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charge of the Lord, that thou mayeft profper, and have good fuccefs, 1 Kings. 2. 3. And he had so, while he did fo. It is fpoken of fuch a perfon, Pfal. 1.3. Whatfoever he doth, shall profper: It fhall turn to good, in order to the furtherance of the Soul's profperity.

(3.) When the Lord is pleased to bless the labour of our hands, to make our going out, and our coming in, the beginning, and ending of what we go about fuccefsful, give God the praife. Sacrifice not to your own Net, as that worldly perfon, Pfal. 49. 18. who blefs'd himfelf: No, give God the glory, though the matter be never fo fmall. Ruth. 2. 18, 19, 20. Naomi being brought into a low condition (though she had been a woman of fashion) when her daughter-inlaw had fped well in gleaning; O blessed be the Lord, faith fhe. Truly, this would be well thought of, Pfal. 73. 4. Delight thy felf in the Lord, and he shall give thee thy hearts defire. When God hath given us our hearts defire, we should delight our felves in the Lord: And the Mercy of God, should raise us up to rejoyce in the God of our Mercies: This would make every days Mercies to reach our Souls.

(4) I wish, that thou mayeft profper, &c. It was well with Gaius already: He profpered with the beft profperity; but John witheth, that he might be royally bleffed. That

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mercy might compass him about on every fide. Hence,

Obferve, That though it be a just, and meafured truth, That that Man is a blessed Man, whofe Soul profpers, in what outward condition foever he be, yet outward profperity (Soulprofperity going before) is a fuperadded bleffing, and may be fought for at the hands of God, with fubmiffion to the will of God,for our felves, and in the behalf of others.

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It is without all controverfie, Though a Man's outward condition were as low as Job's in the Old Teftament, and as Lazarus's in the New Teftament, yet he is bleffed, whofe Soul profpers. For as it is faid, of eve ry Man in his civil capacity: In his best eftate he is altogether vanity. Pfal.39. 5. He is fubject to changes, none can tell what day may bring forth: Here we have no continuing City, Heb. 13. 14. So it may truly be faid of a perfon, whofe Soul profpers, whatever his outward condition be, he is altogether bleffed. Pfal. 94. 12. Bleed is the Man whom thou chafteneft, O Lord, and teacheft him out of thy Law. When inftruction hearkened to, goes with correction, the Soul profpers; he is a bleffed Man. In Job. 1. we have a defcription of Job's profperous eftate: Firft, it is faid, That he was a Man fearing God. But we have farther, as it were, an Inventory given in, of his outward

condition: He had fo many Sheep, fo many Oxen, fo many Affes, fo many Camells,&c. These were a fuperadded bleffing to Job. This is fet down, to fhew the praife of Job's patience, who bare fuch a change so as he did: 'Tis very true, a Man may easily overrate and over-value his worldly estate. Verily, if Soul-prosperity do not go before outward profperity, outward profperity is but like a Cypher, and fignifies nothing, ifa figure don't go before it: A Man may write a fheet of Paper full of Cyphers, but all do not make One: When Soul-profperity goes before, God hath done much for fuch perfons. They have the Earth, they shall have Heaven. They have the Nether Springs, they shall have the Upper Springs; fo that if it were asked them, as Chrift did his Difciples, Luk. 22. 35. Lacked ye any thing? They must answer (if they will speak, as the matter is) as the Difciples did, They want nothing. God hath not dealt fo with all thofe, that have shot the gulph, and are

danger for Eternity. Many of them are cut fhort; yea, they may fay many times, as Peter did, Luk.5.5. We have fifhed all night, and caught nothing; Laboured hard, and caught not fo much as a Sprat for their breakfaft. Many a Man that labours all the week, hath very much ado to bring both ends together, his Gettings, and his Expen

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ces. The wants of fome are so many, that they often know not what to do; and the wants of others are fo few, that they want nothing, but to know how to improve, what they have. To know how to abound, is a far greater bleffing then to abound. Eccl. 3. whatfoever God doth, is for ever. If God give a Man an outward worldly estate, it is for ever: What,to enjoy it for ever? No, things feen are but for Time: But in respect of the ufe, or abufe of them, they are for

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ever.

Now, to fpeak to that, which in particular John defires for his friend Gaius, That he might be in health. Gaius was not fick now, that's clear from verf. 6. He did not keep his Bed, nor his Chamber, nor his Houfe; for John advifeth him to bring the Brethren on their way, after a godly fort: But he was a fickly Man.

Note. Thofe that have much of the heart of God, and live much in the love of God, may feel much of the hand of God; as in other troubles, fo in long continued bodily weaknes Jes.

That they may be fick, is no marvel, for they muft dye; but we fpeak of long, continued weakness: Timothy was fuch a Man, 1 Tim. 5. 23. It is obferved of Calvin, that in his latter days, he was very fickly, and weak, contracted, as 'twas thought, by eat

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ing too much Alöes: Thuanus faith, he was fo seven years before his death. We find, Job obferved this in his days, fob. 21.25: One dyes in the bitterness of his Soul, never eats his bread with pleasure. [One dyes.] What one? Even one good Man, as well as one bad Man : He fpeaks indifferently of either; all things fall alike to all.The good Man dyes in bitterness, and pain, feldom made a good meal. Thus ye fee it hath been: And I note this, only for this purpose; that we may fee, that no new thing befalls them, with whom God deals fo at this day; but that which hath been the lott of those whose Souls have profpered. 1 Cor. 10. 13. There hath no temptation taken you, but fuch as is common to Man.

2. Gaius was very well with refpect to his Spiritual state, but he was weakly, and fickly; therefore John prays that he might be in health: Hence note,

Note. A healthy conftitution of Body, though a Man may be blefs'd without it; yet in it felf is a very great and defirable blesfing: It is a comprehenfive bleffing: It is the Epitome and Abridgment of all outward bleffings: It is like Salt, that Seafons every Meat. It is too true, this is not fo feelingly acknowledged, as it ought to be, by those that do enjoy it. But when (as it is in Job) a Man's bones are chaftened with a multitude

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