Haft thou been unconcerned in his joys and forrows?

Haft thou neglected to recommend him to the grace and protection of God in thy prayers?

The duty of a husband to his wife*.

HAS

AST thou been faithful to the folemn 1 contract and engagement made in the prefence of God, at the entering upon the ftate of matrimony?

Doft thou love thy wife, and fhow it in a kind, tender, and gentle behaviour towards her?

Art thou faithful to her bed?

Haft thou neglectedto defend and protect thy wife, to maintain and provide for her? Haft thou been peremptory, rigorous, and magifterial in thy commands?

Haft thou omitted to pray for her, and to share with her in all her reafonable joys and forrows?

The duty of afervant to his master or mistresst. ASTthoubeen faithful and induftrious

HA in ferving thy mafter and miftrefs?

Doft thou obey them in all lawful commands cheerfully, and in obedience to God, whole providence hath fet them over thee? Haft

.

*This duty may be found explained at large in the NEW WHOLE B Y FMAN, Sunday Sections V. and V. This duty may be found explained at large in the NEW WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, Sunday 9. Section VIII.

Haft thou purloined, or ftole, or any way defrauded them of their goods, or been carelefs and wafteful of them?

Doft thou nottake the advantage of their absence, to be idle, or unjust to them?

Haft thou any ways injured them in their reputation?

Haft thou, as much as in thee lay, lived quietly and peaceably with thy fellowfervants?

Haft thou not been fpiteful and malicious against them?

Haft thou exercised that tenderness to the children in the family, that was juftly and reafonably expected from thee F

Haft thou prayed for thy mafter and mistress, and the reft of the family, in thy private prayers ?

H

The duty of a mafter or miftrefs to a fervant*. AST thou treated thy fervants as a Chriftian, and like one who believes that he has a mafter in heaven, to whom he must render an account?

Haft thou performed the condition thou waft obliged to, when thou tookeft them into thy fervice?

Haft thou taken care of their bodies, by providing what food was fitting for them? Art

This duty may be found explained at large in the NEW WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, Sunday 9. Section IX.

Art thou reasonable and moderate in the commands which thou layeft upon them? Doft thou admonish and correct them with calmness and gravity, when they tranfgrefs their duty?

Haft not thy feverity put them uponcheating and lying? for that will make thee a partaker with them in their fin.

Haft thou been remifs in fuffering them to neglect their duty to God?

Haft thou afforded them time and opportunities for the fervice of God in public and private?

Doft thou fet them an example of fobriety and godlinefs in thy own life and converfation and doft thou encourage their living foberly and religioufly, by proper marks of thy kindnefs and favour?

Haft thou been conftant in thy daily devotions with thy family?

The duty of a magiftrate*.

AST thou made it thy endeavour to be a terror to evil-doers, and a praise to them that do well?

HAS

Haft thou not been more intent upon thy own private intereft than in advancing the common good?

Haft thou endeavoured to inform thyfelf

of

*This duty may be found further explained in the NEW WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, Sunday 8. Section III.

of the duty, in order to the doing of it, when thou haft been called to the office of constable, church-warden, or any other public office?

To these duties, in general, we might add the particular duties of the people to their prince, and the laity to their ministers; but to prevent tediousness, which often cools devotion, I shall refer those that desire information upon these heads, to the NEW WHOLE DUTY OFMAN, Sunday 8. Sections I. II. and IV.

Directions.

When you have once thoroughly examined yourself, and made a particular confession of the sins of your whole life, and begged pardon, there is not the same absolute necessity of such a laborious examination, at your next communication; especially if you examine yourself carefully every night, and daily repent of the evil of the day past, and are not conscious to yourself of any great and notorious sins, since your last confession: for if you are not, the examination and confession only of what past since your last communicating, together with a general confession of your former sins, and a solemn renewing of your former acts of repentance, may serve the turn. but if your conscience accuses you of any culpable neglect in your last examination, of any great relapses, or of any wilful violations of your last rows and resolutions; in these, and the like cases, it is the surest way to begin all your repentance again.

I am sensible it is not easy to enumerate all the instances of duty reducible to these three heads, concerning GOD, one's neighbour, and one's self; nor to set down the several branches and violations of them: but the method here propos sed, will, I am persuaded, (if carefully attended to,) assist any one in getting a competent knowledge of his own state and condition. And as the foregoing examination of our lives, is in order to the confession of our sins, and that such a distinct sight and consideration of them may breed in us humble and contrite hearts; so when we are come to a suf fisient knowledge of our sins, by the foregoing method of examination, our next step is to repent of them; and the first part of our repentance is to make an humble confession of our pileness and unworthiness in committing them.

A profeffion of godly forrow for our fins, and a refolution of new obedience towards God, to be made on Monday evening.

I will rise and go to my Father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Luke xv. 18, 19.

Ο

Lord! I call my ways to remembrance with a troubled heart; my evil doings are before mine eyes; they are a burden upon my fpirits, a fore burden, too heavy for me to bear. But now, O my God, with a heart truly forrowful and penitent, I turn from my evil ways, refolving by thy grace to become a new creature; from this day forward I am fully determined to betake myfelf to areligious courfe of life; O let not iniquity be my ruin.

O Lord, I am not worthy fo much as to lift up mine eyes unto thee; but whither theuld a wretch in guilt and mifery look but unto thee, the fountain of all mercy? whither, but to a God, whofe mercy is greater than my wickednefs? to a God, whofe property it is to be kind to his enemies; and whofe patience to bear with my fins, is as great as his power to punish them; and who had much rather be reconciled to me, than take vengeance upon me? whither indeed, but to thee, O God of all grace and comfort! who fhoweft mercy to the unworthy, and inviteft me,