the fhedding of his blood? Chrift is not fparing of his blood for you, however fparing you be of your tears for him. Draw yet nearer, and lay your ear to his wounds, especially his five big wounds in his hands, feet, and fide; which like fo many mouths are wide opened to speak to believing communicants. Liften and hear what they fay: What is the language of the two wounds in his hands? "Come to me, and cast "your guilty foul into my bleeding out-ftretched "arms," and I'll fave you from the fword of justice. Lay your ear to the two wounds in his feet, and hear what they fay, "Run to me, and caft yourself down "at my feet," and I'll protect you from the avenger of blood. Hearken to the deep wound in his fide, faying, “Flee to me,” ( trembling dove, "and I'll fhelter thee “in this cleft of the rock :" Thou haft now free access to the ark, behold the window opened in the fide of it: look in at it, and fee my heart burning with love: Yea, thrust in thy hand to my fide, unbelieving Thomas, and feel my bleeding heart how warm it is to you, and be no more faithlefs, but believing.

O communicant, can you come to the foot of Christ's crofs, and fee his wounds, and hear fuch language, and your heart not be affected with love to Chrift, and hatred to fin? Can you behold Chrift thus cruelly used, nailed to the tree, bleeding and dying in your room? Can you fee the heavens turning black, the fun drawing in its head, the earth quaking, and the rocks rending at the fufferings of the Son of God, and your heart not quake for fin, that awakened the fword of juice against him as our furety? O what cause have you to

be ashamed of the hardness and unconcernednefs of your hearts at such a sight, and to cry to God that the heart of ftone may be changed into a heart of flesh, and that the fire of Chrift's love may defcend and kindle fuch a flame in your foul, as may melt your frozen affections, and confume the ftubble of your lufts and corruptions. Of old the Lord ufed to anfwer his people's prayers and facrifices by fire from heaven: Pray

that he may answer yours in like manner, by kindling a holy fire in your foul, as he did in the heart of the two difciples going to Emmaus; even a twofold fire, to wit, a fire of love to Chrift, and a fire of indignation against fin. O love the Lord Jefus as your treafure and portion; let your thoughts be mainly upon him, and your fouls breathing after him. Be much concerned for his intereft and caufe, and for the spreading of his kingdom and glory in the world. And be looking out, and longing for the full and perfect enjoyment of him. Likewife, keep up a strong aversion to fin, and to what is oppofite to Chrift, and injurious to his intereft and kingdom; look always upon fin as the grand enemy and murderer of Christ, and therefore do not fpare it.

ADVICE XVIII.

From John v. 6. Jesus saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole ?

THIS miraculous healing pool of Bethesda, at which the impotent man had lain thirty-eight years, was a type of the Meffiah, and the fountain of his blood opened and fet forth in gofpel ordinances, for healing all our fpiritual difeafes. And Chrift's method of healing this man teaches us, that if we would be healed, we must be willing to wait at the pool of ordinances, till the Spirit come to ftir the waters, apply the blood, and effect the cure. And in the mean time, we must be fenfible of our disease, and look up to Chrift our great phyfician, with earnest defires for healing. This is imported in Chrift's queftion, Wilt thou be made whole?

O communicants, you are difeafed by fin, and the plagues of your hearts; thefe have blafted the primitive beauty of the foul, and brought on it a ghastly deformity, with much pain and weaknefs. Your difeafes are manifold; atheistical thoughts, misbelief, and ig

norance of God's truths, are woeful plagues; hardnefs of heart, and earthly mindednefs, formality, and heart wanderings in duty, trufting to your own righteousness, ingratitude, and backfliding from God; thefe are difeafes you ought all to be fenfible of. God would have every man to know the plague of his own heart, 1 Kings viii. 38. in order to his being made whole. Thefe are the fick that Chrift is ready to come to heal, Matth. ix. 12. Chrift firft makes men fick and fenfible before he makes them whole. Have you then any acquaintance with this healthful, preparatory ficknefs? Have you been made fenfible of the dangerous nature of your difeafe, and thoughtful and folicitous about the iffue of it? Have you been made to groan and moan under the burden of your disease, faying, I am troubled and bowed down greatly, I go mourning all the day long? Have you feen there is no healing in yourselves, or in your convictions, prayers, tears, or reformations? and that it is only in Chrift, who hath an infinite fulness of merit and fpirit to fuit your defperate malady? Are you wil!ing to fubmit to the phyfician's prefcriptions for healing? Be the pill or potion never fo bitter, you will fwallow it: Is it your cry, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? These are tokens of a right preparatory ficknefs. May the Holy Spirit work them in you.

