of Scripture hath he revealed it where doth he promise you repentance and pardon at the last when you had never seriously sought either all your days 2. The wickedness and profaneness of them You resolve you will repent when you die and that implies you will not repent till then i. e. you do and resolve still to love sin as long as you live but you intend to leave it when you can live no longer in it you hate God now and resolve to hate him till you die and then you will begin to love him You will make work for repentance now and seek for repentance at last offend God and provoke him and make work for pardoning mercy all your days and then sue to him for it You will persevere to affront the grace of Christ and throw his blood back into his face and then expect to be washed in it from your sins and saved by it when you go out of the World It is to as little purpose to say Object You will then send for the Minister to instruct you to pray with you c. For what if you do your case may be such that all the good Men Ans good Ministers good Instructions good Counsels in the World may not help you not save you All may come too late and signifie no more to your Souls than Physitians and Physick at that time do to your Bodies Alas what can Ministers do for you Can their instructions enlighten your minds when God hath blinded them Can their counsels soften your hearts when he hath hardned them Can the breath of prayer waft your Souls to Heaven in the last moment of your life when you have been stearing towards Hell all your days What can your Spiritual Physitians do for the cure of your Souls when the great Physitian of all hath left you as incurable and will never any more visit you Do not tell me on the other side That repentance is Gods gift Object and you cannot have it till he give it you and therefore you must tarry till he do For 1. It is as much Gods gift at last as at first Ans and you can no more have it at your death if he do not give it you than you can have it now 2. Tho it be Gods gift and you cannot work it in your selves yet cannot you seek it of God desire him to work it in you And can you not use the means by which he ordinarily works it And are you not as capable of so doing when you live and are in health as when you are sick and dying When you are sick you cannot heal your selves health is Gods gift as well as grace is tho of another kind But do you then use to lie still and say you must wait till God restore you Or do you not rather send for your Physitian and betake your selves to the use of means by which God is wont to work it You cannot get an estate unless God give it you riches are his gift Prov. 10.22 Do you therefore sit still and fold your hands in your bosom and say you must tarry till God give you an estate Or do you not rather engage in some honest Calling or Trade as the ordinary way God is wont to bless to that end The diligent hand maketh rich vers 4. and why do you not do so here too If you will go on in sin and say you wait till God give you repentance you may wait long enough when every day you continue in sin so much the farther off from repentance you are and so much the more you provoke God to deny it you To conclude Take heed especially of those things which are the ordinary hinderances of a timely repentance I. Wrong notions of repentance 1. That it is an easie thing and so may be done at any time that it is but sorrowing for sin and crying God mercy for having offended him This prevails with too many that know not wherein the nature of it consists Remember therefore that it is no easie thing to get a through change wrought in your hearts to divorce your lusts to which you have been so long wedded to part with those sins you love best and engage in those ways of strict holiness which of all things in the World you hate most The old Man will fight hard ere he die The flesh will never yield and hardly be overcom And if ever God work repentance to you he will so work it as to make you work at it too and labour after it his grace using and employing your faculties And what can you ever do either in seeking repentance before the infusion of the grace or exercising it when infused but you will find sin opposing you in it and so creating difficulties in your work 2. That it is a sour and an unpleasant thing made up of sorrow and sadness and unquietness of Spirit They know no delights but sensual ones and think if they part with the pleasure of sin they part with the comfort of their lives Do not therefore look meerly on the dark side of repentance or what may make it seem uneasie to you look through it and you will find that which will make it more pleasant In the very sorrow you fear if it be right i. e. godly sorrow there will be such a mixture of Love as will make it in a good measure delightful to you If it seem painful to you to strive against sin and there be trouble in the combat yet when you prevail over it you will find comfort in the Victory You will be more pleased with having denied your selves than you could with having gratified your selves Our Saviours promise Matth. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted one would think should reconcile you not only to any seeming trouble in the work of repentance but to all the greatest difficulties and severities of the most strict and mortified life If indeed your repentance be meerly legal proceeding from fear of wrath or Popish for the expiation of your sins I grant it may be a sad and unpleasant thing but if it be a true Protestant repentance i. e. an Evangelical one mixed with Love to God and proceeding from the Faith of Free Grace and remission of sin through the Blood of Christ it need not be such a scare-crow to you as to make you hazard your Salvation by shifting your duty II. Presumptuous thoughts of Gods mercy that God may be merciful to them and give them repentance and pardon their sins at the very last Consider therefore 1. As merciful as God is yet his will sets bounds even to that infinite mercy as to the actings and outgoings of it and beyond those bounds it will never pass There is a time a day a now of grace which when it is once over no mercy will be shewn you Offers of mercy invitations made to sinners and the acceptation of them are but for a time the door is
Faith and work out thy own Salvation see you neglect it no longer no Man can save another Mans Soul by his Faith his own he may Faith busies it self about our own Salvation shews us what we must do to be saved were there more of this Faith among Professors we should every one have work enough upon our hands and not find it so easie a matter to secure our Souls into eternity General Professors carry it as if they had nothing to do were sure of Heaven already at this rate we may count it an easie matter to believe but when we come to die we shall not find it so any Faith may serve some Mens turns to live by but every Faith will not serve our turns to die by when we are dying in good earnest a feigned Faith signifies little to our comfort we see thorow it and sink under it If your Faith do not often call upon you to look to your own Souls it cannot be saving Faith he that seeks not to save himself let him talk what he will of his Faith it is not saving Faith that is intent upon the salvation of a believer and finds enough to do in carrying on that work with fear and trembling lest it should not go thorow with it You who have been at this work in good earnest don't find it so easie as some would make it new doubts new difficulties new temptations do arise every day that put the Faith of the best Christians to it if Faith do's not bestir it self the Devil may be too hard for you and your Faith too if the righteous are scarcely saved surely 't is no easie matter to get to Heaven you must run wrestle strive fight contend earnestly else you may miss of Heaven and come short of all your expectation of eternal glory I speak not this to discourage you but to awaken you to that diligence and care that so weighty a business calls for Saving Faith is to cast my Self and my own Soul upon Christ for salvation what ever your Faith may be 't is not come to saving Faith till you do this you may carry all your knowledge and all your Faith to Hell with you any Faith that is not saving but remains separate from it will prove a damning Faith to you 't will greatly aggravate your condemnation that you who knew such things believed such things assented to such Truths and Gospel Doctrins should never put forth an act of saving Faith for your own Souls in particular according to the import of those Doctrins 't is strange to see how many Professors do leave themselves quite out of their own Faith they will not be at the pains to act it for themselves but in general they believe as the Church believes but let me tell you 't is not the Church nor all the Churches in the World 't is not all the Angels in Heaven nor all the Saints upon Earth can believe for you you must every one believe for your selves and act your own business cast your own Souls upon Christ for Salvation else they will be eternally lost How many knowing historical Believers are there in Hell who have Prophesied in his Name Prayed in his Name have Written Disputed Argued strongly for the Faith have done every thing that belongs to a common Faith but could never be brought to put forth one act of saving Faith upon Christ for the Salvation of their own Souls Come unto me all ye that are weary c. is this done till you personally come to Christ for the pardon of your sins and for the Justification of your persons by name John Thomas Mary whatever your names are he or she I am sent this day to give you a particular call to come to Christ and I do warn every one of you and exhort every one to go to Christ by a personal act of your own Faith for eternal life he has purchased it for all who come unto him if you neglect it and will not go your blood be upon your own heads I have delivered my own Soul Brethren be perswaded to hearken to the invitation that is given you in the Gospel before it be too late O what a do is there to bring a sinner to Christ O that you would bethink your selves this day and set about