for the want of a deeper forrow for them. But whatever more of forrow is wanting, this being merely the effect of our conftitution, and not any voluntary choice; it needs not be doubted but God, who is infinitely good, and who knows all our defects and weakneffes, will never impute to our condemnation, what he sees thus utterly out of our power.

Eufeb. Is there any thing farther you would advise, in order to a right judgment of ourselves?

Theod. Yes. In order to the more fuccessful application of the foregoing rules, I would advise to have before you fome fuch catalogue of the several branches of our duty, and the violations of it, as may help you the more readily to call to mind what your fins have been, that you are now to repent of; fuch as you have in Archbishop Laud's Daily Office of a Chriftian; the Confeffion of Sins in Bishop Andrews's Manual of Directions for the Sick; Bishop Downham's Abstract of Duties commanded, and Sins forbidden, in the Law of God; towards the latter end of the Whole Duty of Man; and at the end of the Common-Prayer the best Companion; or of Mr. Nelfon's excellent Companion for the Feafts and Fafts of the Church; or in Bishop Taylor's Holy Dying, chap. IV. feat. 8. or Mr. Kettlewell's Trial of the Soul, in his Companion to the Penitent; or more largely, in the fecond book of his Measures of Chriftian Obedience; in Mr. Seller's Office for Good-Friday, in his Good Man's Preparation for a happy receiving of the bleffed Sacrament; or other treatises of devotion, and, particularly, in relation to the Lord's fupper. Such a method will hardly fail of putting you in mind of the feveral forts of fins, whereinto you may, at any time, have fallen; or, at leaft, of the groffer and more offenfive of them. And then, if you duly confider which of them were of weakness, which of wilfulnefs, which involuntary, and which freely chofen; which you have repented of and forfaken, and which still retain an intereft in you; it will be no difficult matter to make a probable judg

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ment, perhaps, a certain one, whether you be a fon of God, and like to be for ever happy; or a child of wrath and perdition. But then you must be sure to deal fairly and candidly with yourself, judging by what you really find yourself chargeable with neither leffening nor excufing your fins; nor, on the other hand, being too fevere upon yourself, for fuch fins as it was not in your power to avoid.

Eufeb. There is little danger of peoples being overfevere to themselves, fo as undefervedly to condemn themselves. I wish they would not more readily feek to excufe themselves from fuch guilt, which, like the poifon'd fhirt to Hercules, fticks fo close to them, that they know not how to get rid of it.

Theod. It is true, men are readieft to fail on this fide, in favouring themselves beyond what Almighty God will think reasonable at the laft day though I must confefs, there are fome few well-meaning perfons, who are apt to err on the other hand, by concluding themselves in a worfe condition, than they have reafon for, and fo are tempted to defpair of pardon, when any other man would take their cafe to be very fafe. Both thefe extremes are carefully to be avoided, as we would neither die in an impenitent ftate; nor deprive ourselves of that comfort, which would naturally arife from a well-grounded fenfe of God's favour; and disturb our minds with unneceffary fears and jealoufies, and unfit ourselves for ferving God, as we might otherwife have done; not to add farther, as we would not be tempted to despair of his mercy, and thereby provoke him to withdraw it from us.

Eufeb. When is it you would have a man thus examine himfelf?

Theod. He is, above all times, especially concern'd to do it when he comes to be fick, and death looks him in the face, and gives him warning fpeedily to make up his accounts, left it be too late the next day. But this should be only in order to a balance of them.

For

For he ought by no means to defer this work till his latter end, but to be conftant in it throughout the courfe of his whole life. In his first beginning his repentance, or fo foon as he comes to years of difcretion and understanding, fo as to be capable of making a judgment of himself, he must diligently and impartially review his life past, and seriously confider the fins he has been guilty of, fo far as he can recollect them, together with their feveral aggravations; to humble himfelf for them, and to fue to God for pardon thro' Chrift, and grace to walk more holy for the future; to refolve against the repetition of them; and to arm himself against thofe temptations whereby he has been drawn into them; to obferve how he may best guard himself against them; and to confirm his purposes of amendment, and a better obedience, for the remaining part of his life. And befides, he is farther to remember, that he must not cease here; but, though he come to ever fo perfect a discovery of himself, he must be mindful always after, to make a frequent inspection into his converfation, to fee that it is fuch as becomes the gospel of Chrift, to lament and bewail what farther tranfgreffions he can discover in his future conduct, and to renew his former purposes of amendment.

