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SERMON XIV.

ISAIAH XXXviii. 1, 2,

In thofe Days was Hezekiah fick unto Death; and Ifaiah the Prophet, the Son of Amoz,' came unto him, and faid unto him, Thus faith the Lord, fet thine House in Order: for thou fhalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his Face towards the Wall, and prayed unto the Lord.

FRO

ROM thefe Words I have proposed to shew you the Duties of Sick Perfons.

I. Respecting their Fellow-Creatures; expreffed by the Direction, fet thine Houfe in Order :

II. Respecting more immediately God and their own Souls; intimated in the good King's Behaviour, Then Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord.

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The former of these I have finished, and made fome Progrefs in the latter: under which, after fetting before you, in general, the Neceffity of having Regard to God in our Sicknefs; I proceeded to the particular Obligations, firfl of Faith in his Word (giving at the fame Time Directions to thofe, who are • difquieted by Doubts and Scruples); then of Self-examination in his Prefence; then of fuch Repentance, as our Cafe requires. And here I infifted largely on the Danger of trufting to a Death-bed Sorrow; and yet the Usefulness of feeling and expreffing then, rather than never, a due Concern for our paft Sins: which I obferved to you, must always be accompanied with earnest Petitions for Pardon, offered up in the Name of our bleffed Redeemer; and for Affiftance from the Grace of the holy Spirit; with rational and fcriptural, not fuperftitious, Proofs of our Humiliation; and a hearty Defire to amend and improve under the Difcipline

of Heaven.

I now go on to remind you farther, that together with thefe, the Sick ought to be very conftant in every other Exercife of private Piety. For as they are cut off from active Life, they have more Leifure for religious

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Contemplation. And as they want all the Improvement and Comfort, which they can have; fo they will receive the most of both, by frequent lifting up of their Hearts to the God of Patience and Confolation, the Giver of all Good, in Addreffes carefully fuited to their present Condition. But ufually, if not always, the right Manner of doing this will be, not to fet yourselves Tasks of reading, or meditating, or praying, just so often, or fo long; but to observe with Impartiality and Discretion, what' really edifies, and what only flattens you; as alfo, what your Strength and Spirits will permit, without suffering by it. And if there be Need, you should allow other Perfons of Skill and Seriousness to judge for you in this Matter; following their Decifions with fome Degree of implicit Obedience. And fhould it prove, that with your beft Management you can neither pray to God, nor think of him, with any Thing near the Affection and Fervency, which you find expreffed in many good Books, and fhewn by many good Christians, when fick; but in a poor, imperfect, broken, languid Manner bear with yourselves for what you cannot help; and be affured, that your

a Rom. xv. 5.

heavenly

heavenly Father will bear with you, and will accept the Service of which your Weakness is capable, be it ever so small.

Nay further; fhould your Condition be fuch as to require a confiderable Share of your Hours to be spent in a thoughtless trifling Way; fubmit to it, as Part of your Duty; and do it without Scruple. Were you indeed to make Amusements your Choice, as the Means of banishing serious Thought, that would be a great and dangerous Sin. To throw away the Time of Sickness after throwing away that of Health; and imagine it too foon for you to think of Religion, while you are well; and too much for you, when you are ill: is a Method, which must end unhappily. But in the neceffary Intervals of Attention to better Things; when, if you were not to spend your Hours thus, you would spend them worfe; when your Spirits would fink, and your Patience wear out: then, cheerful Difcourfes, or any Relaxations, that are innocent, that will revive no wrong Impreffions, and excite no blamable Movements of Mind, may be very ufeful: provided, that if you have indulged them too much before, you firmly bind felves now to be wiser for the future,

your

if God

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continue your Life; and that you give Earnest of it, by employing no more of your Time thus, than is requifite, in order to employ the reft better. For miferable Comforters are these Things alone and wretched Creatures they, who have no other to depend on. Whatever fuperficial palliative Remedies it may be needful to intermix, the fundamental Support of a pious Mind will ever be that of the Pfalmift: Why art thou fo heavy, O my Soul; and why art thou fo difquieted within me? O put thy Truft in God.

The Causes of Dejection in Sickness are of many Sorts: but Religion hath a perfect Cure, if fuitably applied, for every one of them, as will appear by going through the chief.

Some have fo painful a Conviction of their own Guilt, though perhaps by no means uncommonly great, that they fear it can never obtain Pardon. Yet, by the Influence of God's Grace, they have quitted the more wilful of their Sins long ago, and watch against the rest with constant Care; they have the firmest Belief in general of God's Love to Mankind. through Christ, and in their more compofed Hours receive much Comfort from their own Pf. xliii. 5, 6.

b Job xvi. 2.

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