against the most violent Affaults of his Enemy.

Now, if it be fo neceffary for the Recovery of an habitual Sinner, to avoid even fuch wilful and deliberate venial Sins, as have no natural Connection with the prevailing Habit, it concerns him certainly much more to avoid all fuch, as either of themselves, or with regard to his particular Temper, have a confiderable Connection with, and are usually the remote Steps to the Sin it inclines him to. I need not explain myself any farther, nor fpecify Particulars; for whoever is engaged in any Habit of Sin, cannot but know, by fatal Experience, what are the immediate, and what the remote Occafions of it; what Objects are most apt to inflame the Diftemper; and finally, what it is that usually lets in Temptations upon him, or heightens them to a Pitch that carries Danger with

it.

This, I fay, every one, in the Circumftances fuppofed, cannot but know by his own Experience; which, therefore, is to direct him in what he is to do, or rather in what he is to avoid: For, if he seriously refolves to work himself out of the miferable State into which he is fallen, he must not ftand confidering, whether the Occa-" fion be immediate or remote ; whether it

threatens

threatens him with imminent Danger, or only at a Distance; but he must fly from it, if poffible, tho' never fo remote. He muft labour to ftifle, even the fmalleft Temptations in their very Birth, and avoid every Thing, how trivial foever in Appearance, that may serve to increase them. If he does otherwife, his Fall is almost unavoidable; because, confidering the Proneness of his Nature to Sin, which is always ready, as it were, to meet the Temptation Half-way, the very remoteft Occasion may very easily draw him into an immediate one; and the smallest Temptation, if neglected, may foon be heighten'd to a Degree of Violence, which he will not have the Refolution to refift. His Condition is much like that of a Man upon flippery Ice, who, when he is once in Motion, cannot ftop when he will, because his very Weight carries him on whether he will or no; for fo it is in fome Measure with one that is habitually, and by confequence ftrongly, inclined to Sin. When the Paffion is once raised, tho' by never fo trivial an Occafion, 'tis very hard for him to put a Stop to it; for being pushed on by the Weight of corrupt Nature, he is often carried on to greater Extremities, than he either intended, or could have imagined at first.

Hence

Hence it follows, that the Amendment and Salvation of an habitual Sinner depends not fo much upon the Performance of any one great or difficult Thing, as upon a conftant Practice of a great Collection of little ones, and a Watchfulness in fhunning all Occafions, tho' never fo remote, of the Sin he is chiefly inclined to. And fince his own Experience can best inform him what these are, he must be his own Director in a great Measure.

However, fince confidering Man's natural Inconftancy and Love of Liberty and Eafe, this conftant Watchfulness and Performance of a great Number of Things, tho' but small of themselves, must needs be burthenfome to Nature, whoever is concerned in the Condition I fpeak of, and refolved to work himfelf out of it, muft undertake this Tafk with Steadiness and Courage. Steadiness is neceffary to render him uniform and conftant, both in his Exercises of Devotion, and the Ufe of all other Remedies proper for his Cure. An aguish Devotion, made up of alternative Fits of Heat and Cold, will never do his Work; because he will always lofe more Ground in the one, than he will get in the other. But Courage is no lefs requifite to make him go on chearfully in this Undertaking; because the many Duties that Tom. II. F

attend

attend it, putting him of Course, under a great Restraint, both by depriving him of many Things he loves, and obliging him to many Things he hates, will strongly tempt him to throw off the Yoke, and return to his cuftomary Liberties: Which Temptation is fo powerful, that many, who have feemingly begun with the greatest Refolution, have at length been wearied out, and overcome by it.

He must therefore labour to arm himfelf against it; and when he finds the Thoughts of Liberty infinuating themfelves, or any Degree of Defpondency or Sloth creeping upon him, he muft immediately rouze himself with these or such like Confiderations; that if the Restraint he fuffers be painful, 'tis far to be preferred before the Slavery of Sin; that how troublefome foever it be, his Condition has made it abfolutely neceffary; that fince he has been the wilful Author of his own Diftemper, it is but juft, he should fubmit to the Trouble of the Cure; finally, he must encourage himself with confidering, that the Tafk he has undertaken will, by a conftant Performance, grow dáily lighter upon his Hands; because every Victory he gets over himfelf, is like cutting off a Limb from the Body of Sin he has to grapple with; and that by Patience and Perfeve

rance

rance he will not only deliver himself from the Servitude he truckles under, but prepare his Soul for the Crown, which Chrift has promised to thofe that conquer.

The XXVIIth ENTERTAINMENT.

The neceffary Conditions of Repen

tance.

Bring forth therefore Fruits worthy of Pe nance. Luke iii. 8.

A

S avoiding venial Sins keeps us at a Distance from Mortal, fo a hearty and fincere Repentance strikes at the very Root of it; it cancells Sins paft, and guards the Heart against their Return: But then it must be that Repentance which I call hearty and fincere: The proper Nature and neceffary Conditions whereof fhall be the Subject of this Entertainment.

To mark out the neceffary Conditions of a fincere Repentance, I cannot set before you a better Pattern, than what our Saviour himself propofes in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. This young Man, longing to be free from the Subjection and Con

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