gious Acts, it is extremely difficult to reason with their Fears and Scruples, and to difpoffefs them of the Mifapprehenfions they have of their own State and Condition. Such Suggeftions as bring Ease and Comfort to their Minds come fufpected, as proceeding from their own or their Friends Partiality; and they are afraid to hope, left even to hope, in their deplorable Condition, fhould prove to be Prefumption, and affuming to themselves more than in Reafon or Juftice belongs to them. But when we can fhew them Men of approved Virtue and Holiness, whofe Praise is in the Book of Life, who have struggled with the fame Fears, and waded through even the worst of their Apprehenfions to the peaceful Fruits of Righteousness; it helps to quicken both their Spirits and their Underftanding, and at once to adminifter Know-. ledge and Confolation. And for this Reafon we can never sufficiently admire the Wisdom of God, in fetting before us the Examples of good Men in their lowest and most imperfect State. Had they been fhewn to us only in the brightest Part of their Character, Defpair of attaining to their Perfection might incline us to give over the Pursuit, by throwing a Damp upon our beft Refolutions: But

when

when we see them rifing to Virtue and Holinefs from the fame wretched Condition which we are in, and labouring under the fame Difficulties, the fame Anxieties and Torments of Mind; when we see their very Souls convulfed with the Pangs of Repentance, and their Faith almost finking under the Doubtfulness of their Condition; when we hear them cry to God in the Words of Anguish, not knowing how to pray, or in what Terms to lament their Sins; when we fee this Nakedness of their Souls, and find that they are like one of us, what fecret Comfort muft it give to an afflicted Spirit, what Support to a Mind oppreffed with the Senfe of Guilt, to find in these great Examples, what heavenly Joy and Peace often fpring from the lowest Depths of Sorrow and Woe!

And there is indeed, with respect to the Comfort and Security of a Sinner, a great Difference between Arguments drawn from general Reasonings and Reflections, and those which are fuggefted from the Experience and Practice of holy Men. In the Cafe before us, if we confider the Words of the Text without Regard had to the Person who spoke them, we may

raife many
many Reflections

from

from the great Variety of human Actions, and the complicated Nature of them, from the Short-fightedness of the Understanding, and the Weakness and Imperfection of the Faculties, to fhew how very hard it is, and almost impoffible, for any one perfectly to understand his Errors: Whence might be deduced the Reasonableness of the Petition, Cleanfe thou me from fecret Faults; because where we cannot in particular recollect, we can only in general lament, our Iniquities: Beyond this Probability we cannot go to determine the Method in which God will deal with Sinners. But take the Words as fpoken by David, of the Sincerity of whofe Repentance, and the Acceptance of it with God, we nothing doubt, and the Conclufions will be much fuller, and fuch as cannot fail to refresh the Soul of every languishing Pénitent; for in this View the Words fairly afford us these two Propofitions:

Firft, That the Security and Efficacy of Repentance do not depend upon a particular Recollection of all our Errors.

Secondly, That for fuch Errors as we cannot recollect, a general Confeffion and Repentance are full and fufficient.

These

These two Propofitions contain the plain Doctrine of the Text; fo plain, that I need not spend your Time in enlarging upon it. But that we may not mistake in the Application of it to ourselves, and hope for Forgiveness whilft we are willingly ignorant of our Sins, and, to fave the Trouble and Pain of Recollection, endeavour to cover them all under general Ejaculations and Petitions for Mercy; I beg your Patience, whilft I fet before you of what kind and nature the Sins are, which we may juftly call our fecret Sins, and for the Expiation of which a general Confeffion and Repentance will be accepted.

V

And, first, we may reckon among our fecret Sins those which our Liturgy has taught us to ask Repentance and Forgiveness for, under the general Names of Negligences and Ignorances. For Neglect of our Duty, and Negligence in discharging it, are two things; the one arifing from a Dislike and Averfion to the Work, and attended with a Confcioufnefs and Confent of Mind; the other proceeding commonly from want of Thought, or want of Difpofition, two Infirmities which we care not to accufe ourselves of, and yet from which we are feldom free: Infomuch VOL. III.

E

that,

that, when we think ourselves most secure of a good Disposition and firm Resolution to gó through the Business of our Duty, they often forfake us in the midst of our Work, and we find ourselves on a sudden becalmed, our Inclinations grown faint and languid, and too fick of the Employment to support us in the Profecution of it.

Such Surprizes good Men have frequently complained of in their Devotions: They fet out with Zeal and Fervency of Spirit, with Eyes and Hearts up-lifted to God, till fome chance Object diverts the Eyes, some favourite Care steals into the Heart, and they both wander and are loft in the Multiplicity of Objects and Imaginations which fucceed each other; and when their Thoughts return to the proper Object, they are as one that awaketh from a Dream. Offences of this kind are fecret to us even whilst they are committing, the Mind not being conscious to the Delusion; and yet they are fo frequent in every Part of our Duty, that when we call ourselves to the ftrictest Account, it is impoffible to find their Number, or to bring every single At to our Remembrance.

Secondly, Sins of Ignorance are secret Sins Hikewife, as the very Name they are diftin

guished