reins and bearts; and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. How fhould this confideration deter us from finful thoughts! What confufion will cover us in that dreadful day, when all our pile thoughts fhall be laid open to the view of men and angels! And what terror will take hold of us, when Chrift fhall come to punish them! We fhall then be made to fee the numberlefs multitude of them, and the profpe&t thereof will fill us with fearful expectation of fiery indignation from the Lord to devour us.

3. Confider the great evil, that there is in finful thoughts. Some may think, that there is no evil at all in thoughts. And many do not imagine them to be great evils. Though they will acknowledge a finfulnefs in them, yet not fo great finfulness as there really is. But let us impartially confider them, and we shall fee an exceeding greatnefs of evil in them; we fhall see them to be very great fins; and not little fins, as we are apt to count them. This will appear to us, if we confider only this one thing, viz. Sinful thoughts are the root of all fins. They all fpring and grow up from this root. All fins begin with an evil thought. They are first thought of, then confented to, then acted, then habituated unto. All the wickedness that was ever committed in the world, owes its original to finful thoughts. If it had not been in the thought, it had never been brought into act. Evil thoughts, are the ring-leaders to all abominations. This is intimated to us in Mark vii. 21, 22, 23, From within, out of the beart of men, proceed evil thoughts (Thefe do firft proceed out of the heart; then follow other abominations, fuch as) adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetoufnefs, wickedness, deceit, lafcivioufnefs, an evil eye, blafphemy, pride, foolishness. All thefe evil things come from within. They are firft hatcht in the heart, in evil thoughts. And truly all thefe fins are only evil thoughts, uttered with the mouth, or acted in the life. So that evil thoughts, are radical fins. And therefore they are exceeding great fins. If then the greatnefs of fin's

evil, be an argument why we fhould forfake it, there is furely the higheft reafon that we should forfake finful thoughts, which have fuch greatnefs of evil in them.

4. Confider, A confcientious care to forfake finful thoughts, will be a good evidence of our fincerity. This will be one of the best proofs, of our being fincere, upright chriftians. An hypocrite, will look carefully to his vi-fible life and converfation. He will take heed to keep clear of outward grofs acts of fin. He feeks the praise of men, defires to be well thought and fpoken of. And therefore he labours to walk blamelefly and inoffenfively before men. Yet all this while, he is carelefs about keeping his beart pure and clean, which men can fee nothing of. But now, an upright man, is chiefly influenced unto an abstinence from fin, becaufe of the eye of God that is upon him. He is one that fets God before him, and is careful to approve himfelf principally unto God. And therefore he watches against fecret fins, and heart-fins, which he knows God takes notice of and will be difpleafed at. Herein he fhews himfelf to be one that walks uprightly with God. Pfal. xviii. 23. I was alfo upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. If then the eye of God upon our hearts, does make us keep a watchful eye over our hearts, to prevent the actings of finful thoughts therein, it will be a "good evidence, that our hearts are right with God. And if they are fo, God will look upon us with an eye lof love and favour. Pfal. xi. 7. The righteous Lord loveth righteoufness. His countenance doth behold the upright.

DocT. II. Sinners must not only forfake their finful ways and thoughts, but alfo return unto the Lord, in order to finding mercy with God. Says the text, Let him return unto the Lord. Converfion to Gud, is re(quifice to obtain mercy, as well as averfion from `fin. Bith of thefe are contained in true repentance, and are neceffary unto pardon. Hof. xiv: 1, 2. O Ifrael, return unto the Lord thy God: for thou haft failen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord, and fay unto

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bim, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously. If finners would find pardon and gracious acceptance with God, they must return to God...For explication, let two things be enquired into.

Queft. I. Under what notion fhould God be returned to by finners ?

Anfw. They fhould return to God as confidered under a threefold notion, viz. as their fupream Lord, their chief good, and their last end. à 90

