs in the work of God; he faid, " 1 difclaim all that; the port I would be in at, is redemption and for- givenefs of fins through his blood." His laft words were, " Glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel's land." 29. Hugh Kennedy, provoft of Ayr, when he was a-dying, a minifter faid to him, You have caufe, Sir, to be affured that the angels of God are now waiting at the ftoupsof this bed to convey your foul to Abraham's * bofom : to whom his anfwer was, " I am fure thereof; and if the walls of this houfe could fpeak, they could tell how many fweet days I have had in fellowfhip with God, and how familiar he hath been with my foul."— He was one of the greateft wreftlers with God that was in the age wherein he lived, and had moft remarkable re- turns of prayer. The great Mr. Welfh, in a letter from France, faid to him, '• Happy is that city, yea, happy is that nation, that hath a Hugh Kennedy in it; I have Afflicted Marts Companion. 169 myfelf certainly found the anfwers of hb prayers frorct1 the Lord in my behalf." 30. The great Mr. Robert Bruce, minifter of Edin- burgh, when dying through weaknefs-and old age, be- ing afked by one of hie friends, How matters ftood-now betwixt God and his foul? anfwered, "When I was young, I was diligent, and lived by faith on the Son of God ; but now I am old, and net able to do fo much; yet he condefcends to Seed me with lumps oS fenfe." - That morning before he died, he came to breakfaft at his table, and having eat, as he ufed, one Single egg; he ■ Said to his daughter, I think I am yet hungry, you may- bring me another. But preSentty he fell into a deep med- ; itation; and having mirfed a while, he Said, "Hold, d:.i:ghter, hold, my Mafter calls me." With thefe words" his fight failed him, whereupon* he called-for the' Bible ;■ but finding his fight gone; he Siijd, ".Caft "trie UP the i eighth chapter of the epiftle to the Romans, and Set my finger on theSe words, 'I am perfuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, &c. fhaU'be able to Separate me from the'love of God, which is in Chrift; Jefus my Lord.' Now,'faith he, is my finger yport tliem? they told him it was. Then, without any more, he faid, " No v God be with you, my children, I have breakfalt- edwith you, and fhall fup with my Lord Jefh3 Chrifi .this night." And fo gave up the ghoft, wl 31. John Stewart, provoft of Ayr,.was a fingularly i? pious man j yet when he lava dying, he faid to fome \_ about him. " I go the way of all' fiefh,' and it may be j fome eff• you ^outrt notmng'ofmy'wcil befog"': yea, I teft-. , ffy, that exeeptrwhen I Slept, or was on birlioeSs, I was not thefe ten years without thoughts/of Cod; So long cs I could be in going from my houfe to the crofs; and yet Sdoubt myfelf, and am in great agony, yea, at the brink | ofdefpafrl"5 But a day or two before he died," he turn- ed his facr to the wall from company for two hour?. Then Mr. Fcrgrrfon the minifter coming in, afked.what he wasa-doirlg? upon which'he;-turned himfelf with \ thefe words, " rhave been fighting z$d working out my faction with ftfff'and trcniblfng; and now I blefs God', P 170 Afflicted Man's Companion. it i3 perfeaed, fealed, confirmed, and all fears are gone." 32. Luther, when he fell fick, made bis' will, in which he bequeathed his deteitation of Popery to liri friends, and to the pallors of the church, having before made this verfe, Feftis eram vivu:, morfens cro mors tua, Papa, In his laft will, he faith, " O Lord God, I thank thee that- thou wouldft have me live a poor and indigent perfon upon earth. I have neither houfe nor lands, nor poffeflions, nor money to leave. Thou, Lord, haft given me wife and children ; them, Lord, I give back un- to thee.' Nourifh, inftrua, and keep them. O thou the father of orphans, and judge of the widows, as thou haft done to me, fo do to them. * In his.laft prayer, Feb. 18th. 1546 he hath thefe words: " I pray God to preferve his' gofpel among us ; for the Pope, and the Council of Trent, have grievous things in hand. O heavenly father, I give tltee thanks that thou haft revealed to me thy fon Jefus Chrift, whom I believe, whom I profefs, whom I glorify, and whom the Pope and the root of the wicked perfecute and dilhonour." Mr. Fox faith ofXuther, " That a poor friar fhould be able to ftand againft; the Pope was a great miracle; that he fhould prevail againft the Pope was a greater; and af- ter all to die in peace, having fo many enemies, was the greateft of all." 33. Mr. Jofeph Allein, a moft painful, laborious min- ifter, being deprived of the ufe of his arms and legs be- fore his, death, was alked by a friend, hpw he could be fo well contented to lie So long in that condition? He an- fwered, " What! is Gpd my Father, Jefus Chrift my Saviour, and the Holy Spirit my Sanaifier and Com- forter; and fhall I not be content without limbs and health ? He is an unreafonable wretch that' cannot be content with a God, though he had nothing ^fe." When his people of Taunton came to Dorckefter. to fee him,--' where be lay ; he-was, much revfted, and would be f^t up in the bed, have his curtains cjrfwn by, and de- fired them to ftanf rourd about the bed-/ asd caufed to Afflicted Marts Companion. 171 t.ike out his hand, and held it out to them, that they might ta-ke it, as he ufed formerly to do, when he had been abfent from them. And though very weak, y< t he fpoke to them thus, " O how it refoiceth my heart u> fee your faces, and to hear your voices, though I cannot fpeak as heretofore unto you. ' Mejhihks; 1 am now like old Jacob, with all his fons about him.' Now you fee my weak eftate} thus I have been for many weeks fince I parted with you, but God hath been with me. My friends, life is mine, death js mine ; in that covenant of which I preached to you, is all my falvation, and all my defire : Although my body dq not profper, /hope through grace my foul doth. / have lived a fweet life by the promifes, and I hope through grace can die by a pro- mife. It is the promifes of God that will Stand by us. Nothing but God in them will (land us in the day of af- ffiaion. My dear friends, I feel the power of thefe doc- trines I preached to ycu on my heart, the doarines of faith, of repentance, of Self-denial, of the covenant of grace, of contentment, &c. O that you would live them over, n3w I cannnot preach them to ,you ! Tt is a fharr.e for a believer to be caft down under affliaions, that hath So many glorious p^ ivileges, juftification, adoption, fana- ification, and eternal glory. We fhall be as. the a;i- geta of God in a little while; nay, to Say the trurh be- levers arc, as it were, little angels already, that live in the power of faith. O my frienas,'-live like 'believers, trample this dirty world under your feet ; be not taken with its comforts nor difquieted with its crOfTefs, you wi'l he gone out of it fhortly." ' When they came to take leave of him, he would needs pray with them, as his weak ftate did funer him. Then he faid, " Farewell my dear friends; go home anojlive over what I have preached to you, and the Lord provide for you'when I am gone. Now I cannot preach to you, but let q»,y wafted ftrength, and ufelefs limbs, be a'fer- mpn to you. 1 am afiaid of fome of you, after all I have Spoken to you. There are many profefforsw who can pray well, and talk well, whom we fhall find at the left hand of Chrift another day. You have your trades. 172 Afflicted Marts Companion. your eftates, yoyr relations; be not taken with thefe, but with God ; O live on him. For the Lord's Sake, go home and take hee'd of the world, worldly cares, worldly comforts, worldly rclatbns, Sec. Ohl let not my labours and Sufferings, let not, my wafted ftrength, and ufelefs limbs, rife up in judgment againft you at the great day of the Lord," Then he faid, " The Lord having given authority to his minifters to blefs his peo- ple, accordingly I blefs you in his name," (ufing the words he always ufed after Sacraments) " The Lord blefi you and keep you, the Lord caufe his face to fhine upon you, and give you peace. And the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jefus, that great .Shepherd of the Sheep, through the blood of the ever- lafling covena#t, make you perfea in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleafirfg in his fight, through Jefus Chrift; to whom be glory fqiy -ever and ever. Amen." In the morning*, his firft fpeeches would be, (which he alfo ufed in his.health.) " Now we have one day more,'; this is one more for God; now let us live well this day, work hard for our fouls; lay up much treafure in heaven this day, fcr we have but a few to liv,," Being t?kea to the Bath, where he met with extraor- dinary kindnefs frpm Strangers, for many rcforted to him, to fee-him, and hear him fpeak, having heard what a monument of mercy he was: he did delight himSelf much in the corifideration of the Lord's kindnefs to him, and the.token's of Strangers their love, and v. ould often fay, " I was a Stranger, and mercy took me in; in prifon, and it came to me ; fick and weak,-and it vifited me." N. B. He had been mtfth perSecuted, and put in prifon, for no other crime bjut preaching the gofpel. He had a moft pious and affeaionate wife, that waited clofely upon him, to whom lie faid, " Now,.my dear heart, my companion in all my tribulations and afflic- tions. I thank thee for all thy pains and labors r^r rr.e at home and abroad, ic prifon and liberty, in health and ficknefs.'* And he prayed, that the Lord would requite Afflicted Marts Companion, 175 her, fill her with all manner of grace and confolations, and fupport and carry her through all difficulties. He had Some conflias with Satan a little before his death: once he uttered thefe words, "Away thou foul fiend, thou enemy of all mankind, thou fubtle fophifter, rrt thou come now to rholeft me ? Now I am juft going! Now I am fo weak, and death upon me! Trouble me not, for I am none of thine ! I am the Lord's ; Chrift is mine, and I am his, his by covenant; I hare fworn myfelf to be the Lord's, and his I will be; therefore be gone.'* Thefe laft words he repeated often, as pleading his cov- enanting with God, as a mean to refift the devil and his temptations. When he looked on his weak confumed bands, he would fay,. *' Thefe fhall be changed: this vile body fhall be made like to Chrift's glorious body. O what a glorious day will the day of refurreaion be! Methinks I fee it by faith: how will the faints lift up their heads, and rejoice? and how fadly will the wicked world look then ! O come let us make hafte ; our Lord will come fhortly ! If we long to be in heaven, let us haften with. eur work: for when that is done, away we fhall be fetch- ed, O this vain, foolifh, dirty world ! / wonder how reafonable creatures can fo doat upon it! What is in it worth the looking after! I care not to be in it longer than while my Mafter hath either doing or fuffering work for me : were that done, farewell to earth." This eminent faint had this teftimony given him by one; It may be faid of him, in as high a degree as of molt faints on earth, that each thought was to him a prayer, each prayer a Song, each day a Sabbath, each meal a facrament, and fo his life on earth £ foretafte of ftiat eternal repaft, to which he hath now arrived. '34.. The noble Marquis of'Argyll, being a zealous friend of our covenanted reformation, was put to death- May 27, 1661. His friends contrived methods for ma- king'his efcape out of the cattle of Edinburgh; but he thanked them, and told them, he would not difown the Caufe he had fo publicly efpoufed, hurt refolved to fuffer the utmoft. When the fentence of death was paffed by the parliament, on Saturday May 25th, he faid, ** /ba4- 174 Afflicted Man's Companion. the honor to fet the crown upon the king's head, and / now he haftens me to a better crown than his own " Then he was fent to the tolbooth. His excellent lady embracing him when he entered, wept bitterly, faying, feveral times, " The Lord will require it." Not any in the room could refrain from tears; but the Marquithim- felf was perfeaiy compofed, and faid, " Forbear, for- bear; truly / pity them, they know not what they arc doing: they may flint me in where they pleafe, btit they cannot fhut out God from me. For my part, / am as content to be here as in the caftle, and as content in the caftle as in the tower of London," (where he was firft put,) " and as content there as when at liberty; and / hope to be as content upon the fcaffold as any of them all."—He adcled, that he remembered a Scripture cittd to him lately by an honefl minifter in the caftle, and en- deavoured to put it in praaice, when Ziglag was taken; , and burnt, and the people fpoke of ftoning David, " He encouraged himfelf in the Lord his God." All his fhort time, till Monday, he fpent with the greateft Serenity and cheerfulnefs, and in the proper exercifes of a dying Chriftian. He faid to fome minifters allowed to be with him in the prifon, that fhortly they would envy him who was got before them—And added, " Mind that / tell you, my fkill fails me, if you who are minifters will not either fuffer much, or fin much: for though you go along with thefe men in part, if you do it not in all things, you are but where you are, and fo muft fuffer; and if you go not at all in with them you fhall but fuffer." The Marquis was naturally timorous, but he defired thofe about him to obferve, as he could not but do, that the Lord had" heard his prayers, and removed all fear from him. And indeed his friends work was to reftrain and qualify his fervent longings after his diffolution, and not to fupport him under the near views of it. The Lord was exceeding kind to him at this time: for upon Monday morning, that day he fuffered, when he was ia the midjt of company, and thronged in fubferibing pa- pers relating to his eftate, he was fo overcome with a fia« guiar manifestation from God? that ke broke out in a Afflicted Marts Companion. 175 raptnre, and faid, " / thought to have concealed the Lord's goodnefs, but it will not do; /am now ordering my affairs, and God is Sealing my charter to a better in- heritance, and juft now faying tome, Son, be of good cheer, thy fins are forgiven thee?'' After he had retired Sometime alone, when he opened the door, Mr. Hutche- Snn, one of the mjnifters that attended him, faid to him, What cheer, my lord? he anfwered, " Good cheer, Sir, the Lord hath again confirmed and faid to me, from hea- ven, Son, be cf good cheer, thy fins are forgiven thee." And he guflied out in abundance of tears of joy, fo that he retired to the windows, and wept there. Afterwards he faid in a perfea rapture to Mr. Hutchefon, " I think his kindnefs overcomes me;" but God is good to me, that lets not out too much of it here, for he knows I could not bear it: get my cloak and let us go." But being told that the town-clock was kept back, fo that the hour was not yet come ; he anfwered, "they are far in the wrong;" and prefently kneeled down, and prayed before all prefent, in a moft fweet and heavenly manner, to the refrefhment of all that were there. When he wa3 going out to the Scaffold, he faid, I could die like a Roman, but I choofe rather to die as a chriftian. Come away, gentlemen, he that goes firft, goes cleanlieft."----When going down, he called Mr. James Guthrie to him, and embracing him in the moft eneka ring way, took hisfarewel of him. Mr. Guthrie, at parting, addreffed the Marquis thus, " My lord, God hath been with you, he is with you, and God will be with you; tfnd fuch is my refpea for your lordfhip, that if I were not under the fentence of death myfelf, I could cheerfully die for your lordfhip." So they parted for a Short feafon, iu two or three days to meet in a better place. The Marquis, in his fpeech on the Scaffold, hath thcSe words, " God hath laid engagements upon Scotland; we are tied by covenant to religion and reformation. Thofe that were then unborn are engaged to it, and it paffeth the power of any under heaven to abfolve a man from the oath of God." 176 Afflicted Marts Companion. 