to all evil. By indulging hereof we add our own actual guilt, to that which our finful parents had derived down to us; and by iniquities without number, by wilful, repeated, habitual, and daring tranfgreffions, confirm and aggravate this fentence of death, and arm the juftice of God against our felves.

II. Wonder not then, if thou feeft fo many dreadful fpectacles of affliction in the world; nor murmur, when thou thy felf art bound in the fame fetters, and fore laden with the burthen of affliction. But remember, that God is righteous, and thou, and these people are wicked; that he is holy and juft, as well as good, and, tho' he does not willingly grieve the children of men, yet their iniquities put a fort of violence upon him, which he cannot refift. They quite weary him out, and render it impoffible, (that is, inconfiftent with his other attributes and the perfection of his nature) to let fuch men go always unpunished. Nay, even in those infinitely more dreadful torments of another world, his perfections are concerned to vindicate themselves; for tho' these be terrible, above what we are able to express or conceive, yet are they juft. And, at the fame time that we may be apt to question, whether fo great feverity be confiftent with the character of our judge, we prove the wisdom of our lawgiver; and, that even eternal pains were neceffary, fince even all this will not contain us in our duty, and effectually refrain us from tranfgreffing.

III. And this, my foul, is thy cafe. These everlafting plagues are the deserved wages of thy wick

ednefs.

edness. For do but defcend into thy felf, (as it becomes thee to do, now more especially) and there take an exact survey of thy miseries and frailties ; thy raging paffions, and ungovern'd appetites: Afk thy felf, what abuses and mifemployments of health thou hast been guilty of. Whether thou haft not neglected and forgot God and Heaven too much, and been too full of follicitude and fondness for this prefent world; whether thou haft not flighted his worship and facrament, and difregarded his word, or whether these have been formally and coldly frequented. Examine the heaviness of thy affections, the wandrings and negligence of thy mind, in publick and private devotions. [Here it may be convenient to inftance in any other particular against our duty to God.] See again the violation of justice and charity to thy neighbour, whether thou haft honestly discharged the offices of the feveral capacities and relations God hath placed thee in; [A Hufband or Wife, a Mafter or Mistress, a Son or Daughter, a Magiftrate, a Subject, a Parent, a Brother or Sifter, and the like.] If thou haft not been guilty of grofs and manifest injustice in thy dealings, yet haft thou done wrong to no man's foul, by ill advice, or wicked example? Nor to the bodies of any, by malice or contempt, by ill treatment, cruel ufage, want of compaffion and care for their infirmities? What reputations haft thou injured by fcandal and cenfure by falfe and uncharitable judgments; by bufy meddling with matters that concern thee not; by officioufly spreading, or too haftily believing ill reports; by encouraging, repeating, and being pleased with detracting or uncharitable reflections; or if by none of these, yet at least by neglecting to reprove, or

;

to

to discountenance, a flandering tongue, and to deliver the innocent from its fecret ftabs? [Here again be particular in any other fins you have been guilty of against your neighbour.] Turn thy eyes inward once more, and behold the breaches of that duty thou owest to thy felf; the intemperance and irregularity of thy defires; the murmurings and discontents; the infirmities indulged; the paffions unsubdued; the negligence in thy greatest concern; greatest concern; the love of unlawful, and the abufe of lawful, diverfions and pleasures. These are things fo incident to our state, that no man's confcience can fpeak peace to him in them all; and happy art thou in those, where thine condemns thee not. But know withal, that God is greater than thy heart, and knoweth all things, 1 John iii. 20. He keeps exact account of thy lurking corruptions, and fecret faults; the unobferved, or the long fince forgotten, mifdemeanors of thy life. The dreadful catalogue whereof, could they be fet before thee, would give a difmal profpect full of horror and confufion, and intolerable amazement. that thou must of neceffity acknowledge thy felf a companion of filth and mifery; a wretch, that, if God fhould enter into judgment with, thou haft reafon to expect nothing better than indignation and fury; to be fet up as a mark of his vengeance, and, by fome swift exemplary deftruction, hurried violently away into the hottest flames of hell.

So

IV. Thus much I am fadly fenfible of, and do ftand condemned out of my own mouth. And thus far the circumftances of all mankind are the fame, that if God fhould be extreme to mark what is done amifs, the very best of us all could not abide it. Pfal.

cxxx. 3, 4. But, bleffed be God, though matters are deplorable, they are not quite defperate; for there is mercy with him, and his justice is satisfied. The price and purchase of our fouls is paid; our forfeited lives are ranfomed and redeemed ; our ransom in value exceeds the whole world; even his own beloved and only begotten fon; who fpared not his own life, but willingly poured out his foul to death; and is thereby become a facrifice and atonemeut for the fins of wretched mortals. He hath promulged glad tidings of reconciliation and repentance, of pardon and peace. He came to fave finners, even the chief of finners. Our God defireth not the death of any; provided they believe, and fincerely obey him: Not according to the fhekel of the fanctuary, which requires unfinning perfection; but after the standard of the new covenant, which allows for human frailties, accepts forrow for the paft; amendment for the time to come, a fervent love of God, and honest and diligent endeavours to ferve him. This is a faying worthy to be accepted indeed; this is the comfort and confidence of poor returning finners. And, while I can fee by faith the penalty of eternal damnation released, by virtue of the blood of this lamb of God flain to take away the fins of the world, I will. submit with patience to the temporal punishments inflicted by my provoked God; and thankfully accept the fickneffes and afflictions of this present life, as fo many warnings and calls to repentance.

we fhall take care to For thefe are the difafter all that is come

V. And fure (my foul) make this good ufe of them. cipline of the Lord; and if, upon me for my evil deeds, and for my great tref

paffes

paffes, feeing that thou, my God, haft punished me lefs than my iniquities deferve; if I should again violate thy commandments, thou would'ft certainly be angry, till thou had❜ft utterly confumed me; Ezra ix. 13. and torment me fo much the more, for neglecting fo great falvation. I take therefore this chastisement with all poffible fubmiffion; and with unfeigned forrow confefs my manifold offences. I implore thy mercy who art juftly displeased at me ; and fince in the midst of life we are in death, I cry earneftly to thee for fuccour; and beg, that howfoever thou thinkeft fit to difpofe of this corruptible body, thou would'st look graciously upon me in thy dear fon, and not deliver my poor foul into the bitter pains of eternal death; but pity and fave me for Chrift Jefus his fake. Amen.

Here may be repeated the xxxviii and li. Pfalms.

Then the confeffion in the commnnion-fervice.

Almighty God, the father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, maker of all things, &c.

Or else the three prayers at the end of the commination.

O Lord we beseech thee, &c.

O moft mighty God, &c.

Turn thou me, O good Lord, &c.

After either of which, fay as follows.

PRAYE K.

Vifitation of the fick.

I

Most mercifull God, who according to the multitude of thy mercies doft fo put away the fins of thofe who truly repent, that thou remembreft them no more; grant me, beseech thee, true repentance and thy holy Spirit; and then open thine eye of mercy upon my languishing condition, and give me the comfort of pardon and forgiveness. Renew in me moft loving father whatsoever bath been decayed by fraud and the malice of the devil, or my own carnal will and frailnefs. Pre