The Mystery of the Gospel in Salvation, Sermon 13
Repentance absolutely necessary to Salvation. SERMON XIII.
ACTS XVI.30.
And said, Sirs, What must I do to be saved?
THE Point I am upon, from these Words, is, Doc. It is of the highest Concernment to perishing Sinners, to be very solicitous, what they must do to be saved; or, to know, and practise, all that is necessary, in order to their Salvation.
I am upon the Third general Head under this Doctrine, namely,
III. That perishing Sinners must know, and practise, all that is necessary, in order to their Salvation; or, there is something to be done, by them, th… they may be saved. Though they cannot save themselves, yet there is something necessary to be done, by them, and they must know what this is, and then reduce their Knowledge into Practice. And in Answer to the grand Enquiry, What … the Sinner do to be saved? I have said these two Things are absolutely necessary.
I. It is absolutely necessary, that perishing Sinners believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to their being saved.
II. It is absolutely necessary, that the perishing Sinner repent of all his Sins, in order to his being saved. I have discoursed upon the Doctrine of Faith in Jesus Christ, and shewed you, what I apprehend to be the Gospel Sense of that Faith in Christ, which is necessary unto Salvation, namely, a firm Perswasion of the Mind, of the Truth of all that is related in the Word of God, concerning Jesus Christ, and the Way of Salvation by him; and an entire Satisfaction in the Gospel Method of Salvation by Christ; and an hearty Acceptance of, and Closure with, the Lord Jesus Christ, as our only Saviour, according to the Offer of the Gospel. This Faith in Christ, I shewed you, is absolutely necessary, both, from the plain, and possitive, Demand of God, in his Word, and from the Nature, and Reason of Things. This, therefore is one Thing, in Practice, which the sinner has to do, thus to live a Life of Faith in the Son of God, which that he may attain unto, he must seriously affect himself with the Consideration of his miserable Condition out of Christ, being home to his reasonable Mind the Evidences of the Truth of the Gospel of Christ, stir up himself to take hold on Christ, and earnestly ask it of God to bestow this Faith upon him. I proceed now to the Second Thing, under the Head of Practice; namely,
II. It is absolutely necessary that the perishing Sinner repent of all his Sins, in order to his being saved. Faith and Repentance are inseperably connected, so that the one cannot possibly subsist without the other; for whatever Precedency, in Order of Nature, as the Principle from whence it springeth, Faith may have to Repentance, yet can Faith no more be without Repentance, than the Sun can exist without it's Rays, nor can Repentance be without Faith, any more than the Rays can be without the Sun; and therefore both are absolutely necessary to Salvation. And because this, of Repentance, is a Duty incumbent upon every one of us, and so great a Matter as our eternal Salvation is dependent upon it, I shall therefore endeavour, by Divine Assistance, to make it plain to you in this Method;
I. By shewing you, what that Repentance it, which is required of us, as necessary to Salvation.
II. I shall evidence, that such a Repentance is absolutely necessary unto Salvation, and no Man can reasonably hope to be saved without it.
III. I shall consider, what the perishing Sinner must do, to obtain this Repentance unto Salvation.
I. I am to shew you, what that Repentance it, which is required of us, as necessary unto Salvation. Here it may be observed, that if Repentance be considered as it respecteth the first turning of the Man, from that which is Evil, to that which is Good, it meaneth the same Thing with Conversion, and Regeneration; and if we consider it as it respecteth particular Sins, or particular Duties, or the Progress the Man makes, in mortifying of Sin, and advancing in Holiness, so it is the same with Sanctification; so that it is comprehensive both of the Beginning, and the Progress, of a Life of Holiness. And that we may have a true, and just, Conception of this Duty of Repentance, and not deceive ourselves with any false, and mistaken, Notions, about a Matter of such great Importance to us, it will be fitting for us to observe, the Account which the sacred Scriptures giveth us of it; that we may, from thence, know what is that true, and genuine, Repentance, which the Lord our God requireth of us, and which will be acceptable, and pleasing to him. Here, I do not design, now, to multiply Texts, of which the Scriptures are full, shewing us the true Nature of Repentance, but, I shall only turn you to a few, out of many, in both Testaments, which will serve to give us a full, and clear, Account of this necessary Work.