saving Faith act that Faith that will save you and say Lord after all my Knowledge and long Profession after all my Praying Hearing Reading I now see these are but means in order to something else the end of all is real believing in Christ and I am now at last come to do that to commit my self wholly to Christ to cast my sinful Soul upon him for Righteousness and Life Lord help me to do this bring me to a through reliance upon Christ and keep me in the frequent exercise and lively actings of this Faith every day that I may see my self safe in him who is faithful and will keep that which I so commit unto him The Just shall live by his own Faith which he acts for himself and for his own Soul if you do not thus commit your selves to Christ every day by a renewed act of Faith you may lose the joy of your Salvation ere you are aware If you say this is done I will not ask you when you did it first that may seem too nice a question to some but I will ask you when you did it last I hope you do it every day if you are at any stand in your thoughts about this your wisest course is to act over this saving Faith more distinctly more particularly more frequently for the Salvation of your own Soul then your Faces will shine and your Hearts will rejoyce we shall know you have been with Jesus 'T is impossible to experience the power and efficacy of saving Faith till we act it in our own case for our own Souls then it comes home indeed to our selves then we feel the comfort of it we may own the general Doctrin of Faith and be little affected with it or concerned about it but when the Grace of Faith comes and makes a particular application of that Doctrin to thy Soul and my Soul then we believe for our selves and are filled with joy unspeakable and full of Glory that we should be received unto mercy have all our sins pardoned our persons accepted and our Souls eternally saved all this Faith makes out to us by name from such undeniable grounds and reasons that we cannot gainsay They count it easie to believe who shut all acts of self-denial quite out of their Faith they live as they did before it may be walk on more securely in their evil courses from a presumptuous perswasion of mercy at last pray God deliver us from such a Faith that gives encouragement to sin If your Faith do not strongly incline you to a holy Life you may be sure 't is not right saving Faith 'T is a sad thing to consider how little
Of Man's wickedness in both these thieves who had spent all their time in sin even to the last hour of their lives but especially in the impenitent thief whom neither Bonds nor Tryal nor Condemnation had humbled or mollified or brought to repentance but being still under the power of an hardned heart we find him at the last gasp railing on a Saviour instead of believing in him and belching out his blasphemies in the very mouth of Hell vers 39. If thou be Christ save thy self and us II. Of Divine grace in the penitent thief First Converting grace and that 1. In the power and efficacy of it for how powerful must that grace needs be which had wrought so great a change had suppled that heart in an instant which had been hardning in sin for so many years overcome so many stubborn inveterate lusts at once and made the Man all on a suddain commence one of the most eminent Saints the World had ever yet had and act faith to such an hight as might not only have become the chiefest of the Apostles but did really exceed any they had hitherto shewn The Disciples of Christ who had sat so long at their Masters feet yet were hardly induced to believe his Resurrection even after he was risen Luke 24.25 When this thief who hitherto had been a stranger to him and now saw him hanging on a Cross and dying yet by faith sees him in his Kingdom triumphing over his Cross and Death too 2. In the freeness of it for 1. Gods grace did not wait for his preparations good moods good dispositions these were all over if ever he had any but it takes hold of him when at the hight of sin and not only was void of grace but seemed past grace i. e. never like to come to it by any ordinary methods 2. It seised on him and passed by the other though no worse that we know of than himself Grace makes a difference where none was before of these two in the like case it takes one and leaves the other II. Pardoning grace This appears in our Lords answer and carriage to him vers 43. He doth not upbraid him with the abominations of his forepast life his Theft or Rapine or Violence his hardness of Heart or long Impenitence but easily readily gently receives him and is so far from denying him a pardon that he assures him of a present Salvation To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise The case of these two thieves doth in a good measure parallel the case of other dying sinners though dying upon their beds They were in the extremity of their lives drawing their last breath both full of pain and anguish in their Bodies and very likely full of shame and confusion in their Minds considering their death was not only cruel and grievous but reproachful in the eyes of Men and accursed by the sentence of God So that here was much to interrupt disturb and distract them in so great so close and serious a work as Repentance is And is it not so with others who live in sin all their days and pretend to Repent at last They are taking their leave of the World groaning under their Diseases racked with pains and have many things tho not the same the thieves had to discompose disquiet and divert them from or hinder them in the like work But if we look to the issue the parallel will not reach so far Here is Man for Man one of the thieves humble believing repenting and accordingly accepted the other unbroken unbelieving impenitent and dying like a reprobate This equality is not to be found among other dying sinners as hereafter we shall see However from the example of these two thieves we may safely infer this Proposition Doctrin That tho a very late even a death-bed repentance may be sincere yet it is not safe to run the hazard of it Two parts there are of this Proposition 1. That even a death-bed repeentance may be sincere this I shall speak to by way of Concession 2. That yet it is dangerous running the hazard of it by deferring repentance till such a time this I shall handle by way of Assertion I. It is possible that a death-bed repentance may be sincere In speaking to this I shall briefly 1. Premise something in general concerning the nature of Repentance 2. Lay down the reasons of this Concession First For the former Repentance may be considered either I. In the Act or exercise of it which the Scripture usually expresses by turning or returning implying that sinners are out of the way to God and their own happiness till by repentance they return into it If we speak distinctly of it we may consider 1. The Essence of repentance which is the turning mentioned a turning from sin to God i. e. from all sin both of Heart and Life as to the love and allowance of it and subjection to it and a turning to God as our Sovereign Lord from whom we had revolted to walk with him in all known ways of obedience and holiness And tho we cannot attain to a legal perfection in this Life either as to freedom from all Sin or the practice of all Duty yet there is not meerly a temporary and transient but a peremptory fixed and setled purpose for the one and against the other which is more than a promise de futuro and amounts to a present breach with all sin and an actual will to engage in every duty a respect to all Gods Comandments Psal 119.6 in the degree of our obedience to which we notwithstanding may oftentimes fail 2. The causes from which it proceeds First A right sence of sin as to the guilt defilement and dominion of it It s being offensive and odious to God Jer. 44.4 as well as hurtful to our selves in the danger to which it exposeth us the blot it leaves upon us and the tyranny it exerciseth over us Secondly An apprehension and belief of the mercy of God in Christ Jesus to them that do repent This is always the principle from which Evangelical repentance proceeds Tho the terrors of the Law may help to drive Men from sin yet there must be Gospel attractives to draw them to God either in a way of faith or repentance Who will dare to trust him from whom he expects no mercy or care for serving him from whom he looks for no acceptance Hence it is that Gods mercy is used as the grand motive to perswade Men to repentance Matth. 3.2 The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and Isa 55.7 From these proceed both that Godly sorrow for sin and that hatred of it which always accompanies Gospel repentance and in a good measure promotes it Paul seems to place Godly sorrow among the causes of repentance 2 Cor. 7.10 II. If we consider repentance in the habit I need say no more but that it is that grace of the Holy Spirit which he infuseth into the Soul as the immediate
