has an Vnion with Him as being the Head of it so I believe there is a Common Vnion among the Members both those that are glorified in Heaven and those that in some degree are sanctified on Earth And this is called the Communion of Saints and is the first Priviledge of the Christian Church And by vertue of this all true Christians communicate in all Offices of Piety and Charity in doing good to one anothers Bodies and Souls And this they do upon the account that they have in common One God one Christ one Spirit one Lord one Faith one Baptism one Hope ARTICLE X. The Forgiveness of Sins As the Communion of Saints genuinely ariseth from the Nature of the Vniversal Church so Pardon of Sins follows from both For none shall have their Sins forgiven but those who live and die in the Communion of the Church For unless I abide in this Ark I shall certainly perish Now Sin as I have been instructed is of two sorts the one Original which is the sin of my Nature the other Actual which is the sin of my Conversation The former I brought with me into the World the latter I commit while I live therein And both these sorts of sin deserve Eternal Death and can only be pardon'd by the Merits of Christ For sin being a Transgression of the Law of God it can only be forgiven by him whose Law it transgresseth For Remission of sins is the second Priviledge of the Church which is preached to all in the Name of Christ and sealed in Baptism wherein I believe my Original Sin is presently pardon'd and that my Actual Sins committed after Baptism shall be pardon'd if I truly repent me of the same Now this my Belief of the Forgiveness of Sins supposes that I believe That God graciously and freely without any Desert on Man's part gave his Son to die for the World and That for the sake of his meritorious Death he remits the Fault absolves from the Guilt and acquits from Punishment all truly penitent and believing Sinners And I do further believe That he imputes to them the Obedience of his own Son and his Righteousness and by means thereof accounts them just in his sight I believe That all who are justified and thus acquitted have Holiness in some degree according to the Condition of this Life Which Holiness tho' it cannot altogether discharge them from sin yet it doth not suffer it to reign over them So that a justified Person is not under its Dominion nor yields himself a Vassal to it but resists its Commands and makes it die daily And for the greater security of the Forgiveness of sins God hath committed to his Ministers an indispensible Power and Charge to preach Faith and Repentance as the Condition of this Forgiveness He hath likewise appointed them to pray and intercede and also to baptize for the Forgiveness of sins and to administer the Lord's Supper in memory of that Blood which was shed for the Remission of Sins And indeed all that God hath left in the Hand and Power of his Ministers especially tends to make Men capable of receiving what they believe namely the Remission of sins ARTICLE XI The Resurrection of the Body It was the Hope of the Fathers under the Old Testament as well as it is of Christians under the New That there shall be a Resurrection both of the Just and Unjust And if it were otherwise Christians of all Men would be most miserable and all that I have learn'd and you have taught me concerning Christianity would be in vain But I firmly and truly believe That my Mortal Body shall be raised from the Corruption of the Grave by Vertue of the Resurrection of Christ And this my Belief is founded upon the Power and good Pleasure of God who both can and will raise from the dead the very same Body that died ARTICLE XII The Life everlasting The Enjoyment of Everlasting Life is the last Christian Privilege and that which crowns the rest And I have learned to understand by this Life the Enjoyment of all true Happiness in Soul and Body For I believe that the Faculties of the Souls of just Persons shall be perfectly enlightned and sanctified and that their Bodies shall live after the manner of Spirits and be exceedingly glorified And opposite to this Life everlasting I believe there is an everlasting Death which is the Portion of the Wicked And that as Life everlasting consists in the Fruition so I believe everlasting Death consists in the Loss of God's Presence and all other Comforts and is the enduring of the sting of Conscience and Torments of Hell for ever But as my believing all the Articles of the Christian Faith as they are summ'd up in that which is called the Apostles Creed supposes that I am to learn not only the Words but likewise the Sense of the Creed so it also implies that I should live like them that do believe for otherwise my consenting to the Truth of the Articles will stand me in no stead And therefore not medling with remote and learned Inferences I will draw such from each Article as are near and familiar short and edifying As for Example From my believing that God created me I infer I am bound to be obedient and subject to him By my believing that Christ redeemed me I think it my Duty to yield up my self to him as his Purchase and to be wholly disposed by him and employed only in his Service My believing Christ's Conception by the Holy Ghost and his Birth of the Virgin should make me diligent to fit my Heart for the Holy Ghost to overshadow and for Christ to be born in it My belief of Christ's Crucifixion should teach me to crucifie the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts and to destroy the Body of sin My belief of his Death and Burial should make me content to die for the sake of Truth being assured that if I suffer for Christ I shall also reign with him It should also keep me from being disheartned by Death seeing that Christ by dying hath taken away the Stinâ— of Death which is Sin and maâ— it an Entrance into Life My bâ—lieving the Resurrection of Chrisâ— should make me actually rise froâ— Sin to a New Life and utterlâ— to forsake my Sins as Christ diâ— the Grave to which after â— was once risen from it he returned no more My believinâ— Christ's Ascension and sitting â— the Right-hand of God shoulâ— teach me to set my Affections oâ— things above and not on thing on the Earth The believing Judgment to come should makâ— me careful so to walk as that may not be condemned in iâ— My believing the Holy Catholick Church and Communion oâ— Saints should render me mightâ— circumspect to preserve Charity which is the Bond of Peace and to avoid all things destructive oâ— Catholick Unity The Remission of sins which I believe should make me highly to esteem all those Ways and Means which
