The Mystery of the Gospel in Salvation, Sermon 14
SERMON XIV.
ACTS XVI.30.
And said, Sirs, What must I do to be saved?
I Have entered upon the Consideration of the great Duty of Repentance, as necessary to Salvation; and am upon the View of the Nature of this Duty, and have shewed you that it interdeth the forsaking of all Sin, in Heart, and Life; and a living vertuously in Obedience to the Divine Commands; in order to which there must be an inward Principle of Obedience. I now go on to say,
2. As there is Opportunity, there must be an honest sincere Endeavour after an actual Obedience to the Will of God. It will not suffice for any to say, I love God, and love his Commandments; but we must endeavour to live unto God, and Holiness, by conforming of our whole Walk to the Rules of the Divine Precepts. For whoso keepeth his Word, in him verily is the Love of God perfected. 1 Joh. ii.5. It must be the determined Resolution of our Wills, and our daily Care to put that Resolution into Practice, to lead obedient Lives, to do Justly, to love Mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. And, indeed, if the Heart be true, in it's inward Principle of Obedience, it will put a Man upon being holy in all Manner of Conversation, and Godliness, and that in Obedience to the commanding Will of God. So, a good Man, out of the good Treasure of the Heart, bringeth forth good Things. Matth. xii.35. And that our Repentance may be genuine, uniform, and sincere, our Obedience must respect all the Commandments of God universally, and particularly those we have been most defective in, and are most difficult to Flesh and Blood to perform.
1. The penitent Sinner must endeavour after an universal Obedience, without Exception. The Divine Law is one entire Body of Rules of holy Living, flowing from the supream Fountain of Dominion, Wisdom, and Holiness; and because the same Authority, Reason, and Purity, is stamped upon, and runneth through, the whole of the Divine Commandments, therefore, the Sinner, in returning to his Duty to his God, must be careful to obey every known Command, without suffering any one of them, designedly, to be disregarded by him. The earnest Desire of his Heart must be that of the Psalmist, Psal. cxix.5, 6. O! that my Ways were directed to keep thy Statutes! then shall I not be ashamed, when I have Respect unto all thy Commandments: And accordingly it must be his daily Practice to order his Steps in the Word of God, that he may cleanse his Way, by taking heed thereto. He must not content himself, and think this to be enough, that he is obedient unto some of the Divine Precepts, such as, perhaps, are more agreeable unto his Temper, and Condition; but he must be careful, as much as in him lieth, as he has Opportunity, and a Call thereto, to observe, and do them all. For, if he wilfully allow himself in Disobedience to any known Precept, it will argue that his Heart is not right with God; and that the Duty which he performeth, is not attended so …ch in Obedience to the Will of God, … from …me other Principle, and Motive; and therefore all that he doth will be far from an acceptable Obedience. Hence the Apostle Iames said, Jam. ii.10. Whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one Point, he is guilty of all. Because a wilful Transgression of the Divine Law, in any one Point, proceedeth from an inward Principle of Disobedience; which is, in the Nature of it, equally levelled against the whole Law, under like Circumstances, and Temptations.
The penitent Sinner, therefore, must be careful to live in the Practice of all known moral Duties; he must worship the Lord his God, in Publick, and in Private, and thus give unto the Lord the Glory that is due unto his Name; he must think, and speak, reverently of the holy Name of God, and not allow himself to profane it at any Time; he must deal justly with all Men, be true to his Word, and Promise, and fulfil his Engagements, and Betrustments; his Lips must be under the Law of Kindness, and his Hands be ready to help the Indigent, and relieve the Necessitous; his Heart must be enlarged with an universal Benevolence, and his Light shine in all the Offices of Kindness, and Beneficence, even to all that are about him; and he must, knowingly, give no Man any just Occasion to complain of his injuring of him, in any of his Interests.