Thus, we have the old Testament Description of Repentance, in those Words of the Prophet, Isa. lv.7. Let the wicked forsake his Way, and the unrighteous Man his Thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord. And again, the same Prophet thus describeth it, Ch. i. v. 16.17. Wash ye, make you clean; put away the Evil of your Doings, from before mine Eyes; cease to do Evil, learn to do Well.
The New Testament Account of Repentance exactly agreeth with this of the old, as is evident, from the whole of that excellent Sermon, which our Lord delivered at the Foot of the Mount; Matth. Ch. v.vi.vii. which is no other than a clear Directory, and strong Perswasion, unto Repentance; and agreeably also the Apostles of our Lord call upon us, Rom. xii.9. To abhor that which is evil, and cleave to that which is good; and to cleanse ourselves from all Filthiness, of Flesh, and Spirit, and to perfect Holiness, in the Fear of God: 1 Cor. vii.1. and Paul tells Agrippa, this was what he preached, to Iews, and Gentiles, Acts xxvi.20. That Men should repent, and turn to God, and do Works meet for Repentance; and we are assured that the great Design of the Grace of God, manifested to us in the Gospel, is, Tit. ii.12. to teach us to deny Ungodliness, and worldly Lusts, and that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present World. So that, from these, and many other Places of Scripture, that might have been named, which give us a plain, and full, Account, what that Repentance towards God is, which is required of us, in order to our being saved, we may evidently see that it comprehendeth these two Things in it, as essential to it; viz.
[I.] The forsaking of all Sin.
[II.] The leading of a vertuous and holy Life.
[I.] The perishing Sinner must sincerely, and heartily, forsake all his sinful, and Vicious Courses. For, he is not, nor can he justly be esteemed, a true Penitent, who does not forsake the Sins, which his Nature, Constitution, or Practice, may addict him unto; because the very Nature of Repentance includeth in it, the Abandoning of all Sin, of every Sort, Kind, and Degree.
But then, it must be remembered, we may not suppose, that he is not a true Penitent, who has not so absolutely, and entirely, forsaken all Sin, as never more to be found guilty of any, the least, Transgression of the Divine Law, in Thought, in Word; or in Deed. Such a compleat Victory over Sin is, indeed, to be the Aim of every Penitent; he should be still pressing forward, to the Mark for the Prize of his high Calling, and endeavour to be as sinless as the holy Angels, and perfect Spirits, in Glory, are; but, after all his Endeavours, his Care, and Watchfulness, there will be still a Remainder of Corruption in him, while he is in the Body, in a militant State, and he will often have Cause to complain, as the holy Apostle does, Rom. vii.23. of a Law in his Members, warring against the Law of his Mind, and, sometimes, bringing of him into Captivity to the Law of Sin. A sinless Perfection, however pretended to, by an haughty, and ignorant, Generation, is not to be attained unto, by the holiest of Men, while they are in the present evil World; but it is reserved, as the just Reward, and consummate Happiness, of the good Man, in Heaven. The Evangellical Repentance, therefore, which is, now, required of us, is more accommodated to our present State of Probation; and there is nothing more included in it, than, through the Grace of Christ assisting of us, we are capable of, even while we are, here, attended with our inward Weaknesses, and surrounded with many, and strong, Temptations. And that I may give you a true Account of this Part of Repentance, and set before you what the Word of God requireth of us, I shall mention some Things particularly, as included in it. As now,
1. The perishing Sinner must be truly, and heartily, sorry, and ashamed, for all his past Sinfulness. This is an essential Ingredient in true Repentance, that a Man be suitably affected with Sorrow, and Shame, at his having done amiss; for no Man can be supposed to repent of what he has done, if he is not thorowly sensible that he has done, what he ought not to have done; and 'tis impossible for an intelligent Agent to receive a thorow Conviction, that he has done amiss, without being inwardly sorry, and ashamed, at his very Heart, for what he has done; because Falshood, and Error, or a doing of that which is contrary to Truth, and Right, is as burdensome to right Reason, when the Man perceiveth it, as Pain is to Sense. As a Man cannot be sensible of a Wound, given to the Body, without feeling the Pain of it, and being uneasy at it, how manfully soever he bears it; so neither can he perceive the Wound, which Sin giveth unto his Soul, without his Mind's being suitably affected with Pain: and the Pain of the Mind is to be sorry, and ashamed.
