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"thine own understanding. Acknowledge him in SERM "all thy ways: and he fhall direct thy fteps." Let CLXIX. us then addrefs ourselves to GOD, in the words of the holy prophet, Jer. x. 23. "O LORD, I know "that the way of man is not in himself, and that it

is not in man that walketh, to direct his fteps." And let us beg of him, that he would confider our cafe, commiferate our weakness, and pity our im. potency, and that he would join his ftrength to us, and grant us the affiftance of his grace and holy Spirit, to put us upon fincere refolutions of a new life, and to keep us conftant and stedfast to them; " tỏ

open the eyes of our minds, and to turn us from "darkness to light, and from the power of Satan "and our lufts, unto God; that we may repent and "turn to GOD, and do works meet for repentance, "that fo we may receive forgiveness of fins, and an » inheritance among them that are fanctified through "faith that is in CHRIST."

And for our encouragement in this matter, GoD hath bid us to apply ourselves to him; and he hath promised not to be wanting to us, in words as exprefs and univerfal as can well be devised. Jam. i. 6. "If any man lack wisdom, let him afk it of GOD, "who giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth no "man: but let him afk in faith, nothing waver

ing," that is, not doubting but that God is both able and willing to give what he afks. And Luke, xi. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. "I fay unto you, ask

and it fhall be given you; feek, and ye fhall "find; knock, and it fhall be opened unto you. "For every one that afketh, receiveth; and he that "feeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it "fhall be opened. If a fon fhall afk bread of any "of you that is a father, will he give him a stone?

"Or

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SER M." Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him á ferpent? Or if he fhall afk an egg, will he offer "him a scorpion? If ye then being evil, know how "to give good gifts unto your children; how much "more fhall your heavenly Father give the holy Spi "rit to them that afk him?" To encourage our faith, our SAVIOUR useth fuch an argument as may give us the greatest affurance. We are commonly confident, that our earthly parents will not deny us those things that are good and neceffary for us, though they may be otherwife evil: " how much "more then fhall our heavenly Father," who is effentially and infinitely good, "give his holy Spirit "to us?" And if this be not enough, St. Matthew ufeth a larger expreffion, "How much more shall "your heavenly Father give good things to them "that ask him?" If there be any thing that is good, and we stand in need of it, and earnestly pray to God for it, we may be confident that he will give it us.

2. We ought to be very watchful over ourselves, confidering our weakness and wavering, and inftability and ficklenefs, the treachery and deceitfulness of our own hearts, and the malice of Satan. It will be a great while before the habits of fin be fo weakened and fubdued, as that we fhall have no propenfion to return to them again; fo that our hearts will be often endeavouring to return to their former pofture, and like a deceitful bow, which is not firmly ftrong, to start back. And befides the deceitfulness of fin and our own hearts, the devil is very malicious, and his malice will make him vigilant to watch all advantages against us; and his great defign will be to fhake our refolution; for if that ftand, he knows his kingdom will fall, and therefore he raiseth all hist batteries

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batteries against this fort, and labours by all means SER M. to undermine it; and nothing will be matter of greater triumph to him, than to gain a person that was revolted from him, and refolved to leave his fervice. If therefore thou expecteft God's grace and affiftance to keep thee stedfaft to thy refolution, do not negleet thyself, but "keep thy heart with all diligence," and watch carefully over thyfelf for becaufe "GOD "worketh in us both to will and to do," therefore be expects that "we fhould work out our falvation "with fear and trembling," left by our own carelefness and neglect we should mifcarry.

3. Let us frequently renew and reinforce our refolutions, more especially when we think of coming to the facrament, and approaching the holy table of the LORD. Nothing is more apt to beget in us good refolutions, and to ftrengthen them, than to confider the dreadful fufferings of the Son of GOD for our fins, which are fo lively fet forth and represented to us in his holy facrament, which as it is on GOD's part a feal and confirmation of his grace and love to us, fo on our part it ought to be a folemn ratification of our covenant with GoD, " to depart "from iniquity, and to walk before him in holiness "and righteousness all the days of our lives."

SER

238

SERM.

CLXX.

this text.

SERMON CLXX.

The nature and neceffity of reftitution,

LULE xix. 8, 9.

And if I have taken any thing from any man by falfe accufation, I restore him fourfold. And JESUS Jaid unto him, This day is falvation come to this boufe.

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NE particular and eminent fruit of true repentance, is the making of reftitution and The first fatisfaction to those whom we have injured. As for fermon on GOD, we can make no fatisfaction and compenfation to him, for the injuries we have done him by our fins; all that we can do in refpect of GoD, is to confefs our fins to him, to make acknowledgment of our miscarriages, to be heartily troubled for what we have done, and not to do the like for the future. But for injuries done to men, we may in many cases make reparation and fatisfaction. And this, as it is one of the beft figns and evidences of a true repentance; fo it is one of the moft proper and genuine effects of it for this is as much as in us lies, to undo what we have done, and to unfin our fins.

But, because the practice of this duty doth fo interfere with the intereft of men, and confequently it will be very difficult to convince men of their duty in this particular, and to perfuade them to it; therefore I defign to handle this particular fruit and effect of a true repentance by itself, from these words, which contain in them,

I. The fruit and effect of Zaccheus his conversion

and

and repentance; "If I have taken any thing from SERM. any man, I reftore him fourfold.”

II. The declaration, which our SAVIOUR makes hereupon, of the truth of his repentance and converfion, and the happy ftate he was thereby put into. "And Jesus faid unto him, This day is fal❝vation come to this houfe, for as much as he allo "is the son of Abraham;" as if he had faid, by these fruits and effects it appears, that this is a repentance to falvation; and this man whom you look upon as a finner and a heathen, may by better right call Abraham father, than any of you formal pharifees and Jews, who glory fo much in being the children of Abraham.

I. The fruit and effect of Zaccheus's converfion

and repentance; "If, &c."

This Zaccheus, as you find at the fecond verfe, was chief of the publicans, which was an office of great odium and infamy among the Jews, they being the collectors of the tribute which the Roman emperor, under whofe power the Jews then were, did exact from them. And because these publicans farmed this tribute of the emperor at a certain rent, they made a gain out of it to themfelves, by exacting and requiring more of the people than was due upon that account; fo that their calling was very infamous, upon three accounts.

1. Because they were the inftruments of oppreffing their countrymen; for fo they looked upon the tax they paid to the Romans, as a great oppreffion.

2. Because they were forced by the neceffity of their calling to have familiar converfation with heathens, whom they looked upon as finners. Hence the phrase used by the apostle, of "finners of the "Gentiles." And hence likewife probably it is, that

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publicans

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