He must also diligently attend upon all the Duties of instituted Religion, and devoutly, and heartily, serve his God, in all the Ways of his own Appointment. He must remember to keep his Day holy, through out the whole of it, free from all Diversions, and all unnecessary Labours; he must wait upon God in all his holy Ordinances, take his Mark, and Livery, upon him, and partake of the Food of his Soul, which is provided for him, in the House, and at the Table, of the Lord. For, how has he returned unto the Lord, as a true Penient, who will not be perswaded to do the Things which God requireth of him, but liveth in the sinful Neglect of them?
Yea, the sincere Penitent should endeavour after the greatest Constancy in his Obedience, without allowing of himself in any wilful Interruptions therein; because God always has the same Right to his Service, and Obedience, at one Time, as much as another.
This universal Obedience is what the penitent Sinner should carefully endeavour after, as he has Opportunity for it; and humbly mourn over all his Defects, and Short-comings, in Duty. This is what our God requireth, and most earnestly wisheth, of all that would be truly his People, saying, Deut. v.29. Oh! that there were such an Heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my Commandments, always.
2. The penitent Sinner must particularly set himself to the Practice of those Duties, and Vertues, which he has, heretofore, been most defective in. It was his Sin, and Guilt, that he, formerly, neglected to do those Things that were required of him, as it was that he did those Things that were forbidden to him, and therefore, in his Repentance, he must not only abstain from the forbidden Fruit, which he has, heretofore, delighted in, but, he must evidence the Truth of it, by endeavouring careful…y to perform the various Duties of Piety, Justice, Sobriety, Temperance, Meekness, Humility, Charity, and the like, which he has been, form…ly, averse to.
Thus, if he hath been one that, through the Pride of his Countenance, would not call upon God, but lived without Prayer, in his Closet, and in his Family, he must, now, be so much the more exact, and constant, in this Part of his Duty to God, and his own Soul. When Saul became a thorow Penitent, it was remarked of him, Acts ix.11. Behold, he prayeth!
Or, if he hath been remarkable for a profane Mouth, and a foul Tongue, for filthy, and corrupt Communication, he must endeavour, now, after the greater Eminency in the Sobriety, Purity, and Modesty, of his Speech, and the vertuous Government of an unruly Tongue.
So, if he hath been notorious for Tavern-haunting, setting long at the Wine Press, until new Wine enflame him, and used often to intoxicate himself with strong Drink, he must, now, be more exemplary in the Virtues of Temperance, and Moderation, and carefully shun the Places, and Company, by which he was enticed, and overcome.
And, if he hath been infamous for violent, and unruly Passions, for Cruelty, Severity, Wrath, for Oppressions, and Unkindnesses to his Neighbours, he must, now, endeavour to be as remarkable for his Patience, Meekness, Gentleness, Forbearance, Long-suffering, Equity, Brotherly-kindness, Goodness; and in this Way let the World about him see, that the Wolf is converted into a Lamb, by the Power of the Grace of God that is in him.
Remarkable is the Instance of the Iaylor in my Context; before his Conversion, he was a Man of a very fierce, and cruel, Disposition; whereas no sooner does the Grace of God take Possession of him, and make him a true Penitent, but you find his Temper mightily altered, and those very Servants of God, whom he had just before maligned, insulted, and abused, he now takes into his House, washes their Stripes, and setteth Meat before them; and so treats them with all proper Expressions of Kindness, and Benevolence. So the true Penitent will be exemplary in those Vertues, in which he was, heretofore, most defective.
