The Mystery of the Gospel in Salvation, Sermon 15
SERMON XV.
ACTS XVI.30.
And said, Sirs, What must I do to be saved?
THE Doctrine, which several Times hath been named, from these Words, you may remember, was this, viz.
DOC. That it is of 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, that they may be saved. They must know what is necessary to be known, and do what is necessary to be done, or they cannot reasonably hope to be saved. And as it is necessary to Salvation that a Person believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, so is it necessary that he repent of his Sins; these are the two comprehensive Duties which the Gospel requireth of us. Having shewed you, what is to be understood by Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Necessity of it, and the Means to obtain it; I have entered upon the Consideration of the Doctrine of Repentance, and proposed,
I. To shew you, what that Repentance is, which is required of us.
II. To evidence, that such a Repentance is absolutely necessary unto Salvation.
III. To consider, what the perishing Sinner must do, to obtain this Repentance unto Salvation. I have endeavoured to set before you a distinct View of the Nature of true evangelical Repentance, as it consisteth, in a forsaking all sinful, and vicious, Courses, a being heartily sorry, and ashamed, that ever we have sinned, having our Hearts set against all Sin, and honestly endeavouring, in our Lives, to abstain, from every Kind of Sin, for the future; and in leading a vertuous, and holy Life, in Obedience to the Commandments of God, having our Hearts influenced by an inward Principle of Obedience, and our Life, as much as may be, under an actual Conformity unto the Divine Will, in all Things, without any wilful Exception; being particularly exemplary in those Duties, and Vertues, we were most defective in, and sincerely endeavouring the Practice of those that are most hard, and difficult, to perform; being ready to forgive those that injure us, and to make Restitution unto those whom we may have injured. I shall now proceed,
II. To evidence, that such a Repentance is absolutely necessary to Salvation; and no Sinner, let his worldly Circumstances be what they will, can reasonably hope … be saved without it. The absolute Necessity of this Repentance, in order to our being saved, will fully appear, if we do but diligently hearken to the constant Language of the sacred Scriptures, and the concurrent Voice of natural Conscience; for both the Word of God, and the Reason of Mankind, assure us, that there can be no Salvation for any Sinner without Repentance.
1. Let us hearken to the constant Language of the holy Scripture, and we shall find that it is most plain, and full, and positive, in the demanding Repentance of every Sinner, as absolutely necessary to Salvation. It is Divine Revelation, only, that acquainteth us, how, in what Way, and upon what Terms, a poor guilty Sinner may find Acceptance with God, and be eternally saved. This is a Path which the most penetrating Reason of Man would never have discovered because it resulteth from the Divine Will, and Pleasure, which no Man could be able to discern, until God himself should please to make it known. And we may be well assured, that, whatever the Divine Revelation plainly, and positively, requireth of the Sinner, in order to his Salvation, is absolutely necessary to that End, and that there is no possible Way of obtaining the End without it; because this Revelation is no other than the Will of God, made known to us, and shewing us what he requireth of us, what he insisteth upon, and peremptorily demandeth of us, as the Condition, the Terms, the Way, and Method, of our Salvation.
It cannot be supposed possible, for any Sinner, who, as such, has forfeited the Divine Favour, and incurred his Displeasure, to be saved against the Will of God; that is, to partake of his Favour, whether he will, or no: or that any Man can be saved, in any other Way, than that which God himself hath proposed to us; for this would be, either, to suppose ourselves, who are but foolish, and weak Creatures, to be stronger than almighty Power, and wiser than infinite Understanding, which is the grossest Absurdity, and Blasphemy: or else it supposeth, that God, in the strongest Terms, demandeth something of us, in order to our enjoying of his Favour, which, yet, we may well enough hope for without it, yea, though we should act the most directly contrary to his Demands upon us; than which, what could render him more trifling, and his demands more contemptible!
Let us, then, seriously attend to what the infinitely great, and wise, and good, God doth most plainly, and positively, demand of us, in his holy Word. And,
1. More generally. How plainly, and peremptorily, is Repentance insisted upon, in the holy Writings, in order to the Sinner's Salvation? This was the Doctrine, and Duty, which the Forerunner of our Lord inculcated upon his Hearers, saying, Matth. iii.2. Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand: and again, v. 8. Bring forth Fruit meet for Repentance; and yet again, v. 11. I indeed baptise you, with Water, unto Repentance.
