fire, and is under the Rod, that it will not either be with him, as it was with Ahaz, 2 Chron. 28.22, And in the time of his fick nefs, he did trefpafs yet more against the Lord. This is that King Ahaz. Or otherwise with him, that it was with Nabal, whofe heart was as unfenfible in him as a ftone, during. the time of his fickness, 1 Sam. 25. This we are fure of, that there needs an Almighty power to work with them, to make them have any effectual influence, to purge out fo much as one of those lufts, which hinder the well-fare, and profperity of the Soul. And what ground we have to hope that God will put forth any fuch power, with any of his Rods, efpecially, when we our felves, without any call from God, have called for them, and defired them, would be well confidered of:

2. As the Evil of Affliction is not to be defired for this end, but only to be made ufe of, for this end, when God brings it upon us: So it is with the Evil of Sin. God is pleased often to make use of his peoples mifcarriages, to work much this way, bringing Soul-health out of Soul-fickness. Thus God wrought with Peter. Compare Matth. 26. 33. with Jobs 21. 15. And with Hezekiah, 2 Chron. 32. 26, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart. And thus he wrought with David. That great fin of

his, through the mighty working of the Spirit of God upon his heart, occafioned as great exercife of his Repentance, and of his Faith, as ever he gave any evidence of, in the whole time of his life,from the first day of his Converfion, to the time of his Death. So that incestuous Corinthian, his forrow was fo deep, that he was in danger to have been fwallowed up by it.

Thus the Lord is pleafed to work; as we have heard that skilful Physicians, according to the rules of Art, can temper poisonful ingredients into wholefome Medicines. But this is proper for them only to medle withal, that are skilful in their Art. So this is a divine skill proper only to the great Phyfician of Souls. But this we may not apply our felves unto: I mean, not to give way to fin in hope that Faith and Repentance may thereby be fet on work, and our Souls profper the better after it. No No Man ought to give way to the leaft fin, though he had the greatest ground of hope that might be, that he might be preserved thereby from a greater fin. It's true, in refpect of the evil of fuffering, when there is no remedy, but one of them must be chofen, the lefs may be cho fen to avoid the greater.But in respect of the evil of fin, we ought not to fwallow a Gnat, in hope thereby to avoid a Camel. Not to take up a Moat, in hope thereby to shift off

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the Beam, but ftand out against all, and leave the fuccefs to God, Rom. 3.8. I once met with a godly Man, who being in great heaviness under the fenfe of the hardness of his heart, was tempted to adventure upon fome great fin, and then his heart would melt, and break prefently: But the Lord graciously preferved him, and wrought in him that tenderness, in a great meafure, which he defired; whereas yielding to that temptation, had been the way, to have been hardened, by the deceit of fin; as that young Man Dr. Prefton fpeaks of, who being in much anguish of spirit, for his wicked courfe of life, and often refolving upon a course of Reformation, was tempted to do but once more as he had done, and then he should never be troubled more: He yielded to the temptation, and he was never troubled any more as he had been, but was given up, to work all iniquity with greedinefs. We fee then, it is God's fole Prerogative to bring Good out of Evil; and (as I faid) Soulhealth, out of Soul-ficknefs. But this way we ought to abhor: Only, when this comes to be our fad condition, we ought to do as Manaffes did, 2 Chron. 33. 12, 13, When he was in Affliction, he befought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly, And prayed unto him. He befought the Lord, and he prayed, that is, he prayed, and he prayed, M 2 and

and humbled himself greatly. So did Peter, Matth. 26. ult.

Thus ye fee, there are fome means we ought not to adventure upon, in hope to make use of them, for the profpering of our Souls.

2. There are fome other means, which ought immediately, and daily (though at fome times more folemnly then others) to be made use of,according as we find that we have contracted any guilt, or defilement upon our Souls, either great, or small, more or lefs, and that is in the renewed exercife of Repentance, and Faith, to apply our felves to the Lord Jefus Chrift, that he would wash us, and purge us both from the one, and the other.

(1.) In the renewed exercife of Repentance, and godly forrow, reallizing the fad confequences, that may poffibly follow, and are very likely to follow the least fin that is flighted, and indulged. Thus Job 42.6, Wherefore I abbor my felf, and repent in duft, and afhes. He was no vile perfon, he had not committed any grofs fins; but guilty he was of many unadvised speeches; of fome mixture of that corruption, which is contrary to that grace, wherein he was fo eminent, I mean of impatience; and of diftruftfulness, as to God's delivering him. These were his failings, and for thefe he renewed

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the exercise of his Repentance, even to abhorring himself, fo as he was vile in his own eyes, whilst he was pretious in the eyes of God. This is a great Purger, 2 Cor. 7. II, For behold this felf-fame thing, that ye forrowed after a godly fort, what carefulness it I wrought in you, yea what clearing of your felves, &c. Jam. 4. 8, Cleanfe your hands, ye finners, and purifie your hearts, ye double-minded.

2. In the exercife of Faith, that draws, and purges. Hereby virtue is drawn from Chrift: As that Difeafed Woman faid, and found it by experience, when the touched him. It was the touch of Faith, by which her fountain of blood was stopped, Mark 5.28, 29. Thus faith also purifies, A&t. 15.9. That which we have Mal. 4. 2. is very confiderable to this purpose. Chrift is faid to be the Sun of Righteousness: And when he arifeth, and fhineth, upon the Soul, he arifeth with healing in his wings. What are thefe wings? The wings of the natural Sun, are the beams of the Sun, whereby light and heat are conveyed from the Sun. And the wings of the myftical Sun, the Sun of Righteoufnefs, are the Gospel of Chrift, and the Spirit of Chrift. These are the healers, Ezek. 47.8. There were the waters of the Sanctuary, which healed the waters of the Sea. When these waters have free courfe (accor

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