a true penitent, so long as the love imaginations, which are manifest of one lust remained unmortified in only unto God. his heart, or the practice of it was allowed in his life.

It appears then, that this necessary repentance is a very arduous Unless the drunkard become ha- business. Thus our Lord reprebitually sober, and the churl learn sents it: "Strive to enter in at the to be liberal; unless the contentious strait gate; for many shall seek to man learn meekness, and the proud enter in, and shall not be able." humility; unless every man break Do you object the profit and pleaoff, and set himself to oppose and santness of your sins, and the pain mortify his constitutional and cus- of parting with them? He answers, tomary iniquity; there is no real If thy right eye offend thee, pluck repentance. The man's mind is it out: if thy right hand or foot not changed respecting sin: he does offend thee, cut it off. For it is not sincerely grieve that ever he profitable for thee," thus maimed committed it, nor really desire it and mutilated, "to enter into life, undone, nor heartily abhor it, nor rather than having two eyes, two is willing to be finally divorced from hands, two feet, to be cast into hell, it; not from his darling indulgence, where their worm never dieth, and his Delilah, his Herodias; however the fire is not quenched." When he be affected, alarmed, and re- the difficulty is objected, the necesstrained. sity is urged; the awful alterna

I allow, that the true penitent|tive-repentance, or eternal damwill find work enough all his life nation! But should any urge the with his own peculiar evil propen- impossibility, he proposes the effecsities; and after all his watchful-tual assistance of Him, to whom all ness, prayer, and determination of things are possible. An easy slothmind against every sin, he will too ful religion may serve a man to live often manifest, to his great sorrow, with; but only a diligent, self-dethat his evil nature is not destroyed, nying religion will comfortably prethat sin yet dwells within him: but pare a man to meet death. "Exhe will also give abundant evidence cept a man deny himself, take up that no sin hath dominion over him; his cross daily, and forsake all that that his own iniquity is peculiarly he hath, he cannot be my disciple," abhorred, dreaded, and opposed; saith the loving Saviour of the and that, in short, 66 he is a new world, the Judge of the living and creature, old things are past away, of the dead; and because we are so behold all things are become new.' "backward to believe it, and so much This will not be so evident to others, depends upon believing it, he conin the case of a man, who was be- firms it with a double asseverafore moral and decent in his cha- tion ;-" Verily, verily, I say unto racter; but it will be equally mani- you." fest to his own conscience; whilst But though the work is great, he observes that he now acts from and requires labour and self-denial, other principles, to other ends, and there is no cause for despondency: by another rule, than heretofore the encouragements are proporand now he has not only regard to tionable: the success certain to those things with which men are every one who is in good earnest acquainted, but with equal care and about it: and the work itself unattention abstains from secret sins, speakably more pleasant than all from evil tempers, intentions, and the forbidden delights of sin.

PART III.

if sent to a company of condemned criminals, would directly excite a beam of hope in every relenting breast.-God sends his ministers

Encouragements to Repentance. I HAVE already intimated, that he and his word, commanding thee, who, convinced of the necessity of O sinner, to repent; were no more repentance, in good earnest uses said, thou mightest safely draw those means which God hath ap- this conclusion: Certainly he pointed in order to it, may depend hath thoughts of peace, and intends upon the effectual assistance of the to show mercy to all who obey the Holy Spirit in this important under-summons."

taking, which will render it both II. God is always in Scripture practicable and pleasant: and the represented as peculiarly ready to same topic will afterwards be re- receive and entertain repenting sinsumed, when those means are treat-ners: "I have surely heard Ephraim ed of. I shall not therefore farther bemoaning himself thus: Thou hast speak upon that subject in this chastised me and I was chastised, place, but lead your attention to as a bullock unaccustomed to the those encouragements which arise yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be from the assurance that repentance turned; for thou art the LORD my is inseparably connected with sal- God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was

vation.

I. In the first place," God com-instructed, I smote upon my thigh. mandeth all men every where to I was ashamed, yea even confoundrepent." Were there any of the ed, because I did bear the reproach human race who did not need re- of my youth. Is Ephraim my dear pentance, or any to whom repent- son? Is he a pleasant child? for ance would be unavailing, we may since I spake against him, I do be sure God would not have given earnestly remember him still: theresuch a commandment. He sends fore my bowels are troubled for him, no message of this kind to fallen I will surely have mercy upon him, angels, or to the souls of wicked saith the LORD." Jer. xxxi. 18-20. men who have died in their sins; Here is the true penitent, mourning because he hath determined to show for sin, covered with shame, and them no mercy. Having done wrong crying for mercy: and the encouin sinning, doubtless they continue raging answer of that God, "who to do wrong in not repenting; and waited to be gracious." The same their impenitent rebellion and en- is most emphatically inculcated by mity to God will eternally illustrate the experience of David in the his justice in their condemnation; thirty-second Psalm. In this, mark as all will see, that he doth not carefully how soon the sweet sense without cause treat them as ene- of forgiving love followed his ingemies. A man who hath murdered nuous confession of guilt. his lawful prince, though the law But omitting many other Scripmust have its course, ought to re- tures, for the sake of brevity, let me pent, and shows a still more des-detain you a little in meditating on perate spirit of rebellion if he die the prodigal son; a parable spoken vindicating his conduct. Yet the on purpose to encourage the pubavenger of blood, designing no licans and sinners, who listened to mercy, requires no submission. A the words of Jesus. Let us attencommand to submit and repent, tively consider the character of the