And this was what our blessed Lord, himself, insisted upon, when he entred upon his publick Ministry, after his Baptism, by Iohn, as we read in the Evangelist Matthew, Matth. iv.17. From that Time, Iesus began to preach, and to say, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand. This also our Lord gave in Commission to his Apostles, and Ministers after them, Luk. xxiv.47. That Repentance, and Remission of Sins should be preached, in his Name, among all Nations.
And accordingly, we find the Apostles of our Lord, wherever they went, preaching Repentance, to their Hearers. So at Lycaonia, said the Apostl… Paul, Acts xiv.15. We preach unto you, that ye … turn from these Vanities, unto the living God, wh… made Heaven, and Earth. And when he saw the Superstition, and Idolatry, of the Athenians, said he, Acts xvii.30. The Times of this Ignorance God winked at; that is, he suffered all Nations to walk in their own Ways, according to the vain Imaginations of their own Hearts, without giving them any immediate Direction from Heaven; but now commandeth all Men, every where, to repent; that is, now, that the Gospel is preached unto the World, and God, therein, hath made a Revelation of his Mind and Will, to Mankind, He commandeth all Men, every where, without Exception, to repent. This is the plain, and positive Command of God, and that to every individual Person, wherever the Gospel cometh, let the Condition of Men, in the World, be what it will, to repent, and turn from all their Transgressions, and lead a holy, and vertuous Life. The outward Condition, and Circumstances, of Men, upon worldly Accounts, will have no Influence to their future Salvation; and they will be never the nearer to Heaven for their being raised above their Fellow-Men, in Riches, and Honour; but the greatest Men upon Earth, as well as the smallest, if they would have any Part in the Salvation of God, hereafter, must be careful, now, to glorify him, by forsaking their Sins, and yielding a sincere Obedience to the Authori…y of the living God, who hath made them, and raised them, and to whom all Mankind must be accountable. The Apostle Peter also, preached the same Doctrine to the Iews, as Paul did to the Gentiles, saying to them, Acts iii.19. Repent ye, and be converted, that your Sins may be blotted out, when the Times of refreshing shall come from the Presence of the Lord. By which Manner of Expression, he lets them …now, that they could not, reasonably, entertain … Hope of the Forgivness of their Sins, nor …nsequently of the Favour of God, the Salvation of their Souls, and the Joys of Heaven, without Repentance.
Thus also, the Divine Revelation informs us, that this was one great End of the Incarnation of the only begotten Son of God, and therefore was the Word made Flesh, that he might seek, and save, them that were in a lost, undone, perishing Condition, by calling them to Repentance: hence said our Lord, Matth. ix.13. I am not come to call the Righteous, but Sinners, to Repentance. Therefore also hath the incarnate Son of God laid down his Life, to mortify Sin in us, as well as to procure a Pardon for us; that, by his Death upon the Cross, we might be enabled to crucify the Flesh, with it's Affections, and Lusts; that is, that Sinners might become true Penitents. Hence we are told, Tit. ii.14. He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all Iniquity, and purify, unto himself, a peculiar People, zealous of good Works. And therefore also hath our blessed Lord risen from the Dead, not only that he might justify us, but that he might give us the Victory over our Sins, and deliver us from the Power of them. Hence we read, Acts v.31. Him hath God exalted with his Right Hand, to be a Prince, and a Saviour, for to give Repentance to Israel, and Remission of Sins.