35. Mr. John WeMh, miiifter of the gofpel at Ayr, ivhom Mr. Rutherford (in his preface to his furvcy of Antinomianifm) calls that apoftolic, heavenly and pro- phetical man of God; and there tells us, that he had it from thofe that were witneffes of his life, that of every twenty-four hours he gave ufually eight to prayer, and that he fpent many nights in prayer to God, interceding for fufforing Protectants abroad, as well as for his mother- church. This holy man, when prifoner in the caftle of Blacknefs, and in the view of death, (being condemned to.it for maintaining the liberties of this church, though afterwards the fentence was changed into banifhment,) in his letter to a chriftian lady hath thefe words: " I long to eat of that tree which is planted in the midft of the paradife of God, and to drink of the pure river clear as chryfcal, that runs through theftreetof the New-Jerufalem, I long to be refrefhed with the fouls of them that are under the altar, who wen* flain for the word of God, and the teftimony that they held ; and to have thefe long white robes given me, that 1 may walk in white raiment with thefe glorious faints, who have wafhed their garments, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Why Should I think it a ftrange thing to be removed from this place, to that where my hope, my joy, my crown, my elder Brother, my Head, my Father, my Comforter, and all the glorious faints are, and where the fong of Mofes and the Lamb is fung joyfully ; where we fhall not be compelled to fit by the rivers of Babylon, and hang up our harps orj| the willow trees, but fhall take them up, and fing the new hallelu- jah, Bleffing, honour, glory and power, to him that fits upon the throne, and to the Lamb, for ever and ever ? What is there under the old vault of the* heavens, and in. this old-worn earth, which is groaning under the bondage ©f corruption, that fhould make me defire to remain here ? i expea that new heaven and new earth, wherein righteoufnefs dwelleth, wherein I fhall reft forever more. I look to get entry to the New-Jerufalern at one of thefe twelve gates, whereupon are written the names of the twelve tribes of Ifrael. I know that Jefus Ch/ift- hathji Afflicted Marts Companion. 177 prepared; them for me. Why may I not "theft, with boidnefs in his blood, ftep into that glory, where my head .and Lord hath gonebefore me ? jefus Chrift is the door and the porter ; who then fhall hold me out ? Q jhou faireit among the children of men, the delight of .mankind, the light of the Gentiles,'the glory" .of'Ifhe Jews, the life of the dead, the joy of angels and Saints, lay Soul panteth to be with thee. I refufe not to die with thee, that .I may live with thee ; I refufe not to fuffer with t'fcce, that I may rejoice with thee. O when fhall I be filled with his love ! Surely, if a man knevV how precious it is, he would count all things but drofs and dung to gain it. I long for that fcaffolJ, or that ax, or that cord, that might be to me that laft.ftiep of .tbis'tuy wearifome journey, .to go to thee, my Lord —- Who am I, that he fliould firft have called .me, and then conftitute me a minifter of.the glad tidings of the gofpel of falvation thefe many years, and now laft of all to be a Sufferer for his caufe. and kingdom ? Thefe two points, \ft, That Chrift is the head of his church: idly, That fee is free in her government from' all other jurifdiaiort* except Chrift ; yea, as free as .any kingdom under heav- en, not only tD con vocate, hold, and keep her meetings andaffemblies; but alfo to judge nf all her affairs arnongft her members and fubjeas : thefe are the caufe of our Sufferings. I would be moft glad to be offered;up as a facrifice for fo glorious a truth ; hut, alas! I fear that .my fins, and the abufe.of fo glorious things as I have found, deprive me pf fo fair a crown. Yet my Lord doth know, if he would call me to it, and ftrengthen me in it, it would be to me the moft glorious day, and glad" jdt hour I ever faw in my life; but I am in his hands, to do with me whatfoever fhall pleafe him." This eminent faint fpent,much of his time in the mount of prayer and wreftling with God.; was admitted to.ve- ry intimate nearnefs witblhim, and had many fecreLt ,tlringS;.revealed to him from God. He ufed to fay, " He wondered how a chriftian could lie in bed all night, without rifirg to fpend fome of the night inipraver and praife." \. .1 178 Afflicted Marts Ccmpavacn. In his laft'illnefs he had a great' weaknefs in his knees, Jf caufed by his coitinual kneeling at prayer, the flcfh thereof became infenfible, and hard like a fort of horn ; but when in his weaknefs: he was defired to remit fome- ■what of his'former painfulnefs, his anfwer was, "He had his life of God, and therefore it fhould be fpent for him" During his ficknefs he was fo filled with the fenftble-enjoyment of God, that he was fometimes over- heard in prayer to have thefe words, " Lord, hold thy hand,' it is enough, thy fervant is a clay veffel, and can hold no more."- 36. Mr. Chriftopher Love, minifter of Laurence-Jury in London, who was beheaded on Tower-hill, Auguft 11, 1651, in time of Cromwell's usurpation, and for fufpeaedv plotting againft his government ; his words on the Scaffold were moft pathetic and weighty.—" Altho' (faid he) there be but little between me and death ; yet this bears up my heart, there is but 'little between me and heavert. It comforted Dr. Taylor the martyr, when he was going to execution, that there were but two ftiles between him and his Father's houfe : there is a lef- fer way between, me and my Father's houfe, but two fteps between me and glory.- "It is but lyin^ dc'wn upon that block, aid I fhall afcend upon a trir-v.ie. I am this day failing towards the bcean of eternity through a rough paffage, to my.haven of reft, through a red fea to the promifed land. Methi-nks I hear God fay to me, as he did to Mofes, Go up to Mount Nebo,'anddie there; fo to me, Go up to Tower-hill, and die there. Ifaac Said of himfelf, that he was old, and yet he knew not the day of his death : but I cannot fay fo. I am young,/ and yet 1 know the day of my death; and I know th« kind of my death, and the place of my death alfo. I am put to fuch a kind of death, as two "famous preachers of the gofpel were put to before me ; John the Baptifl, and Paul the apoftle, they were both beheaded'. 1 read alf& - in Re . xx. 4.' The faints were beheadedforthe word of God, and trfimony of Jefus. But herein is the disadvan- tage which I lie under in the thoughts of many; they judge, that I fuffer not for the word of God, or for con» Afflicted Marts Companion. 179 fcience, but for meddling .with ftate matters, -To this I fhall briefly fay, that it is an old trick of Satan, to im- pute the caufe of God's peoples fufferings, to be con- trivements againft the ftate, whea in truth, it is their re- ligion and confcience they are perfecuted for. The ru- lers of Ifrael would have put Jeremiah to death upon a civil account, though indeed it was o^ly the truth of his prophefy that made the rulers angry with him : and ''yet upon a civil account, they pretend he muft'die, be- caufe he fell away to the Chaldeans, and would have brought in foreign forces to invade them. The fame thing is laid to my charge, of which I am as innocent as Jeremiah was. So Paul, though he did but preach Je- fjs Chrift, yet his enemies would have had him put to death,; under pretence that he was a mover of fedition —- Upon a civil account, my life is pretended to be taken away ; whereas it is, becaufe I purfue my covenant, and will not proftitute my priscipies"and confcience to the ambition and lufts of men. I had rathsr die a covenant- keeper, than live a covenant-breaker. Beloved, I am this day making a double exchange : I am changing a I pulpit for a fcaffold, and a fcaffold for a throne ; and I might add a third, lam changing the prefence of this numerous multitude on Tower-hill, for the innumerable . company of faints and angels in heaven, the holy hill of I Zion.; and I am changing a guard of foldiers for [a | guard of angels, which'will receive mc and carry me to | Abraham's bofom. This fcaffold is the beft pulpit that ever 1 preached in : in my church-pulpit, God through ^ his grace made me an inftrument to bring others to heav- en ; but in this pulpit he wilt bring me to*heaven." Af- terwards he faid, " Though my blood be not the blood of nobles, yet it is Chriftian blood, minifter's blood, yea more, it is alfo innocent blood. I magnify the riches of God's mercy and grace towards me, that I who was born in Wales, an obfeure country, and of obfeure pa- rents, fliould be fingled out to honourable Suffering.— For the firft fourteen years of my Ufe I never heard a fermon preached ; yet la the fifteenth year of my life, it ' pleated God to convert me. Bleffed. be God, who not 1W Afflicted Marts Companion. only made me si Chriftian/'but alfo1 a minifter, jndgin.j ^. me fahhful and'put-tmgme into tb* miniftry, whichis my glory. I had rather be a preacher in the pulpit than a prince upon a throne ; I had rather be an inftrument to bring fouls to.heaven, than that all nations fliould bring tribute to me. Formerly (faid he) I have been under a fpirit'of bondage/; yea", Sometimes I have had' ', more fear indraWiiig out a tQorh, than nowv I have fbr ! cutting off my head. When fear was • upon me, death was not near; now when death is near me, my fear is j evanifhed. I am comforted in this, though men kill me they cannot damn me; though they thruft me out of the world, yet they cannot fmit me Out of heaven.—«- When. I have Shed my blood I expea the fnll declaration- of "the remiffiotiof furs thrpugh theblood of Jefus Chrift. I am'going- to my'long homey and ye to your fhort | homes; but I fhall be at my home before yc be at yours'."' He prayed, that feeing " he was called to do the work which he never did, he might havethe ftrength ^ which he never had.-" ' ; Dr. Wild, in his: elegy, hath thefe lines : Mcthinks-Lheai-heheaded faints .above ^ . Call to.each other, Sirs, lmke room fair Lot c. Who when he came to tread the fatal ft ge, (WhwhyrovVThis glory, and his «n'mi« FageV His blood, ne'er tun to's hewt-j Chrift's Wood wa» tlieio, Pse\ iving it J his own -W.*s all to fp3 t; Wliicb, '.rifmg in his^hwjes, did feem to fay, Is.thts the blood you thirft for ? Take'f! pray. Spectators m his looks fuch life did fee, 1 httthgy if ?tv'il mora iikt to.die trran he. fiight'aing,, which fiU'ii the air .vyjth-blaring light, j ,D\d ferve For. torches at that difmal oight ; In which* and all next day for many hoars, Heaven groaVd in thunder* and did weep in toowers : Nor do I wondcrrthat Q6d thunder'd fo. W'ben's Boanerges.murdtL'dlay below, r> , j*. Mrs. Joyce Ltwis being condemned.to bp burnt for the Proteftant religion in queen'Marynj reign,, wheu She beard that the writ for her execution', was cbmV, She laid to her friends, "as for death, I' fear it not; (ot when! behold the amiable countenance of Jefus Chnfk Afflicted Marts Companion. 181 my dear Saviour, the ugly face of death doth not much trouble me." 38. Bullinger of Zurich, in his ficknefs, faid to his friends, " If the Lord will make any further ufe of me and my miniftry in his church, I willingly obey him ; but if he pleafe, (as I much defire) to take me out of this miferable life, I fhall exceedingly rejoice, that he pleafeth to take me out of this corrupt and wretched age to go to my Saviour Chrift. For (faid he) if Socra- tes was glad when his death approached, becaufe as he thought he fhould go to Homer, Hefiod, and other > learned men, whom he expeacd to meet with in the other world ; how much more do I joy, who am fure that I Shall fee my faviour Jefus Chrift, as alfo the faints, patriarchs, prophets, apoftles, 'and all the holy men who have lived from the beginning of the world? Now, when I am fure to fee them, and to partake of their joys, why J, fhould 1 not willingly die, to enjoy their perpetual foci- ety and glory ?" 39. Mr. Theodore Eeza, a famous pallor in Geneva, I when he apprehended the approach of death, revifedhis will ; and fo eafing himfelf of all worldly thoughts, wholly betook himfelf to expea the tiire of his depart- ure, which he had much longed for. He oft ufed the apoftle's faying, " We are his workmanfhip, created ia Jefus Chrift unto good works." And that of Auguf- tine, Domine quod capifli perfiee, ne in portue naufragium accidat. " Lord, perfea that which thou haft begun, that I fuffer not fhipwreck in the haven." And rhat faying of Barnard ; Domine, fequemur te, per te, ad te:—- Te, qui averitas j Per te, quia via : Ad te, quea vita — ." Lord, we will follow thee, by thee, to thee. Thee, ^becaufe thou art the truth ; by thee, becaufe thou art the way ; to thee, becaufe thou art the life." 40. Melaahon of Wittemberg, Luther's dear com- panion, faid, " That he much longed to be diffolved ; and that for two reafons : if. That he might enjoy the much deiired prefence and fight of Chrift, and of the heavenly church, idly. That he might be freed frems the cruel and implacable difcords cf divines," 182 Afflicted Marts Companion. 41. Mr. John Bradford, a minifter and martyr in , Queen Mary's reign, when the keeper told him that the next day he was to be burnt in Smithficld* he put off his cap, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, faid, " 1 thank God for it, it comes not now to me on a hidden, but as a thing waited for every day and hour; the Lord make me worthy thereof." One CrcfTwell offering to interpofe for him, and defiring to know what lus requefi was, he faid, " I have no requeft to make ; if the queen give me my life, I willthaiik her ; if fhe will banifh me I will thank her ; phen, the heavens opened, and the glorious Jefus Hand- ing on the right hand of God, making interceffion for me, and ready to receive me. Let my hope and defire look out at the windows, and fay, " Why is his chariot fo long a-coming ? and why tarry the wheels of his char- iot ? Make hafte, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart on the mountar.s of Bether." O that I may obferve the affliaing hand of God in my prefent ficknefs ! Surely affliaion cometh not out of the duft, nor doth trouble fpring out of the ground. ,Q Lord, rebuke me not in thy indignation, nor chaften mo in thy hot difpleafure. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; and beal me, for my bones are vexed. When thou with rebukes doft correa man for iniquity, • thou makeft his beauty to confume away like a moth : furely every man is vanity. The forrtiws of my heart are enlarged, O bring me out of my diflreffes. Look upon my afHiaion and my pain, and forgive all my fin. I look for fympathy to my great High Prieft, who is touched with the feeling of my infirmities. My help and ftrength is in him. 190 Afflicted Marts Companion. O that when I am affliaed, I may not defpife (fir trhaftening of the Lord, nor faint when I am rebuked of him ! Let me hear the rod, and him that hath appointed it. Let me kifs the rod, and accept of the punifhment of mine iniquity. O that in my affliaion I may be help- ed to humble myfelf greatly before the God of my fa- thers, and make a true and penitent cdnftffion of my fins ! Oh ! what fhall I fay to thee, O thou preferver of men ? I will fay, Lord, be m«rciful to me ; heal my foul, •for I have finned againft thee. I acknowledge, that through an evil heart of unbelief, I have many a time departed away from the living God. O how vainly and foolifiily have I lived in the world 1 How lavifh of my precious time ! How unmindful of my latter end ! How •carelefs of my immortal foul! How little in preparation fbr eternity ! Oh, my own heart condemns me, my fins teftify againft me ; and thou who knoweft tVm better than I do myfelf, together with their feveral nggrava* lions, mighteft juftly condemn me too. But my com- fort is, that with thee the Lord there is mercy, that thou mayeft be feared ; and with thy Son there is plen- teous redemption : wherefore, for his fake, be pleafed, to forgive me all my paft tranfgreffions, whether in tlio't, word, or deed, thofe I remember, and thofe 1 have for- gotten, and let them neither be charged on me to my Shame and cdnfufion in this world, nor to my everlafting ruin in that which is to come. Lord, forgive the follies of my childhood, the extravigancieS of my youth, and all the iniquities of my riper years. Oh ! 