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for we have not studied the things that make for peace, nor things wherewith we might edify one another.a

We have been ready to judge our brother, and to set at nought our brother, forgetting that we must all shortly stand before the judgment seat of Christ ?b

Contrary to the royal law of charity we have vaunted ourselves and been puffed up, have behaved ourselves unseemly and sought our own, have been easily provoked,c have rejoiced in iniquity, and been secretly glad at calamities.d

We have been desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another :e when we should have considered one another, to provoke to love, and to good works.g

The bowels of our compassion have been shut up from those that are in need ;h and we have hidden ourselves from our own flesh. Nay, perhaps our eye has been evil against our poor brother,k and we have despised the poor./

And if in any thing we have gone beyond and defrauded our brother,m if we have walked with vanity, and our foot hath hasted to deceit, and any blot hath cleaved to our hands,n Lord discover it to us, that if we have done iniquity, we may do so no more.o

(8.) Our tongue sins.

In the multitude of our words there wanteth not sin,p nor can a man full of talk be justified.q

While the lips of the righteous feed many, our lips have poured out foolishness, and spoken frowardness.r Much corrupt communication hath proceeded out of our mouths; that foolish talking and jesting which is not convenient, and little of that which is good, and to the use of edifying, and which might minister grace unto the hearers.s

If for every idle word that men speak they must give an account, and if by our words we must be justified,

a Rom. 14. 19.

d Pov. 17. 5.

h 1 John 3. 17.

¿ James 2.7.

a Job 34. 32

b Rom. 14. 10.
e Gal. 5. 26.
i Isa. 58.7.
m 1 Thess. 4. 6.
f Prov. 10. 19.

Prov. 10. 21, 32. 4.2. & Eph. 4. 26. 5.4.

1 Cor. 13. 4,5. g Heb. 10. 24. k Deut. 15.9. n Job 31. 5, 7. 9 Job 11. 2.

and if by our words we must be condemned;a wo unto us, for we are undone :6 for we are of unclean lips, and dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.

What would become of us, if God should make our own tongues to fall upon us ?c

(6.) Our spiritual slothfulness and decay.

We have been slothful in the business of religion, and not fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.d

The things which remain are ready to die, and our works have not been found perfect before God le

We have observed the winds, and therefore have not sown, have regarded the clouds, and therefore have not reaped,g and with the sluggard have frighted ourselves with the fancy of a lion in the way, a lion in the streets, and have turned on our bed as the door on the hinges ;h still crying, Yet a little sleep, and a little slumber.i

We have lost our first love, and where is now the blessedness we sometimes spake of?

Our goodness hath been as the morning cloud, and the early dew which soon passeth away.m

And that which is at the bottom of all, is the evil heart of unbelief in us, which inclines us to depart from the living God.n

7. We must acknowledge the great evil that there is in sin, and in our sin; the malignity of its nature, and its mischievousness to us.

(1.) The sinfulness of sin.

O that sin may appear sin to us, may appear in its own colours, and that by the commandment we may see it to be exceeding sinful,o because it is the transgression of the law.p

By every wilful sin we have in effect said, We will not have this man to reign over us.q And who is the Lord, that we should obey his voice ?r we reproached the Lord,s and cast his back.t

a Matt. 12. 36, 37.
d Rom. 12. 11.
h Prov. 29. 13, 14.
/Gal. 4. 15.
oRomans. 7.13
r Exodus 5. 2,

b Isa. 6.5.
e Rev. 32.
i Prov, 6. 10.
m Hosea, 6. 4.

1 John 3. 4.
& Numbers 15, 30.

And thus have laws behind our

C Psalm 64. 8. g Eccl. 11. 4. A Rev. 2. 4.

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n Hebrews 3. 12
q Luke 19., 14.
Nehemiah 19, 26,

(2) The foolishness of sin.

O God, thou knowest our foolishness, and our sins are not hid from thee ;a we were foolish in being disobedient:b and our lusts are foolish and hurtful.c

Foolishness was bound up in our hearts when we were children ;d for though vain man would be wise, he' is born like the wild ass's colt.e

Our way hath been our folly,g and in many instances, we have done foolishly.h

So foolish have we been and ignorant, and even as beasts before God.i

(3) The unprofitableness of sin.