G

own judgment need no repentance; yea, God himself shall acknowledge him as his own child, and rejoice over him to do him good! Arise then, poor dejected sinner, and imitate this prodigal.

prodigal, his disdainful and ungrate- only shall he meet with a kinder reful behaviour to a wise and indul- ception than his fears foreboded; gent father, his debauched and dis- but his most sanguine expectations solute life, and the misery to which shall be far exceeded; his sins, howhe was reduced. Here, as in a glass, ever numerous, shall not be menwe may see ourselves; our pride tioned against him; his wants shall and ingratitude, our contempt of be all supplied: pardon and peace, God and wilful departure from him, and joy in the Holy Ghost, shall be our folly, and our misery whilst we conferred on him; the robe of righlive in sin. Then let us view him teousness and salvation shall clothe at length come to himself, conscious him; angels in heaven shall rejoice of his guilt, sinking under his mi- more over him, than over ninety sery, covered with shame, adopting and nine Pharisees, who in their the resolution of returning to his offended father, with penitent confessions, and humble supplications. Discouraged as well as humbled, by the recollection of his own vileness, his only hope arises from meditating on the kindness of him III. We have seen, that repentwhom he had so basely offended; ance and forgiveness are connected, and he can just enough raise his in a great many texts of Scripture mind above despondency to expect, which have been cited, and many that, perhaps, after many repulses, others might be produced. But I and reiterated submissions and en- would more especially call your attreaties, answered by deserved up- tention to those encouraging probraidings, his father might be at mises, which are expressly confined length prevailed on to admit him, to such as are exercising repentin some mean capacity, to share that ance. It would be a needless proplenty which his servants enjoyed. lixity to enumerate the whole, or Here we have the frame of spirit, the most of these promises! a few the hopes, and the fears of the examples may suffice: "Thus saith true penitent, most affectingly deli- the high and lofty One that inhaneated. But, behold the tender fa- biteth eternity, whose name is Holy; ther is looking out with eager ex- I dwell in the high and holy place, pectation, for the return of his lost with him also that is of a contrite prodigal! he sees him afar off, and, and humble spirit, to revive the through parental tenderness and spirit of the humble, and to revive compassion, is regardless of his age the heart of the contrite ones." "To and gravity, and runs to meet him. this man will I look, even to him Finding that he abhorred and con- that is poor and of a contrite heart, demned himself, without one re- and that trembleth at my word." proach or the least delay, he wel- Is. lvii. 15; lxvi. 2. He looketh comes him as a son: he clothes, he upon men, and if any say I have feasts, and rejoices over him, and sinned, I have perverted that which commands all his servants to rejoice is right, and it profiteth me not; he with him: " Because," says he, shall deliver his soul from going "this my son was dead, and is down into the pit, and his life shall alive! was lost, and is found!" see the light." Job, xxxiii. 27, 28.

Thus shall every true penitent be" He that covereth his sins shall not welcomed by a gracious God. Not prosper: but he that confesseth and

forsaketh his sin, shall find mercy." when they have occasion to treat Prov. xxviii. 13. "If we say that we of the laws of human governments: have no sin, we deceive ourselves, you seldom hear them speak of a and the truth is not in us; but if traitor or murderer making atonewe confess our sins, God is faithful ment for his crimes by repentance, and just to forgive us our sins, and but by his death. This sacrifice to to cleanse us from all unrighteous- justice the law demands: this alone ness." 1 John, i. 9. Let but the expiates the offence: and if a cribroken-hearted sinner well consider minal, however penitent or disposed these few citations, and plead them to future obedience, escape punishin prayer, through the intercession ment, the law is dispensed with, of Jesus, and he will find them full justice is relaxed, and no atonement of consolation. Then let him search made. But God's justice is perfect, the Scriptures, and he will observe, and can admit of no relaxation: his that no one character is so particu- law must be magnified and made larly encouraged as that of the pe- honourable, and cannot be disnitent, under the titles of mourners, pensed with. Not the repentance, poor in spirit, contrite, humble, and but the eternal punishment of the such others, as are included in the offender, is the atonement indispenexplanation which has been given sibly insisted upon, or one equally of true repentance. These things honourable to the precept and sancabundantly prove, that none but tion of the divine law. This the true true penitents share the blessings, penitent perceives or allows; he or are entitled to the consolations, subscribes the sentence of his own which flow from the salvation of the condemnation, and humbly trusts gospel; and that no degree of ag- in that vicarious atonement, which gravated guilt can exclude any re- the Son of God once made, and penting sinner from the participa- which is of infinite value and effition of the one, and the enjoyment cacy; and through which "God is of the other. JUST, and the justifier of the be

