(2.) 'Judge yourselces, that ye he not judged of the Lord,' 1 Cor. xi. 31 ; lay thyself open by confession ; renew thy repentance, and confess thyself thoroughly, and spare not thyself. It is cruelty to be merciful to thyself in this thing. And justify God ; say with the holy prophet, ' Just art thou, 0 Lord, and righteous are thy judgments,' Ps. cxis. 75 ; and thus by meeting with God we do allay our sickness. For God uses it no other than as a messenger to call us to meet with him, who else would never look after him ; and when the messenger hath his answer, he is gone. When we repent and amend, the sickness departs, unless it be sent for a better end, to call us out of this miserable world, to perfect his promises to us. When therefore God summons thee, do not as the common course is, send first
44 OF TlIK PROVIDENCE OF GOD.
for the bodily phygician, and wlicii thou art past natural care,* then for the divine ; but coutrarily let the divine begin, Ps. xxxii. 3, seq. Until David had confessed his sin, ' his bones waxed old with roaring, and his moisture was turned to the drought of summer.' But when he confessed his sins, *,Thou forgavcst the iniquity of my sin ;' for indeed the sickness of the body begins from the iniquity of the soul. Begin with it ; look to heal it, and comfort in thy bodily estate will follow ; and it is just with God to sutler those that trust so to the physician to continue in hope of health, till they be past recovery, and then to send them to their own places, as it was said of Judas, without tliinking of their soul's good. Thus, when thoa hast found out thy disease, and laid it open to God,
(3.) In the next place, look for evidences of comfort ; desire God to witness to thy sold his peace iviih her ; and upon every warning of sickness, look for thy evidence afresh. This will strengthen thee as it did Job. Whatsoever discomforts he saw, ' yet I know my Kedeemer liveth, and that I shall see him,' Job xix. 25. And thou thus going to God, if thou lookest on the earth, thou wilt count all as dross and dung, as Paul did, Philip, iii. 8. All worldly matters will be despised in thine eyes.
(4.) In the fourth place, labour for love. Consider how the world ia with us. We know not what will become of us. Begin with justice, in giving every man his own, and then with bounty ; then forgive. We can- not go to heaven with auger. Thus did Christ, ' Father, forgive them,' Luke xxiii. 34 ; and Stephen, ' Lord, lay not this sin to their charge,' Acts vii. 60. Be far from revenge. If thou lookest to come where Christ is, do as he did. This is hard to fleshly minds, but it must be done. Thou must first deny thyself before thou canst be saved.
(5.) In the next place, labour for patience ; but such as must be ruled by reason, and not blockish. To this end consider, first, whence the sickness is. It is from God ivho is 2>oiverfal. [Consider] that we shall get nothing by striving or murmuring ; that we cannot resist him so but he will have his will fulfilled upon us ; and therefore let us humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. Then also, consider it comes from God, who is thy Father, and therefore loveth thee. What then though the cup be bitter ? Shall I not drink of the cup which my father giveth me to drink of ? KJnow also, that all the circumstances of thy sickness are ordered by him, the degree and time are limited by him, he knows what is needful and fitting, he is Lord of life and death, resign thyself therefore to him ; and then hath God his end he looks for, viz., that his children should cast themselves on his mercy. In the next place, remember that thou deservest much worse, and that he shews thee favour in this gentle correction. Kemember what Christ hath done for thee, what he hath suffered, what he hath delivered thee from, and what these things are in comparison of those that thou justly deservest.
Consider also what will be the fruit and end of all these thy troubles and griefs, even the quiet fruits of righteousness ; all shall be for our good. Is it for thj' good rather to drink of a bitter potion than sickness ? what though it be bitter ? It is for my health ; God is working my good. Though I feel it not now, hereafter I shall in his good time. And thus shall we justify God, as David did, and behold him as in Christ a most loving Father who was an angry judge, and being turned, all are turned. Corrections they are novf, which were before punishments, and they are become trials of graces.
* Qu. ' cure ' ?— Ed.
OF THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD. 45
(6.) In the last place, let its boiii/f sick he ever heavenly-minchd, thinking on nothing but that which may administer to us spiritual comfort. If we have not this, look not to come thither. It is not fit our minds should be on these earthl}' things, whonas our souls are going or should be going to heaven. It is God's just judgment to suffer men's minds, being ready to depart the world, to be taken up with the world, and as thoy have lived, so to die. If we would have a pattern of dying well, look on Christ; before his death, when he was troubled, he will have his disciples with him. So when we are vexed with any temptation or trial, use such company as may bring spiritual comfort to thee, and thereby to strengthen thee. As Christ left his * peace behind him,' John xiv. 27, let us study also how to preserve peace after our departm-e. As Christ did all the good he could so long as he lived, so should we, that our sickness may be fruitful of comfort. As Christ studied how to do all his work, thus should we endeavour to do ■what w'e have to do, that with a clear conscience we may say as Christ did, * Father, I have done the work thou gavest me to do,' John xvii. 4. Christ had care of his disciples and friends before he died : of his mother, ' Woman, behold this son,' saith he, &c., John xix. 20. ' I go away, but I will send you the Comforter,' John xv. 2G. We also ought to be careful for the well-leaving of them whom God hath committed to our care to pro- vide for. Christ was not vindictive ; 'Father, forgive them,' saith he, Luke xxiii. 34. So we, specially when we die in peace, forgive all the world, yea, our enemies, for so also did Stephen. Lastly, Christ commends his soul to God: 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,' saith he, Luke xxiii. 46 ; dying, he dies in faith and obedience. Thus also ought we to imitate him ; die in faith, be sure of God that he is thy Father, and obediently submit thy soul into his hands when thou diest. Thus when we die we shall die with comfort, and we shall count it exceeding joy when we fall into any trouble or adversity whatsoever.