fpring foever, but they may be answered, and scattered as a mift before the Sun, shi ning forth in its full ftrength.

By all this we fee that it is as I have faid: That as there is no reason for any Man abfolutely to conclude, though he apprehend himself, at present to be Spiritually dead, that his Soul fhall never live: So there is no fufficient reason for any Man to doubt, who is really, though weakly alive to God, but that waiting upon God, and keeping his way, his Spiritual life may grow to be lively, and his Soul may profper as much as ever the Soul of Gaius did: Therefore, let us up, and be doing, and the Lord will be with us, Phil. 2. 12,13, Work out your own Salvation, with fear, and trembling. For it is God, that worketh in you, both to will, and to do, of his good pleasure. This is that which flackens many Mens endeavours, that becaufe they think they fhall never attain to fuch an height of Soul-profperity, as others have attained unto; therefore they ftir not themselves, to reach after any profperity at all; as is charged on them, Ifa.64.7, There is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. As fome poor Men, because they think, they shall never get beforehand, as many of their Neighbours do; whatever others get, they shall never be worth a Groat, and therefore mind

up

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mind no more then to live from hand to mouth. But we have not so learned Chrift, This is all that I fhall fay by way of argument, to perfwade.

I now proceed to speak of the former of thofe two Particulars, mentioned but now: That those that are fpiritually alive, ought to fee to it, that their Spiritual life be lively, and profper, because therein the prosperi ty of their Souls confifteth. The great matter to be enquired into, is to fhew what is to be done, in order to the carrying on, of this holy, and bleffed defign. In fpeaking un to it, Let this be confidered. That there is a Rule for, and a Regiment of Health for the Soul, as there is for the Body. And what in a natural way, may be prefcribed, and ought to be made ufe of, for the welfare of the one, may be prefcribed, and ought to be made ufe of, in a Spiritual way, for the wellfare of the other. Of this kind,there are five feveral things, which I shall speak to in order.

1. In reference to Bodily health, upon good advisement, the seasonable use of Phyfick is neceffary. This is an Ordinance of -God, and ought to be used in faith, and obedience to God. Sometimes, for preventing of Diseases, which otherwife might prejudice our health, and fometimes for curing, and removing of them, which otherwife may endanger our life. Anfwerably to this, we

find in the Scripture (which is the Magazine, and Store-houfe for all Spiritual Receipts Phyfick prefcribed for the Soul, by Jefus Chrift himself, the great Phyfician of Souls without the due, and feasonable ufe whereof, it is impoffible, the Soul fhould profper.

Before I tell you what it is, it is fit to premise these three things.

1. That the Soul of every Man, Spiritually alive to God, is as fubject to Spiritual Diseases, as the Body of any living Man is to Bodily Diseases. And it is fin alone, and nothing else but fin, which is the fickness of the Soul, and which if it be not cured, will be the death, and deftruction of the Soul. It is the resemblance by which it is frequently fet forth in the Scripture; and that most fitly, as all Scripture refemblances are. For as fickness hinders the operation of Nature, wafting, and confuming, by degrees, both the Natural heat, and Radical moisture, often changing, and altering a Man's countenance,as Job 2.12, And when they lift up eyes afar of, and knew him not. Often caufing much pain, fo as the fick Man grows worfe (and unless happily recovered, by the bleffing of God, upon the ufe of Means) untill death feize upon him. So that fickness, upon this account, is truly faid, to be contrary to Nature, an Enemy to Nature. Even fuch a thing is fin to the Soul: It is contrary to

their

the

the well-fare, and profperity of it. It Wars against it, 1 Pet. 2. II. It hinders the gracious actings of it, Rom. 7.21, I find a Law then, that when I would do good, evil is prefent with me. It puts even living, and good Souls under fuch a disguise, that they neither fpeak, nor do like themselves. As Job's Wife, (though it is believed, that she was a good Woman) yet the fpake (as her Husband told her) as one of the foolish Women, Job 2. 10. So I Cor. 3. 3. Their unmortified lufts put them under fuch a difguife, that they walked as Men; as thofe that were still dead in fin, and never had received any principle of Spiritual life. And farther, As ficknefs caufeth pain; fo guilt following of fin, often caufeth intolerable pain, in the anguish, and chargings of Confcience. In a word, fin being indulged confumes, and wastes what is of God, in the Soul; fo (as it is faid of the worst of Men, 2 Tim. 3. 13.) it grows worfe, and worfe; and if not happily prevented, it ends, at last, in Eternal death, Rom. 8. 13, If ye live after the flefb,ye fhall dye.

2. As in all these refpects, fin is fuch a thing to the Soul, as fickness is to the Body: So, that we may be the more affected, and take the more notice of it, It is fitly expreffed by the fame name. As Pride is fitly compared to a Tympany; Earthly-mindednefs to a Dropfie; Carnal-fecurity to a Le

thargy;

thargy; Unruly paffions to a Frenzy; Apoftacy, and Back fliding from the ways of God, to the Falling-fickness; Envy, to a Confumption; An unquiet, discontented Spirit, to the grief of the Bowels: Sore Diseases, all of these are. And befides all thefe,Original fin is as a Leprofie, over-fpreading the whole Soul. This evil Disease, which is, indeed, all Diseases in one, cleaves unto all Adam's pofterity, as Gehazi's Leprofie did to all his Seed; for his Son (if he had any) and his Son's Son, and fo from generation to generation, were all Lepers, 2 Kings 5.27.

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3. Though this be generally acknowledged, That fin is the fickness of the Soul; therefore the Soul profpers only fo far as it is well rid of it; yet this would be farther obferved, That though fin have fuch evil effects upon the Soul, as Diseases have upon the Body and that the names of Bodily Diseases, do fo fitly resemble the Diseases of the Soul yet the difference is great, as to that which is required, to difpofe the fick in Soul, and the fick in Body, toward a recove ry. In the Diseases of the Body it matters not much (it may perhaps fomething, but much it doth not) whether the fick Man know the name or nature of his Disease; fo he have, a faithful, and skillful Phyfician: Nor whether he know the virtue of what