1 am polluted with fin, and dare not appear be- fore God with my own filthy rags upon me. When Adam loft the garment of original'righteoufnefs, he fled from God, and dreaded the Summons of offended juftice. Now, there is no appearing before God with acceptance, but in the garment of his Son, my elder brother. Now none can have boldnefs to entefied to wander iu the wildernefs, far diftant from my Father and my God, when they are triumphing a- bove, dividing the fpoil ? No, I will look ftill after them with a ftedfaft eye, and cry, O Lord, how long ? I will wait now in hope, yea, rejoice in the forethoughts cf the day, when my minority fhall be expired, ray pil- grimage finished, my banifhment over, that I may get home to my country and friends above. What though my days be dark and gloomy now, my winter be fharp and ftormy ? why, it is but fhort, and near over ; the eternal fummer approacheth: the long day, the high fun, and the fair garden of my wcll-belov- ed, above thefe vifibie heavens, will quickly make amends for all. Let me get up by faith, and vifit the new land, vi ■■■v the fair city, and behold the white throne, and the Lamb that fits thereon, that I may rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Shall many of the heirs of wrath go finging and rejoic- ing to hell ; and will an heir of God go drooping and forrowing to heaven ? Oh, let me not, by ray behaviour on a death-bed, bring up a bad report upon Chrift's good wav, and the land which he hath purchafed. Afflicted Marts Companion. V9T Have I fuch great and precious promifes left me, and fhall I not live and feed upon them in the time of my need? Shall I not truft the word of him that is faithful and true'} Hath he not faid to me, " When thou paffeft through the waters, I will be with thee ; and through the rivers, they fhall not overflow thee ; when thou walk- eft through the fire, thou flialt not be burnt ; neither Shall the flame kindle upon thee !" When the difciples were fore tolfed with winds and wave-!, thou cameft to them in the fourth watch of the night, walking on the waters ; and when their fears were increafed, thou faidft, " It is I, be not, afraid." Thou rebukeft the winds, and there prefently followed a great calm. My Redeem- er's compaffions continue ; his bowels are not fhut up this day, more than in the days of his flefh. " Jefus Chrift is the fame to day, yefterday, and forever." Ah ! I have too little improven my acquaintance with precious Chrift in the day-of my life ! how ready am I mifken and miftake him, when hechangeth His difpofi- tions towards me ! Though I have been long at Chrift's School, what Small proficiencyhave I made in the woik and myftcry of faith ? How little have I learned to be- lieve in the dark, and to drop an anchor at midnight up- on the rock of ages, and to look out for the dawning of the day ?." Surely the day fhall break, and the fhadows flee away : my King cometh, my well-biloved is on his way ; he hath fent his letter before him to warn me of it, faying, *• Behold I come quickly." O that like the cold and wearied night-watch, I may be looking out for the ap- pearing of the morning-ftar, and the breaking of the eatt- ern fky ; aad may be ftill crying, " Even fo come Lord Jefu-i, come quickly." Thou haft Said, " Light is fown for the righteois, and gladnefs for the upright in heart." Surely God's feed Shall not lie always beneath the clods ; the time is at hand, when it fhall fpring ; and joyful will the crop be at la>_. . O that, like David in affliaion, I would encourage my- felf in the Lord my God, and fav, " the Lord livethJ,, K2 193 Afflicted Marts Companion. bleffed be my rock!" why fhould I droop while »y Lorti Ihreth, and n.y rock ftandeth ? My hopes may die, my comforts may die, my gifts die, my riches die, my rela- tions die, and my body die ; but good news, " The Lord liveth, bleffed be my rock !" The difciples had a melancholy time while Chrift was dead, and laying in the gravej but that fad time is over, he is now rifen, and will die no more. Nay, he hath proclaimed it for my comfort, faying, " Fear not, I am the firft an J the laft. I am he that liveth and was dead ; and behold I am a- live forevermore, amen ; and have the keys of hell and death." When my foul is caft down within me, let me remem- ber God from the land of Jordan, and the hill Mizar; that I may reafon myfelf out of all my fears and dif- couragements ; for yet, " the Lord will command his loving kindnefs in the day time, and in the night kis Song Shall be with me, and my prayer to the God of my life." "Why then art thou caft down, O my foul, and why art thou difquieted within me ? hope thou in God, for I fhall yet praife him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." Now, when death is at hand, let not my Saviour be far off. He who remembered the dying thief, and fpoke comfortably to him, let him now remember me when he isfeated in his kingdom, and fay to my foul, " This day thou fhalt be with me in paradife." When it is abfent from the body, let it be prefent with the Lord. Let the angels now be ready to do their office, to carry my departing foul into Abraham's bofom. Let me now de- part, that I may be with Chrift ; yea, be forever with the Lord, that I may fee his face. Let me dwell there, where they have no night, need no candle, nor light of the fun forever; where God fhall wipe away all tear* from their eyes and there fhall be no more death, neithte forrow nor crying. Father, into thy hands I commit my fpirit. By the hands of him who hath redeemed it, let it he prefentctf to thee without fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing. Afflicted Marts Companion. 19S An addition of fome further Meditations, proper for any fick perfon in the view of death. THE Lord is pleafed fometimes to caft men down on beds of ficknefs, and draw the curtain betwixt the world and them, that they may take a view of their by-paft life, and future ftate. Now is it time for me to look into my foul, and examine my ftate. Oh, how ma- ny do mifs falvation, when they think themfelves fure of it ! They miftake a form of godlinefs for the power of it, and thereby deceive themfelves, thinking themfelves fomething, when they are nothing. Some come the length as to fhed tears, as Efaudid^; profefs fair, yea, fight for the Lord, as Saul and Jehu did ; wifh for the end of the righteous, as Baalam did.j defire God's people to pray for them, as Pharaoh and Simon Magus did; walk foftly, and mourn for fear of judgments, aa Ahab did ; joy in gofpel ordinances, and reform in. many things, as Herod did ; prophefy and fpeak well of Chrift, as Caiaphas and Judas did ; be convinced and tremble at hearing a fermon, as Felix did ; yea, tafte the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, as apoftates have done : and yet for all thefe attainments, remain Strangers to the faving work of the Spirit on the heart. O that the confideration of hypocrites attainments might alarm me out of my fccurity, and make me reftlefs till I find the diftinguifhing marks of true grace, and fincere faith in my foul I O that I could fay, there is a principle in me, that will not fuffer me to build on any foundation in the world but Chrift and his righteoufnefs j that makes me content with Chrift, with all his offices, with all his precepts, and with his very crofs for his fake ! Doth the love of Chrift keep me back from fin, more than the law, or fear of hell ? Have I aimed at God's honour in all my aaions, civil, natural, and reli- gious ? Am I humbled, and denied to mine own will, wit, credit, eafe, and honour, and to all the enjoyments bf the world? Am I acquainted with the throne of grace, and defirous to keep up a conftant correfpondence with 200 Afflicted Marts Companion. it ? 0 let me not reft till I perceive thefe things in my foul which accompany falvation. O how comfortable would it be to me now, if I could fay with good Hezekiah in his fickne-fs, " Remember now, O Lord, how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfea heart, and have done that which is good in thy fight." O that I could pray, and fay, with Jefus my Saviour, when in the view of death, " Father, I have glorified thee on the earth ; I have finifhed the work which thou gaveft me to do : and now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own felf, with the glory which thou hadft ordained for me before the world was !" Alas, Lord, Imuft confefs my iniquities have gone up above mine head ; my miffpent time, my unfruitful- nefs under the means of grace, and waterings of ordi- nances, may caufe me to cry out, Woe is me for the leannefs of my foul, and barrennefs of my heart! I have been an empty vine, bringing, forth fruit only to myfelf, I have hid my Lord's money, and therefore deferve the doom of the wicked and Slothful Servant. But my relief is in my Surety's righteoufnefs. Bleffed be the Li.rd, who hath fent his Son to blefs thofe who by nature lie under the curfe, and to intercede for thofe that cannot fpeak for themfelves. O how fuitable is he to my foul's cafe ! I have indeed a multitude of fins, but he hath a multitude of tender mercies; I have deep and heinous guilt, but he hath'a deep fountain for walking it out ; I am fold under fin, but he hath a ranfom to buy me back again ; my fore is broad, but his plaifter is anfwerable ; my wound is great, but his balm is excellent. Surely it is my wifdom to go to Chrift with all my grievances, and always to lie and cry at my Redeemer's door. O that now, when the fun of my life is fitting^ the bleffed Sun of righteoufnefs may arife and fhine upon my foul ! Goodnefs and mercy hath followed me whi'e I lived ; O that Chrift and glory may meet me when I die! I muft acknowledge thy goodnefs ; were this the laft hour I had to live, and this the laft word I had to fpeak in the world,- J behoved to fay, Lord thou baft been a Afflicted Man's Companion. 201 merciful and gracious God to me ; my whole life hath been a continued tra& of mercy ; Lord,1 crown the end of it with mercy alfo. Surely the fei fis ndt fo full of water, nor'the fun fo full of light, as thou art full of grace and mercy. O let not my fins flop the current of thy tender mercies at this time. Lord,' drown- all my fins in the fea of Chrift's blood, that my foul may not be funk by them in the ocean of divine wrath. Lord Jefu9, embrace my perifhing foul in thy arms: let thy crofs be my fecurity, and thy wounds my refuge. 0 thou that heareft the young ravens which ciy, be not lilent to me at this time, left if thou be filent to me, I be like them to go down to the pit. Lord, I am now called to the work I never did ; give me the ftrength I never had! Surely it is an important matter to die, and my eternal ftate dependeth upon dy- ing aright. What I do amifs in my life one day, I may amend it in the next : but not fo here, I can die but once : if I mar this piece of work, I cannot come back to mend it again ; if I forget any thing neceffary for my journey, I cannot return to fetch it. Oh, a wrong ftep in going out of this life is highly dangerous. In one refpea it is like the fin againft the Holy Ghoft, and can never be forgiven ; for I cannot come back to mourn for it. Of all the bufinefs I ever undertook, I have moft need to take care of my dying. Oh, is death coming to take down this earthly taber- nacle, and to put the one half of me in the dark grave, and the other half of me in heaven or in hell ; and fhaW 1 givifleep to mine eyes, or flumber to mine eye-lids, till I find myfelf in that cafe, that I dare look death in the face, and dare hazard -my foul upon eternity ?: O to have right impreffiors of the certainty of death, and the uncertainty of life ! What is my life bin a va- pour, a fand glafs of fixty or feventy years, which will foon run out ? Eternity and a judgment-feat are now hard upon me. The blaft of the laft trumpet is at hand. Tlurc will fhortly be a proclamation by one {landing in the clouds, that time fhall be no more. The world looks big in men's eyes in time of health ; but when the eye- 2QQ Afflicted Marts Companion. firings break, the breath turns oold, and the unprifoned - foul looks out. at the windows of the clay-houfe, readj to leap out into eternity» can the world give any fatisfac- tion r* No, no; a lamp full of oil wilt be valued the* more than a houfe full o£ gold. The fine ft things oa earth will then appear nothing but a piece of painted j* duft* and gilded clay. How gladly would the greateft % worldling, then, give*all his gold and Silver, riches and 1 honours, for one fight of Chrift's fair face, onefmile of ' his countenance ? Q. wherefore fhould men in health neglea the market of grace, and Slight the pearl of great price I Why Should they fpend their money for tha$ which is not bread, and their labour for that which fatj- isfieth not ? Lord, fave me from the hypocrite's cafe at death, whofe candle of profefiion and of hope burns and blazes £air. all the way with him, but goeth out in the dark trance of death ; and there he ftumbles and falls, and Shall rife no more. O that my profefiion and hope may be-of God's creating.!. If God fight my candle, then Shall my feet be enlightened through the dark valley, and death nor hell (hall not be able to put it out. Lord, fubdue fin in me, and let it be continually dy- ing now, that it may certainly he dead before me. God forbid that my fins fhould furvive me. O that, when the Stroke of death diffolves my body, nay foul may efcape as a bird out of the fnare of the fow- ler, and may aScend to the heavenly regions to enjoy God himfel£ O let me look through the grates of mortality, and long for the jailor's coming tq fet me at liberty. God help me to overcome the love of life, and fears of death* If my neighbour lend me any thing, I pay it again with thanks; and Shall I not reflore my life; to God with thanks, who hath been pleafed to lead me it (o long ? Arife, and let me depart, for this is not my reft ; heav- en is my home, Lord, bring me to it ; the joys of it are too great to enter into me, Q make me fit to enter into them. jdfflicteti Marts Comptmim. fc©3 i. Wh3e lite on a fick bed, Lord, help me to «patien€e in my ficknefs without murmuring. How willingly would the damned in hell endure my pains a thoufand years, if they had my hopes of being \* faved at laft ! Bleffed be God, that my fickoefs is not llhell, that.my pains are not eternal. V O that I may look on my affliaion as coming from the i hand of him that is the Lord of health and of ficknefs, of ■ life and of death; who killeth and maketh alive, bringeth I down to the grave, and raifeth up again ! That Sovereign » and wife Lord hath determined the time when my af- f fliaion fhall end, as well as the time when it began.