Understandings, and is the only way to prevent their falling into the Vices of the Age; and if any thing,next to the Grace of God, can be a Charm against Infection from a debauch'd and irreligious World, this is most likely to be it; I mean, this Self-Examination, joyn'd with the Holy Sacrament, for which it is intended, as a proper Preparative.

III. It is not enough, that another Person hath examined us, or doth examine us; but we our felves muft take pains in it. Minifters, and Parents, and Friends, by examining of us, may be able to give us very good Directions, and excellent Inftructions, how we are to order our Conversation; but to all this must be added our own Labour and Diligence, to fee whether we obferve those Directions, whether they are acceptable to us, how we relish them, and whether we intend to act accordingly. Up then, Chriftian, and try thy Ways: Be not afraid of Labour. Labour and Food, faith Philo, have the fame Virtue; for, as upon Food a Man's whole Life depends, fo upon Labour alfo depends all that a Man can call good. Therefore, as they that will prolong Life, do not neg. lect their Food; fo he that defires any real or folid Good, must not be afraid of Labour. As Meat is very troublefom and burthenfome to a weak Stomach, that hath but little Natural Heat; fo to him that hath but little Love to Chrift, this Labour of Self-Examination will be burthenfome. But, Chriftian, as thou haft the greatest reafon to love the Lord Jefus, fo, if thou loveft him to any purpose,both this and other Labours will appear ve ry eafie; for Love will make them fo. See therefore, and enquire, how Concerns ftand betwixt God and thine own Soul. Shall thy Reafon lie ufelefs? Shall that excellent Faculty be employ'd in searching into the Accounts of thy Shop, and not into the State of thy better Part? Is it not worth knowing whether thou art of God, or a Child of the Devil? And whether thou hadst rather grovel in the Duft, like a Muck-worm, or elevate thy Soul, and fix it upon Objects which Angels

defire to pry into? Hath God given thee Power to examine thy felf, and wilt thou neglect that Power? Though thou canst not Read nor Write, yet thou canst think, and think whether thy Life be according to the Holy Rules, which are obferved by other confcientious Christians. Through this Examination thou mayst come to fee, what God hath done for thy Soul; and if he hath planted there an abhorrence of that which is evil, and a strong affection to that which is good, how joyfully mayft thou come to this Holy Table, and expect, that God will pour Water upon him that is Thirsty, and Floods upon the dry Ground, and that thon shalt Spring up, as among the Grafs, and as the Willows by the Water-Courses, Ifai. 44.3, 4. He that comes to be acquainted with himself at the fame time, comes to be acquainted with God the Father, and his Son Jefus Chrift. This is true Policy; and as he is the greateft Politician in Temporals, that fees afar off, and confiders the events of things,and upon what Causes they depend, and gives Counsel accordingly; fo he is the greatest Politician in Spirituals, that studies himself,acquaints himself with his ownheart; for fuch a Perfon looks further than his present Profit, and fenfible how this felf-acquaintance will be valu'd one day, counfels himself to be expert in that Wifdom; for it is certain, that in the laft day not the great Scholarship of Men, nor their improving of Arts and Sciences, not their Skill in various Languages, not their Ability to difcourfe well, not their Volubility of Tongue, not their Rhetorical and Eloquent Speaking, not their profound Philofophy, nor their diving into the Secrets of Nature will be much admired. These things did well for this World, and might be serviceable to various Sorts and Degrees of Men: But if Perfons, with all these Accomplishments about them, overlook'd their own Hearts, cherished Weeds and Vices there, and would take no notice of them, their Parts and Learning will not ftand them in great ftead in that Day of Retribution. The poor Chriftian that ranfack'd his Soul often,turn'd over the Leaves of his Confcience,

that fpiritual Book, on purpose to fee his own Spots an Stains, and wash himself clean, out of an holy Emu tion of the Purity of the Lord Jefus, he will be count at laft the most prudent Man, that had the quickest E and a Sight fharper than an Eagle; for, as this gi him a Title to all that Chrift hath purchafed, and rich Bleffings laid up for him in this Holy Sacrame fo, in the last Day, it gives him full Poffeffion of all Trophies of Christ's Victory.

The PRAYER.

