irteat, but not unpardonable ; and if the Lord gave him repentance unto Hfe, and faith to apply Jesus Christ, it should certainly be par- doned to him. And finding him unacquainted with these things, I opened to him the nature and necessity of faith and repentance ; which he greedily sucked in, and with great vehemency cried to God, that he would work them upon his soul, and intreated me also to pray with him and for him, that it might be so. I prayed with him, and the Lord thawed his heart exceedingly in that duty ; loth he was to part with me ; but the duties of the day necessita- ting me to leave him, I briefly summed up what was most necessary in my parting counsel to him, and took my leave, never expecting to see him more in this world. But beyond my own, and all men's expectations, he continued all that day, and panted most ardently after Jesus Christ : no discourses pleased him but Christ and faith; and in this frame I found him in the evening. He rejoiced greatly to see me again, and entreated me to continue my discourses upon these subjects ; and after all he told me, Sir, the Lord hath given me repentance for this sin : yea, and for every other sin. I see the evil of sin now, so as I never saw it before. Oh ! I lothe myself; 1 am a vile creature in my own eyes ! I do also believe. Lord help 7)27/ unbelief! I am heartily mlling to take Christ upon his own terms. One thing only troubles me, I doubt this bloody sin will not be pardoned. Will Jesus Christ (said he) apply his blood to me, that have shed my own blood ? I told him, Christ shed his blood even for them that with wicked hands had shed the blood of Christ ; and that was a sin of deeper guilt than his. Well, (saith he) I will cast myself upon Christ ; let him do by me what he will. And so I parted with him that night.
Next morning the wounds were to be opened ; and then the opinion of the surgeons was, he would immediately expire.
Accordingly, at his desire, I came that morning, and found him in a most serious frame. I prayed with him, and then the wound in his stomach was opened ; but by this time the ventricle itself was swollen out of the orifice of the wound, and lay like a livid discoloured tripe upon the body, and was also cut through, so that all concluded it was impossible for him to live ; however they stitched the wound in the stomach, enlarged the orifice and fomented it, and wrought it again into his body, and so stitching up the skin, left him to the disposal of providence.
But so it was, that both the deep wound in his throat, and this in his stomach healed : and the more dangerous wound sin had made upon his soul, was, I trust, effectually healed also. I spent many hours with him in that sickness ; and after his return home, received this account from Mr. Samuel Hardy, a minister in that town : part whereof I shall transcribe.
384 eivine co^cduct ; ok,
" I Avas much troubled at the sad providence in your town ; but <« did much rejoice, that he fell into such hands for his body and soul. *' You have taken much pains with him, and I hope to good pur- *' pose. I think, if ever a great and thorough work were done *' such a way, it is now : and if never the hke, I am persuaded, " now it is. Never grow weary of such good works. One such " instance is (methinks) enough to make you to abound in the work " of the Lord all your days,"" &c.
O how unsearchable are the Ways of prmidence, in leading men to Chi'ist ! Let none be encouraged by this to sin, that grace may abound. These are rare and singular instances of the meixy of God, and such as no presumptuous sinner can expect to find. It is only recited here, to the honour of providence, which works for the recovery of sinners in ways that we understand not. O what a fetch hath providence beyond our understandings !
2. And as it orders very strange occasions to awaken and rouse our souls at first ; so it works no less wonderfully in carrying on the work to perfection ; and this it doth two ways ;
(L) By quickening and reviving dying convictions and troubles for sin. Souls after their first awakening, are apt to lose the sense and impression of their first troubles for sin ; but providence is vigilant to prevent it ; and doth effectually prevent it sometimes, by directing the minister to some discourse or passage, that shall fall as pat, as if the case of such a person had been studied by him, and designedly spoken to. How often have I found this in the cases of many souls, who have professed they have stood amazed, to hear the very thoughts of their hearts discovered by the preach- er, who knew nothing of them ? Sometimes by dii'ecting them to some proper rousing scripture, that suits their present case : and sometimes by suffering them to fall into some new sin, which shall awaken all their former troubles again, and put a new efficacy and activity into the conscience. Tlie world is full of instances in all these cases ; and because most Christians have experience of these things in themselves, it will be needless to recite them here. Search but few years back, and you may remember, that according to this ac- count (at least in some particulars) providence ordered the matter with you. Have you not found some rod or other prepared by providence, to rouse you out of your security ? Why this is so com- mon a thing with Christians, that they many times presage an af- fliction coming from the frames they find their own hearts in.
(2.) It gives also great assistance to the work of the Spirit upon the soul, by ordering, supporting, relieving, and cheering means
THE MYSTERY OF I'ROVIDEXCE. 385
to prop Up and comfort the soul, when it is overburdened, and ready to sink in the deeps of troubles. I remember ]VIr. Bolton gives us one instance, which fits both these cases, the reviving of con^ victions^ and seasonable supports in the deeps of' troubles : and it is of a person, that, by convictions, had been fetched off from his wicked companions, and entered into a reformed course of life ; but after this, through the enticement of his old companions the subtlety of Satan, and corruption of his own heart, did again relapse into the ways of sin. Then was providentially brought to his view that scripture, Prov. i. 24, 25, 26, &c. this renewed his trouble, ea, aggravated it to a greater height than ever ; insomuch, that e could scarcely think (as it seems by the relation) his sin could be pardoned. But in this plunge, that text, Luke xvii. 4. was presented to him, which sweetly settled him in a sure and glorious peace.