Who can understand his errors? Cleanfe thou us from fecret faults in, n In many things we all offend ; and our iniquities are more than the hairs of our head °. As a fountain cafteth out her waters, fo do our hearts caft out wickedness P; and this hath been our manner from our youth up, that we have not obeyed thy voice 9. Out of the evil treasure of our hearts we have brought forth many evil things r. (1.) We must confefs and bewail the workings of pride in us. We have all reason to be humbled for the pride of our hearts, that we have thought of ourselves above what hath been meet, and have not thought foberly, nor walked humbly with our God ▾. We have leaned to our own understanding ", W and trufted in our own heart's ; and have facrificed to our own net y. We have fought our own glory more than the glory of him that fent us 2, and have been puffed up for that which we should have mourned a. (2.) The breaking out of paffion and rash anger. We have not had the rule which we ought to have had over our own spirits, which have therefore been as a city that is broken down, and has no walls ". We have been foon angry, and anger hath refted in our bofoms. And when our fpirits have been provoked, we have fpoken unadvifedly with our lipse: and have been guilty of that clamour and bitterness which fhould have been put far from us f y (3.) Our covetoufnefs and love of the world. m Pfalm xix. 12. Jer. vi. 7. q i. 21. Hab. i. 16. b Prov. xxv. 28. e Plalm cvi. 33. n James iii. 2. f Eph. iv. 31. nefs Our converfation has not been without covetoufg) nor have we learned in every ftate to be content with fuch things as we have 1? Who can fay that he is clean from that love of money which is the root of all evil, that covetousness which is idolatry? We have fought great things to ourselves, when thou haft faid, Seek them not 1. (4.) Our fenfuality and fefb-pleafing. We have minded the things of the flesh more than the things of the spirit, and have lived in pleasure in the earth, and have been wanton, and have nourished our hearts as in a day of flaughter ". We have made provifion for the flesh, to fulfil the lufts of it even those lufts which war against our fouls P; and in many inftances have acted, as if we had been lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God 4. When we did eat, and when we did drink, did we not eat to ourselves, and drink to ourselves r ? (5) Our fecurity and unmindfulness of the changes we are liable to in this world. We have put fer from us the evil day, and in our profperity have faid, we fhould never be moved t, as if to-morrow must needs be as this day, and much more abundant ". We have encouraged our fouls to take their eafe, to eat and drink, and be merry, as if we had goods laid up for many years, when perhaps this night our fouls may be required of us w. We have been ready to trust in uncertain riches, more than in the living God; to fay to the gold, Thou art our hope, and to the fine gold, 1 hou art our confidence. b Phil. iv. 11. i1 Tim. 1. 10. I n Jam. v. 5. 2 Tim. iii. 4. g Heb. xiii. 5. Col. iii. 5. Jer. xlv. 5 m Rom. viii. 5. / 。 Rom. xiii, 14. p 1 Pet. ii. 11, q Zech, vii. 6. Am. vi. 3, t Pfal. xxx. 6. v If. lvi. 12. w Luke xii. 19, 20. x 1 Tim. vi. 17. `y Job xxxi. 24. (6.) Our fretfulness and impatience, and murmuring un der our afflictions, our inordinate dejection and distrust of God and bis providence. When thou chaftifedft us, and we were chaftised, we have been as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke; and though our own foolishness hath perverted our way, yet our heart hath fretted against the Lord a ; and thus in our diftrefs we have trefpaffed yet more against the Lord D. a We have either defpifed the chaftening of the Lord, or fainted when we have been rebuked of him ; and if we faint in the day of adverfity, our ftrength is small d. We have faid in our haste, We are caft off from be-fore thine eyes; and that the Lord hath forfaken us, our God hath forgotten us, as if God would be favourable no more f; as if he had forgotten to be gracious, and had in anger shut up his tender mercies. This has been our infirmity 8. (7.) Our uncharitableness towards our brethren, and unpeaceableness with our relations, neighbours, and friends, and perhaps injuftice towards them. We have been very guilty concerning our bro ther for we have not studied the things that make for peace, nor things wherewith we might edify one another i We have been ready to judge our brother, and to fet at nought our brother, forgetting that we must als fhortly ftand before the judgment-feat of Chrift? Contrary to the royal law of charity, we have vaunted ourselves and been puffed up, have behaved ourselves unfeemly and fought our own, have been eafily provoked', have rejoiced in iniquity, and been fecretly glad at calamities m c Pro. iii. II. f Ifa. xlix. 14. i Rom. xiv. 19. 4, 5. m Prov. xvii. 5. We have been defirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another": when we fhould have confidered one another, to provoke to love, and to good works °. The bowels of our compaffion have been fhut up from thofe that are in need P; and we have hidden ourfelves from our own flesh. Nay, perhaps our eye has been evil against our poor brother, and we have delpifed the poor. And if in any thing we have gone beyond and defrauded our brother, if we have walked with vanity, and our foot hath hasted to deceit, and any blot hath cleaved to our hands v, Eord, discover it to us, that if we have done iniquity, we may do so no more ". (8.) Our tongue fins. In the multitude of our words there wanteth not fin*; for can a man full of talk be justified y. While the lips of the righteous feed many, our lips. have poured out foolishness, and spoken frowardnefs z Much corrupt communication hath proceeded out of our mouths; that foolish talking and jefting which is not convenient, and little of that which is good, and to the use of edifying, and which might minifter grace unto the hearers 2. If for every idle word that men speak they must give: an account, and if by our words we must be justified, and if by our words we must be condemned; wo unto us, for we are undone c; for we are of unclean lips,, and dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. What would become of us, if God fhould make our own tongues to fall upon us a? գ (6.). Our Spiritual foibfulness and decay, We have been flothful in the business of religion, and not fervent in fpirit, ferving the Lord e. The things which remain are ready to die, and our works have not been found perfect before God? We have obferved the winds, and therefore have not fown, have regarded the clouds, and therefore have not reapede, and with the fluggard 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; ftill crying, Yet a little fleep, and a little flumber i. We have loft our firft lovek; and where is now the bleffednefs we fometimes fpake of1? Our goodness hath been as the morning cloud, and the early dew which foon paffeth 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". 7. We must acknowledge the great evil that there is in fin, and in our fin; the malignity of its nature, and its mifchievoufnefs to us. (1.) finfulness The fun of fall fin to us, may appear in its own colours, and that by the commandment we may fee it to be exceeding finful, because it is the tranf greffion of the law P.. By every wilful fin we have in effect faid, We will not have this man to reign over us 9. Lord, that we should obey his voice'? we reproached the Lords, and caft his back t (2.) The foolishness of fin. And who is the And thus have laws behind our O God, thou knoweft our foolishnefs, and our fins |