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COMPENDIUM

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REPENTANCE.

Whofoever is defirous to attain to Divine Vifion in himself, and to speak with God in Chrift, let him follow this Courfe, and he fhall obtain what he defireth.

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ET him gather all his Thoughts and Reafon together, and form or bind them into this one full Determination, and Purpose: namely, to confider, What he is.

2. The Scripture calleth him the Image of God, the Temple of the Holy Ghoft, who dwelleth in him, and a Member of Chrift, and offereth the Flesh and Blood of Chrift to him to be his Meat and Drink.

He should therefore well confider himself, whether he be indeed poffeffed of fo great a Measure of Grace as is implied in thefe Appellations

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lations, and really worthy the high Title of a Chriftian. He fhould examine his whole Life, what he hath done, and how he hath spent his paft Time. Whether he findeth himself to be in Chrift; or actuated by a Godly Will and holy Defires. To what he is chiefly inclined; and whether he feeleth at any Time in himfelf a Willor Defire heartily panting after God, and longing to be faved by Him.

3. Now, if on this Examination he find in himself a Will, though never fo weak and deeply hidden, which would fain turn to the Grace of God if it could, let him know that That Will is the ingrafted, incorporated, and infpoken Word of GOD, which was in-fpoken into our First Father Adam in Paradife, after Sin was committed; and that God the Father, Jehovah, doth draw him thereby to Chrift.

4. For in Self we have no Will at all to Obedience. But That drawing of the Father, viz. the ingrafted, incorporated, in-fpoken Word of Grace, draweth All, even the most ungodly, if he be not altogether a Thiftle, and will but ftand fill from his evil-Working for a Moment.

5. So that no Man hath Cause to doubt of the Grace of GoD, if at any Time he hiinfelf a Defire or Inclination to turn.

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let him not defer his turning one Moment, but fet about it instantly, remembering that which is written, To-day when you hear the Voice of the Lord, harden not your Ears and Hearts.

6. For that Defire or Inclination once to turn is the Voice of GoD in Man, which the Devil fmothereth and fuppreffeth by the Reprefentations, or Images, which he bringeth into the Mind. Whereby turning is delayed, and put off from one Day to another, and from one Year to another, 'till at length the Soul cometh to be a very Thistle, and can reach Grace no more.

7. But let him that findeth a Defire to turn, deliberate well with himself, and then refolve to examine his whole Courfe of Life, and compare it with the Rule of the ten Commandments, and to the Love required by the Gospel, which commandeth him to love his Neighbour as himfelf. Let him confider that he is a Child of Grace only fo far as he is in that Spirit of Chriftian Love; and then fee how widely he is departed from it in his daily Thoughts, and Inclinations. That drawing of the Father will bring him to a Sight of the pure and lovely Righteoufnefs of God, on the one Hand, and will difcover to him on the other, the Images or Properties that are naturally imprinted in his own Heart,

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Heart, which he hath all his Life loved inftead of GOD, and still accounteth his beft Treafure.

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8. Which Properties he fhall find to be, 1. Pride, in feeking and loving himself, and defiring also to be honoured by all others; Property inclining him to get Power and Dominion in his Pride, and to have the Pre-eminence 2. The Property of a Swine, Covetousness, which would have all to itfelf alone, and if it had the whole World, and Heaven too, yet it would want to have the Dominion in Hell alfo. It defireth more than this temporal Life hath need of, and hath no Faith towards GoD at all, but is a defiled Swine, that would fain fwallow every Thing into its own Belly. 3. The Property of Envy, ftinging the Hearts of others, envying and grudging that any fhould have more temporal Goods or Honour than itself hath. 4. The Property of Anger, which when Envy as a Poifonous Sting irritates and inflames it, will upon every little frivolous Occafion, form, fight, wrangle, rage, and feek to vent itfelf in Revenge. Alfo, there will be found, defcended from Thefe, a great Multitude and Variety of earthly Beafts living in him, which he loveth and foftereth; for he loveth every Thing that is in the World, and hath fet it in the Place of Chrift, and worshippeth it more heartily and truly than he worshippeth Gov.

9. Let