lufts, or as oil to feed the lamps in God's fanctuary. It is proper for themselves, then, before they go off the ftage, to difpofe of fome part of their fubftance, for the glory and service of that God who gave it all unto them.

5. It might contribute to promote piety, and to make the deeper impreflions upon the minds of your children and friends, if, under the warnings of death, you should imitate the example of the prophet Elijah, who in his life time made a writing, which he procured to be delivered to king Jehoram, after his death, 2 Chron. xxi. 12. So, in like manner, you might write letters and leave them in the hands of your friends, and executors, full of advices, charges, admonitions, confolations, or threatenings, to be delivered to your children or friends, upon occafion either of their good or bad conversation after your death; which probably would be more regarded by them, than the counfels you gave them in the time of your life; for, in fome respect, they would be received and read by them, as if they were letters from heaven.

DIRECT. VII. Let the children of God labour to fortify themselves what they can against all Satan's Temptations and Affaults, which they may expect to meet with in time of Sickness and Affliction.

A TIME of affliction is commonly a time of temptation: for the old ferpent knows the fittest feafons for affaulting the children of God; and he will not be wanting to improve this opportunity of advantage for fetting upon the poor foul. When Pharaoh heard that the people were entangled in the wilderness, he purfued them; fo, when Satan fees a foul entangled with diftrefs and troubles, he thinks it high time to make an attack. He feeks to winnow and fift away the believer's grace, and therefore he comes when the corn is threshing by the rod. When Jacob was fmitten in his eftate, health, and all other comforts, then this coward

coward falls upon him, and tempts him to impatience, murmuring, and wrong thoughts of God.

At this time, O believer, you have fpecial need to be on your guard, and look out. Reckon always, when fickness or trouble cometh, the prince of this world cometh alfo. Stand then to your defence, and put on your armour, efpecially the thield of faith, that you may be able to quench the fiery darts of the devil. You have need at this time to put in practice our Lord's direction," Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation." Pray for wifdom and fkill to counteract him, and that you may not be ignorant of his devices; and pray particularly for grace to make you proof against all his falfe reprefentations of God and his Providence to you; for he that durft reprefent Job falfely to an all-feeing and all-knowing God, will, with much boldnefs, reprefent God falfely to you, who fee and know fo little. He will be ready to tempt you to think that God is angry with you, and dealing with you as an enemy thus was Job tempted, Job xxxiii. 10, 11. "Behold he findeth occafions against me, he counteth me for his enemy: he putteth my feet in the stocks, he marketh all my paths.' But obferve what Elihu anfwers, "In this thou art not juft: God is greater than man. Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters." But feeing I fpoke before of the wrong thoughts of God, which we are apt to harbour in time of affliction, Chap. II. Direct. III.I fhall proceed to fpeak of fome other temptations wherewith Satan doth affault God's people when in diftrefs; and furnish some answers thereto.

1. Saith the tempter, "Thou art nothing but a hypocrite; all thy religious performances have been done in hypocrify, to be feen of men: thou never haft repented, or believed fincerely in the fight of God."

Anf. I acknowledge there hath been much hypocrify in me, but I hope it is not allowed and reigning hypocrify; I always wrestled against it, wherefore I am not an hypocrite. I regarded the esteem of men too much, but I hope I valued the esteem of God much more.

My

My faith and repentance are weak, but I hope they are fincere. And, whatever defects and fhort-comings have formerly cleaved to thefe graces in me, I do now unfeignedly repent of all my fins, I look to him that I have pierced, and mourn. I am heartily willing to be juftified by the righteoufnefs of Chrift alone, and to be cleanfed and fanctified by his Spirit; and here I give up myself to Chrift as my only Saviour. And this I hope is through grace, true repenting and believing, which God will accept, for Chrift's fake, whatever my former defects have been.

Tempt. 2. But, faith the tempter, "Thy repentance cannot be true; for thy heart is not broken, and thine eyes do not shed tears for fin."

Anf. It is my very great burden, and conftant complaint to God, that I cannot attain to a greater meafure of forrow and contrition for fin; but yet it is my comfort that repentance is not to be confined to such degrees and symptoms of forrows as fome do get at. I hope, I can. fay through grace, that my heart is fet against all fin great and fmall, and I would give all I have in the world to be wholly delivered from fin.