3. The penitent Sinner must set himself to the Practice of those Duties, which are most hard, and difficultly performed. There are some Duties, in the Christian Life, abundantly more hard, and difficult, than some others, and require the greatest of our Skill, and Vigilance, and the exerting our Strength, or we shall not be likely to practise them, as we ought to do. There are some Things which are our Duty, as Christians, which yet are so easy, so agreeable to the humane Nature, and so suitable unto our Circumstances, that the natural Man, without the Aids of supernatural Grace, readily complyeth with them; while he can, by no Arguments, be prevailed upon, to regard such other Duties, as are attended with more of Difficulty. But the true Penitent must not only apply himself unto such Duties, as may be observed with the greater Ease, and without any great Opposition to his natural Temper, and Inclinations, or worldly Interests, but, he must, as well, make Conscience of performing those Duties, and practising those Vertues, which are most hard to Flesh, and Blood, and are most cross to his Constitution, and Temptations, and most opposite to his carnal Views; and that because he must be careful to practise all Vertues, as well as to reform all Vices. Here I will take the Liberty to mention two only; viz.
1. The penitent Sinner must be ready to forgive those that injure him. This is a very hard, and difficult Lesson, in Christianity, and what is taught in no other School but that of Christ's. Corrupt Nature prompts us to revenge Injuries; the Philophers of Old thought it argued a mean Soul, to bear Indignities, and Affronts, and taught Revenge, as an Evidence of an high, and great, and noble Spirit: but our Master, Christ, better understood both the Nature of God, and of Vertue, and, by his own Example, and by Precept, hath taught us quite otherwise. And hard, and difficult, as it is to perform this Duty, yet, he that will be a true Penitent, a real Christian, must, in some good Measure, come up to it, and lay aside all Thoughts of Revenge, and suppress his undue Anger, and Resentments, and be ready to render good for evil. 1 Thes. v.15. See that none render Evil for Evil, unto any Man; but ever follow that which is Good, both among yourselves, and unto all Men. How does he forsake all Sin, who does not abstain from all revengful Retalliations, and subdue an implacable, and malicious Spirit, which is most contrary to the infinitely good God, and is agreeable only unto the infernal Spirit? And what is there more positively forbidden in the sacred Pages? Rom. xii.19. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give Place unto Wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Or, how doth he practise all Vertues, and Duties, who will not exemplify, in his Life, those amiable Vertues of Meekness, Patience, Charity, and a forgiving Spirit? Or, how can he, upon good Grounds, hope to be forgiven, who will not forgive? when our blessed Saviour hath made it a Badge of our Discipleship, and has taught us to pray, in his excellent Platform, Matth. vi.12. Forgive us our Debts, as we forgive our Debtors: and added upon it this cogent Argument, v. 14, 15. If you forgive Men their Trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not Men their Trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your Trespasses.
2. The other Instance I shall name is, that of making Restitution unto those whom we have injured. This is, often Times, an exceeding hard, and difficult Task, and what many, who would be accounted true Penitents, are not easily perswaded to comply with. But, notwithstanding all the Difficulty, in the Thing itself, or the Circumstances attending it, and all the Reluctance of our own Minds thereto, arising from the Apprehensions any may have of their exposing themselves to Reproach, yet, it is a Duty indispensibly incumbent *N…n rem…ttitur Peccatum, donec restituitur oblatum.upon every one that has injured his Neighbour, in any Instance, to make him just Satisfaction therefor; nor can he be a true Penitent without his best Endeavours for this End. For if any Man hath injured an other, by Force, or by Fraud, by violently taking from him, or craftily, underhandedly, by tricking, and overreaching of him, by false Accounts, or in Form of Law, or any other Ways deprived his Neighbour, of what he himself has no just, equitable, and conscionable Right, and Claim to, he has, herein, done to his Neighbour a Piece of Injustice: and it will not be sufficient, to such an one, to leave off, or forbear, the committing of the like Acts of Injustice, for the future, but he must pay the Debt he has already contracted, by making Amends for the Injury he has formerly done. He continueth the Injustice upon his Neighbour, until he maketh him ample Amends, by restoring what he had so unrighteously taken away from him; and therefore he can be no true Penitent while he designedly continueth the Injury, nor until he makes Restitution of the full Damage, or at least peremptorily determineth that he will do so, the first Opportunity that he shall have for it. So that the penitent Sinner must resolve with Zacheus, Luk. xix.8. If I have taken any Thing, from any Man, (wrongfully,) I will restore him, (at least the full Value, if not) fourfold.