your heart by his Holy Spirit if you do not resist and quench it which gives you strength to overcome Temptations to sin and enables you to do what God requires of you And that you might have no pretence to refuse the Kingly Government of Christ as too heavy and difficult he has made his Yoke easie and Burden light having taken off from the hardness of the Law first given to Adam and instead of that sinless Obedience or the never committing the least sin upon pain of death which was required of him he now looks for no more than your honest and hearty Endeavour to do what you are able and accepts of sincere Repentance where you fail or miscarry And it being the gracious nature of Christs Kingly Office thus to govern and rule you and to subdue your Enemies it would be something worse if possible than disingenuity and ingratitude to disobey and hold out any disloyal passion or rebel-lust against him not to vow and pay unto him perfect Loyalty and entire Allegiance not to entrust him with your Protection not to have Peace or War with any but his Friends and Enemies not to pay him your Homage and Reverence not to give him a tribute of your Substance by Relieving his necessitous Members c. Now to keep you from flattering in these particulars and to oblige you to a cheerful discharge thereof Christ as your King hath promised and will not fail to prefer you in his Celestial Court to an eternal weight of Glory and to make you co-heir with himself of that Kingdom of Heaven which he went to take possession of at his Ascention and which he will give to all who by their impenitent continuance in iniâ—uity make not themselves unfit â—o receive it Your duty herein â—s to be exceeding careful not â—o forfeit your share in that â—ingdom which Christ has purâ—hased for all that faithfully oâ—ey him which certainly you â—o if you continue impenitent â—n any sin XIV And when you have thus â—lainly consider'd the Mercies â—hich in the second Covenant â—re on Gods part made over to Man you are next to consider that those Conditions are â—hich on Mans part are requiâ—ed by God and which you â—re to observe if ever you hope â—o be partaker of the Benefits of â—e second Covenant And â—ese you will find to be not â—1 a perfect absolute exact Obedience so as never to â—â—fend in any kind this was tâ— Condition of the first Covenanâ— Nor 2. never to have foâ—merly committed any delibâ—rate sin Nor 3. never 〈◊〉 have gone on in any habituâ— or customary sin for the timâ— past though this be be moâ— heinous and provoking anâ— may justly throw you into thâ— fearful apprehension of the Dâ—vine displeasure But it is thâ— New Creature or a reneweâ— sincere honest faithful Obâ—dience to the whole Gospeâ— giving up the whole heart unâ— Christ the ready performinâ— of that which God enables yoâ— to perform and bewailing yoâ— frailties and cordially sorrowinâ— for the iniquity both of yoâ— past and present life and beseching Gods pardon in Christ iâ— all that you have done amisâ— sincerely labouring to mortiâ— every sin and perform Uniform Obedience unto God and from every Fall rising again by Repentance and Reformation In short the Condition required to make you capable of the Benefits of the second Covenant is first by Faith to accept of Christ as your Priest to Save your Prophet to Teach and your King to Rule you Next to have all those Graces Faith Hope Charity Self-denial Repentance c. mentioned in the Gospel united and truly and sincerely rooted in your heart though mixed with much weakness and imperfection and perhaps with many sins which if not wilfully and impenitently lived and died in cannot debar you of the Benefits of the second Covenant But if you neglect these things your condition will be worse than if no second Covenant had been made for you shall theâ— be to answer not for the breach of the Law only but for the abuse of Mercy which is of all sins the most provoking XV. Now if your guilty mind tells you that you have broken these Conditions and therefore forfeited the Mercies of the second Covenant then know that it cannot be renewed but by a worthy receiving of the Secrament and worthily you cannot recieve it till you repent oâ— your sins and all those thing are to be accounted sins anâ— transgressions of the Covenant which are disagreeable to you Vow of Baptism in which thâ— general parts of your Duty anâ— contained and it is a competent Rule by which all you actions ought to be measur'â— Knowing then what in Baptism you have vowed to do by applying your actions unto that Vow you may easily conclude wherein you have done amiss Only take heed you deal not partially with your Soul by looking upon your sins in gross but do your utmost endeavour to discover the particulars Recal as far as you can all the passages of your life Consider all the instances wherein your Vow has been transgressed as wherein you have yielded to the Temptations of Satan and the World to gratifie the sinful lusts