of God, But now we have the fulleft Affurance, that if we do fincerely believe and repent, our Sins will be pardoned. And though Men do often deceive themselves in this Matter, and entertain a more favourable Opinion of their State than they ought; yet this proceeds from too partial and fuperficial Reflections upon their Heart and Actions. And therefore the Apostle teaches us plainly how to correct that flattering and dangerous Error, viz. by a fincere and diligent Search into our felves. For if a Man think himself to be fomething, Gal. 6.3.4when he is nothing, be deceiveth himself; but let every Man prove bis own Work, and then fhall be have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. But

2 dly, Let us confider further in this Matter, the, true End and Defign of the Divine Punifhments; which doubtlefs are fent forth for Reformation, and not for Deftruction. It is not our Ruin God aims at in thefe; for what Profit is there in our Blood, when we down to the Pit ? He is too great, too merciful a go Being, to delight in Revenge and Cruelty: He hath declared, he hath folemnly fworn, that he hath no Pleafure in the Death of Sin Ez. 18.32 ners; but that they should repent and live.

It is reported concerning the Antient Romans; (not only a Warlike, but a Wife and Politick People) that before they engaged in War against their Neighbour Nations, they were wont first to iffue out a publick Manifefto or Proclamation of their Defign; to the End, all

who

who would come in and fubmit to the Pow er of their Arms, might receive the Benefit of their Protection, and be accounted amongst their Confederates and Allies. Upon the ve ry fame Errand doth God fend forth his Judgments into the World; they are his Manifefto's and Proclamations to Men; not to deprive them of the Hopes of Mercy; but to prevent their Ruin by Repentance, and a timely coming over to him. This Mofes declares to have been the End of all his Chaftifements upon the Children of Ifrael, in their long Travels and Pilgrimages through the Wildernesses; and all the Difficulties and Hazards they were Deut. 8. engaged upon, for the Space of Forty Years. Who led thee thro' that great and terrible Wil derness; where were fiery Serpents, and Scorpions, and Drought; that he might bumble thee, and prove thee to do thee Good at thy latter End.

15. 16.

And how fmart and fevere foever fuch Difpenfations may be, whilft we languish under them; yet do they afterwards yield the peaceable Fruits of Righteousness, to them who are exercifed thereby. Though they feem to have the Nature of a Punishment; yet they really have the Effect, and Benefit of a Bleffing. That whereas God might, if he pleafed, furprize and overwhelm Men in their Sins; yet he gives them frequent Warnings, and loud Admonitions; long Space and Tune to confider, and repent, and amend: And Ob! that Men were Wifes that they underflood this;

that

that they would fuffer the Goodness and Patience, and Corrections of God to have their proper End upon them. i. e. to lead them to Repentance. And fo much for the firft Thing obferved from the Words; viz. The readiness of God to take notice of, and for a Time to fufpend his Judgments, upon Men's prefent Humiliation of themfelves before him, Seeft thou how Abab bumbleth himself before me? I pafs on to the 2d, viz.

II. The Infufficiency of a Partial and Imperfect Repentance; though it may mitigate or fufpend, yet it does not finally remove the Judgment. There is no queftion, but that fome external Profeffions, and folemn Acknow ledgments of our Sins [arifing from the Threatning or Denounciation of fome heavy Punishment; or from the prefent Senfe and Smart of a Calamity; or from the inward Uneafiness of a Man's Confcience] may have fome Avail with God to refpite Punishment; though they have not in them the true Principles, nor the perfect Nature of Repentance. This may be gathered from the Example of Pharoah and of Abab before us; yet neither of these make any Thing againft the Truth I am about to difcourfe. For though God relaxed the Punishment of Pharoah upon his Promife to let the People go; yet upon the Breach of that Pro mife, he conftantly renewed it again, as we may read at large, Exod 10. Though Ahab's humbling himself procured fome Favour from

God;

God; yet it was but Temporary and Incompleat; fixt to a certain definite Time: It did not wholly remove, it only transferred the Execution of that Judgment till his Sons Days. And the Infufficiency of fuch Repentances will more fully appear, if we do but confider,

1. The Nature of Repentance. 2. The Purity, the Omniscience, and the Juftice. of God.

1. First, The Nature of Repentance; which certainly can never be a fhort and tranfient, or a general and confused Examination of our felves; not exerting a few Acts of Piety and Devotion; not a fudden Fright, or an accidental. Grief for Sin; for what Pain or Labour what Vertue or Power; what Praise or ; Reward can be due to fuch fhort, and cheap, and perfunctory Services as these? But Repentance confifts in a new Frame and Temper of Heart; in a fixt Habit and Practice of Vertue; in a full Conviction of Judgment, that we have incurred the Displeasure of God; in condemning and abhorring our felves for the fame; together with a full Purpofe and Refolution, that we will do fo no more. Whereas that Repentance which goes no further than outward Confeffion with the Mouth; which leaves behind it the fecret Defire and Affection to the Sin, which prays, with Referve and Equivocation, and Duplicity of Mind, has nei

ther the Nature of Repentance, nor the Promife of Acceptance from God. But here probably it will be objected. "That if all this "be included in the Nature of Repentance, "who can fay he hath repented truly? Who "is there amongst us, that after he hath come "and seriously confeffed his Sins to God, has not gone and committed them again? Who is there, that has not broken many Promifes, and Vows, and folemn Engagements? "Has any Man fuch an abfolute Command દ over his Heart, his Will, and Paffions, that "he can make fuch a Promife to God, that "he will fin no more in fuch an Inftance "with fuch Circumftances and Aggravations? "Is not the Devil a very fubtle, malicious, "and powerful Enemy? Is not Education, "Cuftom, Example, Company, Temptations "in many Inftances too ftrong for human En deavours, and the moft réfolved Virtue? "How then is it poffible to arrive at such a high and abfolute pitch of Repentance? The Objection hath fomething of Weight and Difficulty in it; and therefore it may be worth our while to confider it a little more diftinctly.

First, Then, In this Argument we ought always to diftinguish betwixt Sins of pure lgnoranee and Infirmity, and thofe of Wilfulnefs and Prefumption: To the first of these, we are all unavoidably liable, and the best of us all fhall never be free from them, till we