"ceit in the hearts of believers them"felves, lies oftentimes herein."*

When a profeffor of religion has fal len into drunkennefs, uncleannefs, or fome fuch odious vice, and wishes to shelter himfelf from the cenfures of his connections, you will often hear him alledge, "I have repented:" whereas it amounts to little more than the fhame and alarm above deferibed, as his after conduct very frequently proves. Indeed it is not of the nature of true repentance to talk of having repented, and efpecially for the purpofe of evading a faithful cenfure.

Fifthly, Though we should refrain from the open practice of the fin, and that for a continuance; yet if it be merely from prudential or felfifh confiderations, we may be certain that we have not yet repented of it.-Though we had no religion, and pre2 tended to none, we might find various inducements to refrain from grofs immoralities. They affect our intereft, our health, and our reputation: it is on fuch principles

* On The Mortification of sin in believers. Chap. V.

that mere worldly men will guard againft them; and if we act from the fame motives, wherein are we better than they? Or if the dread of future punishment may be fuppofed to have fome influence upon us, this is a very different thing from the fear of the Lord, which is to hate evil. And where the motives for abftaining from any evil are merely prudential, or felfish, we shall abstain from very little more than that which falls under the eye of creatures. Our watchfulness will refpect little if any thing more than outward actions. The daily care of our lives will be, not how we fhall please God, but how we shall conceal the prevailing difpofitions of our hearts from thofe about us. A tafk this as difficult as it is mean: for whatever occupies our thoughts and affections, will on various occafions, notwithstanding our utmost care, efcape us. Looks, geftures, manner of fpeaking and acting, as well as words and deeds themselves, betray what is predominant within. Hence it is that we generally deceive ourselves in these matters. We often fancy our character to be unknown when it is well known: and if it

were otherwise, all is naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Of this we may be certain, that while our chief concern is to hide our fins from those about us, fhould we be fummoned to give an account of our ftewardship, it will appear that we have finned, and not repented of our deeds; which, wherein it differs from going down to the grave with our guilt upon our heads, is difficult to fay.

Sixthly, If we take pleafure in talking of the evil, or in dwelling upon it in our thoughts, it is a certain fign of the fame thing. True repentance works in a way of filent fhame and felf abafement-That thou mayeft remember and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy fhame, when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou haft done, faith the Lord God.* When men can talk and even write of their former wicked courfes with lightnefs, it is a certain proof that whatever repentance they have had, they do not at present repent of it: and though nothing be faid or written, yet if fuch

Ezek. xvi. 63.

things occupy our thoughts, imaginations, and affections, it is much the fame. A mind full of this muft needs be lacking of thofe fpiritual exercifes which render us that we fall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift; and those that are fuch are fitly enough described as having forgot ten that they were purged from their old fins.* If old fins are thought of with new delight, they are reacted and perfifted in; and where this continues to be the cafe, the guilt of them muft remain upon us, and may be found upon our heads when we go down to the grave.

Laftly, If we trifle with temptation, or be not afraid of putting ourselves in the way of it, or even of being led into it, we may be certain that we at prefent have not repented of our fin.-It is a faying almoft grown into a proverb, He that is not afraid of temptation is not afraid of fin, and he that is not afraid of fin muft needs be in danger of being deftroyed by it. If after having been repeatedly drawn into fin by affociat

ing in certain companies, or engaging in certain purfuits, we can nevertheless run into them again without fear, we cannot poffibly have repented of our deeds. Nay more, though we fhould fear to plunge ourfelves into temptation, yet if when providence, brings us into fuch fituations and companies, our hearts fecretly rejoice in it, this is no lefs an evidence of our impenitent state than the other. True repentance will not only teach us to fhun the way of evil, but to be averfe to every avenue that leads to it. If therefore we either run into temptation, or are glad when we are led into it, we are beyond all doubt under the power of it.

ON THE INJURIOUS AND DANGEROUS EFFECTS OF SIN LYING UPON THE

CONSCIENCE UNLAMENTED.

It is a dangerous thing to fall into fin, whether fecretly or openly, and the effects of it, fooner or later, will certainly be felt; but to continue in it is much more fo. A very heavy threatening is denounced