And not only did Christ, while on Earth, preach Repentance to Sinners, but he assured the World, that there was no Possibility of any Man's obtaining Salvation, without it; and therefore he said unto the Iews, who told him of the Galileans, whom Pilate slew, and of those that were destroyed by the Fall of the Tower of Siloe, Luk. xiii.3, 5. Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. He did not mean, that they should perish in the same Manner, but as certainly perish, and miss of the Divine Favour, and the Happiness of the heavenly World. So absolutely does our Saviour insist upon our complying with the Call, and Invitation, which he hath made, in his Word, to Sinners, that they repent of their Sins, and return to their Duty to God, and be obedient to all his Laws, that he assureth us, that, in the Process of the great Day, when he shall appear as the Judge of the World, whoever is then found to have lived, and died, in any Course of Wickedness, whatever be their Profession, and Pretentions, he will utterly reject them, and exclude them from Heaven, and Happiness, forever. Matth. vii.21, 22, 23. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven: many will say unto me, in that Day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy Name? and in thy Name, done many wonderful Works? and in thy Name, have c…t out Devils? and then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work Iniquity. And farther, he plainly telleth us, Matth. xiii.41, 42. That, at the End of the World, the Son of Man shall send forth his Angels, and they shall gather, out of his Kingdom, all Things that offend, and them which do Iniquity, and shall cast them into a Furnace of Fire; there shall be wailing, and gnashing of Teeth. The Certainty of which Doom, upon impenitent Sinners, he confirmeth, by repeating it, in the Parable of the good, and bad Fishes, enclosed in the same Net, till a Separation is made, and then the good are gathered into Vessels, and the bad are cast away, as refuse, and vile; v. 49, 50. So shall it be, at the End of the World; the Angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the Furnace of Fire; there shall be wailing, and gnashing of Teeth. So that, upon a general View of the Gospel Revelation, we have a most full, and plain Evidence, that Repentance is absolutely necessary to Salvation.
2. If we descend into Particulars, we shall see, that the sacred Scriptures are most full, and plain, and positive, and peremptory, in their Demand of Repentance, and that sincere, and unfeigned, from every Sinner, as absolutely necessary to his Salvation. Thus, if we take a View of the two essential Parts of Repentance, namely, the Sinner's forsaking of his Sins, and his leading of an holy Life, in Obedience to the Commandments of God, this will appear manifest to us.
1. The holy Scriptures do most strongly, and indispensibly, insist upon the Sinner's forsaking of his Sins, as absolutely necessary to his being saved. Thus they positively demand of us, that our Hearts be turned from all Sin, and Wickedness; from the Love of Sin, to an Hatred of it. Jer. iv.14. O Ierusalem, wash thine Heart from Wickedness, that thou mayest be saved; how long shall thy vain Thoughts lodge within thee? Psal. xcvii.10. Ye that love the Lord, hate Evil. Which Words are not barely directory, to them that have the Love of God prevailing in them, but they are of the Force of a positive Command, even upon all Men, to love God, and hate Evil, as ever they would be found among those holy ones, that have the Tokens of Salvation upon them: for the Lord preserveth the Souls of his Saints, not of those that go on in their Trespasses. The like peremptory Command we have in the Epistle to the Romans, Rom. xii.9. Abhor that which is Evil; that is, we must have an inward, hearty, Detestation of every Thing that is vicious, and sinful, as of that which, of all Things, is most offensive, and loathsome to us. Therefore also we are told, Rom. ii.29. Circumcision is that of the Heart; that is, the cutting off, and putting away, the Superfluity of Naughtiness, which is in the Heart. Thus, we are commanded, to deny Ungodliness, and worldly Lusts; Tit. ii.12. that is, the very Lustings of the Heart after the Ways of Ungodliness, and after worldly, carnal, sensual Pleasures, must be suppressed, and mortified. And so we read, 2 Cor. vii.1. Having therefore these Promises; that is, if we hope for any Benefit by the great, and precious Promises of God, if we would entertain any well grounded Hope, that God will be a Father to us, and own us for his Sons, and Daughters, and so would hope to be saved, we must cleanse ourselves from all Filthiness, of Flesh, and Spirit; that is, the inward Filth of the Heart, and the outward Filth of the Hands, must be purged from us. Thus also, we read, Gal. v.24. They that are Christ's, those that truly belong to him, are his real Disciples, and are interested in the Benefits of his Death, and so shall be saved by him, have crucified the Flesh, with the Affections, and Lusts; that is, the fleshly carnal Lusts, and vicious Affections of the Heart, must be crucified, slain, and put to Death, or we cannot be saved by Christ.
