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Jerves the Law of Sin.

The true Penitent is

breathing with the fame Earneftness after Sanctification, as after Freedom from Wrath. He does not want to have the Law bend to his Corruptions; but to have his Heart and Life fully fubjected to the Law and Will of God. There is nothing he so much defires, befides an Intereft in Chrift and the Favour of God, as a Freedom from Sin, a Proficiency in Faith and Holinefs, and a Life of Communion and Fellowship with God." Oh (fays the "penitent Believer) what a wicked Heart have I, "that is fo eftranged from the holy Nature of "God, and from his righteous Law ! What a "guilty Wretch have I been, who have walked fo

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contrary to the glorious God, have trampled up.

on his excellent Perfections, violated his holy "Law, and made fo near an Approach even to the "Nature of the Devil!O for the cleanfing Eth

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cacy of the Blood of Chrift, and the renewing "Influences of his holy Spirit, to purify this Sink "of Pollution, and to fanctify thefe depraved Affections of my Soul. Create in me a clean "Heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within "me! Let this feparating Wall between God and my Soul be broken down!-Let me be Partaker "of the divine Nature, and be brought near to "God, whatever elfe be denied me !-0 that my "Ways were directed, that I might keep thy Sta"tutes! O let me not wander from thy Commandments, but deal bountifully with thy Servant, "that I may live and keep thy Word."thefe are the Afpirations of a fincere Repentance: A Language which flows from a true Love to God and his Law, and an earnest Defire of Conformity to both.

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But you will enquire, perhaps, Is there no Difference between Repentance and Love to God ?—-~

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Are not these different Graces of the Spirit; and have they not their different Exercises and Operations?→→→ I anfwer, Yes; they are truly different and distinct; but they always have a joint Exercife in a truly gracious Soul. As Faith is truly distinct from Repentance; and yet every Child of God is a penitent Believer, fo is Love lifewife diftinct from Repentance; and yet neither of thefe Graces can exift without the other. We cannot truly love God, unless our Sins are made hateful to us in Repentance. We cannot fincerely turn to God, until we value his Favour, and take Pleasure in a Conformity to his Will.

As thefe Graces therefore are joint Productions of the bleffed Spirit in our Regeneration, fo are they joint Companions in the Exercise of the divine Love. From this Reflection you may fee the Reafon why fome of the fame Things neceffarily occur in this Difcourfe of Repentance, which you met with in my last Letter, when treating upon the Difference of a true and falfe Faith.

By thefe Hints, you may plainly fee the very great Difference between a legal and an evangelical Penitent. The one looks upon God with Dread, Terror, and Averfation of Soul. The other mourns his Distance from him, and longs to be more transformed into his Image and Likenefs. The one ftill loves his Sins in his Heart, though he mourns that there is a Law to punish them. The other hates all his Sins without Referve, and groans under the Burthen of them, because they are contrary to God and his holy Law.The Obedience of the one is by mere Conftraint. The Imperfections of the other are Matter of continual Grief; and he is conftantly longing and striving after greater Degrees of Grace and Holinefs. The one can find no inward and abiding Complacency in the Service of God. The other runs the Ways of his Command

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ments with Delight, and takes more Pleasure in Obedience than in any Thing elfe.

4. A legal Repentance ordinarily flows from Dif couragement and Defpondency; but an evangelical Repentance from encouraging Hope.--I have already confidered, how a legal Repentance is excited and maintained by Terrors of Confcience, and fearful Apprehenfions of the Wrath of God.-Some indeeed, by their external Reformations, pacify their Consciences, get fettled upon their Lees, and cry Peace to their Souls; and fo their Repentance and Difcouragements both come to an End. But whilst their Concern continues, their defponding Fears are the very Life of it.-Their Sins, both for Number and ature, appear dreadful to their affrightned Confciences, as they frequently violate their Purposes and Promises of new Obedience. They are therefore afraid, that God will never pardon and accept fuch Rebels as they have been; and though they dare not neglect Duty, they come with Horror into the Prefence of God, as to an inexorable Judge; and have nothing to keep their Souls from finking into Defpair, but their good Designs and Endeavours, which yet are too defective to give them comfortable Hope.--And what is all this, but a most ungrateful undervaluing the Blood of Chrift, limiting the Goodnefs and Mercy of God, and an implicit denying the Truth of the whole Gofpel of God our Saviour?-Thus they are flying from the Mercy of God, while they pretend to fly to it.. -But I need not enlarge upon this Head, it being so near of Kin to what was obferved under the last.