of the flesh How you have failed of that holy Conversation to which you solemnly bound your self when you promised to believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith every one of which Articles is a Pledge of good living And how you have wandred from those Commandments in which you vowd to walk all the days of your life XVI And you will find this partâ—cular search of your sins botâ— proper and necessary in ordeâ— to their Forgiveness which cannot be expected withouâ— confessing and forsaking them But how either of those can bâ— done without a distinct knowledge of your sins or how yoâ— can distinctly know them without this particular search I aâ— not yet so far under the poweâ— of Fancy as to imagine Anâ— albeit that by no possible diâ—â—gence you can discover or caâ— to mind every sin committeâ— since Baptism and albeit toâ— there is no particular confeâ—sion requir'd of the sins when of you are insuperably ignoranâ— yet ignorance of your sins will be no Plea when it is supine and occasioned through neglect and proceeds from a want of timely considering what you have done XVII In drawing up a List of your sins take heed of setting down such only as hang scandalously in the Eye of the World and â—re so notorious as that the Sun bears witness of their commission But you are to search your Soul to the bottom to â—ifle every corner of your heart as knowing you have â—o deal with God whose Law â—n nothing more declares its peâ—uliar excellency than in reachâ—ng mans thoughts and desires â—nd forbidding him no less to â—ovet than to steal his Neighâ—ours goods and no less to lust after another mans Wife than to commit adultery with her And this consideration is argument enough to inclineâ— you to an accurate search anâ— enquiry first
Language out of an idle conceit that it is an argument of a great Spirit or that it comes of a want of Reverence to the holy Name of God or that men using such Oaths think others are like themselves namely so faithless as not to be believed without them And as to Execrations and Cursings of your self or others consider I beseech you what David hath said not barely by way of wish but also of prophecy in Psal 109.18 19 c. I shall mention no other ways whereby you may sin in your Speech 1. because all the fault thereof may be reduced to these four and 2. because men are more eminently liable to offend by speaking filthily reproachfully falsely or prophanely XXVI And having thus brought your Thoughts and Words to the Test you are in like manner to deal with your Actions in order to find out their obliquity and pollution And because every Christian is no less accountable for the good he has omitted when it was in his power than for the evil he hath committed when he might have prevented it You are therefore in the search of your Actions to begin with the things you have left undone which you ought to have done and then to proceed to consider the things that you have done which you ought not to have done The former are usually call'd sins of Omission the latter sins of Commission And here give me leave to tell you that besides a search into the sorts you are also to seek into the degrees of your sins For though sins consider'd naked in themselves and as bare transgressions of a Rule may seem to be all equal yet looked upon in the circumstances wherewith they are clothed some will manifestly appear greater than other And though no sin whatsoever can be said to be little every one being a transgression of that Law which God has appointed to be the Instrument of his own Glory and mans Salvation yet there are circumstances which raise even little sins into high provocations XXVII And you need no other Star to guide you in taking the degrees of your sins against God than the consideration of the circumstances by which you are to measure the injuries done to your self And I need not tell you how the harm a man doth you is the more hainous if he do it knowingly and willingly than if he did it ignorantly and against his mind Next when he doth it purposely and with deliberation than when he doth it suddenly and at unawares when he doth it in the heat of Passion and blindness of Zeal and according to his present sentiments than when he doth it contrary to the checks and resistances of his Conscience and the cool dictates of his Reason You likewise judge the injury more grievous and provoking the oftner it is repeated and you can with less trouble forgive a few than many faults You also find your self more sensible of the wrong done by him you often pardon'd and long spar'd whom by many benefits you have oblig'd and who has vow'd and promised to do so no more And in the last place it makes the wrong intolerable that it is become customary and that he that doth it can by no reproof threatning exhortation advice or punishment be diverted but that notwithstanding all means used to the contrary he goes on and takes pleasure to trespass against you XXVIII But these and the like circumstances you find the injury aggravated that is done against your self and by application you may also conclude how your sins against God become aggravated Whom you may find you have too often offended knowingly deliberately against the checks and motions of your own Conscience after vows and promises of amendment after the private admonitions of Friends the publick exhortations of the Ministry the menaces and promises of the Word XXIX And when you have thus proceeded in the search both of the kinds and degrees of your sins you are to know that the end of all this unpleasing travel is to bring you to Repentance To which you can want no motives when you apprehend that by your sins you have incurr'd his displeasure who is a consuming fire and as an impartial Judge will render to every