have believed in Christ, might be careful to maintain good works, these things are good and profitable unto

Neo. But, sir, what if I should not purpose, desire, and endeavor to yield obedience to all the ten commandments, as you say the Lord requires; what then?

Evan. Why then, although it is true you have no cause to fear that God will proceed against you as a wrathful judge against a malefactor; yet have you cause to fear that he will proceed against you as a displeased father against an offending child; that is to say, although you have no cause to fear that he will unjustify you, and unson you, and deprive you of your heavenly inheritance, and inflict the penalty of the law of works upon you, and so condemn you; for saith the apostle, "There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus," Rom. 8: 1. Yet have you cause to fear that he will hide his fatherly face, and withdraw the light of his countenance from you; and that your conscience will ever be accusing and disquieting you, which if it do, then will you draw back, and be afraid to ask any thing of God in prayer; for even as a child whose conscience tells him that he has angered and displeased his father, will be unwilling to come into his father's presence, especially to ask of him any thing he wants, even so it will be with you; and besides, you shall be sure to be whipped and scourged with many bodily and temporal chastisements and corrections, according to that which is said concerning Jesus Christ and his seed, even true believers, and justified persons, Psal. 99: 30-33. "If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if they break my statutes, and walk not in my commandments, then will I visit their transgressions with the rod, and their iniquities with stripes. Nevertheless, my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail."

Wherefore, neighbor Neophitus, to apply these things a little more closely to you, and so to conclude, Let me exhort you when you come home, call to mind and consider every commandment, according as you have heard them this day expounded, and resolve to endeavor your. self to do thereafter; and always take notice how and

wherein you fail and come short of doing what is required, and of avoiding what is forbidden; and especially be careful to do this when you are called to humble yourself before the Lord, in fasting and prayer, and upon occa sion of going to receive the sacrament of the Lord's sup per, and so shall you make a right use of the law.

Neo. And, sir, why would you have me more especially to take notice of my sins, when I am called to humble myself before the Lord in fasting and prayer?

Evan. Because the more sinful you see yourself to be, the more humble will your heart be; and the more humble your heart is, the more fit you will be to pray, and the more the Lord will regard your prayers, wherefore upon occasion of some heavy and sore affliction, either felt, or feared to come upon yourself, or some sore judgment and calamity either felt, or feared to come upon the na tion, or place where you live, the Lord calleth you to humble yourself, in fasting and prayer, then do you thereupon take occasion to meditate and consider seriously what duties are required, and what sins are forbidden in every one of the ten commandments, and then consider how many of those duties you have omitted, and how many of those sins you have committed; consider also the sinful manner of performing those duties you have performed, and the base and sinful self-ends which you have had in the performance of them; consider also how many sinful corruptions there are in your heart, which break not forth in your life, and the disposition of heart which you have naturally to every sin which you do not commit; and then consider that although the sins which you do now commit, are not a transgression of the law of works, because you are not now under the law, Rom. 6: 14. yet are they a transgression of the law of Christ, because you are still under that law, 1 Cor. 9: 31. And though they be not committed against God, standing in relation to you as a wrathful Judge, yet have they been committed against him as he stands in relation to you, as a merciful and loving Father; and though they subject you not to the wrath of a judge, nor to the penalty of the law of works, yet they subject you to the anger and displeasure of a loving Father, and to the penalty of the law of Christ.

Whereupon draw near unto God by prayer, saying unto him after this manner:

*

“O MERCIFUL and loving Father, I acknowledge that the sins which I did commit before I was a believer, were a transgression of the law of works, because I was then under that law; yea, and that they were committed against thee, as thou stoodest in relation to me as a Judge, and that therefore thou mightest most justly have inflicted the curse or penalty of the law of works upon me, and so have cast me to hell; but seeing that thou hast enabled me to believe the gospel, viz. That thou hast been pleased to give thine own Son Jesus Christ to undertake for me, to become my surety, to take my nature upon him, and to be made under the law, to redeem me from under the law,† and to be made a curse for me, to redeem me from the curse, and to reconcile me unto thee by his death. Now, I know it standeth not with thy justice to proceed against me by virtue of the law of works, and so to cast me to hell. Nevertheless, Father, I know that the sins which I have committed since I did believe, have been a transgression of the law of Christ, because I am still under that law: yea, and I do acknowledge that they have been committed against thee, even against thee, my most gracious, merciful and loving Father in Jesus Christ, and that it is therefore meet thou shouldest express thy fatherly anger and displeasure towards me, for these sins which thy law hath discovered unto me, in bringing this affliction upon me, or this judgment upon the place or nation wherein I live: howbeit, Father, I knowing that thy fatherly anger towards thy children is never mixed with hatred, but always with love; and that in afflicting them, thou never intendest any satisfaction to thine own justice, but their amendment, even the purging out the remainders of those sinful corruptions which are still in them, and conforming them to thine own image; I therefore come unto thee this day to humble myself before thee, and to call upon thy name, not for any need nor

* Observe in this language, the appropriating nature of saving faith.

+ Gal. 4: 4. and 7: 13. Rom. 5:10.

power that I conceive I have to satisfy thy justice, or to appease thy eternal wrath, and to free my soul from hell; for that I believe Christ hath fully done for me already: but I do it in hopes thereby to pacify thy fatherly anger and displeasure towards me, and to obtain the removal of this affliction or judgment which I feel or fear: wherefore I beseech thee to pardon and forgive these my sins, which have been the procuring cause thereof; yea, I pray thee not only to pardon them, but also to purge them, that so this may be all the fruit, even the taking away of sin, and making me partaker of thy holiness; and then, Lord remove this affliction or judgment when thy will and pleasure is."

And thus have I showed you the reason why I would have you more especially to take notice of your sins; when you come to humble yourself before the Lord in fasting and prayer.

Neo. And, sir, why would you have me to take notice of my sins, upon occasion of my going to receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper?

Evan. Because the more sinful you see yourself to be, the more need you will see yourself to have of Christ; and the more need you see yourself to have of Christ, the more you will prize Christ, and the more you prize Christ, the more you will desire him, and the more you do desire Christ, the more fit and worthy receiver you will be.

Wherefore when you are determined to receive the sacrament, then take occasion to examine yourself as the apostle exhorts you; behold the face of your souls in the glass of the law, lay your heart and life to that rule, as I directed you before; then think with yourself, and commune with your own heart, saying in your heart after this manner, though I believe that all these my sins are for Christ's sake freely and fully pardoned and forgiven, so as that I shall never be condemned for them, yet do I not so fully and comfortably believe it as I ought, but am sometimes apt to question it: and besides, though my sins have not dominion over me, yet I feel them too prevalent in me, and I would fain have more power and strength against them; I would fain have my graces stronger, and

my corruptions weaker; wherefore I knowing that Christ in the sacrament of the Lord's supper doth seal up unt me the assurance of the pardon and forgiveness of all my sins; yea, and knowing that the death and bloodshed of Jesus Christ which is there represented, has in it both a pardoning and a purging virtue: yea, and knowing that the more fully I apprehend Christ by faith, the more strength of grace, and power against curruptions I shall feel. Wherefore I will go to partake of that ordinance, in hope that I shall there meet with Jesus Christ, and apprehend him more fully by faith, and so obtain both more assurance of the pardon of my sins, and more power and strength against them, which the Lord grant you for Christ's sake. And thus having also showed you the reason why I would have you more especially take notice of your sins before you come to receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper, I will now take my leave of you: for my other occasions do call me away.

Neo. Well, sir, I do acknowledge, that you have taken great pains both with my neighbor and me this day, for which I give you many thanks. And yet I must entreat you to do the like courtesy for me which you promised my neighbor Nomologista, and that is, at your leisure, to write me out a copy of the conference we have had this day.

Evan. Well neighbor Neophitus, I shall think of it, and it may be, accomplish your desire. And so the God