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Sagacity of the one to influence, and govern; the Readinefs of the other to obey, and be actuated; The Sprightlinefs and Vigor; or elfe the Heavinefs and Disorder, and reciprocal Difabilities, which each of thefe convey to the other, are moft certainly the Lord's doing, and ought to be marvellous in our Eyes. But, alas how fhould Man fubfift one Moment even in the State of his greatest Perfection, did not this great Artificer watch over his own Work, and conftantly fuftain it; did not he check and moderate that Conflict, which the warring Elements of our Body are continually engaging in; But efpecially, now that the Corruption of our Nature; and the Tranfgreffion of our first Parent, hath let Death and Difeafes loofe upon us : There needs no fresh Infliction; For if God be but paffive, and withdraw his Reftraint, the Enemy is always ready to devour us, and we carry the Seeds of our Torment and Ruin about our own Perfons. And God hath fo decreed, that every Man fhall once fall by the ftroke of Death; which in our greatest ftrength, in the very Bloom and Beauty of Youth, contrary to our own Expectations, . or the Fears of our tendereftFriends, he fometimes executes; to teach us, that our Being is wholly precarious, that we have nothing ftable here, no Title even to Life it felf; but are all concluded by a Sentence already pafs'd, and all our Days are in the nature of a Reprieve; The prolonging whereof is an act of meer Mercy, as the cutting it fhort is free from the leaft Shadow of Injuftice. God then cannot want Means and Opportunities for this; All Nature is His; the Malice of wicked Men, The Spight of our Foes, the mistaken Kindnefs of our Friends, The Errors of our Phyficians, and the Mifapplication of their Medicines, are all directed and over-ruled to this End: The Humours of our Bodies, the Temper of the Air, and every Element indeed, when he gives the Word,

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turn Executioners; or, in Truth, if He but please to permit, the Thing will do it felf. He burns us up by Fevers, or drowns us in Dropfies; ftrikes us dead in a Moment by Apoplexies, buries us alive by Palfies, or waftes us, by flow and imperceptible Degrees, with lingring Confumptions. Thou feeft, my foul, how eafily God can do thefe, by a thousand Inftances of Friends and Acquaintance gone before, and by thy own yet more fenfible Experience, in this worn and languishing Body of thine. Thou feeleft now, that no Flesh is able to stand before God, and how quickly we are blafted by the Breath of his Difpleasure. That to Him alone belongs Power and Strength, and to poor mortal Man, nothing but Wretchedness, and Weaknefs, and Vanity.

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II. Surely (my Soul) had these impreffions been fresh and deep upon me heretofore, they would have checkt my wild Career in Sin, and prevented many grievous and bold Tranfgreffions, which I have reafon to fear might provoke the Divine Majefty, to caft me upon this Bed of Languifhing. For do we provoke the Lord to Jealoufie? Are we ftronger than He? Alas! my own Condition hath taught me how vain and fool-hardy it is, not only to fight against God; but not to fear, and ftand in perpetual awe of him: how fatal to play with this confuming fire: And I cannot but wifh from the bottom of my Soul, that I had better confidered this Point long age, That he is a Terrible and a mighty God; and when he enters into Controverfie with Mankind, no Flesh can abide it. At leaft, my Soul, let us make that good ufe of thisReflection now, to be unfeignedly forry for what is paft; and more cautious and cbfervant for the time to come. The Flower is withered indeed, and hangs its feeble head; but it is not yet quite cut down; O let us yet humble our felves in his fear, and confider what a yet more dreadtul Vengeance God hath in ftore for hardened and unperfwadeable Wretches!

If

If the Decays and Pains of the Body alone are fo grievous, how fhall we bear the lofs of Body and Soul both; how fhall we dwell with Everlafting Burnings? If the Rod of God, these comparatively light Punishments, represent to us the Terrors of his Angry Juftice; Who can bear the Approach of that Difmal Day, when he fhall come in Thunder and Flames, to make an absolute End of this whole World, and deliver wicked Sinners over to irrecoverable Deftruction. AnEternity of Torments! Jefus defend us! who can entertain even the moft diftant Thought of it, without Trembling and Aftonishment? Fall down then, my Soul, and humble thy felf under the mighty hand of God; that thou may't not perish with this frail Body; and lofe no time in making thy Peace, but work with all thy might; efpecially now, that the Day of Life feems to decline, and the Night comes on wherein no Man can work. III. For remember, my Soul, for thy encouragement,

