Direct. 4. Do as you would be done by : And ask your felves how you would be judged of and uled, if you were in their condition your felves.

Direct. 5. Set the life of Chrift and bis Apoftles before you; and remember what a delight it was to them to do good: And at how much dearer rate Christ showed mercy › to you and others, than he requireth you to fhew mercy at to any

Direct. 6. Read over Chrifts precepts of Charity and Mercy, that a thing fo frequently urged on you, may not be fenflesly defpifed by you.

Remember that Mercy is a daty applauded by all the wild As humane interest requireth it; lo bumane nature approveth it in all. Good and bad, even all the world do love the merciful : Or if the partial intereft of fome proud and covetous perfons (as the Popith Clergy for inftance) do call for cruelty against thofe that are not of their mind, and for their profit yet this goeth fo much against the stream of the common intereft, and the light of humane nature, that mankind will ftill abhor their cruelty, though they may afright a few that are neer them from uttering their deteftation. All men fpeak well of a merciful man, and ill of the unmerciful. "Direct. 8. Believe Chrifts promiles which he hath made to the merciful, fo fully and frequently in Scripture: As in Mat. 5.7. Luke 6.36. Prov. 11, 17. Pfal. 37.26, &c. And believe his threatnings against the unmerciful, that they shall find no mercy, Prov. 12.10. James 2. 13. And remember how Chrift hath defcribed the laft Judgment, as paffing upon this reckoning, Matth. 25xx ·9AND

Direc. 9. Live not in fleshly fenfuality your felves: For elic your flefh will devour all and if you have hundreds and thoufands a year, will leave you but little or nothing to do good with.

Dirca. 10. Engage your selves (not by rash vows, but by refolution and practice) in a ftated way of doing good, and take not only fuch occafions as fall out unexpectedly. Set a part a convenient proportion of your eftates, as God doth blefs you and let not needlefs occafions divertir, and defraud the poor, and you of the benefit.

Direct, 1. Remember fill that nothing is abfolutely your

Own

own, but God who lendeth it you hath the true propriety, and will certainly call you to an account. And ask your Telves daily, How fhall I wish at the day of reckoning, that I had - expended and ufed all my eftate? and do accordingly..

Direct. 12. Forget not what need you ftand in daily of I the mercy of God; and what need you will thortly be in, when r health and wealth will fail you. And how care ly then you will cry to God for mercy, mercy, Prov, 21. 13. Whofo ftoppeth bis ears at the cry of the poor, be alfo fhall cry bimfelf, but shall not be beard.

Direct. 13. Hearken not to an unbelieving heart, which will tell you that you may want your felves, and therefore would reftrain you from well doing. If God be to be trufied with your fouls, he is to be trufted with your bodies. God tryeth whether indeed you take him for your God, by trying whether you can truft him. If you deal with him as with a bankerupt, or a deceitful man, whom you will truft no further than you have a prefent pawn or fecurity, in cafe he should deceive you; you blafpheme him, inftead of taking him for your God.

Direct. 14. Let your greateft mercy be fhewed in the greateft things and let the good of mens fou's be your end even in your mercy to their bodies. And therefore do all in fuch a mander as tendeth moft to promote the highest end. Bleed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

CHAP. XIX.

How to live by Faith in Aduerfity.

F I fhould give you diftin& Directions, for the feveral cafes

I of poverty, wrongs, perfecations, unkindneflies, contempes

ficknels, &c. it would fwell this Treatife yet bigger than I intended. I fhall therefore take up with this general Advice..

Dire&. 1. In all Adverfity remember the evil of fin, which is the caufe, and the Holiness and Justice of God which is xircifed; and then the batred of fin, and the love of Gods Holiness and Fu ffice will make you quietly fubmit. You will then fay, when 2993 Repentance

¿Repentance is serious, I will bear the indignation of the Lord, jecause I have finned against him, Micah 7.9. And, why doth quing man complain, a man for the punishment of his fins ? Lam. 3. 39. Lebens fearch and try our waies, and turn again unto the Lord; for be bash Smisten, and he will beal, &c. 40,41. b blow addewave of 50. brObjects But doth not Job's cafe tell us, that some afflictions are only for tryal, and not for finishɔ30.0 20

Anfo No it only telleth us that the reafon why Job is cbafen out at a bat time, to fuffer more than other men, is not because how ashworfe than others, or as bad, but for his tryal and good. But . Affliction as it is now exiftent in the world upon mankind, is the fruit of Adams fin at firft, and contained in and contained in the peremptory, unremitted fentence. 2. And this general fiate of fufforing mankind, is now in the hand and power of Chrift, who fometimes indeed doth let out more on the best than upon others, and that especially for their tryal and good, but ufually fome fins of their own alfo have a hand in shem, and procure the evil, though his mercy turn it to their benefit.sor

Dired2 Deal clofely and faithfully with your brarts and lives in à suffering time, and reft not till your confciences are well affured that no fpecial provocation is the caufe, or ele do teftific that you have truly repented, and refolved against it.

