The daily Examination, and Arraignment of Sins; gathered out of the most Reverend the Primate of Ireland's Sermon at Lincolns-Inn. Decemb. 3. 1648. THe necessity of daily examination, appears by these Reasons. 1. Because green wounds are easily cured; and nothing festers so quickly, or so foully, as sin: When David's heart had presently smote him for cutting off the skirt of Saul's robe, he heard no more of that: but that sin with Urias his wife, wherein he soaked so long, broke his bones, as appeareth by his prayer, Psal. 51. 8. 2. Thou dost help thy memory by this (my Soul!): for if in one days account many sins be forgotten, how many must be forgotten, if thou leave it to be the account of many days? 3. Sin divided thus into parcels, is more easily dealed with, as a massy Tree cut out into Billets, or smaller pieces. 4. Thou dost by this means (my soul!) prevent Satan's accusation: that Accuser of the brethren doth (no doubt) bill thee daily; what a comfort will it be for thee (my Soul!), that thou hast been sueing out thy pardon, ere he could come to put in a charge against thee. 5. O my Soul, Thou lookest daily on every thing else that thou hast, on thy House, Land, Cattle, Clothes; on whatever thou hast, that may be impaired, or improved daily; what a shame is it (my Soul!) thyself should be less considerable to thyself. 6. Thou art permitted to live but to this purpose, whatever worldly ends of living thou propose to thyself: and thou knowest not, if thou neglect this, whether any more time will be given thee. See Revel. 2. 21. 7. If thou perform this exactly, and constantly every night and morning, thou wilt (my Soul!) have but one day to answer for all at thy parting hence: O what an eas would that be to a dying man! When these, or the like Reasons, have convinced thee of the necessity of this Examination, and affected thy heart with a desire thereto, proceed after this plain manner. Examine thy Thoughts Words Actions by these 3. words Tit. 2. 12 Soberly Justly Godly thus: O my Soul, have I been a To be SOBER, is generally to observe a mean in all things, and to moderate our selus in our passions, desire's, meat, drink, clothes, mirth, discourse, and all our actions. Examine thyself, whether thou hast according to these particulars, been sober in thy thoughts, words, deeds this day: where thou findest thou hast, give God thanks, and beg perseverance; where thou findest the contrary, beg pardon, and resolve for the future against it. SOBER in my Thoughts Words Actions? b To be JUST, is, in thought, word, and deed, to do that right thou wouldst be done to, and the Scriptures require, to the person, soul, body, name, estate of every man; to render their deuce to all, whether superiors, inseriors, or equals: examine by these particulars how just thou hast this day been, and according as thou findest thyself, proceed, as directed in the description of Sobriety. JUST in my Thoughts Words, Actions? c To be GODLY, is, to know God, to use, and improov our knowledge of him, to remember him, trust and hope in him, to have love and zeal to him, joy in him, to be thankful, obedient, patiented towards him, to fear him, and humbly to submit unto him, to reverence and honour him, to be sorry for offending him, to serve and worship him, to pray, read, and hear his word, and that rightly, to sanctify his name, and glorify him, in whatever he is made known to me by: examine thyself, whether thou hast done according, or contrary to these particulars, and then proceed as above directed. GODLY in my Thoughts Words Actions? Dwell on each of these, and recollect all places, companies, businesses, wherein thou hast been this day employed, especially examine thy Thoughts, when thou wast alone. Words, when in Company. Actions, both ways. Especially my Soul, thou art to find out thy master-sin; in order to which, thou commonly committest most of thy other sins: as if covetousness be thy master-sin, there is no other sin which thou wilt not do, to fulfil its desires; thou wilt dishonour God, swear, violate the Lord's day, be disobedient to Superiors, murder, commit adultery, steal, bear fals-witness, to gratify thy covetousness. And so if pride, or any other sin be thy master sin. If thou wouldst know it, It's that, 1. Thy Thoughts are most conversant about; as when David awoke he was presently with God; so art thou with thy master-sin. 2. Thou canst not endure it should be touched, either by the own examination, or others reproof. When thou hast found this Ringleader of thy sins, go to God with strong cries, beg earnestly of him; O my God, give me grace to be deeply sorrowful for what's past, to resolve presently against it, and for the time to come, to endeavour by all means, that this chief enemy of my soul, may not be readmitted. Thy sins of the day being discovered, thou art to discover the heinousness of them, lest that thou pass them over too slightly; Therefore they are to be tried and arraigned, by considering these following Points, and saying to thy Soul, 1. O my Soul, thou hast by the sins of this day, forsaken God, whom thou shouldest have simply stuck to, as being most excellent, and amiable in himself, and most bountiful also unto thee. 2. Thou hast forsaken him for inconsiderable things, for profit with Judas, for pleasure with Esau; how wicked dost thou think them, for what they did, and what canst thou think of thyself doing the same things? O my soul, thou hast left God for transitory things, that (if they were permanent) can neither satisfy nor save thee from Death or Judgement; and the lesser thy motive was, the greater is thy sin; especially if thou hast sworn, which is a sin men do gratìs commonly, and for no advantage, whose doom is to be seen, Psalm. 25. 2. 3. Thou hast offended against thy God's precept (O my Soul!), and he seems to speak unto thee, as he did to Adam, hast thou eaten of the Tree I forbade thee, Hast thou thought, and spoken, and done this day what I forbade thee? 4. O my Soul, thou hast not offended against his precept only, but notwithstanding his help to observe it, he gave thee grace, and thou didst not use it; a little grace goes far, and thou mightest have thereby kept God's word, Rev. 3. 8. but thou hast (my Soul!) received the grace of God in vain. Having found the heinousness of thy sin, If we would judge our selus, we should not be judged. 1. Cor. 11. 31. and thyself thus guilty, what remains (my Soul!) but that thou sentence thyself and say, O my Soul, how can it be but that God for sake's thee also, and takes away his Spirit, Graces, Angels, from thee, leaving thee without guide, or protector, to be worried by the Devil, the world, and the flesh? Think whether thou canst sleep in such a case; O then (lest vengeance overtake thee, and to recover thy former interest in God) betake thee quickly unto him, in this or the like Prayer. Blessed Lord! I Have oft this day by intemperance, unrighteousness, and ungodliness, in thought, word, and deed, forsaken thee my God, notwithstanding thy Precept yea thy help of Grace to observe it; and this I have done for inconsiderable things, so that I am now to be forsaken by thee, to be bereft of thy direction, and defence, and to be left, to the disposeing of the enemies of my soul and body; yet O Lord, thou hast graciously vouchsafed me power to survey my condition, to examine my sins, whilst yet curable, and to be dealt withal, afore the Devil's accusation hath drawn down thy vengeance; whilst I am permitted to live, and dureing this time accepted, this day of salvation, Good Lord perfect what thou hast begun, give me an unfeigned sorrow for what is past, and an earnest purpose to amend; O let me recover thy good will, that I may rest in thy favour. Dear Father, I long to renew that friendship, I ●…ad with thee ere these my sins had broken it, Thou that hast brought me from my sins, to these desires, bring these desires to perfection; reunite me to Thyself, and then ravish my heart so with thy excellencies, that I may never more lust after the pleasures, profits, honours of this world so, as to lose that ●…mitie which thou shalt this night vouchsafe me: Hear Lord, and answer these my petitions, for Jesus Christ's sake, Amen. Grudge not to bestow the pains of a life, that will quickly end, to compass that life which shall never end.