7. Christ is the most tender-hearted physician. He hath ended his passion, yet not his compassion. How doth he pity sick souls ! he is not more full of skill than sym- pathy, Hos. xi. 8. " My heart is turned within me." Christ shows his compassion in that he doth proportion his physic to the strength of the patient. Physic, if it be too sharp for the constitution, endangers the life. Christ gives such gentle physic as works kindly and savingly. Though he will bruise sinners, yet " he will not break the bruised reed." O the soundings of Christ's bowels to poor souls that feel themselves heart-sick with sin ! he holds their head and heart when they are fainting ; he brings the cordials of his promises to keep the sick patient from dying away. Christians, you perhaps may have hard thoughts of your phj^sician Christ, and think he is cruel, and intends to destroy you ; but O the workings of his bowels to- wards humble broken-hearted sinners ! Psal. cxlvii. 3. " He heals the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." Every groan of the patient goes to the heart of this physician.
8. Physicians oft prescribe such physic as is prejudicial to the patient, in two cases; 1. Either in case they find not out the cause of the disease, and then they may 2:i^'e that
p:n'e
which is contrary, hot things instead of cool- ing
or, 2. In case tliey do find out the cause, they may give that which is good for one thing and bad for another. As it falls out when the liver and spleen are both dis- tempered, the physic which helps the liver may hurt the spleen. But Christ always prescribes that physic which is suitable, and withal he blesseth the physic, If the disease of the soul be pride, he humbles it with af- fliction. God turned Nebuchadnezzar to grass to cure him of his tympany. If the dis- ease of the soul be sloth, Christ applies some awakening scripture. Matt. xii. 11. Luke xiii. 24. 1 Pet. iv. 18. If the disease be the Btone of the heart, Christ uscth proper me- dicines; sometimes the terrors of the law, sometimes mercies, sometimes he dissolves the stone in his own blood. If the soul be fainting through unbelief, Christ brings some scripture cordial to revive it. Matt. xii. 20. " A bruised reed he will not break," Isa. Ivii. 16. " I will not contend for ever, neither will
I be always wroth : for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls wliich I have made." Thus the Lord Jesus always prescribes that physic which is proper for the disease, and shall work effectually to the cure.
9. Christ never fails of success. Physicians may have skill, but not always success ; pa- tients often die under their hands ; but Christ never undertakes to heal any but he makes a certain cure, John xvii. 1 2. " Those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost." Judas was not given to Christ to be healed; but never any who was given to Christ did miscarry.
Quest How shall I know that I am given to Christ to be cured ?
Ans. If it be with thee as with a sick pa- tient, who sees himself dying without a phy- sician. Art thou undone without Christ? dost thou perceive thyself bleeding to death without the balm of Gilead ? then thou art one of Christ's sick patients, and thou shalt never miscarry under his hands. How can any of those be lost whom Christ undertakes to cure? as he pours in the balsam of his blood, so he pours out the perfume of his prayers for them : John xvii. 11. " Holy Far- ther, keep through thy own name those whom thou hast given me." Satan could ne- ver upbraid Christ with this, that any of his sick patients were lost.
10. Other physicians can only cure them that are sick, but Christ cures them that are dead: Ephes. ii. 1. " You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." A sin- ner hath all the signs of death on him ; the pulse of his affections doth not beat, he is without breath, he breathes not after holiness, he is dead ; but Christ is a physician for the dead ; of every one whom Christ cures, it may be said, " He was dead and is alive
agani.
Luke XV. 32.
11. Christ cures not only our diseases, but our deformities. The physician can make the sick man well ; but if he be de- formed, he cannot make him fair. Christ gives not only health, but beauty. Sin hath made us ugly and misshapen ; Christ's medi- cines do not only take away our sickness, but our spots; he doth not only make us whole, but fair, Hos. xiv. 4. " I will heal their backslidings," ver. 6. " His beauty shall
THE SOUL'S MALADY AND CURR
'nl
be as the oHve-trcc." Jesus Christ never thinks he hath fully healed us, till he hath drawn his own beautiful image upon us. Cant. ii. 13. "Arise my fair one;" fair with justification, fair with sanctification. Christ doth not only heal, but adorn ; he is called the Sun of righteousness, Mai. iv. 2. Not only because of the healing under his wings, but because of those rays of beauty which he puts upon the soul, Rev. xii. 1.