Tempt. 3. Saith the tempter, " But thy day of grace is paft, it is too late for thee to think of repenting or believing; God will not accept of thee now."

Anf. But I hope it is not fo with me, feeing God gives me a heart that pants after God and Christ in the way of commanded duty. The offers of falvation through Chrift are made to all who believe and repent; and late penitents are not excluded from the benefits of thefe gracious offers more than others.

Tempt. 3. But, faith the tempter, " Thou art none of God's elect; and, if thou be not chofen to falvation, thou cannot be faved."

Anf. Secret things belong unto God, and it were prefumption in me to pry into his fecret degrees; but one thing I am fure of, that every foul that is chofen to faith and repentance, is alfo chofen to falvation; but I truft God hath chofen me to the former, and therefore to the latter.

Tempt.

Tempt. 5. But, faith the tempter," You overvalue your graces and duties, and so they cannot be true and real."

Anf. But I count them all but lofs and dung in comparison of Chrift. I defire always to be deeply hum bled under a fenfe of my finfulness and unworthiness, and to abhor every motion that would carry me away from Chrift and his righteoufnefs, and would tempt me to rely on my graces or duties, or put them in the leaft in Chrift's room.

Tempt. 6. "The iffue of thy fickness may be death, and thou art not ready, for thou haft no affurance of thy falvation."

Anf. A perfect certainty is not to be expected here: there will be still fome queftionings, fome doubts and fears; but these I refolve not to indulge now, but to break through all, that I may embrace Chrift, and be found in him. The defires of my fou! are to Chrift, and the remembrance of his name; and fuch, I believe he will not fuffer to perish. "I believe, Lord, help my unbelief."

Tempt. 7. "But thou art a ftranger to the invisible world; how wilt thou adventure into that world of fpirits, with which thou haft fo little acquaintance?"

Anf. But Chrift, who is my Head and best friend, is no ftranger to it; he is the Lord of that land, and provides mansions for all his people there; and he will receive every one of them home, and lodge them fafely. "The fpirits of juft men made perfect," were once what my fpirit now is; they were strangers to that world before they came to it, as well as I. But their Head being in it, encouraged them to go to it; and now they rejoice in it as the kindly dwelling place of all the faints.

Tempt. 8. "But thou art vile, and God is infinitely pure and glorious; how canft thou think of approaching fo near to him?"

Anf. Though a weak eye be not able to look upon the fun, yet I hope to be fitted and strengthened for that glorious fight. Befides, God doth now appear to us in his Son Jefus Chrift, where his infinite glory is plea

fantly

fantly veiled fo as faints may behold him. These glorified fouls were once vile as well as others; but their Saviour did cleanfe them, and prefent them to the Father without fpot or wrinkle. And, whatever be my unworthinefs, I am relieved by confidering my union with Chrift, and looking on the glory and dignity of my Head. Surely God will not defpife the members of his dear Son, nor trample on any that are his fiefh and bones,

Tempt. 9. "But what will become of thy wife and children, when thou art taken from them ?"

Anf. If I trust God fo willingly with my foul and my eternal concerns, why may I not truft him with my relations alfo? Have not I feen how wonderfully he hath provided for others? Doth not every thing in the world depend on his will and pleasure? How easy is it then for God to supply his own?

Tempt. 16. "But ftill death is terrible to nature, even the king of terrors."

Anf. But my Redeemer hath tafted death for me, and taken out its fearful fting; he hath conquered death, and keeps the keys of death and hell. Wherefore, through him will i fing, " O death, where is thy fting! O grave, where is thy victory?"

Tempt. 11. "But it is terrible to think of appearing before God's tribunal to be tried and judged."

Anf. But my friend and interceffor will be the judge there. Will Chrift condemn the members of his own bedy, and thofe he hath fo often comforted?

But, befides all thefe, a holy God may fome times fuffer the tempter to affault his own people in time of their affliction, with his fiery darts and his fiercest battering engines, fuch as temptations to atheifm, blas phemy, defpair, &c. whereby their fouls may be terribly fhaken and fore amazed.

Your relief, in this cafe, is to look to your Head, and remember how he was himself buffeted by this enemy, and aflaulted with the moft odious temptations, that he might thereby get an experimental touch and feeling of your condition, in order to his fympathizing with you,

and