• THe necessitie of dai­lie examination, ap­pear's by these Reasons.
  • 1. Becaus green wounds are easily cured; and nothing fester's so quickly, or so fowly, as sin: When David's heart had presently smote him for cutting off the skirt of Saul's robe, hee hear'd no more of that: but that sin with Urias his wife, wherein hee soaked so long, brake his bones, as appeareth by his praier, Psal. 51. 8.
  • 2. Thou do'st help thy memorie by this (my Soul!): for if in one daies account manie sins bee forgotten, how manie must bee forgotten, if thou leav it to bee the account of manie daies?
  • 3. Sin divided thus into parcels, is more easily deal't with, as a massie Tree cut out into Billets, or smaller pieces.
  • 4. Thou do'st 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 bee for thee (my Soul!), that thou hast been sueing out thy pardon, ere hee could com to put in a charge against thee.
  • 5. O my Soul, Thou lookest daily on everie thing els that thou hast, on thy Hous, Land, Cattle, Clothes; on what­ever thou hast, that may bee impaired, or improoved daily; what a shame is it (my Soul!) thy self should bee less considerable to thy self.
  • 6. Thou art permitted to live but to this purpose, whatever worldlie ends of living thou propose to thy self: and thou knowest not, if thou neglect this, whether anie more time will bee given thee. See Revel. 2. 21.
  • 7. If thou perform this exactly, and constantly everie 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 bee to a dying man!

When these, or the like Reasons, have convinced thee of the necessitie 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
  • To bee SOBER, is ge­nerally to observ a mean in all things, and to moderate our selvs in our passions, d [...]sires, meat, drink, clothes, mirth, discours, and all our actions. Examine thy self, whether thou hast according to these particulars, been sober in thy thoughts, words, deeds this daie: where thou findest thou hast, give God thanks, and beg perseverance; where thou findest the contrarie, beg pardon, and resolv for the future against it.
    SOBER in my
    • Thoughts
    • Words
    • Actions?
  • To bee JUST, is, in thought, word, and deed, to do that right thou wouldest bee don to, and the Scriptures require, to the person, soul, bodie, name, estate of everie man; to render their dues to all, whether superiors, inse­riors, or equals: examine by these particulars how just thou hast this daie been, and according as thou findest thy self, proceed, as directed in the description of Sobrietie.
    JUST in my
    • Thoughts
    • Words,
    • Actions?
  • To bee GODLY, is, to know God, to use, and improov our knowledg of him, to remember him, trust and hope in him, to have love and zeal to him, joy in him, to bee thankfull, obedient, patient towards him, to fear him, and humbly to submit unto him, to reverence and honor him, to bee sorrie for offending him, to serv and worship him, to pray, read, and hear his word, and that rightly, to sanctifie his name, and glorifie him, in whatever hee is made known to mee by: examine thy self, whether thou hast don according, or contrarie to these particulars, and then proceed as above directed.
    GODLY in my
    • Thoughts
    • Words
    • Actions?
• Dwel on each of these, and recollect all places, compa­nies, businesses, wherein thou hast been this daie em­ploied, especially examine thy
  • Thoughts, when thou wast a­lone.
  • Words, when in Companie.
  • Actions, both waies.

Especially my Soul, thou art to finde out thy master-sin; in order to which, thou commonly committest most of thy other sins: as if covetousness bee thy master-sin, there is no other sin which thou wilt not do, to fulfil its desires; thou wilt dishonor God, swear, violate the Lord's daie, bee disobedient to Superiors, murther, commit adulterie, steal, bear fals-witness, to gratifie thy covetousness. And so if pride, or anie other sin bee thy master sin. If thou would'st know it,

• It's that,
• 1. Thy Thoughts are most conversant about; as when David awoke hee was presently with God; so art thou with thy master-sin.
• 2. Thou can'st not endure it should bee touched, either by the own examination, or others reproof.

When thou hast found this Ring-leader of thy sins, go to God with strong cries, beg earnestly of him; O my God, give mee grace to bee deeply sorrowful for what's past, to resolv presently against it, and for the time to com, to endeavor by all means, that this chief ene­mie of my soul, may not bee re-admitted.

Thy sins of the daie beeing discovered, thou art to discover the hainousness of them, lest that thou pass them over too slightly; Therefore they are to bee 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 beeing 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 do'st thou think them, for what they did, and what can'st thou think of thy self doing the same things? O my soul, thou hast left God for transitorie things, that (if they were permanent) can neither satisfie 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 bee seen, Psalm. 25. 2.

3. Thou hast offended against thy God's precept (O my Soul!), and hee seem's to speak unto thee, as hee did to Adam, hast thou eaten of the Tree I forbad thee, Hast thou thought, and spoken, and don this daie what I forbad thee?

4. O my Soul, thou hast not offended against his precept onely, but notwithstanding his help to observ it, hee gave thee grace, and thou did'st not use it; a little grace goe's far, and thou mightest have thereby kep't God's word, Rev. 3. 8. but thou hast (my Soul!) received the grace of God in vain.

Haveing found the hainousness of thy sin, If wee would judg our selvs, wee should not bee judged. 1. Cor. 11. 31. and thy self thus guiltie, what remain's (my Soul!) but that thou sentence thy self and say, O my Soul, how can it bee but that God for sake's thee also, and take's away his Spirit, Graces, Angels, from thee, leaving thee without guide, or protector, to bee worried by the Divel, the world, and the flesh? Think whe­ther thou can'st 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.