is a needs be for every chastisement of thy hand, and as thou hast put him (or me) into the furnace, may it prove an extensive blessing to his (or my) soul. May he (or I) see that there is mercy as well as truth and justice in the appointment and infliction of all his (or my) troubles. Enable him (or me), O Lord, to exercise unshaken confidence in thee as the only hope of the afflicted, and the only refuge from the storm. Constantly visit him (or me) with thy love, and support him (or me) by thy grace. Sanctify every painful providence to him (or me), and when these chastisements shall have produced the intended and desirable fruits of righteousness, mercifully remove them, that he (or I) may have to sing of mercy as well as of judgment.

O merciful God, not only look upon his . (or my) affliction and pain, but what is of more importance; forgive all his (or my) sins which have caused such pain and affliction; and grant unto him (or me) the enjoyment of this pardon in his (or my) soul. Blessed be thy great and holy name for a precious Redeemer, whose blood cleanseth from all sin, and whose meritorious death has removed eternal sorrow and destruction from all who, by faith, trust their guilty souls upon him.

Encouraged by thy holy word, may he (or I) leave both his (or my) sins and his (or my) sorrows at the footstool of thy mercy, humbly relying upon thy promised grace for that help and support which he (or I) may need under

his (or my) present adversity. This we (or I) beg, for the sake of him who is the sympathizing High Priest of his people; and to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be honour and glory for ever.

Scenes of trial and of sadness
Are the lot of man below;
He is heir to all but gladness,
Born to bear the weight of woe.

Prospects fair are quickly blighted,
Earth's possessions often lost,
Love, by hate too oft requited,
And the heart's fond purpose cross'd.

Pains of body, mental anguish,
Outward woes and secret grief,
Cares which make the spirit languish,
Hopes which fade like autumn's leaf.

Nor should this be thought surprising,
'Tis the road the saints have pass'd,
By these tribulations rising
To a heaven of joy at last.

CHAPTER III.

Sickness and Disease of Body.

FIRST PORTION OF SCRIPTURE.

THE Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses of long continuance. Moreover, he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt which thou wast afraid of, and they shall cleave unto thee; also every sickness and every plague which is not written in the book of this law; because thou wouldst not obey the voice of the Lord thy God, Deut. xxviii. 59-62. I will also do this unto you, I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart; and if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then will I punish you seven times more for your sins, Levit. xxvi. 16-18. Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, but he was a leper. And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife; and she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet which is in Samaria, for he would recover him of his

And Asa, in the

leprosy, 2 Kings v. 1-14. thirty and ninth year of his reign, was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great, yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord but to the physicians, 2 Chron. xvi. 12. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and

escheweth evil? And Satan answered the Lord and said, Skin for skin, yea all that a man hath will he give for his life; But put forth thy hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to his face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold he is in thine hand, but save his life. So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of the foot to the crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape him withal, and he sat down among the ashes, Job ii. 3-8. And behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her he said unto her, “Woman thou art loosed from thine infirmity." And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight and glorified God, Luke xiii. 11-13. So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me. When I lie down, I say, when shall I arise and the night be gone, and I am full of tossings to and fro till the dawn

ing of the day. My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken and become loathsome. When I say my bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint, then thou scarest me with dreams and terrifiest me through visions, so that my soul chooseth strangling and death rather than life, Job vii. 3-14. For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause; he will not suffer me to take breath, but filleth me with bitterness, Job ix. 17, 18. My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me, Job xvii. 1. My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, Job xix. 20. And now my soul is poured out upon me: the days of affliction have taken hold upon me. My bones are pierced in me in the night season, and my sinews take no rest. By the great force of my disease is my garment changed, it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat. He hath cast me into the mire and I am become like dust and ashes. My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat, Job xxx. 16-19. God speaketh once, yea twice, but man perceiveth not; he is chastened with pain upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong pain, so that his life abhorreth bread and his soul dainty meat. His flesh is consumed away that it cannot be seen, and his bones that were not seen stick out. Yea his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers, Job xxxiii. 19–22.