The Mystery of the Gospel in Salvation, Sermon 16
SERMON XVI.
ACTS XVI.30.
And said, Sirs, What must I do to be saved?
I Endeavoured, in the Morning, to shew you the absolute Necessity of Repentance, from the express Language of the sacred Scriptures, both in general Terms, and with regard to the particular Branches of this Duty; and the Voice of Reason demandeth this at our Hands, if we consider the Purity of the Divine Nature. I proceed to argue,
2. If we consider the Nature of Salvation, our own Reason will assure us, there can be no Possibility of a Sinner's enjoying of it, without Repentance, preparing of him for it. I have, in the Beginning of these Discourses, sufficiently shewed, that Men will exist in another State, and World, when they depart from hence; and I only now take it for granted, that as the Man leaveth this World, so he will be in the next; as the Tree falleth so it will …; there will be no altering of the Temper, and Disposition, of the Man, from sinful, and vicious, to vertuous, and holy, after the State of Probation is ended with him; but the Man will remain forever, in that World he passeth into, either a good, and vertuous, or a bad, and wicked Man, as he was at the Time when he left this World; saving only, that his vertuous, or vicious, Disposition will advance to greater Degrees, in it's Kind, and a more fixed, and unalterable, Temper of Mind. If, indeed, the Man should alter from bad, to good, after he leaveth this World, it is plain, he would then become a true Penitent. But I suppose him to remain in his Impenitency; and if he does so, then our Reason telleth us, that, upon this Supposition, he cannot possibly be saved.
For, let us consider wherein the Salvation of a Sinner consisteth, and see whether, he that remaineth in his Impenitency, can possibly enjoy it, while he continueth in that Condition.
I have, formerly, shewed you, that the Salvation of the Sinner consisteth, in Part, in a Deliverance from all that Evil, both of Sin, and Punishment, which the Soul of the Sinner is more specially subject unto. But now, it is very evident, that the impenitent Sinner is not saved from the Evil of Sin, which is the worst of Evils, and the procuring Cause of all other. For he is Impenitent; that is, he continueth in Sin, under the Power, and Dominion, of it: and how great an Evil soever Sin may be, in the Defilement, and Blemish, the Disorder, and Confusion, the mean Vassa…ge, and Slavery, brought upon the Soul by it, yet all of this remaineth upon the impenitent Sinner; he that is unholy, will be unholy still: so that, in this Regard, he is not, nor can he be saved: unless, to be sinful, and holy, regular, and irregular, a Slave, and free, mean the same Thing.
Nor can he possibly be saved from the Evil of Punishment, without Repentance. For, besides that the Justice of God standeth ready armed against the Sinner, while he remaineth in his Sins, and continues to act contrary to that which is holy, just, and good, yea, though there should be no Degree of Misery inflicted upon him, from the more immediate Hand of a terrible God, when he passes into the other World, yet, his own Conscience will then fly in his Face, and, whether he will, or no, will be his continual Tormentor. When the Man shall be uncloathed of Flesh, and Sense, there will be none of those Objects, which here give a Diversion to the Mind, and hinder for the present, it's close Reflections, to interrupt the Mind from taking a View of her own Conduct; and then the Conscience of the Sinner, which is privy to all his Actions will be filled with dreadful Apprehensions of the base, and mean part she has acted, how much below, and unbecoming her rational Nature her Conduct has been, and what a State of Purity, and Peace, and Happiness, she has lost by her own Folly; and the severe Reproaches of Conscience, in the Prospect hereof, will be a Worm, within the Breast of the Man, that never dyeth, a Fire that never goeth out, and will render him truly miserable, and forever so. For he cannot get rid of himself, who then will become his own worst Enemy.
I have also formerly shewed you, that to be saved is, to possess all that positive Good which the Soul standeth in need of. And, without taking Notice of the present spiritual Good which the Soul wanteth, which is utterly inconsistent with a State of Impenitency, let us consider the future Good it wanteth, in the coming World; (that is to say, the Happiness of the heavenly World;) and it will plainly appear, from the Force of natural Reason, that the Sinner cannot possibly be saved, without altering his Temper and becoming a real Penitent.
