confeffions, as in Luke xv. 18. "Father, I have finned against heaven, and before thee?" Alas, I have wronged a kind and loving father, whofe goodness towards me hath been as the dropping dew: Ah, I have pierced my compaffionate Redeemer, and crucified him over again by my fins; and, what do I deferve at his hands ?"

Again, What are the effects and fruits of your repentance? Doth it beget in you a vehement hatred and indignation against fin, and a watchfulness to prevent it. Wherever there is true repentance, there will be a hearty averfion to fin. As a burnt child will dread the fire, so a Chriftian, who hath truly repented of fin, is fo fenfible of the weight of fin, and the wrath of God, that he is refolved never more to touch these burning coals. David, who before his repentance had his confcience fo hardened, that he could even drink the blood of Uriah; yet, after his repentance, his confcience was so tender, that he refufed fo much as to drink of that water which had been but the occafion of hazarding mens lives.

And, lafly, Doth thy repentance work in thee a holy revenge against fin? Doft thou look upon it as the enemy of God, the murderer of Chrift, and deftroyer of thy foul?, and, upon that account, that it doth not deserve to live? It was Efau's expreffion, Gen. xxvii. 41. " The days of mourning for my father are at hand; and then will I flay my brother Jacob." But fay thou, O communicant, "The days of mourning for the death of my dear Saviour, and everlafting Father, are come; and now will I flay my most beloved lufts, now will I be revenged on them for feeking to rob me of my fpiritual birth-right, and wrong me of my eternal bleffing, and, which is worse, for actual crucifying of my glorious Redeemer. Shall fin be fuffered to live in my foul, that would not suffer my Saviour to live in the world? A. way with it, away with it; crucify it, crucify it." By fuch marks as thefe, try the fincerity of your repent

ance.

As for the trial of your love, defires, fpiritual appetites, new obedience, and other graces, feeing! have no new thing here to add, I refer you to Sacr. Cat. (first edit.) po 193. &c.

Some

Some objections of doubting Chriflians, relative to the former doctrine answered.

Object. I. " BY what I have heard (may fome fay) I fear I am not fit nor prepared for this folemn ordinance; and it being a thing fo dangerous to come to it unpreparedly, I tremble and fear to go forward to that holy

table

Anf. 1. Did you always keep the fear of God in your fouls, preparation-work would be lefs painful, and an approach to God less frightful than now it is: For then you might go to the Lord's table with holy fear and reverence, and flavith fear would not fo much haunt you. Did you keep more at a diftance froin fin, and fear to do what God has forbidden, you would not fo much fear to do what he hath commanded.

2dly, Though you be not so prepared for this ordinance as you defire, yet if you fincerely make confcience of preparation work, and do your utmost to get yourself ready, you ought to go forward in obedience to God's command, Do this in remembrance of me. I know there are not a few exercised Chriftians brought to great straits betwixt a sense of their unfitnefs, and the obligation of God's command, fo that they know not what to do; their fears and difcouragements are fo great, they are like to be overwhelmed with them. But let fuch mind the word of the Lord to the children of Ifrael, when they were in great perplexity at the Red-fea, and their hearts finking for fear, Exod. xiv. 15. "And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Speak unto the children of Ifrael that they go forward." Forward, might they fay, (and the deep fea before us) as good go backward to the Egyptians, or ftand ftill and let them come up and put us to the fword, as go forward into the fea, and be drowned; furely, the deep fea will have no mercy on us more than the Egyptians. But, for all this, Speak to the children of Ifrael (faith the Lord) that they go forward. Let them obey my commandment, and truft me with their lives. Here is encouragement to the doubting believer, that in all fincerity makes preparation for this ordinance, though

he

he hath many doubts about his right to it, and great fears about the event of the duty: The Lord bids us fpeak to fuch a man, that he go forward; let him obey God's commandment, truft God for his through-bearing and fuccefs.

Object. II. "But (faith another) none should come to this table, but they who are in a state of grace; and I apprehend I have no grace, I cannot lay claim to any of the marks of grace before mentioned, and, particu Jarly, I want faith in Jefus Chrift; and, how fhall I go to the Lord's table ?"

Anf. There may be true grace and true faith in a foul, fincere and acceptable before God, though yet the degrees of it may be fo fmall, and the operations of it fo weak, that it can hardly be difcerned by us. Now, though you cannot lay claim to the foregoing marks, yet fee if you can at least answer to the following queftions:

ft, Do you not see yourself undone and loft for ever without Christ, and that none but Chrift can fave you, and you never refolve to look to any other?