— t Thirty-eight years were appointed the fick man at Be- I theSdapool ; eighteen years the woman that Satan kept i bound ; twelve years to the woman with the bloody if- r fue ; ten days tribulation to thofe of Smyrna ; three days r plague to David. The number of the godly man's tears ' is regiftered in God's book ; yea, the hairs of his head | are numbered. i When David got his choice of his own chaftifement, 1 he chofe rather to be correaed by the hand of God, than by any other means, faying, •'Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are great." I was dumb, ' and opened not my mouth, becaufe thou didft it. Glory i 4o God, that I am fallen into his merciful hand. Hath ' God appointed that man's coming into the world fhall ," be attended with pain and crying, and his going out of , it with grief and trouble; and fhall 1 quarrel at it ? No, h I defire humbly tounderly the correaion of mine iniqui- ty, and to bear the indignation of the Lord, becaufe I have finned againft him. O that the ficknefs of my body K may be a means-of health to my foul ! May I be chaf- I tened of the Lord, fo that I may not be condemned with the world 1 It i? good for the believer that he is affliaed, why! ' 'it fprings from divine love, and it works for his foul's good. Affliaion is a feal of his adoption, and no fign of •reprobation. The pureft gold is ofteft tried, the Sweet- eft grape is hardeft preffed, and the trueft chriftian is y heayieft croffed. But O how foon will the chriftian for- 204 Afflicted Marts Companion. get all his groans when he comes to heaven ! As foon as Stephen faw Chrift, though at a diftance, he forgot all his wounds and bruifes; he minded no more the terror of the ftones about his ears, but fweetly yielded his foul into his Redeemer's hands. I read of many in the gofpel, that by fickneffes and I . difeafes were driven unto Chrift, who, if they had en- \ joyed health and profperity, would have negleaed, like many others, to come to him. O bleffed is that crofs, that draweth a finner to Chrift, to lay open his own mife- ry, and implore Chrift's mercy. And bleffed be that Chrilt, who never refufeth the finner.that corneth to him, though driven by affliaion and mifery. To whom fhall fuch a diftreffed creature as I go, but to him who is the only phyfician, that can both cure my foul from fin, and my bidy from ficknefs ? Lord, th -u never deniedft thy mercy to any finner that afked it with a penitent heart. There were many foru of fick finners that came to thee in the days of thy flefh^ the blind, the deaf, the lame, the lepers ; thofe that were fick of pnlfies, drrpfies fevers, fluxes, and were poffeffed with devils ; and yet never one of them came crying for mercy, -that went away without his errand, were his fin »ever fo great, his difeafe never fo grievous. 'Nay, fo merciful is my i edeemcr, that he offered and gave his •mercy to many that never afked it, being moved with the bowels of his own compaffion, and the fight of their mifery ; fo dealt he with the woman of Samaria, the widow ofNain, and the man that lay thirty-eight years at,the pool of Bethefda. Oh, if he gave his mercy fo willingly to them that did not afk it, and was found of .them that fought him ne>t, will he deny mercy to my foul that is crying for it ? There i6 but a Step betwixt me and death ; Lord, feal •my pardon to me, before I go hence, and be no more.—- O draw nigh to me, and fave me ; for my foul is full of" trouble, and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. Thy . loving kindnefs is better than life ; O make me fure of ,that, and I will willingly part with this mortal life. O thou wuo willeft not that any Should pcrifh, but Afflicted Marts Companion. 205 , that all fhould come to repentance ; be pleafed to make »fe of the chaftifement of my body, as a medicine to cure my foul, and bring me to a true and fincere repen- tance. One day is with thee as a thoufand years; O work in me in this, which may be my laft day, whatfo- ( ever thou Seeft wanting in me. Enable me to prefent ■ unto thee the facrifice of a broken and contrite heart, ' which thou haft promifed not to defpife. Give a true and lively faith in the bleffed Jefus, who is the propitia- tion for our fin's ! He was wounded foryour tranfgref- fions, he was bruifed tor our iniquities, the chaftifement of our peace wa* upon him ; O heal me by his Stripes. Let the-cry of his blood drown the clamor of my fins. I ) am indeed a child of wrath, but Chrift is the S>.;n of thy love ; O pity me for his fake, and let my foul find fanc- tuary in his wounds. O Lord, the waters of affliaion are come in even up- on my foul ; O let the fpirit of God mo e on thefe wa- '■ ters, that, like the pool of Bethefda, they may cure } whatever fpiritual difeafes thou feeft in me. O Lord, confider my affiiaion, accept my tears, affuage my pain, increafe my patience, and finiTh my troubles. Correa me with the chaftifement of a father, and not with the wounds of an enemy ; and though thou take not off thy rod, Lord, take away thine anger. Lord, the prince of this world Cometh, O let him have nothing in me ; but, as he accufeth, do thou ab- folve. I have nothing to fay for myfelf, but be thou my advocate, Lord ; and do thou anfwer for me. I am clothed with filthy garments, and Satan Hands at my right hand to refill me ; O Lord, rebuke him, and pluck me as a brand out of the fire. Caufe mine iniquities to pafs from me, and clothe me with the righteoufnefs of thy dear Son. I know, O Lord, that no unclean thing can enter into thy kingdom, and thou feeft I am nothing but pollution, yea, my very righteotifnefs is filthy rags; O'wafhme, and make roe white ia the blood of the Lamb, that I may be fit to ftand before thy throne. O take me from the tents of Kedar, to the manfions of light and purity. When rr.y earthly houfe of this Uber- 206 Afflicted Marts Companion. nacle is diffolved, O let me have a bailding of God, an houfe not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 0 bring my foul out of prifon, that I may eternally give thanks unto thy name. Amen. CHAPTER VIII. Containing dircaions to the friends and neighbours ot the fick, who are themfelves in health for the time. HEN the Lord fends ficknefs and affliaion to our neighbours, we ought not to be idle and un- concerned fpeaators of his difpenfations j but we fhould harken to the voice of God's rod upon others, and con- fider what it is that the Lord is calling for at our hands. Thefe following direaions may be ufeful to thofe that are in health. Direct, i. Be very thankful to God for the great mercy of health and fir ength, and improve it to his glory. SURELY an healthful perfon hath ftill great caufa to be a thankful perfon. Health is a mercy that doth feafon and fweeten every other temporal mercy ; without it the greateft wealth and honours, nay, a king's crown, can give no fatisfaaion. It is far more eligible to be a healthy beggar, than a fickly king. What cam- fort could it afford Us-, under toffing ficknefs, and tor- turing pains, to have the greateft heaps of mOney to look to, or thoufands coming to pay us homage ; alas, for our unthankfulnefs to hhn who is the God of our health'1 How little do we prise his goodnefs in continuing with us fuch a longtraa of health and-ftrength, together with the ufe of our reafon and fenfes, when many others are deprived of them. Surely God were righteous, fliould he teach us to value the worth of thefe mercies by the Want of them. Let us confider how many miferable perfons there art in the world, and who it is that raaketh us to differ from w Afflicted Marts Companion* 20? them; how many difeafed, diftraaed, deformed, lame, blind, deaf, and dumb people, there are ; and how eafy it had been for God to have put us in their condition, and them in ours ! The difference is not owing to any thing in us : their fins are not greater than ours. Had we a due fenfe of our fins and ill defervings, we could acknowl- edge ourfelves unworthy of theleaft of all God's mercies; we would reckon every common mercy a fpecial bleffing, and unmerited favour to us. Again, let us take a view of the fainting ficknefs, racking pains, and reftlefs nights of others. Let us look upon our fick friends fweating and burning under fevers; let us hear them groaning and moaftiflg under ftrong pain. ** Their foul abhors all manner of meat, and they draw near unto the gates of death." Sometimes we fee them panting and fainting, and not able to fpeak a word to us. And what is the language of all this to us ? Is it not, that we fhould thankfully adore our gracious God, and blefi and magni- fy him, for his diftinguilhing goodnefs to us ? O how much are we bound to the Lord, that it is not fo with us as with others I While weariforne nights are appointed to them, and their bones are full of toffing ; all the com- forts, of this life are taftelefs to them, their friends are weeping about them, but cannot help them : " It is far otherwife with me, (may you Say) my mercies and rela- tions are comfortable and helpful to me, 1 relifh my food, my bed gives me eafe, my fleep k refrefhing : I have freedom to read and pray, meditate and attend the public ordinances. Praife the Lord} O my foul 5 and all that is within me, blefs his holy name. Forget not this benefit of health, that is the chief of all my outward bleffings. Some would part with all their worldly wealth, to have fo much bodily health as I have. Long have I undervalued and abufed this choice mercy of health ; O that I could mourn for my neglea, and re- folve in God's ftrength to improve my remaining health, for the praife and fervice of that merciful God who is the author and preferver of it ! let me fpend, and be fpent for God, that gives me all my health and ftrength for his glory. Let mc abhor the ingratitude of thofe who em- 5:08 Afflicted Marts Companion. ploy the health which-God giveth, in the fervice of his enemies ; and make a facrifice of it to the devil, the world, and the flefh. O what prodigious folly are thefe guilty of, who, for Satisfying their fenfual appetite, do often deprive themfelves of health, which is in itfelf a thoufand times of more value than all their brutifh pleaf- ures ; God help me to prize this mercy, that can never be prized enough." Direct, ii. Make confcience of vifitingyourfich friends and neighbours, believing that it is your duty and intereft fo to do. VISITING of the fick is not only the duty of the minifters of Chrift, but likewife of all the members of Chrift ; for we are all enjoined to remember them that are in adverfity, and to fympathize with the affliaed, as being ourfelves alfo in the body. "To him that is af- fliaed, pity fhould be Shewn by his friend?," faith Job. And our Lord gives it as a charader of thofe whom he will own and acquit at the great day, Matt. xxv. 36. 44 I was fick, and ye vifited mc." This is the way to be like him, who is the Father of mercies, and whofe foul was grieved for the miferies of Ifrael, Judges x. 16.— We read how tenderly David Sympathised with his ene- mies when they were fick, Pfal. xxxv. 13, 14. and much- more ou^ht we to vifit and fympathize with our fick friends. '"To vifit the profperous, and healthy, isanaa of courtefy and civility ; but to vifit the affliaed and Sickly, is an a'c"t of charity and chriflianity. And as it is your duty, fo it is your intereft and ad- vantage to vifit the fick. The wife man tells you, Ecclef. vii. 2. "It is better to go to the houfe of mourning, than to the houfe e>f feafting." King Joafh went to fie Elifha in his ficknefs, and wept over him ; and he loft nothing by fi> doing, 2 Kings xiii 14. for he obtained thereby three famous viaories over the Syrians. Tho' it be not warrantable to inquire at the dead, Deut. xriii, n. yet we may learn many wholefome leffons from the dying, and even though they be fpeechlefs. As for in- ftance, we may hereby be inftruaed how to prize health, Afflicted Marts Companion^. 209 mind our own frailty, and provide for the time of fick- nefs. When we behold their ftrength languifhing, their tongues faultering, their eyes failing, their countenance pale ; we fhould think with ourfelves, " This will be my cafe ere long ; the next arrow that death fhoots, may be levelled at me ; how much is it my concern to prepare for it !" Alfo we may think, what a bitter thing fin is, that is the caufe of all thefe pains and diftreffcs, aud how mad they are who love fin and take pleafure in it. Wc • may feelikewife, the great folly of courting and trufting the world, which leaves the fick and dying man in the time of the greateft extremity.v And we may obferve, how happy the man is, that hath an intereft in Chrift, the peace of a good confcience, and a well grounded hope of heaven ; to yiel 1 fupport and confidence to him under lu6 ftrugglings with ficknefs and death. When we hear the dying man's complaints of his fins, and his la- menting his neglea of duty, and mifpending of precious time, we may learn repentaoce and reformation. When we obferve their profeflions of love to Chrift, -and their hope in him to the laft, it doth contribute to the quick- ening and ftrengthening of our faith. A right fight of dying perfons, is a good mean to increafe the fpirit of grace and fupplication in us. We may fitly allude here to the anfwer which Elijah gave to Elifha, when he fought a double portion of his fpirit, 2 Kings ii, 10. " If thou feeft n« when I am taken from thee, it fhall be fo unto thee." A double portion of the fpirit fhall be the allowance of thefe who make confcience of this duty. Direct, hi. Let the friends of the fick, and thofe who vifit them, deal faithfully with them about their fouls. CONSIDER, this may be the laft opportunity you may have of doing any thing for your friend's foul. If he die, he is fixed in his everlafting ftate, fo that all advices and coonfels then will be fruitlefs. It is now, or never, you muft exert yourfelf for your friend's advan- tage ; there is no knowledge nor wifdom in the grave, to which he is going, " God's loving kindnefs cannot be declared in the grave, nor his faithfulnefs in defti uaion," S 2 -: 10 Afflicted Man's Co •; >pan ion. Pfal. lxxxviii. ii. Now is the proper time fe.r doing / good to your neighbour's foul. When affliaion opens the ear to difcipline, be careful to drop in wholefome inftraaions into it; and when the heart is brade tender by ficknefs, it is a fit feafon for good counfel to make imprefiions on it Let the opportunity then be impro- ved with faithfulnefs and prudence. And, in order thereto, ob^nrve the following advices. I. Labour to know the fick man's fpiritual condition, that your applications may be fuitable thereunto. The knowledge of the difeafe is previoufly requifite unto the cure: as the miftake of a phyfician about a man's dif- eafe, may be as dangerous as the difeafe itfelf ; fo here it is highly dangerous to miftake the cafe cf the fick man's foul; for then lenitives may be applied, when corrofives are needful; promifes may be admi.iiltered, when threatnings are more proper. II. Beware of flattering the fick with vain hopes of life, when he is more likely to die ; left he be thereby tempted to delay or flack-en his preparation for another world. It is fit that plainnefs be ufed with refpeft to his danger, that he may be quickened to his work. III. The fick perfon is to be admonifhed and told, that ficknefs comes not by chance, nor by fecond eaufes merely ; but by the wife direaion and Special providence of God : that Sometimes God fmites, out of difpleafure for fin, and for the Sinner's correaion and amendment ; and Sometimes for the trial and exercife of his people's . graces ; that the Sharpeft affliaions fhall work together for good to them .that love God, and are rightly exer- cifed under God's hand : that it is a great mercy to a finner, when God by his rod gives him warning and fpace to repent, and flee to the blood of fprinkling, and to cry to God for pardon ; and doth not fnatch him out of the world by a fudden death. Upon which account the voice of the rod Should be carefully harkened to, and thankfully obeyed. IV. If the fick perfon be ignorant, he is to be cate- chifed and inftruited in the principles of religion, espe- cially concerning his faith and repentance, and his up- Afflicted Man'$ Companion. 211 * taking of the covenant of garce, and the method of par- don and falvation through the righteoufnefs of Chrift apprehended by faith. And it may be proper to demand his affent vtj fome of the fundamental truths of chriftian- ty, or his anfwer to fuch queftions as thefe : lft, Do you believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Ghoft, one God in three pSrfons, the maker and governorof the world? idly, Do you believe that Jefus Chrift, who zf'- Sumed our nature, obeyed the law, died on the crofs, rofe from the dead, and affcended to heaven, is the eter- nal Son of God, and the only Saviour of finners ? $dlyi Are you fenfible that you are a loft finner by Adam's fall, and, befides that, guilty of innumerable aaual fins;; >. and that you have broken God's holy commandments in thoughts, word?, and deeds, and for fo doing, do deferve God's wrath both in this life and that which is to come ? Afthly, Are you truly grieved and forry for breaking God's law, negleaing his worfhip, mifpending your , time, and purSuing the vanities of the world ? And would you do as you have done, or live otherwife, if you were to begin your life again ? $thly, How do you think to get your guilt removed, your fins pardoned, and your peace made up with God ?