For, the inward Principle of Rebellion, and Hatred of God, and Goodness, which sways the Soul of the Impenitent, in all his Acts of Sin, ut…erly incapacitates him to partake of the Blessedness of the heavenly State, if there were no Law of God to forbid it to him. The Society, the Enjoyments, the Employments, of that pure, and happy World, in which the substantial Felicity of Heaven consisteth, would, of all Things, be the greatest Aversion of the polluted unholy Soul; because, what, of all Things, he is most unlike to, and at the greatest moral Distance from. So that, if it were possible, for the …atifick Vision to open, in it's full Lustre, before him, and for the impure Soul, to be encircled with all the Glories which flow from thence, it would be so far from rendering of him compleatly happy, that it would become his greatest Torment, and give him the highest Uneasiness; because, it would …e a confining of him to what is most contrary to his very Nature, and prevailing Inclination, and therefore would be a greater Burden to him, than for a living Man to be chained to a dead Carcase. The impenitent Sinner could not possibly attend the holy, and pure, Services of Heaven, but would …y from them, as having no Principle of Holiness in him to render them entertaining to him: nor could he participate in the Enjoyments of Heaven, because there could be no Agreement between Persons, and Things, whose Natures are so directly opposite. So that the Enjoyment of God, and Heaven, were the Thing possible, would be no Happiness to the Sinner; and it is utterly impossible he should enjoy them, from the Inconsistency of his impure Nature, with the holy Nature of the Divine Being, and the Retinue of his Court; which rendereth it absolutely impossible that any Sinner should be saved, without Repentance.
Thus we see, both, from the sacred Scriptures, the declared Will, and Law of the great God, and, from the Reason, and Nature of Things, the pure, and holy, Nature of God, and the Essence, and Constitution, of that Salvation which is proposed to us, the absolute Necessity there is, that the perishing Sinner should repent of, and forsake, his Sins, and lead a new, and holy Life, in Obedience to the Commands of God, in order to his being saved. Hence it is, that Repentance is called, Acts xi.18. Repentance unto Life; and, 2 Cor. vii.10. Repentance unto Salvation; because it is the Means leading to them, and there can be no Life, and Salvation, for a poor Sinner, without it. Having thus made good the second Head, I now proceed to the third Thing proposed, viz.
III. To consider what the perishing Sinner must do to obtain this Repentance unto Salvation. We have seen what Repentance is, and the absolute Necessity of it; but, in very Deed, can the poor, languishing, dying Sinner, thus repent of his Sins, of himself, that he is so often called upon to repent? Can he hate, and forsake, the Sins, which are so delightsome to him; and love, and practise, the Holiness, which he is so averse to; and this, by his own Strength, the Force of his Free Will, and the Power which now belongeth to him, as such a Creature as he is? No; verily, I have shewed, under a former Head, that, as the Sinner has nothing of Merit to deserve Salvation, so neither has he sufficient Strength, of his own, to work out his Salvation; and therefore he is not able, of himself, to become a true Penitent.
But then is the Sinner a mere Machine, and wrought upon only by external Force, and Violence? No, surely; he is a rational Agent, and God dealeth with him as such; and therefore there are some Things he must do, to obtain Repentance unto Salvation. For, though God can, if he please, suddenly change the Heart of a Sinner, without his being at the Trouble to do any one Thing, to bring forward so great, and good, a Work; yet, according to the Gospel Dispensation, where the ordinary Means of Grace are enjoyed, it pleaseth the Divine Majesty to accomplish his Designs of Mercy, in this Way, of the Sinner's diligent Improvement of those Means, which he hath appointed for the designed End. Though God hath not bound himself to the Use of Means, but can work without them, when he pleaseth, yet he has tied us to the Use of Means, nor can we expect Success in any of our Concerns without it. Since God has been pleased to appoint, and direct to, Means, to bring the Sinner to Repentance, if, therefore, he will but seriously, and diligently, attend upon those Means, he may comfortably hope for the Divine Blessing, to accompany his Endeavours, and render them effectual to bring him to a thorow Repentance, and finally to Salvation. Accordingly, I shall briefly name some Things, which every Sinner can do, and which he must do, as ever he would hope to be saved.
