nes too harsh, and too reproachful. It's true, no is oblig'd to accufe himself of Sins he was never ty of; and to charge our felves with the Guilt of nication, or Adultery, or Murther, or Blafphemy, heft, &c. which, through the restraining Grace of , we never thought of, and have been ftrangers to, otell God a Lye, except we understand those Sins in iritual Sense; and, in this case, a Man or Woman fay, they have been guilty of Adultery, by departwickedly from their God, whom they were fonly marry'd, and joyn'd to, in Baptifm, and the per of the Lord, and by doting upon a miferable fitory World, which St. James calls Spiritual AdulFam. 4. 4. And, upon this account, a Man may he hath been guilty of Blafphemy, in difhonouring Gospel by his vain and wicked Life, whereby he given occafion to the Enemies of the Lord to pheme hir, and speak evil of Religion; and, after fame manner he may juftly accufe himself of rder, if he have often ftab'd his Neighbour's Reation by Slanders, Reproaches, and evil Surmises, nft him, and difparaging of him to those, from om he expected fignal Kindneffes. But, fet afide fpiritual Senfe, a Man is not oblig'd by any Law God, to confefs that he hath been formally guilty of she never committed, to his beft Remembrance; in those he hath actually run into, either willfully by furprise, he ought to be his own severe accufer, ecially to God, whom he hath thereby grievously ended; and he truly judges himself, that, upon a p fearch of his Heart, finding what Precepts of Gofpel he hath wittingly acted againft, cries out, d! I have been that rotten Sheep of thy Flock, which, by ill Example have infected others! I have been that Viper u haft put into thy Bofom, and which have threatned death hofe Bowels that gave it Life; and been a Rebel, by my nftrous Ingratitude, to my Father which is in Heaven! I e been that Prodigal, that hath run away from his Far's House, and travelled into a far Country, as far as Hell.

it felf! I have been that Fool, that mad Man, that b faid to his Soul, Thou haft Goods laid up for many years, and drink, and be merry! I have been that Satan, that: verfary, that hath favour'd the things that be of Men, r than the things which be of God! I have been that being Creature, that hath begun in the Spirit, and thought to e the Flesh! I have been that Judas, that hath betray'd the of Man with a kiss! I have been that bruitish Man, tha my careless Life, hath as good as faid, The Lord fees neither will the God of Jacob regard it! O that I had like a Dove, for then would I fly away and bewail my fa fome Wilderness! But in this Confeffion, or Self-A fation, fome neceffàry Rules must be observed.

1. A Man must not content himself with ger Confeffions, but, in the Accufation, defcend top cular Errors and Neglects of his Life. General C feffions do well in Publick Liturgies and Offices Church, in which, a whole Congregation is to but in Private, the Cafe very much alters. Church, according to the old faying, Non judice occultis, judges not of fecret things, and knows what particular Sins every Man is guilty of, and: may have ftain'd his Soul with certain Sins,which ther hath not; and therefore wifely prefcribes onl neral Acknowledgments of Offences, that the w Aflembly may comply with the Duty; but in pri every Man knows, or may know, where the Shoed moft pinch him, and therefore here particular feffions are neceflàry. He that in private contents felf with general Confeffions, fhews no great defi be better; and, notwithstanding his Confeffions, allow himself in abundance of Sins, and miscarry, perifh, for all his general Confeffions. But he th his Confeffions specifies the particular Acts where hath walked contrary to God, difcovers an ear defire to grow in Grace; and, in this, St. Paul fhews ån Example, 1 Tim. 1. 13. where he doth not fay have been a great Sinner, but a Blafphemer, fpoke of the Way to Life, a Perfecuter, and made havock of

Churc

Churches of God injurious, done great injuries to St. Stephen, and to abundance of other Chriftians. In a word, fuch a Perfon, by his particular Confeffion, deals faithfully with his own Soul, and, by mentioning the particular Diseases that annoy him, manifefts his earneft defire of a Cure, whereas general Confeffions leave the Soul ignorant, dull, careless, and unaffected with the great Concerns of Salvation. And tho' a Perfon, every time he accufes himself, or confeffes his Errors, is not bound to enumerate all the particular Sins of his Life he can charge his Memory with, yet if he never did it before, it's fit he fhould do it, at least when first he receives the Holy Sacrament, and at other times, confefs fuch Sins, as he finds himself moft inclin'd to, and moft apt to harbour in his Bofom.

