Sermons and Discourses Volume 8, Sermon 15
SERMON XV.Ser. 15. The Danger of Impenitence, where the Goſpel is preach'd.
MATTH. XI.21, 22.
Woe unto thee Chorazin, woe unto thee Bethſaida: for if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in ſackcloth and aſhes. But I ſay unto you, It ſhall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of Judgment, than for you.
AFter our Bleſſed Saviour had inſtructed, and ſent forth his Diſciples, he himſelf went abroad to preach unto the Cities of Iſrael; particularly he ſpent much time in the Cities of Galilee, Chorazin, and Bethſaida, Vol. 8.and Capernaum, Preaching the Goſpel to them, and working many and great Miracles among them; but with little or no ſucceſs, which was the cauſe of his denouncing this terrible woe againſt them, ver. 20. Then began he to upbraid the Cities, wherein moſt of his mighty works were done, becauſe they repented not. Woe unto thee Chorazin, &c.
In which words our Saviour declares the ſad and miſerable Condition of thoſe two Cities, Chorazin and Bethſaida, which had neglected ſuch an opportunity, and reſiſted and withſtood ſuch means of Repentance, as would have effectually reclaimed the moſt wicked Cities and People that can be inſtanced in in any Age, Tyre and Sidon and Sodom; and therefore he tells them, that their Condition was much worſe, and that they ſhould fall under a heavier Sentence at the day of Judgment, than the People of thoſe Cities, whom they had always lookt upon as the greateſt ſinners that ever were in the World. This is the plain meaning of the words in general; but yet there are ſome difficulties in them, which I ſhall endeavour to clear, and then proceed to raiſe ſuch Obſervations from them, as may be inſtructive and uſeful to us.
The Difficulties are theſe.
I. What Repentance is here ſpoken of; whether an external Repentance in ſhew and appearance only, or an inward and real and ſincere Repentance.
II. In what Senſe it is ſaid, that Tyre and Sidon would have repented.
III. What is meant by their would have repented long ago.
IV. How this aſſertion of our Saviour's, that Miracles would have converted Tyre and Sidon, is reconcileable with that other ſaying of his, Luke 16.31. in the Parable of the rich Man and Lazarus, that thoſe who believed not Moſes and the Prophets, neither would they be perſuaded, tho' one roſe from the dead.
I. What Repentance is here ſpoken of; whether a meer external and Hypocritical Repentance in ſhew and appearance only, or an inward and real and ſincere Repentance.
The Reaſon of this doubt depends upon the different Theories of Divines, about the ſufficiency of Grace accompanying the outward Means of Repentance, and whether an irreſiſtible degree of God's Grace be neceſſary to Repentance: for they who deny ſufficient Grace to accompany the outward Means of Repentance, and aſſert an irreſiſtible degree of God's Grace neceſſary to Repentance, are forced to ſay, that our Saviour here ſpeaks of a meer External Repentance: becauſe if he ſpake of an inward and ſincere Repentance, then it muſt be granted, that ſufficient inward grace did accompany the Miracles that were wrought in Chorazin and Bethſaida, to bring men to Repentance; becauſe what was afforded to them, would have brought Tyre and Sidon to Repentance. And that which would have effected a thing, cannot be denyed to be ſufficient; ſo that unleſs our Saviour here ſpeaks of a meer External Repentance, either the outward Means of Repentance, as Preaching and Miracles, muſt be granted to be ſufficient to bring men to Repentance, without the inward Operation of God's Grace upon the Minds of Men; or elſe a ſufficient degree of God's Grace muſt be acknowledged to accompany the outward Means of Repentance. Again, if an irreſiſtible degree of Grace be neceſſary to true Repentance, it is plain, Chorazin and Bethſaida had it not, becauſe they did not repent; and yet without this Tyre and Sidon could not have ſincerely repented; therefore our Saviour here muſt ſpeak of a meer External Repentance. Thus ſome argue, as they do likewiſe concerning the Repentance of Nineveh, making that alſo to be meerly External, becauſe they are loath to allow true Repentance to Heathens.
