sons in a house which is on fire; manner addressed the Gentiles; who must be consumed in the " God commandeth all men every flames, unless they can be induced where to repent;" and informed to come forth, though themselves them, "that men should repent, are utterly insensible of the danger. and turn to God, and do works meet You may think yourselves secure, for repentance." and make yourselves merry with From these, and many other tesour fears but your awful infatua- timonies of the word of God, judge tion, and imminent danger, are so ye, beloved, of the importance and manifest to us, that we must persist certainty of our subject. No matter in our endeavours to convince you, of trivial concern which may safely so long as you are on this side of be disregarded, or of doubtful diseverlasting burnings. Thus Noah putation which may plausibly be was treated by the inhabitants of gainsayed or questioned, now dethe old world, and Lot even by his mands our attention. But a subject sons-in-law, with neglect and con- of equal evidence with the word of tempt when they warned them of" God, who cannot lie," and of imtheir danger; but too late they portance proportioned to the intefound their warnings true; and so rests of eternal ages. will you find ours, when death and Hear me then, I beseech you, judgment come, should you now with candour and attention; lay slight them. "Because I called, aside prejudice and levity, whilst and ye refused; I stretched out my with all seriousness and plainness I hand, and no man regarded; I also discourse concerning, 1. The newill laugh at your calamity, and cessity of repentance. 2. The namock when your fear cometh," ture of repentance. 3. The encousaith the Lord himself. Prov. i. ragement given to repentance. 24-26. But I would rise supe- The proper season for repentance; rior to such discouraging apprehen- and, 5. The means to be used in sions, and expect better success in repenting.-For the love of thy this feeble attempt to call sinners soul, I beseech thee, sinner; and to repentance: humbly hoping that as thou wilt answer it at the day God will hear my prayers, and em- of judgment, I charge it upon thy ploy this discourse as his instru- conscience, to lay this matter home ment in that blessed work. to thy heart, as in the sight of God; at the same time beseeching him to Ře- make thee partaker of that repentance, which is unto salvation, not to be repented of."

When John the Baptist began his ministry, he preached, pent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The blessed Jesus also began to preach," Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." "And the apostles went forth and preached that men should

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PART I.

pentance.

4.

repent." After the resurrection of Concerning the Necessity of ReChrist, they were commissioned to 'preach repentance and forgiveness BEFORE we enter more full upon the of sins to all nations, beginning at subject, I would premise, that I Jerusalem." Accordingly, Peter choose the word Necessity, as the preached to the Jews, "Repent ye, most comprehensive which occurs and be converted, that your sins to my mind: and I would be unmay be blotted out." Paul in like derstood to intend by

"the neces

sity of repentance;" 1. The urgency |ard of duty and sin: consequently of the case sinners must either re- few are sensible, in any tolerable pent or perish: 2. The reasonable- degree, how numerous, or rather ness of repentance: having done how innumerable, their transgreswrong, we ought to repent, and act sions are. But most, or all, know, most unreasonably if we do not: that in some instances they have 3. The obligation sinners are under offended God, by doing those acto repent, both from this reason- tions which he hath forbidden, and ableness of the injunction, and the leaving undone those which he hath authority of that God who enjoins commanded. Surely, reader, thy it: and, 4. The additional guilt conscience will excuse me from contracted by impenitency. As the further evincing this particular. same arguments frequently prove Only listen to this faithful monithe necessity of repentance, in more tor: even now it arraigns, accuses, than one of these senses, I thought and condemns thee: and wert thou it would better prevent needless guilty only of one transgression, repetition and obscurity in point of (instead of those millions which method, to treat of the whole at are noted in God's book of rememonce, than to divide them into dif-brance), and shouldest thou die ferent heads. Having thus stated without repenting of that one sin : the meaning of the term employed, as sure as conscience now conto prevent ambiguity, and that all demns thee, so sure will God conmay know what we say and whereof demn thee in that solemn day, we affirm, let us proceed to the" when he shall judge the secrets proof. of men by Jesus Christ." For if And here, reader, I have no need our heart condemn us, God is greater to inquire into thy character, whe- than our heart, and knoweth all ther thou art moral or immoral, a things." sober man or a drunkard, a good or One felony or murder fully proved bad relation or member of society, insures condemnation, equally with a formal worshipper or profane. ten thousand. Therefore, by the Granting all that any man can de- works of the law shall no flesh be sire, supposing the character of the justified in the sight of God;" bereader to be decent, amiable, and cause all have sinned: and by respectable among men, I will en- the law is the knowledge of sin." deavour to show him, and to show It takes cognizance of, and conall, their need of repentance. demns, every sin and every sinner; I." Because all have sinned, and consequently can justify none, and come short of the glory of who have once transgressed. But God.". Few in comparison are remember, that the number and acquainted with the extent, strict- heinousness of our transgressions, ness, and spirituality of the law of though they add nothing to the cerGod, as taking cognizance of every tainty, yet will add proportionably thought, word, action, intention, or to the greatness, of the merited condisposition of the whole heart and demnation: and should add to the life: requiring absolute perfection depth of our repentance. Could in all things, continued in even to that man be found who had once, the last moment of life. Few keep and but once, and in the smallest an exact account of their own instance, failed of obedience, he thoughts, words, and actions, with would need repentance, it would reference to this law, as the stand-be his duty, nor could he be saved