2dly, Are you not grieved for the fins that have undone you, and would as willingly be free of them, as ever a fick man would be free of his fickness, or a prifoner of his chains?

3dly, Do ye not confcientiously practise whatever you are convinced to be your duty, and dare not omit it when you know it? Do ye not fincerely aim at prayer, fearching the fcriptures, mourning, meditations, and other duties?

4thly, As you dare not omit these duties, can you fay alfo, that you dare not reft in them, nor rely on them, because you see your prayers for pardon have need of pardon, and your tears for fin have need themselves of being washed in the blood of Chrift?

5thly, Do you unfeignedly defire Chrift, and hunger and thirst for him and for his righteousness, as that which only can be fufficient to cover the nakedness of your fouls? Are you willing to accept of him on any terms, willing that he fhould fanctify as well as fave you, bring

you

you to obedience as well as to glory? Doth your judgement value Chrift above all, and doth your will chufe him before all things? If you doubt whether you love him, yet tell me whether you would love him if you could? If you doubt whether you have already received him, yet tell me whether you are unfeignedly willing to receive him? Then thefe are fome degrees of grace, fome workings of faith, well-pleafing in God's fight; and, do you cherish and improve them in the use of God's appointed means, they will increase.

Object. III. "But (faith one) we are required to draw near to God with a true heart, in full affurance of faith; and how can I be accepted, who have a heart full of fears and doubts ?"

Anf. 1. The affurance of faith is indeed to be fought and endeavoured by all in their approaches to God, but yet it is not the attainment of every believer in his approaches to God: For there are fome who have come to him with much fear, and yet have gone away with much comfort, Mark v. 32. the woman that had the bloody iffue came fearing and trembling, and fell down before Chrift; and yet Chrift faid to her, ver. 34: Daughter, ge in peace: the came to Chrift in fear, and yet went away in peace

2. The best course we can take, under a burden of fears and perplexities, is to go with them to Jefus Christ. for relief. David, when he was overwhelmed therewith, gets to the "Rock that was higher than he," Pfal. lxi. 2. and on this rock he lays all his burdens, and founds all his hopes. O believer, your rock Chrift is higher than you, higher than all your enemies, higher than all your fears and temptations; he is fufficiently able to overmatch them all. Get yourfelves to this ftrong Rock, and fhelter your fouls in the clefts thereof.

Object. IV. "But (faith another) I have little hope of meeting with Chrift at his tabs; and what should fuch a hopeless creature do there?"

Anf. ft. It is indeed the duty of all believers to come to this ordinance with raised hopes and expectations of

meeting

meeting with Chrift; for ordinarily "his mercy is upon us according as we hope in him," Pfal. xxxiii. 22. Yet,

2dly, A believer may fometimes meet with Chrift, when he has leaft hopes to find him. Forary, when fhe met with Chrift, John xx 15. and supposed he had been the gardener, and had enquired of him as such for Chrift, the had little hope; for, before he answered her, the turned herself from him, and thought it wholly needless to stand talking with him about finding Christ; and this appears by her turning herself to him, as we are told fhe did, when he fpake the word that gave her comfort. Chrift called her by her name, Mary, and made himfeif known to her, juft when he had turned from him as hopeless of finding him. It is good, then, O difcouraged communicant, to be in ufe of means, fearching and trying yourself, and making preparation for this ordinance, however fmall your hopes may be of fuccefs: For a poor foul may fometimes find Chrift, when he hath least hopes of doing fo. "Or ever I was aware (faith the spouse) my foul made me like the cha riots of Amminadab," Cant. vi. 12.

DIRECT. IX. Set time apart for deep humiliation and mourning for your fins, before you approach to the Lord's table.

HAVING found out veur fins by felf-examination, as before directed, you ought to be deeply humbled for them, and ingenuously confefs them before the Lord in fecret; and, that you may speed the better in this work, join falling with your humiliation, for we are commanded to turn to the Lord (Joel ii. 12.) with fofing, with weeping, and with mounting,

Fating, fo far as the state of the body and health will allow, is one of God's appointed means for removing that drowtiness and heaviacis, that dulness and deadnels et fpirit, which we are otherwile fiable to; and alfo for bringing the body more in subjechon to the foul, and Exing both for the better performance of holy cuties, as moddation, prayor, reading, hearing, examining, judg

ing