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Conceive a juft hatred and Indignation against all thy Sins in general; and for those, which are either too grofs to be overlooked, or too habitual to be forgotten, exprefs a particular and proportionable Refentment of Sorrow and Shame. And if thou have time and leifure, look well into the Irregularities of all thy Paffions, and in thy private Retirements make a full Confeffion of them, between God and thy own Soul.

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Recollect and bewail the unhappy Prevalence of worldly and carnal Affections; every exorbitant Defire, every ungoverned Paffion: Obferve, how the Motions of evil Concupifcence abound and domineer; how unguarded thou art in thy outward Behaviour, and the general Courfe of thy Conversation; how eafly thou art feduced by Vanity; how vehemently difpofed to the Gratifications of Appetite and Senfe how careless and stupid in the weightier Concerns of thy Soul; how apt to let thy felf loofe to Laughter and extravagant Mirth, and how exceeding loth to mourn for thy Sins with a true, faving, and neceffary. Contrition; how eagerly thou purfueft the Pleasures and Advantages of the Body, and how heavy and flothful thou art in the Exercifes of Mortification and godly Zeal'; 'how mighty curious and inquifitive after News and Trifles, and greedy to be entertained with every Pomp and Beauty that can pleafe thy fight; but how negligent and backward, how full of Difregard and Difdain, to things of lefs gay Appearance, but of true inward Worth, and mighty Confequence to thy better State; how greedy of Gain, how fparing in thy Alms, how tenacious of this World's Goods; How inconfiderate in thy Difcourfe, how childish and trifling, how wicked or obfcene; how lavish and profufe and what a Torment is it to fet

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Guard before thy Mouth, and keep the Door of Pfalm cxli. shy Lips; how affected or extravagant in thy Behaviour, how eager in thy Actions, how inordinate in

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thy Appetites; but how flow and deaf to the Word of God; how negligent in hearing, and how inflexible to be perfuaded by what thou haft heard; how prone to Reft and Eafe, and how averfe to Labour and neceffary Care; how wakeful and attentive at Plays, or Balls, and how drowfie and lifeless in Prayer and holy Duties; how impatient till they are done, and how full of wandring and impertinent Thoughts, while they are in doing; how eafily diverted from thy ftated hours of Devotion; how lukewarm in receiving the bleffed Sacrament, how unfixed in thy Mind at the very time of Communicating, and how barren and unprofitable afterwards; how foon provoked to Anger upon every flight Miscarriage, and yet how apt to give Offence to others; How prone to judge, and fe verely cenfure thy Brethren: How ftiff and pofitive in thofe Judgments and hard Conftructions: How infolent and immoderately exalted with good Fortune, and how feeble and dejected under every Crofs or Difappointment: How full of good Intentions, and how few of those Intentions have any good effect.

Thefe, and many other Defects, of which each Man's own Confcience can beft inform him, it is thy Duty to enquire into very nicely; to bewail ferioufly, to confefs with the profoundest humility, and with firm purpose of amendment for the time to come. When this is done, then, without any fecret referve to thy own Inclinations, refign thy felf up entirely to God, to be governed by him, and offer to the glory of his Name, thy Soul and Body, a holy, living, and reafonable Sacrifice: Thus fhalt thou come to me worthily, and receive my myftical Body to thy infinite advantage.

For there is no other Satisfaction in Man's Power to make for his great Affronts, and manifold Provocations against the Majefty on High; no Oblation more acceptable than that of a broken and contrite, a

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pure and upright Heart, offered to God in this Sacrament. He defires nothing but thy felf, and he defires this, not for his own, but thy fake. He who brings it, let him not doubt Acceptance, for God never de fpifes or rejects a true Penitent, but embraces returning Prodigals, with the tenderness of a Father; and grants them Pardon for the paft, and Grace for the future. His Word, his Oath is paffed. And he who cannot Lie may fecurely be depended upon. As I live, faith the Lord, I have no pleafure in the Death of a Sinner, but rather that he should be conEzek. xviii. verted and live; And at what time foever the wicked Man turneth away from his Wickedness which he hath committed, and doth that which is lawful and right, be shall fave his Soul alive; Repent therefore, and turn your felves from all your Tranfgreffions, and fo Iniquity shall not be ruin. For I will be merciful to your Unrighte oufneffes, and your Sins and Infirmities will I Heb. viii, remember no more.

