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ftified, for God is greater than our Confciences. they who are most innocent have their Consciences moft tender and fenfible. That fcrupulous Perfons are always most religious; and that to feel nothing, is not a fign of Life, but of Death. That nothing can be hid from the Eyes of the Lord, to whom the Day and the Night, publick and private, Words and Thoughts, Actions and Defigns, are equally difcernible. * That a lukewarm Perfon is only fecured in his own Thoughts, but very unfafe in the Event, and despised by God. *That we live in an Age in which that which is called and esteemed a holy Life, in the Days of the Apostles and holy Primitives would have been efteemed indifferent, fometimes fcandalous, and always cold. *That what was a Truth of God then, is fo now; and to what severities they were tied, for the fame alfo we are to be accountable; and Heaven is not now an easier purchase than it was then. * That if he will caft up his Accounts, even with a fuperficial Eye, let him confider how few good Works he hath done, how inconfiderable is the relief which he gave to the Poor, how little are the extraordinaries of his Religion, and how unactive and lame, how polluted and difordered, how unchofen and unpleasant were the ordinary Parts and Periods of it? And how many and great Sins have stained his courfe of Life: and until he enters into a particular fcrutiny, let him only revolve in his Mind what his general Course hath been; and in the way of Prudence, let him fay whether it was laudible and holy, or only indifferent and excufable: And if he can think it only excufable, and fo as to hope for Pardon by fuch fuppletories of Faith, and arts of Perfuafion, which he and others use to take in for Auxiliaries to their unreasonable Confidence; then he cannot but think it very fit that he search into his own State, and take a guide, and ere& a tribunal, or appear before that which Chrift hath gravis incuerected for him on Earth, that he may make his accefs bat; qui nofairer when he fhall be called before the dreadful tus nimis Tribunal of Christ in the Clouds. For if he can be omnibus, confident upon the Stock of an unpraised or O 3

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Life, and should dare to venture upon wild Accounts without Order, without Abatements, without Confideration, without Conduct, without Fear, without Scrutinies and Confeffious, and Inftruments of Amends or Pardon; he either knows not his Danger, or cares not for it, and little understands how great a Horrour that is, that a Man fhould reft his Head for ever upon a Cradle of Flames, and lie in a Bed of Sorrows, and never fleep, and never end his groans or the gnashing of his Teeth.

This is that which fome spiritual Perfons call awakening of the Sinner by the terrours of the Law; which is a good Analogy or tropical Expreffion to reprefent the Threatnings of the Gospel, and the Danger of an incurious, and a finning Perfon: But we have nothing elfe to do with the terrours of the Law; for, blessed be God, they concern us not. The terrours of the Law were the intermination of Curfes upon all those that ever broke any of the leaft Commandments, once, or in any Instance: And to it the Righteoufnefs of Faith is oppofed. The terrours of the Law admitted no Repentance, no Pardon, no Abatement; and were fo fevere, that God never inflicted them at all according to the Letter, because he admitted all to Repentance, that defired it with a timely Prayer, unless in very few Cases, as of Achan or Corah, the gatherer of Sticks upon the Sabbath-day, or the like: But the ftate of Threatnings in the Gospel is very fearful, becaufe the Conditions of avoiding them are eafy and ready, and they happen to evil Perfons after many Warnings, fecond Thoughts, frequent Invitations to Pardon and Repentance, and after one entire Pardon configned in Baptifm. And in this fenfe it is neceffary that fuch Perfons as we now deal withal fhould be inftru&ted concerning their Danger.

4. When the fick Man is either of himself, or by thefe Confiderations, fet forward with Purposes of Repentance and Confeffion of his Sins in order to all its holy Purpofes and Effects, then the Minifter is to affift him in the understanding the number of his Sins, that is, the feveral Kinds of them, and the various

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manners of prevaricating the divine Commandments: For as for the number of the Particulars in every kind, he will need lefs help; and if he did, he can have it no where but in his own Confcience, and from the Witneffes of his Converfation. Let this be done by prudent Infinuation, by arts of Remembrance and fecret Notices, and propounding Occafions and Inftruments of recalling fuch things to his Mind, which either by publick Fame he is accufed of, or by the Temptations of his Condition it is likely he might have contracted.

5. If the Perfon be truly penitent, and forward to confess all that are fet before him, or offered to his fight at a half Face, then he may be complied withal in all his innocent Circumftances, and his Confcience made placid and willing, and he be drawn forward by good Nature and Civility, that his Repentance in all the Parts of it, and in every step of its Progrefs and Emanation, may be as voluntary and chofen as it can. For by that means if the fick Perfon can be invited to do the work of Religion, it enters by the door of his Will and Choice, and will pafs on toward Confummation' by the Inftrument of Delight.