Had he had none himself he would not have been so much concerned for the others want of it 5. He makes a publick profession of his faith in Christ and owns him to the very teeth of his Enemies and that too when Peter had denied him the other Disciples forsaken him and those that had rallied after their rout and were now come to be the Spectators of the most doleful Object had ever been presented before their eyes were so far from making any such publick confession of him that their Faith was ready to expire with him ch 24.21 II. Repentance being Gods gift and God being a Sovereign Agent he may give it where and when he pleaseth as to whom he will to one and not to another so at what time he will to one sooner to another later He may give it to one early in the morning of his days to another late and when his Sun is Setting And if the great Master of the Vineyard shall call some into it not only at the sixth or ninth hour but even at the last minute of the eleventh hour what is that to any who shall call him to an account for it 3. God being not only a Sovereign Agent but an Almighty one can by his Power and that in an instant remove all hindrances on the Creatures part and whatever might obstruct his work and so with one turn of an Omnipotent hand bring about the heart of the most obdurate Sinner work repentance in the most unlikely Subject and where there is most within to make head against him and resist his Grace suppose the most obstinate and rooted habits of sin Grace is an infused and supernatural habit and the power that works it a supernatural and creating Power and we are not to confine God in his working Grace to those methods whereby men acquire natural or moral habits In these I grant there may need time to unlearn and extirpate those vitious habits they have so long been contracting and to acquire new ones by a long series of and accustoming themselves to better actions Custom in Men may be strong and like another Nature and they may not be able presently to overcome it nor on the sudden to bring themselves to a readiness and easiness in doing those things which tho their reason approves yet their boysterous appetites strengthned too by custom hurry them against But let the habit of sin be never so deeply radicated in the Soul and the Heart of Man never so averse to holy actions yet God can soon make a change soon remove the sinful disposition and enable and encline the Soul to what it was most averse and impotent He can even in a moment overcome that love of sin and hatred of holiness which is either natural to a Man or contracted by him and both abate lessen weaken the power of sin in the Soul whereby it was wont to resist the workings of his Spirit and restrain and suspend any actual resistance it might make Let the mind of a Man be as dark as darkness it self yet he that caused light to shine out of darkness can enlighten that mind when he pleases 2 Cor. 4.6 Let the Soul be never so dead in sin and destitute of all Spiritual Life yet he that quickens the dead and calls things that are not as tho they were Rom. 4.17 can quicken it and breathe the Breath of Spiritual Life into it and whatever there be in the Soul to oppose him in his working yet the same power can at once quell the opposition and produce the Grace 4. God having infused the habit can as easily enliven it and draw it out into act in those that are capable of exercising grace wrought in them as I suppose dying sinners to be at least when they are capable of exercising their rational faculties For there is less to make opposition against God than in the former case the prevailing power of sin being broken and something in the Soul to take Gods part in the work viz. grace now begun and some habitual promptness and disposedness of the heart to spiritual good and compliance with the will of God It doth not require more power to awaken a vital principle tho dormant than to infuse it where there was none before 5. It may be for Gods honour sometimes to give Repentance to dying sinners the honour of his Sovereignty and free Grace in shewing that he hath mercy on whom he will Rom. 3.18 and that the deepest guilt even of an old hardned sinner cannot hinder the outgoings of his grace and mercy and the honour of his power when it prevails over the most setled habits of corruption Should God work only upon lesser sinners and who are not so confirmed in evil Man might be apt to think that he could not do it and that Mens lusts might be too hard for his power and so reflect on his Omnipotence or to think he could not find in his heart to do it and so reflect upon his Mercy II. By way of Position or Assertion It is a very dangerous thing to run the hazard of a death-bed Repentance or defer Repentance till the approach of death that is to neglect the doing a Mans own part in order to the obtaining this grace as was above premised viz. the seeking it of God and using all those means by which he ordinarily works it The danger of this neglect may appear by the following considerations 1. That no Man knows the time of his death any more than the manner of it or means by which it shall be brought about Our breath is in Gods hands Dan. 5.23 No Man hath a lease of his earthly Tabernacle but is Tenant at will to his great Landlord Who knows when he shall die or how Whether a natural death or a violent one To how many thousand unforeseen accidents are Men subject Not only Swords and Axes may dispatch them but God can commission Insects and Vermin to be the executioners of his justice upon them Hatto Archbishop of Mentz A great Prelate may be eaten up of Mice and a potent Prince devoured by Worms Acts 12.23 And who doth not carry the principles of his own dissolution perpetually within him Death lies in ambush in every vain in every member and none know when it may assault them It doth not always warn before it strikes If some Diseases are Cronical others are Acute and less lingring and some are as quick as lightning kill in an instant Men may be well in one moment and dead in the next God shoots his arrows at them they are suddenly wounded Psal 64.7 How many are taken away not only in the midst of their days but in the midst of their sins The lusting Israelites with the flesh between their teeth Numb 11.33 Julian if Historians speak truth with blasphemy in his mouth and how many frequently with the Wine in their heads In such cases what place what time for repentance for seeking it
Land is sometimes absolutely determined When it s thus a blessing is withheld from means that tend to make a people penitent and what of Repentance there is becomes uneffectual to divert the Misery Manasseh repented Josiah and the People with some solemnity humble themselves 2 King 23.25 26 27. But notwithstanding this the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his wrath c. because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal c. When the utmost limits of the time of Gods Patience is over ruin is unavoidable God bemoaneth a Land in this condition Luk. 19.42 The figure Apostopâ—siâ— is twice used in this verse thou hadst been happy hadst thou known in thy day thou art now undone because they are hid from thy eyes Deut. 32.26 27 Josh 7.9 Isa 48.8 9. Ezek. 36.2 8.22 23. as our Saviour in his Tears over Jerusalem If thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace but now they are hid from thy eyes 5. God sometimes moderateth and refrains his Judgments from other Considerations besides Repentance If executing Judgments upon his People will occasion Blasphemy and reproach to his Name he oft forbeareth his People though impenitent I would scatter them into corners c. were it not that I feared the wrath of the Enemy and they should say Our hand is high the Lord hath not done all this Joshuah and others knew it was a strong Plea What wilt thou do for thy great Name Again when his People have been so obstinate under Judgments that if he preceded in his Wrath they must be utterly destroyed rather than do so he hath eased his hand If the sins of his Enemies be full he conniveth at his Church whiles he avengeth himself on his Adversaries especially if his Servants are to be Executioners of his Wrath. Sometimes God hath had respect to some Ancestor or some particular action of a People that hath been pleasing to him and on that account hath been favourable though they have been otherwise obnoxious to judgments 6. It s not very easie at all times to judge of National Judgments or Mercies God may afflict in order to Mercy he may take away lesser Mercies to make way for greater Blessings He oft layes a foundation of lasting good by delays and astonishing struggles On the other hand he may forbear Judgments and bestow good things whereby a Nation is ripened for sorer Plagues He may destroy the Gentry to save the Vulgar or level his stroak against evil Magistrates or Ministers and so shake the State to make the Body of a People or his own people at least prosperous Many such wayes are with him Each of these affect a community and yet the aspect of them are so intricate and clouded that deep thoughts are needful to determine when we see the Mercy we expect or the Judgment which we fear You may perceive that the Case before me though it seemeth so popular is not so easily decided But the greatest Difficulty is to adjust the Nature of Repentance as accommodated to our expectation of National Mercies Which will fall under the next Head Fifthly The Case resolved and somewhat concerning the Rule by which it is resolved The Rule by which we must determine this is hinted in the Case it self The Rule to decide the Case by under those Words what Repentance doth God require Some Expression of the Divine Will must guide us we must not judge by Second Causes or by vain Fancy as we are too apt to do Neither too rigid nor yet too compassionate Inclinations must decide the Matter or lead our Expectations The Directions of the Soveraign Ruler of Kingdoms must alone take place what Notices he hath vouchsafed must be regarded with Reverence natural Principles due Inferences from his Essential Perfections the Nature Order Ends and Methods of his Government well considered and an Observation of his Dealings with our selves in past times and also with other Countreys do all contribute some light in the Matter before us But our chiefest regard must be to the Scriptures especially to such parts of them as urge Repentance on a people with Promises of good in case of compliance and Threatnings of Ruin upon their Obstinacy Also such parts should be observed as contain instances of National Repentance which have been succeeded or accompanied with National Mercies By this rule we must determine what that Repentance for National Sins is whereupon we may expect National Mercies Here we must consider Repentance modified as a means to this proper end viz. National Mercies And it s to be considered as to that lowest degree which will support our expectations of those Mercies Having premised this I think it may thus be determined 1. A Repentance short of that which is injoyned in order to Eternal Salvation will suffice to warrant our expectations of National Mercies Eternal Issues are not determined by the same Rules as Temporal Blessings Unregenerate persons may repent so as to divert present Judgments and secure Mercies This is evident in Ahab and Nineveh 1 King 21.29 Jonah 3. If it were not so we could not expect National Mercies before the generality of a Land became true Converts yea active Converts For Regenerate Persons that shall possess Heaven may come short in that Repentance which secures Blessings to a Nation Saving Repentance is the Grace we calls sinners to by our Ministry the more of this prevaileth in a Land the more sure are the Mercies of that people Without it a Nation will soon run into new forfeitures and bring plagues on it self at last as Niniveh did Nah. ch 2. 