But it ſeems very plain, that our Saviour does ſpeak of an inward and true and ſincere Repentance; and therefore the Doctrines that will not admit this, are not true. For our Saviour ſpeaks of the ſame kind of Repentance, that he upbraided them with the want of in the verſe before the Text. Then began he to upbraid the Cities wherein moſt of his mighty works were done, becauſe they repented not, that is becauſe they were not brought to a ſincere Repentance by his Preaching, which was confirmed by ſuch great Miracles. 'Tis true indeed, he mentions the outward ſigns and expreſſions of Repentance, when he ſays They would have repented in ſackcloth and aſhes; but not as excluding inward and real Repentance, but ſuppoſing it, as is evident from what is ſaid in the next Verſe, It ſhall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of Judgment, than for you: for tho' an external and hypocritical Repentance, may prevail with God to put off temporal Judgments, yet ſurely it will be but a very ſmall, if any mitigation of our Condemnation at the day of Judgment: ſo that the Repentance here ſpoken of cannot, without great violence to the ſcope and deſign of our Saviour's Argument, be underſtood only of an external ſhew and appearance of Repentance.
II. The next difficulty to be cleared, is, in what Senſe it is here ſaid, that if the mighty works which were done by our Saviour among the Jews, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented.
Some to avoid the inconvenience which they apprehend to be in the more ſtrict and literal Senſe of the words, look upon them as Hyperbolical, as we ſay Such a thing would move a Stone, or the like, when we would expreſs ſomething to be very ſad and grievous; ſo here to aggravate the Impenitence of the Jews, our Saviour ſays, that they reſiſted thoſe Means of Repentance, which one would think ſhould almoſt have prevailed upon the greateſt and moſt obdurate Sinners that ever were; but not intending to affirm any ſuch thing.
But there is no colour for this, if we conſider that our Saviour Reaſons from the Suppoſition of ſuch a thing, that therefore the Caſe of Tyre and Sidon would really be more tolerable at the day of Judgment than theirs; becauſe they would have repented, but the Jews did not.
Others perhaps underſtand the words too ſtrictly, as if our Saviour had ſpoken according to what he certainly foreknew would have hapned to the People of Tyre and Sidon, if ſuch Miracles had been wrought among them. And no doubt but in that Caſe God did certainly know what they would have done: but yet I ſhould rather chuſe to undeſtand the words as ſpoken popularly, according to what in all humane appearance and probability would have hapned, if ſuch External Means of Repentance, accompanied with an ordinary Grace of God, had been afforded to them of Tyre and Sidon. And thus the old Latine Interpreter ſeems to have underſtood the next words, If the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, foreign, forte manſiſſent, it would perhaps have remained to this day, in all likelyhood it had continued till now. Much the ſame with that paſſage of the Prophet, Ezek. 3.5, 6. Thou art not ſent to a People of a ſtrange Speech, and of a hard Language, but to the Houſe of Iſrael: Surely had I ſent thee to them, they would have hearkned unto thee, that is, in all probability they would, there is little doubt to be made of the contrary. And this is ſufficient Foundation for our Saviour's reaſoning afterwards, that it ſhall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of Judgment than for them. And if we may judge what they would have done before, by what they did afterwards, there is more than probability for it: for we read in the 21ſt Chapter of the Acts, ver. 3. and ver. 27. that the Inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon receiv'd the Goſpel, and kindly entertain'd St. Paul, when the Jews rejected them both. The
III. Thing to be cleared, is, What is meant by long ago; They would have repented long ago.
Some underſtand this, as if our Saviour had ſaid, they would not have ſtood out ſo long againſt ſo much Preaching and ſo many Miracles; but would at firſt have repented, long before our Saviour gave over Chorazin and Bethſaida, for obſtinate and incorrigible Sinners; they would not only have repented at laſt, but much ſooner and without ſo much ado.
But this does not ſeem to be the meaning of the words; but our Saviour ſeems to refer to thoſe ancient Times long ago, when the Prophets denounced Judgments againſt Tyre and Sidon, particularly the Prophet Ezekiel, and to ſay, that if in thoſe days the Preaching of that Prophet had been accompanied with ſuch Miracles as our Saviour wrought in the Cities of Galilee, Tyre and Sidon would in thoſe days have repented.
The laſt and greateſt difficulty of all is, How this aſſertion of our Saviour, that Miracles would have converted Tyre and Sidon, is reconcileable with that Diſcourſe of our Saviour's, Luke 16. in the Parable of the rich Man and Lazarus, that Thoſe who would not believe Moſes and the Prophets, would not have been perſwaded, tho' one had roſe from the dead.