From hence, indeed, all true Repentance takes it's Rise; for he that is sincerely sorry, and ashamed, that he has done a wrong Thing, feels such a Pain, and Uneasiness, in his Mind, as is likely to make him very careful, for the future, to do so no more; and the more heartily he is affected with an Uneasiness, of Mind, from a Sense of what he has done, so much the more careful will he be, to avoid the Temptations to expose himself to the like Uneasiness, for the Time to come. Hence you find the Psalmist expressing his Repentance by that, of being sorry for his Sin: Psal. xxxviii.18. and the Apostle thus writes to the penitent Corinthians, 2 Cor. vii.9, 10. I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed unto Repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly Sort; for godly Sorrow worketh Repentance unto Salvation. In like Manner the Prophet Ezekiel directed the Sinners of old, Ezek. xx.43. Ye shall remember your Ways, and all your Doings, wherein ye have been defiled, and ye shall loath yourselves in your own Sight, for all your Evils that ye have committed.
The penitent Sinner, therefore, must call to Mind, what a vile, wretched, sinful, Creature he has been, what a desperately wicked Heart he has within him, bent to Backsliding, prone to Evil, and averse to all that is Good; he must call over his past Life, that he may be able to see, in how many Instances, he has done what he ought not to have done, and left undone the Things which he ought to have done. And the Thoughts, that he has, in so many Instances, and those attended with many very great Aggravations, injured, and affronted, the infinitely great, and holy, and good God, should make him with Sorrow, and Shame, to go before the Lord, and confess his Transgressions, and bewail himself, in the Strain of the returning Prodigal, Luk. xv.21. Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son. The Thought, that he has injured himself, hurt, and wounded his own Soul, and exposed himself to the Resentments of a Sin hateing God, should also put him upon crying …ut against himself, as David did, 2 Sam. xxiv▪ 10. I have sinned greatly in that I have done. for I have done very foolishly. The Sense of the Evil of Sin, and of his own Sinfulness, should excite in him an inward Self-loathing, and fill him with Grief, and Brokenness, and Contrition, of Soul, for his Folly, and Baseness, his Ingratitude, and Rashness, in having been guilty of so great an Evil as Sin is; an Evil so contrary to our Relation to, and Dependence upon, our Maker; so Affronting to all the Compassion, and Love, the Purity of the Life, and the great Ends of the Death, of the most endearing Saviour, so unbecoming our rational Natures, and so destructive of all our valuable Interests, that we may well wonder at ourselves, how it is possible, any Temptation should be strong enough, to prevail upon us, to allow ourselves to have any Thing to do with it.
The Degrees of this inward Sorrow, and Shame, are not equal, indeed, in all true Penitents; but, partly from different Tempers, and Constitution…, and partly from the different Degrees of Conviction, which Persons receive, of the vile Nature, and dreadful Consequents of Sin, the Degrees of this Sorrow will be exceeding various, in different Persons, yea, in the same Person, at different Times; so that Rivers of Water shall slow down his Eyes, at one Time, from whom, at an other Time, and upon like Occasion, not a Tear can be extorted: yet, notwithstanding this Diversity, where there is a sincere Repentance, there will, be more or less, something of the Truth, and Reality, of this godly Sorrow for Sin. When Peter preached to a great Concourse of People, assembled at Ierusalem, and plainly laid before them the Evidences of their Guilt, in crucifying of the Lord of Glory, who was so far from deserving the ill Treatment they gave him, that he truly merited the highest Veneration, and Applause from them, both as a common Benefactor, and as bringing with him sufficient Credentials of his Mission from God, and his being the ancient promised Messiah, and they saw the Truth, and felt the Force, of the Apostle's Reasoning, it is remarked of them, Acts ii.37. When they heard this, they were pricked in their Heart, and said, unto Peter, and to the rest of the Apostles, Men, and Brethren, what shall we do? The Sense of their Sin, and Guilt, deeply pierced them; it went to their very Hearts; it pricked, and wounded, their Souls within them; they felt the Smart of it; and were filled with Shame, and Sorro… of Soul, at the Thoughts of what they had done: and when Conviction was thus excited in them, and they felt the Reproaches of their own Minds, for their past Folly, now they were enclined to receive Advice about their future Conduct, and manifested their Repentance, by a Readiness to apply themselves to what they should know to be their Duty; Men, and Brethren, say they, what shall we do? If ever the Sinner be brought to Repentance, he will feel something of the Smart of Sin, in the Wounds which it has given to his Soul within him, and the Lashes of his Conscience will fill him with Grief, and Remorse, and make him to say with Hezekiah, Isa. xxxviii.15. I shall go softly, all my Days, in the Bitterness of my Soul.
