them under the whip-hand, to drive them into Perdition. And with none doth he so easily prevail, as with People of unrefolved Minds, of mean, pliant, and eafie Tempers; by means whereof, he drills them on into fuch a course of Impiety, that they know not well where or how to stay their foot. A Man of Refolution easily prevents this mischief, by generously refifting the very first appearances of Evil; nor would any be perfwaded to act that to day, which yesterday he was Troubled at, and Repented of; did he but arm himself with a ftrong and powerful Refolution never to dó fo more.

TO thefe might be added feveral things more, to fhew what Repentance that is to be, and to what degrees it must reach, which is neceffary to recover a Man from the guilt and power, as well of all Habitual, as of all Occafional Sins that are deliberately committed. But I suppose what hath been said already is enough; and the fhort of the matter is this, that God delights in nothing more than in a Man's innocence; and if through Folly or Design a Man hath caft it away, he hath no other way left him, but as far as poffibly he can, to Regain it by fuch a Sincere, Univerfal, and Stedfaft Re

pentance,

pentance, as will be apt to make him live up to the Precepts of Christs Religion, and to exprefs in fome measure a refemblance of thofe Divine Perfections which are in God himself.

And never is this more neceffary, than when we prepare for the Holy Communion, where the memory of Christ's Suffering for Sin is Celebrated, where Pardon of Sin is folemnly prayed for; where that, and all other Benefits of our Saviour's Paffion are verily, and indeed offered, and where we profefs to offer and prefent our Selves, our Souls and Bodies, to be a Reasonable, Holy, and Lively Sacrifice unto God.

'TIS not a few Trifles that can fit you for this Solemnity? 'Tis not going bare-foot, or lying upon the ground, or the putting on uneafie Apparel, or Scourging of the Flesh; 'tis not thumping of the Breaft, or abstinence from certain forts of Meat, or a few Sighs and Tears flowing from a little fence of Sin, and from a great fear of Hell; nay, 'tis not the Abfolution of the Church (though that be a Sacred Thing, and where people are rightly difpofed, an effectual Miniftration, and fuch as we ufe too; 'tis not this, neither) that can prepare you fufficiently for the Worthy eating of the Bread,

Bread, and drinking of the Cup, without a Broken Heart, without a Change of Mind, without full purpose and Refolution to mend your Lives, and to ferve God in true Holiness and Righteousness all your days. For this is the true end and Scope of Chrift's Religion, without the Practice whereof, all outward Obfervances are but forry and empty Formalities ; things which are very confiftent with a Life of Sin (though that be the great thing which Chrift came into the World, and dyed upon the Crofs, that he might destroy) nor do I fee by the Principles of fome Men, how any of those External Rites can lay the least restraint upon our Vices and Lufts; but must be rather Encouragements to all manner of Sin and Wickedness; it being fuch a ftrong Temptation to Men to run prefently upon a new Score, after the Sacrament is over; when they believe that all their accounts may be wiped out by those mean and eafie methods, which reach not the Heart, nor meddle with Lufts, but let all manner of inward impurities alone, though those be the great things which God is angry at.

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EXTERNAL Penance is one thing, but the Repentance of the Heart, and the Mortification of the Spirit is another,

and

and a far different Matter; and that which infinitely more deferves our stricteft regard; for it is the Original of a Divine Temper, and of a Life that is truly Christian. And I have been the more Copious in Difcourfing upon it; not only because it is a neceffary Preparative to this Heavenly Myftery, but also because it is the great bufinefs of our whole Life; 'tis the root of all Religion, out of which spring all thofe particular and various branches of Godliness, Righteousness, and Sobriety, which together make up the whole Duty of Man, and are the Genuine and Salutary Fruits of Repen

tance.

CHAP. VIII.
Of Charity.

PROCEED next to the Subject of ; for that is another neceffary Preparative; it being impoffible for Men rightly to Celebrate the memorial of Gods infinite Love to Them, or to anfwer the Love of God in any due measure, unless their own Souls be inflamed with an Unfeigned and Univerfal Love to those

I

thofe for whom Chrift dyed. It is the Apostles own inference, 1 Joh. 4. 11. Beloved, if God fo Loved us, we ought also to Love one another. In Difcourfing upon this Point, I am to speak, 1. Of the Nature; 2. Of the Exercise of Charity.

1. AS to its Nature; Charity is a Virtue of vaft Extent and Latitude, fo that St. Paul calls it the fulfilling of the Law, Rom. 13. Tho' the vulgar fort are apt to restrain it to Alms-deeds; yet that is but one Branch of Charity, nay, when 'tis done out of Oftentation, and for Popular applaufe, it lofeth the Reward, and deferves not the very Name of Charity, as we find by the Apostle, where he tells us, that though I beftow all my goods to feed the Poor, yet if I have not Charity, it profiteth me nothing, 1.Cor. 13. In which Chapter, we have a large defcription of Charity, that it fuffereth long, and is kind, that it Enviet not, that it vaunteth not it felf, that it is not puffed up, that it behaveth not it self unfeemly, that it feeketh not her own, that it is not eafily provoked, that it thinketh no evil, that it rejoyceth not in iniquity, but rejoyceth in the Truth; that it beareth all Things, believeth all Things, hopeth all Things endureth all Things. By which feveral Expreffions is meant, that true Charity hath fuch an Universal influence

upon

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