have really a hearty Senfe of Religion upon their Minds: and therefore to be fure can never be guilty of fuch grofs, wilful criminal Omiffions, as I have now mentioned. And that, which they defire to be fatisfy'd in, is not how far they may neglect their Duty; but, after they have done all they can towards the Performance of it, whether they have yet fo forfaken their Sins, as to be in a State of Repentance? Now as to that, I fay, fo long as they do not live in known Sins of Commiffion, the Omiffions they may be frequently guilty of, will not, I hope, hinder them from being true Penitents, and in a State of Salvation.

But, Thirdly and Laftly, Befides what we have faid about known, open Sins, we must alfo, in order to the Refolution of the Queftion before us, confider another Thing, and that is, Whether they be Habitual or no? And for the finding of that, we must have regard to the Frequency, or Infrequency of them. Every Act of Sin does not make a Habit; and a known Sin may be more than once committed, and yet not be Customary.

If a Man do fincerely endeavour to mortify, or to forfake his known, open Sins, tho' he does not leave them at once, and for altogether, yet if he gains Ground of them, and commits them feldomer and feldomer ; even fuch a Man may be faid to have entered into the State of Repentance. And, tho' he has not attained to that Strength and Perfec

tion

tion which the Gospel proposes, and which, if he continue his Endeavours, there is no doubt but he will arrive to; yet in the mean time, he is in a very good Way. And, if he should die before his Work be accomplished, yet, having the true Seeds and Principles of Regeneration, or Repentance in him, I fhould not doubt but God would accept him as a fincere Penitent, and receive him to his Mercy.

These are the Things that I had to reprefent, in order to the anfwering this Question, What fort of forfaking of Sins is neceffary to true Repentance; and which every Man is to examine himself about, if he would upon good Grounds fatisfy himself, whether the Sins he is guilty of, in the Course of his Life, be confiftent with it, or no.

The Sum of all, that I have faid upon this Head, is this: If a Man upon fuch an Examination, can fatisfy himself, as to thefe following Particulars; namely,

Firft, That he doth in the Course of his Life, fincerely apply his Mind and Endeavours to mortify every evil Affection, and to live in an uniform Obedience to all God's Commandments.

And, Secondly, That the Sins he is guilty of, are not grofs, wilful, deliberate Crimes; but rather the Effects of Inconfideration, or Surprize, or a fudden Temptation. rather And, Thirdly, That they do not confift in the Irregularities of the Defires, and Appetites,

N 4

petites, and Paffions of his Mind, than in the cuftomary Gratification of those Appetites and Paffions in his Actions.

And, Fourthly, That they are mostly Matters of Omiffion of his Duty, and not fo much expreffed in Inftances forbidden by God's Laws.

And, Lastly, That of what Nature foever they be, tho' he has not actually fubdued them, and got the Victory over them, yet he gains Ground upon them, and doth not fo frequently repeat them; and when he doth, it is in fmaller Inftances, and upon greater Temptations, and with lefs Interruptions of his religious Course.

I fay, whofoever can fatisfy himself, that the Sins he is moft frequently guilty of in the Course of his Life, are of this Nature, and fall under these Circumftances; fuch a Perfon needs not in the leaft doubt, but that, for all them, he is in the State of Repentance, and fhall find Mercy with his heavenly Father,

God Almighty grant to us all true Repentance, and his Holy Spirit, that the rest of our Life hereafter may be Pure and Holy, fo that at the last we may come to his Eternal Foy, thro' Jefus Chrift our Lord: To whom, &c.

SER

185

SERMON IX.

HEB. X. 26, 27.

For if we fin wilfully, after that we have received the Knowledge of the Truth, there remaineth no more Sacrifice for Sins, but a certain fearful looking-for of Judgment, and fiery Indignation, which shall devour the Adverfaries.

H

AVING already spoken to several Points, which, thro' their being not well understood, have much encreased, if not caufed the Affliction of a great many good Chriftians, fuch as are troubled in Mind upon a religious Account; I fhall now proceed to another Head of Things, which is often the Occafion of much Trouble and Perplexity to thofe Perfons, who are under the Power of this fort of Melancholy.

And that is, their misunderstanding two or three Texts of Scripture, which speak of a fort of Sins, for which there feems to be no Repentance allowed, and which shall never be forgiven to the Man that is guilty of

them;

them; which Sins yet, they are often miferably afraid, that they themselves have committed.

Thefe Sins are, Firft, The wilful Sin, fpoken of by St. Paul, in the Words I have now read unto you, for which he fays, there remains no more Satisfaction, but a fearful Expectation of Judgment, and fiery Indig

nation.

Secondly, The Sin unto Death, spoken of by St. John, as to which he feems to fay, we ought not fo much as to pray for the Perfon that is guilty of it.

And Thirdly, The Sin against the Holy Ghoft, fpoken of by our Saviour; which he faith, ball never be forgiven in this World, nor in the World to come. Of these three

Texts therefore, and the Sins therein spoken of, I fhall now give an Account. And I begin with the First of them, to which I shall confine my felf at this time.

to

It is no Wonder that this Text is fo apt fright weak Perfons; for indeed it seems to declare fo feverely against all forts of Men, that either are, or have been, wilful Sinners after Baptifm (as God knows the greatest part of Chriftian Profeffors have been) as to leave little Hopes of the Forgiveness and Favour of God Almighty, even after their beft Repentance.

But I doubt not to give fuch an Account of this Text, as will fatisfy the most scrupulous Perfon in this Matter. And, in order there