2. Thefe Confeffions must be accompanied, efpecially the Confeflions before the Sacrament, with aggravations of our Offences, and with fhame and confulion of Face. I joyn these two together, because aggravating of them is the caufe of that confufion, and be that reflects in his Confeffions, what light, what knowledge, what checks of Confcience, what motions of God's Spirit, what goodness of God, what mercy, what patience, what promifes, what threatnings he hath finn'd againft, what time he hath loft, what opportunities he hath ncglected, what a gracious, what a merciful God be hath offended, even love it felf, and sweetnefs, and beauty it felf, and what bleflings, what privileges, what advantages, what offers he hath flighted, will find himfelf obliged to have very low and mean thoughts of himself. This was the Publican's cafe, Luke 18. 13. who standing afar off, would not lift up fo much as his Eyes to Heaven, but fmote upon his Breast, faying, God be merciful to me a Sinner. He was afham'd and confounded. His Confcience told him, how unworthily he had dealt with his Creator, how ftrangely he had carried himfelf to God, his best and greatest Friend, how unthankful and how base he had been to his moft gracious Benefactor, and how ftrangely he had carried himfelf to the beft of Beings. He

was confounded with the thoughts of his vilenefs, and confcious of his guilt, he caft his Eyes to the ground, unable to look his offended Father in the Face. His Heart was full of Grief, Sorrow fate heavy on his Soul; and though his Tongue could not express his particular acts of injuftice, oppreffion, pride, anger, and greedinefs after the World, yet his Mind confefs'd them, thought of them, his Heart was ready to break at the difmal fight, and this was a very acceptable Confeffi

on.

3. Thefe Confeffions must be joyn'd with invincible purposes, to endeavour after a better and more Spiritual Temper. So the Wife Man tells us; He that confeffeth bis Sins and forfakes them, jhall find Mercy, Prov. 28. 13. Without this Qualification, our Confeffions are meer Lip-fervices, and receive not one gracious Look from above; nay, are accounted no better than Ifrael's Devotion, Hef. 10. 1. Ifrael is an empty Vine; He brings forth fruit unto himself: Why unto himself? The reafon is, becaufe, in that Fruit, he aim'd not fo much at God's Glory, as his own Profit: Nor was any Perfon the better for it; the Defign was Selfifh, it was just to fatisfie the prefent terror within, no love of God lay at the bottom; the ground of all was Self-love, and God had nothing to do with it. The fame may justly be faid of him that confeffes, but is not concern'd, whether his Flefa be fubdued to the Spirit, or not. Such a Confeffion is his own invention, it is not that Confeffion which God requires. If he confeffes, it must not be to himself, for God regards it not; and indeed, till this actual endeavour to forfake them is added to the Confeffion, our Sins continue still in God's Books of Accompt, look ftill as black as ever, not one of them is blotted out, for the Enmity against God is still maintain'd, and whilst that lafts, it naturally follows, that God and we cannot be Friends.

III. The fecond Act of judging our felves,is,upon this Confeffion to condemn our felves. And indeed, if the Soul be

truly

truly awake,and the Heart fincerely fenfible of its errors and miscarriages, the Penitent cannot but condemn himself and acknowledge, that the Judgments threatned in the Word of God, are due to him, and cry Ah! my God, and my Lord! who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death, from this confluence of Mifery! I have deferv'd with Adam, to be thrown out of Paradife, and to be for ever forbid eating of the Tree of Life! I have deferved to drown with the first World, or to be confumed for ever, as Sodom and Gomorrah. I have deferv'd the fudden and unnatural death of Nadab and Abihu; to be ftoned with Achan; to be struck with Leprofie, as Miriam; to be swallowed up alive by the Earth, as Dathan and Abiram. I have deferv'd Manaffeh's Prifon, and Zedekiah's Chains, and, what is morfe, the everlasting Chains of Darkness. I acknowledge, that I have deserved, it should be more tolerable for Infidels in the Great Day, than for me; for I have feen the mighty Works of God,and continu'd a Stranger to Repentance. I have deferv'd to be call'd upon at Midnight, as that careless Man, Thou Fool, this Night thy Soul fhall be requir'd of thee, and whose shall be, which thou haft provided? To this Wretch that is before thee, belongs nothing but Wrath and Indignation. On this Head of mine, thou mightest justly difcharge the Ordnance of Justice, and pour out the Vials of thy Wrath! On me thou mightest justly rain Snares, and Fire and Brimstone. I have deferv'd to be plagu'd with Difeafes, tormented with grievous pain, haunted by panick Terrors. If any of thefe Judgments do not fall upon me, it is thy Patience, not my Goodness, and I may wonder I have efcaped them all this while. I have deferved to be made a Prey to that Devil, whofe Temptations I have fwallowed with Greediness. Instead of rejoycing over me to build me up, thou mightest justly rejoyce over me to destroy me. Justly, O Lord, thou mightest fend upon me trembling of Heart, and fainting of Eyes, and forrow of Mind. I have deferved, that my Life fhould hang in doubt before me, that I fhould fear Day and Night; that in the Morning I should fay, Would God it were Even, and at Even,would God it were Morning. Mercy, Lord, I have deferved none. The Crumbs that fall