[1.] Let me tell you, for apparent wicked men to inquire wherein to return, what special sin God aimeth at, it is but r. deceit they put on themselves, to leave the matter of repentance on au uncertain debate. And it is all one, as if a man should break through a thorn-hedge, and curiously desire to know which thorn hath priclv-cd him. For those that are overgrown with sin, it is enough to know that the author of all afflictions is God, the cause is sin, and the end is repentance ; that they must be new creatures, or they are undone for ever. To be more particular with them is to defeat tlae purpose of the dispensation, and to put them upon the leaving of one sin, when God calleth for a change of state, or a passing from death to life ; and this is but like mendin*^ an hole in an house that is ready to drop down.
[2.] For a serious penitent, God will instruct him : Ps. xciv. 12, ' Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, 0 Lord, and instructest out of thy law.' Partly by the word ; common and avowed truths, well considered and improved, will state much of our guilt, Rom. i, 18. Heb. ii. 2. Partly by checks of conscience. What saith conscience, awakened by misery ? Gen. xlii. 21, ' And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear ; therefore is this distress come upon us;' so Isa. lix. 12, 'Our trans- gressions are multiplied 1)efore thee, and our sins testify against us ; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them.' Partly by the complexion and face of providence ; we may know what is the procuring sin. God is fain to teach us, as Gideon taught the men of Succoth, by briars and thorns. By the evil we suffer he showeth us the evil which we have committed, and so helpeth Our faith by our sense.
[3.] It informs us how we may keep a true fast to God. We have had many superficial mock fasts. If we were once brought to a
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sight and sense of returning to God, or a serious exercise of repentance upon those days, they would turn to a better account. What is there wanting ?
(1.) A thorough acquaintance with ourselves. Eeligion in general lieth much in a true and unfeigned knowledge of ourselves. I am sure the life of this duty dependeth upon it. Alas! till a man thoroughly understand himself, his own heart, dispositions, inclina- tions, ways and actions, how can he humble himself before God? But most of us are great strangers at home ; and while our eyes run to the ends of the earth, we do too little examine our own case, that we may be acquainted with the temper and frame of our own hearts, that we may have a just view of our own image and likeness, as it is represented to us in the word of God, James i. 23, 24. We are often discovered to ourselves in our own proper shape ; but we forget it, pass it over, and do not consider whether anything be amiss in us, yea or nay. If we see it, it is but transiently ; do not consider it so as to reform or amend anything. And then we are apt with those in the text to say, ' Wherein shall we return ?' Alas ! a few serious thoughts would present us to ourselves with a surprising monstrous appearance, and beget much self-abhorrency in us. How unpleasant soever such a sight be, yet it would be very profitable to us whenever we come to humble ourselves before God. What advantage this would be to us in prayer and praises. Eemember thou art a sinner !
(2.) There is wanting contrition and sorrow of heart, or a sensible feeling of the loathsomeness and heinousness of sin. We want a broken and contrite heart when we would reconcile ourselves to God, Ps. li. 17. Otherwise men complain of a burden they feel not. They confess sin, or such actions as are commonly called sins and censured among men as sins ; but while they confess them without sense and feeling, it is a sign they do not confess sin as sin, as a violation of the laws of God, and a provocation of his holiness, with that broken- uess of heart which the nature and desert of it requireth. It is possible we may use passionate forms of sj^eech, and talk by rote after others ; but I observe in the rites of Moses, that if any man touched the water of purification wherewith another man had cleansed him- self, he was not purified, but defiled thereby. To speak in the strain of humble penitents, and not to have the heart afiected. is to make use of their forms without their spirit. Surely we should confess sin, as we commit sin. Will ye sin with the whole man, and confess it only with the mouth ? act it with delight, and not confess it with a sorrow that affects the heart, or without any sense and feeling ? This showeth we are not as real in confessing as we are in sinning.