3. This saving Repentance is a change of Heart as well as Practice it strikes at the root and excludeth the Dominion of all Sin as well as National Provocations It hath a mixture of Divine Love reigning in the Heart as well as Fear It s excited by a sence of pardoning Mercy through the Blood of Christ as well as Gods Wrathful displeasure it s an effect of the Spirit in-dwelling and not onely of its common Operations it s the fruit of the Divine Life and not meerly of Natural Principles excited by Forreign impressions In these and the like saving Repentance exceeds that Repentance of a Land which yet may afford expectations of National Mercies 2. The Repentance which yields us ground to expect National Mercies I shall describe in these following particulars 1. It hath several things wherein it partakes of the nature and sincerity of a true Repentance 2. It must be for National Sins 3. The Repentance must usually be National 4. It must be suited to the different condition and circumstances of such as make up a Nation 1. It must have so much of the nature and sincerity of a true Repentance as is included in these following heads 1. Clear Convictions of the guilt and offences of a Nation We must believe those things to be sins
some sins are majoris reatus but minoris scandali so it is here The sins of Sodom had more Scandal but the sins of Capernaum greater Guilt Q. But wherein lyes the sinfulness of Impenitency under the Gospel above other sin Ans 1. Such will be left without Excuse above all others If the Heathen are said to be without excuse not living and worshipping God according to the dictates of natural Light and the notices of God suggested by the works of Creation Rom. 1.20 If the Jews will have their Mouth stopped having the written Law of God and the Knowledge of God's Will therein and yet transgressing this Law as the Apostle speaks Rom. 3.19 much more will those who live impenitently under the Gospel be without excuse and have their mouths stopped in the day of Judgment Had I not come and spoken to them saith Christ they had had no sin but now they have no cloak for their sin John 15.22 The Gospel strips sinners of every Cloak and so exposeth them more naked to the severe Justice of God John 3.19 For this is the Condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light And so are without excuse 1. Such cannot plead as the Heathen may that they were ignorant of a Saviour and how to be saved by him from their sin 2. Neither can they plead that Salvation by him was revealed so darkly that they could not have any distinct knowledge of it as the Jew may plead 3. Neither can they plead that this Revelation was never confirmed from Heaven so that they might certainly believe it to be from Heaven and not the invention of Men. The Confirmation of it is now made evident 4. Neither can they plead that they knew not that Unbelief and Impenitency were damnable sins and would expose men to the judgment and wrath of God 5. Neither can they plead Ignorance of God's punitive Justice The Sufferings of Christ for sin to satisfie offended Justice do clearly evidence this to all that know any thing of the Gospel And this more fully than any Judgments God hath inflicted upon sinners in this world even Sodom it self 6. Neither can they plead Ignorance of a future state of the Immortality of the Soul the Resurrection of the Body and Judgment to come and Heaven and Hell Though the Heathen had but dark notions the wisest of them about these things yet now Life and Immortality are brought to light by the Gospel and a future state is more clearly revealed than before either to Jew or Gentile 7. Neither can they plead ignorance of God's pardoning Mercy and his readiness to pardon upon repentance whereby sinners may be hardned in their sin as being without all hope There is forgiveness with thee that thou may'st be feared saith the Psalmist Psal 130.3 And knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance saith the Apostle Rom. 2.4 2 Cor. 5.19 And God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself not imputing their trespasses to them His pardoning Mercy is now clearly revealed which is the great Motive to Repentance Obj. But then to be ignorant will be a Man's advantage and will furnish him with an excuse Ans 1. That Ignorance which is invincible will excuse but not slothful and affected Ignorance If a King hath publish't and proclaimed his Law a Man's Ignorance will not excuse him from the penalty And to shut out the Light is as sinful as to sin against it When the light shineth in darkness it will be no excuse if the darkness comprehend it not 2. Impenitency under the Gospel is a resisting the loudest Calls of God to Repentance The Heathen were call'd to Repentance by the Light of natural Conscience and the Works of Creation and Providence The Jews were call'd by the Law God gave them and the Prophets God sent among them but now under the Gospel the Call is louder than before When the Gospel was entring the World in John Baptist's Ministry it entred thus Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Matth. 3.2 And under Christ's own Ministry the Call was louder The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand Repent ye and believe the Gospel Mark 1.15 And under the Apostle's Ministry the Call went into all the World Acts 17.30 The times of their ignorance God winked at now he calls all men every-where to repent And still the great Work of the Ministry is that which our Saviour speaks of his and the end of his coming Not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance And what the Apostle Paul speaks of his Ministry in Asia Teaching Repentance towards God and Faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ Acts 20.21 this is the great Work of the Ministry now And higher Motives are laid before sinners to repent under the Gospel than ever before 3. There is the highest Contempt of God in it He call'd by his Prophets to repentance before but now he hath call'd by his own Son If a King sends his own Son to command Rebels to lay down their Arms and accept of terms of Mercy and they still refuse it is greater Contempt than if he had sent his Servants As the King in the Parable said Surely they will reverence my Son Matth. 21.37 though they misused and killed his Servants There hath been Contempt of God by sinners in every Age as the Psalmist complains Psal 10.13 Wherefore do the wicked contemn God But this Contempt riseth to an higher degree under the Gospel since Christ came into the world 1. An higher Contempt of God's Authority To transgress the Law of God delivered by Angels upon the Mount to Moses and by Moses to the People was a Contempt of God's Authority and received a just recompence of reward Heb. 2.2 How greater Contempt is it to disobey the Gospel which was preached by the Lord himself as the Apostle there argues To refuse him that spake from Heaven is greater Contempt of God's Authority than to refuse him that spake from Earth Heb. 12.25 Rejecting the Gospel Christ calls it a despising both him and his Father Luke 10.16 And the Law was delivered in the hand of Christ to men when he came into the world so that now disobedience to it is an higher Contempt both of the Law and Law-giver than before If I had not come and spoke saith Christ they had no sin John 15.22 The Authority of the Speaker makes the Contempt the greater 2. An higher Contempt of God's Goodness For the Goodness of God is now revealed in the Gospel more fully and clearly than before Every impenitent sinner under the Gospel puts a Contempt upon the highest revelation of God's Goodness And that Goodness that should lead him to Repentance is now rejected and despised And nothing doth aggravate Sin more than when committed against special Love Grace Kindness and Goodness To turn Grace into Wantonness is great abuse but to put it under
things which we comprehend not III. That which makes believing so difficult is the seeming contradictory acts of Faith it seems not to consist with it self Here I take Faith more generally as it has for its Object the whole Word of God the Law and the Gospel the special Object of Faith as Saving is the Promise Saving Faith seeks Life which is not to be found in Commandments and Threats but in a Promise of Mercy Faith acting upon the whole Word of God seems to contradict it self for Faith believes a Sinner is to die according to the Law and that he shall live according to the Gospel Faith has the Word of God for both both for the Death and Life of a Sinner and both are true the Law must be executed and the Promise must be performed but how to reconcile this is not so obvious and easie to every one Is the Law then against the Promises of God God forbid Gal. 3.21 't is impossible both should be accomplished in the Person of a Sinner he cannot die eternally and live eternally yet both are wonderfully brought about by Jesus Christ according to the manifold Wisdom of God without any Derogation to his Law and Justice God and his Law are satisfy'd and the Promise of Salvation made good to the Sinner and so both Law and Gospel have their ends not a tittle of either falls to the ground Heaven and Earth may sooner pass away than this can be O what a mistery is Christ Flesh and blood can't reveal this to us every believer assents to the truth of the Law as well as the Gospel he knows that both must have their full course the Law is fulfilled in inflicting Death the Gospel in giving Life the Law contributes nothing to the eternal Life of a sinner but kills him and leaves him weltering in his blood is no more concerned about him for ever if God will bring this dead sinner to life again he may dispose of him as he please the Law