VII. Thefe Things, and fundry others, which will be apt upon fuch Occafions to offer themselves, if apply'd well and warmly to my Confcience, will have a very great and happy force, in forming my Difpofition, and regulating my Conduct, for the time to come. The Recollection of God's abundant Mercies will inflame my Breaft with holy Gratitude and fervent Love; fuch as would keep me ever paffionately defirous, to pay the juft Tribute of my beft Service in return, and chearfully to run the way of his Commandments. The Remembrance of his Judgments will poffefs me with an awful Fear of difpleafing him, and convince me, by my own Experience, that no Flefh can ftand before him, when he is angry. My late Pfal. lxxvi. Languishings and feeble Condition, will be a seasonable and lively Admonition, what this frail mortal Nature is; Thefe will teach me to die daily to the World, as a Perfon, who hath here no continuing City, but ought to feek one to come. A Perfon, who muft not, from even the most confirmed Health, entertain any fuch fond Profpects and vain Confidences of long Life, as may tempt me to prefume Death and Judgment at a great distance, and my felf fecured against any Surprize from them: Much rather ought I to expect them every Moment; and, both from the daily Spectacles of Mortality in my Neighbours, and the fenfible Decays, or fudden Changes which happen to my felf, quicken my Preparation to meet that Lord, who hath compared himself to a Thief in the Night, and foretold us, that he will come in fuch an hour as we think not. Thus fhall I, by a true Chriftian Prudence, extract Spiritual Advantage out of Temporal Evils; difcern the Goodnefs and Wisdom of Providence, even in the most afflicting Difpenfations; convert the Pains and Diseases of a vile perifhing Body, into Inftruments of Strength and Health to my Immortal Soul; and have a happy

Heb. xii.

Matth. xxiv.

43, 44.

Oc

Occafion of acknowledging with David, Pfal.cxix. 71. that it is good for me to have been in trouble, fince by that I have learnt, more diligently to practife, more ftedfastly to persevere in, the Statutes of my God.

P

HYMN.

Raife the Lord, O my Soul: and all that Pfal.ciii. 1. is within me praife his holy Name. Praife the Lord, O my Soul: and forget not all his Benefits.

Who can express the noble Acts of the Lord; or fhew forth all his Praife?

Which forgiveth all thy Sins: and healeth all thine Infirmities.

Which faveth thy Life from Deftruction: and crowneth thee with Mercy and Lovingkindness.

Which fatisfieth thy Mouth with good things; making thee young and lufty as an Eagle?

cvi. 2.

ciii. 3.

4.

For his Arrows ftuck faft in me: and his xxxviii. 2. Hand preffed me fore.

There was no Health in my Flesh, because

of his Difpleafure: neither was there any Reft in my Bones, by reason of my Sin.

3.

My Soul abborred all manner of Meat: cvii. 18. and I was even hard at Death's Door:

Then cried I unto thee, O Lord: and got

me to my Lord right humbly:

I faid, O my God, take me not away in the midft of mine Age: as for thy Tears they endnre throughout all Generations.

xxx. 8.

cii. 24.

But what profit is there in my Blood: when XXX.9. I go down to the Pit?

Hear my Prayer then, O Lord, and with xxxix. 13. thine Ears confider my Calling: bold not thy

Peace at my Tears.

15.

cvii. 19.

20.

Ixxi. 18.

20.

O fpare me a little, that I may recover my Strength: before I go bence, and be no more seen.

So when I cried unto the Lord in my Trouble: be delivered me out of my Distress.

He fent his Word, and healed me and I was faved from my Deftruction.

O! what great Troubles and Adverfities haft thou fhewed me, and yet didft thou turn and quicken me: Tea, and broughteft me from the deep of the Earth again.

Therefore will I praife thee and thy Faith1. 14. fulness, O God: I will offer unto my God Thanksgiving, and pay my Vows unto the most Highest.

If. xxxviii.

For the Grave cannot praise thee, Death 18. cannot celebrate thee: They that go down to the Pit cannot declare thy Truth.

19.

Pfal. ix. 10.

cix. 29.

lxvi. 14.

ixxviii. 15.