As the Heart must be purified from the Love of Sin, so, as we have Opportunity, we must shew, in our Lives, and Conversation, our …horrence of every wicked Thing, by our careful Endeavours to keep ourselves pure, and unspotted from the World. The sacred Scripture therefore demands it of us, 2 Tim. ii.19. Let every one, that nameth the Name of Christ, depart from Iniquity: 1 Thess. v.22. Abstain from all Appearance of Evil; have no Fellowship with the unfruitful Works of Darkness, but rather reprove them. Eph. v.11. Thus it is positively injoined upon us, Col. iii.5. Mortify your Members, which are upon the Earth, that is, resist, suppress, abstain from all Acts of Sin, as Fornication, Uncleanness, Inordinate Affection, evil Concupiscence, and Covetousness; and the Reason is given in the following Words, for which Things Sake the Wrath of God cometh upon the Children of Disobedience. q. d. By such sinful Practices, you disobey the Commandment of God, and expose yourselves to his Wrath, which will certainly overtake you, if you repent not.
And that, therefore, no Man may flatter, and delude himself, with a vain Imagination, that, notwithstanding all these plain, and positive Injunctions, in the Word of God, yet, his forsaking of his Sins is not so absolutely necessary, but that it may be possible for him to be saved, though he should continue to go on in his wicked Courses, I say, to prevent such fatal Delusions, the holy Scriptures do, in the plainest, and strongest Terms, assure us to the Contrary, and that no Men can ever get to Heaven in their Sins. Hence said the Apostle, 1 Cor. vi.9, 10. Be not deceived, neither Fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor Adulterers, nor Effeminate, nor Abusers of themselves with Mankind, nor Thieves, nor Covetous, nor Drunkards, nor Revilers, nor Extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God. And so, in his Epistle to the Galatians, the Apostle reckoneth up the Works of the Flesh, the various Sins which Men are generally addicted unto, as Adultery, Fornication, Uncleanness, Lasciviousness, Idolatry, Witchcraft, Hatred, Variance, Emulation, Wrath, Strife, Sedition, Heresies, Envyings, Murders, Drunkenness, Revelling, and such like; and saith he, upon them all, and in as plain Terms as Man can speak, Gal. v.21. I declare unto you, as I have before said, (namely in his former preaching to them,) that they, which do such Things, shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. Yea, so far shall all such, as live in any Way of Wickedness, be from getting safe to Heaven, that the Word of God letteth us know, for certain, that they shall perish under the Wrath, and Curse, of the Almighty, and that forever. Thus, Psal. lxviii.21. God shall wound the Head of his Enemies, and the hairy Scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his Trespasses. Rom. viii.13. If ye live after the Flesh, ye shall die. And what can be plainer, and fuller, than that in the Epistle to the Ephesians? Ch. v. v. 6. Let no Man deceive you, with vain Words; for because of these Things, (the several Sins he had before mentioned,) the Wrath of God cometh upon the Children of Disobedience.
And now, is it possible for us to hear these, (and innumerable more Texts, that might be mentioned, to the same Purpose,) and not see the absolute Necessity there is, of the Sinner's forsaking of his Sins, in order to his obtaining Salvation? Is it possible for any Man to be saved in his Sins, or can he upon any good Grounds, entertain the Hope thereof, after all this plain Revelation of the positive Will of God to the contrary? Surely, it is not possible; and therefore the Sinner must repent of, and turn from, his Sins, or forever go without the Salvation, set before him in the Gospel. Besides,
2. The holy Scriptures do most peremptorily insist upon the Sinner's leading a vertuous, and an holy Life, in Obedience to the Commands of God, as absolutely necessary to his being saved. When our Saviour preached that excellent Sermon, commonly called, the Sermon on the Mount, wherein he explained, and unfolded, the moral Law; and exhorted his Disciples to all Holiness of Heart, and Life, and assured them that he came, not to destroy the Law, or the Prophets, but to fulfil them; that is, not to free Men from their Obligations to obey the Divine Will, contained in the Law, and the Prophets, but to enforce their Obedience thereto, and, that therefore, till Heaven, and Earth, should pass away, one Iot, or one Tittle, should in no wise pass from the Law; He concludes his Discourse, by shewing them, how absolutely their future, and eternal, Welfare was dependent upon their present Obedience. Matth. vii.24—27. Whosoever (said he,) heareth these Sayings of mine, and doth them, (that is, who liveth in Obedience to the Will of God,) I will liken him unto a wise Man, who built his House upon a Rock; and the Rain descended, and the Floods came, and the Winds blew, and beat upon that House, and it fell not; for it was founded upon a Rock. That is, his Hope of Salvation was well founded, so that no Storm, no Trial, should be able to overthrow it, and disappoint him. But, on the other Hand, Every one that heareth these Sayings of mine, and doth them not, (that is, he who, though he know the Will of God, doth not live in Obedience to his Precepts, but leadeth an irreligious, immoral, wicked, sinful Life,) shall be like unto a foolish Man, who built his House upon the Sand; and the Rain descended, and the Floods came, and the Winds blew, and beat upon that House, and it fell, and great was the Fall thereof. That is, all his Hopes of Salvation were ill founded, and will not be able to endure the Trial, the thorow Search of the great Day, which is hastening, bu… will certainly disappoint him, and leave him in a most ruinous, and miserable Condition. Nothing can be more plain than, that the Design of this Parable is, to teach us, the absolute Necessity of our being truly vertuous, and religious, that we make it our constant Care to observe the Divine Commandments as the Rule of our Lives, and endeavour to govern all our Actions by it, and that we be holy unto the Lord, as ever we hope to be saved.