in impenitence. How needful then demned themselves; but rather they repentance for him, whose sins ex- might glory in serving God, and ceed in number the hairs of his keeping a good conscience, in the head, and equal the moments of his face of danger and death. life! For him whose crimes are full Were the law of God in any deof aggravation, and loudly call for gree like those oppressive edicts, vengeance! we should have cause to be exII. The law which we have broken tremely grieved at the hardship is " holy, just, and good."-There put upon us, and alarmed at the are laws in this land, which con- sentence denounced against us ; but demn the murderer and house- we could not, with any propriety, breaker to death. These are rea- condemn ourselves, or repent of our sonable laws, of which none can transgressions.

disapprove but those who are or We ought not indeed to reply would be guilty of those crimes. against God: but the absurdity of We experience them to be the se- this presumption arises, not so much curity of our persons, property, and from the consideration of his irrerepose. He who breaks these laws sistible power and uncontrollable is not only condemned by them, but sovereignty, as from that of his abin the judgment of every wise and solute perfection of justice and hohonest man; and ought in reason liness. This we are bound humbly to condemn himself like a penitent to allow and suppose, even when thief, allowing the justice of the we cannot perceive it; and to sipunishment which he suffers. Luke, lence all our rising objections by xxiii. 41. saying," shall not the Judge of all But Nebuchadnezzar made a law, the earth do right?" Yet God concommanding all his officers and ser- descended himself to argue the vants to worship a golden image, on matter with those who thought his penalty of being cast into a furnace ways unequal; he even proposes of fire; Darius made a law, forbid- his conduct in his government of ding any of his subjects to worship the world to our consideration, that God for thirty days, on pain of being we may see and adore his justice ; cast into the den of lions; and many and to our imitation, that we may such laws have the tyranny, caprice, be holy as he is holy: and the day and pride of imperious princes and of judgment will clear up all our rulers produced. They are how-difficulties, when the righteousness ever, evidently absurd and impious, of God will be fully demonstrated, and every man will abhor them, in to the universal satisfaction of his proportion to his wisdom and good-holy creatures, and the confusion ness. The three pious Jews who and silence of all his enemies. It broke Nebuchadnezzar's edict, and is indeed blasphemy, to suppose the Daniel who transgressed that of law of God unreasonable, and his Darius, were indeed condemned by government oppressive: but it is a the laws; but they have been ad-blasphemy congenial to our demired for their courage, and con- praved nature, of which in our stancy in disobedience, by all good hearts we are all guilty, and of men ever since. Nay, the very con- which we are with difficulty cured; sciences of their enemies testified for "the carnal mind is enmity for them, that they had done no- against God,-is not subject to the thing amiss. Nor would it have law of God, neither indeed can been right for them to have con- be."

As therefore no sinner can be there unrighteousness with God?" truly penitent, till he is convinced He would not do these things, if they that the law of God is holy, just, were not perfectly just. If they apand good; we should first establish pear unjust to us, it is owing to our this point, in endeavouring to bring ignorance, self-love, low thoughts of sinners to repentance. This is the God, and favourable thoughts of apostolical method: St. Paul, argu- sin. Nay, so far was God from reing in the epistle to the Romans pealing this law, or abating its strictagainst justification by the law, ness, after man's transgression, that aware of the false conclusions which he republished it from Mount Sinai men of corrupt minds would be with awful majesty: he requires ready to draw from his reasonings, every one who would escape conagain and again purposely leaves demnation at the day of judgment, his main subject, to assert and prove to condemn himself now for his the goodness of the law notwith- transgressions of it, and to seek forstanding. With one accord, also, giveness from his sovereign mercy; do all the writers of the sacred vo- nor would he even thus pardon one lume speak honourably of the moral sinner, except as his own Son holaw, expressing their approbation noured the law, in our stead, by his of it, and delight in it: nor is there perfect obedience and death upon one exception to this rule. This the cross. Moreover he gives it may show us the great importance into the hand of all believers as a of this part of the subject; and how rule of life, a standard of sin and dangerous some inconsiderate ex- holiness: yea, writes it in their pressions are, into which several hearts by the Holy Spirit. Thus good men have been betrayed in doth the most high God proclaim their zeal for that fundamental doc- to the whole world his determinatrine-justification by faith alone. tion "to magnify the law and make We may be sure that the law is it honourable." And had we no holy, just, and good; because given other evidence of its excellency, by a holy, just, and good God, this, being abundantly sufficient, whose work is perfect and be- ought fully to satisfy us; yea, to cause, after Adam's fall, when it humble us in the dust for acting so became morally impracticable for unreasonably as to break it. any of his posterity to be justified May we not, however, ourselves by it, he is still pleased to continue discern the reasonableness of it, them under it, judge them accord- notwithstanding our partiality in ing to it, and condemn them to utter our own cause, and our love of sin? destruction for breaking it*. "Is God is evidently the perfection of