man according to his deeds And were your heart never so hardned it will melt at the apprehensions of those misdoings by which you may perhaps have incensed Gods Mercy as well aâ— Justice and set his bowels nâ— less than his hand against you Sins in Scripture you know are call'd debts which you arâ— altogether unable by any otheâ— way to discharge but by Repentance A Duty though aâ— all times yet now in an especiaâ— manner required of you wheâ— you come to the Sacramenâ— And Repentance being the surâ— and abridgement of all the Duties to be discharged by you aâ— your coming thither I shaâ— briefly mind you what it is 〈◊〉 wherein it consists XXX And not to trouble you witâ— the Opinions of Schools Fatherâ— Doctors and Divines you may find out the nature of Repentance toward God by considering what the Repentance is which is required by one man from another Where from him that has injured you you expect no less than that he should confess how he hath offended you Next that he be sorry for having done so And thirdly that he make reparation and resolve to do so no more So that that which in Religion is properly called Repentance consists in Confession Sorrow Reparation and Resolution XXXI And first as to Confession of sins it is upon the account of common Ingenuity to be expected from every one who knows himself to be guilty Now that Confession which is valuable with the Almighty ariseth from an abhorrence of the iniquities you confess thaâ— thereby you have displeased God and worthily deserved his Vengeance And it runs througâ— all the sorts of sins whereof yoâ— know your self to be conscious Aggravating them with aâ— their heightning circumstances and comprizing your unknowâ— sins in David's penitent form Who can tell how oft he offendeth Cleanse me O Lord from my seâ—cret sins But if in Confessioâ— of sins you should be never 〈◊〉 particular yet if it be done witâ— any milder purpose towarâ— them than their utter destrâ—ction it will look rather like 〈◊〉 Inventory than a Confession a counting up the goods yeâ— have a mind to preserve rathâ—â— than an acknowledgment 〈◊〉 the sins you resolve to abandoâ— God forbid you should be evâ—â— so infatuated and befooled bâ— your own fancy as to imaginâ— the pure Eyes of God should be taken with the sight of your filthiness and obliquity or that you should think he is delighted in the Narrative of those iniquities whose committing he hath so strictly forbidden and doth so greatly abhor When you open your Ulcers unto God with any other intent than to have them healed their view will excite his indignation and not his pity When therefore you do not really intend to forsake the sins you confess you do â—n
truth defend them how loudâ—y soever your Tongue may accuse them He only who confesseth and forsaketh shall find mercy If you thus forsake your sins God is faithful and â—ust to forgive you your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness 1 John 1.9 He â—s bound in Fidelity and Justice â—o fulfil that promise of Pardon to you which he has made to all Penitents upon their humble Confession of sins and sincere Reformation This being the only course whereby you may free your self from all punishment of sins and become capable of Mercy XXXII But besides this Confessioâ— thus to be made to God theâ— is also a Confession to be madâ— unto the Guide of Souls in case of a troubled and doubting Coâ—science and to the Church 〈◊〉 point of publick Offence and Scaâ—dal Which sorts of Confessioâ— as to their conduct profitableneâ— and necessity I shall not now haâ—dle having designed them a dâ—stinct Treatise XXXIII The second branch or ingredient of Repentance is Sorrow which naturally results from Confession For when by this you as you must needs have inform'd your self how you are guilty of many and heinous sins and the miseries to which they have exposed you it were strange if the sight thereof should not make you sorrowful XXXIV But seeing sorrow for sin has vulgarly engrost the whole Notion of Repentance and that men are prone to think they have quite extinguisht the wrath kindled by sin when they have dropt a few tears upon it I shall here mind you of the nature of that sorrow which accompanies true Repentance And first you will find it to have a double spring the one a fear of danger the other a dislike of sin And first XXXV That sorrow which ariseth only from a sense of the danger to which your sins have betray'd you it doth not say the Schools break the heart but only fret it So that this sense or fear of present danger being blown over the sorrow caused by it doth also vanish not leaving any mark of amendment behind it And yet to this sorrow that we shall be punished called Attrition though never so empty of reformation by the absolution of the Priest is turn'd into Contrition say the Roman Casuists Which is aâ— most unkind deceit of Souls the Scripture having made noâ— promise that flying from the wrath to come shall be sufficient to obtain pardon without bringing forth meet fruits of Repentance XXXVI Secondly There is a sorrow arising from a dislike to sin and conscientious thoughts that thereby you have undutifully grieved and provoked so good a God so compassionate a Father so gracious a Redeemer and so blessed a Sanctifier And this never misses of producing the effect of true sorrow which is to sin no more For for a man to be sorrowful out of an apprehension of the punishments God has annext to sin rather than that hereby his Law has been transgressed and the Conscience polluted this is to grieve rather that God is just than you are guilty XXXVII Sorrow for sin is very propeâ— to turn your stomach against it and you must have less sense than the Brute you ride on iâ— you shun not that has caused you to smart and put you to pain