DISC. IX.) NO PAIN. AMONG THE BLESSED. 511 I am sure we may venture to assert boldly, that,the suf- ferer may learn the evil of sin. Even the Son of God himself, when he suffered pain in his body, as well as an- guish in his spirit, has told us by his apostles, that our sins were the causes of it ; he bòre.-our sins in his own body, on the tree, and for our iniquities he was bruised," so says Isaiah the prophet ; Is. liii. 5. and so speaks Pe- ter the apostle ; 1 Pet. ii. 24. And sometimes the providence of God is pleased to point out to us the particular sin we are guilty of by the special punishment which he inflicts. In Ps. evii. 17, 18. Fools are said to be afflicted, that is, with pain and sick- ness because of their transgressions of riot and intempe- rance.; " their soul abhors all manner of meat, and they draw. near to the gates of death." Sickness and pain over-balance all the pleasures of luxury in meats and drinks, and make the epicure pay dear for the elegance of his .palate, and the sweet relish of his morsels or his cups. The drunkard i,n his debauches, is preparing some smarting pain for his own punishment. And let us all be so wiseas to learn this lesson by the pains we feel, that sin which introduced them into the world is an abo- minable thing in the sight of God, because it provokes him to use such smarting strokes ofdiscipline in order to recover us from our folly, and to reduce u_s back again to the paths of righteousness. " O blessed smart !. O happy pain, that helps to soften the heart of a sinner, and melts it to receive divine in- struction, which before was hard as iron, and attended to no divine counsel : We are ready to wander fromGod,. and forget him amongst the months and years ofease and pleasure; but when the soul is melted in this furnace of painful sufferings, it more easily receives some divine stamp, some lasting impression of truth, which the words of the preacher and the book of God had before incul- Gated without success, and repeated almost in vain. Happy is the soul that learns this lesson thoroughly, and gains a more lasting acquaintance with the evil of sin; and abhorrence of it, under the smarting stroke of the hand of God.. " Blessed is the man whom thou correctest, O Lord, and teachest him the truths that are written in thy law_;" Ps. xciv. 12. 3. Pain in the flesh teaches us also " how dreadfully
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