* pear not only for their own fins, but for the wickedness of the age they lived in. But then, on the other fide, (pardon me a small digreffion,) power, and honour, and riches, are great means of falvation in the hands of a wife man, who knows how to use them to the glory of God, and the good of mankind. To him shall be added the yirtue and religion which grow up under his influence and protection: and how transporting will the surprise be to fuch happy fouls, when they shall find the improvement of this and future ages in religious holiness placed to their account at the great day, as being the genuine offfpring of their care and folicitude, and unfhaken fidelity in the cause of God, and of his Chrift! Fifthly, The great measure of folly and vanity and felf-love there is in the best of our actions is what feldom falls under our notice; and yet from fuch fecret errors who is free? We hardly know our own hearts well enough to answer at all times for the integrity of our intentions. How much of our virtue and religion is mere refpect to common decency, and arises from no higher spring than a regard to our own credit and reputation, is more than we can certainly tell. When we are most eager in pursuit of fome good end, could we ftop fhort, and examine ourselves fairly, we fhould find perhaps that we were only gratifying fome private paffion, and that none of the best, perhaps malice and revenge, or fome other inordinate defire. To this account we may add the many vain imaginations which are conceived in the heart, though never brought to life by action, but die in the womb, and are out of remembrance. Such are the ambitious man's imaginary scenes of honour and glory, formed and wrought up to a kind of life in a mere delufion of thought; which, fantastical as they are in themselves, do arise from real pride and vanity. Such the vifionary enjoyment of sensual men, when the thoughts traverse all the forbidden paths of luxury and wanton nefs; where, though the phantom be airy and bodilefs, yet does this dream of fenfuality derive itself from no imaginary corruption, but from a real diftemper in the mind, from inordinate defires and affections. Such is the secret anger, fuch the malice of the heart, which fits brooding over envious or revengeful defigns, which it contrives within itself, and feems to execute upon its enemies; and, for want of power or opportunity for real revenge, feeds itself with viewing the execution of its wrath, though only expreffed in the images of fancy. Harmless and innocent as this revenge may feem, which spends itself in imaginary mischief only, yet it fprings from the root of bitterness, and is too plain an evidence that we hate one another. Laftly, When we come to repent of our fins, many of them may be fecret to us merely through the weakness and imperfection of the memory, which cannot recollect all the various paffages of a vicious life. These fins, however confcious we have been of them heretofore, with refpect to our repentance are as fecret as if we had never known them, and can only be confeffed and bewailed in general terms. Thus have I fet before you the several kinds of our fecret fins. One general character there is which belongs to them all, namely, that they are fuch as we cannot, not fuch as we will not remember: for though the mercy of God will cover our defects, when they are unavoidable, and fuch as arise from our natural weakness and infirmity; yet we have no reason to expect any allowance, where we are wanting to ourselves through lazinefs and indifpofition; where, to avoid the trouble or the anguish of repentance, we cover our own fins deceitfully. Such hypocrify will be no plea in his prefence, who trieth the heart and reins, and Spieth out all our ways. But, Secondly, We are to confider what guilt we contract by our fecret fins, left it fhould be thought that the fins which efcape our knowledge ought not to burden our confcience. Where there is no guilt, there needs no remiffion; and if we cannot in justice be charged with our fecret fins, there is no fenfe in the Pfalmift's petition, Cleanfe thou me from fecret faults. In another place he has told us, that God fets our iniquities before him, and our fecret fins in the light of his countenance: and the day approaches, when for all these things he will call us into judgment. In the inftances already fet before you, you may obferve, that our moft fecret fins are fometimes the moft heinous. Thus it is in the cafe of habitual fins; we are too well acquainted with them to take particular notice of them; they are the involuntary motions of a fecond nature, and we are as little concerned to count their number, as we are the beatings of our pulfe. But fhall this plead their excufe? Shall only fearful finners and modeft beginners be punished? and fhall the height of iniquity, becaufe it takes away all fhame and fenfe of fin, take away likewife all danger of judgment? This can agree with no rule of justice or equity; for by this means the fame man will stand chargeable with the guilt of his early fins, fuch as he committed before his confcience was quite hardened, and yet not accountable for the more enormous crimes of finful wickedness: as if the only fin we could commit, were to be fenfible of our faults. The fame might be made appear in the other inftances: for every idle word, how foon foever it flips out of our memory, for every vain imagination of the heart, how foon foever it vanishes away, we shall give an account at the day of judgment. For the guilt of fin does not arife from the power of our memory, nor is it extinguished by the weakness of it if it were, forgetfulness would be the surest repentance; and want of thought and reflection, which is so often represented in Scripture as the aggravation of fin, would be the finner's beft fecurity. But, alas! though we forget, there is One who cannot, before whom our iniquities are ever prefent; who will enter into judgment with us, as well for the fins which we cannot remember, as for those we cannot forget. The confequence from the whole is this: that fince many of our fins are fecret to us, they can only be repented of in general; and fince many of our fecret fins are very heinous, they must seriously and folemnly be repented of. By general repentance you are not to understand then a flight or fuperficial repentance only. The petition of the Pfalmift, Cleanfe thou me from fecret faults, proceeded from a |