Chap. a AnExpofition upon the BookafJ OB. Verf. g. 249 in my fiefbyou defpífednot. Obferve, he calleth his bodily infir- mity a temptation ; The alidtions of the body are great tempta- tions to the foul. It is very confiderable to this purpofe what the Apoftle rames faith whenhe fpeaks of the feveral conditions of theSaints,and their duties in them, Chap.5.v.13,14. Isany man afflicted? let him pray, (he fpeaks that in general) Is any man merry ? let him fing Pfalmr, Is any manfick ? Is he pained by ficknefs in his body ? What (hall he do then? Hedoth not fay, Is any manfick? let him prays but, Is any manfick,let him callfor òr the Elders of the Church, and let thempray over him : As if he fnould fay , A tick man is very unfit to pray himfelf, though for himfelf, he bath need to call others to praywith him and for him, hehath enough to do to wrafile with his pain and conflict with that affliction : Inother afilitions let him pray, butif he be Fick, let him fend for the Elders ofthe ChurcJh,-and let theta pray over him. A difeafed body unfits the mind-for holyduties. Theprayer of tick Hezekiah is called Chattering dike a Crane or ,Swallow , f ò didI chatter,Ifa.3S, it was rather chattering then praying, fuel a difquietnefs and uncompofednefswas upon his fpirit through, or by the infirmityofhis fleih. Paine is a piercing (haft in Satans quiver of temptations ; Though thefpirit ofa man willfuffain his infirmity, yet oftentimes, a wound in the body wounds the foul, and the difeafes ofthe fle(h make the fpirit Fick: Awoundedfpirit no man canbear; and a wound in the body, is a burden tooheavyProv.ta,c4. for many men. And ifit be fo , Then the pain and the weaknefs ofthe body is no advantage to repentance and returning unto God. How pitti- fully are they miftaken, who put offrepentance till their bodies be in pain, till they are lick and weak ; they do it upon this ground; becaufe when they are in pain, they think they thail repent with more cafe, Obferve , ifSatan thinks to have Inch an advantage upon a holy,man , as to make himblaspheme when he is in paine; doeíl thou thinkpain will be an advantage to thy Repentance ? It is laid , that at the powring ont of the fourth Vial, Rev.' 6.9. when God did finite the inhabitants ofthe earth, and fcorchecl themwith great heat,that they blafphemed thename ofCod, ( they did,that whichSatan prefumed job would do) and they repented not togive him glory. It isa woeful thing to put off repentance to a pained body s paine in its ownnature fits us rather to blafpheme and turne from God , then to return to him, Never think to Kk haye
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