imme 4. But, fourthly, It is alfo to be remember'd, that the quicker and fpeedier our Confeffion is after the Commiffion of any Sin, the more Virtue it hath in it, and the more easily it obtains a Pardon. When it is our Unhappiness at any time to commit a Fault, it is the worft Course we can take to lie under that Fault. When the Sin is newly done, our Confcience (unlefs we be very bad) doth not fail to charge it home upon us; and we are then deeply fenfible of it; and if we go diately to God Almighty to unburden our felves of the Load it lays upon us, we shall do it very affectionately, and with truly broken and contrite Hearts; whereas if we let the matter reft as it is, and do not prefently make our Peace with God by humble Confeffion and begging Pardon, our Hearts in a little time will grow much harder, we shall lofe all that pungent Sense we first had of our Sin, and it will be a difficult Matter afterwards to retrieve it. Besides, it is a hundred to one, if we delay the present Time, but the Sin gets ground upon us. By not having made Confeffion of it, and renewed our Refolutions (which is the fetting ourselves in the fame State we were before) the next Temptation to that, or any other Sin, will the easier find Access to us, and prevail upon us. We have by that Sin difarmed our felves. We have flacken'd our Guard, and are more obnoxious obnoxious either to the fame, or any other Enemy, that will make affault upon us. If we design therefore to live virtuously and religiously, whenever we are overtaken in a Sin, let us presently repent of it, and beg Pardon for it, and reinforce our good Purposes. By this means the greatest Crime we can commit will not do us any great Mischief. But if we let Things alone, and defer our Reconciliation with God, even a little Sin may prove dangerous and of fatal Confequence. It is in this Case as it is with the Wounds of the Body: A grievous Wound, presently taken care of, will find an eafy Cure; but if thro' our Negligence we let it rankle and ulcerate, it proves oftentimes hard enough for the Skill of an able Surgeon. Upon this Account I cannot but earnestly recommend to you the Rule that is fo often. mentioned in our Books of Devotion, viz. That every Night, before you fleep, you would take an Account of the Actions of the Day paft; that you would examine your Confciences what has been done well that Day, and what hath been done amifs and for the former to return hearty Thanks to God; but what you find of the latter, not to fleep till you have confeffed it to God, and beg'd his Pardon for it. If we would be thus punctual as to our Repentance and Confeffion, it would be in a man ; ner ner impoffible for us to mifcarry at the long run. 5. But laftly, to conclude, There is another Advice that we should do very well to put in practice in this Business of confeffing our Sins, viz. That befides our daily Confeffions and those others that we may have occafion for, we fhould appoint to ourselves fome ftated Times (and those as frequent as our Affairs will give us Leave) for the more folemn Performance of this Duty. Why should we not once or twice in a Month fet apart fome Hour or Hours in a Day for this Bufinefs; that is, to take an Account of our own Actions, to examine the State of our Souls, to fee how we are gone, forward or backward, in the great Work we have to do, and to adjust the Accounts between God and us. Body but thofe that have tried it, will eafily conceive the Benefits that we shall reap by this Exercife. 'Tis certainly the greatest Prefervative of our Virtue and good Eftate towards God that can be. And it is likewife the fureft Way to fet us right, if we have gone aftray; efpecially if to this Exercise we add the renewing our Vows by partaking in the Holy Sacrament. No In a word, Let us all repent earnestly of our Sins, and return to the Lord with all our Hearts, confeffing our own Vileness and Wickedness before him, and taking up moft ferious ferious and ftedfast Resolutions to ferve him faithfully for the Time to come in Newness of Life. Then will God accept us and pardon us, and give us fuch a Meafure of Strength and Affiftance, that we shall both walk acceptably before him in this World, and fhall likewise be made Partakers of his eternal Glory in the other. VOL. V. DIS 210 DISCOURSE VII. Several ufeful Obfervations from this delity. [Delivered in Two Sermons.] MARK XVI. 16. He that believeth, and is baptized, fhall be faved: But he that believeth not, fhall be damned. UR Saviour having, by his Life, and his Preaching, and his Miracles, and his Refurrection from the Dead, laid a fufficient Ground and Founda tion for the ready Belief and Entertainment of his Cofpel among Mankind, comes upon his Afcenfion into Heaven, and as the last Act he had to do upon Earth, to iffue out his Royal Charter and Commiffion to his Apoftles, to go and preach this Go fpel |