Otherwise you may lengthen your diftrefs, if you leave that thorn in your fore which caufeth it: Or elfe God may change it into a worse; or may give you over to impenitency, which is work of all Or at leaft, you will want that affured peace' with God, and folid peace of confcience, which must be your fupport and comfort in affliction; and fo will fink under it, as unable to bear it.

: Direct. 3. Remember that the fandifying fruit of Adverfity so first and more to be looked after, than either the comfort, or the deliverance. And therefore that all men, no nor all Chriftians, muft not use the same method, in the fame affliction, when as their spiritual cafes differ.

A cleared confcience, and one that hath walked faithfully with God, and fruitfully in the world, and kept himself from his iniquity, may bend moßt of his thoughts to the comfort

ing promises, and happy end. But one man hath been bold with wilful fin, and his work must be firt, to renew sepen tance, and fee that there be no root of bitterness left behind, and to fet upon true reformation of life, and reparation of the hurt which he hath done.

Another is grown into love with the world, and hath let out his heart to pleasant thoughts and hopes of profperity, and alienated his thoughts more than before from God. This man muft first perceive his errour, and hear Gods voice which calleth him home, and see the characters of vanity and vexation, written on the face of that which he over-loved and then think of comfort when he hath got a cure MA

Another is grown dull and careless of his foul, and hath loft much of his fenfe of things eternal, and is cold in love, and cold in prayer, and liveth as if he were grown weary of God,and weary of well doing. His work must be to feel the fmart of Gods difpleafure, fo far as to awaken him to repentance, and fet him again with former seriousness, upon this dutylamAnd when he mendeth his pace, he may defire to be cafed of the rod and fpur. But to give unfeafonable cordials to any of thefe, is but to fruftrate the affliction, and to hurt them, and prepare for worse, Nay, and when they are comforted in fea-k fen, it must be with due caution: Gothy way, and fin no more, left a worse thing come unto thee. It is pernicious unskilfulness in those comforters of the afflicted, who have the fame cuftomary words of comfort for all; and by their improper cordials unfeafonably applyed, delude poor fouls, and hinder that neceffary repentance which God by fo theep a means doth call them to be no bilo one, b

Direct. 4. Remember that your part in affliction is to do your duty, and to get the benefit of it: but to remove it is Gods part Therefore be you careful about that part which is your own, and then make no queftion but God will do his part. Let it be your firft queftion therefore [What is it that I am obliged to in this condition? What is the pecial duty of one in this fick nefs, this poverty, imprifonment, reftraint, contempt, or flander, which I undergo?] Be careful daily to do that duty, and then never fear the iffue of your fuffering: Nothing can go amifs to him that is found in the way of his duty.

And:

And let it be your next queftion, What fpiritual good may be got by this affliction? May not my repentance be renewed? my felf-denyal, humility, contempt of the world, patience, and confidence on God, b: exercifed and increafed by it? and is not this the end of my heavenly Father? Is not his rod an a of love and kindness to me? Doth he not offer me by it all this good?

And let your next queftion be [Have I yet got that good which God doth offer me? Have I any confiderable benefit to show, which I have received by this affliction fince it came?] If not, why should you defire it to be taken away? Play not the Hypocrite in fpeaking that god of an ffl:&ing God, which you do not feriously believe: If you believe that God is wiser than you, to know what is fitteft for you, and that he is better than you, and therefore hath better ends than you can have; and that really he offereth you far greater good by your fufferings, than he taketh from you: Let your affections then be agree able to this belief: Are you afraid of your cwn commodity? Do you impatiently long to be delivered from your gain?are you fo childifh as to pull off the plaifter, if you believe that it is curing the fore? and that it cannot be well and fafcly done without it? Do you call it the fruit of Gods Wisdom and Lour, and yet be as weary of it, as if there were nothing in it but his wrath? Truft God with his work who never faileth; and be careful of your own, who are confcious of untruftinels.

Dired. 5. Look principally to your bearis, that they grow not to an over-valuing of the profperity of the flesh; nor to an undervaluing of holiness and the profperity of the foul. For this unhappy carnality doth both caufe affliction, and make us unprofitable and impatient under it.

1. He that is a worldling, or a voluptuous fiefh pleaser, and favoureth nothing but the things of the ficth, will think himself undone, when his pleasure, and plenty, and honour with men, is taken away. Nothing maketh men grieve for the loss of any worldly commodity, so much as the over-leving of it. It is Love that feeketh it when you are in bope, and Love that mourneth when you are in want, as well as Love which delighteth in it when you poffefs it: As fick men ufe to love health better than thofe that never felt the want of itsfo it is too

common