1. He must seriously weigh, in his own Mind, and deeply affect himself with the Sense of, the evil Nature of Sin, and his own Sinfulness. To find out the Disease is half the Cure. To be truly sensible of the Evil of Sin, and our own Sinfulness, will go a great Way to promote our Repentance. For it cannot be, but that a rational Agent will be at some Pains to shun, what is hurtful to him, when he has the certain, and present, Knowledge of it. Now, this lieth within the Sinner's Reach; his rational Nature capacitates him to take a View of Sin, both in the Nature, and in the Effects of it, that by a certain, and present, Perception, what an Evil Sin is in itself, and how hurtful unto him, he may be excited to fly from, and avoid it. But, alass! the great Unhappiness is, that, for want of thinking, the Sinner does not discern the Evil of Sin, nor see the Detriment which it doth to him; he feeleth himself some Way gratified by it, and, from thence, draws up too hasty a Conclusion, that it is good for him, and therefore makes light of all Cautions, and Warnings, against it; and he fancies it would be a greater Evil to him, to deny himself of any of the present Gratifications of Sense, than to give Way to them.
If therefore the Sinner would come to Repentance, that he may be saved, he must be at some Pains, more thorowly to examine the Nature of Sin, and weigh in his own Mind, what a vile, base, and disingenuous, Thing it is, how contrary unto all Right, and Equity, and repugnant to our own Reason; that every Sin, more directly against God, is not only Disobedience to our rightful Sovereign, but base Ingratitude to our best Friend, to whom we are beholden for our very Being, and all the Comforts of it; that every Sin, more immediately against our Neighbour, is not only a violating the Law of God, but an abuseful Injury done to our Fellow-Creature, and a not doing to others, as we would they should do unto us.
And the Sinner must weigh in his Mind, what will be the Issue, the Fruit, and Rewards, of his Sins, if persisted in; even nothing short of Death, and Damnation, and that forever; to inherit devouring Fire, to dwell with everlasting Burnings, to lie down in Fire and Brimstone, in Hell, throughout eternal Ages. A most dreadful Issue indeed!
He must also seriously bethink himself, what a great Sinner he has been, in how many Things he has offended, in Thought, in Word, and in Deed, from his Youth up; and how aggravated his Transgressions have been; and what a Monster of Wickedness, and Ingratitude, what a Child of the Devil, and Spawn of Hell, his Sins have rendered him.
And it is not enough that he some Times casteth an Eye upon these Things, and vieweth them as at a Distance, which maketh no Impression upon him, but he must bring these Thoughts home, and close, to himself, and deeply affect himself with them, and endeavour to keep them present with him, that he may see, and feel, what an Offence Sin is unto God, and how dreadfully injurious it is unto himself; that, being thorowly apprehensive of the exceeding Sinfulness of Sin, his Heart may be pricked within him, and he may be sensible of the dismal Smart, and Pain of it; and thus may be grieved for his past Sins, and be excited to a prudent Care to shun all Sin, for the Time to come. Thus saith the Prophet, Jer. ii.19. Thy own Wickedness shall correct thee, and thy Backslidings shall reprove thee; know, therefore, and see, that it is an evil Thing, and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord, thy God, and that my Fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of Host.
2. The Sinner must fixedly resolve against all Sin, and to lead a Life of holy Obedience, for the Time to come. Fixed Resolutions will enable a Man to overcome many Difficulties, which he was ready, at the first View of them, to look upon as insuperable: this carries the hardy Soldier through the Toils of the War, and helpeth him to master the Hardships, and overcome the Dangers, he is called to encounter with. And so will it assist the Sinner, in his Conflict with his Corruptions, and Lusts, and mig…ily enable him to beat down his spiritual Enem…es; whereas the Want of this will render him, who has some Thoughts of altering his present sinful Conduct, but an easy Prey to every Temptation.