has done its utmost against him so the Law did against Christ spared him not but killed him out-right and left him for a time under the power of Death but having slain a Man who was God as well as Man Death was too weak to hold him he swallows up Death in victory he whom the Law slew as Man rises as God by the power of his godhead the Law contributed nothing to his Resurrection the Law had the chief hand in his Death but none in his Resurrection And here begins our eternal Life in the Resurrection of him who dies no more and is the Resurrection and Life to all who believe in him IV. The reigning unbelief that is among the generality of Men even among those who are of greatest reputation for Wisdom and Learning Ay and among those who carry the vogue for Zeal and Religion are counted the Head and Pillars of the Church Some pretending to Infallibility others set up themselves and are cryed up by many as such competent Judges in all matters of Faith that their judgment is not to be questioned but readily complied with by all who would not be counted singular and Schismatical So 't was in our Saviours time the Jews who had been the only Professors of the true Religion for many ages in opposition to all Idolatry and false Worship they stumble at the Gospel the Greeks who were the more Learned sort of the Heathen World they counted it foolishness And thus was the whole World set against Christ here was the greatest outward hinderance of the belief of the Gospel that could be imagined and add to this the indefatigable pains and industry of the Devil to keep out the light of the Gospel from shining in upon us he blinds the Eyes of Men by a cursed influence upon their corrupt minds that they should not believe Is it not a hard matter under all these discouragements to embrace the Gospel and declare our belief of it Have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him But this people who know not the Law John 7.48 49. Why should any regard what a company of poor illiterate people do Their following Christ is rather an argument why we should not follow him they are all but fools and ideots that do so A cursed sort of people This is the judgement the Men of the World have of believers There is nothing among too many self-conceited Scepticks lies under a greater imputation of folly and madness than faith in the Lord Jesus Christ O what a pass are things come too that after so many hundred years profession of Christianity we should grow weary of Christ and the Gospel V. The notorious Apostacy of many Professors this day who have made Shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience 1 Tim. 1.19 may convince you all that 't is no easie matter to believe so to believe as to persevere in the Faith VI. Believers themselves find it a difficult matter to act their Faith if their Lives lie upon it they cannot act it at their pleasure without the special aid and assistance of the Spirit 't is God must work in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure Believers are hardly put to it great is the labour and travel of their Souls in believing they meet with much opposition from flesh and blood in every act of Faith they put forth they are forced to cry out for help in the midst of an act of Faith lest they should fail in it I helieve Lord help my unbelief q. d. I am now under some light and power of Faith but I see I can't hold it if thou dost not help me I feel flesh and blood rising up against my Faith I begin to stagger already Lord help me that I may not be run down by my carnal Heart Temptations shake our Faith many times there is a perpetual conflict between Faith and Diffidence yet Faith fails not utterly there 't is still Psal 31.22 23. Psal 42.6 9. Faith upholds the Heart still Psal 116.7 Unbelievers they tremble and turn away from God but true believers in their greatest frights and fears do run to God Psal 56.3 make towards him still Were it an easie matter to believe such suddain fits of unbelief would not come so strongly upon believers themselves Secondly The Reson why many Professors count it an easie thing to Believe The main Reason is this and I will insist upon no other viz. Because they mistake a formal Profession of Faith for real believing this undo's thousands who because they are qualified as National Protestants for all worldly preferments here they rest and make no other use of their Religion as if the Articles of their Faith obliged them to nothing A formal Profession is general takes up Religion in gross but is not concerned in any one point of it But real Believing is particular brings down every Gospel Truth to our selves shews us our concernments in it Save thy self saith
sence of the believing World Believers generally know as having found it by experience that they are naturally impotent to spiritual good They find much weakness in themselves after grace is wrought in them and nothing but weakness before God work it They acknowledge they cannot work any degree of grace in themselves when some already they have much less could they work it in themselves when they really had none And how come others to have more strength than they Did not they fall in Adam Or had his Apostasie a less malignant influence upon them than upon others How come they to have such a reserve of Spiritual strength when the rest of the World hath lost it 4. If they can work repentance in themselves why do they not do it sooner Why do they defer it so long when they cannot deny but one time or other it must be wrought Is it a fit return to God for the goodness he hath shewn them all their days to live in sin all their days and turn to him when they can live no longer in it Or will it be an acceptable answer to him when he calls them to a reckoning that they had not served sin long enough nor had their fill of their lusts or else they would have turned to him sooner 5. And how many be there who to encourage themselves in their present impenitency and the enjoyments of their sinful pleasures fancy they can turn themselves when they please yet if God open their eyes and awaken their Consciences and they begin in good earnest to set themselves to labour after repentance they are soon convinced of the hardness and deadness of their Hearts and their utter disabilities to such a work and are fain in spight of all their high thoughts and conceits of themselves to look up to God and implore his assistance and depend upon him for the working of that grace in them which they fondly imagined they could work in themselves 5. God may not give them grace to repent when they come to die Admit they have time and means yet God may not give a blessing to the means Let it be considered First To how few God ever gives repentance at the last even of those who have as good means and helps as their weak and dying condition will admit of It is one of the saddest parts of a Ministers work to visit dying sinners How few do they leave any better than they find them How few give any hopes of a through change wrought in them How few can they perswade to believe in Christ when they have an hundred times before rejected him How few can they bring to repentance then when they never minded it before Ministers even the best are but Men and not God flesh and not Spirit and means instructions exhortations are but means whose whole efficacy depends on Gods co-operation with them and when he with-holds his Blessing they are altogether ineffectual When they judge of man's eternal State though their judgment is not to be rash nor peremptory yet it should be reasonable some good grounds they should have for it But alas if they keep to Scripture-rules in how few of them that never repented before do they find when dying so much as a foundation for a charitable judgment of their Spiritual state 1. If we set aside those that die in gross ignorance of the things of God of the very first Principles of Religion the nature of God the Offices of Christ the ends of his Death the necessity of satisfaction for sin the nature and use of Faith the terms of the Covenant c. Ignorant indeed of those truths some knowledge of which is necessary to the very being of saving Grace How many such do we find and what hope can we have of the truth of their Repentance and so of their Salvation How can their Hearts be holy when their Minds are so blind What Heavenly heat can their be in there affections when there is such an hellish darkness in their understandings Such may read their doom Isa 27.11 2. Set aside those that die stupid without any awakenings of Conscience any sense or concernedness about their spiritual state and so die as much like Beasts as they lived 3. Those that die despairing fill'd with horror and void of hope overwhelmed with the sense of sin the thoughts of approaching vengeance and a fearful expectation of appearing before the Tribunal of that righteous God whom they cannot escape and dare not trust They have not hearts to pray to him hope in him or commit their Souls into his hands when they die having never loved nor served nor regarded him while they lived 4. Those that die presuming Such are the ignorant before mentioned such are Formalists Moralists proud Pharisees conceited self-justifiers The Innocency of their Conversation the Profession they make or the Duties they perform are the righteousness by which they expect to be justified Nay how many after a Life of sin hope to be saved meerly by the mercy of God without respect to any righteousness at all either of Justification or Sanctification either imputed to them or inherent in them either that whereby they may have a title to glory or meetness for it Sure I am such as these are void of repentance and when the greatest part of dying Sinners may be reduced to one or other of these sorts to how few doth God give repentance at the last of those who did not before seek it of him Secondly With how many is the day of Grace past and the time of God's patience run out and then we may be sure God will not give them repentance They have so many times rejected the counsel of God against themselves Luke 7.30 refused the Offers of Grace turned a deaf ear to the calls of the Gospel stiffned their necks and refused to return that now they are past it God that waited on them so long will wait no longer They had a time of acceptation a day of salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 but that being over they are to have no more God was nigh to them and might have been found of them Isa 55.7 but is now withdrawn from them and they may seek Christ and die in their sins John 8.21 the may seek and not find call and God give them no answer Prov. 1.28 Thirdly God may have judicially hardned their Hearts when they had sinfully hardened them before And this seems to be one great cause of that stupidness and insensibleness we so often find in Sinners at the time of death True God infuseth no sin into them yet he may wholly abandon them to the power of the hardness they have contracted and give them up into the Devils hands to delude and blind to act and manage them according to his pleasure and their own corrupt inclinations They may not have so much as an heart to desire to repent or pray to God for Grace to enable them to to it all those