• Are you defirous from your heart to be reconciled to God.through Jefus Chrift, the j bleffcd peace maker ? 6thlyi Do you heartily approve of • the gofpel method of reconciliation, by the righteoufnefs i and facrifice offered up by the Lord JeSus Chrift as your Surety, in your name and ftcad ?• And is your foul defir- ous to choofe and accept of Chrift for your mediator and Saviour, in all his offices, of prophet, prieft, and king ? Ithly, Do you renounce all confidence in any other, all dependence on your own duties and righteoufnefs, and put your whole truft and confidence in Chrift, and the merits of his blood, faying, " Whom have 1 in heaven hut thee ? and there is none on earth that I defire befides thee." Do you believe that there is no Salvation in any Other; and that there is no name under heaven whereby you can be Saved, but Jefus Chrift only ? Sth/y, Do yow-. defire to be wholly renewed and fanaified by virtue c£ Chrift's blood, and to (hew forth the reality of.your faith* 212 Afflicted Marts Companion. by good works and a holy life for the time you have to five in the world 1 And, as an evidence thereof, are you ▼filling to reftore what you have taken wrongfully from any, and to forgive all wrongs done to you by* any, and to caft out all malice or hatred you have borne to any, and afk forgivenefs of any you have injured ? yikly, Do you believe that Chrift is coming at the laft day to judge all the world* both the quick and the dead, whom he fliall then raife from the grave, and that your dead body fhall rife with the reft ? lothty, Do you believe the im- mortality of the foul, and its living in a feparate ftate af- ter death, and that the fouls of believers do immediately pafs into glory, where they fliall be ever with the Lord I V. In dealing with the fick you are to feparate be- twixt the precious and the vile, and make a difference betwixt the converted and the unconverted. And feeing different applications are requisite, you are, according to your knowledge, to ftudy to Suit your counfcls, admo- nitions and prayers, to their ftate and condition ; not ufing the fame words to the ungodly as you ufe to the godly, left you flatter them with ill-grounded hopes that their Slate is fafe, while they are Strangers to a work of regeneration. That great truth is to be declared to all, that " unlefs a man be born again, he cannot fee the kingdom of God." O it is dangerous to fpeak peace, where God fpeaks war. VI. If the fick perfon feem to be fecure, or have not a due fenfe of his fins, endeavours muft be ufed to con- vince him of the guilt, pollution, and danger of them, in order to his humiliation. Prefumptuous finners are not to be flattered, left we betray their fouls into eternal ru- in, and fo their blood be required at our hand. No fond love, no SlaviSh fear, muft keep us from telling them the hazard of their prefent ftate. The fecure confcience muft be awakened to fee the demerit of fin, and the ter- riblenefs of the juftice of a fin-revenging God, before whom no Chriftlefs impenitent firmer can ftand : this is neceffary in order to a Sinner's difcovering his loft cafe in himfelf, and his fleeing to Chrift for refuge. It is God's method, firft to caft down the foul before he lift ic up ; Afflicted Marts Companion. 213 * to plow the heart by conviaion, before he caft in the feed of confolation. VII. If the fick perfon hath fludied to walk upright- ly, but is at prefent difcouaraged upon account of the fharpnefs of the rod, Satan's temptations, the guilt of fin, fear of death, or the like ; then fuitable counfels, resolu- tions, and comforts, are to be tendered, in order to his fettlement and fupport. Particularly he may be told,' that Sharp rods are no wife inconfiftent with divine love ; nay, frequently, they are a fign of it: for as Standing waters turn corrupt, becaufe they have no current ; and thefe who are not poured from veffel to veffcl, their tafte remains and their fcent is not changed ; therefore, God, in order to take away the fcent of th: corrupt nature from us, is pleafed to change us from ftate to ftate, by croffes and ficknefs, to falvation. And as Noah's Ark, • the higher it was toffed with the flood, the nearer it mounted towards heaven ; fo the fanaified foul, the more ■ it is exercifed with affliaion, the nearer it is lifted towards God. Again, it is proper to fet before him the freenefs and fulneSs of God's grace, the fufficiency of right eouf* r .Ts in Chrift, and his rich and gracious offers in the gof- pel, by which we are allured, that all who repent and be- lieve with all their heart in God's mercy through Chrift, [; renouncing their own righteoufnefs, fhall not perifh in i Iheir fins, but have life and falvation in him ; and that believers in Chrift are affured of viaory over Satan, death, a:id all their enemies, becaufe Chrift their head hath by bis crofs conquered the devil, unftinged death, triumphed over the grave, and obtained viaory for all his members« So that neither life nor death, principalities nor powers, fhall be able to feparate them from God's love in Chrift. VLI. If a fick man be fo tempted and troubled in confcience, that he is in hazard of dcfpaiiing of God s mercy ; it is neceflary to inform him of the greatneCs and inf.niteuefs of God's mercy ; that the moft notorious Sinners have been pardoned and faved by it, and it is ftill offered in the gofpel to the vileft of finners.. Though God forefaw all the fins which the world would commit, yet thefe di*i not hinder him from loving the world fo, 214 Afflicted Marts Companion. that he gave his only begotten Son to death, fo fave at many as would believe and repent; fo that the fine of one man can never hinder God from loving his foul, and for- giving his fins, when he Sincerely defires to repent and believe. The cry of the moft grievous fins that are re- corded (fuch as thofe of Sodom) could never reach high- er than unto heaven, Gen. xix. 13. But David affures us, Pfal. cviii. 4. that the mercy of God is great, and reaches higher than the heavens, fo that it overtoppeth the greateft of all our fins. If the mercy of God be greater than all his works, it muft furely be greater than all our fin9. Again, lay before him the infinite virtue of Chrift's blood : why ? it is not the blood of a mere man, but the blood of God, Aas xx. 28. And are there any fins fo great, or tniilt fo henious, but the blood of God can wafh away ? This was godly Cranmer's fupport that day he fuffercd martyrdom, when his fin of renouncing the Proteftant doarine flared him in the face : " Surely (faid he) God was made flefh, and fhed his blood, not for leffer fins only, but for greater fins alfo." He was fadly difcouraged, and wept abundantly, till he eyed this meritorious blood j and then he took heart and died with courage. O.this price was fo great, that it could have merited pardon for the fins of all the devils in hell, as well as of all the men on earth, though every one of them had been red as crimfon. Yea, the leafl drop of this blood is of mpre merit to procure the mercy of God for our falvation, than all our fins can be of force to pro- voke the wrath of God for our damnation j why, the greateft of our fins are but the fins of a man, but the leafl drop of Chrift's blood is the blood of God. Moreover, Let him be put in mind of the willingnefs and readinefs of our Redeemer to receive all finners that came to him in the days of his flefh, through driven to him by ficknefs and affliaion ; fo that he never put any of them away without their errand, that came crying for mercy. Nay, he many times fought out objeas for his mercy,, that were not thinking of coming to him, as Shewed before. Obferve the gentlenefs of our Lord's carriage to Judas himfelf, in calling him Friend, after hi* Afflkted Marts Companion. 215 I. jnoft treacherous dealing, Matt. xxvi. 50. " Friend, {faid he) wherefore art thou come ?" Had wretched Jvdas laid hold on the word Friend, but of the mouth pf Chrift, as Benhadad did the word Brother from the mouth of Ahab ; doubtlefs Judas fhould have found the God of Ifrael more merciful than Benhadad found the ■ king of Ifrael. Lafily, Let him confider, that to defpair of God's mercy, cafts the greateft difhonour upon the divine Majef* ty, and is a fin more henious than all the fins whUh we have before committed : why, it doth charge the great God i'.s guilty of perjury, who hath folemnly fworn, jhat he defires not the death of a finner, but rather that he Should repent and live, Ezek. xx xiii :j. God was more difpleafed with Cain for defpairing of his mercy, | .than for murdering his brother ; and with Judas for hanging himfelf, than for betraying his Mafter : why, becaufe that by their defpair they would make the fins of mortal men greater than the infinite mercy of the eternal God. Direct, iv. Be earncfiin prayer to God for your friend* when fick or dying. Pray with them and for them. I T7 REQJJENTLY fick perfons are fo difquieted with I JL pain and trouble, that they are out of cafe to pray | for themfelves, and therefore they have the more need of the prayers of others. David failed and prayed for his enemies when they were lick, Pfal. xxx. 13. much more I ought we to pray for our friends in that cafe. Never did* they need our prayers-fo much, as when they are called to ester upon an unchangeable condition, to go to their 1 long home, even that place wherein they muft abide for- ty -ever Nowthey are in jhe land of prayer, and it is now or never that you muft pray and beg mercy for them.— When their life is gone, they go from the land of prayer, , .-and are fixed in that place whence they fhall never re- move : then all your prayers and cries for them will he in vain. If your friend be a Stranger to Chrift, he is oh ^the briiik of hell, and knows it not ; and will you not /cry to God to open his eyes; and fave him from falling 216 Afflicted Marts Companion. into that devouring pit, out of which there is no redemp. ' tion ? You would be willing to fit up a whole night for the rehef of his body, and will you not fpend a part of a night for the good of his foul, that is a thoufand times more valuable ? Now the queftion is, whether this pre- cious foul fhall be Chrift's or the devil's for ever ? And when will you wreftle for your friend, if you do it not now ? If the fick perfon be a child of God, you may pray with him " ith the more comfort, and expeaatifen to be heard. Ynu may, in that cafe, fend the fame meSTage by prayer to Chrift, that the fitter of fick Lazarus did, John, xi. 3. " Lord, behold, he whom thou loveft is fick. ' Lord pity him, comfort him, abate his diftem- per, and relieve him from it if it be thy will ; if not, grant him thy gracious prefence and fafe condua thro' the Jordan of death, and a happy landing in the Canaan of glory. We are tola, that the prayers of the righteous, in fuch cafes, doth avail much, James v. 16. And this to encourage us to pray one for another. Whatever be the fick perfon's condition, fuch confeffions and petitions as thefe following may be made ufe in prayer for him, PETITIONS FOR THE SICK. LOUD, thou firft breathed ft into man the breath of life >' and when thou takelt away that breath, he dies, a:id returns again to his duft. May we be duly ■fenfible of our dependence on thee for all that we enjoy. 'We acknowledge, that our great abufe of the many days of health and welfare thou affordeft lis, doth juftly de- ferve the -visitation of ficknefs and dilieaSes. Wo's u», we lie under a burden of fin, both original and aaual; we are all children of wrath by nature, aad under the curfe of a broken law ; and all other miferies temporal and Spiritual, diftempers, pains, death, and hell itfelf* are the iffues thereof. Be merciful to the fick perfon under thy hand ; difcover to him his fin?, and the caufe why thou contendeft with him. Make him fee that he is loft i^ himfelf, and wholly unable to Satisfy the demands of. Afflicted Marts Companion. 217 k -offended juftice ; and do thou reveal Chrift. to his foul for righteoufnefs and life. O give him thy holy Spirit to create and ftrengthen faith, that he may lay hold on Chrift as offered in the gofpel ; work in him the grace of true repentance. Enable him to fearch his heart, and try his ways, fo as he may difcover every aecurfed thing, every Achan in the camp, that hath provoked the Lord againft him. When thou putteft him in the fur- nace, be pleafed to ftand by it, and overfee the metal while it is melting in it. Try him as filver is tried, and • bring him out purified, and let him loofe nothing in the furnace but his drofs. Remove his fins from thy pref- . ence as far as eaft is from the weft, that they may never [' trouble his confcience, nor rife in judgmsnt againft hia i (foul. However bitter the cup may be, let it be medici- nal to cure all the difeafes of his foul. O that thefe af- • fliaions, which are but for a moment, may work for him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, thro' ■Jefus Chrift the purchafer. Look down from heaven, the habitation of thy holi- r nefs, behold his affliaion and his pain, and forgive all his fin. Shew fuch pity to him as a fatherdoth to his child, and lay no more upon him, than he is able to bear.— [ Lord, give patience and ftrength anfwerable to the bur- • den of trouble thou haft laid on him. In time of his weaknefs, uphold him by thy ftrength. Relieve his wants out of thy infinite fulnefs. Lord, thou knoweit > his frame, and remembereft that he is dull ; fave him * from extremhy of trouble ; either abate his pain, or in- creafe his patience to endure what thou meafureft out to him. Give him the evidences of all the graces of thy ■ri;-Spirit. Arm and defend him againft all the fuggeftions ^ and temptations of Satan. Take his heart wholly oft i the world, and fet his affeaions on things above. Lord, make ufe of this chaftifement of his body as a medicine to cure his foul, by drawing his foul, that is fick of fin, i" to thyfelf. O enable him in a penitent believing man- [ ner to come by repentance to Chrift hi* foul-phyiician, to C get it healed of all its maladies. Sauftify Lis ficknefs F and let the fruit of it be to purge away his fia. T 218 Afflicted Man's Companion. If God Shall be pleafed to add to his days, blefs all means of his recovery. Remove the difeafe ; renew his ftrength both outward and inward; heal his Soul as well as his body. And enable him to walk tenderly before God, and carefully to remember and perform fuch vows and promifes of obedience as men are apt to make in time of ficknefs. If God hath determined to finifh his days by the pref- ent vifitation ; let him find Such evidence of the pardon of his fins, of his intereft in Chrift, and eternal life, as may caufe his in ward.man to be renewed, while his out- ward man decayeth ; that he may meet death without fear, caS£ himfelf wholly on Chrift without doubting, and defire to be diffolved, that he may for ever be with Jefus Chrift. Lord, make his laft works better than his firft, and the day of his death better than the day of his birth. Make his laft words his beft words, his laft thoughts his beft thoughts, and his laft hour his beft hour;. O let him die the death of the righteous, and let his laft end be like his. Let the eyes of his foul be opened to fee his fins and his Saviour, before the eyes of his body be Shut by death. Take away the fting of death, the guilt of fin, that he may walk through the valley of the fliadow of death, and fear no evil. Open thou his lips, that his'mouth may fhew forth thy praife, before he go to the place of filence. And when his ftrength doth fail, and his tongue is not able to utter words, let the blood of Chrift fpeak for him in heaven : and let thy holy Spirit within him make requefts for him with fighs and groans that cannot be uttered. When the fight of his eyes doth fail him, let the eyes of his faith be ftrengthened, that his foul (with Stephen at his death) may behold Jefus Chrift in heaven ready to re- ceive him. Lord, ftand by him in his laft onflia with his enemicf, Satan ard death, that he may overcome both, a id be nr>re than n conqueror through Chrift that hath loved him. Into thy hands we commend his fpirit. L:>-d, teach us who do furvive, by this and other like daily ftx-fl^cles of our mortality, to fee \ow frail and un- Afflicted Marts Companion. 