bauchery, and a profligate Courfe of Life, SERM. V.
long after he has repented and been reclaim-
ed. Now, if we thus fuffer for our Sins,
notwithstanding our Repentance in the dai-
ly Courfe of God's natural Providence, and
his ftated and uniform Methods of acting
towards his Creatures here; What Grounds:
have we to imagine, that Repentance alone,
without the Merits of our Saviour, will
free us from all the ill Confequences of Sin,
in God's religious and moral Settlement of
Things hereafter, in his final Adjustment
of Rewards and Punishments ?

It appears from the Cuftom of Sacrificing, which prevailed every where; that, whoever maintains, that Repentance will expiate Guilt without any propitiatory Sacrifice, cannot set up his Reafon in Oppofition to Revelation, without fetting it up in Oppofition to the Common Senfe and Reafon of Mankind in all Ages and Nations. Some material Truths there were undoubtedly in the Pagan Religion; though they were adulterated with confiderable and palpable Errors Some Fire there was; though it was fo involved in Smoke, that it could not yield a fufficient Light. Whereas Truth fhines forth in the Scriptures without any Alloy

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SERM. V. Alloy of Falfhood in it's native Simplicity and genuine Brightness. It is there we have an authentic Account, that while all other Beings are indeed the Objects of God's Bounty Man is diftinguished from the Reft by being made the Object of his Mercy : Man alone is admitted to the glorious Privilege of being pardoned upon Repentance through the Merits of him, who took away Sin by the Sacrifice of himself.

That God will put the repenting Sinner. upon a better Foot, than the veteran unrelenting Criminal, is indeed an evident Conclufion of Reafon: But then it is as. evident an one, that he will not put him upon the fame Foot with the Angels, that need no Repentance.

For to put Offenders, without any Atonement, upon a Foot of Equality with the Guiltless and Unoffending, would be to make no Distinction, where there was a very material Difference.

Here there are three Sorts of Beings in the Creation.Beings, that need no Re-. pentance Penitent Sinners. Impenitent Sinners. It will be allowed, that God may confign the last to a State of pure Misery, and the first to a State of pure Happiness;

and

and all the Difficulty will be, what God SERM. V. will do with the MIDDLE Set of Creatures, viz. penitent Sinners. To make them as happy as the first, would be as inconfiftent with our Notions of Juftice, as to make them as miferable as the laft. Here Reason feems to be either intirely at a Stand; or, if it can prove any Thing, only to prove this; that Beings in whom there is a Mixture of moral Good and Evil, fhall be configned to fome State, in which there fhall be a proportionable Mixture of natural Good and Evil.

Some late Authors, however, have been hardy enough to affert the Efficacy of mere Repentance; and, to fupport their Affertions, have argued after the following Manner, viz. Men, by a thorough Reformation, cease to be perfonally difpleasing, and become perfonally pleafing to God, and, confequently, do not need any Thing that is perfonally pleafing in another to make them fo.

The Author seems to be defcribing fome vifionary ideal Beings, which may exist, perhaps, in his Imagination; but are in Fact no where to be found in this World. For what is this Reformation, which removes whatever is difpleafing? Why an

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SERM. V. abfolutely perfect Repentance, which can have no Place in fuch imperfect Beings as we are: It is a mere Notion, not a Reality. Is our Repentance a Return to an intire uninterrupted Obedience, without any Alloy or Tincture of Vice? Or is it only to fuch an Obedience, as is attended with feveral Relapfes; but by which, by Degrees, and in the main, we gain Ground over our Vices: And, though far, very far, from being per fect, yet are in a progreffive State towards Perfection?

But granting, there could be fuch an abfolutely perfect Reformation; granting farther, what can never be proved, that fuch a Reformation would remove God's Difpleafure: Yet does the Deity punish as frail and paffionate Men do, merely because he is difpleafed with, or difapproves of, the Agent, without anfwering any beneficial and falutary Ends whatever? All Difpleafure apart, Governors, who confult the Good of the Whole, may, and often do, inflict Punishments, to discountenance Vice, and fupport the Caufe of Virtue and Goodnefs. And he alone, who fees paft, prefent, and future, in one united Point of View, whofe Foreknowledge looks through

every poffible Confequence, that can refult SERM. V. from every Manner of acting towards peni teht Sinners; can himself alone know, and reveal to us, how he will deal with peni tent Sinners, fo as not to counter-act the univerfal Good.

It is farther urged, that the Deity must confider us as Beings, not only liable, but alfo likely, to commit Sin; born with ftrong Propenfions to Vice, and furrounded with numerous Temptations. And when we have done all that can be reasonably expected from fuch frail Creatures as we are, (that is, when we have done our best) then we are the proper Objects of God's Favour, without any Need of an Atonement, or propitiatory Sacrifice.

Here again, as usual, the Authors confider Mankind in Theory, and not in Fact: They confider them, as what they should and ought to be, ferving God to the utmost Stretch of their limited Powers, with the collected and united Force of every Faculty; and not as what they really are, often wilfully doing, what they ought not; and oftner omitting what they ought to do.

Whatever Allowances we may suppose a gracious God will make, for the Frailties

of