I proceed therefore to fhew on the other Hand, that though the true Gospel-Penitent may have a deeper Impreffion of the Greatness and atrocious Nature of his Sin and Guilt, than even the awak

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ened, terrified Legalift himself, yet he dares not yield to any defpairing Thoughts of God's Mercy.

Faith opens the Door of Hope, and therefore the Door of Repentance, as I have obferved before. True it is, that the Gospel-Penitent may meet with many difcouraging Doubts and Fears; but thefe are his Infirmity, not his Repentance.-The Apoftle tells us, we are faved by Hope: That is what gives Life and Activity to every Grace, and to Repentance in particular, as I have had Occafion to hint before. And it is yet needful further to observe, that though a Fear and Jealousy of our own Sincerity may be confiftent with a true Repentance, and perhaps fometimes ferves to further its Progrefs, yet all Doubts of the Faithfulness of the GospelPromifes, of the Extenfiveness of the divine Mercy, or of our Exemption from the Gospel-Offer: All Apprehenfions of our not being elected, of our having finned away the Day of Grace, or of our having finned against the Holy Ghoft: All Imaginations that our Sins are fo circumstanced, as not to admit of pardoning Mercy or the like; these are directly deftructive of, or inconfiftent with, the Actings of a true Repentance.-A fincere Penitent looks over the highest Mountains, which are raised before him, by the Greatness of his Sins, his own mifgiving Heart, or the Temptations of Satan, into an Ocean of infinite Goodness and Mercy. Thither he will fly, and there he will hope, let his Cafe appear never fo dark, and tho' every Thing feems to make against him. And the more lively and comfortable his Hope is, the more he is hum-‍ bled and abafed for his Sins, and the more vigorous are his Endeavours after a Life of New Obedience. As Repentance is a Hatred of, and Separation from all Sin without Referve, it must certainly be a Flight from, and an Abhorrence of Un

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belief and Defpair, the greatest of all Sins. the further the Soul flies from thefe, the more is it conformed to the Gospel of Christ, and the more is it in the Way of Mercy.-It is not therefore fufficient for the fincere Penitent, to be fenfible that God is infinitely gracious, and that the Blood of Chrift is infinitely meritorious, and that there is Forgiveness with God for the greatest Sinners, if he ftill maintains fome Reserve in his Mind, with Refpect to his own Cafe; but he must be likeways perfuaded, that he either already hath, or that he may obtain a perfonal Interest in this redeeming, pardoning Mercy, in order to his approaching to God as a Father, and in order to his being in Love with the Ways of God, and to his ferving him with Chearfulness and Delight.This is not only neceffary, in order to the first Exercise of a true Repentance; but the fincere Christian will always find, that by whatever Darkness, Difficulty, or Temptation, he is brought into a really discourag ed, defponding Frame, he is thereby rendered fo much the more incapable of godly Sorrow for Sin, of delighting in God, or of a spiritual Performance of any Duty of Religion. We may be jealous and diftruftful of ourselves; but we mult not defpond and be jealous of God, if we would maintain the Exercife of any faving Grace." I confefs (says "the truly penitent Soul) that my Sins are like the "Stars in the Firmament, and like the Sand on "the Sea-fhore, for Multitude; that they are of a "Scarlet and Crimson-dye; and that it is of the "infinite Patience of God, that fuch a guilty "Wretch is out of Hell: But yet as great, as "dreadfully aggravated as my Sins be, the Merit. "of a Redeemer's Blood is fufficient to atone for "them all; and infinite Mercy is still greater than my greatest Sins.-Though my Iniquities have "abounded,

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