open but for a time and when that is past it will be shut Matth. 25.10 and all your calling and knocking will never prevail with God for the opening of it again And what then shall you be the better the nearer repentance or nearer pardon for all that Ocean of mercy that is in God if you seek it too late and when he will not let out one drop of it to you 2. Gods justice is as great as his mercy All his Attributes are alike infinite one doth not overtop the other And then if you delay and put off repenting to your latter end why may you not as reasonably fear lest he should in justice punish you for your long impenitency as in mercy give you repentance Quest How doth Practical Godliness better rectifie the Judgment than doubtful Disputations SERMON X. Rom. XIV 1. Him that is weak in the Faith receive but not to doubtful Disputations THIS Epistle to the Romans is an Epitomy or Body of Divinity containing Faith and Love in Christ Jesus from which Rome degenerating hath separated from her self and the Scriptures of Truth the only grand Charter of all Christianity In the beginning of the Epistle the Apostle discourseth about Original Sin 〈◊〉 having infected the whole Nature of Man with its guilt and filth 〈◊〉 Jews and Gentiles all become abominable fallen short of the glory and image of God Chap. 3.23 For by one Man Sin entred upon all Chap. 5.12 and Death by Sin Whence he inferreth there is no possibility of our Justification by the Works either of the Ceremonial or Moral Law so that he concludeth a necessity of our being Justified by Faith without the Works of the Law Chap. 3.28 Through the Redemption of Jesus Christ But though we are justified freely by his Grace yet we are not to live freely and licentiously in Sin because Grace abounds God forbid Chap. 6.1 for holiness is inseparably entailed on our most holy Faith Jude 20. Then he proceedeth to shew the Privileges of the adopted Children of God that there is no condemnation due to them Chap. 8.1 For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made them free from the Law of Sin and Death and that they are heirs of God vers 17. which is more than all the World Till he arriveth at the Head-spring of all Grace and that is Eternal Election Chap. 9. without any foresight of Faith or Works But as in time he chose first the Jews rejecting them he chose the Gentiles without any view of Merit or Eligibility in either of them before others for the Jews were the smallest and meanest of all Nations Deut. 7.7 and the Gentiles all over-run with Idolatry and Profaneness Yet this Conversion of the Gentiles was foreknown and therefore forewilled of God from the beginning Acts 15.18 After these sublimer Doctrins he descends Chap. 12. to Practical Duties and he who will understand the eleven first Chapters of the Epistle to the Romans must practise the five last be acquainted with the mysterious Duties of Love and then you will better understand the mysteries of Faith Chap. 13.8 He exhorteth them to owe no body any thing but Love be in no bodies debt yet owe every one Love a debt always to be paying and yet always owing yet still abiding our proper treasure This 14th Chapter is a branch of some particular Duties of Love and this Verse is the sum of this whole Chapter of Charity which words are said to have occasioned the Conversion or Confirmation of Alipius as the foregoing words were of Augustines Such is the Autority and Energy of the naked Word of God upon the Consciences of Men in the day of Christs Power And the naked Sword cuts better than when it is sheathed in a gaudy scabbard of the inticing words of Mans wisdom 1 Cor. 2.4 The Apostles were frequently exercised with difficulties how to compose the differences among Christians the Jewish Converts were eager to bring their Circumcision with their observation of times and meats along with them into Christianity Gal. 4.10 The Gentiles were not accustomed to these things and therefore opposed them yet were as ready to bring a Tang of their own old Errors with them also as their Doctrin of Demons 1 Tim. 4.1 and their worshipping of Angels Col. 2.18 and probably some of their Heathenish Festivals and Customs So that both parties were in an error and neither of them fully understood that liberty Christ had brought to them from these beggerly Elements Rudiments and Ordinances to which they were in bondage For if God saw good to free his Church from those Ceremonies which were instituted by himself he would never allow them to be in a slavish subjection to the Superstitions and Ceremonies of worldly Mens inventions tho' never so Dogmatically and Magisterially imposed For as Learned Davenant on that Col. 2.18 observes such injunctions are apt to grow upon Men forbidding first not to touch or eat such and such meats then not to taste after not so much as to handle them Now to compose these differences the Apostles met at Jerusalem Acts 15.20 where they made no positive injunctions for the Christians to practise any Ceremonies or Observations of either party against their Consciences but limited the exercise of their liberty which they truly had by the Gospel but that they should abstain from Fornication which to explain is too great a digression Blood things Strangled and what was offered to Idols These they would have them to avoid that they may not offend those weak Jews who could not suddenly concoct these practices till Judgment should be brought to Victory over these feeble fancies And they laid this also as a burthen on them for a time till they could be brought to better understanding and all this by way of advice from the Apostles Elders and the whole Church vers 22. their Letter also was read to the whole multitude vers 30. So here the Apostle adviseth the Romans how to do in the like case with these weak ones Him that is weak receive c. 1. Here is the description of the person who is to be considered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not him that is weak and sick to death erring in the foundation of Faith one who doth not hold the Head Col. 2.19 Who denieth the Lord who bought him these are destructive Heresies which bring on Men swift damnation 2 Pet. 2.1 we are not to say to such God speed you 2 Epistle John 10. their very breath is blasting to Mens minds 2. Nor is it one who is sick about questions 1 Tim. 1.4 2 Tim. 3.23 foolish endless unlearned unedifying questions which only ingender contention such are idle busie-bodies seekers and disputatious quarrellers about some minute things which hypocritical and vain minds Trade in to keep themselves buzzing about the borders of Religion that they may keep off from the more serious duties and substantial parts thereof 3. But he is one
the Blessing Young Solomon's chusing Wisdom Young Obadiah's fearing the Lord Young John's lying in Christ's Bosom Yea Young Children crying Hosannah stilling or shaming at least and baulking God's Enemies and ours Origen's Father Leonides would sometimes uncover his Breast as he lay asleep and solemnly Kiss it blessing God that had given him to be a Father to so Excellent a Child And so shall many of us have warrant to do Upon our Houses Schools and Churches it shall be writ and read of all Jehova Shamma the Lord is there Amen and Amen Quest What Repentance of National Sins doth God require as ever we expect National Mercies SERMON XVIII HOSEA 10.12 Sow to your selves in Righteousness reap in Mercy breaks up your fallow ground for it is time to seek the Lord till he come and rain Righteousness upon you THE Prophet joyneth Counsel with Threatnings Amendment is that he calleth them to as a means to save them That he might induce them to this he represents their aggravated Sins and the dangers to which they were exposed by their Provocations Yet least this Call should still be uneffectual through an opinion that Repentance could avail little to a People so guilty he addeth that if they returned to God their Sins tho' great should not prevent Mercy and the threatned Judgments though near might be diverted By this Text God proclaims not only to particular Persons but to Nations how desireable it is to him to execute his Goodness and his extream backwardness to avenge himself on the most provoking Kingdoms unless they add Impenitency under solemn Warnings unto their Rebellion God seems to address himself to Ephraim to this purpose Thou are a very guilty People yet turn that I may forgive Thou art on the very brink of ruine thy obstinateness is so notorious that it will not consist with the Rules or Credit of my Government to spare thee longer Oh yet be perswaded to render thy self a Subject capable of my kindness I have long pleaded and thou seemest even unperswadable Yet I 'll make one further essay I 'll try thee once more Sow to your selves in Righteousness First The words containeth some of the Essentials of Repentance and suppose the rest Under a Metaphor from Tillage God applyeth himself in the description of this Duty q. d. 1. He that will repent must deal with his indisposed Heart Break up the fallow ground whatever pain or difficulty attends so barren or obstinate a frame