The true anſwer to which difficulty in ſhort is this; That when our Saviour ſays, If they believe not Moſes and the Prophets, neither will they be perſwaded, tho' one roſe from the dead, he does not hereby weaken the force of Miracles, or their aptneſs to convince men and bring them to Repentance, but rather confirm it; becauſe Moſes and the Prophets had the atteſtation of many and great Miracles, and therefore there was no Reaſon to think, that they who would not believe the Writings and Doctrine of Moſes and the Prophets, which had the Confirmation of ſo many Miracles, and was owned by themſelves to have ſo, ſhould be wrought upon by one particular Miracle, The coming of one from the dead, and ſpeaking unto them: or however this might move and aſtoniſh them for the preſent, yet it was not likely that the Grace of God ſhould concur with ſuch an extraordinary Means, to render it effectual to their Converſion and Repentance, who had wilfully deſpiſed and obſtinately rejected that which had a much greater Confirmation, than the Diſcourſe of a Man riſen from the dead, and was appointed by God for the ordinary and ſtanding Means of bringing men to Repentance. So that our Saviour might with Reaſon enough pronounce that Tyre and Sidon, who never had a ſtanding Revelation of God to bring them to Repentance, nor had rejected it, would upon Miracles extraordinarily wrought among them have Repented; and yet deny it elſewhere to be likely, that they who rejected a ſtanding Revelation of God confirmed by Miracles, which call'd them to Repentance, would probably be brought to Repentance by a particular Miracle; or that God ſhould afford his Grace to make it effectual for their Repentance and Salvation.
The words being thus cleared, I come now to raiſe ſuch Obſervations from them, as may be inſtructive and uſeful to us.
I. I obſerve from this Diſcourſe of our Saviour, that Miracles are of great force and efficacy to bring men to Repentance.
This our Saviour's Diſcourſe here ſuppoſeth; otherwiſe their Impenitence had not been ſo Criminal and Inexcuſable upon that account, That ſuch mighty works had been done among them, as would probably have prevailed upon ſome of the worſt People that had been in the World; for ſuch were the Inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon, guilty of great Covetouſneſs and Fraud, Pride and Luxury, the uſual Sins of Places of great Traffick and Commerce; and ſuch to be ſure was Sodom; and yet our Saviour tells us, that the Miracles which he had wrought in the Cities of Iſrael, would in all probability have brought thoſe great Sinners to Repentance; namely, by bringing them to Faith, and convincing them of the Truth and Divinity of that Doctrine, which he preached unto them, and which contains ſuch powerful Arguments to Repentance and Amendment of Life.
II. I obſerve likewiſe from our Saviour's Diſcourſe, that God is not always obliged to work Miracles for the Converſion of Sinners. It is great goodneſs in him to afford ſufficient Means of Repentance to men, as he did to Tyre and Sidon, in calling them to Repentance by his Prophet; tho' ſuch Miracles were not wrought among them, as God thought fit to accompany our Saviour's Preaching withal.
This I obſerve, to prevent a kind of bold and ſaucy Objection, which ſome would perhaps be apt to make; If Tyre and Sidon would have Repented, had ſuch Miracles been wrought among them, as our Saviour wrought in Chorazin and Bethſaida, why were they not wrought, that they might have Repented? To which it is ſufficient Anſwer to ſay, That God is not obliged to do all that is poſſible to be done, to reclaim men from their Sins; he is not obliged to overpower their Wills, and to work irreſiſtibly upon their Minds, which he can eaſily do; he is not obliged to work Miracles for every particular Man's Conviction; nor where he vouchſafeth to do this, is he obliged always to work the greateſt and moſt convincing Miracles; his Goodneſs will not ſuffer him to omit what is neceſſary and ſufficient to bring men to Repentance and Happineſs, nay beyond this he many times does more; but it is ſufficient to vindicate the Juſtice and Goodneſs of God, that he is not wanting to us, in affording the Means neceſſary to reclaim us from our Sins, and to bring us to goodneſs. That which is properly our part, is to make uſe of thoſe Means which God affords us to become better, and not to preſcribe to him how much he ſhould do for us; to be thankful that he hath done ſo much, and not to find fault with him for having done no more.
