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And let the faithful Servants of God remember and comfort themselves in this. We are tempted fometimes to entertain hard thoughts of our righteous LORD, upon this account, that he feems too favourable to his wicked Servants, and permits them to live in a more plentiful and profperous condition than they do who are moft faithful to him. But let us have a care of fuffering any ill Opinion of God's juftice and goodness to poffefs us. The LORD is not flack concerning his Promife, as fome Men count flackness; but is longSuffering to us ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to Repentance. 2 Pet. 3. 9. No Man fhall be able to complain, that God is too hafty with him, or that he gives him not time enough both to do all things that belong to his Stewardship, and to make ready his Accounts. But they who make not this good ufe of God's goodness towards them, do but heap up Wrath for themselves against the Day of Wrath, which is alfo the Day of the Revelation of the righteous Judgment of God, Rom. 2. 5. when he will make it apparent to all the World, that he is righteous in all his Ways and Dealings with the Children of Men. If therefore ye call on the Father, who without refpect of Perfons, judgeth according to every Man's Work, pass the time of your fojourning here in fear. 1 Pet. 1. 17.

Let us give all diligence in the mean time to prepare, and make ready our Accounts against they be called for. Now is the time of cafting them up, for look how they stand when we die, fo must they be given in at the day of Judgment, The Account must be according to what we have received, and what we have done with all whilft here in the Body. There's no amend

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ment or Correction of them allow'd us after Death; nothing to be added or substracted. Now therefore let us repent, that our Sins may be blotted out. A&t 3.19.

III. It concerns us to confider how we are able to anfwer God, faying, How is it that I hear this of you? This is a Question, to which a fatisfactory Anfwer is expected from every one of us. We must one day anfwer it, and upon that Anfwer depends our final Doom; and what comfort can we have fo long as we have it not ready? The neceffity therefore of fuch Confideration needs no proof, seeing what is once to be done, and is of fo great moment, that our whole happiness depends upon the doing of it well, deferves (if any thing can deferve it) to be much thought on before hand.

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Let every one therefore now fet himself before himself, that is, at the Bar of his own Conscience, and judge himself, that he be not judged of the LORD. I Cor. 11. For if our Heart condemn us, God is greater than our Heart, and knoweth all things. 1 Joh. If we cannot make up now fuch Accounts, as our own Conscience will approve of, but find that it chargeth us with much that we cannot account for, how can we hope that fuch an Account will pass in the Court of Heaven before God's Omniscience. Tho' we knew nothing by our felves, yet were we not thereby juftified, but be that judgeth us is the LORD. I Cor. 4. Let us therefore enquire how we can answer him. He heareth this of us, that we wafte his Goods. He can be ignorant of noU

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thing, our daily Miscarriages are all manifeft unto him, even as were the Sins of Sodom, The Shew of our Countenance doth witness against us, and we declare our Sin as Sodom, and hide it not, as was faid of the People of Ifrael. Ifa. 1. 3. 9. The cry of the very fame wafting Sins, which call'd down Vengeance on the Sodomites, is gone up unto God against us, for this was the Iniquity of Sodom's Pride, fulness of Bread, and abundance of Idleness, not ftrengthening the Hand of the Poor and Needy, Haughtiness, and committing abomination before God. Ezek. 16. 49. Therefore faith God (fo let us fuppofe, applying to our felves what he laid of that wicked People) I will go down now and fee whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me, and if not, I will know. Gen. 18. 21. I will have it made evident to all the World, that I deal not rigorously with the worft of Men, nor execute Wrath upon them, till it be certain, that nothing is to be faid for them, either by themselves or others, why they fhould not be destroyed.

Suppose then we now heard God saying to every one of us, as here to the unjuft Steward. How is it, that I heard this of thee? What fay'ft thou in thy own defence? Is it true that I have heard, or no? Haft thou wafted my Goods or not? If it be not true, where are thy Accounts? Shew them me, and make it appear that thou art wrong'd, and haft been a faithful Servant unto me. And if it be true, then say all that thou haft to say by way of Excufe, and thou shalt have a fair hearing, and all the favour and allowance, that in reafon can be afforded thee.

Now let us try, what it is we have to plead. Can we deny the Fact? Haye we been fo faith

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ful as to make no wafte? It hath been fhewn we cannot. Our own Confciences teftifie against us, that we have been fo very negligent in the management of our Mafter's Goods, that very few of us ever well confider'd what things they are which God hath committed to our care, or what ufe he hath commanded us to make of them, In many things we offend all. If we say, that we have no Sin, we deceive our felves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our Sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins, and to cleanfe us from all unrighteoufnefs. 1 Joh. 1. 8. 9. All that we have to depend upon is God's Promife, to forgive upon our Confeffion. We must therefore all plead guilty, and every one cry out with the Publican, God be merciful to me a Sinner.

If this be all that is required of us, our Accounts (we are ready to believe) will easily be made; and we need not much to trouble our felves about them. Let what will be wafted by us, whilst we confess the Wafte which we have made, we are fafe enough through the Promise of a Pardon. We have therefore no more to fay but this, Lord, we have wafted very much, lo, here is all that remains, and for that which is wanting, we plead thy Promife of Forgiveness. We confefs we have been unfaithful and unjust, buc we know that thou art both faithful and juft, and canft not go back from thy Word, or break thy Promise.

And we may indeed be very fure of this, that God will always be righteous, how wickedly foever we behave our felves. But there is yet. fomething else that we ought to be fure of too, that is, That our Confeffion be the Confeffion of true Penitents, who ceafe to do evil, and learn

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to do well; who not only confess, but forfake our Sins; and that the Promife of Forgiveness is to fuch as we are. We fhall wafte much as long as we live through other Infirmities, but we must take heed of wilful Wafte, and being careless in our Duty; for tho' God expects not to find us innocent, and free from every Offence or Failing; yet he expects till an Account of our Honefty and Sincerity, and that we take all poffible care not to fin. And what now do our Confciences answer to this? We have broken the Laws of God, and therefore cannot be juftified by a Legal or perfect obedience; but have we obey'd the Gofpel, and perform'd the Conditions on which Grace and Mercy are promifed through JESUS Chrift, the only Saviour of Sinners? Suppose then that God fhall ask us, How is it, that I hear this of you, That you have not been faithful in the new Covenant of Grace made in great Goodness with Sinners in JESUS Chrift? Shew how your Evangelical Accounts ftand; and whatsoever you can fairly put upon the Account of my well beloved SON, in whom I am well pleased, fhall be allowed of, and for his fake remitted unto you: Whatsoever he will take upon himself, fhall not be charged upon

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Will we now fay, We have an Advocate with the Father JESUS Chrift the Righteous, and he is the Propitiation for our Sins, and not for our's only, but for the Sins of the whole World? As we are taught, I Joh. 2. 1. 2. He was made by thee Sin for us, who knew no Sin, that we might be made the Rhigteoufnefs of God in him. 2. Cor. 5. 21. This I confefs is the only Plea that will stand us in ftead, and make our Accounts paffable. But then are we

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