But let not any from hence con- liever." That repentance which is clude, that these privileges are pro- depended on for justification is a perly the rewards of repentance, or proud unbelieving repentance, and that it atones for our crimes. This not the humble repentance here would supersede the necessity of treated of.

the expiatory sufferings of Jesus, But in fact, repentance, where it and militate with St. Paul's ex-is genuine, is the gift of God. Thus press declaration," that we are jus-St. Paul speaks on this subject to tified by faith, through the righte- his beloved Timothy. "In meekousness of Christ," and consequent-ness instructing those that oppose ly would infer," that Christ died in themselves, if God peradventure vain." Did we repent of ourselves, will give them repentance, to the without the preventing and assist-acknowledging of the truth, and ing grace of God, and were our re- that they may recover themselves pentance perfect in its nature and out of the snare of the devil, who fruits, it could not avail for our jus-are taken captive by him at his tification in any degree. It is in-will." 2 Tim. ii. 25, 26. In like deed observable, that even they manner the apostle Peter; before who speak of atoning for our trans-the Jewish rulers, declared, congressions of the divine law by re-cerning Jesus, whom they had crupentance, change their language cified: "Him hath God exalted to

be a Prince and a Saviour, to give carnal hearts are naturally destitute repentance unto Israel, and forgive- of the least disposition or inclinaness of sins." And when the same tion to this duty. The shame thereapostle gave his brethren and the fore of our obstinate impenitency church at Jerusalem an account of belongs to us; but the whole glory the conversion of Cornelius and of our repentance, when the grace his household, they "glorified God, of God disposes and enables us to saying, Then hath God to the Gen- repent, is due to him, "who worktiles granted repentance unto life." eth in us to will and to do of his Acts, v. 31; xi. 28. good pleasure." So far then are This accords to the prediction or we from meriting any thing by repromise which JEHOVAH gave by the penting, that we are laid under prophet Zechariah,—“I will pour fresh obligations to him “who hath out upon the house of David, and granted us repentance unto life." upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem," Do not err, my beloved brethren, the Spirit of grace and supplication; every good gift and every perfect and they shall look upon me whom gift is from above, and cometh down they have pierced, and mourn for from the Father of lights." Yet, on him, as one mourneth for his only the other hand, let us not regard son." Zech. xii. 10. This was fulfil those who represent our natural led in part, when the Holy Spirit want of inclination as an excuse for was poured out on the crucifiers of impenitency; not considering that Christ, on the day of Pentecost, the dominion of pride, and the love and when, being pricked to the of sin, in the heart, which renders heart, and inquiring of the apostles us incapable of our duty, forms it" what they must do;" three thou-self the very essence of that impesand obeyed the call to "Repent nitent heart, which God abhors and and be baptized in the name of will condemn, and which cannot be Jesus Christ, for the remission of its own excuse. Nor is the most sins." In entire harmony with penitent person in the world perthese decisive testimonies of holy fect in his repentance. No man writ, are those petitions in our ex-hates sin in a degree equal to its cellent liturgy, which, alas! are hatefulness: no man condemns, often so familiar to the ear, as abases, and abhors himself, as much scarcely to excite the attention of as he ought to do; or as much as the understanding, and not at all to he would, did he more perfectly be affect the heart, of many professed hold the glory of God, the excelworshippers in the established lency of the law, the evil of sin, and church: "Let us beseech him to the multitude of his own transgresgrant us true repentance and his sions; or had he more fixed views Holy Spirit." "That it may please of the nature and glory of the suf thee to give us true repentance." ferings of Jesus Christ. He that is "Create and make in us new habitually most penitent finds his and contrite hearts;" with expres- repentance capable of increase when sions implying the same important his views are enlarged, and his heart truth, which continually occur in is peculiarly affected with these dismany parts of our truly scriptural coveries: but even in these seasons, liturgy. his enlarged godly sorrow is little In fact, though we have so much in comparison to what it ought to cause for repentance, and are in be, and would be, did he, instead of duty bound to repent; yet our proud" seeing through a glass darkly, see