that if thou abound in the Work of the Lord, i Cor.xv.58. thy Labour fhall not be in vain in the Lord. He is no lefs mighty to fave than to deftroy; With Him no word is impoffible; and, if he will, he can even yet raife this feeble Body; and restore it to perfect Health and Soundness. Nay, he will certainly do it, if that be beft for me, and if it be not, he will do yet more. For there will come a day, in which this vile earthly Part fhall be enlivened again; and if it crumble into Duft, and scatter in the mean while; tho' it pafs thro' infinite different Forms, yet will he purfue this Body through all its Changes, collect its diI Cor. XV. fperfed Particles, command the little Heaps of Duft to awake, and tranflate it into a Glorious and a Spiritual Body; fit for a State of Incorruption, and the Inheritance of that Kingdom, where this Flesh and Blood, which we now fet fo falfe, fo extravagant a value upon, is not worthy to enter. I will therefore confirm my felf, in the Power and Promifes of my God:

and,

and, with holy Fob ; tho' be flay me, yet

Job xiii. 15.

will I trust in him. For even then I will lay me down in hope of a Refurrection to Eternal Life ; and commit my Body like Seed, to the Ground; not to be loft, but improved, by corrupting there. For Thou, O God, art unchangeable, and thy Promises without Repentance; and promised thou haft, that our vile Body, fhall be fafhioned like unto Chrift's glorious Body, according to the mighty working, whereby thou art able to fubdue all things to thy felf.

EJACULATIONS.

Phil. iii, 21.

IN thee therefore, O Lord, will 1 put my trust; Pfal. Ixxi. let me never be put to Confufion, but deliver

me in thy Righteousness, and fave me.

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Be thou my Strong-hold whereunto I may alway refort; thou haft promised to help me, for thou art my House of Defence, and my Castle.

Deliver me, O my God, from the Adverfary's Hand, preferve me from the Hunter of Souls

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He layeth Snares, and is mighty to deftroy; but yet the Lord, who dwelleth on high is mightier. Thou, O Lord God, art the Thing that I long for; Thou hast been my Hope even from my Youth. Through thee have I been holden up ever fince I was born; Thou art be that took me out of my Mother's Womb; my Praife fhall be always of thee.

O caft me not away in the Time of my distress, forfake me not, when my Strength faileth me.

Let them be confounded and perifh, that are against my Soul; let the wicked Spirits be cover'd with fhame and difhonour, that feek to do me evil.

As for me, I will patiently tarry the Lord's Lei- Pfal. xxvii

fure, and will put my Trust in the Lord.

16.)

For

Job xix. 25.

26.

27.

John xi. 25.

For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he fhall stand at the Last Day upon the Earth And though after my Skin Worms destroy this Body, yet in my flesh fhall I fee God:

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Whom I fhall fee for my self, and mine Eyes Shall behold, and not another.

For he is the Refurrection and the Life, and whosoever believeth in him, tho' be die, yet fhall be live again.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

As it was in the Beginning, .

PRAYER.

Moft glorious Lord God, Terrible in thy Fudgments, and Wonderful in all thy Dealings towards the Chil dren of Men; Poffefs my Soul, befeech thee, with awful and becoming Apprehenfions of thy Majesty. Give me a ferious Senfe and Sorrow for ever having hardened my Heart from thy fear, and provoked that Vengeance, which can confume me in a moment. Lord, convince me whom I ought to dread, and let me never, for the gratifying any finful Inclination, forget any more the Lord my Maker; and incur the Difpleasure of Him, who is able to caft both Body and Soul into Hell. And, as I implore thy Grace, that this Confideration of thy Power may be an effectual Check to all my unruly Appetites fo, I beseech thee, let it be my Stay and Confidence in all Dangers and Diftreffes; That, forfaking the broken Reeds of all worldly Succours, I may put my whole Truft in thy Mercy; and evermore ferving Thee in Holiness and Pureness of Living, may even in Death it felf be more than Conqueror Even in that Joyful Day, when all Ene-. mies shall be destroyed; and the Children fhall come forth from the dark Prifons of the Grave; and fhine like Suns in the Kingdom of Thee their Father. Grant this thou Rock of my Soul, for thy dear Son Jefus Chrift's Sake. Amen.

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MED.

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