tent; 3. It is heaven alone that yields a true conit is heaven alone that fills us with eternal delight. Say then, my foul, take away your flatteries, falfe world, and leave me free for better thoughts. Oinfinite goodness! it is thyself alone I chufe; thou art my only hap pinefs for ever. I fee my portion hereafter depends on my choice here; and my choice here, O Lord, depends on thee. 4. Omy deareft Lord, do thou chuse me, and guide my uninftructed foul to chufe thee, For, here, we, alas! move flowly in the dark, led on by the argument of things not feen, but did we clearly fee what we fay we believe, we fhould foon change the courfe of our lives. 5. Did we but fee the damned in their flames, or hear them cry in the midst of their torments, how fhould we fear to follow them in their fins, which we know have plunged them into all thofe miferies! how should we strive against the next temptation, and cast about to avoid the danger by working out our falvation! or, 6. Did we but fee the incomparable glories of the faints; or hear the fweet harmonious hymns which they continually fing, how fhould we ftudy to imitate thofe holy ways, by by which we know they arrived at all their happiness! how fhould we feek all occafions of improvement, and make it our bufinefs to work out our falvation! did man but seriously confider what he fays he believes, he would never live as he doth. Who can doubt but e'er long he fhall be turned into duft? yet which of us lives as if he thought ever to die? 7. Pity, Ogracious Lord, the frailties of thy fervant, and fuffer not my blindness to lead me into ruin. Supply my want of fight by a lively faith, and ftrengthen my faith by thy powerful grace: make me remember it is no trifling thing to gain or lofe the kingdom of heaven: make me chufe wifely, and purfue my choice, and ufe as well the means, as like the end. Ofetthou right the biafs of my heart, that in all my motions I may draw off from the world; that I may ftill incline towards thee, and rest at laft in thy holy prefence. Thou art my Lord, and I will ferve thee in fear; thou art my God, and I will love thee in hope: what will it profit me to gain the whole. world, and lofe my own foul? or what shall I give in exchange for my foul? Now repair to the publick fervice of the church; but if you bave not that opportunity, then employ your time in reading fome part of the new WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, as directed on page 8, A Prayer especially Sunday 17. Sections I. and VII, A prayer before examination, with a firm refolution to for fake the vanities of this wicked world. Let a man examine himself, and fo let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. I Cor. xi. 28. Almighty God, thou fearcher of hearts, who feeft and knoweft all my fins; help me fo to fearch every fecret of my heart, that I may leave no fin, if poffible, unrepented of. Give me grace fo impartially to judge and condemn myself, fo humbly to repent and beg pardon, that I may not be condemned, when I fhall appear at thy tribunal, in the great and terrible day of the Lord Jefus! But alas! after the most strict examination we can make, who can number his iniquities? who can tell how oft he offendeth? cleanse me therefore, O Lord, I befeech thee, not only from my prefumptuous and known fins, but from all my fecret and unknown tranfgreffions, for his fake who died for finners, Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. Directions for felf-examination. Aving devoutly prayed for God's affiftance, doubt not but he Hwill vouch afe it to you. to the duty of felf-examination: Confider feriously with yourself; that it is appointed for all men once to die, and after death to be called to judgment. That God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by Jefus Chrift. At whofe coming all men shall rife again with their bodies, and shall give an account of their own works: and they they that have done good, jhall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlafling fire:" for the books fhall be opened, and the dead fhall be judged out of the things written in those books, cording to their works. And then, Confider how much, how nearly it concerns you to judge yourself before that time, that you be not judged, that is, conlemned of the Lord. But fo many and various are the fins of our lives, in thought, word, and deed, and omiffions against God, our neighbour, and ourselves, bat this work will, at best, be confused, except chriftians have proper elps to bring their feveral fins diftinctly to remembrance; fo that I Fall in this form lay before you the feveral heads of our duty to God, Oh neighbour, and ourselves, as the most effectual help in this cafe; thut upon each particular head, you may examine your past life, and try the prefent difpofition of your heart. Firit, when you examine yourself, let it be chiefly about your wilul fins, and fins of commiffion; and be not over fcrupulous either to accufe yourself of fins you never committed, or to reckon up all your infirmities; for that would render your examination endless and impracticable: and though there may be fome fins that you may doubt, whether you have committed; others you may fear you have forgot; yet be not difcouraged: for when you have acted honeftly and fincerely, reft fatisfied; but what fins you cannot recollect and find cut, Jo as particularly to confefs and bewail, you ought to conclude under a general repentance for whatsoever you have done amifs; and to pray that God would cleanse you from your fecret faults. Obferving where ever you find your felf innocent, to glorify God, and beg of him to preferve and continue you therein. Secondly, If you have not avhelly neglected, and yet defire particularly to increase in fome chriftian virtue, lift up your heart to God, for his holy Spirit to aid and affift your fincere endeavours to grow in it; for we are not barely to avoid fin, but to grow in grace and goodness. Thirdly, When you come to any fin you have committed often, or deliberately, or against the checks of confcience, or against frequent admonitions, or laftly, against your own special vows and refolutions to the contrary; you must take into the account fuch aggravating circumftances as increase and heighten the guilt of it, to increase your fame and forrow, and to fhew you how greatly we ftand in need of God's pardon for what is past, and of bis affiling grace to prejerve B and and firengthen us in the ways of his laws, and work of his commandı drt Fourthly, Some, where they have found themselves guilty apor any head, whether of omitting a duty, or committing a fin, bar written down the fins they have been guilty of, or have marked then in the margin of their book, that they might be able to make more exact and particular confession of their feveral offences befor God, and enter their vows and refolutions the more diftinctly agains them and this may be farther useful; for, by comparing one tim with another, you will better difcern the amendment of your life, an growth in chriftian virtue: but this is only advice; for every one i left to judge of the usefulness and expediency of this method. 1 Fifthly, They that can't quiet their confciences by this examina tion, concerning the lawfulness or unlawfulness of this or that action or fhall meet with fcruples and difficulties of any other kind, let then firft pray to God to enlighten and establish their mind, and then has recourfe to fome learned and pious minifter of God's word, alway remembering to be honeft and impartial in this work, between Go and their con confciences; for it is in vain to hope to hide any thought action, or defign, from his all-fecing eye, who is the great fearche and judge of all hearts. And here I would for the true penitent's greater fatisfaction re commend to him the reading of the IVth Section, of the care of th Soul in the 2e WHOLE DUTY of MAN. Heads for the examination of confcience, upo thofe duties wherein GOD's honour, and ou own and neighbour's good are concerned. Search and examine your own confciences, and that no lightly, and after the manner of diffemblers with God; buti that ye may come holy and clean to fuch an heavenly feast, the marriage garment required by God in holy fcripture, an be received as worthy partakers of that holy table. The f exhortation in the communion fervice. Come now let us reafon together, faith the Lord: thoug your fins be as fcarlet, they shall be as white as fnow; thoug they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah i. 18. |