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thefe bands have a comforting and also a refreshing virtue. They bring the oil of joy fooner or later to the foul. The way of the Physician in this is, "According to thy faith, fo be it unto thee." And thus the broken-hearted eat of the hidden manna, they get the white ftone, and in the stone a new name written, Rev. ii. 17.

V. IT now remains that we make fome improvement of this fubject.-It may be improved in ufes of information,-reproof,-confolation,and exhortation.

First, In an ufe of information.

1. This fhews us the love and good-will of God to help poor finners, especially broken-hearted ones. He has provided a glorious Phyfician for them, having remembered us in our low eftate. O the love of the Father in invefting his Son with this office! O the love of the Son in undertaking it! Efpecially confidering, what it behoved him to undergo, in order to provide the medicines; his own heart had to be broken, that finners might be healed.-We may learn,

2. The precioufnefs of our fouls, and with all the defperatenefs of the diseases of fin. Sure it behoved to be a desperate disease, and the patient at the fame time very precious in the Lord's fight, for which he employed fuch a Phyfician. A phyfician of lefs value than an incarnate God, would have been a phyfician of no value for a brokenhearted finner. No medicine lefs than his blood could have been effectual, else the Saviour's heart had never been broken for blood to cure it.-We may fee,

3. To whom we muft go with our hard hearts. O the reigning plague of hardness of heart this day among all ranks! Ordinances, providences,

mercies,

mercies, judgements, cannot break them. Alas! There is little occafion to speak to broken-hearted finners this day; it is the least part of our work, to get their hearts healed. We cannot go with whole hearts, as broken. What can we do with them? Carry them to Chrift. He who can heal broken hearts, can furely break whole hearts. He is exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to give repen. tance to Ifrael, and forgiveness of fins, Acts, v. 30. A look of him would do what nothing elfe can do. When the Lord Jefus looked on Peter, then Peter remembered his fins, and went out, and wept bitterly, Luke, xxii. 62.-We fhall improve this fubject,

Secondly, In an ufe of reproof. This doctrine reproves and condemns,

1. Thofe who, when their hearts are any way broken for fin, go not to Chrift, but to physicians of no value: Hof. v. 13. "When Ephraim faw this fickness, and Judah faw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Affyrian, and fent to King Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound." The Spirit of the Lord is at work with the hearts of many to break them for fin, who mar all by their hafte to be healed, which carries them to other phyficians than Chrift, who may palliate the difcafe, but never can effectually cure it. These are,--the law, which is now weak through the flesh, Rom. viii. 3. The law may wound the foul, but can never heal it: Rom. iii. 20. "By the deeds of the law fhall no fleth living be justified in his fight, for by the law is the knowledge of fin." Yet many go to it for healing, namely, when they go about to pacify their confciences, not by a believing application, and sprinkling of Chrift's blood, but by their own prayers, vows, repentance, amendment of their ways, and the

like. The law indeed may give them a palliative, by these things their confciences may be blinded and, bribed, but the difeafe is ftill rooted in them, and will break forth again at laft, when there is no remedy, if not fooner, by the mercy of God, to prevent their final ruin.-Throng of worldly bufinefs. When Cain's heart was wounded, and he could not get out the fting which gailed his confcience, he went to this physician, he went from the prefence of the Lord, and built a city, Gen. iv. 16. 17. To this many run at this day, who, when their confciences begin to ftir within them, fill their heads and hands with business, till they get confcience quiet. This palliates the difeafe by way of diverfion, while it will make it only like a gathered dam, which will at length break down the wall, and overwhelm the foul with aggravated forrows: Ifa. xxx. 13. "Therefore this iniquity fhall be to you as a breach ready to fall, fwelling out in a high wall, whofe breaking cometh fuddenly at an inftant."--Jovial company. So Saul, in his diftrefs of mind, instead of calling for his Bible to read on, calls for musicians to play to him. And it is not to be doubted, that many a man's convictions are drowned in the ale-house, hufhed to filence at revelling-meetings, thefe fupports of the devil's kingdom, people are fo fond of; and many good motions are fpoiled and laughed away. This palliates the difeafe by fearing the confcience, and making it fenfelefs. But it will awaken again on them like a lion roufed up, and rént the caul of thofe hearts which have been fo healed, Hof. xiii. 6. 8.-This doctrine reproves,

2. Thofe who offer themselves physicians to the broken in heart, in oppofition to Chrift and his method of cure. There are fuch agents for the devil, who, like the Pharifees, will neither

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