2. The perishing Sinner must not only be sorry, and ashamed, that he has sinned heretofore, but he must now sincerely turn from all his Transgressions. Repentance has an Object from which it turneth, and that is Sin. That Sorrow for Sin, which is not followed with a Ceasing to do Evil, which produceth no Indignation at Sin, nor Care to avoid it, for the future, will be to no good Purpose; and as it deserveth not the Name of Sorrow for Sin, so neither will it be any Part, nor Evidence, of a true Repentance. The Nature of, and chief Thing in, Repentance is, a turning from Sin, and leaving of those wicked Practices, which, heretofore, a Man has accustomed himself to. Therefore the Prophet says, Ezek. iii.19. If thou warn the Wicked, and he turn not from his Wickedness, nor from his wicked Ways, he shall die in his Iniquity. And hence the wise Man adviseth, Prov. iv.14, 15. Enter not into the Path of the Wicked, and go not in the Way of evil Men; avoid it, and pass away. Yea; there must be a turning from every evil Way, a forsaking of Sin, as Sin, and therefore one as well as another. For, how does he repent of his Errors, who holdeth any of them fast, and refuseth to let them go? Nay; how can Sin be embittered unto him, who still taketh Delight, and Pleasure, in any Way of Wickedness? Whosoever, therefore, stoppeth short of putting away the Evil of his Ways, and Doings, and is not careful to avoid every sinful Thing, is no sincere Penitent. The Command of the great God is, Ezek. xviii.30. Repent, and turn yourselves, from all your Transgressions; so Iniquity shall not be your Ruin. This turning from Sin must, therefore, be entire, from all Sin, without allowing of ourselves in the known, wilful, Commission of any one Sin whatever. If we turn not from all our Sins, but hug any Lust in our Bosom, we may not reasonably hope for Salvation; because the least Sin, lived in, and indulged, bringeth Death upon the Soul. For, though one Sin, in it's own Nature, may be more heinous, and, by Reason of the Circumstances that attend it, may be more aggravated, than an other, yet, all Sin, of what Kind soever, is directly contrary unto the Divine Law, and therefore is the highest Affront to the Authority, and Dominion, the Wisdom, and Purity, of the sovereign Law-giver; and, at the same Time, contaminates, and defiles, the Soul, and brings it under the Power of Guilt; and thus renders the Soul most unlike to the Holy God, at Enmity against him, and obnoxious to his righteous Vengeance, and therefore utterly unfit to enjoy him: and consequently, will forever be a Bar in the Way of the Salvation of the Soul, if it be not truly, and seasonably, repented of; that is, if the Soul be not purged from it.
So that the Sinner must turn from every Sin, and that, not only from the grosser Transgressions, but, from those that are wont to be accounted comparatively small; and, not only from those which he may have least Affection, and Inclination to, but, those that are most dear to him, and what his Temper, and Constitution, his Company, or his Business, may render him most easily addicted to. For thus our Saviour addresseth us, Matth. v.29, 30. If thy right Eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee; — if thy right Hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee; it is profitable for thee, that one of thy Members should perish, and not that thy whole Body should be cast into Hell. He that would so run, as to obtain the Prize, must lay aside every Weight, and the Sin that does most easily beset him. And this his turning from all Sin must be, both in Heart, and in Life.
