thy to be accepted indeed; This is the Comfort and Confidence of poor returning Sinners. And, while I can fee by Faith the Penalty of Eternal Damnation releafed, by Virtue of the Blood of this Lamb of God flain to take away the Sins of the World, I will fubmit with Patience to the Temporal Punishments inflicted by my provoked God; and thankfully accept the Sickneffes and Afflictions of this prefent Life, as fo many Warnings and Calls to Repentance.

V. And fure (my Soul) we fhall take care to make this good Ufe of them. For thefe are the Difcipline of the Lord; and if, after all that is come upon me for my evil Deeds, and for my great Trefpaffes, feeing that thou, my God, haft punished me lefs than my Iniquities deferve; if I fhould again break thy Ezra ix. 13. Commandments, thou would'ft certainly

be angry, till thou had'ft utterly confumed me; and torment me fo much the more, for neglecting fo great Salvation. I take therefore this Chaftifement with all poffible Submiffion; and do with unfeigned Sorrow confefs my manifold Offences. I implore thy Mercy, who art juftly difpleafed with me; and, fince in the midst of Life we are in Death, I cry earnestly to Thee for Succour; and beg, that howfoever thou thinkest fit to difpofe of this Corruptible Body, thou would'st look graciously upon me in thy dear Son, and not deliver my poor Soul into the bitter Pains of Eternal Death; but pity and fave me for Chrift Jefus his fake. Amen.

Here may be repeated the xxxviii. and li. Pfalms.

Then the Confeffion in the Communion-Service,

Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, Maker of all things, &c.

Or else the Three Prayers at the End of the Commination. O Lord, we beseech thee, opc.

O moft mighty God, &c.

Turn thou me, O good Lord, &c.
After either of which, fay as follows.

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PRAY

Vifitation of -the Sick.

PRAYER.

Mot merciful God, who according to the Multitude of thy Mercies, doft so

put away the Sins of those who truly repent, that thou remembreft them no more; Grant me, I beseech thee, true Repentance and iby boly Spirit; and then open thine Eye of Mercy upon my languishing Condition, and give me the Comfort of Pardon and Forgiveness. Renew in me, moft loving Father whatsoever bath been decayed by the Fraud and Malice of the Devil, or by my own carnal Will and Frailnefs. Preferve and continue me in the Unity of thy Church: guard me by thy Power from all the Assaults of the Tempter, and fuffer him not to take Advantage of my Weakness. Confider, I befeech thee, my Contrition, accept my Tears, hear my own Prayers, and those of others on my Behalf, and affwage my Pains, as shall seem to thee most expedient for me. In thy Mercy, O Lord, I put my full Truft; in thy Mercy alone, and in the Merits and Sufferings of my Crucified Saviour. Impute not, O Lord, unto me my former Sins, but ftrengthen me with thy Blessed Spirit; and whenever thou art pleafed to take me hence, take me unto thy Favour, thro' the Merits of thy dearly beloved Son, Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

I.

MED. IV.

Of the Wisdom and Goodness of God.

"W

Ere there no other Confideration to compofe the Mind, but that alone of our Sufferings being Juft, this fhould in Reafon perfuade Meeknefs, and Patience, and Contentednefs under them. For, as Lam. ii. the Prophet urges very well; Wherefore doth a mortal Man complain; even a Man for

the

the Punishment of his Sin? The Thief upon the Cross, notwithstanding all the Hardening of his former profligate Life, yet pacified himself under his Pains, and reproved his reviling Companion, with this Reflection, That they were under the CondemLuke xxiii. 41. nation justly, and received but the due Reward of their Evil Deeds. But we have yet abundantly more, to quiet our Repining Thoughts, and filence all Complaints; when the Sharpness of an Affliction, or the Sufferings of a Sick Bed, would provoke us to Impatience. Our Sins have been many and great enough to make God our Enemy, and do cry but too loud for the utmoft Rigors of his Vengeance; yet are not thefe Adverfities the Wounds and Bruifes of an Enemy, but the Chastisements of a Father. One, that fmites us indeed, but it is in Righteousness and Friendhip; and only with a Design to reprove and reform us. Obferve what heavenly Comforts the Apostle hath left behind, and how God himself hath explained the Nature and Intent of his own Difpenfations. My Son, defpife not thou the Chaftening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of bim. For whom the Lord loveth be chasteneth, and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth. If ye endure Chaftening, God dealeth with you, as with Sons; for what Son is be whom the Father chafteneth not? Furthermore, we have had Fathers of our Flesh which corrected us, and we gave them Reverence; fhall we not much rather be in fubjection to the Father of Spirits, and live? For they verily for a few Days chaftened us after their own Pleafure, but He for our Profit, that we might be Partakers of his Holiness. Now no Chaftening for the prefent feemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable Fruit of Righteousness, unto them that are exercifed thereby.

