on his journey. But this difcourfe made fuch an impreffion, that the perfon had no reft, till he opened his trouble to a godly minifter, who, wifely following the work upon his foul, faw at last the bleffed iffue thereof in the gracious change of the perfon, whereof he afterwards gave the minifter a joyful account. O how unfearchable are the methods of providence in this matter!

Nay, what is yet more wonderful, the providence of God hath fometimes ordered the very malice of Satan, and wickedness of men, as an occafion of eternal good to their fouls. A very memorable example whereof, I fhall here give the reader, faithfully relating what not many years paft, fell out in my own obfervation in this place, to the aftonifhment of many fpectators.

In the year 1673, there came into this port a fhip of Pool, in her return from Virginia; in which fhip was one of that place, a Fufty young man of twenty-three years of age, who was furgeon in the fhip. This perfon, in the voyage, fell into a deep melancholy, which the devil greatly improved to ferve his own defign for the ruin of this poor man: however, it pleafed the Lord to restrain him from any attempts upon his own life, until he arrived here. But shortly after his arrival, upon the Lord's day, early in the morning (being in bed with his brother) he took a knife, prepared for that purpose, and cut his own throat, and withal leaped out of the bed; and though the wound was deep and large, yet thinking it might not foon enough dispatch his wretched life, defperately thruft it into his stomach, and fo lay wallowing in his own blood, till his brother awakening, made a cry for help. Hereupon a phy fician and a furgeon coming in, found the wound in his throat mortal; and all they could do at prefent, was only to ftitch it and apply a plaifter, with a defign rather to enable him to speak for a little while, than with any expectation of cure; for before that, he breathed through the wound, and his voice was inarticulate.

In this condition I found him that morning; and apprehending him to be within a few minutes of eternity, I laboured to work upon his heart the fenfe of his condition, telling him, I had but little time to do any thing for him, and therefore defired him to let me know, what his own apprehenfions of his prefent condition were? He told me he hoped in God for eternal life. I replied, that I feared his hopes were ungrounded, for that the fcripture tells us, "No murderer hath eternal life abiding in him :" but this was felf-murder, the groffeft of all murders. And infifting upon the aggravation and heinoufnefs of the fact, I perceived his vain confidence began to fall, and fome meltings of heart appeared in him. He then began to lament with many tears his fin and misery, and asked me, if there might yet be hope for one that had destroyed himself, and shed his own blood? I replied, the fin indeed is

great, but not unpardonable; and if the Lord gave him repentance unto life, and faith to apply Jefus Chrift, it should certainly be pardoned to him. And finding him unacquainted with these things, I opened to him the nature and neceflity of faith and repentance; which he greedily fucked in, and with great vehemency cried to God, that he would work them upon his foul, and intreated me alfo to pray with him and for him, that it might be fo. 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 neceffitating me to leave him, I briefly fummed 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 Jefus Chrift: no difcourfes pleafed him but Chrift and faith; and in this frame I found him in the evening. He rejoiced greatly to fee me again, and intreated me to continue my discourses upon thefe fubjects; and after all he told me, Sir, the Lord hath given me repentance for this fin; yea, and for every other fin. I fee the evil of fin now, fo as I never faw it before. Oh! I loath myself; I am a vile creature in my own eyes! I do alfo believe, Lord help my unbelief! I am heartily willing to take Chrift upon his own terms. One thing only troubles me, I doubt this bloody fin will not be pardoned. Will Jefus Chrift (said he) apply his blood to me, that have shed my own blood? I told him, Chrift shed his blood even for them that with wicked hands had shed the blood of Chrift; and that was a fin of deeper guilt than his. Well, (faith he) I will caft myself upon Chrift; let him do by me what he will. And fo I parted with him that night.

Next morning the wounds were to be opened; and then the opinion of the furgeons was, he would immediately expire.

Accordingly, at his defire, I came that morning, and found him in a moft ferious frame. I prayed with him, and then the wound in his ftomach was opened; but by this time the ventricle itself was swollen out of the orifice of the wound, and lay like a livid difcoloured tripe upon the body, and was alfo cut through, fo that all concluded, it was impoffible for him to live; however, they stitched the wound in the ftomach, enlarged the orifice and fomented it, and wrought it again into his body, and so stitching up the fkin, left him to the difpofe of providence.

But fo it was, that both the deep wound in his throat, and this in his ftomach healed: and the more dangerous wound fin had made upon his foul, was, I truft, effectually healed alfo. 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 fhall tranfcribe.

DEAR SIR,

"I was much troubled at the fad providence in your town; but did "much rejoice, that he fell into fuch hands for his body and foul. "You have taken much pains with him, and I hope to good pur"pofe. I think, if ever a great and thorough work were done "fuch a way, it is now; and if never the like, I am perfuaded, "now it is. Never grow weary of fuch good works. One fuch "inftance is (methinks) enough to make you to abound in the work "of the Lord all your days," &c.

O how unfearchable are the ways of providence, in leading men to Chrift! Let none be encouraged by this to fin, that grace may abound. These are rare and fingular inftances of the mercy of God, and fuch as no prefumptuous finner can expect to find. It is only recited here, to the honour of providence, which works for the recovery of finners in ways that we understand not. O what a fetch hath providence beyond our understandings!