III. I obſerve farther from our Saviour's Diſcourſe, That the External Means of Repentance which God affords to men, do ſuppoſe an Inward Grace of God accompanying them, ſufficiently enabling men to repent, if it be not their own fault; I ſay a ſufficient Grace of God accompanying the outward Means of Repentance, till by our wilful and obſtinate neglect and reſiſtance and oppoſition of this Grace, we provoke God to withdraw it from the Means, or elſe to withdraw both the Grace and the Means from us: otherwiſe Impenitence after ſuch external Means afforded, would be no new and ſpecial fault. For if the concurrence of God's Grace with the outward Means be neceſſary to work Repentance, then the Impenitence of thoſe to whom this Grace is not afforded, which yet is neceſſary to Repentance, is neither any new Sin, nor any new Aggravation of their former Impenitence. For no Man can imagine that the juſt God will charge men with new guilt, and increaſe their Condemnation, for remaining impenitent in ſuch Circumſtances, in which it is impoſſible for them to repent.
IV. I obſerve from this Diſcourſe of our Saviour's, That an Irreſiſtible degree of Grace is not neceſſary to Repentance, nor commonly afforded to thoſe who do repent. God may where he pleaſeth, without injury to any Man, over-power his Will, and ſtop him in his Courſe, and hinder him from making himſelf miſerable, and by an Irreſiſtible Light convince him of his Error and the Evil of his ways, and bring him to a better Mind: but this God ſeldom does; and when he does it, it is very probable it is not ſo much for their own ſakes, as to make them Inſtruments of good to others. Thus by a ſecret but over-powering influence he over-ruled the Diſciples to follow our Saviour, and to leave their Callings and Relations, and all their temporal Concernments to do it. But one of the moſt remarkable Examples of this extraordinary Grace of God, is St. Paul, who was violently ſtopt in his Courſe of perſecuting the Chriſtians, and convinc'd of his Sin, and brought over to Chriſtianity, in a very extraordinary and forcible manner. And of this miraculous and extraordinary Converſion, God himſelf gives this account, That he was a choſen Veſſel unto him, to bear his name before the Gentiles, and Kings, and the Children of Iſrael, Acts 9.15. And St. Paul tells us, Gal. 1.15, 16. That for this end God had ſeparated him from his Mother's womb, and call'd him by his Grace, and revealed his Son to him in that extraordinary manner, that he might preach him among the Heathen.
But generally God does not bring men thus to Repentance; nor is it neceſſary he ſhould. For if an irreſiſtible degree of Grace were always neceſſary to bring men to Repentance, there could be no difference between the Impenitence of Chorazin and Bethſaida, and of Tyre and Sidon. For according to this Doctrine of the Neceſſity of Irreſiſtible Grace to the Converſion of every Man, it is evident, that Tyre and Sidon neither could, nor would have repented, without an irreſiſtible degree of God's Grace accompanying the outward Means of Repentance which he afforded to them; becauſe ſuch a degree of Grace is neceſſary to Repentance, and without it, it is impoſſible for any Man to repent. But then it is as plain on the contrary, that if Chorazin and Bethſaida had had the ſame irreſiſtible degree of God's Grace, together with the outward Means of Repentance afforded to them, that they would have repented as certainly as Tyre and Sidon. Where then is the Reaſon of upbraiding the Impenitence of the one, more than of the other? Where the Aggravation of the one's Guilt above the other? Where the Juſtice of puniſhing the Impenitence of Chorazin and Bethſaida, more than theirs of Tyre and Sidon? For upon this ſuppoſition, they muſt either have repented both alike, or have been both equally Impenitent. The ſum of what I have ſaid is this, That if no Man does, nor can repent, without ſuch a degree of God's Grace as cannot be reſiſted, no Man's Repentance is commendable, nor is one Man's Impenitence more blameable than anothers; Chorazin and Bethſaida can be in no more fault for continuing Impenitent, than Tyre and Sidon were. For either this irreſiſtible Grace is afforded to men or not: if it be, their Repentance is neceſſary, and they cannot help it; if it be not, their Repentance is impoſſible, and conſequently their Impenitence is neceſſary, and they cannot help it neither.
V. I obſerve from the main ſcope of our Saviour's Diſcourſe, That the Sins and Impenitence of men receive their Aggravation, and conſequently ſhall have their Puniſhment, proportionable to the Opportunities and Means of Repentance, which thoſe Perſons have enjoyed and neglected.