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Heb. xii.

II. What

II. What now can more illuftrate the Wisdom of Providence, than the converting our bittereft Calamities into Occafions of our Virtue and Happiness? And which of all our Calamities is more likely to contribute to our Reformation, than thofe of Sicknefs and Pain? For these, by touching our own Perfons, are moft fenfible and grie vous to be born; and, by punishing the Body, for the fake and service of which, moft, if not all, our Wickedneffes are committed, they meet with the very Cause, and go to the Root of the Disease, and so are best fitted to perfect the Cure. Our Physician of Souls is both skilful and kind; he will not give us over out of a cruel Indulgence to our own Eafe. Our Father answers his Character, and gives seasonable Correction to prevent our utter Undoing. But in all this there is the Prudence of the Phyfician mixt with the Tenderness of the Parent. The One would not prescribe the bitter Cup, unless he knew it neceffary and beft for us; and, if our Circumftances call for Correction, it is with Gentleness and Reluctancy, with Pain and Yearning of Bowels, that the Other fcourges.

III. Do thou therefore, O my Soul, confider, who chufes for thee, and learn to refign thy felf to his Difpofals; for they are the Appointments of one, who is wifer than thou, and who loves thee better than the zenderest Mother could. Do thou likewife confider, why he chufes thus, and learn to improve under the feeming Harfhnefs of fuch Difpenfations. Take gladly the wholesome Phyfick, and fecure a good Operation to thy felf. Have no Defires or Wifhes of thy own, but, with a constant Reserve to the good Pleasure of God, think, and be affured, that what he does is best. Beft in it felf, and best for thee too, if thy own Fault obftruct it not. Alas! we know not what to pray for as we ought, and should therefore beg nothing pofitively, but that God would do what he fees moft expedient. Ask therefore, my Soul, that he would

make

make thee an Inftrument of his own Glory; that he would fupport thee in thefe Tryals, and not fufer thee to be tempted above that thou art able; that he would command all things to work together for thy Good; and for the reft, take thy Saviour for thy Pattern, and, as oft as thou prayeft, that the Cup may pass from thee, be fure forget not to add, from the very Bottom of thy Soul, Nevertheless, O Father, not my Will, but Thine be done.

IV. And, to render the Cup thou art now drinking as little unpalatable as may be, forget not alfo to fuftain thy felf, with the Comforts even of thy weakest Condition. Seriously obferve, how gracious the Lord is; how he hath not only fpared, when thou haft deferved Punishment, but in the very midst of his Wrath hath thought upon Mercy. If thy Pains be not perpetual, thank him for thy Intervals of Eafe and Refreshment: If they be not acute and extreme, thank him for the Abatement and Moderation of them. If thou canft recruit thy feeble Spirits with Sleep, thank him for clofing up thy Eyes, in gentle reviving Slumbers; If he hold thy Eyes waking, thank him for the Opportunities of Meditating and Praying to him in the Night feafon. Yea, thank him efpecially for continuing to thee thy Understanding and thy Senfes; and, that he hath given thee the Power and the Grace to make a good and holy Use of these; that the length of thy Sicknefs hath been fo much a larger Opportunity of Preparing for that important Change, which, not this languishing Body of thine only, but alfo all thofe thou leaveft behind in full Health, and Beauty, and Vigor, must shortly undergo. If thou endureft much; confider, this is a good Method of weaning thy Affections from the World, and making Thee thirst and pant more earnestly after the lafting Joys of a better Place. If the tedious lingring Diftemper affault, and almost weary out thy Patience, think how much rather This A a 4

is