6. If the fick Man be backward and without apprehenfion of the good-natur'd and civil way, let the Minifter take care that by fome way or other the Work of God be fecured: And if he will not underftand when he is fecretly prompted, he must be hallooed to, and asked in plain Interrogatives concerning the Crime of his Life. He mutt be told, of the evil Things that are fpoken of him in Markets or Exchanges, the proper Temptations and accustomed Evils of his Calling and Condition, of the Actions of Scandal: And in all thofe Actions, which are publick, or of which any Notice is come Abroad, let care be taken that the right fide of the Cafe of Confcience be turned toward him, and the Errour truly reprefented to him by which he was abufed; as the Injuftice of his Contracts, his oppreffive Bargains, his Ra pine and Violence; And if he hath perfuaded himself to think well of a fcandalous Action, let him be inftru&ed

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inftructed and advertised of his Folly and his Danger.

7. And this advice concerns the Minifter of Religion to follow without Partiality, or Fear, or Interest, in much Simplicity, and Prudence, and hearty Sincerity; having no other Confideration, but that the Intereft of the Man's Soul be preferved, and no Caution used, but that the matter be reprefented with juft Circumftances, and Civilities fitted to the Perfon with Prefaces of Honour and Regard, but fo that nothing of the Duty be diminished by it, that the Introduction do not fpoil the Sermon, and both together ruin two Souls [of the speaker, and the bearer.] For it may foon be confidered, if the fick Man be a poor or an indifferent Perfon in fecular account, yet his Soul is equally dear to God, and was redeemed with the fame highest price, and is therefore to be highly regarded: And there is no Temptation, but that the fpiritual Man may fpeak freely without the allays of Intereft or Fear, or mistaken Civilities. But if the fick Man be a Prince, or a Perfon of Eminence or Wealth, let it be remember'd, it is an ill expreffion of reverence to his Authority, or of regard to his Perfon, to let him perish for the want of an honeft, and juft, and a free Homily.

8. Let the fick Man in the Scrutiny of his Confcience and Confeffion of his Sins, be carefully reminded to confider thofe Sins which are only condemned in the Court of Confcience, and no where else, for there are certain Secrecies and Retirements, Places of Darkness, and artificial Veils, with which the Devil ufes to hide our Sins from us, and to incorporate them into our Affections by a conftant uninterrupted Practice, before they be prejudiced or discovered, 1. There are many Sins which have Reputation, and are accounted Honour; as Fighting a Duel, anfwering a Blow with a Blow, carrying Armies into a Neighbour-Countrey, robbing with a Navy, violently feizing upon a Kingdom. 2. Others are permitted by Law; as Ufury in all Countries: And because every excess of it is a certain Sin, the permif

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fion of fo fufpected a matter makes it ready for us, and inftructs the Temptation. 3. Some Things are not forbidden by Laws; as lying in ordinary discourse, jearing, scoffing, intemperate eating, ingratitude, felling too dear, circumventing another in contracts, importunate intreaties, and temptation of perfons to many inftances of fin, pride and ambition. 4. Some others do not reckon they fin against God, it the Laws have feized upon the Perfon; and many that are imprisoned for Debt, think themselves difobliged from Payment; and when they pay the Penalty, think they owe nothing for the Scandal and Difobedience. 5. Some Sins are thought not confiderable, but go under the title of Sins of Infirmity, or infeparable Accidents of Mortality; fuch as idle Thoughts, foolish Talking, loofer Revellings, Impatience, Anger, and all the Events of evil Company. 6. Lastly, many Things are thought to be no Sins; fuch as mifpending of their Time, whole Days or Months of useless and impertinent Employment, long Gaming, winning Mens Money in greater Portions, cenfuring Mens Actions, Curiofity, equivocating in the Prices and fecrets of buying and felling, Rudeness, Speaking Truths envioufly, doing good to evil Purpofes, and the like. Under the dark fhadow of these unhappy and fruitless Yew-trees, the Enemy of Mankind makes very many to lie hid from themselves, fewing before their Nakedness the Fig-leaves of popular and idol Reputation, and Impunity, publick Permiffion, a temporal Penalty Infirmity, Prejudice, and direct errour in Judgment, and Ignorance. Now in all thefe Cafes the Ministers are to be inquifitive and obfervant, left the fallacy prevail upon the Penitent to evil Purposes of Death or dimunition of his good, and that thofe Things which in his Life paffed without Obfervation, may now be brought forth and pass under Saws and Harrows, that is, the feverity and cenfure of Sorrow and Condemnation.

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9. To which I add, for the likeness of the thing, that the matter of omiffion be confidered; for in them lies the bigger half of our Failings: And yet in many Inftances they are undiscerned, because they very often

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