For what is here ſaid of Miracles, is by equality of Reaſon likewiſe true of all other Advantages and Means of Repentance and Salvation. The Reaſon why Miracles will be ſuch an Aggravation of the Condemdemnation of men is, becauſe they are ſo proper and powerful a Means to convince men of the Truth and Divinity of that Doctrine which calls them to Repentance. So that all thoſe Means which God affords to us, of the Knowledge of our Duty, of Conviction of the Evil and Danger of a ſinful Courſe, are ſo many helps and Motives to Repentance, and conſequently will prove ſo many Aggravations of our Sin and Puniſhment, if we continue impenitent. The
VI. And laſt Obſervation, and which naturally follows from the former, is this, That the Caſe of thoſe who are impenitent under the Goſpel, is of all others the moſt dangerous, and their Damnation ſhall be heavieſt and moſt ſevere.
And this brings the Caſe of theſe Cities here in the Text home to our ſelves. For in truth there is no material difference between the Caſe of Chorazin and Bethſaida and Capernaum, and of our ſelves in this City and Nation, who enjoy the clear Light of the Goſpel, with all the freedom, and all the Advantages that any People ever did. The Mercies of God to this Nation have been very great, eſpecially in bringing us out of that darkneſs and ſuperſtition, which covered this Weſtern part of the World; in reſcuing us from that great Corruption and Degeneracy of the Chriſtian Religion which prevailed among us, by ſo early and ſo regular a Reformation; and in continuing ſo long this great Bleſſing to us. The Judgments of God have been likewiſe very great upon us for our Sins; God hath manifeſted himſelf by terrible things in righteouſneſs; our Eyes have ſeen many and diſmal Calamities in the ſpace of a few years, which call lowdly upon us to repent and turn to God. God hath afforded us the moſt effectual Means of Repentance, and hath taken the moſt effectual Courſe of bringing us to it. And tho' our Bleſſed Saviour do not ſpeak to us in Perſon, nor do we at this day ſee Miracles wrought among us, as the Jews did; yet we have the Doctrine which our Bleſſed Saviour preach'd, faithfully tranſmitted to us, and a credible Relation of the Miracles wrought for the Confirmation of that Doctrine, and many other Arguments to perſwade us of the Truth of it, which thoſe to whom our Saviour ſpake had not, nor could not then have, taken from the accompliſhing of our Saviour's Predictions, after his Death; the ſpeedy Propagation and wonderful ſucceſs of this Doctrine in the World, by weak and inconſiderable Means, againſt all the Power and Oppoſition of the World; the Deſtruction of Jeruſalem, and the Diſperſion of the Jewiſh Nation, according to our Saviour's Propheſie; beſides many more that might be mentioned. And which is a mighty Advantage to us, we are free from thoſe Prejudices againſt the Perſon of our Saviour and his Doctrine, which the Jews, by the reverence which they bore to their Rulers and Teachers, were generally poſſeſt withal; we are brought up in the belief of it, and have drunk it in by Education; and if we believe it, as we all profeſs to do, we have all the Obligation and all the Arguments to Repentance, which the Jews could poſſibly have from the Miracles which they ſaw; for they were Means of Repentance to them, no otherwiſe than as they brought them to the belief of our Saviour's Doctrine, which call'd them to Repentance.
So that if we continue impenitent, the ſame woe is denounced againſt us, that is againſt Chorazin and Bethſaida; and we may be ſaid with Capernaum, to be lifted up to Heaven, by the Enjoyment of the moſt excellent Means and Advantages of Salvation, that any People ever did, which if we neglect, and ſtill continue wicked and impenitent under them, we may juſtly fear, that with them we ſhall be thrown down to Hell, and have our place in the loweſt part of that diſmal Dungeon, and in the very Centre of that fiery Furnace.
