that Godlike Frame and Difpofition of Mind, which is wrought in Men by the gracious Energy of Gods Spirit, and their own kindly compliance with his Operations, 'tis a fenceless thing to depend upon those effects of his Love, which I have now mentioned, Forgiveness of Sin, and a Title to Everlafting Happiness; unless we be in fome measure Holy, Juft, and Good, as the ever-bleffed God is; these being Perfections which he loves, because they are his own. Hence it appears, that though we go to the bleffed Sacrament with Religious and Devout Minds, yet if we go not on to answer the great End of Christianity, the bare Reception of it can never be enough to anfwer our own expectations; because it is a Relative Ordinance that looks forward upon a Chriftian Life; for the leading whereof, this Mystery lays all poffible Obligations upon us, and takes all poffible Securities at our hands here at the Altar of God.

THIS being cleared, give me leave now to recommend unto you these following Directions, that you may not receive this Sacrament, and the Grace of God in vain, but may, in one fenfe, as the Founder of this Ordinance did in a nother, fee of the Travel of your Souls, and be fatisfied.

I. HAVE

1. HAVE a very great care, that you relapse not into any known and wilful Sins, of which 'tis prefum'd you have repented; and especially beware of such as you have been most apt and inclined to commit. People are fubject to different Vices; either by means of their dif ferent Conftitutions, or by means of their different Ages, or by means of their dif ferent Opinions, and fometimes too, by means of their different Callings. For tho those Callings may be Innocent in them. felves, nay commendable in refpect of their ufe for the publick Good; yet by means of Mens own corrupt Difpofitions, they are accidentally apt to betray them to various forts of Wickednefs; fome to Luxury, fome to Wantonnefs, fome to Pride, and most to Frauds and Injustice; a bitter root of Covetoufnéfs fpreading generally through all Secular Vocations, though it always hurts the Soil, and many times is the Bane of the Proprietor, however it be thought a thrifty Vice. Here then, every one must careful ly observe which are his own Iniquities, the Sins that do fo eafily befet him; and accordingly muft ftand upon the ftrictest Watch, to guard himself from all dangers of relapfing, efpecially from fuch dangers as he is moft ready to fall into Q upon

upon any occafion. For as the Devil is always most bufie about Men when they have been doing their Souls good, to lay his old Snares in their way, and, if they fail, to minifter to them fresh and new Temptations; fo is their yielding to thofe Temptations, of very mifchievous and deadly confequence.

I. IT is an Act of the higheft Perfideoufnefs, to be falfe to thofe Sacred Obligations which we have now taken upon us after the most Solemn manner, in the prefence of God and his Holy Angels, and over that broken Body of Chrift which was given in Sacrifice as well to expiate as to deftroy the works of the Devil. Therefore (faith the Preacher) When thou vowest a Vow unto God, defer not to pay it, for he hath no pleasure in Fools; pay that which thou haft vowed. Better is it that theu fhouldeft not vow, than that thou Shouldeft vow, and not pay. Ecclef. 5. 4, 5.

A

2. IT is an Act of inexcufable Hardinefs and Prefumption, to return to those Impieties which have already coft us fo dear. Who but a true Penitent can be fenfible what the Terrours of God are, when he awakens a fleepy Confcience? What that Shame is, which tinctures the Forehead at the fecret remembrance of ones Guilt What thofe Dolours are

which corrode the Heart, like Vipers which gnaw the Womb that bears them? What thofe throws and Agonies, are, which the Soul endures when it comes to be ruffled by the hand of God? And. how violent the Pangs and Convulsions of a new Birth are, when fo many inveterate Habits come to be torn up out of ones Breast by the Roots? Repentance is a most painful thing, if it be Genuine and Hearty, when a poor Wretch is a recovering out of that miferable State, wherein a long courfe and trade of Wickedness hath plunged him; and I think 'tis Oecumenius that hath somewhere obferved, that 'tis no eafie matter to fall back again into fuch a course of Life, as hath once put one to fo much expence of Shame, Sorrow, and Vexation. The fenfe and experience of fmart, is naturally apt to make Men very fearful of being wounded any more: So that when they relapfe into a wicked State with so much Facility, it is a certain Sign, that either their Imart was not pungent and acute enough, or else that they are of very hardy and defperate Spirits, that can break through all the Pricks and Twinges of Confcience to rush upon the Pikes again.

3. IT is the ready way to lose all the Profit of Repentance, though it were never fo chargeable and coftly. Therefore is Apoftacy compared to the most odious and filthy Spectacle; to a Dog's licking up bis Vomit, and to the wallowing again of a Sow in the mire, 2 Pet. 2. 22. Nor can it be, but fuch Creatures must needs appear abominable in the fight of God, because his Love and Hatred ftill go along with the Reafons of them; which are never grounded upon any partiality towards Mens Perfons, but upon a juft view of their Qualifications and Tempers; fo that as thefe vary from better to worse, and from Purity turn to Corruption, fo they become instead of Objects of Gods Love, the Objects of his Hatred, which always runs out in a direct course against all Impiety, and ftill follows it at the heels: and hence is the terrible Menace in the Prophet Ezekiel, When the Righteous Man turneth away from his Righteousness, and committeth Iniquity, and doth according to all the Abo minations that the Wicked Man doth, fhall he live? All his Righteoufnefs that he hath done fhall not be mentioned: in his Tref pafs that he hath Trefpaffed, and in his Sin that he hath finned, in them fhall he die, Ezek. 18. 24. This is not only one of