up to Christ: "Lord, here is a storehouse for thee; out with this trash, lay in the treasure, let me be a granary, a repository of thy truth, thy promises, thy providences." The Conscience comes in: " Lord, I will ever side with thee, I will ever be thy faithful register, I will warn when the sinner is tempted, and smite when thou art offended. I'll witness for thee, and judge for thee, and guide into thy ways, and will never let sin have quiet in this soul." The Affections also come into Christ: "O! saith Love, I am sick for thee. O! saith Desire, now I have my longing: here's the satisfaction I sought for, here's the desire of nations, here is bread for me, and balm for me, all that I want." Fear bows the knee with awe and veneration: “Welcome, Lord; to thee will I pay homage, thy word and rod shall command my motions; thee will I reverence and adore; before thee will I fall down and worship." Grief likewise puts in: "Lord, thy, displeasure, and thy dishonour, thy people's calamities, and my own iniquities, shall be my only cause of lamentation. I will mourn when thou art offended, I will weep when thy cause is wounded." Anger likewise comes in for Christ: "Lord, nothing so enrages me as my folly against thee, that I should be so besotted and bewitched as to hearken to the flatteries of sin, and temptations of Satan against thee." Hatred too will side with Christ: "I protest mortal enmity against thine enemies, that I never will be friends with thy foes; I vow an immortal quarrel with every sin, I will give no quarter, I will make no peace." Thus let all thy powers give up to

Jesus Christ.

Again; thou must give up thy whole interest to him: if there be any thing that thou keepest back from Christ, 'twill be thy undoing, Luke xiv. 33. Unless thou wilt forsake all, thou canst not be his disciple. Thou must hate father and mother, yea, and thine own life also, in comparison of him, and as far as it stands in competition with him, Matt. x. 37. Luke xiv. 26, 27. In a word, thou must give him

thyself, and all that thou hast, without reservation, d else thou canst have no part in him.

Direct. IX. Make choice of the laws of Christ as th rule of thy words, thoughts, and actions. This is th true convert's choice: but here remember these thre rules: 1. You must choose them all; there's no getting to heaven by a partial obedience. Read Psal. cxix. 6. cxix. 160. Ezek. xviii. 21. None may think it enough to take up with the cheap and easy part of religion, and let alone the duties that are costly, and self-denying, and grate upon the interest of the flesh: you must take all, or none. A sincere convert, though he makes most conscience of the greatest sins and weightiest duties, yet he makes true conscience of little sins, and of all duties, Matt. xxiii. 23. For all times, for prosperity, and for adversity, whether it rain or shine. A true convert is resolved in his way, he will stand to his choice, and will not set his back to the wind, and be of the religion of the times. I have stuck to thy testimonies, I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes always, even to the end. Thy testimonies have I taken as a heritage for ever, Psal. cxix. 31. I will have respect to thy statutes continually, Psal. cxix. 117.

Direct. X. Let all this be completed in a solemn covenant between God and thy soul, Psal. cxix. 106. Neh. x. 29. For thy better help therein, take these few Directions.

First, Set apart some time, more than once, to be spent in secret before the Lord;

1. In seeking earnestly his special assistance, and gracious acceptance of thee.

2. In considering distinctly all the terms of the covenant, expressed in the form hereafter proposed.

3. In searching thy heart, whether thou art sincerely willing to forsake all thy sins, and to resign up thyself body and soul unto God, and his service; to serve him in holiness and righteousness all the days o thy life.

Secondly, Compose thy spirit into the most serious frame possible.

Thirdly, Lay hold on the covenant of God, and rely on his promise of giving grace and strength, whereby thou mayest be enabled to perform thy promise.

Fourthly, Resolve to be faithful; having engaged thy heart, opened thy mouth, and subscribed with thy hand unto the Lord, resolve in his strength never to go back.

Lastly, Being thus prepared, on some convenient time set apart for that purpose, set upon the work; and in the most solemn manner possible (as if the Lord were visibly present before thine eyes) fall down on thy knees, and spreading forth thine hands toward heaven, open thine heart to the Lord in these or the like words:

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"O most dreadful God! for the passion of thy dear Son, I beseech thee, accept of thy poor prodigal, now prostrating himself at thy door; I have fallen from thee by mine iniquity, and am by nature a son of death, and a thousand-fold more the child of hell by my wicked practice: but of thine infinite grace thou hast promised grace to me in Christ, if I will but turn to thee with all my heart: therefore upon the call of thy gospel, I am now come in; and throwing down my weapons, submit myself to thy mercy.