And this also, in some Measure, lieth within the Sinner's Power. He is capable of resolving, against that which he sees, and knoweth to be Evil, and hurtful to him, and to do that which he knoweth to be Good, and profitable, to him. For the Will of a rational Agent is ever determined by the present Discernment of the Understanding; that is, it chooseth that which, all Circumstances considered, it apprehendeth to be best, and refuseth that which it seeth, or supposeth, to be worst for the Man. And, therefore, when the Understanding, upon the present View of Things, hath judged such, or such a Thing to be bad, and really to our Hurt, and Damage, the Will resolveth against that Thing; and tho' the present Resolution of the Will may be superceded, either by some Circumstances afterward presenting the same Object as Good, or, through some Prepossession of the Affections, or, through Inadvertency, and want of calling to Mind the Evil which we formerly saw in the Thing resolved against, (which is very much the Case of those Sinners who break through their former Purposes,) yet, when the Understanding has taken a thorow View of Things, and has a clear Discernment of the Nature, and Consequents, of them, and the Will has passed a fixed, and resolute, Determination concerning them, it will not be easy to alter such Resolutions.
Thus the Sinner, from the plain Conviction which he has of the Evil of Sin, in the odious Nature, and terrible Consequents, of it, must pass it into the fixed, and setled, Determination of his Will, to have nothing more to do with the unfruitful Works of Darkness, but say, as Elihu expressed it, Job xxxiv.31, 32. Surely it is meet to be said unto God,—I will not offend any more; if I have done Iniquity, I will do no more. And, inasmuch as a Man will not always have Opportunity to go thro' an exact Examination, and comparing of Things, in order to form a present Judgment, therefore it will be fitting for him, when, upon a more setled, and thorow, Search, he has truly discovered Sin to be the worst of Evils, to resolve that he will have nothing more to do with it, upon any Consideration whatsoever, and to make this fixed Resolution the Rule of his Walk, and Actions, for the future. And, being convinced of the Beauty of Holiness, the Wisdom of Religion, and the Advantage of devoting himself, to the Service of God, he should come to a fixed Resolution with himself, to walk in all the Ordinances, and Commandments of the Lord blameless, and that whatever he shall discover to be the Divine Will concerning him, he will endeavour a ready, chearful, and exact, Obedience, and Submission, thereto, as his present, and perpetual, Duty, and Interest; and say with the Psalmist, Psal. cxix.106. I have sworn, and will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous Iudgments.
But then, let him remember to take up these Resolutions, not merely in his own Strength, but in the Name of Christ, looking to, and depending upon, him, for Power to keep them; and immediately, without deferring it, put his Resolutions into Practice.
3. The Sinner must watch, and strive, against all Temptations to Sin, and to the Performance of his Duty. He that designeth to alter, and change, the Course of his Life, from vicious, to vertuous, must expect to meet with many Temptations, and Impediments; and his Resolutions will be but of little significancy to him, nor will he be able to make them good, unless he will be at some Pains with himself, to guard against whatever would be an Hindrance to him, and to improve whatever would tend to further him, in the Performance of them. Resolutions are to no Purpose, unless they are reduced to Practice. And how shall he be able to practise, as he has resolved, who neglecteth the Means to fulfil his Engagements? Surely, no Man will say, that the Sinner hath not Power to be upon his Guard, against what he apprehendeth to be hurtful to him, or to exert himself, and improve the Advantages he may have, to the Performance of what he seeth to be good for him.