of Soul you must strive with your selves pluck up those Weeds strike at the root of your Lusts which render the Fruits of Righteousness impossible This sence of that clause is more evident from those words of another Prophet Break up the fallow ground Jer. 4.3 sow not among Thornes 2. When the Heart is thus prepared we must proceed to proper acts of Reformation Sow to your selves in Righteousness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad justitiam Isa 61.3 Let the Rule of Righteousness be observed in your hearts and ways be just to God and Men return to God in sincerity be and do what may argue you to be Trees of Righteousness Do thus to your selves i. e. leave it not to others Or you shall reap the advantage of it your selves if you repent 3. You must also seek the Lord i. e. Worship God and not Idols as hath been your way Follow after him who is departed from you call upon him crave his Grace to help you but be not satisfied with faint and short attempts persist in this work till you find his favour in the blessed effects of it even till he come and rain c. These heads of Repentance this Text affords Secondly This Repentance is urged from variety of Arguments but principally from this That National Mercies would certainly follow this National Repentance Reap at the face of Mercy or immediately 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reap in Mercy It 's promised more strongly then if it had been said Indicatively you shall reap in the Future Tense Being put thus Imperatively the import of it is this you have no more to do but possess your Mercies upon your Repentance Mercy will of it self grow from that Root God hath provided all antecedent Causes he hath ordained the connexion and it lies on him to make a Repenting People happy You may be assured of this for that which was meer Mercy in making the Promise is become an Act of Righteousness by the Promise You may now expect it from God as just in which sense I take that clause till he come and rain Righteousness upon you That which was Mercy in the first part of the Verse is Righteousness in the last part I know it 's true Doctrine to say till God bestow on you holy inclinations and ability to perform but that 's not the most designed Sense He further argues Ezek. 34.26 from the plenty of those Blessings which God would afford on their Repentance Till he come and rain Righteousness The returns of God to a Repenting People are in a fullness of Blessing and there shall be showers of Blessings There 's one Motive more viz. The seasonableness It 's time to seek the Lord. It 's high time and but barely so you cannot say there is no hope though you must repent soon or not at all The consideration of this Paraphrase must lead any one to the case that I am to handle Can any serious Spirit think it vain to ask What is that National Repentance which may give a sinful people hope of Mercy Which is the same with the Case as it is given me What Repentance of National Sins doth God require as ever we may expect National Mercies I have led you to it by this Text that it may not seem a melancholly fancy a mystery not to be handled or a needless inquiry It 's an awful case It 's not put to satisfie your Curiosity but to guide your Fears and Hopes It 's not only to direct your Minds to a right judgment of the matter but to excite your Hearts to that Repentance which may afford us hope in the midst of our dangers and guiltiness It 's the happiness or misery of Nations are concerned in it It 's the only remedy that a sinful Nation can use or turn to God is peremptory Luke 13.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 utterly be destroyed except you repent you shall all likewise perish My work is 1. To resolve the case in general 2. To apply the case resolved to our own Nation I shall use this method As to the first 1. Shew you what is supposed in the case as stated 2. Explain the tearms National Sins and Mercies 3. State the Case it self 4. Propose the difficulties that attend the resolution of it 5. Resolve the Case which the forementioned particulars will much conduce to I shall as proof to this resolution of the Case 1. Evidence that the Repentance expressed in the fifth head doth ordinarily afford ground
of our expectation of National Mercies notwithstanding National Sins 2. That when this Repentance is not in a Nation we cannot ordinarily expect National Mercies First These things are supposed in the Case as stated Where there is Sin there ought to be Repentance There are National sins as well as Personal sins that a Nation as such becomes guilty by National sins There are Mercies which attend a people as a Community Our National Sins have removed National Mercies or at least prevent and suspend the bestowing of these Mercies God requires a Repentance for National Sins and that as a means of National Mercies There may be a Repentance which may be defective to this end and from which we cannot groundedly expect such Mercies That there is a Repentance for National Sins which if we arrive at may warrant our expectation of National Mercies These and such like are supposed as the Case is stated and therefore I pass them by Secondly I shall enquire what National Sins are and what National Mercies are The rest of the terms in the Case will be handled under other heads Quest What are National Sins in the Question Answ Such gross sins as render a Nation guilty Ezek. 14.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wilfully and repeatedly against Gods Covenant and expose it to National Judgments and forfeit National Mercies When the Land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously then will I stretch out my hand Whatsoever sins God hath threatned to destroy a body of people for are in the Question The Answer directs us to consider these several parts of it First These sins are gross in their nature They are not sins of infirmity Ezek. 7.23 or sins which ordinary care labour and watchfulness could not prevent They are called bloody crimes You may find them ennumerated when God arraigns Nations in the Testimony of his Prophets when calling them to Repentance and when God justifieth the severity of his Judgments against a People I shall name some of them which defile a Land Hos 10.4 Jer. 23.10 Psal 78.50 Isa 3.15 Ez. 21.23 24. Isa 1.21 23. Luke 10.10.11 13. 1 Thess 2.16 Rev. 2.3 Hos 11.7 Isa 59.13 c. Ezek. 35.15 Amos 8.9 Idolatry Perjury Breaking of Covenant Blood Uncleanness Apostacy Oppression Profaneness I need not bring Proof hereof the Scriptures are full Yea among such provocations are reckoned Mens refusal of the Gospel silencing and obstructing the Ministry malignity against good Men Divisions and Enmity Lying Pride abuse of Mercies gross Formality Hypocrisie great Decays among Saints and gross Backslidings Secondly These sins must be National such as denominate a Kingdom sinful We consider them not as the sins of particular Persons but as they affect a Community as United among themselves and distinguished from others by some special Bonds We will enquire for the clearing of this Quest How Sins become National Answ 1. By all or the generality of a People being personally Transgressors as to those Crimes The whole head is sick and the whole heart faint Isa 1.5 from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head there is no soundness Thus Sodom could not afford Ten innocent persons The Infection is oft propagated to the whole Body though begun in a few as Jer. 23.15 from the Prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the Land This doth not mean that every individual is corrupted but the generality of all sorts Jer. 32.32 Mal. 3.9 Magistrates Priests and People were profane Ye have robbed me even this whole Nation 2. When the Governours Representatives and influencing Persons are Transgressors Hos 9.15 I will love them no more all their Princes are revolters Israel is become vile by the sins of Jeroboam wrath against Judah remained 2 Kin. 23.26 because of the provocations that Manassah had provoked God withall Provoking abominations by the Rulers of a People and cursed Laws 2 Sam. 21.1 defile a Land and expose it Saul brings a Famine on Israel by violating the Covenant with the Gibeonites What Governours do may be said to be done by a Nation Though I think when Judgments take their express rise from the sins of Rulers there is some other guilt among the People Hab. 3.8 ripening them for Judgment or a complyance with their Rulers sins 3. By the generality of a Nation making it self partaker of other Mens sins though it do not actually commit them Some that do not personally commit the sins 1 Sam. 3.13 Zeph. 3.13 Isa 22.12 Hos 7.5 may become guilty of them by not hindering those sins according to their power by rejoycing in those iniquities or Pleading for them by not mourning for them by contributing to those Enormities These wayes a Land may be guilty though a few Chief Men act the sin Thirdly These sins are such as expose to Judgments and forfeit National Mercies These are here intended and reference to both the former heads must be had but besides the grosness of the sins as to the nature of them and their extent as National on both which accounts they become National Provocations The Case requires our observing further 1. That more refined Sins may expose one Nation to Judgments which may not expose another Land This depends on the variety of advantages some people are under above others A Nation that hath Gospel helps and professeth Holiness and Worshipeth the true God may be exposed to Judgments by Formality Backsliding and more Spiritual Evils than other Lands not so circumstantiated Sins below gross Immoralities may as truly forfeit their Mercies as Injustice Blood or Idolatry amongst ignorant Paganish Countries 2. The provoking Sins of one and the same Nation may be made up by various kinds of offences according to the different condition of the offenders Sometimes a Land is polluted by the same sort of Sins propogated through the Body of the People But it is not always so the offences vary and the National Guilt results from the several offences The sins of Magistrates are of one kind and the sins of the Subjects another according to their different Talents and Station The Profane part of a Nation transgress by enormous Crimes and the Professing part are polluted with more Spiritual wickedness as Barrenness Deadness Censoriousness Am. 64.6 Jer. 23.11 Isa 56.10 11. Jer. 28. 5.31 Mic. 6.11 12. Mi. 7.4 6. The offences of the Gentry and Commonalty may be several Ministers and People may fill up the measure of iniquity in a different manner Hence you see that a Nation may be guilty though some remarkable Villany may not be Universal It 's enough if the different sorts of Inhabitants grosly offend in their several kinds 3. Usually the sins of a Nation do not bring Judgments or forfeit Mercies by the simple Commission of them but as attended with some additional aggravations A Land rarely is destroyed unless sins are committed after warnings Utter Destruction comes not before lesser Judgments have