219 certain our condition is, and fo to number our days, tha£ we may ferioufly apply our hearts to heavenly wifdom, through Jefus Chrift. Amen. Direct, v. Be careful to furnijh your friends with fuit- able company x and fpiritual converfe, when they are fick or dying. AS worldly company and converfe are great hindran- ces, fo fpiritual company and converfe are fpecial helps to the fick and dying. Now, that the friends of the fick may prevent the one," and provide the other, let the following advices be remembered. if, Mind your friends timeoufly to make their wills,. and difpatch the fettlementof their worldly affairs, that fo they may not be difturbed at the laft, nor any wife diverted from their main work, by thoughts or difcour- fes about the world. A mind abftraaed from the world is a moft fuitable difpeifition for a dying man. You cannot carry the things of this world with you when you go hence ; and it is not fit you Should carry the thoughts of them. idly. Keep carnal company from them as much as pofiible, and all thefe that would divert them by idle or worldly difcourfe. It ii both impertinent and cruel, to throw in fuch impedi.nems in the way of thofe that are going fpeedily to their e'ndle-fs ftate. $d/y, D > what you can to get faithful minifters and godly Christians to be much about them, who are fit to inftrua and counfel them about their foul's matters, and alfo to pray with them and for them. \thly, Be often minding your fick friends of their chief work, and thofe things which belong unto their peace. Whatever be their ftate, whether gracious or gracelefs, it is proper to be minding them, I. Of the vanity and emptinefs of the world, that can neither give eafe to the body, nor comfort to the foul, when either of them is in trouble. 2. Of the finfulnefs of fin, which is the fpring of all difeafes and miferies whatever. 3. Of the prc- cioufncfj and ufefulnefs of Chrift to a finner in all cafes, -*2Q Afflicted Marts Companion. ; is fo pro- voked by us, fliould allow us any mercy at all, and yet ac receive innumerable benefits from him. Whatever be our affliaions, furely they are far lefs than our iniquities deferve. Hath he caft your child into the grave ? he might juftly hawe thrown your foul into helL It is of the Lord's mercies you are not confumed. Why fhould a living man complain i a man out of a grave, and out »f hell too, hath furely no reafon. 4. If you compare your affliaion with the trials of other's of God's people, yea, and thefe faints who have been moft eminent, you have no reafon to grudge at your 1c£j. You bawe one child dead, but Aaron (who is called the faiat of the Lord, Pfal. cvi. 1$) had two at a Stroke ; nay, Job„ whom God commends above all the faints in his day, had all his children flain by one blow, and both thefe eminent feints had their loffes by an im- mediate and extraordinary ftroke from God. Some godly parents have feen tltejr children live to proye fcan- ,dals to religion* and a grief of mind to themfelves, and would have thought it a merey if Godhad taken them away when young. Say not then, there is no forrow like yam* forrow j for the cup which many others ba»e drunk, hath bad more bitter ingredients in it than ynurt. ylty, Confider that exoeffive grief cannot better your caSc, it may well make it worfe. If you ftrugglc and contend under God's hand, you aft a fooliih part; as a bullock unaccuftomed to the yoke, that by his Strug- gling galls his neck, and makes the yoke the more unea- Yy : or hke a bird fluttering in a net, that, iffftead of freeing, doth the more entangle itfelf. Thus by immod- erate forrow and fretting under the ftroke, yQu fin the more againft Gad, and make your burden the more heavy. 4#it/v, Remember the traafaaioss of thy foul with God in the day thou enteredft into covenant with him. When thou faweft thyfelf on the brink of hell, and a burden of fin preffing thee down, and no hope for thee but in Chrift; then your cry was, "none but Chrift:. take childresi relations, ridies, and all things in the- 226 Afflicted Marts Companion. i wor!d.from me, and give me Chrift. I give up mySelf, and all I have, to be difpofed at thy pteafure ; thy will, Lord, fhall be my will,' &c. Now, God is taking thee at thy word, and trying thy fincerity in what thou faidfl and profeffedft to him fo folemnly. He hath difpofed of thy dear relation as pleafed him : O believer doft thon rue the bargain ? wouldft thou take thy word again ? where is -thy covenanted fubmiffiun to the will of God> and thy promifed contentment with all his difpofals? $thly, Doft thou not believe that a covenanted God is better to thee than :-ni the friends in the world ? cannot God foon make up the greateft lofs to thee, if thou turn to him by prayer, and pour out thy heart and furrows in his bofom ? what are the world's comforts to God's com- forts ? a fmile cf God's face ia prayer, can foon fweeten thy bitter cup, and make thee forget all thy forrows, Pfal. xciv. rcr. " In the multitude of my thoughts with- in me, thy comforts delight rsy foul." The author of the fulfilling of the fcriptures tells us of one Patrick Macilwrae, an eminent faint, in the weft of Scotland, who having loft his dear and only fon, got to his closet, and there poured out his foul to the Lord. When he came out to his friends at length, who were waiting to comfort him, and fearing how he would take fuch a heavy ftroke, he returned from prayer with a cheerful counte- nance, and told fome of his friends who afked him the reafon of his cheerfulnefs, " that he had got that in his retirement with the Lord, that to have it afterwards re- newed, he would be content to lofe a fon every day." 6thlyy Serioufly confider that you are but a few days journey behind him for whom you mourn, and that you will quickly overtake him, and be with him again. This allayed David's forrow for his child, 2 Sam. xii. 23. "I fliall go to him." It is-our expeaing, to live here, to enjoy the comforts .of relations, that commonly makes us grieve fo much for their death ; for if we looked on our- felves as men th3t were to die in a few days we would not be fo troubled for our friends that are gone bHt a little fpace before us. Ithly, If your friends are gone to heaven you have Afflicted Man's Companion. 227 more reafon to rejoice with them than to mourn for th -era ; feeing they are unfpeakably happier where they now are, than they could have been with you. It is the moft fervent defire and wifh of every true chriftian to be in heaven : and will you grieve, becaufe God hath taken your relations thither, where you defire to be yourfelf above all things ? As Chrift faid to his difcipk-s before his death, John xiv. 28. " If ye loved me you would rejoice becaufe I go unto the Father :" fo, if your de- parted friend could fpeak to you from heaven, he would fay, " If ye foved me with a pure fpiritual love, ye would rejoice that I am gone to my Father, where I am more happy than you can poffi'oly conceive of me." Object. &' Had I ground to think that any friend is gone to heaven, it would eafe me ; but, alas, I fear it is otherwife." Anfw. I. It doth not belong to us to dive into the eternal ftate and condition of thefe that are gone off the ftage. Thefe fecret things belong to God, who exer- ciSeth his mercy or juftice towards finners according to his fovereign will. 2. Suppofing the worft, you ought to fubrrvit to the incontrolable fovereignty of God who hath mercy on v, horn he will have mercy, and whom he will he harden- eth. " He is of one mind, and who can turn him ?"— The Lord cut off Aaron's two fons in the very aa of fin and rebellion againft him, and yet Aaron held his peaee, and fo ought you. 3. Whatever be the lot of others hereafter, you have rcafon to be thankful to God, for his distinguishing mer- cy, in Saving you from thefe flames that others fall into, and giving you good hope through grace of glorifying God above forever. Direct, vim. Let the ficknefs and death of others be a warning to you in time of health, to make due preparaticn for the time of ficknefs and of dying, which is before your hands. HEN you fee your friends and neighbours in a Sickly, weak, or dying condition, the language w 223 Afflktfd Marts Companion. «f the difpenfation to you that are in health is, prepare ' for fickiu iV, alfo. Nay, the feeble voice of the fick doth proclaim this warning as loudly, as if they Should lift up their veice like a trumpet, and fay to you, " Remember that you muft lie in the fame cafe ere long ; you muft alfo groan under pain, loofe your ftrength and beauty, leave your mirth and company, bid adieu to all the world, and look out for the grim meffenger death, that is a coming to diffolve the earthly tabernacle, fend the body to lie in a putrifying grave, -and the foul to ftand before God's tribunal, to be fentenced to an endlefs ftate."__ This will be thy cafe, O young man, ftrong man, health- ful man, as really in a little, as it is of thefe now before your eyes. O how foon will it come ! what thoughts will you then have of the world, of fin, and vain compa- ny ? Will any thing comfort you then but the favour of God, the love of Chrift, and the review of a holy well 'fpent life ? Wherefore do with all thy might now what thy hand finds to do, employ the time of health well in preparing for ficknefs, and leave nothing to do in time of ficknefs, which is a moft unfit feafon • for a man to do foul work, and falvation work in. I. I fhall begin with thofe of the family where the harbingers of death do prefently refide. Surely the warnings of ficknefs and death ought to be louder in your ears than others, and moft diligently harkened unto by you, that lodge under the fame roof with the meffengers ^of the kmg of terrors. . if, Remember that word, I Pet. v. r6. " Humble yourfeives therefore under the mighty hand of God." It well becomes guilty finners, all the members of the family to be humble before a holy God, when he is fruiting any of them. Humbly ac- knowledge his fovereignty and abfolute dominion over you, faying, "Lord, thou art the author and founder of families, and thou mayft afflia and puaifli them a; thou thinkeft fit. Thou fetteft the folitary in families, and multiplieft their number ; and thou mayeft diminifh .J them, yea, lay them defolate according to thy pleafure. Thou mighteft have made all the members of the family fick, as well as one ; thou mighteft have given a deadly Afflicted Marts Companion. 229 blow-to- parents, children, and fervant?, at once, yea, have made the houfe in which we live a common grave, and buried us all together in its ruins." Humbly ac- knowledge the juftice and mercy of God in the prefent viiitation. *■ Lord, inftead of one, we all deferved to ha c been thrown on fick beds, and all of us to have been fmitten by death. Thou punifheft us lefs than our iniquities deferve." Acknowledge alfo God's wifdom and love in the prefent affliaion, and humbly fubmit to take the cup which he hath mingled for you. " The cup which our heavenly Father hath ordered for this family, ■ fliall we not drink it ? It is a gracious and wifo God that doth what is done .in the family ; therefore it is our part to be dumb, and not to open our mouths to quarrel it." idly, The command which the king of Ninevah gave to all his fubjeas, when threatened with ruin, Jonah iii. 8. is very proper for a mafter of a family to give to all under his charge, when ficknefs doth rage among them % "Faft, and cry mightily to God, and turn everyone from his evil way—-Who can tell if God' will turn away from his fierce anger, that we perifli not ?' When the destroying angel gets a commiffion to fmite families with mortal and infeaious difeafes, which fometimes go front houfe to houfe like a plague, fweeping many old anel young off the ftage ; then efpecially it fhould be a lime of mighty crying and pleading with God for mercy.— And fince our pleading is wholly ineffeaual without'art atoning facrifice to incenfed juftice, let us not forget lc> bring the all-fufHcient facrifice of Chrift's blood along with us, and plead it with God for averting his wrath from our houfes and families. As Mofes faid to Aarou in a time of common calamity, Num. xiv. 46. So may I fay to you that are heads of families, " Take a cenfer and incenfe, and go quickly and make an atonement for them ; for there is wrath gone out from the Lord ; the plague is begun." Bring the incenfe of Chrift's fatis- faaion, that great atonement to d™ine juftice, which was typified by the legal facrifices and oblations. Hum- bly and earneftly plead that great facrifice with God, 230 Afflicted Man's Companion. for turning away the fiercenefs of his wrath. Get the bunch of hyffop, faith, in order to the fprinkling of your houfe* with that atoning blood, that fo you and your families may be among the prcferved i;i Chrift Je- fus.". Laftly, Let all the family where ficknefs is, and t Spe- cially the head of it, remember that word, Job xxii. 23. " Thou fhalt not put away iniquity far from thy taber- nacles." God hath fent ficknefs with this meffage to you, " Search out family fins, whether of omiffion or eommiffion ; mourn over them, turn from them, banifh them far away. Let no vice lodge under your roof.— Let family worfhip be no more negleaed, nor Slightly performed. Let God have both the morning and eve- ning facrifice." Now, if the members of thefe families vifited with ficknefs, who are in health for the prefent, would thus humble themfelves, cry to God, plead the blood of Chrift, and reform what is amifs among them 5 the prefent affliaion would be fanaified, and they in fome meafure prepared for the like trial, when God fhall be pleafed to put the cup in their hands. II. In the next place, let me warn all the friends and neighbours of the fick, whether they be in the family or not, torimprove the day of health, in making ready for the time of ficknefs. Be much in the exercife of Self- examination, humiliation for fin, believing in Chrift, renewing covenant with God, mortifying of fin, trim- rrHflg'the lamp, meditating of heaven, living by faith, deniednefs to the world, Studying to overcome the lov« of life, and fears of death. Concerning all which I have given direaiona in the foregoing chapters of this book, when fpeaking to the fick and.diftreffed. Thefe exercifes are not only proper for the f:ck, but alfo for tbefe in health ; and are fwitable preparations for ficknefs and death, to be ftudied by all men in every condition. But there are fome things further moft neceflary to be minded l.v ru-ople in time of their health, in order to prepare them r'or the time of ficknefs and .of dying, before it if, Make your latter-will, and keep ft by you, tha,t Afflicted Marts Companion. m 2S1 you may not be encumbered with your worldly affairs, in time of ficknefs, or at a dying hour. Surely it is great wifdom to put this by-hand in time of health. But I have fpoken largely of this, Chap. I. Dir. 6. idly, Take heed in time of health, that you lay not up fad provifion againft the day of ficknefs, by your carelcfs and untender walk. As it is fin that brings cm ficknefs upon us, fo it is fin that embitters it unto us. O beware of all known fin, and particularly the fin of earth- Jy-mindednefs, unthanfuluefs for mercies, lnke-warmneU in religion, neglea to improve Chrift, neglea of prayer, and formality in it, quenching of the fpirit, falling from your firft love, breach of vows, mifcarrying under Signal mercies, fianing after affliaions, turning to old fins.