The Sinner, therefore, must watch over the corrupt Workings of his own Heart, that, if possible, he may spie out his Danger from that Quarter, and may sti…le, and suppress, the first Motions, and Stirrings, of Sin, in him; and he must watch against the Snares, and Temptations, of a false, and deluding World, and against the Suggestions, of a busy, and malicious Devil; that he may not be diverted from his Purposes, and be drawn into that which would be hurtful to him. Hence is that Apostolical Direction, 2 Pet. v.8. Be sober, be vigilant, because your Adversary, the Devil, as a roaring Lyon, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
And he must strive, as well as watch, laying himself out, in the Improvement of his Reason, and the Motives the Word of God furnisheth him withal, to resist the wicked one, and to master the various Temptations that assault him: he must so fight, not as one that beateth the Air, but endeavour, by all Means, to keep under his Body, and bring it into Subjection; 1 Cor. ix.26, 27. And be careful not heedlesly, or wilfully, to give Way to Temptations; and, as much as may be, shun the Company, the Places, the Occasions, by which he was, heretofore, and may be again, overcome, and drawn into Sin.
He must also watch, and strive, for the Performance of his Duty; he must embrace the Opportunities, and improve the Seasons, Occasions, and Advantages, he may have, to attend upon the Duties of Religion, and to exercise Justice, and Charity. Hence is that of our Saviour, Matth. xi.12. From the Days of Iohn the Baptist, until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth Violence; and the violent take it by Force. There must be a sort of holy Violence used to take Heaven, a Violence upon ourselves, in the mastering of our fleshly Appetites; and a Violence in resisting Temptations, that we may beat down all Opposition, in our Way thither; and a Violence in our Endeavours to run in the Race set before us, that we may obtain the Prize.
4. The Sinner must earnestly pray to God to give him Repentance unto Salvation. The Sinner, 'tis true, cannot thorowly repent of himself, and change his own Heart, and Life; all his Consideration, Resolution, Watchfulness, and Strivings, alone, will not be sufficient to make a real Penitent of him: but God is able, by his almighty Spirit, and Grace, to convert, and change him, and form him a new, in Christ Jesus, unto good Works. Therefore Repentance is called the Gift of God; Act. xi.18. God granted unto the Gentiles Repentance unto Life: 2 Tim. ii.25. God giveth Repentance to the Acknowledgment of the Truth. And since Repentance is among the peculiar Works, and Gifts, of God, therefore the great Business of the Sinner is, humbly, and earnestly, to ask this Gift of God. For certainly, this the Sinner can do; he has the Power of Reason, and Speech, and can put up a Prayer to God, as he can make a Petition to Man: and he that will not be at the Pains to ask this heavenly Gift, when his own Salvation is dependent upon it, will be left, deservedly, to go without it, and so miss of the Salvation of his Soul.
This, then, is what the Sinner has to do, to be in Earnest, and importunate in Prayer to God, daily, to create in him a clean Heart, and renew a right Spirit within him; to cry, with the Leper, Matth. viii.2. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst, make me clean. He must make it his fervent, and daily, Prayer to the God of all Grace, that, by the Spirit, he may be enabled to mortify the Deeds of the Body; that the old Man may be crucified, and the Body of Sin may be destroyed, that he may not hence forth serve Sin; that he may be assisted in his Conflict with all the Enemies of his Salvation, that, being strengthened with Might in his inner Man, he may, finally, come off a Conqueror, and more than a Conqueror, through him that hath loved him. He must sincerely, and daily, pray to God, to enlarge his Heart, that he may run in the Way of the Divine Commandments; to make his Heart sound in the Statutes of God, that he may not be ashamed; and effectually to turn him from Darkness, to Light, and from the Power of Satan unto God.
To encourage the poor Sinner, in his daily, and important Requests, at the Throne of Grace, for Mercy, God has been pleased, most graciously, to condescend to our Weakness, and in his most tender Compassion to us, declared, that he is more ready to give his Holy Spirit, unto them that ask it, than any earthly Parent is to give the Necessaries of the present Life, which lie within his Power, to his beseeching Children. For thus He hath assured us, Luk. xi.13. If ye, being evil, know how to give good Gifts unto your Children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit unto them that ask him. In this Way, let every Sinner do his best to obtain Repentance unto Salvation, and I verily perswade myself that none, who do so, shall miss of the heavenly Gift.