But yet there are otheâ— fruits of Repentance that musâ— deliver you from the wrath to come for meer fear of dangeâ— can be no further reasonable oâ— useful than as it disposeth you to forsake the sins that causeâ— it But if you should be so faâ— bewitched through the deceitfulness of sin that you will noâ— leave it though you die in it arms or if you grieve thaâ— you have sinn'd and yet still go on to sin if knowing the malignity and having poised and found the weight of sin to be as a talent of Lead upon your Soul and notwithstanding all this you still venture on to commit it this will leave you unpardon'd because unreform'd and make all your tears as water spilt upon the ground XXXVIII Sorrow for having offended God the greater it is the more acceptable it is to him and profitable for your self For it being a sort of punishment the more afflictive it is the more surely it will accomplish the intent of all punishments even the amendment of the Offender And if you once have felt the pain and trouble of a wounded Conscience you will have no great mind to venture afresh upon the sins that caused it In short sorrow arising out of fear of danger proceeds from love to your self and therefoâ—â— can never avail you for pardoâ— But godly sorrow working â—pentance to salvation ariseâ— from a love to God whom 〈◊〉 more you love the more yoâ— will grieve to have offendeâ— him Sorrow arising from seâ— of Gods vengeance usually teâ—minates and ends in a sullen dâ—spondency and desperate dâ—jection of Spirit but sorrow 〈◊〉 having provoked God changeâ— the mind turns you from 〈◊〉 to holiness and the constaâ—â— practice of all those Christiâ—â— Duties which the Gospel râ—quires at your hands But you find your self herein to â—â—lumpish and heavy and thâ— you cannot grieve to that dâ—gree you ought then the waâ— to quicken up your penitentiâ— sorrow is to quicken up yoâ— love to God to which his continual favours do most powerfully oblige you Wicked men love those that love them and if you were sensible which is impossible of no other of Gods kindnesses but his sparing you when you deserved punishment and his giving you space to repent when he might have cut you off in your sins this were enough to engage you to love him with all the kinds and degrees of the purest affection Imagine how many have been snatcht hence in a moment whose offences have perchance not been so provoking as your own Consider what could move God to spare you in a continued course of many years disobedience against him but his own unspeakable goodness and because he was loth to have you perish Let pure thoughts of Gods love dwell in your heart and they will melt it down into an humble and contrite sadness that you have dealt so unkindly as to forsake the Lord. XXXIX And if the sole consideration of Gods long-suffering be so ingenuous an Engagement to make you grieve for having sinn'd against him you will find the multitude of his other mercies to cause Rivers of waters to run down your eyes for having broken his Laws And if your heart be so hard that it will not relent upon these considerations then have you great reason to importune God with humble prayer that he would smite that Rock your heart that it may flow with the tears oâ— true repentance the waters oâ— a second Baptism that he would give you such a clear sight of your sins as may at once cause you to sorrow for and abandon them XL. Reparation is a third branch of true Repentance and is due to God to Man First to God who in all injuries is the first party injured For though you may
offend both against your self and Neighbour yet the Law is God's which thereby is transgressed and therefore Reparation in the first place is to be made to him And seeing sins have both the nature and name of Trespasses and Debts Justice requires they be satisfied and paid and all that you can do in order hereunto is Repentance In which God receives a sort of Reparation because he requires no other satisfaction for your faults but that you truly bewail and amend them which is the sum of Repentance toward God Acts 20.21 XLI But for Trespasses done against your Neighbour there is another-guess satisfaction required For to those from whom you have exacted more than is due you are bound to make restitution Which was esteemed such a principle of common Equity that it was acknowledged by those whom the Jews esteemed the worst sort of men For the Publican in St. Luke 19.8 finding himself bound freely offer'd to make fourfold restitution according to the Law for Thieves of whatever he had falsly taken from any man And though this may have a harsh and unpleasing sound yet if you consult Divines antient and modern in this paticular you will find them all concluding Repentance without Restitution to be like an arm of flesh without strength and service or as a City wanting walls unfit to secure the Inhabitants And therefore fail not to make satisfaction to those you have wrong'd if it be in your power but if wholly unable then let your desire of so doing be so express manifest and plain that good men no less than God may be moved to accept the will for the deed But to tell him whom you have injur'd You are sorry for what you have done and yet offer him no further amends when you are able I leave it to common construction whether this can be deem'd satisfactory XLII Minds truly Christian cannot be at ease till they have repaired the wrongs they have done for it is a burden upon the Conscience of which you cannot be rid but by satisfying your self in making satisfaction to him you have injured If you wrong your Neighbour it is your fault and you and not he ought to repent and be grieved for it but if the injury be done to you either quite forget it being content that God to whom Vengeance belongs keeps