— Guard againft thefe evils now in- time of health, other- Wife they will put thorns in your pillow when ficknefs cometh. Dare not to live in-fuch a courfe as you would not adventure to die in. How do you know but your next ftep may be into the grave ? and would yoa be wil- ling to lie down there in your fins, with earthly, dead, formal, wanderi.ig, and unbelieving hearts ? ^dly, Sit loofe from the world, and live as firangen in it, that you may be able to pack and be gone from it upon fhort warning. Let death find you dead before hand, dead to the world. If your affeaions be glewed to the world, it will be a violent rending and fad parting yon will have with it when the dying hour cometh. You will be ready, like Lot's wife, to linger, hanker, and look greedily back again; $thly, Keep fhort reckonings with God and confcience, that you may not have old fcores to reckon upon when you come to the death bed. O what flinging pain and torment may one fin unmourned for coft- you at that time ! Let confcience then bring in the accounts of eve- ry day before you fleep, and fpeedily take up every con- troverfy that may fall out betwixt God and thy foul. $thly. Dwell much upon the thoughts of death, that you may learn to be acquainted and familiar with it ; as Job was, "who faid, before-hand, " to corruption, thou art my father ; ar.d to the worm, thou art my mother 232 Afflicted Marts Companion. and my fifter," Job xvii. 14. Fortius caufe the Egyp. tians ufed to place a dead man's fcull in fome confpicuous place of their rooms; likewife the Jews had their Sepul- chres in their gardens of pleafure, that fo in midft of their delights they might think on their dying time.— We read of Philip king of Macedon, that ordered a page every morning to rouge him from flcep with thefe words, " O king, remember thou art a mortal man." By this often repeated leffon, he laboured to humble his lofty mind, and make his acquaintance with death, that it might not feem ftrange or furprifing to him when it Should aaually come and fnatch him away. 6th/y, Study to fpend every day as it were to be your laft, and perform every duty as it were the laft, ftill look- ing on ficknefs and death as very near. That which makes moft men fo unconcerned about fickoefs, death, and eternity, is, they yiew them as things afar off, at thirty or forty yeai& diftance. "They think their time will be long here : why, they are healthy, of a ftrong couftitutiop, and their fathers lived fo long;" which furely are falfe rules to judge by. It was the expeaa- tion of many years that helped on the ruin of that rich fool in the gofpel. It were far better for every man to look ou himfelf as Standing every day and night at the very door of eternity ; and hundreds of difeafes ready to open the door and let him in. When you lie down at night, leave your heart with Chrift, and compofe your fpirits fo, as if you were notfto awake till the heavens are no more ; for certainly that night cometh, of which you vrill never fee the morning, or that morning," of which you will never fee the night. But which of your morn- ings, or nights thefe will be, you know not, feeing your times are not in your own hands. 7(hly, Set apart fome time, daily, for thinking, in a retired way, on your time that is paft, and upon eternity that is to come. The neglea of this duty of meditation, and retired thinking, is very prejudicial, both to the godly and ungodly. It was David's praaice to think, and to think upon his ways ; which engaged him to reform whatever he found amifs in them, Pfal. cxix. 59. Afflicted Man's Companion. 233 Oh 1 it is the ruin of many a foul, they are utter ftran- gers to this way of thinking. I have read of a father, who on his death-bed, left it as a folemn charge upon his only fon, who was a prodigal, that he fliould fpend a quarter of an hour every day in retired thinking, and let him chufe any fubjea he pleafed. The fon thinks this an eafy talk, undertakes it, and after his father's death fet himfelf to perform his promife. Oae day he thinks upon his by-paft pleafures ; another day he contrives his future delights ; after a while he begins to think feriouf- ly what might be Lis father's defign in laying this talk upon him: at length he thinks, his father was a wife and good man, therefore furely he intended and hoped that among the reft of his meditations, he would fome time or other think of religion. When this had truly pof- feffed his thoughts, one thought and queftion comes up- on the back of another, about his by-paft life and future ftate, that he could not contain himfelf in fo fhort a con-' finement, but was that night without fleep ; yea, arid afterwards could have no reft till he become ferioufly re- ligious. O that 1 could perfuade all carelefs and un- thinking fouls to go and do likewife ! Ah ! how many fpend their days in a hurry about their woildiy affairs,' and perifh for want of thinking ! 'Sihty, Among other fubje-as of your retired thoughts, fpend fome time in thinking, how awful and terrible a" thing it muft be for a poor Chriftlefs foul to make it*- appearance before an angry God after death. " For' v/ho (faith the prophet) can dwell with devouring fire ? who can abide with everlafting burnings?"' 1 have read of a certain king of Hungary, who being on a time mar-' velloufly fad'and heavy, his brother, who was a brifk and* gallant man, would needs know the rcafon-: "'O broth-.. er, (fays he) 1 have been a great finner againft God, and I know not how I fhall appear before his judgment-Scat." —His brother anfwered, " thefe are but melancholy thoughts ;" and fo made light of them, as moft cour-- tiers ufe to do- The king replied nothing at that time ; ' but the cuftom of that country was, (the government'' bring abfohtte) if the executioner founded A trumpet ac ■ U 2 •234 Afflicted Man's Companion. a man's door, he was prefently to be led to execution. The king feot the executioner in the dead time of the pight, and cSufedhim. to found his trumpet at his broth- er's door, who hearing and feeing the meffenger of death, Sprang in trembling into his brother's prefence, falls down Upon his knees, and befeeches the king to let him. know wherein he had offended him. " O brother, (Said the king) ypu never offended me, but loved me ; but is the jfcght of an earthly executioner fo terrible to thee ; and ihal-not I, who am fo great a finner, fear much more tfi be brought to the judgment-feat of an ano-ry God ?" gthly, Think often how religioufly men ufe to wifh threy had lived, when they come, to the fick and dying tjme. Thefe who have fpent their time moft carclefJy, begin to have other notions of religion, when they fee the grim meffenger approaching. Go to their bed-fides, and afk them, whether floth. or diligence, formality or fervency, drinking or praying, loving the world or,lov- ing Chrift, be the bsft ? would they not tell you that there is. none, fo wife as.they that are moft religious? Think,* O man, in.health, with thyfelf, if thou waft juft now upon thy death-bed, and faweft thy friends ftanding ipourning round about, thee, but unable to help thee, what would be thy thoughts and difcourfe at that time ? Q then, let fome of the fame thoughts and difcourfe fill up every day and hour of thy life. now. Why thou knoweft not DUt tn'8 moment thou mayft be as near dpath, as if thy friends and phyficians too were defpair- ing of thy life, and had given you over for dead. igthly, Be employed now in fighting the good fight of faith- You have many enemies to deal with, and dgath,is the laft of them. Would you obtain the viao- ry over them? Then get on the Chriftian armour, and make much ufe of the Shield of faith. We read in the book of Efther, that king Ahafuerus would not rccal the proclamation he had emitted againft the Jews ; but h? gave, them foil liberty to take up arms to defend themfelves, and attack their enemies ; fo here, God will not recal the fentence of death he hath paft upon all meni$ the .garden ; but nevertheless he allows, yea Afflicted Man's Companion. 255 commiflionates all true lfraehtes to take up arms againft death, to conquer and trample it under foot by faith. Laflly, Be bufy how in health, providing and laying up a flock againft the time of ficknefs and affliction ; which may contribute to your comfortable living then, when the world'6 good things will be taftelefs and com- fortlefs to you. As thefe who have a voyage to go, do viaual the Ship ; and thefe who have a fiege to hold out, take in provifions ; even fo do ye. i. Get a Stock of graces againft that time, efpecially a flock of faith, of patience, of humility, felf-denial, 5cc There will be ufe for all thefe then. A little grace, of a little faith, is not enough ; for this will faint under af- flittionn. We read, Matt. xiv. that, when the winds began to blow fiercely, Peter's little faith began to fail. You have need of a great meafure of patience againft that time, that you may wait quietly on God, till he come to your relief. You know not but he may length- en out your trials and tarry till the fourth watch of the wight before he come with deliverance. 2. Provide a ftock of evidences or marks of grace, and of the love of God, that you may be able to affert your i.'.tereft in him as your portion in- Chrift, and maybe perfuaded, that neither death nor life will ever feparate you from him. 3. Get a ftock of divine experiences. Lay up all the experiences you have had of God's loving kindnefs, and thefe will give great relief and encouragement to the foul in the day of diftrefs. 4. Lay up a ftock of Sermons. Treafure up the counfels and cordials which they bring you from God's wordj that fo you may, according to Ifaiah xhi. 23; " Hear for the time to come;" and efpecially for fick- beds, when you cannot get fermons to hear. Then it is, that you ought to live and feed upon -the fermons you have heard. v 5. Lay ■up a ftock of prayers. Be much in wreftling' with God for help and.through bearing in the day of af-: fliaion* andfo you may expea the gracious returns thereof In-thc day of calamity. 236 Afflicted Man's Gompanion. 6. Provide a ftock of promifes. Be now gathering thefe fweet cordials from God's word, lay them up h your heart and memory, and they will be very refreftung and Supporting to you in the day of affliaion. Di R.ECT. IX. Let thefe who are in I e alt h fet about the wort of repentance, and turning to God in Chrifi timeoufly and quickly ; and beware of delaying this wort until the time of ficknefs and of dying, GOD's command'to you is, to fet about the wark prefenlly, without any delay, Htb. iii. 15" To- day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts."— Matt. xxi. 28. " Go work to-day in my vineyard."— Ecclef. xii. 1. " Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth." Well, God's voice to you, O man in health, is to-day. But the devil's voice to you is to-mor- row. And which of the two will you harken to ? Sure- ly it is your wifdom to obey the voice of your Creator and friend, and' not of your enemy and deftroyer. Whyr to-day thou art in health, to-morrow thou mayft be in ficknefs; to-day thou art on earth, to-morrow thou mayeft be in hell', to-day Chrift is inviting you to come to him, to-morrow he may be Sentencing you to depart from him. And confider, that the devil, who tempts you to delay this day, wiil be as ready to tempt yon to the fame to-morrow ; and fo the devil's to-morrow will never come, It will ftill be to-morrow with him. till the laft hour, that fo he may get you cheated out of your whole time and falvation together. . Here I Shall endeavour two things; 1. Bring argu- ments toperfuade you to repent and clofe with the offers- of Chrift prefentfy, without any delay, as God requires. 2. Shew the evil and idanger of delaying; till the time of ficknefs and of dying. As to the firft, vi%. Arguments for prefent repentance, and againft delaying the work. iff, Confider the uncertainty of your life and time to. repent. Your life if but a vapour, a little warm breath that is going out and ia at your noftrila, which may be ftopped'by death ere you be aware ; thou knoweft not what will be to-morrow, Trov. a;;vii. 1, Jit was the Afflicted Marts Companion. 23? faying of a godly man, when invited to a feaft upon the morrow, " I have not had a morrow, for thefe many years." It was a bad ufe thefe Epicures made of tlris uncertainty, Ifa. xxii. 13, " Let us eat arid drink, for to-morrow we fhall die." It is much wiferto fay, "Let us pray, and turn to the Lord, for to-morrow we fhall die." Nay, you have not fecurity for one hour to re-' pent in ; for God hath a thoufand difeafes and accidents ready to flop your breath, and end'your days, whenever he pleafeth to give them orders There are many fecure finners, who prefume on long life, but there are none nearer deftruaion than fuch ; for God loves to .difappoint thefe that promife themfelves a long life in fin andimpen- itency, as he did that rich man who was laying up for many years, Luke xii 19. " This night fhall thy foul be required of thee." And O what a dark and difmal night will it be, if death comes before thy repentance l- O man, thou never didft lie down one night with affur- ance of rifing again ; thou never heardft oncfermon with affurance of heating another ; thou never didft draw one breath with affurance of drawing another. What mad- nefs is it then to delay falvation work one day or hour longer, and fo to leave the weightieft matter in the world at the greateft uncertainty ! idly, Confider, that though God in his wonderful mercy and patience fhould prolong your days, yet the longeft life 1*6 fhort enough for the work you have to do, fuppofe you begin it prcfently. Nay, had you Methu- falem's years to fpend, they would be no more than fuf- ficient to repent and mourn for the fins and guilt which you have been fo long contraaing ; to reform and amend the many things that have been araift*; to perform all the duties incumbent on you ; to make fure your calling and efeaion, and put your fouls in a good pofture and preparation for an eternal ftate, and get them made meet to be pai takers of the inheritance of the faints in light. Now, do ye think that all this work can be done in an ift- ftanr, orinatime of ficknefs, or old age, when ye are hardly fit to do any thing? When a man's fpirit is una- ble to bear the infirmities of nature, how will he be able 233 Afflicted Man's Companion. to bear the lafhes of a guilty confcience, or a wounds fpirit ? When the understanding is weak, the memory frail, the will obftinstely bent the wrong way, by a long cuftom of Shining, and -negk-aing of duty ; will that he a fit time to begin the work of repentance and converfion to God ? When nature is decayed, and the candle of life juft finking in the Socket, will you begin then to adt for God, and make your light fhine before men to his glory ? O remember, your work is long, yonr time is fhort ; and though you b^gin this very hour, ycu will have no time to Spare. $dly, Delay not this work', becaufe it is not in yonr power to do it when you pleafe It is a delufion of the devil, to imagine you may repent when you will. No, no ; it is God only that giveth repentance, and he gives it when, and to whom he pleafeth, Aas v. 13. And it is a mere pcradventure, if ever he give it to a delaying ' finner, 2 Tim. ii. 25. When is it that you may have hopes he will give repentance, but when he calls you to '[ it, and prefcribes means to be ufed for that end ? Now that is to-day. j^. To-day, if ye will hear his voice: now is the accepted time, now is the day of Salvation."