We have sinned and perverted that which was right, and it profited us not.k

What fruit have we now in these things whereof we have cause to be ashamed, seeing the end of those things is death? And what are we profited, if we should gain the whole world and lose our own souls?m

(4.) The deceitfulness of sin.

Sin hath deceived us, and by it slain us ;n for our hearts have been hardened through the deceitfulness of sin :0 and we have been drawn away of our own lust, and enticed.p

It has promised us liberty, but has made us the servants of corruption; hath promised us that we shall not surely die, and that we shall be as gods ;q but it has flattered us, and spread a net for our feet.r

The pride of our heart particularly has deceived us.s (5) The offence which by sin we have given to the holy God.

By breaking the law we have dishonored God,t and have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger most bitterly. And many a thing that we have done hath displeased the Lord.w

God has been broken by our whorish heart, and our eyes that have gone a whoring after our idols.x

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We have tempted him, and proved him, and grieved him in the wilderness,a have rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit, and pressed him with our iniquities, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.c

We have grieved the holy Spirit of God, by whom we are sealed to the day of redemption.d

(6.) The damage which by sin we have done to our own souls, and the great interests.

By our iniquities we have sold ourselves,e and in sinning against thee we have wronged our own souls.g

Our sins have separated between us and God, and have kept good things from us; and by them our minds. and consciences have been defiled.i

Our own wickedness hath corrected us, and backslidings have reproved us, and we cannot but know and see, that it is an evil thing, and bitter that we have forsaken the Lord our God, and that his fear hath not been in us.k

O what fools are they that make a mock at sin!

8. We must aggravate our sins, and take notice of those things which make more heinous in the sight of God, and more dangerous to ourselves.

We bewail before thee all our sins, and all our transgressions in all our sins.m

(1.) The more knowledge we have of good and evil, the greater is our sin.

We have known our master's will, but have not done it, and therefore deserve to be beaten with many stripes.n We have known the, way of the Lord, and the judg ments of our God, and yet have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.o

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We have known the judgment of God, that they which do such things are worthy of death, and yet have done them, and have had pleasure in them that do them,p

We have taught others; and yet have not taught our

a Psalm 95. 9. 10.
Eph. 4. 30.
h Isa. 59. 2.
/ Prov. 14.9,
o Jer. 5. 4,5.

b Isa. 63. 10.
e Isa, 50. 1.

i Tit. 1. 15.
m Lev. 16. 21.
Rom, 1.32.

c Am. 2. 13.
g Prov, 8, 36,

k Jer. 2. 19.
n Luke 12. 47.

selves ;a and while we profess to know God, we have in works denied him.b

(2.) The greater profession we have made of religion, the greater hath been our sin.

We call ourselves of the holy city,c and stay ourselves upon the God of Israel, and make mention of his name, but not in truth and in righteousness.d For we have dishonored that worthy name by which we are called, and given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.e

We have named the name of Christ, and yet have not departed from iniquity.g

(3.) The more mercies we have received from God, the greater has been our sin.

Thou hast nourished and brought us up as children, but we have rebelled against thee.h

We have ill requited thee, O Lord, as foolish people and unwise: thou art our Father that made us, and bought us, and established us, yet our spot has not been the spot of thy children.i

We have not rendered again, according to the benefit". done unto us.k

(4.) The fairer warning we have had from the word f God, and from our own consciences concerning our danger of sin, and danger by sin, the greater is the sin, if we go on in it.

We have been often reproved, and yet have hardened our neck,m and have gone on frowardly in the way of our heart.

Thou hast sent to us, saying, O do not this abominable thing which I hate ; but we have not hearkened, nor inclined our ear.n

The word of God hath been to us precept upon precept, and line upon line ;o and though we have beheld our natural faces in the glass, yet we have gone away, and straightway forgot what manner of men we were.p

a Rom. 2 21.

d James 2.7. -
A Isa. 1. 2.
Prov. 29. 1.
■ Isa, 28. 13.

¿ Tit. 1. 16.
e 2 Sam. 12. 13.
i Deut. 32. 5, 9.
m Isa 57. 17.

James 1. 23, 24.

c Isa. 48. 1, 2.
g Tim. 2. 19.

2 Chron. 32:25. n Jer. 44. 4, 5.

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