it in memory or if the injury be of that nature that you are oblig'd to take notice of it then implore God to direct you to such ways of satisfaction as are agreeable to Peace and Honour free from Blood and Cruelty Ever remembring that Charity and Meekness are more noble and worthy than Impatience or even Valour it self The tops of those Mountains which are above the Clouds are not beaten with Hail and Rain and Spirits truly high and generous are above the insolencies of unadvised persons and enjoy serenity and a calm during such tempests It is in your power to falsifie the Italian Maxime Chi offende non perdona Mas He that offends never pardons In a word if Jesus our great Master forgave those who put him to death and was careful to heal the wound his Disciple had given Malchus you can never refuse to cure the wounds you have either given or received XLIII The last branch of Repentance is a resolution to sin no more or a stedfast purpose to lead a new life to follow the Commandments of God and to walk in his most holy ways For without this all other parts of Repentance will be to no more purpose than it is to pump in a Ship without stopping the leak In the Law if a man held the unclean thing in his hand he was unclean though he wash'd his hands never so often Which is easily applicable to those persons who confess and sorrow for their sins but take no care to avoid them Whereas the very Heathen according to A. Gellius Noct. Attic. lib. 17. cap. 1. never thought that a man repented till he was displeased with the things he had done and changed his mind concerning them and became another man Your Repentance then is imperfect till you resolve against all sorts and degrees of sin for the time to come XLIV And because your Duty consists in Obedience to Gods Commandments your Resolution must have a respect unto them all And being each sin is a trnsgression of some one Command in particular and that you as all men are proner to some than other sins you are to enquire what the sins are to which you are pronest and to have the Commandment continually in your eye which you are so apt to violate and so to watch more especially against the violation of that particular Commandment XLV And having resolved upon every branch of Duty and entire observance to every Commandment apart you are then to make trial of the sincerity of your Resolutions whether they be not only formal and customary such as people usually put on when they come to the Sacrament or but only politick and carnal to keep up your credit with the World to further some design you have on foot or to quiet some present troubles of mind For if your Resolutions are of this sort they will soon vanish but if they are sincere and truly religious then will they prove lasting and you will use all possible endeavours to continue them unto the end and to bring all your good purposes to good effect XLVI Nothing is more certain than that you cannot worthily receive the holy Sacrament without a perfect hatred of every sin and it is also most certain that your hatred of sin is not perfect if you are not fully resolved to forsake and avoid it For who can imagine you hate what you ever embrace and pursue Resolutions though never so good are seldom durable if they are sudden and vehement He that makes a Resolution without due consideration will in like manner break and reverse it And though you need not consult whether you are to turn from Satan unto God and to forsake Wickedness and follow after Vertue yet the means of keeping such a holy purpose ought to fall under your most sober and serious thoughts And you haâ— need herein to be careful hoâ— you advise with flesh and blood for these will counsel you tâ— take part with your ease anâ— seduce you to reject even thâ— fittest means of keeping you Resolutions when they becomâ— difficult and unpleasing Anâ— therefore as you resolve upoâ— the end so you must also upoâ— the way thither though neveâ— so irksome to the flesh considering that even the recoverâ— of bodily health seldom is procured without the use of disgustful Medicines XLVII And as you are thus to resolve upon the use of the likelâ—est means to further and compleat your holy purposes so likewise to avoid all things thaâ— may divert and hinder them And amongst the fatal Impediments of your religious intenâ—ions all things are to be reckon'd which any way lead â—empt and invite to sin And
ought to be able to recite the Words of the Creed to have a competent Knowledge of their meaning and of the influence each Article ought to have upon my Coversation I will therefore first rehearse the Words thereof and then give you such an Account of their Sense and Influence as I have been taught by you I Believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried He descended into Hell The third day he rose again from the dead He ascended into Heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty From thence he shall come to judge both the quick and the dead I believe in the Holy Ghost the Holy Catholick Church the Communion of Saints the Forgiveness of Sins the Resurrection of the Body and the Life everlasting Amen Having thus rehearsed the worâ— of the Creed my next Task is â— give a short plain Declaration â— what I believe in every Article ARTICLE I. I believe in God the Father Aâ—mighty Maker of Heaven anâ— Earth In this Article I have beeâ— taught to believe that there is God and that he is an Eternaâ— Spirit whose Being is of himself and not from any other and thaâ— from him all things have their Being And I further believe Thaâ— this God is but One because he is the Infinite Independent and Omnipotent Cause which can be but One. I believe also That this God is the Eternal Father of Christ and that for his sake he is also my Heavenly Father