for help in it. Nay farther, it is now very plain to us, that the Devil him- Serm. 1. felf is in our very cafe, and yet cannot help himself; and, if he cannot keep himself from trembling at the James 2 Thoughts of his own Condition, in 19. vain must it be to expect that he fhould Inspire us with Courage enough, not to tremble at ours. No, the Thoughts of his trembling must neceffarily increase ours: his inability to help himself muft needs fpoil all our hope and confidence in him.

Still perhaps it will be pretended, that a Dofe of Phyfic, or of Wine, Good Company, Exercife, or Diverfion, will give us certain eafe, and free us from thefe troublesome Terrors of our own Minds. And, fuppofing that they could do fo, yet what is this to the purpofe? We are not talking of getting rid of them (for that no doubt may be easily done, for a time, by a fufficient Dofe of any Opiate or ftrong Liquor, or any other way of rendring us infenfible; nay it is to be hop'd, generally fpeaking, that it may be done, for ever, in a much better way, by Repentance and a thorough

B 2

M rough Reformation of Heart and Serm. I. Life) but we are talking of maintaining and fupporting our selves, of keeping our felves from finking and defponding, of bearing up with any measure of cheerfulness and courage, while we are awake and in our right Senfes, and under the actual fting and fmart of them. This is to bear afflictions, the other only to feek hiding places from them; and what will all the Phyfic, Wine, Good Company, Exercife or Diverfion in the World help towards this? What manner of relation or dependance, in the leaft, is there, between those, which are bur→ thens purely Spiritual, and these which are helps purely Corporal? As well might we hope to fupport a wounded Spirit, by giving it a staff to reft upon, as by fuch unfuitable and ufelefs helps as these. Befides, give me leave to tell you that these ways of ftifling and lulling afleep Distempers, of the Mind as well as of the Body, arebut meer Cheats and Impofitions upon our felves, and, in the end, only tend to increase and inflame the violence of our Diftempers: and to make them, like Latent Fires not thorough

ly

ly extinguish'd, burn but the more fiercely, when they break out, and Serm. 1. get head next.

What then fhall we do, whither fhall wego,or to whom shall we fly,for help? Of whom fhall we feek for Succour,but of thee, O Father of Mercies, and God 2 Cor.1.3, of all comfort? When our own Reason and Strength have fail'd us, when our Fathers and Mothers have forfaken us, when all the Powers of the World (except thine own) could help us no longer, then haft thou been wont to take us up. To thee therefore let us Pf. 27. 10. come, and cry for Mercy. But, oh unhappy State! we dare not fo much as lift up our Eyes towards Heaven, whence we can expect nothing, but dreadful flashes of Vengeance and fiery Indignation. The very Name of God, which us'd to be fo comfortable to us, in all our other Afflictions, is now become one of our greatest Torments in this, and thofe kind and pleafing Appellations of Father and Saviour, are turn'd into those severe and affrightning ones, of Judge and Avenger. We have provok'd God beyond all measure, his wrath is wax

en hot against us, and we cannot reaSerm. I fonably look for any thing else, but that it fhould break out in Plagues

Pf. 5.5.

and bittereft Judgments upon us. For he is a God that hateth all workers of Jer. 13.4 iniquity: he will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy upon the ungodly: but he will rain upon them fnares, fire and brimstone and a burning tempeft: this fhall be the portion of their cup.

Pf. 11.6.

Oh dreadful State! unutterable Torments! beyond, infinitely beyond, our ftrength, yet deftitute even of the least support! never fo much need of fuccour, never fo little of it! Our Reafon and Religion perfecute us : our Natural Courage fails us: our Friends ftand by and cannot help us, nay, what's worfe, condemn us: the Devil neither will, nor indeed can af fift us and which is yet infinitely worse (oh how fhall we bear to hear it!) our God himself, who us❜d to be our certain Friend and Helper, is now become our most bitter and implacable Enemy, and daily throws new loads of Sorrow upon us.

And, if all this be not fufficient to

con

vince Men of the infupportableness of a wounded Confcience (as in fuch Serm. 1. a cafe as this, where Men are unwilling to be convinc'd, who can tell what is fufficient?) you may be pleased to take for farther confirmation, Secondly, The proof of Experience; And, if you want this (I mean, if you have never had it within your own breafts: if, from the leffer Fears, difquietudes and Uneafineffes, which the Commiffion of one, or but few Sins, have there enkindled, you are not able to judge of the intolerableness of thofe Torments, which are the effects of a long and habitual courfe of Sin) you may foon have it, by taking a fhort view of thofe miferable Wretches, efpecially upon their Sick and Dying Beds, who are poffefs'd with this Legion of Devils, a wounded Spirit. Some of which you may behold, in ftill and fullen Silence, by their dreadful, fad, ghaftly, defponding Looks, difcovering Pains, too great to be exprefs'd, flaming and raging in their inmost Souls. Others, in fudden Fits and Starts, crying out, groaning, fhricking and complaining of Torments B 4

that