I shall now make some Improvement of what has been said, and so conclude this Third general Head under the Doctrine.
USE. 1. From what has been said, we may clearly see the wonderful Grace, and Wisdom, of God, displayed in this Method of the Sinner's Salvation. What wonders of Grace open to us, when we consider how ready, and willing, the Lord is, to receive a poor, vile, polluted, Creature to Mercy, through the Atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, upon his unfeigned Repentance? It is great Condescention, and Grace, in God, that he should be willing to pardon, and save, a rebel Creature, upon any Terms, though they should have been ever so hard, and difficult, for him to perform; but how astonishing is the Grace of our God, that he only saith to the Sinner, Wash, and be clean! that he is ready to accept the Sinner into his Favour, upon his leaving off his Rebellions, and Endeavour to be hearty, and steady, in his Obedience, for the future!
And how apparently is the Divine Wisdom manifested herein? That when God, in his tender Mercy, provided for the Salvation of a perishing Sinner, he did it in such a Way, as forever maintains the Rights of his Sovereignty, the Honour of his Law, and his most strict Regards to Vertue, and Holiness; and therefore has made it absolutely necessary, that he, who would partake of his pardoning Mercy, should repent, and forsake his Sins, and lead an holy Life, or he cannot be saved. Thus, Eph. ii.4, 5, 7. and iii.10. God, who is rich is Mercy, — even when we were dead in Sins, hath quickened us; — that he might shew the exceeding Riches of his Grace, — to the Intent, — might be known, by the Church, the manifold Wisdom of God.
2. From hence we learn, how vain are all the Hopes of Salvation for any Sinner, unless he forsake his Sins, and lead an holy Life. We have seen, that Repentance is what God does, in the most plain, and full, and positive, Terms, require of Sinners, as absolutely, and indispensibly, necessary to Salvation; vain is it then for any Sinner to imagine that, possibly, he may be saved, and get to Heaven, while he continueth in his Sins unrepented of. Be not deceived; if ever, O Sinner! thou wouldest entertain any good Hope of arriving safe at the happy Mansions above, when you leave this World, you must become a true Penitent. Can any Thing be plainer than this? Rev. xxi.27. There shall in no wise enter into it, (into Heaven,) any Thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh Abomination, or maketh a Lye. And is there, then, the least Room for any Man to hope to go to Heaven, with his Sins about him? The Word of God, and his own Temper, absolutely forbid it.
It is not, O Sinner! because thou makest a Profession of the Christian Religion; it is not because thou attendest upon the external Duties of Religion; it is not because thou enjoyest the outward Priviledges of the Disciples of Jesus; it is not because many of thy Neighbours, and thy Minister, may think well of thee; that thou shall at last be saved: None of these Things will carry thee to Heaven. If thou doest not leave off thy Sins; if thou doest not forsake thy vicious Curses, thy Profaneness, and Sabbath Breaking, thy Coursing, and Swearing, thy Intemperance, and Drunkenness, thy Unrighteousness, Falshood, and Lying, thy Lewdness, and Debauchery, thy Pride, and Avarice, thy sinful Anger, Wrath, Malice, Revenge, and the like; it thou art not careful, and industrious, to observe all the Commandments of God, and doest not make Conscience of walking before him in Holiness, and Righteousness, all the Days of thy Life; thou canst never be saved. All thy Prayers, and Cries, and Tears, all thy Sorrow, and M…rning, yea, and all thy Faith, and Dependance, will do thee no … good, without an Alteration, and Change, of … Heart, and Life, from the Love, and Practice of Sin, to the Love, and Practice of Holiness. Nay; There is none on Earth, or in Heaven, that can save thee, without Repentance. For the Hypocrite's Hope shall perish. Job. viii.13.