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1. They should return to God," as their fupream Lord, God alone is the rightful Lord of man. He is man's maker, preferver, and benefactor; from whom man receives being, life, breath, and all things; and therefore he is molt juftly man's Ruler and King. God has an unquestionable right to dominion over the works of his own hands. This dominion of God, Adam difown ed and renounced by his firft apoftacy: and all his fallen pofterity, do herein take after him. They are naturally full of enmity against God, and refufe to te fubject unto him. Rom. viii. 7. They have chofen other lords to ferve, even, the Devil and their own lufts. Thefe they fer up in the place of God, and yield fabjection unto. Fob viii. 44. Te are of your father, the Devil; and the lufts of your father ye will do.---Tit. ii. 37 We ourselves were fometimes difobedient, ferving divers lufts and pleafures.Now it is the duty of finners, to renounce thefe lords, and to return to their allegiance to God, and become his fervants. Rom. vi. 13. Neither yield ye your members as inftruments of unrighteousness unto fin; but yield your felves unto God. Their language Thould be that in Ifai. xxvi. 13. O Lord our God, other Lords befides thee have bad dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name: i. e. by thy grace we will own ourfelves to be thy fervants, and make mention of thee as our true Lord and Sovereign, and S'out' t will worship and praife thy name. That call of God they fhould answer, Fer. iii. 22. Return, ye backsliding children. Behold, we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God.

God, in their number and aggravations... And as we fhould thus confefs our fins against God, fo likewife our unworthiness of mercy from God. Our fins do make us wholly unworthy of any favour. This we fhould be fenfible of, and readily acknowledge unto God. Thus the Prodigal, Luk. xv. 21. I have finned against heaven and in thy fight, and am no more worthy to be called thy Jon. No mercy can be expected from God, if we do not thus own our finfulness and our unworthinefs.

Anfw. 2. With humiliation for fin. Meer confeffion of fin, is not enough, in order to find mercy with God. It must be attended with deep humiliation; or it will not be pleafing to God. Pharaoh confeffed his fin, once and again, but his heart was not humbled, and fo he perifhed in his pride and obftinacy. A truly returning finner, is heartily forry for his fin, and lothes him felf on the account of his fins. Thus the penitent Publican stood afar off, and would not lift up fo much as his eyes towards beaven, but fmote on his breaft. Luk. xviii 13. Thefe were indications of his great contrition, felf abafement, and indignation against himself for what he had done. I hus alfo, when Ephraim returned to God, he did it with felf abafement; Jer. xxxi. 18. He bitterFy bewailed his fins against God. So when we return unto God, it fhould be with great lamentation and mourning for fin, as the greateft evil. Foel ii, 12. Turn to me with all your heart, with weeping, and with mourningSuch fowing in tears, is the way to reap in joy Pfal. exxvi. 5.

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"Anfw. 3. With fupplications to God for mercy and grace. Our confeffion of fin, and humiliation for fin, must be accompanied with fervent prayers for pardoning mer ey and fanctifying grace. For both of these we must make our requeft tobGod, We must beg pardoning mercy of God. Thus did the penitent Publican Luk xviii. 13. God, he merciful to me a finner. This is what God himself has directed. us to pray for, Hof. xiv. 2. Take with you words, and turn unto the Lord, and fay unto himp take away all iniquity---And not only muft we ask bob

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for pardon, but alfo for renewing grace, that we may be meet to ferve and glorify God for the future. Thus did repenting Ephraim. Jer. xxxi. 18. Turn thou me, and I ball be turned; for thou art the Lord my God. We Thould be as folicitous to be fanctified, as to be juftified, This will be our earnest defire, if we return to God aright. We shall bunger, and thirst after righteousness; and cry mightily to God, that he would make us holy, both in heart and life. We fhall not be willing any longer to live and walk in the ways of fin; but, be defirous to ferve God in righteoufnefs and holiness all the days of our lives.

Anfw. 4. With reliance on the mediation of Jefus Chrift. The next and immediate object of converfion, is the Lord Jefus Chrift. He is God-man, mediator, a middle perfon between God and finners; and we are nextly to come to him, and by him unto God. Joh. xiv. 6. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Eph. ii. 18. Through him, we have an access unto the Father. Heb. vii. 25. He is able to fave to the uttermoft them that come to God by him. 'Tis by his mediation alone, that we come to God, and find mercy and favour with God. We muft therefore return to God, depending on the fatisfaction and interceffion of Jefus Chrift, for the obtaining pardon and grace from God. We fhould not truft to our confeffions, or humiliations, or prayers, though these are good in their place but all our truft must be in the merits and mediation of Jefus Chrift. This is the gofpel-way of coming to God, and receiving bleffings from God. Out of this way, there is no hope of enjoying God; but in this way, we may hope to have God for our everlasting friend and portion.

APPLICATION.

USE. r. We hence learn, that a meer abftinence from fin is no evidence of real faving converfion. Sinners are apt to think, that if they be reformed, they are really converted. If they have forfaken thefe and thofe fins,