from me; Lord, what thou denieft me of these outward mercies, that all these earthly things may work together to the best to mine advantage, fo fhall my prefent poverty be an undoubted earneft of my fu sure glory. Amen.

CHAP. XXXIV.

UPON SICKLESS AND UNGODLY

THEREAT.

REPINING

As every good. and perfect gift is from above, so is also every punishment for fin by every proportion of forrow; for mifery cometh not out of the dust, neither doth affliction spring out of the earth, Job. 1. 5, 6.. That divine goodness, which wifely and affectionately disposeth all things to the good of his chofen; by his holy providence hath suited their degrees, limited their powers, and appointed their ends, every pain in fickness, every pang in death, have their juft number, weight and measure..

It is the Lord, let him do what he will; nothing can befal me but by his divine allowance; nothing shall dismay me, that my God inflicteth on me: If my visitation be grievous, I am fure it is safe; for he chastiseth me for my profit, that I may be par

taker of his holiness.

Blessed be that forrow which allureth me from fin, blessed be that misery which inviteth me to mercy, I kiss it, I embrace it, and with humbleness

of heart, I joyfully and patiently fubmit unto it: The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh, blessed be the name of the Lord, Job. 1. 21.

I humbly confefs (Lord) that my great and grievous fins have moft juftly deserved this great and grievous affliction, that thou mighteft long fince have deprived me of my life, for depriving thee of thine honor; that I am moft unworthy of this thy gentle vifitation, for I am full of rottennels and corruption, and therefore can expect no other, but to be filled with forrow and affliction; thou haft given me a body for thy fervice, but I have defiled it with fin and wickedness; thou gaveft me a foul enriched with thy heavenly graces, but I have defaced it with unthankfulness and difobe dience; no faculty of my foul, no member of my body, but are most impure, and finful in thy fight. Thou, O Lord, knoweft all my foolishness, and my faults are not hid from thee; thou feeft how vainly I have mifpent my precious time, how carelesly abused that continued health which thou haft given me; how seriously been busied on the creature, how wretchedly neglected thee the great Creator.

Thou haft often weaned me from fin, by thy blessed motions, by thy gracious admonitions, by thy gentle vifitations, by a wasted body, and a wounded foul; and yet I ftill fin, without ceafing,

without forrowing, without repenting; fuch are my faults, fo grievous mine offences; that I now blush to name those fins before thee, by which I have so often and so foolishly rebelled against thee: and now after all this, although thou haft with lafting patience waited my return, and art forced to withdraw thy prefent mercy, yet thou art moved to behold my prefent mifery; even in thy very wrath thou haft compaffion on me, Habac. 3. 2. while thou feemeft (by this present sickness) to withhold thy favour from me, thou graciously intendest, by this bleffed means, to. fhew thyfelf more lovingly unto me; for, I know Lord, that thy judgments are juft, and that thou of very faithfulness hath caused me to be troubled, Pfal. 119. 15. There fore, though thou killeft me, yet will I trust in thee, Jab. 13. 15. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, yet will I fear no evil, Pfal. 32. 4. Behold, Lord, I am willingly and joyfully, and thankfully in thy hands, do with me what thou wilt, if I live, I shall praise thee, if I die, I trust, I fhall go home unto thee, and be for ever bleffed with thee..

O thou Father of mercies, and God of all confo- lations, behold me thy fick fervant, with thine eyes of pity and compaffion; O remember not my former fins, but have mercy upon me, O Lord,..

and that foon, for I am come unto great extremity.

O Lord my God, I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly, I go mourning all the day long; thou writeft bitter things against me, and makest me poffefs the iniquities of my youth; O let the sweetness of thy mercy qualify the sharpness of thy fatherly correction; confider me, O Lord, that I am but duft, full of frailties and infirmities, forgive me for thy mercy's fake.

Remember not the finful failings of my youth, but according to the richness of thy goodness, be thou mindful of me.

O righteous Father, look not on the multitude and heinousness of mine offences, but look upon the bitter paffion of thy blessed Son, he was wounded for my tranfgreffions, he was broken for mine iniquities, O by his blessed stripes let my finful foul be healed.

Enable me to fuffer this thy gentle vifitation, with that meekness and contentedness of soul, that becometh thy child; and so bless it unto me, that it may bring forth in me the quiet and the happy fruit of righteousness, that it may drive my thoughts to immortality, and fix my foul upon eternity.