an 2 Cor. i. 12, 229 to him for this end. It makes it a very toilfom and unpleafant exercife, when a foul comes only to the bar of Confcience to get its fentence ; that mightily faints, and they are ready in that cafe to .rew that ever they looked after, and fearched out their fin, when they find nothing but bitterness in it : Therefore we fay, that when a man hath gotten the fentence of this Confcience, he would come forward, and bring his fins to Chrift and lay himfelf and them at his feet ; and when Con - fcience hath part the fentence of condemnation on him, he would flee to him for ablolution :- This would make felf- examination not to have fuch unpleafantnefs and bitternefs in it, as otherwife it hath, and can hardly but have ; and would much prevent our fearing at at, and being frighted from it. A zd objetction is this, That fome may think and fay, that, if they íhall effay this exercife, they know not where to begin ; their condition is fo confuted, that 'tis like a revelled help, or parcel of yarn, they cannot find an end in it, partly through their long and great neglect of the duty, partly through the confufion of their fps rits, and their fins looking out on them with a very for- midable afpe&. To which we would anfwer, z,/, That, tho' it be fo, yet the duty muff not be delayed nor negle&ed ; the longer it be ere ye begin, it will be on thefe and other accounts fä1l the more difficult : There- fore ye would fall the fooner about it, and the more fe- rioufly about it, with the deeper humiliation for fo much and fo long negle&ing of it, and the greater dependence on God for his affiftance to win at it. zdly, In your go- ing about it, when ye difcover much fin, and find your cafe to be very confufed, if ye dare not hazard to wade (as it were) into very midit of it at leaft at firft, ye would endeavour to pitch on force particulars, where- in ye may be diftin &; as foldiers ufe to do wi:h an i army that s too ftrong for them, they are bufy in ga- thering up the ftraglers as they come at them, and fall on fume fmaller parties Therefore fuch of you as fe- rioufly and fncerely mind this great work of felf_exa- minatron, tho' ye may incline at firft to fall in on the very bull and heap of your fans; yet hoaef y mind-
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