CHA P. VIII.

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Chrift died for us, that we should live to Him.

Christ.Bupon the Crofs with a naked Body, and

Ehold and take Example by me. I hung

ftretch'd-out Arms, and thus offered my felf to my Father for thy Sins. No part of me remained, which was not given in Attonement to appease the Wrath of thy juftly incenfed Judge. And thou in like manner muft think it thy Duty, freely and wholly to give up thy felf, a clean and holy Sacrifice. Every Power, every Affection of the Soul must be confecrated to me in the bleffed Sacrament. What doth the Lord require of thee, but to confult thy own Intereft, and fave

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thy felf by conveying over thy felf to Me? Whatever else thou dedicateft to my Service, is of no value, no confideration with Me; for I feek not Thine, but Thee.

As all the World befides would fail of procuring thy Happiness and Satisfaction, if deprived of Me; fo all thy Wealth and Gifts fet apart for my ufe, can never be well-pleafing in my fight, unless with them thou giveft thy own felf. My whole Perfon was facrificed for thy Redemption; either of my Natures fingle had been infufficient to propitiate for thy Sins; My whole Body and Blood is fet upon my Table for thy Entertainment; and what can be the meaning of all this, but that I fhould be entirely Thine, and Thou entirely mine? But if thou art not fincere in this Oblation, if it be made with any Provifo's and Exceptions, the Offering is not perfect, the Sacrifice is maimed, defective in its Parts, and the Union which should follow upon it, must be proportionably lame and imperfect. The first thing therefore to be taken care of, is the liberal and full refignation of thy Perfon. This muft recommend and fanctifie all thy other Acts of Religion; and till thou art released from the Bondage of divided Affections, thou can'ft not attain Grace and true Liberty. Hence it is, and upon no other account, that, of fo many Profeffors, and feemingly good Chriftians, fo very few ftand faft in the Liberty with which Chrift hath made them free. The Condition is fixed

and irreversible, If a Man forfake not all that Luke xiv. bo bath, he cannot be my Difciple. And therefore if thou defire to be found in this happy Number, enter my Courts with a Free-will Offering, and confecrate every Inclination, every Faculty of thy Soul. Have no Love, no Defires, but Mine. Submit thy felf wholly to my Holy Will and Pleafure, and study to ferve me truly in Holiness and Righteousness, all the Days, and in all the Actions of thy Life.

СНАР.

CHA P. IX.

An Act of Self-Refignation.

Difciple.] TT is very meet, right, and my bounden Duty, thould do as thou requireft: For

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this, O Lord, is but to give thee of thy own. ven and Earth are thine, and all that therein is. I defire, with fingleness of heart, to dedicate my self to thee, never to retract the Gift, but continue thine for ever. Accept me therefore, entirely devoted to thy Service from this day forward, a Sacrifice of Praise and perpetual Thanksgiving. I call thofe bleffed Spirits to witness, who, tho invifible to Human Eyes, conftantly affift at our Solemn Acts of Religious Worfhip: Humbly befeeching thee, that the Oblation of thy dear Son's Bleffed Body, reprefented in this Sacrament, may be effectual for the Salvation of Me, and of all thy faithful People.

I offer to thee, Lord, my manifold Sins and Transgreffions, my corrupt Inclinations and vicious Habits, which, from my Youth up until now, have fo grievously provoked thy Wrath and juft Indignation, to be a whole Burnt Sacrifice. Slay them, O Lord, before thy Altar, and confume them in the Fire of thy Love, that not any the leaft Spot of Guilt may remain behind. Purge my Conscience from their Stain, and wipe our their very Remembrance. Reftore to me thy Grace, which my Sins and wilful Neglect have fo often forfeited; Give me the Comfort of thy Help

again, and ftablish me with thy free thy re- Pfalm li. newing Spirit; and, having fealed a full Pardon for what is paft, receive me to thy Fatherly Embraces, and affure me of thy Affection by a Kifs of Reconciliation and Peace.

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