1. The penitent Sinner must, in his Heart, turn from all Sin. For if the Heart of the Sinner be not broken off from it's Love to, and Delight in, the Ways of Sin, it is certain that it never was truly broken, and humbled, within him, for his Sin. It is the Heart that is the Fountain of all Sin, the Sink of all Abominations, out of which, as Christ hath told us, Matth. xv.19. proceedeth evil Thoughts, Murders, Adulteries, Fornications, Theft…, false Witness, Blasphemies. There can, therefore, be no true Repentance, until the Heart is cleansed from all Wickedness. The Fountain must be first made pure, before the Streams will be clear: the Tree must first be made good, and then it's Fruit will be good. And, indeed, herein lies the very Essence of Repentance, in getting a new Heart, and right Spirit; and therefore, in the sacred Scriptures, Repentance is so described, Jer. iv.14. Wash thine Heart from Wickedness, that thou mayest be saved: and Cleanse your Hands, ye Sinners, and purify your Hearts, ye double minded: Jam. iv.8. and so again, Ezek. xviii.31. Make you a new Heart, and a new Spirit. All of which carry in them, the Heart's being turned from the Love of Sin, and cleansed, and purified, from that vicious Inclination, and Delight, which it has to the Ways of Sin. In Repentance, there must be an inward, hearty, Detestation, and Abhorrence, of every Thing that is contrary to the holy Law of God, and displeasing to him. There must be a sincere Willingness to part with all Sin, even the least, and that which has been dear to a Man, as a right Eye, or right Hand. This turning of the Heart from Sin, is, in Scripture, called, Eph. iv.22. a putting off the Old Man, which is corrupt, according to deceitful Lusts; Col. iii.5. A mortifying the Members, which are upon the Earth; Gal. v.24. A crucifying the Flesh, with it's Affections, and Lusts; and a being dead unto Sin. Rom. vi.11. That is, the Appetites, and Lustings, to Sin and Evil, which used to prevail in the depraved Soul, are now brought under, and subdued, and become like to one mortified, crucified, slain; or, at least, that has received his Death's Wound; so that they have, no longer, the Life, Power, and Vigour, to rule, and govern, the Soul, as they had heretofore: and thus the Man becometh freed from Sin, and it no more reigneth in his mortal Body, that he should obey it in the Lusts thereof.
When there is this habitual turning from Sin, in the Heart, that the Man can truly say, with Paul, Rom. vii.15. That which I do, I allow not; for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I; when the Man sincerely hateth Sin, as Sin, and therefore hateth all Sin; when he hateth it with a perfect Hatred, perfect in it's Nature, though not so in Degree; then is he a true and real Penitent, in the Sight of God, though he should not be able, always, to keep himself pure from every Transgression. For the Heart is that which God chiefly looketh at; and if that be right in his Sight, if that be truly turned from the Love of Sin, and be set against it, though, through Weakness, and Inadvertancy, or the Power of Temptations, the Man may fall into any particular Act of Sin, short of an absolute Renunciation of the Lord his God, yet, the merciful, and good God, for Christ's Sake, will graciously overlook it, and accept of him as a true Penitent, a real Convert; yea, though the Man should have no Opportunity to express his inward Hatred of that Sin, and manifest to the World his Repentance of it, by any such outward Acts as are the visible Signs thereof. But then,
2. The penitent Sinner must, in his Life, turn from all Sin, as he has Opportunity therefor. It is the vain Pretence of some, their Hearts are good, they say, while their Lives are stark naught. If, therefore, there should be an Opportunity given to the Sinner, by the Continuance of his Life in this World, after his being first renewed unto Repentance, to manifest that he has an inward Hatred of Sin prevailing in his Heart, by the outward Acts of forsaking his former sinful Courses, shuning, and resisting, the Temptations thereto; he must not, then, content himself with saying, or imagining, that he hateth all Wickedness in his Heart, and, yet, at the same Time, allow himself in the Practice of it; but, he must make it his constant Care, and serious Endeavour, to abstain from all Sin. For, if he continueth to walk in any Way of Wickedness, by doing those Things which the Divine Law forbideth, or by leaving undone what it requireth, knowingly, and designedly so, he will have great Reason to question the Sincerity of his Heart, whether it be truly turned from Sin, or no; yea, rather, he will have Cause to conclude, that his Heart is not washed from Wickedness; because a solicitous Care to avoid every sinful Thing, out of Regard to God, and our own eternal Interest, is one of the best Evidences of the Heart's Aversion to Sin, and a clear Sign of Uprightness: which occasioned the Psalmist's saying, Psal. xviii.23. I was upright before him, and have kept myself from mine Iniquity. Thus a Tree is known by it's Fruit; which is our Saviour's Argument, Matth. vii.16—20. Ye shall know them by their Fruits; — every good Tree bringeth forth good Fruit, but a corrupt Tree bringeth forth evil Fruit; a good Tree cannot bring forth evil Fruit, neither can a corrupt Tree bring forth good Fruit: — wherefore, by their Fruits, ye shall know them. And therefore unto the inward Hatred of all Sin, there must be added the outward Abstinence from every Thing that we know to be contrary to the Mind, and Will, of God, concerning us. The penitent Sinner must abhor Sin, in his Heart, and abstain from it, in his Life; lest, under a Pretence of Honouring the Lord, in his Heart, he cast Dishonour, and Reproach upon him, by his Actions. There must be, as much as in him lieth, an actual turning from all his Transgressions. He that stole, must steal no more; he that used himself to swear vainly, must swear no more; he that addicted himself to lying, must lie no more; he that accustomed himself to Drunkenness, must be drunk no more; and so of all other Vices, and Sins, he must no more allow himself to do that abominable Thing, which the Soul of the Lord hateth.