2. And as it orders very strange occafions to awaken and rouze our fouls at first; fo it works no lefs wonderfully in carrying on the work to perfection; and this it doth two ways:

(1.) By quickening and reviving dying convictions and troubles for fin. Souls after their firft awakening, are apt to lose the fenfe and impreffion of their first troubles for fin; but providence is vigilant to prevent it; and doth effectually prevent it sometimes, by directing the minifter to fome difcourfe or paffage, that shall fall as pat, as if the cafe of fuch a perfon had been ftudied by him, and defignedly fpoken to. How often have I found this in the cafes of many fouls, who have profeffed they have ftood amazed, to hear the very thoughts of their hearts difcovered by the preacher, who knew nothing of them? Sometimes by directing them to fome proper roufing fcripture, that fuits their present cafe: and fometimes by fuffering them to fall into fome new fin, which shall awaken all their former troubles again, and put a new efficacy and activity into the confcience. The world is full of inftances in all these cafes; and because most Christians have experience of these things in themfelves, it will be needlefs to recite them here. Search but few years hack, and you may remember, that according to this account (at least in fome particulars) providence ordered the matter with you. Have you not found fome rod or other prepared by providence, to rouze you out of your fecurity? Why this is fo common a thing with Chriftians, that they many times prefage an affiction coming from the frames they find their own hearts in.

(2.) It gives alfo great affistance to the work of the Spirit upon the foul, by ordering, fupporting, relieving, and cheering means

to prop up and comfort the foul, when it is overburdened, and ready to fink in the deeps of troubles. I remember Mr Bolton gives us one inftance, which fits both these cafes, the reviving of convictions, and feasonable fupports in the deeps of troubles: and it is of a perfon, that, by convictions, had been fetcht off from his wicked companions, and entered into a reformed courfe of life; but after this, through the enticement of his old companions, the fubtlety of Satan, and corruption of his own heart, did again relapse into the ways of fin. Then was providentially brought to his view that fcripture, Prov. i. 24, 25, 26, &c. this renewed his trouble, yea, aggravated it to a greater height than ever; infomuch, that he could fcarcely think (as it seems by the relation) his fin could be pardoned. But in this plunge, that text, Luke xvii. 4. was presented to him, which fweetly fettled him in a fure and glorious peace.

Nor can we here forget that miraculous work of providence in a time of great extremity, which was wrought for that good gentlewoman Mrs Honeywood (and is fomewhere mentioned by the fame author); who under a deep and fad defertion, refused and put off all comfort, feeming to defpair utterly of the grace and mercy of God. A worthy minifter being one day with her, and reasoning against her defperate conclufions, fhe took a Venice-glass from the table, and faid, "Sir, I am as fure to be damned as this glass " is to be broken;" and therewith threw it forcibly to the ground: but, to the aftonishment of both, the glafs remained whole and found; which the minifter taking up with admiration, rebuked her prefumption, and fhewed her what a wonder providence had wrought for her fatisfaction; and it greatly altered the temper of her mind. O how unfearchable are his ways! and his paths paft finding out! Lo, these are part of his ways; but how small a portion do we know of him?

And now, fuffer me to expoftulate a little with thy foul. Reader, haft thou been duly fenfible of thy obligation to providence for this ineftimable favour? O what hath it done for thee! There are divers kinds of mercies conveyed to men by the hand of providence; but none like this: in all the treasury of its benefits none is found like this. Did it caft thee into the way of convertion, and order the means and occafions of it for thee when thou little thoughteft of any fuch thing? How dear and fweet thould the remembrance of it be to thy foul! Methinks it should astonish and melt you every time you reflect upon it. Such mercies thould never grow ftale, or look like common things to you: for do but feriously confider the following particulars: (1.) How furprifing the mercy was which it performed for you in that day. Providence had a design upon you defign upon you for your eternal

good, which you understood not: the time of mercy was now fully come; the decree was now ready to bring forth that mercy with which it had gone big from eternity, and its gracious defign must be executed by the hand of providence, so far as concerned the external means and inftruments: and how aptly did it caufe all things to fall in with that defign, though you knew not the meaning of it; look over all the before-mentioned examples, and you fhall fee the bleffed work of converfion begun upon those fouls, when they minded it no more than Saul did a kingdom that morning he went out to feek his father's affes, 1 Sam. ix. 3, 20. Providence might truly have faid to you in that day, as Chrift faid to Peter, John xiii. 7. "What I do thou knoweft not now, but here"after thou fhalt know it. God's thoughts are not as our "thoughts; but as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are "his thoughts higher than ours, and his ways than our ways.” Little did Zacheus think when he climbed up into the Sycamore tree to fee Chrift as he paffed that way, what a defign of mercy Chrift had upon him, who took thence the occafion of becoming both bis guest and Saviour, Luke xix. 5, 6, 7, 8. And as little did fome of you think what the aim of providence was when you went (fome out of cuftom, others out of curiofity, if not worse ends) to hear fuch a fermon. O how ftupendous are the ways God!

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2. What a distinguishing and feasonable mercy was ushered in by providence in that day! It brought you to the means of falvation in a good hour. At that very point of time when the angel troubled the waters you were brought to the pool, to allude to that, John v. 4. Now the accepted day was come, the Spirit was in the ordinance or providence that converted you, and you were set in the way of it. It may be you had heard many hundred fermons before, but nothing would stick till now, because the hour was not come. The Lord did, as it were, call in the word for fuch a man, fuch a women; and providence faid, Lord, here he is, I have brought him before thee. There were many others under that fermon that received no fuch mercy. You yourselves had heard many before, but not to advantage; as it is faid, Luke iv. 27. "There "were many lepers in Ifrael in the days of Elizeus; but to none "of them was the prophet fent, fave unto Naaman the Syrian." So there were many poor unconverted fouls befides you under the word that day, and it may be to none of them was falvation fent that day but to you. O bleffed providence! that set you in the way of mercy at that time!

What a weighty and important mercy was providentially directed to your fouls that day. There are mercies of all fizes and kinds in the hands of providence, to difpenfe to the fons of men: its left