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Show Chrifl able, ttnd 'R'illi11g to [ucco11r Sott!s jick of Love. my bmthen about ,.ith me from day to day l and with David, Pfal. 22 • 2 • cry in tbe day-time, and be hearetb mt, and m the nzgbt·fca-fon I am Hot filent, but bave no aufwer l. . . . Sol. I a·nf wer, That as there is no d.'fputmg ag~mll exp~nence, fo there is no concluding from a particular expenence agatnll the unchangeable nature, and moll infal!ible revealed_ will of God: there may be millakcs as to thy expertence;. but thts mull be the nature of a gracious God, and the holy Scnptures are m?fl certainly his revealed Will. I obferve, when Davzd complamed fo fadly, Pfalm 2-2. v. r,2,3. he on the fourth verfe, recollects hirnfel( But thon art holy, 0 thon that mhabzte!f the praifrs of lfrael; Le; us therefore coniider where this rnillake is. r. Pofllbly, thou art mifla~en in the Natur~ of thy Difeafe, ~nd ·art not indeed fick of love: As all difeafes orutllempers of the mmd are not from fpiritual caufes ; fo neither. are thofe which are from fpiritual caufes a! ways true lovr-fic~nrff<s. ' · 1 • Many are troub/rd i11 their miltd, a?d poflibly ( ~ood people too ) and yet it i< 1101 a love-fick..nrfs; 11 may be thelrmtnd> are troubled from rome natural cauf<, the influence of fome vapours will much difturb the mind oft-times; fometimes the cau(e is worldly,fome crofs providences that have befell them,or their Relations no wonder if while their head akes upon the latter account, Chri!l doth not put his left-hand under it. This is a _finful trouble in a Chriflian which work<th unto death: N•y, gtve me leave to tell you, that a pure Love-ficknefs is a ~are thing, there is (uch a thing, but I fay it is very rare. Nay it ts very poffib!t, that the Soul may he fick upon a fPiritual accoullt, and yet not love-fick._; It is one thicg for a man to be fick that he cannot ?aveth< ~oman ( \\ hich is the true Love-licknefs,) another thmg_to be bck that he cannot have the Portion : fo it is one thing for the Wo• man to be fick that lbe cannot enjoy fuch an Husband, (that's true Love-licknefs;) another thing to be Gck that lbe mufl yet live in a fervile-manner in her Fathers houfe, and not be as a .Lady, &c. It is poffible, that a Soul may not (o much ddire the prefence and enjoyment of Chri!l for his o":'n ~orth and excellency, as for the quiet and peace, and fansfachon tt fhould have to it felf, if it had the fenfe of rhe pardon of lin_s, &c. . . Secondly, It is as pollible, that thou matH be mtflaken tn thy apprebmfims, That_ChriHs_leftbaJt~ maybe ~mde; t_h<e, anJ thou 11ot arNre of it; Chnfi was m the m1dfi of hts Dtfctples,an<l they were cbrifl able 'R'illiHg to foccour Souls ftc~ of Love. were not aware of him, they knew him not after his ~cf~rredion: it may be thou doll not fee his rigbt-h4nd tmbr4ctng thtt, thou hafi not the Ggnal tokens of his f..-our, in the fenfible manifellatioffi of his Love : but ilnot hil lrft-handund<r tim 1 dotfi thou not find him by a mighty power fupporring, and upholding thee under thy trial? l obferved to you before, that there are fume, and thofe worthy Interpreters,that fo read this Text; Hif uft-h4nd w.u u11der mt, a11d bif rigbt -band (haU embrace me. If thou IindeLl that Chrifis lefi·hand il under thee., thou oughte(\ to be thankful for that, and by faith to conclude the other, that his . rjght-hand fhall embrace thee. . . . Thirclly, though I told you that Chnllts r~ady to put Ius left. hand under the a king heads of his people, yet It mull be accordzng . to hif infi~ite Wifdom , directing him the time, the mannrr, th• mea jure: If Chrifi will have thy head ake a little, t? humbl_e thee fur fome pafi-fin, or to try thy graces at prefent; rf he wrll but lend thee lull fo much llrength with his !dr-hand, as to keep thee frojll defpatr; ifhe will keep further proportions of flrength fro_m thee, for fome more convenient time when he knows, they wtll be.morc fuitable and acceptable,acknowledge in this thy Saviours wifdom, but do -not thou for it reproach his goodnefs. 4- Laflly, Chrill is ready to put his left-hand under his peoplt~ head, but this mufi be fuppofed in fuch a way and method IH b1 loath prtfcribed, viz. in the ufe of his Ordinances, the Word,Sacra. ments and Prayers, meditation of the Scriptures, conferring with thofe who are th~ guides of thy Soul; now' if thou neglectell the ufe of thefemcans, if thou i-ellrainefi ·Prayer from the Almighty, if thou bee(\ teachy and angry prefently with God, becaufe thou can(\ not have what thou wouldefi, it is no wonder if thy paflions and corruptions lie iu the way of thy own mercy ; but rhefe things confidered, the Propofition yet remains true •. In the tirfi place, obferve from hence the great dilferenc« be· Vfc 1 • . twixt a Sinner a11d a Saint; I mean betwixt a gracelefs, Cbrilllefs Soul, and one that hath an interell in, and a relation unto the·Lord, Jefus Chrill. The wicked man is fubject to mind Sic~11eji · , as well as the child of God: Sate I and JudM were both of them.iick . enough; indeed it wunot a Love-ficknefs, Saul was fick of difconrent, fo was JndiH; Chrill put his left-hand under neither of their heads , he fulfers the one "to fall on his Sword, the other to llrangle bimfelf: but n\)w, if Eplmim be heard bem9auing her fclf, |