Thus, I have endeavoured to describe unto you, the Nature of true Evangelical Repentance, that Repentance which the Gospel of God our Saviour requireth of us, and so have shewn you what the perishing Sinner must do, in this Respect, that he may obtain eternal Salvation; namely, that he must sincerely, and heartily forsake all Sin, and be exceeding careful to lead a virtuous, and holy Life, in the Practice of all known Duties, even the most hard, and difficult. And this, I take it, is that Repentance which God commandeth all Men, wherever the Gospel is preached, to observe, and which is absolutely, and indispensibly necessary to Salvation; which I should, now, proceed to evidence, and to shew what the Sinner must do to obtain it; but I shall conclude the present Discourse with making some Reflections on what has been said.
USE. 1. If Repentance be such as we have heard, then it is to be feared, that there are many who flatter, and delude themselves, with vain Imaginations, and false Hopes, of their being true Penitents, when they really are not. I cannot suppose that there are any, who have lived under the preaching of the Gospel, but what have received some Conviction, that they must repent of their Sins, some Time or other, and they have some secret Purposes within themselves, that, some Time before they die, they will alter their present Course of Life, and walk more conformably to the Christian Law, that they may get safe to Heaven at last. There are but few, if any, so hardened in their Sins, as fixedly to resolve they never will repent.
But then, the very great Mischief of it is, that many are apt to mistake about the Nature of Repentance, and willingly deceive themselves, by too easily taking up with that, for Repentance, which really is not so; or, at most, is but a Part, and that too the smallest Part, of it. They pacify their Minds, and quiet their Consciences, with something that looks like Repentance, and some fond Hopes that they are Penitents; so they feed upon Ashes, a deceived Heart hath turned them aside; Isa. xliv.20. Whereas, if they would but give themselves Time to think closely, and survey themselves in the Glass of the Divine Oracles, they would awaken out of their vain Dream, and plainly see, that they are yet in their Sins, in the Gall of Bitterness, and Bond of Iniquity, and therefore are not in the Way that leadeth unto Salvation.
Possibly, there may be some, who, through the Power of a vertuous Education, and a docile, and ingenuous, Temper, may have kept themselves free from the grosser Transgressions, so that no Man has wherewith justly to accuse them, and they may be able to say, of external moral Duties, as the young Man, in the Gospel, Luk. xviii.21. All these have I kept from my Youth up: And from hence they conclude, that they are among the Number of true Penitents, and that nothing more is required of them. As for their lesser Errors, in their Conduct, they see no great Harm in them, nor are they sensible of all the Evils that are in their Hearts; and therefore are at no Pains to purge themselves from prevailing Pride, and Vanity, Censoriousness, and Worldly-mindedness, and the like. Though such, like the Pharisee, are ready to say, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other Men are, Extortioners, Unjust, Adulterers, or even as this Publican, yet are they not true Penitents, in the Sight of God, nor shall they go down to their House justified; Luk. xviii.11, 14. Because the Heart, as well as Life, must be cleansed.
There are others, perhaps, who will cry, they are sorry for their Sins, and, it may be, will shed many Tears, when they are reproved for them; and all this be but an affected Sorrow, or the natural easy flow of their Passions; and be nothing hearty and sincere: or, if they have some inward real Grief, it is not because they have acted contrary unto Right, and Equity, and done that which is most offensive to the great, and holy God; but only because they find they have disobliged some of their Friends, or some Way or other hurt themselves, in some of their worldly Interest; and therefore all their Sorrow, and Tears, have nothing of true Repentance in them, so long as they can still hug their Lusts, and will not let them go.
