cies to others, fortune, to my own wifdom and induftry, rather than to God? Alas, for my felf-love, selffeeking, unbelief, diftruft, hatred of God, grieving his Spirit, diflike of his image in his ordinances, his children, &c. 2dly, How have I finned against the second command, by devifing or approving other ways of worship than God hath appointed, by not prizing pure ordinances, by making reprefentations of God in my mind, and entertaining wrong conceptions of him? 3ddy, Against the third command, by abufing God's name, his fcriptures, his ordinances; by irreverent approaches to God, hypocrify, careless hearing and communicating; by perjury, fwearing rafhly, breach of oaths and vows; by having a hand in the perjury or falfeswearing of others; by wrefting the word, mifapplying providences, unthankfulness for mercies, infenfiblenefs and incorrigibleness under judgments and afflictions. 4thly, Against the fourth command, by forgetfulness of the Sabbath before it came, not preparing for it, not labouring to prevent what might diftract me in the duties of the Sabbath: By profaning the Sabbath when it came, by idleness, needlefs vifits, unfuitable thoughts, words and actions; by worldly cares and business on the Sabbath; by needlefs recreations, feeking my own pleasures, not performing, or careless performing of the duties of the Sabbath, both in public and private. Alas, I have been fo far from calling the Sabbath a delight, that oft times my heart hath faid, what a weariness is it? Ah, the strict obfervation of the Sabbath hath been tedious to me, I have fhifted it over, and faid, when fhall the Sabbath be gone? &c. 5thly, Against the fifth command, by not behaving myfelt answerably to my natural, eccelfiaftical, and political parents; not loving them, praying for them, and covering their infirmities: By not behaving fuitably towards my inferiors, and not admonishing and encouraging them in well-doing, not correcting children, or doing it unduly, provoking them to wrath: And allo carrying unfuitably towards my equals, envying their gifts, profperity or grieving at their advancement. 6thly, 6thly, Against the fixth command, by finful anger, hatred, malice, defire of revenge, immoderate ufe of meat and drink; by quarrelling, fighting, ftriking, wounding, and doing feveral things that tend to take away the lives of others; fowing ftrife and difcord among friends, &c. by not being duly concerned for the prefervation of the lives of others, whether of their fouls or bodies. 7thly, Against the feventh command, by unchafte thoughts, words and actions; by unclean imaginations, obfcene fpeeches, wanton geftures, immodeft apparel; not watching over my fenfes, heart, words, actions; by going into bad company, occafions of uncleannefs; by drunkenness, gluttony, and other temptations there unto. 8thly, Against the eighth command, by ftealing, defrauding, oppreffion, extortion, unfaithfulness in bargains and contracts, idlenefs, prodigality, inordinate prizing of wordly goods. 9thly, Against the ninth command, by flandering, backbiting, reviling, lying in jeft or earnest, concealing the truth I should have fpoken, fpeaking the truth unfeafonably, and to a wrong, end, fuborning falfe witneffes, pleading for an evil caufe, rafh cenfuring, aggravating fmaller faults, countenancing evil reports, extenuating grofs fins. Icthly, Against the tenth command, by difcontent with my own condition, envying and grieving at my neighbour's good and welfare, impatience under afflic tion. Alas, for my innumerable breaches of God's holy commandments! In the next place, take a view of the particular aggravations of your fins, and be deeply humbled for them, and lay them out before God in their blackest and bloodieft colours: "Ah, I have finned against more light and knowledge than others, against many checks of confcience, warnings, admonitions and reproofs. I have finned against more mercies and experiences of God's kindness than others. I have had many gracious offers of peace and pardon; nay, God has given me fweet intimations of his love and good-will to my foul; he he hath fometimes fmiled on me in duty; given me enlargements, breakings and meltings of heart in prayer, hearing and communicating; but I have been moft unthankful to him: Alas for my ingratitude for mercies! I have finned against more refolutions, vows, covenants and engagements, to the contrary, than others have done. Ah, I have finned with deliberation, and fallen into the fame fins over again. I have finned against my confeffions, my lamentations, and prayers. I have finned against God's rods and chaftifements upon myself, and against terrifying inftances of God's judg ments upon others. I have finned against the patience and long-fuffering of God, that hath waited upon me for many years. Alas, I have finned against reason, confcience, intereft, and a thoufand other obligations. I have dishonoured God, hardened the wicked, and opened their mouths against religion. I have gratified Satan, and brought up an ill report on the ways of God by my fins, more than many others. Moreover, how grievously have I finned against the gofpel, by flighting, not fufficiently efteeming, admiring, and being thankful for, the infinite love of God difplayed in man's redemption. By not loving and rejoicing in Jefus Chrift and