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God! Thou feeft the fecret Receffes of my Soul: I may hide my felf from my felf, yet I cannot hid felf from thee, whofe Sight is not darkned by the Night, ftopp'd by any Object intervening, nor hindred by Wa Brafs, nor weaken'd with the Greatness of the Distance Lord! Thou hast commanded me to examine my felf, Search into the Sins and Errors of my Life! What have; and how many there be that rife against me, that Swallow up my Soul, and devour it, that I may fecur felf against their Rage, by taking Sanctuary at the Dea my ever bleffed Redeemer, the Lord Jesus! O Lord, very apt to do thy Work negligently, I am apt to do halves, and fuperficially, and without any regard to its and Moment! Thou that knoweft my Dulness, Back nefs, and my Hypocrifie, deliver me, I beseech thee, from felf, and make me partake of that Light, whereby meanest to discover the Sins of Men in the last Day, they come to appear before thy Tribunal. By that Light will fee every Deformity, every Enormity, every Exorbita of their Outward and Inward Man. That will discover them, what they have long ago forgotten, and manifes them, what, for many Years, they have not thought of. T will fhew them every Error of their Lives, to their Conf and Amazement. That will make them fee their Faults, evidently, and fo diftinctly, that they will not be able to d them, but be forced to render themselves Prifoners to thy

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ftice. That will undeceive them in their fond Opinions of their Sins, and pull away the Vernish they have put upon them, and make them appear in their native Hue and Blacknefs. Oh! vouchfafe me that Light in fome measure now, that I may not deceive mine own Soul. Make me Partaker, withal, of the Zeal of thy Justice, and of that Hatred thou bearest against Sin, that I may hate my Sins, as thou doft hate them. I defire to do all things in thy Name, and by thy Affiftance. I would willingly come to that Sincerity thou fo much delighteft in. Oh! Guide my Steps; and if I take falfe Meafures, put me in the right Way again. Oh! Let me not fwerve from thy Commandments. Let my Confufion be continually before me, that I may humble my felf under thy mighty Hand, and may be exalted in due time, through Jefus Christ our Lord, Amen.

CHAP. XXIV.

Of judging our felves, the Third Preparative Duty, in order to our worthy Receiving the Blessed Sacrament.

The CONTENTS.

Judging our felves, contains three Acts; Confeffion of Sin, Self-Condemnation, and inflicting Judgments on our felves. The Nature of thefe Acts explain'd. This judging our felves, prov'd to be pleafing to God. What it is that makes it fo. Confeffion of Sins, if rightly perform'd, is a great Work. Men are loth to confefs thofe Sins, which they are loth to leave. Carnal Men wonder

at the great ftir, that fome Penitents make. In inflicting Judgments on our Selves, the Word of God must be made our Rule. The Prayer.

Mention this Judging of our felves, as a Duty

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preparatory for the Holy Sacrament, because it is certain, that St. Paul makes it fo. I Cor. 11. 31. If we would judge our felves, we should not be judged. God's judging of us, or proceeding to Judgment against us, hath in all Ages appeared very terrible to good Men, because it speaks his Anger, and it is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the Living God, Heb. 10. 31. And therefore David doth fo often deprecate God's Judgment, particularly, Pfal. 143. 2. Enter not into Judgment with thy Servant, for in thy fight no Man living fhall be justified: And Pfal. 119. 120. My flesh trembles for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy Judgments. And Pfal. 66. 3. How terrible art thou in thy Works, or Judgments! and though, Pfal. 26. 1. he prays, Judge me, O God, yet by that, he N means no more, than that God would plead his Caufe, and vindicate his Innocence, which was abused, befpat- P ter'd, and opprefs'd by his Enemies. God's judging a of us, differs very much from judging our felves; and t] when we are exhorted to judge our felves, it is not to oblige us, to beg of God to fend Judgments upon us; but it is to do fomething whereby the Judgment of God, we have deserv'd,may be prevented and averted; and upon attending to the fcope and drift of the Apostle in that Advice, we fhall find that it confifts, partly in accufing our felves, and confeffing our Faults, partly in condemn-D ing our felves for the Faults we have committed, and partly in exercising Acts of Justice, and executing Judgment upon our felves, of which we are to fpeak in order.

II. The First act of judging our felves, is, confeffing our Sins, and accufing our felves, an A&t very proper after Self-Examination; confeffing, I mean, fuch Sins, as upon ftri& Examination, we find our felves to have been guilty of, without being afraid of giving our felves

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