deavour to behave as he did, under the cruel Behaviour of those who fhould have received him as their best Friend and Saviour, and who fhould have rejoiced in him, and fervently loved him.

II. Afflictions of a spiritual Nature are various ; I fhall only mention the Three following, viz.

1. An habitual Defpondency or Defpair, from the Disease of the Body called Melancholy. This needs Medicines till the Disorder of the Body is removed.

2. Anguish, and Distress of the Soul, after the Commiffion of fome heinous Sin.

This was the Cafe of David after his Sin in the Matter of Uriah. (2 Sam. chap. xi. 12.) His Guilt was great, and great was the Grief, and Remorfe of his Soul on that Account. The Fifty first Pfalm, was written as a publick penitent Confeflion to the World of his complicated Crime, and to express his deep Contrition, and doubtless, to preferve in his Confcience a Self-loathing Remembrance of it.

The Pfalm is a very mournful Supplication to God, on the Account of thofe Tranfgreffions; and feveral of the Petitions fhew that his Sorrow was long and grievous; fo great that they could not be fully expreffed.

But we may form fome Idea of his Sorrows from his Petitions, viz.

Have Mercy upon me, O God, according to thy Loving-kindness, according to the Multitude of thy tender Mercies, blot out my Tranfgreffions: Wafh me throughly from mine Iniquity, and cleanfe me from my Sin: For I acknowledge my Tranfgreffions, and my Sin is ever before me: Make me to hear Joy and Gladness that the Bones, which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy Face from my Sins; and blot out

;

all

all mine Iniquities: Create in me a clean Heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me: Caft me not away from thy Prefence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me: Reftore unto me the Joy of thy Salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit. A broken and a contrite Heart, O God, thou wilt not defpife.

Great was the Anguifh, and Diftrefs of his Soul! And fo it was after he had committed the Sin of numbring the People. 2 Sam. xxiv. 10. After the Thing was done, Davids Heart fmote him; and David faid unto the LORD, I have finned in that I have done: And now I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the Iniquity of thy Servant, for I have done very foolishly.

And how much greater must be the Horror of his Mind, when the Lord expreffed his Anger against him? And put three dreadful Things to his Choice, viz. feven Years Famine, or to flee three Months before his Enemies, while they purfued him; or to have three Days Peftilence in his Land: As he chofe the Peftilence, ver. 15. So the LORD fent the Peftilence upon Ifrael in the Morning, even to the Time appointed, that is for three Days.

Who can imagine the Anguifh and Distress of his Soul during those three long Days? But fomewhat of it is difcovered by thofe Heart-piercing Words, which he spoke to the merciful God on the third Day, ver. 17. David fpake unto the LORD, when he faw the Angel that fmote the People, and faid, lo, I have finned, and I have done wickedly; but thefe Sheep, what have they done? Let thine Hand, I pray thee, be against me, and my Father's Houfe.

The Words discover not only great Humanity, and a tender Regard to the Welfare of his Sub

jects,

jects, but also that he was long under agonizing Sorrow.

O it is a dreadful Thing to provoke the Anger of the holy and righteous God!

But as God is juft, fo he is merciful! And how foon was his Compaffion manifested to David? For the Prophet Gad, that fame Day, came to David, and directed him to rear up an Altar unto the Lord in the Threshing-floor cf Araunah.

He did fo, and offered burnt Offerings, and peace Offerings to the LORD, And the Lord was intreated for the Land, and the Plague was stayed from Ifrael. ver. 25.

The Apostle Peter had like Distress, and Anguish of Soul, after he had denied his Mafter and his Saviour: When he had done it, he remembred the Words of Jefus, who foretold him of it, And went out, and wept bitterly. Matt. xxvi. 75.

We have need to watch and pray, left we fall into Temptation, and are overcome by it.

3. Another Sort of fpiritual Troubles, arife from the violent Temptations and Affaults of the Devil.

The Devil will give no Disturbance to his own Servants and Children, who voluntarily do his Will, and run on in the broad Way of Sin, which leads down to everlasting Destruction. It gives him a Pleasure to fee the Generality of People continuing their Rebellion against the holy God, and going on boldly in a Courfe of wilful Difobedience to his Authority, and his Law.

It pleases him to fee the Places where the Gofpel is preached, thin of People, and the Affemblies for fenfual Delights crouded: To fee fuch Multitudes eagerly pursuing the Pleasures of Sense at great Expence, and at the Hazard of their

8

Health :

Health Or elfe labouring with all their Might, early and late, for the Meat that perifhes, and for the Riches of this World, which may make themselves Wings and fly away: Or indefatigable in ufing all Ways and Means to obtain Honours among Men, to the intire Neglect of the Welfare, the Safety, the Salvation and Happiness of their immortal Souls. Thefe People do as the Devil would have them do; they pleafe their infernal Mafter, and will be with him in the next World, in Torments, which will never end, except they hearken to the merciful Calls of the Gospel.

O merciful God! Look down with Pity on these miserable People! They are dead, dead in their Trefpaffes and Sins, and are as infenfible of their Guilt, and Wretchedness, and Danger as a dead Body is infenfible of Pain. Lord by thy Holy Spirit do thou quicken them! Make Multitudes of them Converts from Sin and Satan. Have not many of thy Saints been fuch as these? For the Apostle, after he had declared to the Saints at Corinth, that Neither Fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor Adulterers, nor Effeminate, nor Abufers of themselves with Mankind, nor Thieves, nor Covetous, nor Drunkards, nor Revilers, nor Extortioners fhall inherit the Kingdom of God. He faid unto them, And fuch were fome of you; but ye are washed, but ye are fanctified, but ye are juf tified in the Name of the Lord Jefu, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor. vi. 9-11.

O my Father which art in Heaven! Will it not be a glorious Difplay of the Riches of thy Grace, if thou fhalt fend down thy Holy Spirit, and awaken the Confciences of Multitudes of thefe unhappy Creatures, and bring them to repent of their Sins, and by Faith unfeigned with Joy to accept of thy beloved Son to fave them? L

O my

O my good God, once I was as regardless of the State of my Soul, and of an Interest in Christ, as any of these, and was dead in Sin as these are; but thou hadft Mercy on me, and broughtest me to be fenfible of my Want of a Saviour, and did convince me that Chrift only could redeem me; thy Holy Spirit did fet the loving Jefus before me, as both able, and willing to fave me : Bleffed for ever be thy holy Name for that Grace which brought me to be one of Chrift's Difciples! O gracious God, extend that Mercy to thefe miferable People, which thou didst fhew to me ! Will they not rejoice in thy Loving-kindness, and labour to promote that Gofpel which many of them have been endeavouring to deftroy? Lord glorify thy great Name, by fubduing them to thyfelf!

But although the Devil fuffers wilful Sinners to go on in their evil Ways, without disturbing their Minds; YET when he finds the holy God working in the Souls of any of them, he bestirs himfelf to hinder it as much as poffible, and purfues them with his fiery Darts, and many Times they have dreadful Conflicts with this grand Enemy of their Salvation.

But Chrift, who is in them bý his Spirit, is ftronger than all the Principalities and Powers of Darkness.

When Satan makes his Affaults on Chriftians, in the Beginning of their new Life, does fometimes repeat them with great Violence: He is always watching Opportunities of presenting his Temptations, to make them neglect Duty, or to do Things, which God has forbidden them.

And therefore a Chriftian's Life is compared to a WARFARE; and the Difciples of Chrift are informed of this in the holy Scriptures, and in

ftructed