enter in; and that will weaken, and in time quite deftroy our Repentance. Our first Care therefore, must be to have our Convictions always awake; our Minds poffeffed with the moft dreadful Apprehenfions of the Malignity and Danger of Sin; to fufpect that Difcourfe, to avoid that Company, to refift that Temptation which would draw us to betray our Vertue in any one known Inftance.

And as the best help herein, we should frequently read and converfe in the holy Scriptures, which will give us the truest and most lasting Tinctures of Piety. There we have the entire Will of God and the Terms of our Duty plainly revealed; fuch infallible and convin cing Characters of Good and Evil, Right and Wrong, as will never fuffer us to Sin without giving us a fecret Pinch. These (as in a Glass) will fhew us the trueft Idea and Pourtraiture of our felves; light us into all the Corners and the innoft Receffes of our Souls; trace out all our vain, and foolish, and wanton Affections; ftrip them of all that dif guife and cunning Addrefs, whereby they lie in wait to deceive us, and therefore faith the Ch. 4. 12. Apoftle to the Hebrews. The Word of God is quick and powerful, fharper than any two-edged Sword piercing even to the dividing afunder of Soul and Spirit; and is a Difcerner of the Thoughts and Intents of the Heart. In short, If we would carry on our Repentance to perfection; we muft preferve. our Confciences quick and tender; always apprehenfive of the

Ma

Majefty, and the Juftice of God; always fenfible of the Guilt and Danger of Sin: In or der to that, we must be daily converfant in the holy Scriptures; which (as the fame Apoftle tells us are profitable for Doctrine, for Reproof, for Correction, for Inftruction in Righteousness; that the Man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto every good Work. But.

2. Secondly, Another Rule or Direction for the perfecting our Repentance, is frequent and ferious Meditation. This is the Fuel which feeds and gives Life to Repentance; without which it will foon grow feeble and die away. And here we must often reflect upon the. Grounds of our Faith; and confider the Scripture-Arguments of Hope and Fear; fuch are the Love of God in fending Jefus Chrift into the World; the Example of his Life; the Merit of his Death; and the plain Revelation he hath made of a State of Immortality and future Glory; fuch are the Holinefs, the Juftice, and the Omnipotence of God; the Certainty of Death, and the Refurrection, and a Judgment to come. We must often ponder upon the Beauty and Pleasantnels of Holinefs; the Satisfaction and the fweet Repofe which a Godly Life gives to our Thoughts; the Bleffednefs of those who are at Peace with God and their own Confciences together with the deplorable Mifery of wicked Men, whofe Confciences are a Torment to them here; but will feel a greater Torment from them hereaf

ter;

ter; even the Gnawings of that Immortal Worm which never dies. Finally, if we would increase and perfect our Repentance, we must be careful to practice this Duty of Meditation; and every Day (as our Affairs or Time will give us leave) caft a ferious Reflection upon our Lives; and whether we have therein done any Thing which is prejudicial to the general Defign of carrying on our Repentance: And how eafily might this be done, if we would seriously and confcientiously charge our felves with it?

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3. To tenderness of Confcience and to Meditation, we must be careful to add daily Prayer to God. Great is the Power of Prayer in promoting the Work of Repentance whether we confider its natural Influence on our felves or its Prevalency with God.

If we confider its natural Influence pon our felves: What a Divine Force is there in a conftant Faith and Dependance upon God for Mercy and Help; in the melting Serows of Contrition; in the Delight of devor Praifes and Thanksgivings; in the Vows Refolutions of a perfect Abhorrence of, a holy Zeal and Indignation againft Sin? How do thefe daily difpofe and renew the Soul unto Repentance; ripen and confirm it into a Habit? And it ought to be obferved here; that Prayer does not only give us a frequent opportunity of exercifing Repentance, but alfo many other Christian Vertues; as Faith, Hope, Charity, Patience, and Humility.

Again, If we confider its Prevalence with God. What will God deny to the effectual fervent Prayer of a Righteous Man? He may indeed deny him Temporal Things, becaufe perhaps they are not good for him; he may refufe to remove a Temptation or an Affliction, because this may be a greater Occafion of his Repentance, or an Exercise of his Patience, or an enhanfing of his Reward; but he will ne ver refufe him his Grace. He will no more deny his Spirit to one, that earnestly begs it, than a natural Parent will do Bread to his hungry Child. So our Saviour, If you being Evil give good Gifts to your Children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask it? And whoever fe riously confiders the Frailty of Human Nature, Mar. 7.11. and remembers how foon Pious Motions vanish 3 what frequent Occafions there are in the World of intermitting or interrupting his Repentance, will difcern plain Reafon for the Neceflity of Prayer, and of bleffing God, that he has afforded fo gracious a Means of improving and carrying it to Perfection. Farther,

4. Another Rule or Direction in this Matter is, the Converfation of Religious Men, which (tho' but a Human Means, yet) is a great incouragement and help to Repentance. How does the Senfe and Experience we have of their Piety attract our Efteem and Affection; inftrust and fettle our Judgment? How does their Knowledge enlighten us, their Reafon perfwade us, and their Example inflame us? A pious

Friend

Friendship is a very great Inftrument of promoting Religion among Men; and, I believe, many times more inftructing than Books or Sermons ;. for it fpeaks, when thefe can't : Oft-times it meets us in our very Diverfions and Recreations, and lays a Reftraint upon them: Many will be awed in Company by the Prefence of a Grave and a reverend Perfon, who are too apt therein to forget the Prefence of God. The Converfation of fuch reminds us, when we are forgetful; fupports us when we faint and tire; reproves us when we give back; and recalls us when we are out of the Way. How moving, how convincing is the Difcourfe of a devout and pious Man, who hath dedicated himself to the Service of God and Religion? When he rejoices or when he complains; when he relates the Hiftory of his own Experiences, or lets us fee the excellent Defigns he has form'd in his Life; or the Hopes he has in Death? What variety of Affections does it raife in us, when he makes his Obfervations on the Frailty of human Nature, and the Vanity of the World; when he bewails the Dishonour of God, and the Decay of Religion among us, and the particular and crying Sins, which have been the Occafion of it? Enough to prick the Confcience, and to make the Heart of the moft Obftinate and Impenitent bleed!

This is the Benefit, and this should be the Business of Conversation; though God knows, the Vanity and the prophane Humour of this

Age