Many others may have some weak Purposes for a Life of Religion, and accordingly do something towards the reforming of their Lives, and begin to leave off some of their evil Practices, and perform some neglected Duties; but then their Purp…es are but weak, and their Reformations are very partial; they only wash the Outside, and reform in a few externals, while their Hearts remain full of Pollution, and they love the Vices they seem to part with: or they reform only such Sins as mostly expose them to the Observation, and Resentments, of Men, while they cherish those which they see to be less hurtful to them; or, it may be, all their Duties they do to be seen of Men, or attend only those that are most easy, and agreeable to their Temper, and Condition, while they desire to be excused as to such other Acts of Obedience as are contrary to their Inclination, or are difficult to perform; or all their Obedience is not the Obedience of the Heart, and because God has commanded them, but only to oblige a Friend, and to serve themselves.
Many, again, will promise fair, but will not be at the Pains to shun the Temptations by which they are easily drawn away. How many have been convinced, by sad Experience, that the bad Company, they associate themselves with, has led them into almost all Manner of Mischief, and overthrown their Purposes, which they have some Times had, for a Life of Religion? And yet they will not be at the Pains to shake off their old Companions, and forsake those foolish ones, that they may live. How many have been made sick, by their Intemperance, and have been convinced, that they have hurt their Bodies, their Names, their Interest, by their Drunkenness? and now they have seemed to be mighty sorry, and have promised to leave off their intemperate Drinking; and yet would not cross their Humor so much as to shun the Places, and Company, where, they could not but know, they should be entangled again, in their old Sin.
And because they find, they have had some Sort of Sorrow for their Sins, they entertain some Purposes of Amendment, and, it may be, reform some Evils, they were addicted to, and now give themselves to a Round of external Duties, of reading, and hearing, the Word of God, attending upon Prayer, and Sacraments, &c. they are ready to conclude favourably of themselves, and think they are true Penitents, and doubt not but they shall be saved. Thus, they flatter, and delude, themselves, with a good Opinion of themselves, that they are what they really are not, and with a confident Expectation of what they never shall possess, without a more thorow Repentance than ever they were yet Masters of. For, let all such Self-Deceivers know, that all their external Sorrow, and Tears, all their faint Purposes, and outward Reformations, are▪ at best, but some of the Out-Lines of Repentance; and are ineffectual unto Salvation; unless they are accompanied with a thorow Change of the Heart, from the Love of Sin, to the Love of God, and Holiness; and such a Change in their Lives, as carrieth in it, their sincere, and honest, Endeavours to abstain from all Wickedness, though ever so dear to them, and to practise every known Duty, though ever so contrary unto Flesh, and Blood, and jarring with their carnal Interest, and Views. For they have not truly repented, who hug any Sin in their Bosom, and roll any Iniquity, as a sweet Morsel, under their Tongues, and refuse to part with it; nor they that live in a wilful Disobedience to any one of the Commandments of God, and refuse to do what the Lord our God requireth of them; as suppose Prayer, or instituted Worship, or the Forgiving of Injuries. The Man must become a New Man, in Heart, and in Life, in Principle, and in Action, before he is a real Penitent; and with all the Repentance he is, or can be, Master of, without this, he will certainly perish at last. Job xx.12—14. Though Wickedness be sweet i… his Mouth, though he hide it under his Tongue, though he spare it, and forsake it not, but keep it still within his Mouth; yet his Meat, in his Bowels, is turned, it is the Gall of Asps within him: it will prove exceeding bitter, and pernicious to him, in the Conclusion.
2. Let every Sinner, here before the Lord, be perswaded sincerely, and heartily, to repent, that he may not perish. This is the proper Business of every one of us all; for I know not any one that can have nothing to do with Repentance, but he that has never sinned; which is not the Condition of any one upon the Face of God's Earth: for, Alass! we are all of us Sinners, having been guilty, in many Things, and daily; so that if God should be strict to mark our Iniquity against us, there would be enough, in the best of us, to procure our everlasting Condemnation.