"And because thou requirest, as the condition of my peace with thee, that I should put away mine idols, and be at defiance with all thine enemies, which I acknowledge I have wickedly sided with against thee, I here, from the bottom of my heart, renounce them all, firmly covenanting with thee, not to allow myself in any known sin, but conscientiously to use all the means that I know thou hast prescribed for the death and utter destruction of all my corruptions. And whereas I have formerly inordinately and idolatrously let out my affections upon the world, I do here resign up my heart to thee, that madest it; humbly protesting before thy glorious Majesty, that it is the firm resolution of my heart, and that I unfeignedly desire grace from thee, that when thou shalt call me hereunto, I may practise this my resolution through thy assistance, to forsake all that is dear to me in this world, rather

than to turn from thee to the ways of sin; and that I will watch against all its temptations, whether of prosperity or adversity, lest they should withdraw my heart from thee; beseeching thee also to help me against all the temptations of Satan, to whose wicked suggestions I resolve, by thy grace, never to yield myself a servant. And I renounce all confidence in my own righteousness, and acknowledge that I am myself a hopeless, helpless, undone creature, without righteousness or strength.

"And forasmuch as thou hast, of thy bottomless mercy, offered most graciously to me, wretched sinner, to be again accepted by God, through Christ, if I will accept of thee; I call heaven and earth to record this day, that I do here solemnly avouch thee for the Lord my God; and with all possible veneration, bowing the neck of my soul under the feet of thy most sacred Majesty, I do here take thee the Lord Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for my portion and chief good: and so give up myself, body and soul, to thy service, promising and vowing to serve thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of my life.

And since thou hast appointed the Lord Jesus Christ, the only means of coming unto thee, I do here, upon the bended knees of my soul, accept of him as the only, new, and living way, by which sinners may have access to thee; and do hereby solemnly join myself in marriage-covenant to him.

"O blessed Jesus! I come to thee hungry and poor, and wretched, and miserable, and blind, and naked; a most loathsome, polluted wretch, a guilty and condemned malefactor, unworthy for ever to wash the feet of the servants of my Lord, much more to be solemnly married to the King of glory: but since such is thine unparalleled love, I do here with all my power accept thee, and do take thee for my head and husband, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, for all times and conditions, to love, honour, and obey thee before all others, and this to the death; I embrace thee in all thy offices, I renounce my own worthiness, and do here avow thee to be the Lord my righteous

ness: I renounce my own wisdom, and do here take thee for my only guide; I renounce my own will, and take thy will for my law.

"And since thou hast told me that I must suffer, if I will reign, I do here covenant with thee to take my lot as it falls with thee; and, by thy grace assisting, to run all hazards with thee, verily supposing that neither life or death shall part between thee and me.

"And because thou hast been pleased to give me thy holy laws as the rule of my life, and the way in which I should walk to thy kingdom, I do here willingly put my neck in thy yoke, and set my shoulder to thy burden; and subscribing to all thy laws, as holy, just, and good, I solemnly take them as the rule of my thoughts, words, and actions; promising that though my flesh contradict and rebel, yet I will endeavour to order and govern my whole life according to thy direction, and will not allow myself in the neglect of any thing that I know to be my duty.

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Only because (through the frailty of my flesh) I am subject to so many failings, I am bold humbly to protest, that unallowed miscarriages, contrary to the settled bent and resolution of my heart, shall not make void this covenant; for so thou hast said.

Now, Almighty God, searcher of hearts, thou knowest that I make this covenant with thee this day without any known guile or reservation; beseeching thee, that if thou spiest any flaw or falsehood therein, thou wouldst discover it to me, and help me to do it aright.

"And now, glory be to thee, O God the Father, whom I shall be bold from this day forward to look upon as my God and Father, that ever thou shouldst find out such a way for the recovery of undone sinners. Glory be to thee, O God the Son, who hast loved me, and washed me from my sins in thine own blood, and art now become my Saviour and Redeemer. Glory be to thee, O God the Holy Ghost, who, by the finger of thine almighty power, hast turned about my heart from sin to God.

"O dreadful Jehovah! the Lord God omnipotent,