Publisher's Synopsis
Introduction 6 Motives of Love Sect I 9 It Imports Us to Love God Above All Things Sect II 9 That the Love of God is our Greatest Duty Sect III 15 That the Love of God is our Greatest Good Sect IV 22 Love of God the Chief Grace of the Holy Ghost Sect V 29 We Must Prepare our Hearts for this Grace Motives of Fear Sect I 34 It Imports Us to Remember the Day of Judgment Sect II 35 Our Last Day the End of All our Happiness Sect III 40 Last Day the Beginning of Endless Misery Motives of Hope Sect I 47 Despair in a Sinner Unreasonable Sect II 49 That God Can Help Us if He Will Sect III 54 That God Will Help Us if We Please Danger of Delay Sect I 61 How Apt We Are to Defer Repentance Sect II 62 How Dangerous It is to Defer Repentance Sect III 65 Reason Why Delay is so Dangerous Sect IV 69 That We Ought to Begin Immediately A Contrite Heart Sect I 75 Sorrow for our Sins Sect II 76 Resolutions of Amendment A Humble Heart Sect I 80 The Necessity and Advantages of Humility Sect II 84 First Degree of Humility Sect III 86 Second Degree of Humility Sect IV 91 An Objection Answered Sect V 94 Third Degree of Humility Sect VI 96 First Reason Why the Saints are Most Humble Sect VII 100 Second Reason Why the Saints are Most Humble Sect I 105 The Enormity of Sin Sect II 109 The Ingratitude Pride, Presumption &c Sect III 111 Our Saviour's Idea of Sin, &c. Sect IV 117 The Saint's Idea of Sin, &c. Sect I 124 The Character of a Good Christian. Sect II 127 His Contempt of the World Sect III 130 His Desire of Heavens I treat of the best of hearts, a contrite and humble one. A heart which is the price of heaven. An inestimable jewel to purchase which we must sell all we possess. What detriment it may have suffered in my hand it according to my own fancy. I pretend not to excuse. Though the jewel be unpolished, it is entire and its interior value is still the same. True contrition and humility affect the exterior embellishments, plain sincerity becomes them best. A humble penitent who has an angry God to appease must think of something else. When Magdalene comes with penitential tears to bathe her Saviour's feet, she forgets her looking glass, regardless of its approbation. She brings precious ointments with her, but these are only for her Lord, not to adorn herself or please the company. The method I have followed may seem arbitray and require some explanation. I begin with the love of God. 1. Because it is the chief and only duty of man. 2. Because although the practice of repentance commonly begins with fear, proceeds with hope, and only ends in love. Yet, where are practice ends, our theory begins, and what is last performed, is generally first designed, and principally aimed at. Because there is no ground for either hope or fear, before we know our duty. When we know it, and consider well how little we observe it then we begin to tremble at the thought of our appearance at the bar. The terror of a living God awakens us, and makes us sensible, how fearful a thing it is to fall into His hands. For this reason in the second place, I show the general motives of fear, which to prevent despair, I counter balance with the motives of hope and lastly, because presumption is the greater danger of the two, our pride inclining us to think repentance easy, and our self-love daily tempting to defer it, I have endeavoured to show the danger of delay. These preparations I thought proper for a contrite and humble heart.