And how greatly are we advantaged, by the Light of the Gospel, shewing to us what is sinful, and wherein the real Nature of Repentance lieth, and the Advantage it will be to us; and providing for us the blessed Help of the Holy and Divine Spirit, to enable us to go thorow the great Work of an Evangelical Repentance? The Heathen World were under mighty Disadvantages, to what we are; they walked in Darkness, and had but very obscure Notions of Repentance, the Nature, and the Benefits of it, or how to attain to it; God seemed to bear with their Wickedness, and overlook their Disorders, as though he regarded them not, while he neither plainly shewed them their Duty, nor provided for the Performance of it: but now, by, the Light of the Gospel, he hath made full Provision for our Repentance, shewing us wherein it consisteth, and how we may attain to it; and therefore it concerneth us, in a special Manner, to repent of all our Wickedness, and return to our Duty to our God. Said the Apostle, Acts xvii.30. The Times of this Ignorance, God winked at, but, now▪ hath commanded all Men, every where, to repent. Now, that the Light of the Gospel shineth upon us; now, that God hath told us our Duty, and provided the best Helps for our performing it; now, we should be peculiarly concerned to walk as the Children of the Day, and put off the Works of Darkness, and have no Fellowship with them, lest, we at last find, to our Cost, that God will not bear with us, with whom he has taken so much Pains, as he does with the Heathen World; but will punish us very severely for our wilful persisting in our evil Ways, when we were shown the Danger of them, and had all proper Means to direct, and turn, us into the right Way. So we find our blessed Saviour upbraiding the Cities, wherein most of his mighty Works were done, because they repented not; Matth. xi.20, 21, 22. though he came preaching Repentance; and pronouncing an heavy Wo upon them, for their Incorrigibleness, saying, Wo unto thee, Chorazin, Wo 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 tollerable for Tyre, and Sidon, in the Day of Iudgment, than for you.
Let us then be prevailed upon, this Day, to set ourselves, in good Earnest, to break off from our Iniquities by Righteousness, and from our Transgressions by returning unto God: and let us be very particular in our Repentance of all known Sins, both in our Acknowledgement, and Confession, of them, with deep Humiliation for them, before the Lord; and in our special Care to put every Iniquity from us, without sparing the most darling, or allowing ourselves in any Sin for the Time to come. As to Sins of Ignorance, doubtless, God will graciously accept of a general Confession, and Repentance for them, because a particular one is not to be had; but he requireth a particular Repentance for our particular known Sins. Therefore David said, Psal. xix.12, 13. Who can understand his Errors; cleanse thou me from secret Faults; keep back thy Servant from presumptuous Sins, let them not have Dominion over me.
And then, let us be exceedingly careful that our Repentance be thorow, go into our whole Soul, and be levelled against all Sin. It is the being the Servant of Sin that exposeth a Person to the Wrath of Heaven. Col. iii.6. The Wrath of God cometh on the Children of Disobedience. The good Man, the true Penitent, may fall into Sin, but he is not a Child of Disobedience, he is not the Servant of Sin; no; he is made free from Sin, and is become the Servant, and a Child, of God. Let us therefore be careful in making thorow Work, in our searching out all Leaven, and put it far away from us. The Character of the sincere Penitents is that, Psal. cxix.3. They do no Iniquity, they walk in his Ways. One reigning Sin, one unmortified Lust, though it may seem to a small one, (suppose Lying, for Instance,) will prove the Destruction of a Man's Soul forever, if not repented of. Therefore spare no Lust, no Agag, though ever so gorgious in it's Attire, and delicate in it's Behaviour. For it will be a certain Argument that a Man is the Servant of Sin, if he liveth in Subjection to it. Therefore endeavour to get your Hearts cleansed, and purged, from the Love of Sin; that the Love of Sin being mortified in you, you may be the less enclined to perpetrate any wicked Thing, and the more easily overcome Temptations to it. There may be many Considerations, which may restrain, or prevent, a Man from the actual committing of this, or that Wickedness, while yet he loveth it in his Heart, and, by his Love to it, evidences, to the Heart-searching God, that he is not a real Penitent, whatever he is thought of by Man. Hence the Psalmist said, Psal. lxvi.18. If I regard Iniquity in my Heart, the Lord will not hear me. Get, and keep, the Heart pure; banish from thence all atheistical, profane, and Irreligious Thoughts, all proud, revengful, malicious, impure, lewd, and discontented Thoughts, and suffer them not to find Lodging within you. Let it be the earnest Desire of your Souls, that all Sin may be thorowly mortified, and subdued, so as never more to reign in your mortal Bodies. Pray with the Psalmist, Psal. cxix.133. Order my Steps in thy Word, and let not any Iniquity have Dominion over me.
