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ftances there are which may attend the Fact, to aggravate and heighten it; and accordingly the Malefactor's Repentance muft bear a proportion to the several Branches into which it fpreads. There are required great Humiliations and Terrours of Soul to implore God's Mercy; a deep remorse and anguish to propitiate his own Conscience, a through deteftation of the Sin it felf, many acts of self revenge for having complyed with the Temptation; and if the Sin be injurious to others, all poffible Reparation and Reftitution must be made to the injur'd Party; for the Laws of God have equally - provided for the interefts of all men; and for an Oppreffor, or any other Unjust Person to pretend forrow without making amends for his Injustice, is the fame thing as if he should Plunder and Sequefter his Neighbour, and then fay he Repents, though with the fame Injuftice he keeps at the fame time the Mammon of Unrighteoufnefs in his Clutches.

3. THERE is required alfo for all Wilful Occafional Tranfgreffions, fuch a ftrong Repentance, as makes a Man to be very jealous of himself, to be very watchful and circumfpect for the future; to stand ftrictly upon his Guard, to be a

fraid

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fraid of the Temptation, to beware of coming near it, or near the occafion of it: Briefly, to give all Moral Diligence, that now he stands upon his Legs, and in the favour of God again, he may not fall the Second time. It is a dangerous thing to be within the reach of a Temptation, to be within the hearing of the Devil's Propofals. All thefe Things will I give thee, if in this fingle inftance thou wilt refign up thy Confcience, and fall down and Worship me. 'Tis dangerous, I fay,

because in fuch a Case a Man is under a neceffity, either to venture his ruine by - Compliance, or to use his utmost Courage to Conquer the Temptation; which because many do not, but rather Exchange their Confciences, as a Price and Compofition for fome prefent advantages; therefore 'tis very neceflary for fuch as did once make fuch a bad bargain, to keep hereafter out of harms way. For he that Loves the Temptation, cannot be fuppofed to dislike the Sin; but Sin he will again, even for a morfel of Bread, if he be but Sollicited; and therefore that Repentance muft needs be counterfeit and Hypocritical, when a Man is forry only because he wants Encouragements to be wicked.

4. SUCH

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SUCH Repentance is neceffary, as is attended with a firm and sturdy Refolution to be truly Honeft and Upright all the days of ones Life. Such an Obftinate and Manly Resolution is by the Grace of God fufficient alone to carry a Man fafe out, through the midst of a thoufand Dangers. For either he will not be Tempted at all, especially when the firmnefs of his Mind and Temper is discover'd, (the Devil himself will not eafily throw away his Baits upon thofe he finds laflexible) or else he will have Courage enough to refift all beginnings of Evil, left by yielding, though it be but a lit tle, he should be enfnared (as commonly Men are) into direct Engagements to Wickedness. It is a moft dreadful thing to be Engaged to work Iniquity, to be under a fort of neceffity to do it, and to be involved in guilt to that degree, as if he were forced as it were to go on further still, as if one had no other feeming Security but to push forward, and now to work that Iniquity with Greedinefs, which at first was only proposed to his Choice. Yet this is the Devil's way to make himself fure of Mens Partnership with him in his Torments; first to lead them into a willingness of fubmitting to his Conduct, and then, when once he has

them

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 such 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 Resolution never to do fo more.

TO these might be added feveral things more, to fhew what Repentance that is to be, and to what degrees it must reach, which is neceflary 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 faid 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

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pentance, as will be apt to make him live up to the Precepts of Christs Religion, and to exprefs in fome measure a refemblanee 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 abftinence 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,

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