But the Living, the Living he shall praise thee,as I do this Day: the Father to the Children fball make known the Goodness of the Lord.

And they that know thy Name, will put their Truft in thee: for thou, Lord, haft never failed them that feek thee.

As for me, I will give great Thanks unto the Lord with my Mouth: and praise him among the Multitude.

O come hither and hearken all ye that fear God: and I will tell you what he hath done for my Soul.

I was in mifery, and like unto him that is xxxiv.4. at the point to die: but he delivered me out of all my fear.

xciv. 17

18.

If the Lord had not helped me: it bad not failed, but my Soul had been put to filence. But when I faid, my Foot bath flipped: thy Mercy, O Lord, held me up..

Thou

Thou haft turned my Heaviness into Joy: thou haft put off my Sackcloth, and girded me with Gladness.

XXX. I I.

The Lord is my Strength and my Shield, my xxviii. 8. Heart bath trufted in him, and I am delivered: therefore my Heart danceth for Joy, and in my Song will I praise him.

O bow plentiful is thy Goodness, which thou xxxi. 21. baft laid up for them that love thee: and that thou haft prepared for them that put their truft in thee, even before the Sons of Men!

O ye that love the Lord, fee that ye hate xcvii. 10. the thing which is evil: the Lord preferveth the Souls of the Faithful, he delivereth them from the Hand of the Wicked One.

His Mercy and Truth fhall follow me all the xxiii. 6. Days of my Life: and 1 will dwell in the Houfe of the Lord for ever.

I will keep the Ways of the Lord: and will xviii. not forfake my God as the Wicked doth.

For I have an Eye unto all bis Laws: and will not caft out his Commandments from me. Praifed be the Lord, who hath not caft out my Prayer: nor turned his Mercy from me.

Tea, bleffed be the Lord God, even the God of Ifrael: which only doth wondrous things: And bleffed be the Name of his Majefty for ever: and let all the Earth be filled with his Majefty. Amen, Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the Beginning, is now, and ever shall be: World without end. Amen,

22.

lxvi. 18.

lxxii. 18.

19.

After this Hymn, the Reader may enlarge his Meditations to the fame purpose, by repeating the xxx, lxxi, lxxvii, cxvi, cxviii. Pfalms,

PRAYER.

and

in tby Doings, and Gracious in all thy Difpenfations toward the Children of Men; Ithy unworthy Servant proftrate my felf before thee, with all the fervent Affections of a grateful Breaft, acknowledging it thy Goodnefs, that I am not long ago confumed. Thou, Lord, haft chaftened and corrected me, but thou haft not given me over unto Death. Bleffed therefore be that Divine Wif dom, which faw this late Affliction feasonable, and would not fuffer me to perish in my Fally, for want of fuch neceffary Warning. Blessed be that tender Compassion, which in the midst of Wrath remembred Mercy, which made all my Bed in my Sickness, which paffed by my Impatience, and many Infirmities; and inclined a willing Ear, to the wandring and difcompofed Supplications, of a poor feeble Wretch, when he cried unto thee in his Extreme Anguilla and Diftrefs. Bleffed be the powerful Influences of that Grace, which difpofed my Heart to Confideration and Repentance. But above all, bleffed for ever be that Power and Goodness which, by fparing me, when I had deferved to be utterly cut off, bath given me Opportunity to make good thofe Holy Refolutions,which thy Grace infpired,when I was in trouble. Lord,let this Goodness of thine, and my own ferious Purposes of Amendment, never flip out of my Mind; but preferve in me a conftant tender Senfe of the indifpenfable Obligations I lie under to better Obedience. Make me every day more and more zealous in promoting thy Glory, and the Good of my Brethren; As a Perfon faved from DeBruction, for this very End, that the Remainder of my Life fhould be employed in the Service of my gracious Deliverer, In this Senfe, O my God, I bumbly offer and prefent unto thee this Soul and Body, refcued from Hell and the Grave; Befeeching thee to keep them thine for ever. O let not the Return of my Health produce a Relapfe into my former Sins but become an Inftrument of thy greater Honour, of my own

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