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Show 'the -sponfes relief in Soltl·trOtlbfe it fronJ Chrifl: Concl. AU the Spiritual relief r<hicb the Soul bath, IS frotll Chrift efficitntly and meritorioufly, and as to the znward appllcatton •f it;though it ~ay be from the Ordinances and Servants ofG_od ,,.. /frumentaliy rxternaCv and mediately, as they are means wh1ch the_ Lord Jefus 'chrifi u"feth in thejlayiHg, uph, ldtng, and com{ortmg ot oor Souls. 1 (hewed you the ]a{\ day,that the Word ~nd Ordman· ~es of God, artfocred meaNs which God ha th appomted J<:r the upholding and comforting of poor Souls: He hath commdTwned his Mini!ier·s to comfort bil people; but they are but Infiruments, the healing and firength is not in them; 1hey do ~ut prepare t be way o.1t t he L or d • Job• 28 • v · 12 , W/;erefhaOwifdom be fo. un.d ? and where ;, the place of underftanding 1 he a!Jf'¥ereth hJm{elf, 1• Neg,utively, v. 14· The dtpth foitbit i< not tn me, and the [ea foith it ;, not in me, &c. But where is it thenl v. 20. Whence tlmt cometh wifdom 1 and where i< the place of underftandmg l v. 2 3. God underftandetb the way tbmof, and be l{_noweth the place thereof. The ~e(lion hert is, Where i< peacei' where u ftrengthfor ~ ~eal{_ ·. Cbriflian.i' where i< healing for a wounded Soul? The M101fier faith it ;, not. in me : As 7acob faid to Racbel ( Am 1 a God ~bat I ' fho•td;)ve Children? fo the Minifim fa yes) A;e.we Go~• to ltft up a caft down Soxll The priv•te Chriftian fays, t1 If n~t m me. The Ordinan<tt of God fay, it is not in us; where then 14 healmg to be found? it is to be found in Chri(l. Chrift under~andeth, th: way tbmof;and be k,noweth the plac thereof. It is. from ~h~tft ~rztorzoujly, is his purchafe : It is from ch.rift effictently, tt IS hts peace: he gives he applies peaee and beal<nz to the poor Soul. Ma~ fprcads the plairter God makes it (lick : God hath not only g1 ven the Scriptures,' from the application of which our p~ace.ts ; But he doth apply the Scriptures to our Souls,by 1he apphca!lon of whtch we have t\reogth, healing, peace, &c. Whether the Soul be rehev· ed by the up,&oidinr;> of Chri(ls teft ha11d, or by the comforts and. imbracet ot his left hand, the cafe is the fame, both one and the~~ her are from Chri(l; we aref!rengtbeHed with m1gbt by blf Spmt,, Epb. 3• 16. AccordiNg to hi< gloriom power, Col: 1. u. I can do aU thingt tbroNgh Cbri(! wbicbjlrengtbene~h me, Ph1l. 4· 13· Vphold me .fl'ith thy free Spirzt, faith holy D~v•?;Pfzl. 51· 1.3· TheJ..ordup ·lloldeth the rigbtebuJO, Pfal. 37• t7·rf'thhlf band, v. 24. Thy rzght baNd upholdet!Jme, Pfal. e,. 8. FoHomforts; 1 ev:n I am he tba~ comfortetb yon, If. )I. 12· it is he.thatcomforteth us ll1 a~ 'Tr~bul'• 4illll, z Cor. 1. 4.It is bi1 comfort I that ,deltghtthe foul, Pfa1.94• .T.he spot'(eJ r~lief in,Sottl-troltble i1 /r0111 Chri}i. 19. Our confulatio»s abound 6y Chri{l, 2 Cor. J, 5· But this is e. nough to have fpoke.n :o you in the proof of it from Scripture. Let us. but confider It m reafon, and we £l1>11 fee it muft be true. To tim purpofe let us confider, I. '!he part affelled. 2. Tlu 11atrtre of the dijlemper. 3· ~he TPay of applicatilJt which alone can effell tbe cure; and from a vtew ot all thefe we fhall fee it necdTary that Chrif\s right or left h,,!d £l1ould do it. ' r •. The part a!fefrcd he.-, is the mind and {ott!; the Phyfician can g1ve Phyficlzto the outrPard man; but who can give Phyfick to rhe inward man fave God alone, he that fearceth the heart ? ther: are (ome, pa~ts of the body ,to which the Phyfician can make no dued appltcaflons,!>ecaufe the palfages through which what a man eats and drinks, doth paf<,are not near to them; but the Soul lies yet more fecre.t a~d hidden fr~ mans application; and God alone 1hat knows It, IS able to cure 11. Bu~ Secot1dly,. Let us con!ider the natHre oft he diftemper; for the mtnd of man IS fub]eCl: to a variety of di[eafu and diftempm ia the. Soul; there are fome light doubts and fears, and {cruplu, whtch many times amaH may be very inllrumental to cure · fome lighter di{]empers they are;asifa man now through want o'f a due knowle?g_ oft.he things o~od, hath fome doubts and troubles u~on hts Sp1~1t, as to thts or that thing, many a time a man wuh the ord10ary concurrence ofProvidence contributeth much !o his cu.re •. But the dif\emper of which we are fpeaking IS a more 10tr~nfick diftemper, the Soul is fick for Love; it loves and cannot d1fcern that it is beloved again ; it feareth that 'its ji11s are not p~rd~lud, tha.t it !s not one to whom Chrif\ hath lrn· · puted, or. wtll•mfute hlf Rrghteoufnefs ; it fears that God hath f?rfakcn 1t, thlt us God hath forgotten it. There is no ra. tiOna! way to cure this Soul,but either to per}fflade it that it needcth not value the Love ofGod and Chri~ fo much ; .and as foon can a man be perf waded that there is no need of the Su~ ; or the hungry 1nan' that he ha_th no fuch caule to defire his daily bread, as you can perf wade th1s Soul of a needlefnefs of the pardon •f ih Sin the fenfc and alfurance of Gods love, &c. Or elfc S<eondJy· Y'~ ~rt/f perf wade a11d aJ!i•;e the Soul of the Love of God hr Chrift tor»~rdt 1t. Now what man 10 .ilhe World can do this? Man indeed ihay hear the cafe of an. afHtCl:ed S6ul, and he may judg upon it. •He ~ay ~elp on the fa1~h and comfort of a troubled •Chri!lian by telltng It of the promtfe of God, and by alfuring lr, that ifthefc or I Q_z <. ' , mefe |