Repentance, it is true, is progressive, and not wrought up to the highest Degrees of Perfection at once, nor, indeed, in this Life; but, notwithstanding, the Sinner must pursue, more and more, the Attainment of the Mastery over his Lusts, and Passions, and more thorowly cleanse his Hands, as well as his Heart, from all Wickedness, that, if possible, he may abstain from the very Appearance of Evil, and keep himself pure from every Transgression. Particularly, he must set himself to oppose, and mortify all that his Conscience, enlightened by the Word of God, telleth him is sinful. For, Happy is he, who condemneth not himself, in that Thing which he alloweth. Rom. xiv.22.
In short, it must be a Man's fixed Resolution, and steady Endeavour, not to allow himself in any known sinful Thing whatever. And, if the prevailing, steady, Bent of the Mind, stand fixed against all Sin, and it be the sincere, and great, Care of his Life, to avoid it, though many may be the Imperfections, and Failings, which, after all, will be found in such an one, yet, is such a Man one that, in the Gospel Sense, heartily forsaketh all Sin, and is so far a true Penitent, in the Sight of God, who, according to the Tenor of his Covenant, in Christ Jesus, will overlook his Failings, and accept of him to Mercy.
This is the first Part of Repentance, a sincere, and hearty, forsaking of all Sin; I proceed to the second, viz.
[II.] The perishing Sinner must be exceeding Careful, to lead a vertuous, and holy Life, in an universal Obedience unto all the Commands of God. This is the other Part of Repentance, which consisteth, not only in a turning from that which is Evil, but, in a doing that which is Good. And it is a very necessary Part of Repentance, which always meaneth the Amendment of the Heart▪ and Life; a being, and doing better, than heretofore we were wont to be, and do. Therefore the Prophet Ieremiah called upon the People to repent, in these Terms, Jer. xxvi.13. Therefore, now, amend your Ways, and your Doings, and obey the Voice of the Lord, your God. As the Sinner is to turn from Sin, so he must return to his Duty to God. Repentance, and Amendment, do not lie wholly in Negatives, and a not doing the ill Things that a Man has been heretofore accustomed to, but they consist also in Positives, in a performing all that Duty which is required of him. He that putteth off the old Man, — must put on the new Man, which, after God, is created in Righteousness, and true Holiness. Eph. iv.22, 24. The penitent Sinner must bring forth Fruits, meet for Repentance; Matth. iii.8. he must not remain barren, and unfruitful, but yield such Fruits as are the genuine Product, and Evidence, of Repentance, even such Fruits as are answerable to his Pretentions, and evidential that he has a new Heart in him, and that he leadeth a new Life; that is, the Fruits of holy Obedience unto God; a walking in a… the Ordinances, and Commandments, of the Lord, blameless, which, before his Repentance, he had no just Regard to. Hence the Terms run in this Strain, Isa. lv.7. Let the Wicked forsake his Way, — and let him return unto the Lord. That is, let him return to his Duty, and Allegiance, unto God, as his rightful Sovereign, and acknowledge the Divine Authority over him, and submit himself entirely to the Government of the Will of God, in all Things concerning him. Thus God, by his Prophet, informs us who is the true Peni…ent, saving, Ezek. xxxiii.14, 15. When I say unto the Wicked, thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his Sin, and do that which is lawful and right; if the Wicked restore the Pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the Statutes of Life, without committing Iniquity; he shall surely Live; he shall not die. Where we may observe, that the Sinner must not only turn from his Sin, but he must do that which is lawful and right; he must yield Obedience to the Divine Commands, or walk in the Statutes of Life. For the Will of God, made known to us, is the only sure and certain Measure of Right, and Wrong, Truth, and Falshood; and therefore the only perfect Rule of our Duty, and sure Guide in the Way of Life. It will be no true Repentance, such as God requireth of us, and will accept at our Hands, such as becometh our Nature, Relation, and Dependance, if it be not accompanied with Obedience, and that both of Heart, and of Life.
