SERM. must be confefs'd to be fufficiently plain; V. moft Men believing, and indeed feeling,

that they may fuffer as much by the Lofs of their Credit, as of their Lands or Treafure. Accordingly, our utmost Power must be exerted no lefs in Undoing the one than the other Wrong. If in one Case we are to facrifice our Wealth, in the other we are to venture our own Reputation to redress the Damage done our Neighbour's; and that under the fame Strictness. That which will not bear this Fruit alfo, is in Effect, no Repen

tance.

The Second Obfervation may be of the Neglect of our Pofts, with refpect to any Obligation they give of providing for the Inftruction or Government of others. Such are very various, and placed remote from each other. But there is one, that of a Parent, or Mafter and Mistress of a Family, which is found every where. Therefore it may be of Ufe to fay, that whofoever has neglected the Duty to his Charge, has not taken the Cares for their Improvement, Manners, and Happiness, incumbent upon him, is tied to make the

Defect

V

Defect good, if poffible, by future Appli- SERM. cation. He has with-held a due Debt, and of a precious Kind; and therefore cannot be discharged before the Righteous Judge, unless he ftrain his Thought, and labour to fatisfy for it; no more than a Guardian, that has defrauded his Pupil, and will not reftore his lefs valuable Right.

Thirdly, It must not be forgot, that Men are to repair, as far as practicable, the Injuries they may have done by giving Scandal. This likewife is a Wrong to the Souls of our Brethren. By it they are robb'd of their Chriftian Perfuafion, of their Modefty, or of their Innocence. And do not these call for Satisfaction equally at least with our temporal Goods? It is true, the Way to make it is not fo certain many Times: But Men must be true to what is in their Skill and Power. Your Advantage in Wit, or Age, or Wealth, or Quality, has been employ'd to the Destruction, instead of the Edification, of your Neighbour. If then you repent indeed, Shall not all these be ingaged on the right Side, that have served the Adverfary

but

V.

SERM. but too long? And fhall they not, in the firft Place, be applied to the freeing and Reftoring those they have intangled and overthrown? Or if they be not; can any one, or the Perfon himself, think, that he can be received as truly turn'd to God, and come over to the Cause of his holy Religion.

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The laft Article I have now to offer, is of Charity to the Poor neglected by the Penitent. And concerning that, he ought to confider his Deficiencies (I must affirm it) in no lower a Rank than of Debts to be paid. It will not be enough, that, for the Remainder of his Life, he have a due Regard to Objects of Charity, in Proportion to other good Chriftians of like Ability. He must alfo look backwards, and fee to make Amends by the Abundance of these good Fruits now, for the Years of Barrenness that are paft. If a Man's Steward convert to his own Ufe, what should have made the Payments appointed by his Lord, it is confefs'd he must answer it to thofe he has fo de-frauded. And where is the Difference? Are we not all, that have Ability in the

State

V.

State of Stewardship, and our Goods com- SER M. mitted to us under the Truft (amongst other Things) of providing for the Neceffities of the Poor? Surely therefore, he that repents cannot be excufed from amending the Neglects of this Kind: No, those Arrears must be clear'd, if he would ever hope for the Discharge of, Well done good and faithful Servant, from the Lord of all, at his great and final Audit.

Now I have ended the Obfervations I had to offer at prefent, to represent to you divers Works or Fruits of Repentance, which a Man will find abfolutely neceffary, if he difcern he has fail'd in them, upon a Survey of his Life paft; all comprehended under the general Head of Reparation of Injuries.

The next Thing propofed was, to confider the penitent Perfon as looking forward to the Conduct of himself bereafter, and to remark some fpecial Fruits of his Repentance, neceffary to him in that View.These will appear beft, upon first exposing the common Error.

A Man fenfible of his wicked and ru inous Courfe, makes a clear and strong Refolution

SERM. Refolution to avoid his Faults, and pers V. form his Duties; and this he binds, it

may be, with the most religious and awful Vows. His Sincerity he is conscious of; and fo reckons upon the Work as finish'd. But when he returns from his Retirement into the Midft of former Temptations, they, by infenfible Degrees, fteal from him the Strength of his Refolution, and betray him after a Time to fhameful Relapfes. Nevertheless, his Fear and Conviction and Sorrow are renewed: He queftions (though without Cause) his former Sincerity, and labours to refolve yet more ftrongly, and vow more fervently. But again the Succefs proves as before. And the Confequence, after repeating these Attempts divers Times, is too commonly this fatal one, even a Despair of keeping God's Commandments, as a Thing impoffible to all his Endeavours, and then the abandoning himself to the Ways of his own Heart without Remorfe.

The Miftake and Fault of this Conduct lies in this; that we do not fo earnestly confider of these as of our temporal Affairs; elfe we fhould not fo much over

look