being the surest and the shortest Method that a wicked Man can take to reform himself: For let us but stop the Fountain, and the Streams will spend and waste themselves away in a very little Time; but if we go about, like Children, to raise a Bank, and to stop the Current, not taking Notice all the while of the Spring which continually feedeth it, when the next Flood of a Temptation riseth and breaketh in upon it, then we shall find that we have begun at the wrong End of our Duty, and that we are very little more the better for it, than if we had fat ftill, and made no Advances at all.

But, in order to a clearer Explanation of the Point, I shall speak to these following Parti

culars :

First, By endeavouring to prove, from par-
ticular Inftances, that Man is generally
the most ignorant Creature in the World
of himself.
Secondly, By enquiring into the Grounds
and Reasons of this Ignorance.

Thirdly, and laftly, By propofing several
Advantages that do moft affuredly attend a
due Improvement in the Knowledge of
ourselves.

First then. To prove that Man is generally the most ignorant Creature in the World, of himself.

Το

To pursue the Heart of Man through all the Inftances of Life, in all its several Windings and Turnings, and under that infinite Variety of Shapes and Appearances which it putteth on, would be a difficult and almost impoffible Undertaking; fo that I shall confine myself to fuch as have a nearer Reference to the prefent Occafion, and do, upon a clofer View, fhew themselves through the whole Business of Repentance. For we all know what it is to repent; but whether he repenteth him truly of his Sins or not, who can know it?

Now the great Duty of Repentance is chiefly made up of these two Parts, a hearty Sorrow for the Follies and Miscarriages of the Time past, and a full Purpofe and Resolution of Amendment for the Time to come. And now; to fhew the Falfeness of the Heart in both these Parts of Repentance. And,

First, As to a hearty Sorrow for the Sins and Miscarriages of the Time past. Is there a more usual Thing than for a Man to impose upon himself, by putting on a grave and demure Countenance, by cafting a fevere Look into his past Conduct, and making fome few pious and devout. Reflections upon it, and then to believe that he hath repented to an excellent Purpose, without ever letting it step forth into Practice, and fhew itself in a holy Converfation? Nay, fome Perfons do carry the Deceit a little higher; who, if they can but

Y 3

bring

bring themselves to weep for their Sins, are then full of an ill-grounded Confidence and Security; never confidering, that all this may prove to be no more than the very Garb and outward Drefs of a contrite Heart, which another Heart, as hard as the nether Mill-ftone, may as well put on: For Tears and Sighs, however in fome Persons they may be decent and commendable Expreffions of a godly Sorrow, are neither neceffary, nor infallible Signs of a true and unfeigned Repentance. Not neceffary, because fometimes, and in fome Perfons, the inward Grief and Anguish of the Mind may be too big to be expreffed by fo little a Thing as a Tear, and then it turneth its Edge inwards upon the Mind; and like thofe Wounds of the Body which bleed inwardly, it generally proves the most fatal and dangerous to the whole Body of Sin: Not infallible, because a very small Portion of Sorrow may make some tender Difpofitions melt, and break out into Tears; or a Man may perhaps weep at parting with his Sins, as he would to bid the laft Farewell to an old Friend that he was fure never to see again.

But there is still a more pleasant Cheat in this Affair, that when we find a Deadness, and a ftrange Kind of Unaptnefs and Indifpofition to all Impreffions of Religion, and that we cannot be as truly forry for our Sins as we fhould be, we then pretend to be forry that we are not more forry for them; which is not

lefs

lefs abfurd and irrational, than that à Man should pretend to be very angry at a Thing, because he did not know how to be

all.

angry at

But after all, what is wanting in this Part of Repentance, we expect to make it up in the next; and to that Purpose we put on a Refolution of Amendment, which we take to be as firm as a House built upon a Rock; so that let the Floods arife, and the Winds blow, and the Streams beat vehemently upon it, nothing shall shake it into Ruin and Disorder. We doubt not, upon the Strength of this Refolve, to ftand fast and unmoved amidst the Storm of a Temptation; and do firmly believe, at the Time we make it, that nothing in the World will ever be able to make us commit thofe Sins over again, which we have fo firmly refolved againft.

Thus many a Time have we come to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, with a full Purpose of Amendment, and with as full a Perfuafion of putting that fame Purpose into Practice; and yet have we not all as often broke that good Purpose, and falfified that same Perfuafion, by ftarting afide, like a broken Bough, into those very Sins, which we then fo folemnly and fo confidently declared against ?

Whereas, had but any other Perfon entered with us into a Vow fo folemn, that he had taken the Holy Sacrament upon it, I believe had he but once deceived us by breaking in

Y. 4

upon

upon the Vow, we should hardly ever after be prevailed upon to truft that Man again, although we ftill continue to truft our own Hearts, against Reason and against Experience.

This indeed is a dangerous Deceit enough, and will of course betray all thofe well-meaning Perfons into Sin and Folly, who are apt to take Religion for a much eafier Thing than it is. But this is not the only Miftake we are apt to run into; we do not only think fometimes that we can do more than we can do, but fometimes that we are incapable of doing lefs; an Error of another Kind indeed, but not lefs dangerous, arifing from a Diffidence and falfe Humility. For how much a wicked Man can do in the Business of Religion, if he would but do his best, is very often more than he can tell.

Thus nothing is more common than to fee a wicked Man running headlong into Sin and Folly against his Reafon, against his Religion, and against his God. Tell him that what he is going to do will be an infinite Difparagement to his Understanding, which, at another Time, he fetteth no fmall Value upon; tell him that it will blacken his Reputation, which he had rather die for than lofe; tell him that the Pleasure of the Sin is fhort and tranfient, and leaveth a vexatious Kind of a Sting behind it, which will very hardly be drawn forth ; tell him that this is one of thofe Things for which God will moft furely bring him to

Judgment,