Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

1. His Heart-piercing Eye, 1 Sam. xvi. 7. Pfal. vii. 9. Jer. xvii. 10.

2. His avenging Hand, Zach. v. 3, 4. Mal. iii. 5.

5. The Saints of God, even in the Gospel, have fworn, 2 Cor. i. 23. Gal. i. 20. Phil. i. 8.

6. The Apostle to the Hebrews is clear for it, Hebr. vi. 16.

7. The End of an Oath is lawful. Ibid. So then it is lawful for Subjects to take, and for Magistrates to adminifter, an Oath. Quamvis dictum fit, ne juremus, nufquam tamen in Scripturis fanctis legi meminerim, ne ab alio jurationem acsipiamus. S. Auguft. Epift. 154.

III. How are our Saviour's Words to be un derstood, Thou shalt not Swear?

Anfw. 1. Not to swear by any Creature, v. 35. 2. Not cuftomarily, and in common Difcourfe

v. 37.

3. Not rafhly or vainly, Jer. iv. 2.

[ocr errors][merged small]

S. MAR. vi. 12.

And they went out, and preached that Men Should repent.

T is the Duty of all Men, every where, to

I repent.

FIRST. The Neceffity of this great Duty of Repentance.

I. Neceffitas pracepti; As over and over enjoined in Scripture, Ezek. xiv. 6. and xviii. 30. S. Matt. iii. 2. and iv. 17. and ix. 13. Mar. i. 25. Al. xvii. 3o. and xx. 21. 2 S. Pet. iii. 9. Rev. ii. 5, 16, 21, 22. and iii. 3, 19.

II. Neceffitas medii; In order,

1. To Pardon of Sins, Ifa. Iv. 7. Act. ii. 38. and iii. 19. and v. 31. Pfal. vii. 11.

2. To the Favour of God, Jer. xxxi. 18, 19, 20. Jon. iii. 9. Deut. iv. 30, 31. Rom. xiv. 18.

3. To an Interest in Christ, S. Luk. xxiv. 47. Gal. v. 24. Ephef. v. 14.

4. To the Comforts of the Holy Ghost, A&t. ix. 31. Rom. xiv. 17.

5. To the preventing of Judgments, or averting them, Jer. xxvi. 3. Isa. xxxviii. 1, &c. Dan. iv. 27. 2 Chron. Xxxiii. 12, 13.

6. To the obtaining a Blessing upon Mercies, Mal. ii. 2. Rom. viii. 28.

7. To Peace of Confcience, and an inward Quiet and Satisfaction, 2 Cor. i. 12. Pfal. cxix. 165.

8. To Communion with God, Isa. i. 16, 17, 18. 9. To an Interest in the Promises, Pfal. 1. 16, 17, 23. Deut, vi. 3. Hebr. x. 36.

10. To the Avoiding of Hell, Ezek. xxxiii. 14, 15. S. Luk. xiii. 3. Rev. xxi. 8.

11. To the Fitting us for Heaven, 1 Cor. XV 50. Coloff. i. 12.

12. To the Bringing us thither, Reu. xxii. 14, 15. Rom. vi. 22.

To fave an impenitent Sinner is not confiftent with,

i. The Juftice of God, Gen. xviü, 25. Pfal. xi. 7.

2. The Mercy of God, Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. 3. The Faithfulness of God, I Theff. v. 23, 24, The Defign of our Saviour's Incarnation, S. Matt. i. 21. Act. iii. 26.

4.

5. The Nature of that Heaven, whereinto we hope to be tranflated, Rev. xxi. 27.

1. Its Company, Hebr. xii. 23.

2. Its Objects, 2 S. Pet. iii. 13. Hebr. xii. 22, 23, 24. 2 Tim, iv. 8.

3. Its Employment, Rev. xxii. 3. and vii. 10.

11, 12.

SECONDLY. The Nature of a true and faving Repentance.

I. Negatively.

i. A Man may acknowledge his Sins, and yet not truly repent of them. Pharaoh, Exod. ix. 27. Balaam, Numb. xxii. 34. Saul, 1 Sam. xv. 24. Już das, S. Matt. xxvii. 4.

2. A Man may mourn for his Sins, and yet not be a true Penitent, Prov. v. 11. and 1 King. xxi.

27.