Thus also, our Saviour informeth us, who they are, whom God, his Father, loveth, and consequently, who shall be accepted of him to the Joys of Heaven, even he that hath my Commandments, and keepeth them: Joh. xiv.21. And he acquainteth us, in plain Terms, who they are, that shall have eternal Life, namely, his Sheep, who hear his Voice, and follow him. Joh. x.27. That is, those who live up to his Instructions, and follow his Example, or, in short, the obedient Christian. And farther, our blessed Lord lets us know, that it is an universal Obedience that is required of us, and that nothing short of this, or our sincere Endeavours after it, will be sufficient to denominate us real Christians, and entitle us to his Favour. Ye are my Friends, (said he,) if ye do whatsoever I command you. Joh. xv.14. Then, and not else, are ye my Friends, if ye are universally obedient; these are the Terms, by which you will manifest your Friendship to me, and upon which I will be your Friend, and admit you to partake of the Benefits of my Friendship; viz. if ye do whatsoever I command you. Hence Christ said to the young Man, who enquired of him, what good Thing shall I do, that I may have eternal Life? Matth. xix.17. If thou wilt enter into Life, keep the Commandments. As if he had said, This you ought to do, to be saved, keep the Commandments of God; you cannot possibly enter into Life, and be saved, without this.
The same Doctrine of Obedience, the Apostles of our Lord, every where, insisted upon; assuring of us, that, Gal. vi.15. In Christ, neither Circumcision, nor Uncircumcision, availeth any Thing, but a new Creature. That is, no Names, Forms, Modes, and Profession, of Religion, will give any Man a Right, and Title, to the Benefits of Christ's Incarnation, and Death, without his being a new Creature; or without such an inward Change in his Heart, and outward one in his Life, as carrieth in it an universal, (though not altogether perfect,) Obedience to the Will of God, made known to him. So the Apostle, in his Epistle to the Romans, informeth us, Rom. ii.6, 7. That God will render unto every Man, according to his Deeds; to them, who, by patient Continuance in the Way of Well-doing, seek for Glory, and Hono…r, and Immortality, Eternal Life. And that we may know for certain, that only those, who continue in the Way of Well-doing, shall finally enjoy eternal Life, while the Disobedient shall miss of Happiness, and have a miserable Portion assigned to them, he goeth on to say, v. 8, 9. But unto them who are contentious, and do not obey the Truth, but obey Unrighteousness; Indignation, and Wrath, Tribulation, and Anguish, upon every Soul of Man that doth Evil, of the Iew first, and also of the Gentile. So that none shall be saved, whether they be Iew, or Gentile, whether the Followers of Moses, or Jesus, but such as are careful to live in Obedience to the Will of God; these, and these only, shall enter into Life: whereas all such as do wickedly, whose Lives are a Contradiction to the Law of God, and Contempt of his rightful Authority, shall feel his righteous Displeasure, and melt away.
