have these Thoughts, we fhall seriously refolve to be wifer for the future, and accordingly we fhall anew dedicate and devote ourselves to the Service of God our Creator, and Jefus Chrift our Redeemer, renewing our Vows and Purposes that we have fo often made to him, in a faithful Endeavour, in all our Thoughts, and Words, and Deeds, to govern ourselves by the Laws he hath prefcribed us. All this is implied in the Notion of religious Confeffion, as I have before explained it, and is indeed the very Life and Soul of it.

2. But then, fecondly, The more particular our Confeffion is, the better it is, and the more acceptable it will be: Not upon Account that God ever needs to be inform'd of what Faults we are guilty, or takes any Delight in a Rehearsal of a long Catalogue of Sins; but because this particular Confeffion is an Argument and an Expreffion of the Sincerity of our Repentance, and fhews that we have fearched and examined our Hearts to the Bottom, and that we harbour no concealed Affection to any particular Sin whatsoever, but that we are willing to bring out every Enemy that speaks Oppofition to God and his Laws, to be flain before him.

3. But, thirdly, He that confeffeth as he fhould do, will be fure not to favour himfelf in his Confeffion; he will not be forward to make Excufe or Apologies for his

Sins. He will not fay, that the Faults he hath been guilty of, are either little in their own Nature, or brought upon him by fuch Temptations as he could not avoid. On the contrary, he will rather aggravate his Faults, and lay a Load upon himself, that God may lay the lefs Load upon him. He will acknowledge himself to be a base, vile, unworthy Creature, unfaithful to his Vows and folemn Purposes, and ungrateful to his God, who is every Day heaping Obligations upon him. He will remember all the Engagements God hath laid upon him, and that he hath laid upon himself, to a ftrict Life of Virtue and Holinefs. He will bitterly cenfure his own Folly and unaccountable Extravagance, that he hath in any Inftance departed from those Rules. In a word, the aggravating Circumstances which he can in his own Mind apply to his Sins, will fo affect him, that he fhall become vile and mean in his own Eyes; fo unworthy a Thing, that he will from the Bottom of his Heart profefs to God, that he is not worthy the leaft of his Mercies. And certainly this is the Confeffion that is acceptable to God. This is the judging of 1 Cor. 11. ourselves that the Apoftle fpeaks of, by which we prevent our being judged of the Lord. And laftly, this is that Oblation which David fpeaks of, of a broken and P. 51.17. contrite Heart, which he fays, God will not defpife.

4. But,

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4. But, fourthly, It is alfo to be remember'd, that the quicker and speedier our Confeffion is after the Commiffion of any Sin, the more Virtue it hath in it, and the more eafily it obtains a Pardon, When it is our Unhappiness at any time to commit a Fault, it is the worft Course we can take to lie under that Fault. When the Sin is newly done, our Confcience (unless we be very bad) doth not fail to charge it home upon us; and we are then deeply fenfible of it; and if we go diately to God Almighty to unburden our felves of the Load it lays upon us, we shall do it very affectionately, and with truly broken and contrite Hearts; whereas if we let the matter reft as it is, and do not prefently make our Peace with God by humble Confeffion and begging Pardon, our Hearts in a little time will grow much harder, we fhall lofe all that pungent Senfe we firft had of our Sin, and it will be a difficult Matter afterwards to retrieve it. Besides, it is a hundred to one, if we delay the prefent Time, but the Sin gets ground upon us. By not having made Confeffion of it, and renewed our Refolutions (which is the fetting ourfelves in the fame State we were before) the next Temptation to that, or any other Sin, will the easier find Access to us, and prevail upon us. We have by that Sin difarmed our felves. We have flacken'd our Guard, and are more

obnoxious

obnoxious either to the fame, or any other Enemy, that will make affault upon us.

If we defign therefore to live virtuously and religiously, whenever we are overtaken in a Sin, let us prefently repent of it, and beg Pardon for it, and reinforce our good Purposes. By this means the greatest Crime we can commit will not do us any great Mischief. But if we let Things alone, and defer our Reconciliation with God, even a little Sin may prove dangerous and of fatal Confequence. It is in this Cafe as it is with the Wounds of the Body: A grievous Wound, presently taken care of, will find an eafy Cure; but if thro' our Negligence we let it rankle and ulcerate, it proves oftentimes hard enough for the Skill of an able Surgeon.

Upon this Account I cannot but earnestly recommend to you the Rule that is so often mentioned in our Books of Devotion, viz. That every Night, before you fleep, you would take an Account of the Actions of the Day past; that you would examine your Confciences what has been done well that Day, and what hath been done amifs; and for the former to return hearty Thanks to God; but what you find of the latter, not to fleep till you have confeffed it to God, and beg'd his Pardon for it. If we would be thus punctual as to our Repentance and Confeffion, it would be in a man

ner

ner impoffible for us to miscarry at the long

run.

5. But laftly, to conclude, There is another Advice that we fhould do very well to put in practice in this Business of confeffing our Sins, viz, That befides our daily Confeffions and those others that we may have occafion for, we fhould appoint to ourfelves fome ftated Times (and thofe as frequent as our Affairs will give us Leave) for the more folemn Performance of, this Duty. Why fhould we not once or twice in a Month fet apart fome Hour or Hours in a Day for this Bufinefs; that is, to take an Account of our own Actions, to examine the State of our Souls, to fee how we are gone, forward or backward, in the great Work we have to do, and to adjust the Accounts between God and us. Body but those that have tried it, will eafily conceive the Benefits that we shall reap by this Exercife. 'Tis certainly the greatest Prefervative of our Virtue and good Eftate towards God that can be. And it is likewife the furest Way to Let us right, if we have gone aftray; efpecially if to this Exercise we add the renewing our Vows by partaking in the Holy Sacrament.

No

In a word, Let us all repent earnestly of our Sins, and return to the Lord with all our Hearts, confeffing our own Vilenefs and Wickedness before him, and taking up most

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