DISCOURSE XXVI.

Third Part of the Homily on Repentance.

Same Text.

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AVING now had the feveral, and true parts of this serious work of repentance most fully explained to you,

1. By fhewing you that it confifts of a deep forrow of heart for our fins in general.

2. In an unfeigned confeffion with our lips, of our great unworthinefs to receive any favor of God *.

3. In a ftedfaft faith, and truft, in our Savior's merits for pardon; and,

4. An earnest refolution in ourselves, from a conviction of the neceffity of reformation, to renounce, by God's grace, our former wicked courfes, and to

And therefore the whole of man's redemption, confifting of his juftification, and fanctification; that is, his forgiveness and acceptance, and the power of acting righteously, ought to be confidered as proceeding entirely from the free grace of God, through Jefus Chrift, towards the creature,

turn unto God by a new life, to the glory of his name; to conduct ourselves peaceably, and charitably towards our neighbors, and to live foberly and modeftly in our perfons, in all temperance, both in word and deed, keeping under the body, that it tempt not to carnal lufts and appetites.The pofitive neceffity and profit of all these points having been fo clearly proved, we come in the last place to confider fome of the caufes and reafons which fhould urge us all to an earnest and speedy repentance.

And the first that presents itself, is God's exprefs command; who, in many parts of fcripture, fo earnestly exhorts us to return to him. O ye children of Ifrael (faith he, Isaiah xxxi. 6.), turn ye unto him from whom ye have deeply revolted. Again, in Ezekiel xxxiii. 11, Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways, for why will ye die O house of Ifrael. And in another place he speaks thus, by his Prophet Hofhea (xivth 1), O Ifrael, return unto the Lord thy God, for thou haft fallen by thine iniquity. Therefore when any of you are fo happy as to feel inclined to turn unto the Lord your God, addrefs him in these words: Q Lord, do thou take away all our iniquity, and receive us graciously; do thou afford us thy grace and help, and fo will we offer the calves (or fruits) of our lips unto thee; that is, the trueft facrifice that the faithful can offer, is thanks and praise, (Heb. xiii. 15.) In all these paffages you fee God's direct precept is that we fhould return to him; and this should engage us to be more cautious of our ways, left having already moft highly provoked the Almighty, through our manifold and great tranfgreffions, by continuing to flight the moft gracious invitations, we may be unhappily found to increase our offence, and fo heap ftill heavier punishment on our own heads, by fuch perverfenefs, and wilful trefpafs. If, through the depravity of our nature, we have (before conviction of our unworthiness)

deferved

deferved by our misdeeds, to be for ever shut out of God's glorious kingdom, how much more must we judge ourselves worthy of eternal punishment, if upon fuch merciful calls after our rebellion, if upon fuch folemn commands to return again to our duty, we ftill continue to fhut our ears, and harden our hearts, and will in no degree liften to the voice of our heavenly Father, but walk ftill in the perverfeness of our own will?

The fecond cause that should engage us to a speedy repentance, is the comfort of this most gracious promife, which God, out of pure mercy, hath added to the above command: for he not only faith return unto me O Ifrael, but he alfo declares (Jer. iv.), if thou wilt return, and put all thine abominations cut of my fight, that is, if thou wilt reform thy ways, thou shalt never be moved; in other words, I will afford thee power to keep thy good refolutions, or in the language of Chrift, by the mouth of his apostle, my grace fhall be fufficient for thee. Again, we have this farther confolation held out to us in the xviiith chapter and 27th verfe of the Prophet Ezekiel, When the wicked turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doth that which is lawful and right, he shall fave his foul alive. When a finner repenteth him of his fins, from the bottom of his heart, I will put all his wickedness out of my remembrance (faith the Lord) fo that they fhall no more be thought upon. Thus are we

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abundantly inftructed, that God will never fail in his promifes, freely to pardon and blot out all our fins, fo that they fhall never rife up against us, if through hope in his holy word, and by stedfastly keeping his commandments, we prove our unfeigned defire of returning to him.

The third caufe that fhould prevail upon us to fet about a hearty repentance, is the bafeness and filthiness of fin; the nature of which is fo hateful to God, that as long as we remain wilfully therein,

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God

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God cannot poffibly take any pleasure in us. The
prayers of the wicked (that is the ftubborn, and wil-
ful offender) are an abomination to the Lord, nor can
we entertain the leaft hope or expectation of being
made partakers of the purity of heaven, and of
an inheritance with the faints of light, while we
continue to corrupt our fouls, and forbear all means
of advancing in godlinefs while on earth; for this.
is the day of trial, and in whatever ftate we die,
in that we fhall remain for ever; for the righteous-
nefs of the righteous fhall be upon him, and the wicked-
ness of the wicked shall be upon himself. And this
muft néceffarily be the cafe, because nothing im→
pure can enter into that place, where infinite per-
fection delighteth to dwell. Now this happiness
we shall never enjoy, but by forfaking our fins;
turning to God with an upright heart, and depend-
ing on his mercy, through faith in the blood of
his Son Jefus Chrift. The application of a plain
comparifon, may be of ufe to render this matter
clear to you. If any of you were to be fent for by
an earthly prince, you must be very fenfible you
could not approach him, without great offence,
unless you made yourselves becomingly clean to
enter his prefence. We must confefs, that we
hould fpare no pains in removing any thing about
us that might be in the leaft degree objectionable
on fuch an occafion. How much more then ought
we to ufe all diligence, and fpeed, to put away the
uncleannefs of fin, that doth neceffarily feparate
us from our God, and caufe him to hide his face
from us.
And furely, no ftronger proof can be
given of the hatefulness of fin, and of its power
to deftroy us for ever, than that it required the
facrifice of the all-pure and only begotten Son of
God to do away its effects. That no other means
was found for that purpose, is an argument both
of the all-fufficiency of the means, and that no other
could have answered the bleffed end. This ferious.

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