Wherever the Apostles of our Lord went, they constantly preached Religion, and Righteousness, and called upon Men to practise the great Duties of Piety, and Goodness, of Temperance, and Meekness, of Justice, and Mercy, of Brotherly-kindness, and Charity; Eph. iv.32. That ye be kind one to another, tender Hearted, forgiving one an other, even as God, for Christ's Sake, hath forgiven you. Thus, Tit. ii.11—13. The Grace of God, which bringeth Salvation, hath appeared unto all Men, teaching us, that, denying Ungodliness, and worldly Lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present World; looking for the blessed Hope, and glorious Appearing of the great God, and our Saviour, Iesus Christ. Thus, they require it of us, 2. Cor. vii.1. To perfect Holiness, in the Fear of God; Tit. iii.8. To be careful to maintain good Works; and in plain Words call upon us, Heb. xii.14. To follow Holiness, without which no Man shall see the Lord. And what can be clearer, and more determinate than those Words of Christ? Luk. xii.47. That Servant, which knew his Lord's Will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his Will, shall be beaten with many Stripes: and those of the Baptist, Matth. iii.10. Every Tree which bringeth not forth good Fruit, shall be hewn down, and cast into the Fire.
From these, and many other Passages of the holy Scriptures, i… is ver… evident, beyond all Contradiction, and without Room to doubt, or hesitate about it, that a holy, vertuous, religious Life, a Life conformable to the Divine Law, as the only sure Rule of our Walk, is absolutely necessary to a Sinner's being saved. And thus we see, from the whole Tenor of those holy Writings, both in General, and Particular, what it is that God indispensibly requireth of us, viz. that we forsake all our Sins, and lead holy Lives; and this sheweth us the absolute Necessity of Repentance, in all the main Parts of it, in order to a Sinner's being saved. And now,
2. Let us attend to the Voice of natural Reason, and Conscience, and this will plainly inform us, that it is absolutely, indispensibly, necessary to the Sinner's being saved, that he become a true Penitent. I do not say, that natural Reason is sufficient, of itself, to inform us, that the Sinner might be saved, upon his Repentance; because I do not know whether it would have been able to have discovered any Thing about Repentance, either the true Nature of it, or that Repentance would, by any Means, have rendered the Sinner acceptable unto God: for I know of nothing, which our Reason, alone, can conceive of, in the Nature of God, that can infer the Necessity, or Readiness, of the Divine Being to forgive a Criminal, upon his Sorrow for his past Offences, and his Care to be obedient for the future. This I am sure of, that our natural Reason would never have told us, what we now know to be the Divine Will, concerning sinful Man; it never would have discovered to us the Counsels of Peace, which the Gospel, alone, hath revealed to us, … …od's accepting the penitent Sinner, to Mercy …ith him, through the Merits of his incarnate Son. Bu… this I say, that our own Reason, since we have the Advantages of Revelation, can now most clearly see, that there is no Possibility of Salvation for any sinful Man, without Repentance. This will sufficiently appear from two Considerations, viz. The Purity of the Divine Nature, and the Nature of Salvation. Thus
1. Our own Reason assureth us, upon a due Consideration of the Holiness, and Purity of the Divine Nature, that the Repentance of the Sinner is absolutely necessary to his Salvation. Natural Reason might, probably, discover something of the Purity of the Divine Nature, and since it hath pleased God to give a more full Discovery, by Revelation, what an infinitely holy God he is, our natural Reason, and Conscience, readily subscribeth to the Scripture Account of the Divine Being, which the Prophet Habakkuk giveth us, in these Words, Hab. i.13. Thou art of purer Eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on Iniquity; and which the Psalmist setteth before us, when he says, Psal. v.4, 5. Thou art not a God that hast Pleasure in Wickedness, neither shall Evil dwell with thee; the foolish, (the wicked,) shall not stand in thy Sight; Thou hatest all the Workers of Iniquity. We are now sure, that God is as Holy, as he is Great; that he is at an infinite Remove from all Sin; that he is so far from being tainted with the least possible Degree of moral Evil, that he hateth it with a most perfect Hatred, wheresoever it is found, and cannot look upon it, but with utmost Detestation, and Abhorrence.
