I. I fhall fhew in what Manner we fhould think on our Ways. This must be done, 1. Impartially and ftrictly. 2. We must compare them with the Rule of right Reafon, and the Word of God. 3. Frequently. 4. With an exact Care to know the Tendency and Confequence of them, and with a Refolution of quitting and forfaking every Evil Way.

1. Mankind fhould think on their Ways with Impartiality and Strictness. Self-Love, and Fondness for fome evil Courses, will, without Care, make us partial in reflecting on our Actions. Where there is the Love of any evil Actions maintained in the Mind, it will caufe fuch a Perfon to invent many Excuses, to enter an Apology for them. He will either banith all Thought of what he has done, or content himself with some few partial Thoughts, fuch as fhall not give much Uneafinefs. Men may in a general Way acknowledge themselves to be Sinners; and, if they implore God's pardoning Mercy, they vainly fancy they have done enough, though they never have fuch ferious Thoughts as to turn from their evil Ways. He who would think on his Ways to any good Purpose must retire from all the vain Amusements of the World, and bid adieu to all other Subjects for a while, that he may know what is

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the true and real State and Condition of his Soul. There must be an unbiaffed impartial Search and Scrutiny made into the paft Life and Actions. Never put a better Construction on them than they will bear; rather aggravate any bad Actions of your own, than diminish their evil Nature: For this Method will quicken our Diligence in avoiding Sin for the future, awaken our Care and Caution, encrease Sorrow and deep Repentance. If any should pretend to fet apart fome Time for this important Duty, and yet, through Fondness for any evil Actions, fhould deceive themfelves, this would be the Way of continuing ignorant of the true State of their Souls, and of flattering themselves with fuch delufive Hopes, as will prove of rujnouś and pernicious Confequence. For if a Man think himself to be fomething, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. Such a deceitful Method will keep a Man ignorant of the Evil of Sin, leffen his Sorrow for it, fupprefs all Endeavours for a Reformation, and buoy him up with fuch a falfe Hope

as will terminate in a most wretched and miferable Confufion and Disappointment. Whenever therefore we apply our Minds to this Duty, we must impartially examine our Ways, fee that we lay afide all Prejudice in favour of any beloved evil Courses; for if there be the Love of any Sin knowingly retained,

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tained, this will either prevent all Thoughtfulness of our Actions, or throw fuch a Biafs on our Minds, that we shall bring in a wrong Verdict. Such will hide the Guilt of Sin from themselves as much as they can, and extenuate the evil Nature of it. They will deceitfully colour over fuch Actions as before the Bar of right Reason will appear to be unjustifiable and unwarrantable. This Method, inftead of awakening the Sinner to a fincere and deep Repentance, will rather harden him in Impenitence. There must be a ftrict Care used. Let none please and content themselves with a general and superficial Glance, but be very exact and particular in this Scrutiny and Examination. When the Pfalmift fays that he thought on his Ways, he means a particular and clofe Application of his Mind to this Subject. He confidered himfelf in the Presence of God, who fearcheth all Hearts, and who was acquainted with all his Ways and Actions, even fuch of them as might be hid from the View and Obfervation of all Mortals. In the 139th Pfalm he gives a very beautiful and striking Defcription of God's Omniscience and Omniprefence, and finishes his fublime Difcourfe on these incommunicable Attributes of the Deity with this devout Addrefs, Ver. 23, 24. Search me, O God, and know my Heart; try me, and know my Thoughts; and fee if there be any wicked

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Way in me, and lead me in the Way everlasting. This is the first Thing to be obferved, and practifed; when we think of our Ways, it must be with Impartiality and Strictness, in Oppofition to that biaffed, partial, and loose Männer with which many ('tis to be feared) content themselves; whereby they form á wrong and deceitful Judgment of their Actions, and are betrayed into a fatal Self-Deceit.

2. When we think of our Ways, we must compare them with the Rule of right Reafon, and of the Word of God. By this Standard all our Words and Actions must be tried; by this Touchftone they must be examined. This will be the Rule of Judgment at the Last Day. God hath planted a CONSCIENCE in every Man, to be a private Monitor and Judge. There is a Law written in the Heart, fuch a Witness as will either excufe and acquit, or accuse and condemn, every Man that will give the leaft Attention to its Evidence, according to the Naturé and Quality of his Actions, whether good or evil. However carelefs fenfual Sinners may endeavour to evade the Upbraidings of their own guilty Minds, there are certain Seafons when they cannot do it. When CONSCIENCE is awakened, either by fome awful Difcourse, or by a fudden Stroke of Providence, it will make the ftouteft and most harden

ed Sinner to tremble, because it prefages future direful Vengeance. The only Way of gaining a rational Peace, and a fettled Tranquility of Soul, is to bring all our Actions, as far as we can call them to Remembrance, to the Standard of right Reason, and the Word of God; and whatever will not bear Examination now, will not in the great Day of Judgment. 'Tis not fufficient to plead that our Ways and Actions are not fo bad as those of many others; for tho' this fhould be true, it will not be an available Plea, as may appear by this plain Similitude: Suppofe a Malefactor, arraigned at the Bar of Justice, fhould offer fuch a Defence for himself, that ⚫ there were others guilty of greater Crimes,' will this be allowed to be a valid Vindication, to procure an entire Difcharge? The great Question is, whether our Actions are juftifiable by the Rule of Reafon, and the Word of God. Suppofing that you have not contracted an equal Degree of Guilt with others, this only proves that you are not liable to as great Measure of Punishment with others. When We think on our Ways, we are not to have a Regard to the Actions of OTHERS, but to confine our Meditation and Examination to OUR OWN. I thought on My Ways. He did not critically fearch after the Blemishes there might be difcovered in others, but looked narrowly and carefully to himself. We