— To-day, when God is calling, and the Spirit Striving, is the time of finding the Lord, and getting repentance from him. To-morrow it may be too.late ; the Loid's hand may be clofed, and the door of mercy Shut. If you refufe the Spirit when he ftrives with you, he may leave you, and never put another ferious thought in your heart of turning to the Lord. O-defer not feeking- re- pentance till it be too lafe : for there is a time when the Lord will not be found, and then repentance will not be found, though you feek it with tears. Indeed, God hath promifed mercy to penitent finners : but he hath no where promifed the aids of his grace and Spirit to them that put off their repentance: and he hath no where promifed acceptance to mere grief and forrow for fin without faith, and fruits meet for repentance : he hath no where promifed to pardon thefe, who only promife to leave their fins, when they can keep them no longer. 4'Z>A', The longer repentance ar.d clofing with Cbnft Afflicted Man's Companion. 239 \i delayed, the difficulty thereof is every day increafed. Why, i. Becaufe of the deceitful nature of fin, which doth daily bewitch and harden the heart more and more in the praaice of it. 2. Cuftom in any thing hath a ftrong influence on us, and becomes a kind of fecond na- ture, and breeds an almoft invincible inclination to what- foever we have long addiaed ourfelves unto, whether it be in aaions natural or moral. Hence Ovid gives that good advice, Sedpropera, nee te ventttras differ in horas t Qui non eft hodie, eras minus aptus erit. " Be fpeedy, piit not off till another time ; " He who is not prepared to-day, will be more unpre- pared to-morrow." He that goes on from day to day in fin, will find his indifpofition to repent daily increafed, the habits of fin Strengthened, and himfelf brought at length under the power of an inveterate cuftom. And if it be hard to break any cuftom, much more acuftom in finning, which 1 i.i fo agreeable to depraved nature. Hence faith the 1 Spirit of God, Jer. xiii. 23. " Can the Ethiopian change his fkin, or the leopard his Spots ? Then may ye alfo do .'good, that are accuftomed to do evil." 3. The longer Satan keeps poffefiioii, the more difficult will his ejtaion prove. The devils that poffeffed the man from th« womb up, could not be cait out but by fome extraordi- nary way. * 4. Delays bring on fpiritualjudgments from God, fuch as judicial hardnefs on the heart, which will make repentance impoflible, according to that terrible place, ISa. vi. 9, 16. "Make the heart of this people fat," &c. which is quoted no lefs than fix times in the New Teftarnent, as if it belonged only to them that lin- ger and fit impenitent under gofpel calls. Laft/y, Wc would reckon fuch delays madnefs in earth- ly affairs, which are but trifles when compared to falva- tion work. If a man's houfe were on fire, we would k.count him mad, if he fhould fay, it is time enough to 240 Afflicted Marts Companion. quench it to-morrow ; or, if he were fturrg with a ven- omous ferpent, he would be mad that neglected to feek a prefent cure : or, if he had got poifon in his ftomach, he would never think he could foon enough vomit it up. If a malefaaor were condemned to a cruel death to-morrow, but had a promife of a remiffion if he fliould look after it to-day ; would.he be fo foolifh as delay it till next morn- ing ? But how much greater madnefs is it to delay repent- ing and fleeing to Chrift, when God's calls and promifci relate to the prefent time, and our danger in delaying ii infinitely greater than in any of the forefaid cafes ? Surely there is no fting fodangerous, no poifon fo deadly as fin ; and can we too foon feek after the balm of Gilead, the •blood of Chrift for its cure ? There is no death like the fecond death, no fire fo dreadful as the eternal fire of God's wrath : Now, this fire is already kindljd againft your fouls ; and if it be not timeoufly quenched, it will burn to the loweft hell. Lofe no time to. get it extin- guished, by fleeing to the blood of Jefus. II. The next thing is to Shew the evil and danger of delaying'this work until the time of ficknefs and of dying. Alas, it is the common praaice of the moft part ! But confider, ifl, What wretched ingratitude and bafenef* there is in it. Whether is it fit ye fhould give the beft of your time to God that made you, or to the devil that fecks your deftruaion ? Is it reafonable thkt the devil Should, feaft on the flower and prime of your youth and ftrength, and your Creator have no other but the frag- ments of the devil's table? When the-dregK of your rime are come, your ftrength gone, your fenfes failed, .your tinderftanding and memory weak, your affeaions fpent upon the creature, yea, when you are good for nothing rife ; will ye be fo bafe as think, you arc then good enough for God, and for-falvation-work, which requires all your ftrength and might ? But remember, if you be fo bafe as referve the drege of your time for God, you may €Xpea he will be So juft as referve the dregs of his wrath for.ycu, according to that word, Mai. i. 14. "Curfed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and Sac- rifice th us to the Lord a corrupt thing." Your youth. Afflicted Marts Companion. 241 Strength, health, gifts, and talents, are the males of the ♦'flock ; if you give thefe to the devil, and referve the weaknefs of ficknefs and old age for God, you draw down his curfe upon your heads ; and how long will you be able to bear up under the -weight ©f God's curfe ? Now, O delaying finners, why fhould you be fo ungrate- ful to God, and injurious to yourfeives ? God had early thoughts of mercy to you ; and will you have nothing but fate thoughts of duty to him ? Chrift did not defer his dying for us till he was old ; and fhall we defer living to him, till we be old ? Oh, we do not deal with God as we would have him to deal with us. When we need help in trouble, we cry, as Pfal. cii. 2. " Lord, hear me ; in the day when I call, anfwer me fpeedily." To- day we ftill make the feafon of mercy, but to-morrow the feafon for duty. When mercy is delayed, we impa- tiently cry, How long ? how long ? We will not waic God's holy leifure. But alas ! we would have God to wait our finful leifure. Oh, let us be afhamed of fnch difingenuous dealings with our Creator. $dly, Death may get a commiffion to take you off Suddenly, without giving you any time to repent. You are not fure to fee the evening ftar of ficknefs, before the night of death overtakes you, or that you will have any warning*given you before the fatal Stroke. For how many are there who projea long lives, and look for time before death to repent, that get a furprifing call to flit from the earthly tabernacle, and have not one minute to provide another lodging ? How many are drowned by a Hidden ftorm at fea ? And how many killed by outward accidents on land ? Some drop dowa fuddenly in the ftreets ; fome die fitting in their chairs ; fome go well to bed at night and never fee the morning; fome die as quickly by a fit of an epilepfy, or apoplexy, as if Shot with a gun. Thus thoufands are hurried into eternity, and prefented before a tribunal, without being allowed fo much time as to think one ferious thought, or fpeak one word ? not one moment to confider where they are go- ing, or to cry to God for mercy. And how know you but this may be your cafe at death ? Muft it not be the 242 Afflicted Marts Companion. greateft folly then to delay your repentance to c dj-jn* time, when it may not be one minute long ? ^dly, Though you may have fome time to lie on fick- beds, how know ye but your ficknefs may be fuch as fhall t incapacitate you for fpiritual work ? Some we fee are fo ©ppreffed with continual flumbewng rfhd Sleeping, even when death is neareft, that they are in no cafe to think or fpeak of thefe things that belong to their eternal State. Others, in high fevers, are troubled with rovings ; and have no ufe of their reafon, fb that they are not capable to fettle their worldly affairs ; and how much lefs are they fit to fecure their foul's eternal concerns, at that rime ? Some again are fo racked with pains and agonies, impatient frettings, and bitter uncafinefs, that they can- not get one fettled thought about their foul's prefent or future ftate. Others are fo filled With terror and amaze- ment at the view of approaching death and eternity, that they cannot compofe their thoughts to examine them- felves, confefs their Sins, aa faith in a Saviour, or fol- • low any direaion that is given them ; but go off the Stage in a confufion, being incapable to do any thing to purpofe for their fouls. "Some their diftemper is fuch, that they are brought to a great ftrait betwixt the word of God and the phyfician. The word of God and his minifters tell them if they do not mourn for their fins, and wreftle for mercy, they cannot be faved : but faith the phyfician, if you trouble yourfelf with fad and mel- ancholy thoughts, you prejudice your body and hazard your life. Oh .' is this a fit time then to begin your preparation for another world ? ' ^thly, The Spirit of God being long refilled and vex- ed by many in the day of health, he is provoked to leave them on death-beds to the hardnefs of their own heaits J And fo they remain like flocks and ftones, dead and fU- pid to the laft.- $thly, The devil, that was bufy all your lives to keepj you from repentance, will not be idle at this time ; nay, he will be more aaive then than ever to ruin you, either by caufing you to fplit on the rock of piefumption or of! defpair. Sometimes he will tell finners then, " You need Afflicted Marts Companion. 243 not trouble yourfeives abotit your fouls : God is more merciful than to damn you ; the repentance you have already will ferve the turn." But if this will not quiet them, he will ftudy to drive them to defpair, by telling them, " They have loft the feafon of repentance and clo- sing with Chrift ; and now there is no remedy, no hope for them, and it is in vain to ufe any further means." O then, do not harken to Satan now, when he tempts you to. delay your repentance. 6thty, Whatever appearance of repentance fome dying perfons may have, let that be no encouragement to put off till that time. Why, there lieth a juft fufpicion upon a late repentance, that it is feldom found and fincere. It is no found work, that arifeth more from fears of hell, than from any real hatred of fin ; more from love to felf, than love to God. And it is to be feared, that death-bed repentance is moftry of this fort, feeing ordinarily it con- fifteth more in grief and fear, prayers and promifes, than in a hearty loathing, of fin, love to holinefs or willingnefs to accept of Jefus Chrift : for have we not feen many of thefe penitents, who, in the view of death, have profeff- ed great forrow for their wicked lives, and made Solemn promifes of amendment ; yet when they have happened to recover, all their righteoufnefs hath vanifhed, and they have returned to their former fins as greedily as ev- er ? And, O delaying finner, what ground have you to think that your death bed repentance wi 1 be any better than theirs ? Be wife then in time, fet heartily about fal- vation work in the day of ycur health, and do not leave the weightiest work to the weakeft time. Object. I. " But hath not God promifed mercy to them that repent of their fins at any time ?" Anfiyf? Yes, to them that repent truly and Sincerely : but do not think that it is in your power to repent fo, at any time you plcafe : no, it is impoffible you can do it without the influence and affiftar.ee ,of the Spirit <-i God. And God hath nowhere promiCed this to thefe who pr.: qIF their repentance to a death-bed. There is a great difference betwixt a fick mau'a howling upon his bed, and .fincere gofpel repenting. I grant, true repentance is 214 Affliaed Man's Companion. never too late ; but O ! late repentance is Seldom true. True repentance is that which hath a care to walk holiiy, or hath works meet for repentance joined with it. Ilenee repentance is not only called metanoia, a change of mind; but alfo metameleia, an after care. Now for a death-bed repentance, that hath no fuch holy care or good works, I know no promife in the bible that annex- eth falvation unto it. Object. II. " Do not we read in Chrift's parable of the labourers, Matth. xx. that fome were hired and brought into the vineyard at the eleventh hour, and got the fame reward with thofe that were hired at the third and fixth hour ?" Anfw. i. Thefe that were brought in fo late could fay for themfelves, verfe 6."that no man had hired them," or had offered to hire them before ; they did no fooner hear the gofpel-call, and offers of falvation through Chrift tendered to them. But O ! this will ftand you in no ftead, who have had many a call and offer made you at the third, fixth, and ninth hour, and have refiftcd and refufedthem ; you will not have it to fay at the elcveath hour as thefe had, " No man hath hired ur." idly,-Thefe men, though they came in but at the eleventh hour, and not being fooner hired, yet they were 'labourers-in the vineyard, and wrought one hour therein faithfully, in obedience to their Lord's command, and fo brought forth fome fruits meet for repentance, and were accepted. But this is no encouragement to any to ex- pea to be brought in at the twelfth hour, when there is no time to work, nor bring forth any fruits to teftify the fiacerity of their repentance ; we have no promife of acceptance made to fuch. '*■ ObjeS. III. " The penitent thief on the crofs fought mercy from Chrift at the laft hour and got it." Anfw. That is a fingular inftance, and gives no en- couragement to delaying finners. The fcriptures con- tain a hiftory of more thzn\ four thoufand years, and yet during all the time we haze but one example of a man that truly and fincerely repented when he came to die. \nd in this man's cafe there was fuch an extraordinary conjunaion of circumftanrjfc, as never happened before, I Afflicted Marts Companion. 245 and can never fall out again to the end of the world___ This man had the happinefs to die clofe by the newly ierced and bleeding wounds of a crucified Jefus, when e was lifted up from the earth in the height of his love, drawing finners to falvation ; which was a junaure that can never have a parallel. Again, the man never had any offer of Chrift nor day of grace before now ; he fu - rendered himfelf upon the very firft call : and his faith in Chrift at this time was truly fingular and miraculous. He was defigned by heaven to be made a rare monument of the power of Chrift's grace, and a fpecial trophy of his viaory over the devils and wicked men, at a time when they feemed to triumph over him, as one crucified through weaknefs. From all which we may fee, that this example was ex- traordinary; and affords no ground for the prefumption of delaying finners. You may as well caft yourfeives into the fea in hopes of prefervation by a whale, from the example of Jonah, as defer repentance now, in hopes of repenting on a death-bed, from the example of the thief on the crofs. Befides, your way of finning differs vaftly from his. He was not guilty of prefumption, as you are ; he did not flight Chrift's calls and offers in the day of his health, and delay his repenting and clofing with Chrift, in hopes of an opportunity for them at the hour of death, ajj yon-do. Do you know what God deter- mines concerning prcfumptuous finriing ? You may fee itv Numb- xv. 28,. 30, 31. " And the priefts mail make an atonement for the foul that finneth ignorantly, &c. But the foul that doth ought ptcfirmptuoufly, (whether he be born in the land,-or a Stranger) the fame reproaeh- eth the Lord : and that foul ShaU be cut off from among his people ; becaufe he hath defpifed the word of tins Lord.'' O pr-efumptuoua delaying finner, let this word pf the Lord awaken you to a fpeedy and prefent refolu- tion to obey his voice. " Return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways a^d-your doings good," Ter. xviii. 11. Now is the acceptea time: if ye will hear his voice it muft be to-day. dwd, fave us from harden- ing our hearts. Amen. \k I SOWLI. 1) V I \T G WORDS OF