From whence it plainly followeth, that, supposing the Divine Majesty to be, as he truly is, infinitely good, and to be ever so ready, and disposed, from the Goodness of his Nature, to shew Kindness to his rational Creatures, who have transgressed his L…w, and rendered themselves obnoxi…us to his righteous Displeasure, I say, supposing all …, yet, there is an utter Impossibility, from the Purity of his Nature, that he should ever receive a guilty, polluted, Sinner into his Favour, and so save him, while he remaineth under the Power, and Dominion of Sin, and continueth to walk in a Course of Disobedience to the Divine Authority, and Law. Were God ever so really, and strongly, enclined to pardon the Sinner's Guilt, without any Considerations, but that of his own merciful Nature, yet, I humbly conceive, his Justice would put in an effectual Bar against such a Procedure; and until the Demands of Justice, upon the Criminal, are fully answered, the Door is shut upon Mercy, and there is no Way for it to reach to the Offender. So that the Sinner's Guilt, or the Obligations he lies under to suffer, seemeth to forbid the Purity of the Divine Nature, which is equally concerned for Justice, and the Rights of the Sovereign, as for Mercy to the miserable, from receiving a guilty Creature into Favour, until he is some Way or other purged from his Sin. But then, the Pollution, and Defilement of Sin, is such, that they evidently stand in direct Opposition to the Purity of the Divine Nature; and therefore, until the Sinner be cleansed from these, there is an utter Impossibility for an infinitely holy God to look upon him, with an Eye of Favour, and hold any Communion with him. Because this would be to blend Holiness, and Sin, the two greatest Contraries, together; which is more impossible than to incorporate Light, and Darkness. It is a Contradiction to the natural Notions we have of the Sovereignty, and Dominion of God, of his Equity, and Justice, as well as of his Holiness, and Purity, to imagine, that he will, or can, reward, with the Tokens of his Favour, the wilfully disobedient, impeniten…, Sinner. Because this would be to make the infinitely holy, and pure God, to become the Author, or, at le…st, the Encourager, and Abetier, of all Sin, and Wickedness; which would entirely overthrow his Dominion, and make void his Law, and be the most vile Prostitution of Justice, in clearing the Guilty: all of which are most contrary, and Abhorrent, to the Divine Nature, and Perfections.
Nay, farther; Let us take into our Consideration the clear Revelation of the abundant Grace of the Gospel, that God hath sent his dearly beloved Son into the World, for this very Purpose, to die for Sinners, that they, through him, might be saved; yet will not this Grace, in the least, take off from the Force of the Obligation, and Nec…ssity, the Sinner lies under to repent of his Sin…, and lead a Life of Obedience, in order to his being saved. For, if it could be supposed, that the holy God, for the Sake of the Death of his Son, would pardon the impenitent Sinner, and save them that go on in their Trespasses, what would this amount to? but, that the infinitely holy, and wise God would have been at the extraordinary Cost, and Pains, to send an extraordinary Person into the World, the dearest Object of his everlasting Love, of the most exemplary Holiness, to give us the most excellent, and holy Doctrines, and Precepts, and, at length, to lay down his very Life, and shed his most precious Blood, as an Offering, and Sacrifice, for Sin; and all to give the greatest En…ouragement to Mankind, to persist in their Rebellions against the God that made them, and take the most effectual Method, to banis… V…tue, and Holiness, and Obedience to the Divine Law, out of the World, and to turn this Earth into a very Hell of Wickedness! And can any Design be more co…radictory to itself, than this would be? Or could … Sett of Thoughts carry in it a more horrid▪ …nd …lasphemous, Imputation upon the Divine …, Counsels, and Administrations, tha… …his wor… do? If the Sinner is to be saved in his Sins, where, I beseech you, then, is the Holiness of God? Or what Occasion was there for the Incarnation, and Death, of the Son of God? Or, where is the Wisdom of God in this whole Design? And why might not sinning Angels come in for a Share in this Grace, and Favour of God, (if it may be called so,) as well as sinning Man, although they remain still but very Devils?
So that Reason, and Conscience, in any Measure attended to, do most fully assure us, from the Consideration of the Holiness, and Purity, of the Divine Nature, that the Repentance of the Sinner is absolutely necessary to his Salvation. Let these Things be, and abide with you.