I say, if we were honest and true-hearted to God and our own eternal Interests, we should reflect upon these Things. We should estimate our Sins and Failings by these Rules, and not judge of them by those common Measures which loose and fenfual Minds have found out for the lessening and extenuating of them. 4. But fourthly and lastly, There is another Way of covering our Sins, not unfit to be mentioned in this Place, because it is too frequently practised; and that is, by taking the Blame off from ourselves, and laying it upon others. Tho' we are not ignorant of the Fault, neither do justify it, nor yet extenuate it, yet we are loth it should lie with all its Load upon our own Shoulders, and therefore prudently transfer it upon those that were some way or other either Tempters to it, or Occasions of it. To give you an Instance from Scripture of this kind of covering of Sins: Adam, our first Parent, had no sooner fallen in Paradise by eating the forbidden Fruit, but when God came to chide him for his Fault, he had his Answer ready, that it was not so much his Fault as Eve's. The Woman, Gen. 3.12. says he, that thou gavest me to be with me, she tempted me, and gave me of the forbidden Tree, and I did eat. By this first Instance of Sin in the World, we may learn how natural it is for Men to rid the Blame and the Guilt of their evil Actions off from them themselves, and to lay it upon others. And let us all examine our own Consciences, whether this also be not frequently practised among us. How very ordinary is it when we are thinking of those Things that are apt to trouble our Confciences and make us uneasy, to make just such a Defence for ourselves as Adan here did? If we can but find out either an Author, or a Partner, or an Occasion of our Sin, we are well enough. With some Men the Course of Life they are engaged in, the necessary unavoidable Temptations that their Bufiness or Employment doth expose them to, is thought a just sufficient Reason to exempt them from the Practice of those strict Rules of Virtue and Piety, that other Christians take themselves to be obliged to. With others, that Set of Company and Acquaintance they are linked with, is arr Apology for all the Extravagancies they run into. Saith the one Sort, If I was of another Calling, had I but another Profeffion, I should certainly avoid those Sins that I now daily fall into. Saith the other, If I had not fuch continual Temptations from my Friends and Acquaintance, I should certainly be another kind of Marn than I am. All this may be true, so far as we can judge of such Contingencies. But yet notwithstanding, if we think this seri❤usly, and make it our Apology to God Almighty for our daily Sins, we do but juggle juggle with him, and do not deal so uprightly and fincerely as we ought to do. For I would fain know what State of Life is there that will not yield the fame Matter of Excuse for the Faults we are guilty of. What Condition in the World can we imagine ourselves to be placed in, wherein we should not have the fame Pretences, and still should have found out some Body, or some Things, besides ourselves, to have borne the Blame of our Sins and Irregularities? No; all this is still a covering of our Sins, an Unwillingness to find ourselves guilty: Such a Self-Love and Tenderness of our own Ease, as will do us no Good in the World; for when all is done, he that covereth his Sins shall not profper. Let us now make Application of these Things to ourselves: And what Application can that be but this? If we be all Sinners, as, I am sure, there is not one that now hears me but is so, what have we all to do but to humble ourselves before God, acknowledging that we are miferable finful Creatures, and that if he should deal with us according to our Deserts, we must expect nothing but Indignation and Woe? For, alas! the very best Actions of our Lives, if they were to be scanned according to the Exactness of his Law, and the Perfection of his Holiness, would yield us but little Comfort, they being all fome way or other faulty. We have nothing to fly unto, 13. unto, but the boundless Compassion of our gracious God, (thro' our Lord Jesus Chrift) whose Mercy is over all his Works, and is like his Majesty, truly Infinite. To Him therefore let us go. To Him let every one of us address himself with the poor Publican, Luke 18. Lord, be merciful to me a Sinner. Let us Job 7.20. say with Job, I have finned; what shall I -42.6. do unto thee, O thou Preferver of Men ! I abhor myself in Duft and Afbes. Let us say Luke 15. with the Prodigal, Father, I have finned against Heaven and before thee, and am no 21. more worthy to be called thy Child. Let us Pfal. 130. say with David, Out of the Deep do I call to thee, O Lord; Lord, bear my Voice. If thou shouldeft be extream to mark what is done amiss, O Lord, who may abide it? O therefore enter not into Judgment with thy Servant, for in thy Sight shall no Man living be justified. But there is Mercy with thee, therefore thou shalt be feared. Ah! my Brethren, if we had true Notions of ourselves and of our own Condition, and made a fair and just Representation to our Minds of God's infinite Holiness and Purity, and of our own Sinfulness and Impurity, we should all be thus affected. Away therefore with all Thoughts of covering our Sins; let us on the contrary, with Grief and Sorrow of Heart, ex pose them. To God, I mean, let us expose them. Let us unburden ourselves to him, and with Contrition and Devotion acknowledge our own Guilt and beg his Pardon. II. And this brings me to my second Enquiry in my proposed Method; viz. What kind of Confeffion that is, which is made in the Text an Efssential Part of Repentance; Whoso confesseth and forsaketh his Sins, Shall find Mercy. For it may be justly asked, Is Confeffion any thing else but the telling God that we have offended him? And how comes this to be so meritorious a Thing? Is not Contrition and Sorrow for Sin of a great deal more Value than this comes to? And is not Resolution against Sin still more fit to enter the Definition of Repentance? and yet these Things are not named. My Answer to this is, That it is very certain that Contrition for Sin, and Resolution against it, are every jot as neceffary to a true Repentance as the confeffing of it is. But this we are to remember, that Confeffion, both in the Scripture Notion of it, and in the Reason of the Thing, doth contain and include in it both these Things. We are much mistaken in the Nature of this Confeffion, if we make it to be no more than an Acknowledgment, or Repetition, or Enumeration of our Sins before God: (tho' I grant that the Word, in its first and proper Signification, expresses no more) No: This is the leaft of that which |