and that being Almighty he can do for me whatsoever he will I likewise believe That in Six days this God created all things of Nothing by his Word for his Glory and that he still preserveth all things by the same Word of his Power ARTICLE II. And in Iesus Christ his only Son our Lord. In this Second Article of the Creed I have been taught to believe in Jesus Christ and that he is the only Son of God and of the same Divine Essence with him That he is called Jesus because he is the only Saviour of Mankind and that he is called Christ or Messiah which signifies Anointed because he was anointed to the Three Offices of a Prophet Priest and King which Three under the Law were in an especial manner Anointed And I believe That all these Three met in Christ and that as a Prophet he doth instruct his Church outwardly by his Word and inwardly by his Spirit And I believe That as a Priest he made satisfaction unto God for the Sins of Mankind when he once offered up himself upon the Cross and that by the Sacrifice of himself he reconciled God and Man And further I believe That as a Priest he continually makes Intercession for me and all true Christians at the right Hand of his Father in Heaven and doth bless me in turning me from my Iniquities In like manner I believe That Jesus was not only Christ that is Anointed to be a Prophet and a Priest in the sense now declared but that he was also Anointed to be a King And that as such he doth govern and preserve his Church he erects and sets up his Throne in the Hearts of Believers He gives them Grace to subdue every rebellious Lust and habit of Sin that it reign not in them He conquers Satan and restrains his Power He overcomes Death and having received all Authority in Heaven and Earth he rules over all Men and all Creatures and that of his Kingdom there shall be no end So that to him belongs absolute Dominion over all and Obedience is due to him from all ARTICLE III. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary In this Article I profess to believe That when Christ was made of the Seed of David according to the Flesh he was made in all things like to my self excepting Sin For that could affect neither his Humane Soul nor Body because in both he was most Holy as being conceived only by the Operation of the Holy Ghost and born of a spotless Virgin For Christ that he might be our Kinsman and capable to redeem us by paying our Debts in the same Humane Nature in which they were contracted it was necessasary he should be the Seed of the Woman And that he might plainly appear to be that Seed of the Woman which was promised it was likewise necessary he should be born of a Virgin who was of the Lineage and House of David All which I believe from God's Word was accomplished in the Blessed Mother of Christ ARTICLE IV. Suffered under Pontius Pilate c. This is an Article that you have often told me I ought well to understand for it respects Christ's Death upon which the whole Hinge of my Salvation turns I find the History of it to be clearly and fully set forth by the Evangelists and as to the knowledge of it St. Paul valued it so highly that he desired to know nothing else but Jesus Christ crucified Now by my believing of the Crucifixion I confess that according to the Prophecies Christ suffered in his Humane Nature both in Soul and Body his Divine Nature being uncapable of suffering And that this hapned at the time when Pontius Pilate was the Roman Governour of Judaea who being addicted to Cruelty and sinful compliance condemned Christ to be crucified And as Moses lifted up the Serpent on the Pole in the Wilderness so was Christ lifted up on the Cross and by a painful ignominious and accursed Death did expiate my sin and redeemed me from all vain Conversation and from the Curse of the Law and gave me an Entrance into Heaven All which unspeakable Benefits are justly to be ascribed to the Blood of Christ because it was of infinite value as being the Blood of that Person who was God as well as Man And as I believe Christ voluntarily laid down his Life and that his Soul was really separated from his Body so I likewise believe that as a dead Man he was buried after the manner of the Jewish Nation namely that he was bound in Grave-clothes with Spices and laid the Grave with an heavy Stone rolled to the mouth of the Sepulcher All which were certain Tokens of his Death as being the usual known Rites of a Jewish Funeral I also believe That Christ being dead his Soul and Body remain'd in a separate condition under the Power of Death and that his Soul was reunited to the Body before it did putrifie in the Grave But as to the various Opinions about his Descent into Hell I think them either too high or too unprofitable for my research And as you have taught me so I believe that Christ's Birth Death and Burial or being under the Dominion of Death were the Three Degrees of his Humiliation answerable to which were the Three Degrees of his
