or

addict themselves to Drunkenness, follow a Lafcivious and luftful kind of Life; or make Fraud and Cheating a great part of their Trades; or live in Malice, and Uncharitableness, or whatever other forts of Wickedness they fuffer themselves to Continue in. These must needs be Wilful Habits, because it is impoffible to conceive how any Man can perfift in fuch Courses,, having fo much Time and Leisure to confider of them, and not give his full confent to fuch Impieties. For if it be faid (though 'tis ftrange it fhould) that the Man may believe these things to be Lawful, and fo Labour under an Erroneous Judgment, which allows him in fuch actions; yet it cannot be any thing but his own Obftinacy that misleads his Confcience into fuch an Errour, the Crime being fo apparent to common Reafon. Or, if he acts contrary to his judgment (which is moft likely) it is a Sin against Confcience, which is the Highest aggravation any action is capable of: So that let him palliate it as he can, it is undoubtedly a Wilful Habit.

And because it is fo, fuch a Repentance is neceffary, as changeth the whole frame of his Heart and Life; fuch a Repentance, as makes a Man lay afide utterly

.

every vicious Custom; fuch a Repentance, as effectually bends his Mind to an entire Practice of Virtue and Religion. For, the great bufinefs of Religion being to transform every one into the Divine Image, to make him Partaker of the Divine Nature, and to render him, according to the Capacities of Humane Nature, Holy and Pure as God himself is; and forrow for what is paft, being the first Beginning of fuch a God-like Life: That Repentance thuft needs be Trifling and Impertinent, which doth not powerfully carry on those Divine Purposes; and 'tis as impoffible for one that persists in an Evil State and Courfe, to be a true Penitent at the fame time, as it is to make Hell and Heaven meet together in one. Repentance is an High and Noble act of the Mind, that doth not lye in Sobs and Groans, nor meerly in the Anguish and Throws of a Spirit that is upon the Rack; for notwithstanding all this, Guilt and the Love of Sin may be at the bottom; and inward torment may proceed purely from a prefent apprehenfion of vengeance, which every Man would willingly avoid, though he delights in that which brings it upon him. No; Repentance that is genuine, works a total Change, turns the Defires towards the Glory of God,

which

which is the True and Proper Object of the Mind, and fo by degrees improves and raiseth up the depraved Nature of Man to thofe perfections which are in God, of whofe Glory thofe Divine Gra ces, which Religion propofeth to our practice, are a Copy and Tranfcript.

INFINITELY diftant from this, is the Life of that Man, who Loves to wallow in Vice, Senfuality, and Corruption. People of this fort and Temper, are fo far from having a right to the Promises of Pardon and Peace, which are tendred by the Evangelical Covenant, and which are Sealed at the Holy Sacrament, that the Scripture plainly threatens Indignation and Wrath, Tribulation. and Anguish to every Soul that worketh Evil after this manner; to fuch as obey Unrighteousness, to fuch as are the Servants of Sin, to fuch as let Sin reign in their Mortal Bodies, to fuch as yield themselves up to Unrighteousness, to fuch as make Provifion for the Flesh, to fuch as obey it in the Lufts thereof, to fuch as walk on in darkness, and lye in wickednefs; and conform themfelves to this world; by all which Expreffions, and many more to the fame purpose, the Scripture meaneth fuch as continue and persist in an Ungodly courfe, in a crooked way, in a vicious Manner and Habit of Life. For

which

which Reason, when Men intend to go to the Holy Communion, (where every one is fure to receive fomething, either Mercy, or Judgment to himself) they should take themselves to a very ftrict account, and impartially obferve what that way is, wherein they are used to go: And if they find themselves fo ill given; as that they willingly follow their own hearts Lufts, and refolve to do fo ftill, in fpight of God's Word, and the checks of their own Consciences, they must not in any. wife prefent themselves at the Lord's Table, but utterly forbear, 'till they have truly humbled themselves under fuch a fenfe of their impieties, as worketh that Repentance which is the entrance upon a Life of Virtue, and True Religion. If there be not this Divine difpofition of Soul in them, they are no more fit to receive the Body of Chrift, than Judas that Betrayed him, or Pilate that Condemned him, or the Jews that Mock'd him, or the Souldier that stuck a Spear into his Side. And if he goes to the Holy Sacrament, while he goes on still in his wickedness, he doth but take a large step towards his own deftruction. Such a one defpifeth the Sufferings of the Son of God, tramples the Blood of the Covenant under his feet, and accounteth it an

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Unholy

Unholy Thing, as if it were a refreshment for a Beaft; and he is like one, that brings a Swine into the Sanctuary to feed upon the Bread of. Eternal Life. Therefore, before we Celebrate so Great a Mystery, we are to enter into the ftrictest Engagements, to bind our Souls with the most serious Vows, and to fet up very strong and powerful Refolutions of Amendment, left in making too great hafte to fo Divine and Solemn an Ordinance, we make hafte to Perish, and to be Undone. For nothing makes us capable, without Repentance from dead *Justin Works; as * Justin Martyr faid. The food at the Eucharift is not lawful to be received but by fuch as believe the Doctrines of ChriStianity to be true; and have been wash'd in the Laver of Regeneration, and lead their Lives according to Chrift's Pre* fcriptions And he that apluntatem peccandi gravari proacheth to the Lords Table magis dico Euchariftia per- with a Defign and Purpose to ceptione, quam purificari,S. Sin on ftill, instead of being Aug. de Ecclef. Dogmat. refreshed and purified by receiving, is the more heavily Laden, and receives a Cup of Bitterness, instead of a Salutary Cordial..

Mart.

Apol. 2.

* Habentem adhuc vo

c. 53.

Here a Question may arise, whether it be Lawful for one to Communicate upon ferious Pows and Refolutions only? That