The great meritorious means of your healing is the blood of Jefus Chrift, which is fet before you in the facrament, for you to look to and apply by faith. As the Ifraelites were made fenfible of their ftings before they looked to the brazen ferpent for healing, fo must ye, in order to your prifing of Chrift, and looking to his blood for healing your fpiritual plagues. Now the fountain is open, and the healing ftreams run freely on both fides of the table: Come then, with a feeling of your difeafes, and bathe in them for curing your hard hearts, your blind eyes, your weak hands, your feeble knees, your lame feet, your cold affections. O impotent man, are you lying at the fide of the pool while the waters are stirring? Have you no strength to move

forward, and is there none to put you in? O then, look up to Chrift, that healed the impotent man after many years waiting: Look to him by faith, as he calls you, Ifa. xlv. 22. Look unto me and be ye faved, all the ends of the earth. As I offer myself to every difeased foul in particular, as well as to all in general, fo let every foul embrace me as his Saviour, and apply my blood to his particular difeafes. Faith is a healing grace, not only its touches, but its very looks are healing; hence Chrift faid to feveral who were healed, Thy faith bath made thee whole. O fee then if you have got this healing faith.

Queft. How may I know if my faith be of this kind? Ans. A healing faith will make the foul heartily ap prove the gofpel method of falvation, embrace God's teftimony, and clofe with his gospel offer in all respects. And it hath in it, an appropriating truft and confidence in the merit and virtue of Chrift's blood, offered to the finner in particular for his pardon and healing, which makes him reft upon Chrift as his Saviour, and venture his foul and falvation upon his merit and promife. In this healing faith of a difeafed finner, there is a particular acceptance of, and confidence in a crucified Chrift, correfponding to that free gofpel offer which he makes to the diftreffed foul. This faith brings him to a fixed refolution to lie at the phyfician's door, and depend upon him alone for healing. And it makes him caft open all the doors and rooms of his foul to receive and entertain his phyfician. Now, O poor impotent foul, if there be fuch a faith as this wrought in thee, then thy faith in Chrift niakes thee whole. The healing balm is applied, the cure begun, and fhall fhortly be perfected. Be of good cheer, thy fins are forgiven thee Jefus Chrift maketh thee whole.

It concerns you alfo, to try if the happy fruits and effects of his healing faith in you appear in you, whereby you may conclude, that the ftrength of your difeate is broken by virtue of the blood of Chrift; and that you have got it applied for curing your heart atheism,

hardness, unbelief, pride, carnality, and particularly your weakness of hands and feebleness of knees: So that, though formerly they were fo weak and feeble, that you could not lift up the one, nor bow down the other in prayer with any fervency and livelinefs, yet. now it is otherwife: Then this is a good token, the ftrength of the difeafe is broken, Chrift has taken you into his hofpital, and has you under cure, by the daily application of his blood and Spirit, and you are on the way of recovery. Can you fay further, That your drought is greatly abated, your thirft after fin and the world; and that your appetite for foul food, communion with Chrift in ordinances, is happily increased ? Can you bear the light better than before? Do you love fearching fermons ? All these are good figns. Have you a high efteem of your phyfician, and do you entertain him kindly when he vifits you? Have you recovered more ftrength and willingness to ferve him in the way of commanded duties? And have you a holy fear and jealoufy of every thing that might bring on a relapfe into your old distempers? Then there is good hope, through grace, that your faith is a healing faith, the work of healing is begun, and fo far carried on. Chrift is our rock, and his work is perfect.

O then study to be thankful to your great phyfician, faying, What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me? Blefs the Lord, O my foul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, healeth all thy difeafes, and redeemeth thy foul from deftruction: who renoweth thy youth like the eagle's, maketh thee run and not weary, walk and not faint. Bleffed be the God and father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who, according to his abundant mercy, bath begotten us again to a lively hope, by the refurrec tion of Jefus Chrift from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, referved in heaven for us. Then the cure fhall be fully perfected, and we fhall always dwell befide our phyfician, and enjoy perfect and uninterrupted health for ever and ever. Exprefs your thankfulnefs while you are here,