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every Man to judge and condemn himself, that he may truly repent of his paft Follies, and carefully avoid thofe Sins, for the Time to come, which draw upon Men the Judgments of God.

Q. But is not faying Amen to thefe Sentences of God's Law, a Curfing of ourselves, and is it not a wicked as well as a foolish Thing?

29.

A. This pious Office hath indeed been so traduced; but I believe it hath not been confidered, that God himself commanded this Manner of anfwering. And though fome Circumftances in reciting these Curfes among the Jews might be ce- Deut. xi. remonial, yet the main of the Duty, and the End ch. xxvii. for which it was prefcribed, was truly moral, tending to the Honour of God and his Laws, and the promoting of true Piety. And the faying Amen does not here fignify wishing, but affirming and declaring the Truth of what God hath revealed; and thus Amen is often in the Gospel tranflated Verily; and Jefus, who is the Truth, is called Amen; Mat.v. 18. fo that Amen is no more than a Declaration, that 28. he whom God bleffeth is bleffed, and he whom Luke iv. God curfeth is curfed: And thefe Curfes are like our Saviour's Woes in the Gospel, not Procurers 14. of Evil, but compaffionate Predictions of it, in order to prevent it..

Q. But hath not Chrift taken away the Curse of the Law, being made a Curfe for us?

A. It is true that our Saviour, by Virtue of his Sacrifice, made Satisfaction for Sin, and bore that Curfe which belonged to us; and thereby acquitted and cleared all thofe that believe in him from the Guilt of thofe Sins, for which there was no Way of Expiation provided by the Law of Mofes that is, of prefumptuous Sins, for which there was no Sacrifice, but the Man was to be cut off. But ftill this Redemption that was purchafed for us, was upon the Condition of Repentance; fo.

D d

that

Mark iii.

24.

Rev. iii.

that impenitent Sinners are ftill the Object of God's Wrath; and though Pardon and Forgivenefs of Sins were procured for us by the Death of Chrift, yet Repentance is neceffary to qualify us to receive the Benefit of it. It being certain ftill, that Sinners, while they remain fuch, are really accurfed; and to convince them of this, and make them own it, it is the trueft Bleffing the Church can procure for them.

Q. What Ufe does the Church make of fetting the Curfes of God's Law before us?

A. To prefs all Chriftians to a true and fincere Repentance, from the Confideration of God's dreadful Wrath against all impenitent Sinners; which as it is fevere in itself, and altogether intolerable, fo it is juft in its Proceedings, and abfolutely unavoidable, when it doth come; and when Sinners are awakened by this Confideration from their dreadful Security, they are encouraged to Repentance from God's Readiness to receive true Penitents to Mercy, and from the great Benefits of it, Pardon and Peace in this Life, and eternal Happiness in the next.

Q. Since Repentance is fo earnestly pressed upon us at this Time, pray wherein does it confift?

A. Repentance confifts in fuch a Change of Mind, as produces the like Change in our Lives and Converfations; fo that to repent of our Sins, is to be convinced that we have done amifs; whence follows hearty Sorrow for our paft Follies, and a firm and effectual Purpose and Resolution of Mind to forfake them for the Time to come. And this Change is fo great in our Defires and Refolutions, that the Scripture calls it a new Nature, the Sincerity and Reality whereof appears in Actions fuitable to fuch new Principles.

Q. What Confiderations are proper to excite in us Sorrow for our Sins? A. Who

A. Who can forbear grieving, when he confiders that he is fallen under the heavy Displeasure of Almighty God, whose infinite Patience he hath abused? That he is exposed to all those Miseries that are implied in an eternal Separation from the Fountain of all Happiness; that he hath foolishly neglected the most important Concern of his Life and done what in him lies to make himfelf everlaftingly miserable; that he hath been ungrateful to his mighty Benefactor, and unfaithful to his beft Friend; that he hath affronted Heaven with those very Bleffings he hath received from thence; that he hath defpifed the Riches of God's Rom.ii.4. Goodnefs, and Forbearance, and Long-fuffering, which fbould have led him to Repentance.

