love the Instruments of Graces as they are Channels of Salvation: they that come to the Sacrament out of earnest defires to receive the bleffings of Christ's Death, and of his Interceffion, these are the welcome Guests; for fo, faith God, Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it, for he hath filled the hungry with good things, faid the holy Virgin Mother; for Chrift is food and refreshment to none elfe for the full he hath fent empty away.

If therefore you understand your danger, and deeply resent the evil of your infirmities and finful ftate; if you confefs yourselves miserable, and have all correfponding apprehenfions; if you long for Remedy, and would have it upon any terms; if you be hungry at your very heart, and would fain have food and phyfick, health and spiritual advantages; if you understand what you need, and defire what you understand; if these defires be as great as they are reasonable, and as lafting as they are great; if they be as inquifitive as they are lasting, and as operative as they are inquifitive, that is, if they be just and reasonable pursuances of the means of grace; if they carry you by fresh and active appetites to the Communion, and that this may be to purpose, if they fix you upon fuch methods, as will make the Communion effect that which God defigned, and which we need, then we shall perceive the bleffings and fruits of our holy defires; according to those words of David (as it is rendered in the vulgar Latin) the Lord hath heard the defire of the poor; and his ear hath hearkened to the preparation of their heart. An earnest defire is a good

preparation, and God will attend unto it. Concerning this therefore we are first to examine ourfelves. Upon the account of our earnest defires, it is seasonable to enquire, whether to communicate frequently, be an inftance of that holy Defire which we ought to have to these facred Mysteries? and whether all men be bound to communicate frequently, and what measure is the safest and best in this enquiry? But because the Answer to this depends upon fome other Propofitions of differing Matter, I referve it to its proper place, where it will be a confequent of thofe Propofitions.

SECTION III. Of our Examination concerning Remanent Affections to Sin.

E that defires to communicate worthily, muft examine himself, whether there be not in him any affection to fin remaining. This examination is not any part of Repentance, but a trial of it; for of preparatory repentance, I shall give larger accounts in its own place; but now we are to try whether that duty be done, that if it be, we may come; if not, we may be remanded, and go away till we have performed it; for he that comes, must have repented firft; but now he is to be examined, whether he have or no done that work fo materially, that it is also prosperously; that is, whether he have done it, not only folemnly and ritually, but effectively; whether he have so washed,

that he is indeed clean, from any foul and polluting principle.

When the Heathens offered a Sacrifice to their false gods, they would make a severe search, to see if there were any crookedness or spot, any uncleannefs or deformity in their Sacrifice. The Prieft was wont to handle the liver, and fearch the throbbing heart; he enquires if the blood fprings right, and if the lungs be found, he thrusts his hand into the region of the lower belly, and looks if there be an ulcer, or a fchyrrus, a ftone, or a bed of gravel. Now the obfervation which Tertullian makes upon these Sacrificial Rites is pertinent to this Rule. When your impure Priests look after a pure Sacrifice, why do they not rather enquire into their own heart than into the lamb's appurtenance? Why do they not ask after the Luft of the Sacrificers, more than the little Spot upon the Bull's Liver? The rites of Sacrifices were but the monitions of duty; and the Prieft's enquiry into the purity of the beast, was but a precept represented in ceremony and hieroglyphick, commanding us to take care that the man be not lefs pure and perfect than the beast. For if an unclean man brings a clean Sacrifice, the Sacrifice shall not cleanse the man, but the man will pollute the Sacrifice; let them bring to God a foul pure and spotlefs, left when God efpying a foul humbly lying before the Altar, and finding it to be polluted with a remaining filthiness, or the reproaches of a fin, he turns away his head and hates the Sacrifice. And God, who taught the Sons of Ifrael in figures and sha

dows, and required of the Levitical Priests to come to God clean and whole, straight, and with perfect bodies, meant to tell us, that this bodily precept in a carnal Law, does in a spiritual Religion fignify a fpiritual Purity. For God is never called the lover of bodies, but the great lover of fouls; and he that comes to redeem our fouls from fin and death, from shame and reproach, would have our fouls brought to him as he loves them: An unclean foul is a deformity in the eyes of God; it is indeed fpiritually difcerned, but God hath no other eyes but what are spirits and flames of fire.

Here therefore it concerns us to examine ourselves strictly and severely, always remembering that to examine ourselves (as is here intended) is not a duty completed by examining; for this carries us on to the Sacrament, or returns us to the mortifications of repentance.

But fometimes our fins are so notorious, that they go before unto judgment and condemnation, and they need no examining; and whatsoever is not done against our wills, cannot be befides our knowledge, and fo cannot need examination but remembering only; and therefore I do not call upon the drunkard to examine himself concerning temperance, or the wanton concerning his uncleanness, or the oppreffor concerning his cruel covetoufness, or the customary swearer concerning his profanenefs. No man needs much enquiry, to know whether a man be alive or dead, when he hath loft a vital part.

But this caution is given to the returning finner,

to the repenting man, to him that weeps for his fins, and leaves what was the fhame of his face, and the reproach of his heart. For we are quickly apt to think we are washed enough, and having remembered our shameful falls, we groan in method, and weep at certain times; we bid ourselves be forrowful, and tune our heart-strings to the accent and key of the present folemnity; and as forrow enters in a dress and imagery when we bid her, fo fhe goes away when the scene is done. Here, here it is that we are to examine whether shows do make a real change; whether shadows can be substances, and whether to begin a good work splendidly can effect all the purposes of its defignation. Have you wept for your fin, fo that you were indeed forrowful and afflicted in your spirit? Are you fo forrowful, that you hate it? Do you so hate it, that you have left it? And have you fo left it, that you have left it all, and will you do fo for ever? These are Particulars worth the enquiring after. How then shall we know?

Signs by which we may examine and tell whether our affections to fin remain.

1. Because in examining our felves concerning this, we can never be fure but by the event of things, and the heart being deceitful above all things, we fecretly love what we profess to hate; we deny our lovers, and defire they should still prefs us, we command away the fin from our prefence, for which we die if it stays away; therefore