.,birellions anehi D IRE C T. VI. After prayer in faith, for the aid ,of Divine grace~ as in the' pre<;eeding direction, begin the,work with a folemn review ofyout fins, in deep meditation, and ferious communing with your O\\rn heart thereupon ; applying yourfelf to think of tlierri, in fuch manner as you think of your~ affairs, when confidering how to manage them in cafes of difficulty. Ood calls for this at your harid, Hag. i. 5· ' Thus faith the Lord · ofhofls, confider your ways.' Lam. iii. 40. ~ Let us fearrh and try our ways, and turn again the ~ord.' It is recommended unto ·us, by the·. praB;ice of the faints, Pfal. lxxvii.6. ' I communed with mine heart, and my fpirit made diligent fearch.' And cxix. 59· '1 thorighf on my ways., and turned my feet unto thy tefiimd- . nies.' The nature of a religious fafi: requires it: for, how can the deep humiliation therein to be aim'd at, be otherwife 'obtain•d ? Or what way elfe can ,one be fitt'ed to make a confeffion fuitable to fuch an occ~fiori? 'Tis obfcrvable, that in the fail: men ~ioned, Neh. ix. the readiagofthe law went befo.re ~he rt:t.ak~ng of the confeffion, Ver. 3· So the firH. ~o.t~ wa.s to fet the Jooking-glafs before their eyes, that~dferein every one might fee his foul face. And the direction given tO' fallen lfrael, in order to a recovery, Hof. xiv. 2.' Take with you words, and/ay, ·&c. cloth plainly bear, that there fhould, in that cafe, be folemn ferious thinkin~ before folem~ prayer. · . No\vto affifl: you in the praaice ofthis part ofyout work, the following advices are offered. · , . Firfl, Read fomepertinentpaffage of holy fcripture·; ·and that with application, as reading your o\vn hea·tt and life therein. Such are thefe paffages, which con– tain difooveries a:nc:! confef!ion·of fin, -as Ifa. lix. or lijl ·ofjins, or feveral forts offiimers,as Rom.i. 29.-32·. 2 Cor. vi. 9, 10. Gal. v. 19, l.io, 21 . 2 Tim. iii . . r~ S· Rev. xxi, B. Particularly., I recommend for
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