1. There must be an inward Principle of Obedience. That is, It must be the fixed Purpose, Intention, and Bent, of the Heart of the Penitent, to obey the Will of God, in all that he knoweth to be his Duty. The Heart, and Soul, in the more constant Temper, and Disposition of them, must be ready enclined to perform the whole good, and acceptable, and perfect, Will of God, as he hath revealed his Mind, and Will, to us, in his holy Word. Thus the Heart must become sound in the Statutes of God, by a steady Conscious…ess of the Obligations we lie under, to obey whatsoever the Lord our God requireth of us, and in a serious Fixedness of Mind, to make his Will the Rule of our Walk. Thus there must be an inward Affection to the Things of God, an hearty Love, and Delight, in his Law, and a Readiness, at all Times, to comply with his Precepts. So must we be able to say, with the Psalmist, Psal. cxix.128. I esteem all thy Precepts, concerning all Things, to be right. For this is the Character of the thrice blessed Man, Psal. i.2. His Delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in his Law doth he meditate, Day, and Night. When it is the constant habitual Temper of the Soul to be obedient unto the Will of God, this will argue, that there is a real, thorow, Change wrought in the Heart, that it is New, in all the Powers of it, otherwise it would not be fixed for new Obedience, but remain unsubject to the Law of God; this inferreth that we are born again, are become the Children of God, are not under the Dominion of Sin, but under Grace; and that, therefore, we are no longer in a perishing Condition, but have eternal Life begun in our Souls, and reigning in us, by that Grace, which reigneth, through Righteousness, by Iesus Christ our Lord. Rom. v.21.
Though such an one should not have the Opportunity to manifest the sincere Desire, and fixed Purpose, of his Mind, in this, or that, particular Instance of Obedience, nevertheless, God will graciously accept the Heart, that is thus devoted to his Service; and he will esteem the Man a true Penitent whose Delight it is to do his Will. In this Sense those Words of the Apostle may well be understood, as truly as of the particular Charity which they firstly relate to; 2 Cor. viii.12. If there be first a willing Mind, it is accepted, accord…ng to that a Man hath, and not according to that he hath not. This holdeth true, with Respect to our Charity, and Love, to God, as well as to our Love, and Charity, to our Neighbour. So that should Death overtake such a Man, who has his Hear… so set for Obedience to the Divine Commandment, before he should have the Opportunity to make any Progress in a Life of Holiness, the Willingness of his Mind would be accepted by God, in the Room of his Performances; and he would be received to the promised Rewards of the heavenly World, though he should have no more than truly, and heartily, set out in the Way thither, while he was in this. This was the Case of the penitent Thief, upon the Cross, who, by the sovereign Grace of God, experienced a wonderful Change in his Soul, from a Love to Sin, unto a Love to God, and Christ, and Holiness, but a few Minutes before he expired; so that he had no Opportunity to lead a Life of holy Obedience, nor, indeed, so much as to give any Evidence of his Repentance, save only by his immediate reproving of his fellow Sinner, owning the Attrociousness of his Crime, and expressing some Trust, and Dependance, on the Lord Jesus Christ, and these all in a Breath; and yet, we find Christ saying to him, upon the certain Knowledge he had of the real Change in his Heart, Luk. xxiii.43. Verily, I say unto thee, to Day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.