other Appointed means but by a due receiving the Holy Communion The Young Persons Devotions upon his first Admission to the LORD'S TABLE Expostulation WIlt thou then O God vouchsafe me to partake of that which my Soul has so long thirsted after Shall I this day be admitted a Guest at that Divine Banquet from which my own unworthiness ought for ever to exclude me Wilt thou be so gracious to a miserable sinner as to accept of a renewing of the Covenant I made in Baptism after that by numerous ways I have violated and broken it Then Lord I will not absent my self but draw near hoping to be found in the number of those whom thou dost invite even of those who truly and earnestly repent of their sins who are in Love and Charity with their Neighbours who intend to lead a New Life to follow thy Commandments and to walk from henceforth in thy Holy Ways For upon these and no Terms else do I come to the Holy Sacrament which yet I dare not receive till with all Humility of Soul and Body I have prostrated my self and made Confession of my sins The Confession ALmighty God Father oâ— our Lord Jesus Christ Maker of all things Judge of alâ— Men I acknowledge and bewail my manifold Sins and Wickedness which I from time to time most grievously have committed by Thought Word and Deed against thy Divine Majesty provoking most justly thy Wrath and Indignation against me I do earnestly repent and am heartily sorry for these my Misdoings the Remembrance of them is grievous to me the burden of them is intolerable Have mercy upon me have mercy upon me most merciful Father for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake forgive me all that is past and grant that I may ever hereafter serve and please thee in Newness of Life to the Honour and Glory of thy Name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Prayer for Pardon FOrgive me O Lord whatsoever I have transgrest against thee from the time of my Baptism even to this very Moment whether against Knowledge or through Ignorance at home or abroad sleeping or waking in Thoughts Words or Deeds Whether occasion'd through the fiery Darts of my Ghostly Enemy or by the unclean Desires of my own Heart Have Mercy upon me and grant me pardon through Jesus Christ Amen Remember not the sins of my Youth nor my Transgressions According to thy Mercy remember me for thy goodness sake O Lord. Lord the sins of these my Younger Days are many the Breaches innumerable wherewiâ—â— I have ignorantly or foolishlâ— for want of Knowledge or Coâ—sideration offended against thee Lay them not I beseech thee tâ— my Charge but of thy owâ— free Mercy and Compassion to 〈◊〉 wretched sinner be thou pleased to be reconciled unto me anâ— seal the same to my Soul by thiâ— blessed Sacrament For thy Name sake O Lord pardon my iniquity for it is great I have many ways greatly sinn'd against thee and have no ground of hope for Mercy but only from thy free abundant Pardon which I know exceedeth my Sins and for which I am the more abundantly qualified by how much my state is more truly Miserable On the account therefore of thy Free Pardon to the greatest sinners so they be truly penitent I beseech thee be reconciled unto me who this day unfeignedly repent and turn to thee For Purifying the Heart ALmighty God unto whom all Hearts be open all Desires known and from whom no Secrets are hid Cleanse the Thoughts of my Heart by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit that I may sincerely love thee and worthily magnifie thy Holy Name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen O Lord give me Grace this day to receive the blessed Body and Blood of thy Son my most blessed Saviour into a Clean Charitable and Thankful Heart that it may perfectly cleanse me from all Dregs of sin that being made clean it may nourish me in Faith Hope Charity and Obedience with all other Fruits of spiritual life and growth in thee That in all the future Course of my Life I may shew my self such an engrafted Member into the Body of thy Son that I may nevâ—â— be drawn to do any â—hing thâ— may dishonour his Name Granâ— this O Lord I beseech theâ— eveâ— for his Merit and Mercy sake Amen For Self-Examination ALmighty God and most merciful Father give me I beseech thee that Grace that I may duly examine the inmost of my heart and my most secret thoughts that I may know how I stand before thee Lord I confess all my sins and my unworthiness to present my self at thine Altar But thou and thou only canst forgive sin and give true Repentance do both gracious Father and them behold I am clean to come unto thee Lord make me a worthy Receiver of that for which I come even Christ and Forgiveness of sin in Christ and that for his own Mercy-sake and thine Amen For belief of Christ's Presence without disputing the manner O Lord God hear my Prayers And while others dispute grant that I may stedfastly believe behold I quarrel not the Words of thy Son my Saviour's blessed Institution I know his Words are no gross unnatural Conceit but they are Spirit and Life and supernatural He hath promised me if I come worthily that I shall receive his most precious Body and Blood with all the benefits of his Passion without amusing my self then about the manner of receiving Him Lord make me able make me worthy to receive Him For grant me this Favour and I know I can no more die Eternally then his Body and Blood can again die and be shed Lord so wash and cleanse my Soul that I may now and at all times else come prepared by hearty Prayers and Devotion and be made worthy by thâ— Grace of this blessed Sacramenâ— the Pledge and Earnest of Eternâ—â— Life in the Merits of the same Holy Jesus who gave his Body anâ— Blood for me Amen Immediately before the sight of tâ—â— Bread O Lord God how I receive thâ— Body and Blood of my moâ— blessed Saviour the price of mâ— Redemption is the very wondeâ— of my Soul Yet that I do receivâ— them is my firm and constant belief At this time they are graciously tender'd to me and my Faith Lord make me a worthy Receiveâ— and be it unto me according to mâ— Saviour's Word Amen Looking upon the Bread and Winâ— say O Thou that sittest on high with the Father and art here invisibly present with us come and sanctifie these thy Creatures of Bread â—nd Wine and those by whom â—hey are to be received Amen As the Bread is coming to you say LEt thy Body I beseech thee O Lord Jesu Christ which was given for me preserve my Boâ—y and Soul unto Everlasting Life â—nd grant that I may take and eat â—n Remembrance that thou hast died for me and feed on thee in my Heart by Faith with Thanksgiving Amen As the Wine is brought say LEt thy