fice for the Sins of the World; that by his Death he reconciled us to God, and by the Merit of his Sufferings made full Satisfaction for us; fo that it is for the Sake of what Chrift endured, that God was pleafed to take off our Obligation to eternal Punishment; But yet this Reconciliation, that is made by the Death of Chrift between God and Man, is not abfolute, but upon Conditions. We must repent to make us capable of that Pardon he hath purchased for us; for our Saviour hath joined these two together in his Commiffion to the Apoftles, faying, That Repentance and ax. 17. Remillion of Sins fhould be preached in his Name throughout all Nations.

Luke

Q. How do Men delude themfelves in this necessary Duty of Repentance?

A. By delaying it for the prefent, and deferring it to fome future Opportunity; either till the Heat of Youth is over, or till Sickness, Old Age, or Death, overtakes them. But as it is the greatest Folly imaginable to venture a Matter of fuch Confequence upon fuch an Uncertainty as future Time, which we can never be fure of, and to defer a neceffary Work to the moft unfitting Season of performing it; fo it is highly wicked, in that we abuse God's Patience, who gives us Time and Opportunity for it at prefent; and prefer the Slavery of Sin before his Service: it is a Contempt of his Laws, and of that Wrath which is revealed from Heaven against all Unrighteousness; and we may justly fear that fuch a Precedure may provoke God to withdraw that Grace which will then be neceffary for the Exercife of our Repentance, though he fhould give us Time and Opportunity.

Q. Is a Death-bed Repentance therefore abfolutely impoffible?

A. It is certain, that, without a particular Grace of God, no man will be able to repent upon his Death-bed; and it is no ways reasonable to expect these extraordinary Influences, when the ordinary Means of Grace have been neglected all along in Life; and therefore I believe it very rarely takes Effect: But I cannot think it abfolutely impoffible, because the Nature of Repentance confifting in the Change of our Minds; and the Change in our Lives being the only neceffary Effect of that inward Change when it is fincere; it is poffible, by the extraordinary Grace of God, (which the Gofpel gives us no Encouragement to hope for) that the Change of our Hearts may be true, full, and fufficient, and yet we may want Time and Opportunity to fhew the Effect of it in our Actions. And when God fees it thus, he may take the inward Will and Choice for the outward Service and Performance; because he forefees that if Time had been allowed, Obedience would certainly have followed. Besides, we find that the Refolutions of a Sick-bed, though very rarely, yet fometimes have been effectual, which is fufficient to prove the Thing poffible; and if Divines thought otherwife, it would be in vain for them to exhort Perfons in fuch Circumftances to repent and turn to God.

Q. Wherein confifts the Danger of a Death-bed Repentance? and how is the Cafe of fuch dying Penitents deplorable?

A. Confidering the Difficulty of a thorough Change, and the difadvantageous Circumstances of a Sick-bed, it is highly probable, that whofoever defers it till that Time will never repent at all; or, if he does, his penitential Refolutions, being founded upon fuch temporary Principles as the Fear of Death, and the Abfence of Temptation, they will feldom prove ftrong and vigorous

Dd 4

enough

TAN

For Coninition.

For Par

don upon our Confeffion.

enough to produce a thorough Reformation; as is plain in the Cafe of thofe that recover, among whom there are very few that are true and conftant to thofe Purpofes of Amendment, which they formed upon the Profpect of approaching Death. But, fuppofing their penitential Purposes be rightly qualified, confidering the Ficklenefs and Mutability of our Nature, nothing but the Fruits and Effects of Repentance can create in us an Affurance that we are inwardly changed; and confequently they must needs die very uncomfortably, and in great Doubt and Anxiety of Mind what will be their Fate and Doom to all Eternity.

The PRAYERS,

I.

LMIGHTY and Everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou haft made, and doft forgive the Sins of all them that are penitent; create and make in me a new and contrite Heart, that I, worthily lamenting my Sins, and acknowledging my Wretchednefs, may obtain of thee, the God of all Mercy, perfect Remiffion and Forgivenefs, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

A

II.

LMIGHTY God, Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, Maker of all Things, and Judge of all Men; I acknowledge and bewail my manifold Sins and Wickednefs, which I from Time to Time moft grievously have committed, by Thought, Word and Deed, against thy Divine Majefty, provoking most justly thy Wrath and Indignation against me. I do earnestly repent, and am hearpily forry for these my Mifdoings: The Remembrance of them is grievous unto me, the Burthen

of

of them is intolerable: Have Mercy upon me, have Mercy upon me, moft merciful Father; for thy Son our Lord Jefus Chrift's Sake, forgive me all that is paft; and grant that I may ever hereafter ferve and please thee in Newness of Life, to the Honour and Glory of thy Name, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

III.

well for the

AVING thus utterly renounced my Sins, O Mr. KettleHoly Father! I defire above all Things to Renewal partake of thy Righteoufnefs; having utterly de- of our faced and corrupted myfelf, I would gladly be new Minds. made by thee; having hitherto mifcarried whilst I would be in my own Hands, I defire now to be altogether in thine. I loath myself, O my dear God! whilft I am without thee, and whatever elfe I lose, my earnest Prayer is, that I may recover thy Likenefs, through Jefus Chrift my Lord. Amen.

IV.

Holiness.

I KNOW, O gracious Lord! there for me to fit of true ceive this but from thyfelf; therefore be thou rit of true the bleffed Giver, and the Gift. I know also, alas! that I am utterly unworthy to have thy divine image ftampt upon my Soul; but I extremely need it, and I extremely value it; and fuch thou art pleased to account worthy of it. And I heartily love thee, O my God, or clfe I fhould not be thus defirous to be like thee. And thou lovest to communicate thy Goodness; and whom shouldest thou imprint and difplay it upon, but on those who love thee, and are earnestly defirous of the fame! Hear me, therefore, O my God, and breathe into my Heart that Spirit, which renews me after thine own Image, in Righteoufnefs and true Holiness. Oh! thou who feekeft out Sinners to make them good, do not reject me now, when I feek thee

out

For uni

verfal O

out to make me better. I am poor and naked, O fill me with thy Righteousness! My good Thoughts are unconftant and changeable, O fix them by thy Grace! Set up thy Kingdom, O Jefu, in my heart! for to become thy faithful Servant is more to me than to have the Empire of this World; keep me ftedfaft, O Lord, in ferving thee, till thou takeft me finally to enjoy thee, through Jefus Chrift my bleffed Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.

LOR

V.

ORD, grant that at all Times I may account bedience. my Sins, yea all my Sins, to my Shame; and make thy Laws, yea all thy Laws, to be my Rule; and thy bleffed Will to be in every Thing my Choice and Satisfaction. Let thy Promifes be my Hope, thy Providence my Guard, thy Grace my Strength, and thy bleffed Self my Portion, both now and in the End, through Jefus Chrift my Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.

Ember Days in Lent,

Q. WHAT are Ember Days?

A. Certain Days fet apart for confecrating to God the four Seasons of the Year, and for the imploring of his Bleffing by Fafting and Prayer Acts xiii. upon the Ordinations performed in the Church at

3.

fuch Times. And this in Conformity to the Practice of the Apoftles, who, when they separated Perfons for the Work of the Miniftry, prayed and fafted before they laid on their Hands. It will become us, therefore, to addrefs Heaven at this Time after the fame Manner, that God would be

pleased