Q. How ought we to express our Sorrow for our Sins?

A. By humbly confeffing them to Almighty God with Shame and Confufion of Face, by an utter Abhorrence and Deteftation of them, by being heartily troubled for what we have done amifs, and refolved not to do the like again. By teftifying the Reality of our inward Sorrow, by all those Ways that we find naturally occur in other Cafes that afflict us, as in Fafting, Weeping, and Mourning, practifed by Penitents both in the Old and New Teftament; as is plain by Ezra, David, Nehemiah, Izra x. 6. St. Peter, and St. Paul; all deep Impreffions of &c. the Mind naturally producing fome proportion- 10. able Effect upon the Body; and it being very Mat. xxvi. fit that as the Soul and Body have been Partakers 75 in the fame Sins, fo they thould join together in Atsix g. the fame Humiliation.

Q. What is meant by a firm Refolution of Amend

ment?

A. Such a Purpofe of Mind as is formed upon calm Deliberation, after all the Difficulties of a holy Life have been thoroughly confideted; and Dd2

thofe

Pfal. Ixix.

Neh. i. 4.

thofe Difcouragements that will frequently attend us in pursuing fuch a Courfe. After all the Pleafures of Sin have been feriously weighed, and thofe Temptations that will conftantly folicit us to commit it; with all thofe Motives and Arguments that excite us to perform the one and avoid the other; a Refolution of Mind, framed after this Manner, is likely to be permanent and lasting.

Q. What is the beft Method to make a Refolution of Amendment effectual?

A. To extend it to all the Particulars of our Duty, obliging ourselves to have a Refpect to all God's Commands, and to avoid every Thing his Law forbids. To make it adequate to all Times, not only hereafter, but at prefent; not only when we are out of Temptations, but when we are under them; not only when we cannot act them, but when we can act and repeat them too. To refolve upon avoiding all thofe Occafions that betray us into the Breach of our Duty; and to make Ufe of all those Means and Helps that are established for our Growth in Grace, efpecially to pray to God that he would ftrengthen our Weaknefs, and confirm our holy Purpofes; and that they may be durable, frequently to repeat and renew them, particularly when we approach the Holy Table of the Lord.

Q. Is all true Sorrow for Sin, and are all real Purpofes of Amendment for the Time to come, in all Cafes fufficient?

A. No; in fome Cafes they are not fufficient: For if we have any ways wronged or injured our Neighbour, we must make him all the Reparation we are able. Those that we have drawn into Sin,. by our Example, or Neglect of our Duty towards them, we muft endeavour all we can to contribute to their Recovery; if we have injured their good Names, we must acknowledge our Faults, and vin

dicate their Reputations, and by all fitting Ways repair their Credit; if we have wronged them in their Eftates, either by Fraud or Force, we must make Reftitution; that is, restore to the right Own➡ er what we unjustly poffefs, or to his Heirs, or when neither can be discovered, to the Poor; and that with all thofe Measures and Circumftances, which, upon Confideration, we fhall find to be our Duty. Without this Fruit of Repentance, all other Expreffions of it will ftand us in no Stead, fince our Obligation to Reftitution is founded upon immutable Reafon and natural Juftice, which is to do that to another which we would have another do to us. Moreover, the detaining of what we know to be another's Right is a perfevering in the firft Injuftice; and as long as we continue in that State, we cannot expect Pardon.

Q. Whence arifes our Obligation to Repentance? A. From the abfolute Neceffity of it, in order to make us capable of the Mercy and Forgiveness of God. Without Repentance, we must be unavoidably miferable; for it is the great Condition upon which our Salvation depends; and this Change in our wicked Tempers must be wrought, before we can be qualified for that Happiness God hath promised in the Gofpel-Covenant.

Q. What do you mean by the Forgiveness of Sins? A. A Difcharge and Release from that Punishment that is due to Sin. By tranfgreffing God's Laws we contract Guilt, which is an Obligation to fuffer that Punishment the Wrath of God fhall think fit to inflict: but by the Forgiveness of Sins, we are freed and delivered from that Punishment to which we were before obnoxious.

Q. Is Repentance the valuable Confideration for which God bestows upon us Forgiveness of Sins?

A. The Scriptures are clear that our bleffed Saviour Jefus Chrift, laid down his Life as a SacriDd 3

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