66 66 66 66 4 66 Opportunities which they once had,, but "can never again recover; and which you now have, but are too apt to miffpend and trifle away: Not confidering this Life is the only Opportunity "for tranfacting the great Affair of Eternity; and that though it is now in your "Power to be happy, yet it will not be always fo; for your Day will end, and your Night will come. And therefore it highly concerns you, to employ the prefent Time well, and to work whilft it is "called to Day, before the Night cometh, "when no Man can work. Confider feri 66 66 oufly of thefe Things, and, by the Grace "of God, they will work upon your "Heart, and make it more humble, more "confiderate, more difpofed for Repent"ance and Devotion, and more fufceptible "of divine Impreffions. 2dly, "After you have fo long confidered "of thefe Things, as to be affected with them, fet yourself as in the Prefence of 66 Almighty God who knoweth all Things, "and carefully examine into the State and "Condition of your Soul. For which Purpose you may use the Heads of Ex"amination that follow, or fuch other as you find better fuited to your Condi 66 I 6 ❝tion; ❝tion: And where you find you have of. "fended God, you ought forrowfully to "confefs and bewail your having fo done, "and refolve by his Grace to amend for "the future. "For you are to confider, Examination "is in order to attain a true and diftinct Knowledge of yourself, and the Actions "" of your past Life; and especially to bring "your Sins to Remenbrance, with all their aggravating Circumstances: So that confidering the Folly of them, and the evil Confequence thereof, you may be "brought to a Hatred and Abhorrence of "them; to a hearty Sorrow for them, and thorough Purpofe of forfaking them. "And moreover, Examination is in order "to recollect what Temptations have usu ally prevailed on you, and to confider "before-hand, whether the fame, or what "other, are, or may be most liable to pre vail, fo that you may arm yourself "against them by holy Refolutions, and Watchfulnefs, and Circumfpection; and "alfo to try the Temper and Difpofition "of your Mind and Heart, whether you are fo refigned, contented, and humble, nd have fuch Love and Charity, and 66 other holy Difpofitions, as the Gof “ pel 66 pel requires; that if you have not, you may endeavour, by the Affiftance of "God's Grace, to attain them: And also 86 66 may take up fuch holy Refolutions, that "every Thought (fo far as human Infir"mity will admit) may be brought into Subjection to the Will of God. And "when you have in fome Measure attained "to Newness of Life, you must endeavour "to grow in Grace, and in the Knowledge "of our Lord Jefus Chrift. 86 66 66 "I fay, Self-Examination is in order to bring you to a true and fincere Repent"ance; by which I do not mean, a Sorrow "for Sin only, but also an entire Change "of Mind; and an effectual Reformation "of Life; fo as hereafter to deny all Ungodliness and worldly Lufts, and to live "Soberly, righteously, and godly in this pre"fent evil World; not allowing yourself "in the Continuance of any known Sin; "but fincerely practifing whatfoever you "fhall understand to be your Duty; and "to bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance by ceafing to do Evil, and learning "to do Good: That is, in fhort, to live a holy Life, which confifts in a conftant "and perfevering Obedience to all the "Commands of God, in a Gospel Sense; 66 66 (allowing 66 pro "(allowing for human Weakneffes and Imperfections) which I take to be the per Notion the holy Scriptures give of Repentance, and upon which only there "is any Promife of Salvation. 66 66 "When therefore you have carefully. "examined yourself, and (as it may be proper) fet down in Writing what Sins you "find you have committed, and what Du"ties you have neglected; confider them "in all their aggravating Circumstances; "whether they have been done against the "Checks of your Confcience, against the "Motions of God's Holy Spirit, and per "haps fome of them frequently, and against your Refolutions to the contrary.. But "there may be yet greater Aggravations "of Sin; namely, when the Sinner has "committed it fo often, and lived in it fo "long, that it is become habitual or cufto 66 mary, to him; and inftead of being "afhamed and confounded for it, he makes a Mock at it; and not only takes Pleafure and Delight, but boasts and glories "therein. The Neceffity of confidering "the feveral Aggravations of our Sins, appears from hence, because the Cirumstances we were in, when we comted fuch or fuch a Sin, may not a lit ❝tle 66 66 66 66 ❝tle enhance and encrease our Guilt; and "a Sin attended with many aggravating Circumftances in the Commiffion thereof, "requires a proportionable Degree of Sor"row and Humiliation, in order to our forfaking it, and obtaining Pardon for it. "This being done, endeavour to poffefs your Mind with a true Senfe of the great "Evil of Sin; how contrary it is to God's Holiness, to his Will, to his Commands, "his Goodness, his Justice, and especially "to the great Mystery of Godliness; how "contrary alfo it is to Man, to his Reafon "and Confcience, to his inward Peace and Satisfaction, and to his Intereft temporal "and fpiritual, prefent and future; that "this is the only Evil, which was thought worthy of the Son of God to deliver us "from, who died to redeem us from the Bondage of Sin and Satan. 66 66 66 "In the Height of all that Love, which "the compaffionate Saviour of the World "had for perishing Mankind, he did not "think fit to refcue them from Pain, Sickness, Poverty, Disgrace, or any of "the common Afflictions of human Life; "no, nor even from Death itself. All "these feemed to be below his Notice; 66 only Sin and Damnation appeared to him |