3. Hence learn, how trifling all Excuses are, for a Continuance in Sin, and Neglect of Duty. God does most positively insist upon Repentance, the forsaking of all known Sin, and the Performance of every known Duty, as we have Opportunity, as the Condition, and Terms, upon which, for the Sake of the Merits of his dear Son, he will finally save the Sinner. How trifling is it then, for any to think to have themselves excused, in the Commission of this, and the other, Sin, because of their natural Temper, and Inclination, or the Custom of themselves, and others, leading them into it? Oughtest thou not, in Obedience to a positive Command of God, by a sincere Repentance, to subdue, and mortify, thy own vicious Disposition, and stem the Current of thy own evil Manners, and the sinful Customs of the World around thee? How vain, and trifling, is it for thee to suppose, that thou shalt be excused in thy Neglect of one Duty, because of thy careful Attendance upon an other? Or, that thy Tything of Mint, Anise, and Cummin, will atone for thy Neglect of the weightier Matters of the Law, Judgment, Mercy and Faith? How frivolous will all thy Pleas be, for the Neglect of any known Duty, fetched, either from a vicious Modesty, and false Shame, or from the Difficulty of denying thyself, and forgiving thine Enem…es, and repairing the Injuries thou mayest have done unto others? What are all these Excuses, and all that thou canst make, when set in Competition with a positive Command of God? Yea, are these Excuses any Ways fit to be laid in the Ballance, against the Salvation of thy own Soul? Or, wilt thou have the Face to plead them, think you, in the Day, when thou shalt appear before the tremendous Judgment Seat of Christ? Verily, then, thou wilt be speechless, Matth. xxii.12.4.
4. Fourthly, and I have done; Let us all be perswaded to come up to the Terms of Repentance, which we see so absolutely necessary to our Salvation. We cannot possibly be saved without Repentance: and is not our own Salvation worth regarding, and striving for? Is it not highly reasonable, and fitting, that we should be mostly concerned, for that which is our main Interest, as well as great Duty? Doth not God, and Nature, tell us, we must forsake all our Sins, and be obedient, that it may go well with us forever? If we repent of our Sins, the merciful God will certainly, for the Sake of the Merits of Jesus Christ, forgive … all our Sins, and cleanse us from all Unrighteousness: He will save us from the Punishment of our Sins, and make us the Heirs of everlasting Salvation.
I know, very well, that Repentance is an hard, and difficult Work; and that which maketh it to be so is, the corrupt Bias of our depraved Nature, and the Sinner's having a long while accustomed himself to do Evil. So great is the Difficulty of overcoming, vicious Habits, and Dispositions, which become fixed by repeated Acts, and long Custom, that the Prophet said upon it, Jer. xiii.23. Can the Ethiopian change his Skin? or the Leopard his Spots? then may ye, that are accustomed to do Evil, learn to do well. This, indeed, is a very good Reason, why they, who are yet in their Youth, should betimes set themselves to the great Work of Repentance, that it may be so much the easier for them to live vertuously; because, as yet, a long addicting of themselves to that which is Evil, has not so fixed the Habits of Vice, as to render it next to impossible for them to alter them.
But however, hard, and difficult, as it is, yet Repentance is absolutely necessary; and the indispensible Necessity of it, one would think, should be sufficient to put every Man upon Endeavours to surmount all Difficulties: for that which is absolutely necessary, must be done, let the Difficulty be what it will. Through the Mercy of God, it is not Impossible to the greatest, and the oldest, Sinner, now, at last, truly to repent of his evil Deeds, and turn unto the Lord his God. The greatest Difficulty lieth in the first Attempt, in the first Beginnings of a vertuous Life. If Sinners would but apply themselves, in good Earnest, to this necessary Work, they would find, by the Grace of God, who is ever ready to assist the willing, that they might, by Degrees, conquer their most stubborn vicious Appetites, and Habits, and be brought to lead Lives of holy Obedience to the Divine Commandments. And when once they have made some good Entrance into the Way of Holiness, it would then become more easy, pleasant, and delightful, to them to walk therein; and their Path, like that of the Just, would shine more, and more, unto the perfect Day. Therefore our blessed Lord has assured us, Matth. xi.30. His Yoke is easy, and his Burden is light. When once the Sinner has got the Mastery over his Corruptions, though but a partial one, (which only is to be expected in this Life,) he would then have the Pleasure of acting, as becometh a rational, and wise Agent, so as to preserve his Innocency, and be victorious over what has been truly hurtful to him. It was an Observation of Mon. St. Everemont, *Vol. 3. P. 177.There is a secret Pleasure in detesting what has displeased us. To be sure this will hold good in true Repentance; and the Pleasure of hating our Sins, which have done us the greatest Injury, will greatly make Amends for all the Difficulty we have been put to in subduing of them.