Never was there greater cauſe to upbraid the impenitence of any People, than of us, conſidering the Means and Opportunities which we enjoy; and never had any greater reaſon to fear a ſeverer Doom, than we have. Impenitence in a Heathen is a great Sin; elſe how ſhould God judge the World? But God takes no notice of that, in compariſon of the Impenitence of Chriſtians, who enjoy the Goſpel, and are convinced of the Truth, and upon the greateſt reaſon in the World profeſs to believe it. We Chriſtians have all the Obligations to Repentance, that Reaſon and Revelation, Nature and Grace can lay upon us. Art thou convinced that thou haſt ſinned, and done that which is contrary to thy Duty, and thereby provoked the Wrath of God, and incenſed his Juſtice againſt thee? As thou art a Man, and upon the ſtock of Natural Principles, thou art obliged to Repentance. The ſame Light of Reaſon which diſcovers to thee the Errors of thy Life, and challengeth thee for thy Impiety and Intemperance, for thy Injuſtice and Oppreſſion, for thy Pride and Paſſion; the ſame Natural Conſcience, which accuſeth thee of any Miſcarriages, does oblige thee to be ſorry for it, to turn from thy evil ways, and to break off thy Sins by Repentance.For nothing can be more unreaſonable, than for a Man to know a fault, and yet not think himſelf bound to be ſorry for it; to be convinced of the evil of his ways, and not to think himſelf obliged by that very Conviction, to turn from it and forſake it. If there be any ſuch thing as a natural Law written in Mens Hearts, which the Apoſtle tells us the Heathens had, it is impoſſible to imagine, but that the Law which obligeth Men not to tranſgreſs, ſhould oblige them to Repentance in caſe of Tranſgreſſion. And this every Man in the World is bound to, tho' he had never ſeen the Bible, nor heard of the name of Chriſt. And the Revelation of the Goſpel doth not ſuperſede this Obligation, but adds new Strength and Force to it; and by how much this Duty of Repentance is more clearly revealed by our Bleſſed Saviour in the Goſpel, by how much the Arguments which the Goſpel uſeth to perſuade Men, and encourage them to Repentance, are greater and more powerful; by ſo much is the Impenitence of thoſe who live under the Goſpel the more inexcuſable.
Had we only ſome faint hopes of God's Mercy, a doubtful Opinion and weak Perſuaſion of the Rewards and Puniſhments of another World; yet we have a Law within us, which upon the probability of theſe Conſiderations would oblige us to Repentance. Indeed if Men were aſſur'd upon good grounds, that there would be no future Rewards and Puniſhments; then the ſanction of the Law were gone, and it would loſe its force and Obligation: or if we did deſpair of the Mercy of God, and had good Reaſon to think Repentance impoſſible, or that it would do us no good; in that caſe there would be no ſufficient Motive and Argument to Repentance: for no Man can return to his Duty, without returning to the love of God and Goodneſs; and no man can return to the love of God, who believes that he bears an implacable hatred againſt him, and is reſolved to make him miſerable for ever. During this Perſuaſion no Man can repent. And this ſeems to be the reaſon, why the Devils continue impenitent.
But the Heathens were not without hopes of God's Mercy, and upon thoſe ſmall hopes which they had they encouraged themſelves into Repentance; as you may ſee in the inſtance of the Ninevites, Let them turn every one from his evil ways, and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell, if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we periſh not? Jonah 3.8, 9. But if we, who have the cleareſt Diſcoveries, and the higheſt Aſſurance of this, who profeſs to believe that God hath declared himſelf placable to all Mankind, that he is in Chriſt reconciling the World to himſelf, and that upon our Repentance he will not impute our Sins to us; if we, to whom the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven, againſt all ungodlineſs and unrighteouſneſs of Men, and to whom Life and Immortality are brought to Light by the Goſpel, if after all this, we ſtill go on in any impenitent Courſe, what ſhall we be able to plead in excuſe of our ſelves at that great day? The men of Nineveh ſhall riſe up in Judgment againſt ſuch an impenitent Generation, and Condemn it; becauſe they repented upon the Terror of lighter threatnings, and upon the Encouragement of weaker hops.
And therefore it concerns us, who call our ſelves Chriſtians, and enjoy the clear Revelation of the Goſpel, to look about us, and take heed how we continue in an Evil Courſe. For if we remain impenitent, after all the Arguments which the Goſpel, ſuperadded to the Light of Nature, affords to us to bring us to Repentance, it ſhall not only be more tolerable for the men of Nineveh, but for Tyre and Sidon, for Sodom and Gomorrah, the moſt wicked and impenitent Heathens, at the day of Judgment, than for us. For becauſe we have ſtronger Arguments, and more powerful Encouragements to Repentance, than they had, if we do not repent, we ſhall meet with a heavier Doom, and a fiercer Damnation. The Heathen World had many excuſes to plead for themſelves, which we have not. The times of that ignorance God winked at: but now commands all men every where to repent; becauſe he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the World in righteouſneſs, by that Man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given aſſurance unto all men, in that he hath raiſed him from the dead.
FINIS.