Son's Days will I bring the Evil upon his Houfe.

This being the Occafion of thefe Words, and the State of Ahab's Cafe; I fhall from thence difcourfe unto you of thefe Three Heads.

I. The readiness of God, to take notice of and to fufpend his Judgments upon Men's prefent Humiliation of themselves before him. Seeft thou how Ahab humbleth himSelf before me? &c.

II. The Infufficiency of a partial and imperfect Humiliation; though it may mitigate or fufpend; yet it does not finally remove the Punishment.

III. The great Guilt of Injustice, Oppreffion, and Cruelty It defcends downward; entails a Curfe upon Pofterity. In his Sons Days will I bring the Evil upon his Houfe.

I begin with the Firft of thefe.

I. The readiness of God, to take notice of, and to fufpend his Judgments upon Men's prefent Humiliation of themfelves before him.

There is nothing more plain to any who read the Holy Scriptures with Understanding and Obfervation; than that the Methods and

Difpenfations of Divine Providence towards Sinners have all along carried with them intimations of his Willingness to fhew Mercy, and of his Averseness to Punishment; that whenever Men or Nations have been awakened out of their Sins, and truly humbled by his Threatnings, he fufpended or revoked the Sentence he had purpofed against them. The Example of the Old-World; the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrha; of Nineveh; of Jerufalem; of the whole Jewish Nation, are undeniable Teftimonies and everlafting Arguments of his unwearied Patience; And how loth he is to have recourse to the laft Remedies and Extremities of Juftice. And I think, I may lay it down, as a general Rule and Obfervation in this Matter, that God never threatened or fent a Judgment upon a Perfon or Place, but if they repented and humbled themselves before him he either deferred, or relaxed, or qualified, or quite removed it; proportionably to the Meafures and Degrees of their Repentance. And this Confideration will be of greater Ufe and Comfort to us, through the whole courfe of our Lives, when we have a little confidered thefe Two Things.

1. That Compaffion he naturally bears, and has always fhewn towards his Creatures. 2. The true End and Design of the Divine Punishments.

First, Let us confider that Compaffion he naturally bears, and has always fhewn towards his Creatures. The Divine Nature is always described to us in Scripture, as made up of the most kin and tender Affections; fuch as lead him forth to confult the Happiness, and to take all Occafions of doing Good to the Sons of Men. He is the Lord, the Lord Ex. 34.6. Merciful and Gracious; Long-fuffering, abun dant in Mercy and Truth, fays Mofes. Thou Pl. 86. 5. Lord art Good and Gracious; and of great Jonah 4.2. Kindness to all that call upon thee, fays David. I know, lays fonab, that thou art a gracious God, and Merciful, and repentest thee of the Evil. Mic. 7.18. And the Prophet Micah, Who is a God like unto thee? that takeft away Iniquity: He retaineth not his Wrath for ever, because Mercy pleafeth him. And all along the Prophetical Writings; how is his Nature reprefented as yielding, and melting, and pitying, and forrowing for the Follies of Men? His Compaffions yerning; his Repentings kindling together his Mercy ftruggling and contending with his Juftice: Ob Ephraim! What fall 1 do unto thee? Oh Judab! How fball I intreat thee? And when his Juftice was upon the Point of discharging it felf; how vehemently does he call upon his Prophets to find out fome that might intercede and attone for the reft? Run ye too and fro through the Streets of Ferufalem, and feek if ye can find a Man, but one that executeth Judgment that feeketh the Truth; and I will pardon it. And

Jer. 5. 1.

he

10. II.

he thus complains, and expoftulates by the Prophet Amos. I brought you up out of the Land Amos. 2. of Egypt, and led you Forty Tears through the Wilderness. And I raised up of your Sons for Prophets; and of your young Men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O Houfe of Ifrael? But ye gave the Nazarites Wine to drink, and commanded the Prophets, faying, Prophefie not. Behold, I am prelled under you, as a Cart is preffed that is full of Sheaves. So compaffionate, fo prone is our God to Mercy and Pardon!

Ifa. I. 4

But on the other Hand; Vengeance cometh from him heavily, and with a very flow Pace not without a Note and Interjection of the deepest Sorrow. Ab! Sinful Nation! a People laden with Iniquity! and again. Ah! I muft; I fee I muft; for you will take no Warning: I will eafe me of my Adverfaries; and be v.24. avenged of my Enemies. And if God was

thus prone and inclineable to Mercy; and fo averse from Punishment, under the Jewish Dif penfation (upon Men's Repentance) how much more is he fo, under the Chriftian?

And indeed, one great Defign of the Chriftian Dispensation was to defcribe the Nature of Repentance, and to explain the Terms of our Acceptance and Pardon with God more clearly. These are fo plainly delivered, and fo often in the New-Teftament; that I think there is no Sect of Chriftians that denies, but Repentance towards God and Faith towards our Lord Jefus Chrift, are now the Conditi ons of Life and Pardon.

'Tis true, the Doctrine of Repentance is miferably perverted by fome, and that of Faith by others: But what Remedy is there againft the Miftakes or the Paffions of Men? The Scripture does not only require Repentance and Faith; but it plainly defcribes the Nature of both. That by Repentance we are to understand a new Nature and a new Life; and by Faith a Reliance upon the Mercy of God, through the Merits and Interceffion of Jefus Chrift. Heaven lies open to all that perform thefe Conditions. The Gofpel every where abounds with Teftimonies to confirm this: This is the Subftance of Chrift's Commiffion to his Apoftles, that they should preach Repentance and Remiffion of Sins, through his Name to all Nations.

And this is one bleffed Advantage which revealed Religion, (efpecially the Chriftian) has above Natural; that it contains an exprefs Declaration of the Divine Will concerning the Pardon of all Sin whatfoever upon thefe Terms. Natural Religion indeed teaches us that God is merciful; but it teaches us that he is Juft too And it can never affure us what Bounds God will fet to the Exercife of the one or the other; when Juftice fhall take Place, and when Mercy; what Sins are, and what are not capa ble of the Benefit of Sacrifice and Repentance. And this Uncertainty [confidering the manifold Frailties, and Sins of the best Life] was ever naturally apt to beget Jealoufies and Difpondencies, and fometimes a fuperftitious Dread

of