* All who die in unbelief perish for and subvert the gospel. Surely we ought breaking this law: all who are saved were with precision to determine this matter; thus condemned for breaking it; else why and to show that man, as God's creature, did Christ bear their sins for them? Some is bound to obey his law; that sin is the indeed talk of another and milder law: transgression of the law; that the wages but where it is found, when promulgated, of sin is death; that Christ died (not for what it requires, who does keep it, or who Adam's sin only, or mainly, but) for our is condemned for breaking it, hath never transgressions of the law: that they who been, nor never can be, determined. perish, are condemned (not only or prinOthers express themselves very ambigu- cipally because Adam sinned, but) for their ously about our obligations to keep the law, own sins; that upon believing in Christ, prior to the consideration of redemption. we are delivered from the condemnation But "where there is no law, there can be of sinners, but are never released from the no transgression:" where there is no trans- obedience we owe as creatures: and that gression, there can be no condemnation: the obligation to obey is enforced on us by and where no condemnation, no occasion most powerful additional motives taken for redemption. Thus we repeal the law, from redemption.

proof. If we cannot clearly perceive the justice of this, we must silence our objec earth do right?" True penitents read their tions thus: "Shall not the Judge of all the own character, and see their own picture, original sin, as the fountain of all their in Adam's conduct, and are humbled for actual transgressions. But as it is always the heart be otherwise humbled, I did not either disputed, neglected, or abused, until think it proper particularly to insist upou lay an undue stress on Adam's transgresit in this discourse. Whilst some appear to

glory and beauty*, the Pattern and [excusable, and the very temper of Fountain of loveliness; from whom the devil; who is completely deall that is lovely in all creatures is testable, because completely of this an emanation, of whom it is a faint abominable disposition †. When we resemblance, which hath compara- therefore show that the law is holy, tively "no glory by reason of the just, and good, because exactly level glory that excelleth." In himself + This disposition is properly original sin, he is therefore worthy of all admi- the effect of Adam's transgression. There ration, love, and worship. From fore he, as the root, and we in him, as the branches, lost God's favour and image, and him we derive our existence, and became liable to and fit for destruction. all that rendereth our existence That this disposition is propagated by natural generation cannot reasonably be decomfortable: our obligations there- nied: that it is properly the punishment of fore to him, as our Creator and Be-Adam's sin, seems capable of Scriptural nefactor, are immense; he deserves then our entire and unreserved gratitude. Infinite love and gratitude, though he is worthy of them, his law requires not, because we are not capable of them, nor doth it enjoin the love and service of an angel; because he hath not endowed us with angelic capacities. The law sion, and speak as if it were the only sin runs thus: "Thou shalt love the died: others totally deny and revile the for which we were condemned, or Christ LORD thy GOD, with all thy heart, doctrine of the fall; contending that mau and mind, and soul, and strength;" respect to his moral character and dispo now is just such a creature, or nearly, with its requirements are proportioned, sitions, as God originally created him. not to his worthiness but to our that the image of God consists in righte But the apostle Paul more than intimates capacities. Of this love the man ousness and true holiness. Now we know of the slenderest abilities is equally he also made him upright, and pronounced capable with the sublimest genius; him very good. The question therefore is, the infant as the aged. In propor-servation prove him to be naturally and what man now is. If experience and obtion to the superiority or inferiority universally prone to evil, and averse from of capacity, more or less is required: evil, and abominable, and every imaginagood; and if the Scripture pronounce him if it be honestly our all, the law tion of the thoughts of his heart to be only demands no more. evil continually; he must be fallen from what he was originally. Ingratitude, enBut the law makes no allowance mity to God, pride, ambition, envy, mafor our disinclination and indispo- form no part of the image of a holy God; lice, lust, falsehood, and covetousness, can sition to love and serve God with or of that uprightness in which man was first made. But he must be very hardy, our all; because this is that very who should deny them to form a part of malignity of heart which renders us abominable in his sight. Every degree of this temper is a degree of enmity unto God: the very disposition arises from pride, love of the world, and love of sin; and in proportion as it prevails, is contempt of God in comparison with the world, sin, and self. It is therefore in itself infinitely unreasonable, totally in

Psalm 1. 2. Out of Zion, the Perfection of Beauty, GOD hath shined.

that God created man in his own IMAGE:

man's present character. Nor can we supnonnce man very good, and afterwards, pose the God of truth would first prowithout any intervening change, so often declare him altogether abominable. How much more does it become our narrow capacities, and proneness to mistake, to rest satisfied with the Scriptural account; "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin," "by one man's disobedi ence many were made sinners;" and to adore the depths which we cannot fathom: than in the pride of philosophy and metaphysics, with such scanty information, to decide upon what we cannot comprehend, and, with daring temerity, to utter such words, as more than seem to be injurious to the divine character!