even when he gives us the Spirit of Promife, that he may make us fenfible of our failings, and lay us in the duft under the fense of them; fo that the fetting of a Crown upon our heads, may be acknowledg'd to be an act of his free Grace, and that we may Triumph in the Name of God alone, who hath concluded all under Sin, that he may have Mercy on all. By reafon of these Infirmities we are commanded to Watch; which is a plain argument, that we are ftill in danger of being affaulted, and our most treacherous Enemies may be thofe of our own Houfhold. Now what we cannot avoid, by the Mercies of God we shall not be accountable for: But our Frailties and Infirmities, if they be acknowledg'd, and bewail'd, and prayed against, and frugled with, are Pardoned of courfe; and every 1 Man is accepted according to that which be bath, and not according to that he hath not, 2 Cor. 8. 12. Chriftianity is neither a foft Pillow for Wicked Men to fleep on, nor yet a weary yoak for Good Men to fink under; there being in the Gospel fuch an admirable mixture of the Promifes with the Threats; that as a vicious Wretch has no reason to prefume, fo a Sincere and Humble hearted Man hath no

reason

reason to Despair. Thou Lord art Merciful, faith the Pfalmift; for thou rewardest every Man according to his Works: And it is the usual Course and Tenour of a Man's Life, that God doth judge of him by, making a great abatement for his Hu mane Infirmities; and were it not thus, no Flesh living could be Saved; becaufe our present state of imperfection will not fuffer us to be without all manner of ble mish; and he that boafteth of abfolute Perfection, is not more a Pharifee, than a Fool; because in many things we are apt to offend all. But every Sin grieveth not the good Spirit of God, nor is every Of fence inconfiftent with a State of Regeneration; nor doth every little transgrel fion dif-entitle us to the Divine Favour. The daily Sacrifice of the Heart in Praye er, and the conftant ftriving with our manifold Infirmities, do fo effectually Operate through the Merits of Chrift, who died even for weak ones, that an Act of Frailty is not a Sin armed with a Dam ning Power. Though there be fomething of the Viper in us, yet as long as we do not Cherish, or Indulge, or keep it warm in our bofom, it cannot Hurt, however it may fright us, and create in us fome trouble and horrour. And fo much be

fpoken

fpoken of Sins of Infirmities, and of those degrees of Repentance which are neceffary for them.

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CHAP. VII.

Of Wilful Sins.

PROCEED next to Discourse of Sins of Wilfulness; that nothing may élcape us which is neceffary to be known, in order to a full understanding of that Repentance which is to be preparatory to the Holy Communion. Now Wilful Sins are fuch as are Advifedly and of fet pur pofe committed; when a Man confiderately doth this or that Evil action, either for his pleafure, or for his profit fake, or upon any other fuch unreasonable inducements. And these Sins are of two forts, Habitual, or Occafional. Habitual Sins are fuch as are the general Tenor and Course of ones Life; which he allows himfelf in, and gives himself up to, and usually follows as his common Trade and Wa ay. As, when ill Men accustom themselves to Prophane the Holy Name of God, or

addict themselves to Drunkenness, or 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 muft needs be Wilful Habits, because it is impoffible to conceive how any Man can perfift in fuch Courses, having fo much Time and Leifure to confider of them, and not give his full confent to fuch Impieties. For if it be faid (though 'tis ftrange it should) that the Man may believe these things to be Lawful, and so 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.

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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 Cuftom; fuch a Repentance, as effectually bends his Mind to Ian entire Practice of Virtue and Religion. For, the great business of Religion being to transform every one into the Divine Image, to make him Partaker of the Di- vine Nature, and to render him, according to the Capacities of Humane Nature, Holy and Pure as God himself is; and forrow for what is past, being the firft Beginning of fuch a God-like Life: That Repentance muft needs be Trifling and Impertinent, which doth not powerfully carry on those Divine Purposes; and 'tis as impoffible for one that perfifts 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,