Serro. CXIII. of Hbly Refolution. 67 arerequilte and necefí'ary to the due Difcharge and Performance of that Duty. As he that refolves againft that needlefs and ufelefs Sinof Swearing In conirnon Converfation, mutt refolve alfo tofet a guard before the door of his lips, Peeing it is certain that it requires great care and attention, at leaf} for fotne competent time, to get rid of a habit. When David refolved not to offend with hit Tangue, he refolved at the fame time to be very watchful over himfelf, Pfal. 39. 1. Ifaid t mill take heed to my ways, that I offend not with my Tongue : Iwill keep my mouth as with a bridle, zvhile the wicked it before me. For a Man to refolveagainft any Sin or Vice, and yet to involve himfelf continually in the occafions, and to run himfelf into the Com- pany and Temptations whichdo naturally, and will almoft necetfarily lead and betray him into thofe Sins, is a plain evidence of infìncerity. This I take for a certain rule, that whatever can reafonably move a Man to refolve upon any End, will, if hisRefolution be fincere and honeft, determine him every whit as ttronÿ lyto ufe all thofe Means which are neceffary in order to that End. But of this I have fpoken elfewhere. 3. A fincereRefolutionof leavingour Sins, and returning toGod and our Du- ty, does imply the prefent time, and that we are to refolve fpeedily and without delay to put this Refolution in pra&ice; that we are peremptorily determined not to goone fiep farther in the ways of Sin, not to negle& any Duty that God requires ofus, not for one moment; but immediately and forthwith to fet upon the pra&ice of it, fo Coon as occafion and opportunity is offer'd to us. And the Reafon of this is evident ; Becaufe the very fame Confiderations that prevail upon any Man to take up this Refolution of amendment, and changing the Courfe of his Life, are every whit as prevalent to engage him to put this Refolution pre. fently in pra&ice and execution. I deny not, but a Man may refolve upon a thing for the future, and when the time comes, may execute his Refolution, and this Refolution may for all that be very fincere and real, tho' it was delayed to acertain time, becaufe he did not fee Reafon to refolve todo the thing fooner; But it cannotbe fo in this Cafeof Repentance; becaufe there can no good Reafon be imagined, why a Man fhould refolve feven years hence tochange his Courfe, and break off his finful Life, but the very fame Reafon will hold as ftrongly, why he fhould do it prefently and without delay; and over and betides this, there are a great many andpowerful Reafons and Confiderations, why he fhould rather put this good Refolution in prefent Execution, than put it off anddefer it to any farther time whatfoever. What is it that puts thee upon this Refolution of leaving thy Sins, and urgeth thee to do it all? Art thou refolved to leave Sin, becaufe it is fo great an Evil? Why it is fo for the prefent.; the Evil of it is intrinIcal to it, and cleaves to the very Nature of it, and is never to be feparated from it: fo that this is a prefent Reafon, and as ttrong again}} it now, as ever it will be hereafter: nay it is ftrong erat prefent; becaufe if it be fo great an Evil, the fooner we leave it, the better. Or dolt thou refolve to forfake Sin, becaufe thou art apprehenfive of the danger and mifchief of it, that it will expofe thee to the wrath of God; and to the endlefs and intolerable Mifery of another World? Why this Reafon likewife makes much more for the prefent leaving of it becaufe the longer thou conti- nueft in a finful and impenitent Rate, the greater is thy danger, and the grea- ter Penalty thou wilt most certainly incur ; by delaying to put this good Refo- lution in pra&ice, thou doit increafe and multiply the Caufes of thy Fear. For hereby thou provoke}} God more, and every day doll incenfe his wrath more and more againft thee; thou prepareft more and more fewel for everlafling tur- nings, and treafurefi up for thy felf more wrath, againfl the day of wrath, and the Revelation of the righteous Judgment of God. Nay thou doff not only increafe and aggravate, butthoudoti hereby haften thine own Miferyand Ruine, and ta- keft the moti effe&ual courfe that is poflible, to bring thine own Fears, and the Vengeance of AlmightyGod fo much the fooner upon thee. For nothing pro- vokes God to take a fpeedier courfe with finners, and does more quicken thepace ofhis Judgments, than wilful continuance in Sin. K 2 And
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