3. A Man may refolve against Sin, and yet not be faid to repent of it, 2 S. Pet. ii. 22.

4. A Man may forfake fome Sins, and yet not deferve the Name of a Penitent, Ezek. xviii. 30, 31. S. Mar. x. 17, &c.

[ocr errors]

S. A

5. A Man may forfake all his former grofs Sins, and yet come fhort of a true Repentance, 1 Theff. v. 22. 2 Cor. vil. 1. S. Fam. ii. io.

6. A Man may outwardly perform all the Duties of Religion, and yet be no true Penitent in the Sight of God, who fearches the Heart and Reins, and paffes Judgment accordingly, Ifa. i. 11, 15. Jer. ix. 26. Ezek. xviii. 31. S. Matt. v. 8.

II. Pofitively. These things are requifite in order to a true and faving Repentance.

1. Conviction, S. Joh. xvi. 8. Conviction is a clear, conftant, and Evangelical Sight and Senfe of Sin. 'Tis not only the Work of the Head, but of the Heart. 'Tis not only a Sight, but a Senfe. 'Tis not only the clear Apprehenfion of the Understanding, but the full Perfuafion of the Will, that Sin is Sin; that it is dangerous to us, and we guilty of it, Rom. vil. 13. 1 King. viii. 46. I S. Joh. i. 8, 9, 10. fo that there be three things in Sin, that we are to be thus convinced of.

1. Its Sinfulness, 2 Sam. xxiv. 10. Habak. i. 13. Ifa. i. 16, 17. Pfal. v. 5. Rom. vi. 12, 13. 1 S. Joh. iii. 8.

2. Its Dangeroufnefs, Prov. xxiv. 16, 20. Ifa. iii. 11. Zach. vii. 12. Hebr. x. 31.

1. To our Souls, Pfal. xxxii. 10. Ifa. lvii. 20, 21.

2. To our Bodies, S. Jam. i. 15. Numb. xi. 33. 3. To our Estates, Deut. xxviii. 15, &c. and XXX. 15, 20. Pfal. cvii. 34. Jer. xviii. 7, 8, 9, TO. and li. 5. Hof. iv. 1, 2, 3.

4. To our whole Man, making us liable to the Wrath of God, both Temporal and Eternal, Prov. xi. 5, 6, 7, 8. and xxi. 12, 15. Rom. i. 18. Ephef. v. 6. 2 Chron. XXV. 4. Rom. v. 12. and vi. 23. Rom. ii. 5.

3. Our own Guiltiness of it; that Sin is not only finful, but that we are so too, Job ix. 2, 3.

1. Originally; as the Guilt of Adam's Sin is imputed to us, Rom. v. 18, 19.

And as the Guilt of it is inherent in us, and we have a Fountain of Sin in our Hearts, which flows forth in our Lives, S. Jam. iii. 2. Prov. XX. 9.

2. Actually. As Sin acts us, fo we have acted Sin. As Sin lives in us, fo we have lived in Sin. Pfal. xiv. 3. Rom. iii. 23.

1. And fo we must be convinced of all the Sorts of our Sins, against the First and Second Table, against the Law, and against the Gospel, against God's Juftice and his Mercy, his Judgments and his Patience, openly and fecretly, our own, and our other Mens Sins; our Sins of Ignorance and of Wilfulness, of our Hearts, our Tongues, and our Hands.

2. Of the numberless Number of our Sins, the manifold vain Thoughts that spring up in our Hearts, the idle and wicked Words that flow forth from our Mouths, and the finful Actions that overflow our Lives, Job xiii. 23.

3. Of the feveral Aggravations of them. Their being,

1. Against the Light of Nature, Rom. i. 21. 2. Against the Law of God, I S. Joh. iii. 4. 3. Against the Gospel of Chrift, S. Joh. iii. 19. 2 Tim. ii. 19.

4. Against the frequent Admonitions of the Word, Ifa. xxviii. 1p. Prov. i. 24, &c. Jer. vii. 25, 26, 27, 28.

5. Against the Love of God in fending our Saviour into the World to affume our Nature, and fuffer and die for us, Rom. v. 8. Jude 4.

6. Against the Patience and Long-fuffering of God, Eccl. viii. 11. Rom. ii. 4. Rev. ii. 21. 7. Against

C 3

« AnteriorContinuar »