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them. And I befeech Almighty God to guide us all aright, that none of us ever impose upon himself, in a matter of such everlasting importance to him.

Eufeb. But pray, Theodorus, now we are in, what do you fay to fins of omiffion? Under whether of thefe heads do you place them?

Theod. Under both. I fay of these, as I do of those of commiffion, that they belong certainly and univerfally to neither; but are fometimes to be afcribed to the one, and fometimes to the other, accordingly as there is more or lefs of the will in them. Some omiffions proceed from ignorance, or inconfideration, or forgetfulness; and are pardonable upon this account. Others are known, deliberate, and chofen; which makes a vast difference in their guilt, and fhews plainly, that they are wilful, and to be accounted for as fuch. And fo we find, in the description our Saviour gives us, of the proceedings of the laft day, that judgment will pafs upon the uncharitable, for not having fed the hungry, and cloathed the naked, and done other offices of kindness to the diftreffed and indigent. They are not charged with having robbed, or cheated, or oppreffed and ruined their neighbours, but only with not relieving them in their ftreights, and with-holding that affistance which they might, and ought to have afforded them. Yet for this our bleffed Lord will fay to them, at the great day, (c) Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Whence it is obvious to obferve, the exceffive danger that may arife even from thefe omiffions, when indulg'd; inaf much as a finner may be everlaftingly condemn'd for thefe, as well as for his fins of commiffion; and that therefore we must not make too light of omiffions of our duty, because though they are frequently to be accounted amongst our fins of infirmity, yet when wilful and indulged, they are highly dangerous and deftructive.

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Eufeb. There is one question more I would gladly propole, if it were not for fear of being over-troublefome.

Theod. Never fear that, good Eufebius.

Eufeb. What is to be thought of the many defects, that usually attend our best services? Whether are thefe to be reckon'd to our weak, or our wilful fins?

Theod. I thought this had been fufficiently evident, from what has been faid already. But fince you seem of another opinion, I will tell you that they are denominated either wilful, or not, according as they depend, more or lefs, upon our confent to, or endeavours against them. If they be what, when we have done our best, we can no way prevent, then they are doubtless infirmities only. But if we allow ourselves in them, they hereupon change their nature, and are, thenceforward, to be looked upon as wilful fins. For inftance, in prayer to God; when I have compos'd myfelf with all the devotion and reverence I can, to represent my wants before him, ftudying, by all the ways in my power, to abftract my thoughts from all earthly, or carnal, or vain objects, or whatever is foreign to the business I am upon, and to fend them up in a holy fervor towards Heaven; if they however flag, and wander, do what I can to the contrary, these are, queftionless, fins of infirmity. But if I come to worship God in a careless and indifferent manner, not seeking to attend to my petitions, but freely entertaining the mind with other fort of objects, that ferve only to divert it from what I come about, I fee not how they can then avoid the imputation of becoming my own voluntary iniquities, and wilful fins. Or again, if, when I appear thus in God's prefence, I with, indeed, my thoughts were all along fix'd upon the addreffes I am making before him, but do not mind to keep them in order, nor try to recal them fo foon as I perceive them to have gone astray, nor am troubled at their roving after other matters; here, likewife, it will be hard to fay, that S 2

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these are fins of pure infirmity, and have not fomething of the will in them. In the first of these cafes, there is juft caufe of forrow and felf-abasement, and to implore God's mercy, in the pardon of my weaknefs, and inability to ferve him as I ought. But the other two call for an amendment, and subsequent care to fhew myself more attentive and devout, before I can hope my prayers will be heard, or these miscarriages in them will be forgiven me. Or, farther, if we keep our thoughts intent upon God, and good things, but not upon the matter of our prefent addrefs, nor be fo fervent in it as we might be; here, likewise, the fault is our own. Or, again, if we profefs to love God, but do it not with the affection that we ought; this, fo far as it is a natural defect, and what we are forry for, but can no way contrive to remedy, is our unhappiness, rather than our fin. Not fo, if I voluntarily fet my mind upon other objects, preferring the creature, of whatever kind, before the Creator, who is over all, God blessed for ever. So when a man is truly forry for his fins, though not in fuch a measure as they deferve, and withal is truly grieved, that he is not more forry for them; this makes it plain, that the defect of fuch forrow is involuntary, and is accordingly to be lamented only as an unavoidable infirmity. Infomuch that, as the honour、 able Mr. Boyle delivers this, as a good fign of a true unfeigned love of God, (d) That that man loves God as much as he ought, who, loving him as much as he can, ftrives to repair the deplored imperfection of that love, with an extreme regret, to find his love no greater ; and that fuch a fublimity of love will beft intitle you to the confolation accruing from that memorable passage of (e) St. John, where he fays, That God is love, and be that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him; fo I take it to be no lefs true here, that the only fure evidence of a right forrow for your fins, is to be heartily forry both for having committed them, and (d) Seraphick Love, p. 29, 30. (e) I John iv. 16.

