fure, that we have any right thus to plead? Are we fuch as can thus truly plead? Tho' Chrift have offered up himself a propitiatory Sacrifice for the Sins of the whole World, fo that whosoever believeth in him, shall not perish, but have everl::fting Life, yet they that believe not, fhall be damned. Mar. 16. 16. Believers are made the Righteousness of God in him. Their Faith in him is accepted for Righteoufnefs, but then it is fuch a Faith as purifieth their Hearts, and worketh by Love, no other Faith will avail any thing to their Juftification and Salvation. And are we able to account for fuch a Faith. JESUS is the Propitiation for our Sins, but it is hereby we must know, that we know him to be fo effectually to us, or that we fo believe in him, as by our Faith in him to be justified, if we keep bis Commandments. He that faith, I know him, and keepeth not his Commandments is a Liar, and the Truth is not in him. 1 Joh. 2. 3. 4. Therefore, let every one that nameth the Name of Chrift, as his Advocate and Propitiation, depart from Iniquity. 2 Tim. 2. 19. elfe must he not hope to have his Sins cover'd, and passed over on his Account.

Now what can we fay to all this? Have we by confidering God's wonderful goodness to us, and our most unworthy Behaviour towards him, the greatness of our Receipts, and our own wafteful Courses, truly humbled our Hearts in the fight of God, and grown vile in our own Eyes? God refifteth the Proud, but giveth Grace to the Humble. 1 Pet. 5. 5. Have we repented of all our Sins, have we broken and contrite Hearts, and a godly Sorrow working Repentance unto Life never to be repented of? The Sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit; a broken and contrite Heart,

O God, thou will not defpife. Pfal. 51. 17. Are we no longer carnally, but fpiritually minded? If we walk after the Flesh we shall die, but if we through the Spirit do mortify the Deeds of the Body, we shall live. Rom. 8. Have we indeed the Spirit of Christ, and do we walk after it? There is no Condemnation to them that are in Chrift JESUS, who walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. Rom. 8. 1. But if any Man bath not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of his. V. 9. Are we in earnest defirous, and induftrious to do the Will of God, and the Work which he hath fet us here to do? Chrift gave himfelf for us, that he might redeem us from all Iniquity, and purifie unto himself, a peculiar People, zealous of good Works. Tit. 2. 14. By thus examining our Telves, muft we learn how to answer God, and prepare fuch an Account, as he will graciously accept of.

After this manner therefore, muft we give in our Account every one for himself. Saying, O merciful LORD, here I lie proftrate at thy Footftool, and this I moft freely to my fhame confefs unto thee, That thou haft given me many good Things to husband and improve to thy Honour, and my own eternal advantage. Thou knoweft, and there is no hiding it from thee, that I have made great wafte, and have been a very unprofitable Servant to thee, and an ill Husband for my felf. I can give but a very ill Account of any thing, nor bring before thee any thing of thine own, that hath not fuffer'd by being in my Hand. I confefs that I have no Excufe at all for my misbehaviour; I had fufficient Inftructions from thee, and had by thy Grace a power given me to do my Duty faithfully; I wanted no encouragement nor help that was need

ful,

ful and I knew well enough that it lay upon to be just to thee in every thing. All therefore that I have to plead for my self, and to make that very imperfect Account I can give thee of thine own paffable, is thy mercy, and gracious promife of Pardon through the Mediation of the bleffed JESUS, thine only begotten SON, and my gracious Redeemer. My only hope and confidence is this, that I feel the mighty power of the Spirit of Chrift humbling me with the Sense of my unworthy Behaviour, and therefore I doubt not of the grace which thou haft promis'd to the humble; and making me heartily forry and penitent for all my Sins, which I hate perfectly, and ftrive to forfake, mortifying, by all the means I can use, the Flesh with all its corrupt Affections and Lufts, hungring and thirsting after Righteoufaefs; and therefore I doubt not of thy Pardon, which I moft humbly fue for, through the Merits of my Saviour, nor of being filled with thy bletling, as he hath promis'd. I find I fo firmly believe his holy Gospel, that I love thee above all things, and delight in doing thy Will, and count all things as nothing in comparison of thee, and can cheerfully deny my self; doing and fuffering any thing, how difpleafing or grievous foever it be to Flesh and Blood, or how foolish foever the World accounts me for it, fo that I may pleafe thee, and continue in thy favour. Therefore gracious LORD I doubt not, but thou wilt país by all my Infirmities, and acquit me for whate ver I have hitherto done amifs.

Is it our conftant practice thes to examine, and find out, and to confefs and beg Pardon for our manifold failings; and thus also to examine and try our Graces, and to give God the glory of

V4

them?

them? If it be not, we take care to prepare our shall Accounts, and we will never be able to excufe our great negligence therein. The weight of the matter certainly requires it, and nothing without it can make our Life fafe and comfortable.

IV. God is not wanting to us, in minding us of, and calling us to this Duty. We may fee him, and hear him every day calling us to him, and bidding us take notice that the end of our Stewardship draweth near, and therefore it is high time for us to fee that our Accounts be ready. For befides that we have his Word written, as a conftant standing Monitor to us, and we cannot at any time read, but a very little Portion of it, wherein we may not find fomething or other that puts us in mind of our present mortal and uncertain condition, and of the preparations we are therein to be making for a change; and befides that he hath fet up an order of Men in his Church, whofe Office is to be his remembrancers to us of these things, as well as Guides and Directors in the way to Heaven. The Minifters of Christ are in his Name, and by his Authority, to be always calling upon us, and ftirring us up to all diligence in this matter. Knowing the Ter ror of the LORD, they are to perfwade Men. 2 Cor. 5. 11. Befides this, I fay, God is daily many other ways calling on us.

By the Death of our Friends and Neighbours he doth as good as bid us make ready for our own, for we know not which of us must next go that fame way of all Flesh. Their Stewardships are ended, and our own may end before the Sun arife again upon us. They, it may be, thought as little of being called away before us, as we now

do

do of being called before any other of our Ac quaintance, and poffibly the laft Funeral they were at, as little thought of their own being next, as any other of the Company. How is it poffible we should hear the Bell toll for another, but we should call to mind that it will quickly toll for us? Or how should we see so many Graves as we do in every Church Yard we walk through, and not confider that the number of them will fhortly be greater by our returning to the Earth? But more especially when we hear of any one's fudden Death, a thing which when it happens, and it happens not feldom, is much talk'd of and taken great notice of by every Body, as ofa fad thing, and which we are apt to tremble at, and yet can it be fo fad and dreadful on no other Account but this, that it may be fuch an one di ed before his Accounts were ready; for to him who can give a good Account of himself whenever he dies, a fudden death feems to be the moft defirable of any other. However, because fome die fuddenly, and we know not but we may do fo too, every one's fudden Death that we hear of, fhould be a warning to us to have our Accounts always ready. And yet a more remarkable warning is fuch a Death, whenever we hear of any who are taken away by it in the very Act of Sin, as in Drunkennefs or Adultery, or Quarrelling, or in fighting a Duel. We are apt to be concern'd for Perfons fo dying, and that because we have some reason to fear they can give no account of themselves that will be accepted. of.

Again, is not every fickness that we fall into, a fair warning from God to make ready our Accounts? Doth any one know, when he begins

to