Let me again afk you, as God did Elijab, What doft thou bere, communicant? Can you fay that you, are come to get a heart-affecting fight of the blood and wounds of the glorious Redeemer, fo as you may Jove Chrift, and hate fin more than ever? That is a good errand, and what God will furely approve.Come then, draw near, as it were, to the foot of the crofs, and take a narrow and clofe view of his wounds, and of the blood that ftreams from them. Obferve how fast the blood runs down from his hands to the ground, fafter than ever tears run down from your eyes for fin, that caufed 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, efpecially 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 caft your guilty foul into my bleeding out firetched arms, and I'll fave you from the fword of juftice. 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 Side, faying, Flee to me, O trembling dove, and I'll helter thee in this cleft of the rock: Thon 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, tbruft in thy band to my fide, unbelieving Thomas, and feel my bleeding beari, how warm it is to you, and be no more faithless, but believing,

O communicant, can you come to the foot of Chrifl's cross, and fee his wounds, and hear fuchs

language, and your heart not be affected with love. to Chrift, and hatred to fin? Can you behold Christ thus cruelly used, nailed to the tree, bleeding and dying in your room! Can you fee the heavens turn ing 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 juftice against him as our furety O what caufe have you to be ashamed of the hardness and unconcernednefs of your heart at fuch a fight, and to cry to God that the heart of ftone may be changed into an heart of flesh, and that the fire of Chrifl'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 corrupti olls. 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 hearts of the two difciples going to Emmaus; even a two-fold fire, to wit, a fire of love to Chrift, and a fire of indignation against fin. O love the Lord Jelus as your treafare and portion: let your thoughts be mainly upon him, and your foul's breathing after him. Be much concerned for his intereft and caufe, and for the fpreading 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 ftrong averfion 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 Chrift; and therefore do not fpare' it.

238 Christ will bave us sensible of our disease,

ADVICE XVIII.

From JOHN v. 6.

Yesus saith unto bim, Wilt thou be made whole?

THIS

lain

Twhich the impotent man HIS miraculous healing pool of Bethesda, at which the impotent man had lain thirty-eight years, was a type of the Meffiab, 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 as, That, if we would be healed, we must be willing to wait at the pool of ordinances, till the fpirit come to flir the aters, apply the blood, and effect the cure. And, in the mean time, we must be fenfible of our difeafe and look up to Chrift our great phyfician, with earneft 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 ghaftly deformity, with much pain and weaknefs. Your difeafes are manifold: Atheistical thoughts, mifbe. lief, and ignorance of God's truths, are woful plagues; hardness of heart, and earthly-mindedness, formality, and heart wanderings in duty, trufting to your own righteoufnefs, ingratitude, and backflidings from God; thefe are difeafes you ought all to be fenfible of. God would have every man to know the plague of bis own beart, 1 Kings viii. 38. in order to his being made whole. Thefe are the fick that Chrift is ready to come to heal, Mat. ix. 12. Chrift first 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

7

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 difeafe, faying, I am troubled and bowed down greatly, I go mourning all the day long? Have you feen there is no healing in yourfelves, or in your con victions, prayers, tears, or reformations? and that it is only in Chrift, who hath an infinite fulness of me rit and fpirit to fuit your defperate malady? Are you willing to fubmit to the physician's prefcriptions for healing? Be the pill or potion never fo bitter, you will fwallow it: Is it your cry, Lord, what wilt thou bave me to do? These are tokens of a right preparatory fickness. May the holy Spirit work them in you.

The great meritorious means of your healing, is the blood of Jesus Christ, 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 muft ye, in order to your prizing 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, and cold affections. O impotent man, are you lying at the fide of the pool while the waters are stirring? Have you no ftrength 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 difeafed 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 difeafe. 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 then fee if you have got this healing faith.

Queft. How may I know if my faith be of this kind? Answ. A bealing faith will make the foul heartily approve the gofpel method of falvation, embrace God's teftimony, and clofe with the gospeloffer in all refpects. And it hath in it an appropri ating truft and confidence in the merit and virtue of Chrilt's blood, offered to the finner in particular for his pardon and healing; which makes him reft upon Christ 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 corres ponding to that free gofpel-offer he makes of himTelf to the diftreed foul.. This faith brings him to a fixed refolution to lye at the physician's door, and depend upon him alone for healing. 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 makes thee whole. The healing balm is applied, the cure tegun, and fall fhortly be perfected. Be of good cheer, thy fins are forgiven thee; Jesus Chrift maketh thee whole.

And it

It concerns you also, to try if the happy fruits ard effects of this healing faith appear in you, whereby you may conclude, that the ftrength of your difeale is broken, by virtue of the blocd of Chrift; and that you have got it applied for curing your heart. Atheism, bardness, unbelief, pride, carnality, and particular