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for the want of a deeper forrow for them. But whatever more of forrow is wanting, this being merely the effect of our conftitution, and not any voluntary choice; it needs not be doubted but God, who is infinitely good, and who knows all our defects and weakneffes, will never impute to our condemnation, what he fees thus utterly out of our power.

Eufeb. Is there any thing farther you would advise, in order to a right judgment of ourselves?

Theod. Yes. In order to the more fuccessful application of the foregoing rules, I would advise to have before you fome fuch catalogue of the feveral branches of our duty, and the violations of it, as may help you the more readily to call to mind what your fins have been, that you are now to repent of; fuch as you have in Archbishop Laud's Daily Office of a Chriftian; the Confeffion of Sins in Bishop Andrews's Manual of Directions for the Sick; Bishop Downham's Abstract of Duties commanded, and Sins forbidden, in the Law of God; towards the latter end of the Whole Duty of Man; and at the end of the Common-Prayer the best Companion; or of Mr. Nelson's excellent Companion for the Feafts and Fafts of the Church; or in Bishop Taylor's Holy Dying, chap. IV. fe&. 8. or Mr. Kettlewell's Trial of the Soul, in his Companion to the Penitent; or more largely, in the fecond book of his Measures of Chriftian Obedience; in Mr. Seller's Office for Good-Friday, in his Good Man's Preparation for ws hapy receiving of the bleffed Sacrament; or other treatifes of devotion, and, particularly, in relation to the Lord's fupper. Such a method will hardly fail of putting you in mind of the feveral forts of fins, whereinto you may, at any time, have fallen; or, at leaft, of the groffer and more offenfive of them. And then, if you duly confider which of them were of weakness, which of wilfulness, which involuntary, and which freely chofen; which you have repented of and forfaken, and which still retain an interest in you; it will be no difficult matter to make a probable judgment,

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ment, perhaps, a certain one, whether you be a fon of God, and like to be for ever happy; or a child of wrath and perdition. But then you must be fure to deal fairly and candidly with yourself, judging by what you really find yourself chargeable with, neither leffening nor excufing your fins; nor, on the other hand, being too fevere upon yourself, for such fins as it was not in your power to avoid.

Eufeb. There is little danger of peoples being overfevere to themselves, fo as undeservedly to condemn themselves. I wish they would not more readily feek to excufe themselves from fuch guilt, which, like the poifon'd fhirt to Hercules, fticks fo close to them, that they know not how to get rid of it.

Theod. It is true, men are readieft to fail on this fide, in favouring themselves beyond what Almighty God will think reasonable at the laft day though I must confefs, there are fome few well-meaning perfons, who are apt to err on the other hand, by concluding themselves in a worfe condition, than they have reafon for; and fo are tempted to defpair of pardon, when any other man would take their cafe to be very fafe. Both thefe extremes are carefully to be avoided, as we would neither die in an impenitent state; nor deprive ourselves of that comfort, which would naturally arife from a well-grounded fenfe of God's favour; and disturb our minds with unneceffary fears and jealoufies, and unfit ourselves for ferving God, as we might otherwife have done; farther, as we would not be tempted to of ir of his mercy, and thereby provoke him to withdraw it

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Eufeb. When is it you would have a man thus examine himself?

Theod. He is, above all times, especially concern'd to do it when he comes to be fick, and death looks him in the face, and gives him warning speedily to make up his accounts, left it be too late the next day. But this fhould be only in order to a balance of them.

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