him crucified: By refting on my duties, and not improving Chrift, and relying on him in all his offices, not accounting all things lofs and dung for him: By not dying daily to fin, nor forrowing for it; but often making light of that which nothing but the blood of Chaift could expiate. Ah, I have not fought the things of Chrift as my own, I have not preferred Jerufalem to my chief joy. My heart hath not (like Eli's) trembled for the ark of God, nor hath my foul (like Lot's) been vexed from day to day with the unlawful deeds of thofe among whom I live. I have not mourned for the afflictions of God's people, for the figns of God's anger, or for the fins of the times. Alas for the infirmities, imperfections, and iniquities of my holy things! Oh, the heart-hardness, formality, earthlymindednefs, deadnefs, indifpofition, wanderings, wearinefs, unpreparedness, and want of relish that hath attended my attendance on holy ordinances, and particu larly larly this of the Lord's fupper! I have rested in the mere out-fide of duties. I have had little appetite after this refreshing ordinance of the Lord's fupper I have not approached to it with fuch folemn preparation, examination, humiliation, renewing of covenant, as I ought to have done. I have walked unanswerably after the communion, and have not minded my refolutions and engagements as becomes a worthy commu nicant." Having thus accufed yourselves, and confeffed your fins before God, as far as you can remember; proceed alfo to judge and condemn yourselves from them, faying, "O what a wretched rebel against God have I been; yea, even a den of filthinefs, a fty of uncleannefs, and a fink of mifery! I have been a heaven-daring, God-provoking, Chrift-crucifying, fpirit-quenching, law-breaking, gofpel defpifing, and foul-murdering finner! Lord, can thy arms of mercy open to receive fuch a monster of wickedness as I have been? Surely I deferve rather to be trampled under the feet of thy juftice, than to be embrac ed in the arms of thy mercy; for, alas, I have trampled under my feet thy glorious attributes. I have abused thy mercy and patience, and contemned thy wisdom and power. I have defpifed thy goodness, that hath been unto me like the dropping dew. I have incenfed the infinite power of my dread Sovereign against me, who by a word can unhinge the world, and tear up its foundations as eafily as he laid them. I have exafperated the juftice of that mighty One who by his breath can crumble me to duft, and confume me to powder. Lord, I have finned against the cleareft light and deareft love: Nay, I repeated and reiterated my heinous fins; I have gone from committing fin to confeffing fin, and from confeffing fin to committing fin again. Ah! I have lived as carelefly and irreligioufly, as if there had been no God to punish, nor devil to torment; no sweetness in heaven, nor bitternefs in hell. O what indignitie sand affronts haft thou born with from me, a poor, undeferving, ill-deferving, yea, hell-deferving wretch! Never were the wages more due to the labourer, than damnation is due to me. If every fin brings down down a curse, and deferves hell, how many thousand hells, how many millions of curfes, do I deferve? O how miferable should I be for ever, if thou, Lord, should deal with me according to my defervings! I have forfeited all interest in thy favour, and all claim to thy mercy: I deferve not to live in thy world, nor to breathe in thy air; but to have my name blotted out from under heaven, yea, to have all the curfes of thy book, and all the vials of thy wrath poured out on me, even a deluge of fire and brimftone rained upon me without intermiffion. I deserve to be hung up in chains of everlafting darkness, to be a monument of juftice, and a derifion of devils for evermore. I caft down my foul, Lord, at thy feet; though thou should take it up and fling it into hell, I behoved to fay, Thou art righteous: For the hottest place in hell is too good for me. "Oh, fhall fuch a wretch as I, think of approaching to thy table? What may I expect there but frowns from the Mafter of the feaft? While the Sun of righteousness arifeth with healing in his wings to those that fear thy name, thy wrath may burn against me as fire, and devour me as stubble. The day of feasting and rejoicing, facrifice and atonement, to thy fincere fervants, may be a day of wrath and trouble, darknefs and gloominefs, unto me. While they are faying, Come, let us go into the boufe of the Lord, our feet fball ftand within thy gates, O Zion, within thy courts, O God: I may juftly be faying, The great day of his wrath is come, and who fhall be able to ftand? And when thy children, Lord, fhall, go with confidence and prefent themselves before thee, arrayed in the righteoufnefs of thy Son, lifting up their heads with joy, knowing the time of their redemption draws nigh: I may be hiding myself in the dens and rocks of the mountains, faying, Fall on me, and hide me from the face of him that fits on the throne. I may fee them taken in and fet down at the table above with the King, and myself eternally thrust out: And, while they are feafting and rejoicing at thy table, I may justly be lying under the wrath of the Lamb. "Oh, Lord, I have made light of the gofpel feaft, and preferred the things of the world before it; fo that thou VOL, I. 3 K mayeft |