Well then; Let every Sinner be in good Earnest in his Endeavours to put off the old Man, and put on the new Man, striving for the Mastery, that, if by any Means, he may avoid the Paths of Death, and lay hold on eternal Life. Consider the present Shame, and Unprofitableness of Sin, and the future Issue of a wicked Life; look back upon your past Experiences, and look forward, to the End of Things, and say now, Rom. vi.21. What Fruit had ye, in those Things, whereof ye are now ashamed? for the End of these Things is Death.
And think seriously, what it cost the incarnate Son of God, to buy off the Punishment of Sin. View Sin in the Light of the Sufferings of Christ. What Poverty, and Meanness did he submit to? What Shame, Reproach, and Contempt, was poured upon him? What Pains in his Body, and Anguish in his Mind, did he endure? What an horrid, and bloody, Death, did he undergo? How did he bear the Insults of Men, the Rage of Devils, and the Hidings of his Father's Face? in the Day when God laid upon him the Iniquity of us all. Look, now, upon Christ, whom your Sins have pierced, and mourn. Zech. xii.10. And especially, when Christ is evidently set forth, before your Eyes, as crucified, at his holy Table, let it put you upon feeding upon this Christian Passover with bitter Herbs. Let the Sight of the suffering Jesus, at once, convince you of the infinite Evil of Sin, and fire you with the greatest Indignation against it, and quicken your Endeavours to be the Death of that which has slain the …ord of Life, and Glory. 1 Pet. iv.1, 2. For as much as Christ hath suffered in the Flesh, arm yourselves with the same Mind: for he that hath suffered in the F…e…h hath ceased from Sin, that he no longer should liv… the rest of his Time, to the Lusts of Men, but to the Will of God.
And let none abuse the Grace of God, in his Re…diness to receive the returning Sinner to Mercy, and encourage themselves in Sin, for the present, upon Presumption to repent some Time hereafter. What Name can be bad enough for such vile Baseness, and black Ingratitude, as so to turn the Grace of God into Wantonness? Shall we continue in Sin, that Grace may abound? God forbid! said the Apostle, Rom. vi.1, 2. with the greatest Indignation, and Abhorrence. No; let us all, rather, take the Encouragement that is given us, and because the God of Israel is a merciful God, ready to pardon Iniquity, Transgression, and Sin, therefore now, immediately, without Delay, set ourselves, in good Earnest, about the great and necessary, Work of Repentance, and, as with Ropes about our Necks, with the deepest Humiliation, and sincere Acknowledgements of our past Transgressions, and our utter Unworthiness of the least Mercy from him, let us return unto the Lord our God, from whom we have revolted by our Iniquities. Let us all now see, that there is no Evil so great as Sin is; and strengthen our Resolutions, and be more strict upon our Watch, and diligent in our Endeavours, and fervent in our P…yers, for the Time to come, against our Corruptions. And though we cannot attain unto perfect Holiness, in this Life, yet let us press after it, as far as we can, striving for the Victory over our Lusts, and Passions, and labouring to conform ourselves to every Command of God; that the Remainder of our Days may be spent in the Service of our Maker, and our Judge: then shall we …e of the happy Number that order their Conversation aright, and shall see the Salvation of God. For thus saith the Apostle, with whose Words I now conclude, Rom. vi.22. But now being made free from Sin, and become Servants unto God, ye have your Fruit unto Holiness, and the End everlasting Life.