"shall be whole." Christ approves, and honours such faith.

6. As weary and heavy laden under the bur den of sin, that Christ may give you rest.

7. As a good subject and willing servant to Christ your Lord and Master. "His commands "are not grievous. "Lord, what wilt thou "have me to do?"

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8. The law pronounces us accursed. are by the law condemned criminals. Let us then say with the Apostle, "If any man sin, 66 we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus "Christ the righteous; and he is the propitia❝tion for our sins."

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9. As weak and insufficient, come to the Captain of your salvation, and pray, "Teach my "hands to war, and my fingers to fight against "all my spiritual enemies, the world, the flesh, "and the devil."

Helps for conversing with one who is sick,

founded on some important texts.

The language of too many unbelievers, while in health and prosperity, is, "Depart from us, "for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. (Job xxi. 14.) I do not suppose you have ever said this in so many words; but is not your conduct to this effect? Does it not loudly proclaim this? And do you not neglect to pray for the knowledge of God and his ways?

"All have sinned against God." (Rom. iii.

23.) "All are become guilty before God." (Rom. iii. 19.) Do you desire to be delivered from this state? "Whosoever believeth in Christ "shall not perish, but have everlasting life." (John iii. 16.) Do you believe this, and pray that you may not perish?

"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the "Lord Jesus, shall be saved.". (Rom. x. 13.)

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Do you call on him for salvation? "Christ 66 came to save sinners, the chief of sinners," (1 Tim. i. 15.) Do you pray to him daily, that he may save you? Is such a salvation to be slighted? Ought you not to pray earnestly that you may partake of it?

"The blood of Christ cleanseth the penitent "from all sin. (1 John i. 7.) Are you penitent, and desirous, that it may cleanse you?

"The Holy Spirit is promised to them who "ask it." (Luke xi. 13.) Can you be holy without his assistance? Do you desire to bé sanctified ?

"Whoso offereth me praise, glorifieth me." (Ps. 1. 23.) Do you daily offer praise to God, and glorify him? Are you content to live without the knowledge of God, and salvation of Christ?

You may startle perhaps, and recoil at these questions; but think well of these things: be serious; be faithful, and apply other passages of Scripture in the same manner close to your consciences.

Helps for conversing with one who is sick on the reasons for which he is afflicted.

"God doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. Lament. iii. 33.

You should not consider your sickness as barely the effect of second causes, but as inflicted on you by Providence for some wise and good ends, as for the trial of your faith; the exercise of your patience; the punishment of your sins; the amendment of your life; or for the example of others; who seeing your good behaviour in such a day of trouble, may glorify your Father which is in heaven. Or else it may be for the increase of your future welfare, in order that by this humiliation here you may be led to Christ,

and to an higher degree of glory hereafter. Let me exhort you therefore to be patient in tribulation, resigned to the will of God; and say with good old Eli, "It is the Lord; let him do what "seemeth good unto him." 1 Sam. iii. 18.

Helps for conversing with one in pain.

1. If the pain be acute, God will shorten it; if lasting, he will alleviate it, or else increase your strength, and sanctify to you the greatest pains, which he may not see fit to remove.

2. No pain can be compared to the hope of glory.

3. You should think on the examples of good men, who have suffered more. Meditate on Christ's sufferings, as recorded by the Evangelists. Read the twelfth chapter to the Hebrews. 4. You have heard of the patience of Job. Be ye also patient. James v. 11, 8.

5. This correction is intended to amend your life, to confirm your faith, and to exercise your piety.

6. You should be deeply penitent for sin; receive this affliction as a correction for it; implore God's pardon for it; earnestly beg the aid of his Spirit to support you; and pray, that, "though your outward man should perish, "your inward man may be renewed day by "day." 2 Cor. iv. 16.

7. Think how many are tempted to walk in the broad way which leads to destruction, and you will more easily bear your pain. Would you be Nero, the cruel profligate Roman emperor? or Job, the faithful servant of God, under his complicated afflictions and painful boils? 8. Afflictions are present physic for everlasting health.

9. Therefore prayer for grace, a dependence on Christ, obedience to the dictates of the Holy

Spirit, and a progress in the divine life, are the true preparations for patient sufferings.

Helps for conversing with one who is sick, in order to bring him to a serious inquiry into the state of his soul.

I am sorry to see you in so weak a state. Your weakness bids me be short, and your memory is not to be burdened with too much; and yet your necessity must not be neglected. Let me entreat you therefore to be attentive to what I am going to say; for I shall speak nothing but the certain truth of God, revealed to the world by his Son and Spirit, expressed in the Scripture, and believed by all sincere Christians.

The change you are near (should this sickness end in death) is very great. You are leaving this world, where you have spent the days which were allotted for your trial, whether you would prepare for eternity or not. You are leaving your body to corrupt and turn to common earth, and you must here converse with man no more. You are now going to see that world, of which the Gospel has told you, and of which you have often heard; but which neither you nor I have ever seen. Before your friends can have laid your body in the grave, your soul must enter into its endless state; and at the resurrection your body will be joined to it again. Either heaven or hell must be your doom for ever. it be heaven, you will there find a world of light, love, and peace, and you will dwell with glorified spirits for ever. If hell should be your portion, you will be driven away from the face of God; and you will there find a world of unholy, miserable, condemned spirits; among whom you must dwell, under the wrath of God, and the horrors of your own conscience; remembering with anguish the mercy you once rejected,

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the warnings you disregarded, and the time which once you lost; and at the resurrection your soul and body will be re-united, and you must live there in torment and, despair for ever.

I well know that these things are but half believed by the ungodly world, while they profess to believe them. They must therefore feel that which they refused to believe. But God has revealed it to us; and let us believe our Creator. Think, oh think what a preparation such a change as this requires.

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So far may be sufficient for one visit.

At another you may proceed to this effect. You cannot but be sensible that a great dif ference will be made at the day of judgment between the righteous and the unrighteous, the justified and the condemned. How nearly then does it now concern you to try which of these is your own condition. It may certainly be known, for "God will judge the world in righteousness" by the same law or covenant by which he governs it. Know but whom the law of Christ condemneth or justifieth, and you may soon know whom the Judge will condemn and justify; for he will proceed according to the law. If you should die in an unrenewed state, die in your sins," your hope of heaven will die with you: and if you think ever so well of yourself till death, and pretend ever so confidently to trust in Christ, and the mercy of God, one hour will convince you, to your everlasting woe, that God's mercy and Christ's merits never brought an unsanctified soul to heaven. Selfflattery avails nothing, but to keep you from repenting till the time be past, and to quiet you in the snares of Satan, till there be no remedy. Immediately therefore, as you regard your soul, examine yourself, and try in which of these con