Eufeb. How oft do you think it neceffary for a good Chriftian to examine himself as you prescribe?

Theod. The fick man muft do it, as his diftemper allows him time and ability. But, as to others, this examination is in a particular manner recommended by fuch as have written of the Lord's fupper, and the due celebration of it, as neceffary in order to a worthy attendance upon that facred ordinance, and therefore always to be used before our approaches to it's and more particularly upon account of those words of the apostle St. Paul; (f) Let a man examine himself; and fo let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. And many divines have imprudently preffed this ad(f) 1 Cor. xi. 28.

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vice

vice fo far, that divers very good, and truly devoted Christians, chuse rather to absent themselves, when graciously invited to that heavenly banquet, than appear there without fuch a previous examination, when they have not time for it. Which, tho' it be a great error in them, it being much better to serve our Lord as well as our prefent circumftances will admit of, than not do it at all; yet nothing can be more proper and becoming, than fuch a serious examination upon every notice timely given of a facrament, together with fuch a mixture of preparatory devotion, as may tend to raise the most holy affections in the foul, may obtain the pardon of its fins, and fo may qualify the perfon, worthily to commemorate our bleffed Saviour's infinite love in dying for us. But then befides thefe, and other the like more folemn times for felf-examination, he that would live agreeably to his moft holy profeffion, will find it neceffary for him to be frequently exercised in the confideration of his (g) own ways; to call them often to remembrance, as the Pfalmift did, as highly ufeful in order to the turning his feet to God's teftimonies. And, if my judgment fignify any thing in the cafe, I fhould direct, exhort, intreat, and befeech him, to pafs no day without it; that every night, before he compofe himself to fleep, he would (b) commune with his heart upon his bed, and be fill, or rather, before he lays him down, would take a little time, to look back upon the feveral occurrences of the day paft, to fee how faithfully he had discharged his duty, and would put the author of the Golden Verfes questions to himself,

Πῇ παρέβην, τί δ' ἔρεξα, τί μοι δέον ἐκ ἐτελέθη; And fee what good he has done that day; what duty be bas ventured to omit; whether he has indulged any vice; and in fhort, how he has demeaned himself in all refpects. This St. Chryfoftom recommends, from thofe words of the Pfalmift, (i) Commune with yourselves in your chamber, and be fill; directing that after fupper, (g) Pfalm cxix. 59° (b) Ibid. iv. 4. (i) ver. 5.

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before a man betake himself to his reft, when he is preparing for his bed, and has none with him, but all is ftill and quiet about him, he erect a tribunal in his own confcience, and bring himself to a trial, what evil he bas contrived the day paft, what frauds he has committed, what neighbour be bas fupplanted, what corrupt inclinations he bas gratified, and to pafs judgment upon himself accordingly. And would each Chriftian conftantly follow this method, he would quickly become well acquainted with himself, would make his repentance the perfecter, and more particular; would eafe his mind of the heavy burden of paft fins; would foon, have got over the difficulty of his inquiry, and reduc'd it into a little compass; would find his love to fin turn'd to hatred of it; would foften his hard heart, and awaken his drowsy conscience; would prevent his mifcarriages becoming habitual; and would have a great deal the lefs to do, whenever he comes to die. In a word, this were the way to make our work easy, our Jives comfortable, and our end glorious. Nor will this be any troublesome, bufinefs, to those who have been acquainted with it for a while. It must coft fome time and pains at firft, till it is grown familiar to them, and they know to what failings they are most liable, and are most obliged to inquire after. But thenceforwards they will be readier for it, and fo it will take up no long time for the difpatch of it. A quarter of an hour, or, perhaps, but half fo much, every night; which can be no great burden to any one, to fet afide ordinarily for fuch reflection. And yet, whofoever well employs that space conftantly to this purpose, will: foon experience the wonderful advantage of it, in order to the mortification of his lufts and paffions, and, hereby, to his growth in grace, and a happy preparation for a bleffed eternity.

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Eufeb. Really; Theodorus, what you fay feems fo bighly reasonable, that I begin to wifh all that call themselves Chriftians, would conftantly put it in ctice. And, for my own part, I will begin, by the

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