Use your best Endeavours, that you may obtain a compleat Victory over Sin, and Satan, and the World, by maintaining a continual Conflict with them, striving for the Mastery; and think no Pains too much to reform your Heart, and Life. Be upon your Watch, and Guard, that you may be able to spye out your Danger, and may ward off the fiery Darts of the evil One. Apply yourselves, with the greatest Earnestness, to the Blood of Christ, to procure the Death of Sin in your Soul▪ that you may be enabled to crucify the Flesh, with it's Affections, and Lusts. The Blood of Christ, not only taketh away the Guilt, but, proveth the Destruction of Sin in the Soul; and the Consideration of the Death of Christ, is one of the most powerful Arguments to Repentance, in that it, at the same Time, presents us with a View of our Guilt, and the Deserts of our Sins, and shews …s the Mercy of God, through Christ, in his Readiness to pardon us.
Let us, then, all of us, be perswaded, thus to repent of, and forsake all our Sins, and to lead a Life of new Obedience, that we may not perish, but be eternally saved: and do this now, without Delay, lest you should miss of the only proper Opportunity for Repentance. Heb. iv.1. Let us fear, lest a Promise being left us, of entring into his Rest, any of you should seem to come Short of it. What can be more unreasonable, than to defer a Matter of such Consequence to us, as Repentance is, unto a Time, which, at the best is most improper, and which yet, after all, we have no Assurance of?
And let us be very frequent in renewing of our Repentance, that, if possible, we may let no Sin escape us unrepented of. There is not a Day passes us, wherein the very best of us have not some Sin or other, of Thought, Word, or Deed▪ to charge ourselves withal. Our daily Sins of Omission, or Commission, of Ignorance, and Infirmity, if not of Presumption, should put us upon calling ourselves to an Account, at the Close of every Day, and upon humbling of ourselves, before God, confessing of our Transgressions to him, and imploring his pardoning Mercy, through the Merits of Jesus Christ, that we may be able to lay ourselves down in Peace, with a comfortable Hope of God's being reconciled unto us.
And remember, for your Encouragement, how grateful, and pleasing, it will be to Heaven, to see you become a real Penitent. Though, like the prodigal Son, you should have wandered from your Father's House, and have consumed all your Substance in riotous Living, and have be… reduced, with the Swine, to feed upon Husks, and not had enough of them neither to fill, and satisfy you; yet if, after all, you will come to your right Mind, and fixedly resolve to return to your Father, and acknowledge your Fault, and be resolute, and careful, to live in a dutiful Obedience, and Submission, to his Will, for the Time to come, your heavenly Father is graciously re…dy to meet; and receive thee, and express his most tender Compassions to thee, in freely forgiving all thy past Offences, in making abundant Provision for thy future Welfare, and in Welcoming of thee to his open Arms, with the most endearing Affection, and the highest Expressions of Joy. For thus we read, (with which I shall now conclude,) Luk. xv.7. There is Ioy, in Heaven, over one Sinner that repenteth, more than over Ninety and Nine just Persons, that need no Repentance: and that because, as the Father expresseth it, v. 24. This my Son was dead, and is alive again, he was lost, and is found.