been tryed Am. 4. and prove unsuccessful Security and Impenitency is added to Rebellion before God proceeds against a People The Lords Goodness displays it self in his Calls and Patience waiteth an Answer ere he takes the advantage against a Land Isa 3.9 Oft besides the grosness of sins there is boldness and shamefulness they declare their sin as Sodom I shall not mention antecedent aggravations as Light Convictions Covenant bonds c. which add a weight to sin whiles committing You see what National Sins are in the Question and when they become such as hazard the ruine of a People Quest What are National Mercies in the Case before us Answ Such Blessings as truly and considerably affect the good of a Community They must be Blessings in their nature and National in their extent they must have an aptitude to the Common Weale the more they conduce to make a Land happy the greater the Mercy is Neither is the gracious design of God to bless a Land thereby to be disregarded for sometimes he rains Snares Psal 78.29 31. and gives Quails in judgment These Mercies regard our Souls or our Bodies or both I shall ennumerate some of them * By pardon I mean an exemption from Tempâ—ral Puniâ—hments for those sins The pardon of past sins and help against the like offences the pretence of God as effective of Spiritual and Temporal good Gospel Ordinances a Holy Judicious Faithful Ministry a pure Worship the Spirits energie in the Gospel to the Conversion of many Sinners and real Edification of Saints whereby the estate of Believers may be flourishing a Godly Discipline and Communion of Saints founded on plain Gospel Terms Love and Peace among Churches grounded on essential not disputable Notions and expressed in all the fruits of Christian Love freedom from Persecution and Malignity a Godly Magistracy using its Power to restrain Sin and promote Godliness Peace in our Borders Justice in our Courts Learning in the Schools Wisdom and sincere designs for publick good among Counsellours Plenty by a Blessing on ouâ— Trades and Labours Health in our Streets Credit and Influence among Neighbouring Countries freedom from such Judgments as waste and debate a Land These and the like constitute a happy Nation They are Mercies which National Sins forfeit and without which the aspect of a Land is mournful Greater or less degrees of all or any of these are within the Question as the object of our expectations and the sorts and degrees are oft proportioned to a Nations Repentance and determined by it Thirdly The Case stated and distinguished from what seems like it It is not what Repentance God requireth of particular persons in order to Eternal Life nor what Repentance God requireth of a sinful Nation as its duty nor what 's that Repentance without which a Nation shall never enjoy National Mercies nor what Repentance is that on which every Nation in all cases shall partake of National Mercies nor what shall limit our Prayers nor yet altogether our Hopes as to the state of a Land much less what is that Repentance which will best secure National Mercies But the Question connects our Repentance and warrantable expectations The scope of it is What is the lowest sort or degree of Repentance for National Sins which is requisite to warrant and ordiâ—arily direct our expectations of National Mercies The Reason why I add ordinarily will appear after the indefiniteness of the term National Mercies whether of this kind or of that to this or that degree I insist not upon Supposing that it imports at least so much and many Mercies as render a Nation tolerably happy and exempted from what it esteems calamitous Fourthly The Difficulties of the Case It s not only hard to determine it as the minimum quod sic in any qualification for Mercy nor yet as a thing depending on Multitudes and relating to the Providence of God as to what 's future but there are these other things that make it difficult 1. Other Nations are not under such express Rules with respect to Gods outward dealings as the Jewish Nation was That people was under a Theocracy God was their King 1 Sam. 12.12 on this account the Lord chargeth them when they were for a King 1 Sam. 8.7 that they rejected me that I should not reign over them Idolatry also was High Treason in that State they were Gods peculiar Nation and thereby to live in a more immediate dependance on him even in Civil respects Isa 51.4 than other People The Rules of their External Priviledges both Church and National were express in that Covenant of peculiarity whereinto they were admitted This Covenant easily determined mens Expectations of Gods dealings with them But I think we cannot always conclude from Gods Methods towards them how he will deal with other Nations that are not under the same Law 2. There have been alwayes great displays of Soveraignty in Gods Dispensation of Judgments and Mercy towards Nations He waites longer on some people than on others though no more guilty Sometimes he granteth favour to a Nation though its Sins be many and punisheth it when its provocations appear less Josh 7.1 The Sins of multitudes are connived at sometimes and at other times he afflicteth for the Offences of a few as in the case of Achan He hath diverted Judgments at the Prayer of one Moses Exo. 32.11 14. Ez. 14.14 Jer. 7.16 but sometimes though Noah Daniel and Job be there they shall deliver no more than themselves Yea he hath forbid his Servants to pray for a people as a thing to no purpose God hath sorely rebuked small Sins in particular Persons as Moses Vzzah c. to let men see its Patience in God not Innocency in Men that he still destroys not There is exact Wisdom and Righteousness in all this variety which the light of a higher State will discover though now by reason of darkness his wayes seem perplexed to us However this Soveraign unaccountableness must abate our positiveness in judging what will be the way of God towards a people though it hinders not the determining our ordinary Expectations 3. There are prophetick periods wherein National Mercies shall not be obstructed by impenitence but Repentance shall follow them Israel was not remarkably penitent when the time of Redemption from Egypt was come yet God keeps his day Ezek. 16.62 Hag. 2.14 16 17 18. Rev. 19 1 7 8. Their Release from Babylon found them in the like unfit posture yet God is pacified and brings them to Repentance by their return This people is unclean and what they offer is unclean yet he makes them prosper and build the Temple even though they had not turned to him And it seems to be not much otherwise with the Church when it sings the Praises of God for the consummating stroak against Antichrist Rev. 19.1 7 8. she is not ready nor cloathed with eminent Holiness 4. The Desolation of a
their sin ver 10. accepted of their punishment and called upon God ver 15. They put away their strange gods and served the Lord then the Soul of God was grieved for their misery and he delivered them ver 16. A parallel you have in Niniveh the charge given by the King Jon. â— 8 9. which was complyed with was Let them turn every one from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hand then they conclude a possibility of escape according to the tacit reserve in the Prophets message Who can tell if God will turn away from his fierce anger and we perish not 2. But yet further The Repentance in these acts must be for National Sins If it be for other Sins and not for the Sins of the Land it will not warrant our expectations of National Mercies God will have Men direct their Repentance to that which his Wrath is kindled for and which his Testimony is against It 's not enough that you bewail your own personal private sins but these publick faults People are loathest to own bewail and leave these National Offences Custom fixeth them they are commonly reputable and by the generality of Transgressours thought innocent they are supported by lnterest and Power there 's danger by Repenting thereof If you reform as to these there 's oft a loss of Places Men are subject to shame by leaving faults in fashion or the reproach of having long offended in those things and how backward are our proud Hearts to acknowledge we have been in an error But let it be never so hard the Arrow of God is levelled against these very sins and even these shall be bewailed and forsaken or he will proceed to embitter them People may think to commute with God and amend in other matters but this is a vain attempt Mic. 6.15 16. to their own delusion and ruine Thou shalt sow but shalt not reap for the statutes of Omri are kept and all the works of the house of Ahab and ye walk in their counsels that I should make thee a desolation and the inhabitants thereof an hissing Therefore you shall bear the reproach of my people This leads me to answer one Objection Object How may we know which be the National Sins Answ If the same particular Sins be universal Consider the carriage of a people in general and compare it with the Word National Sins are too gross not to be seen when the rule of a Peoples walking is set before us But if you would know which are more eminently the National Sins observe what Sins have the greatest influence in Corrupting the Land which cleaveth fastest to a people and most especially leading persons are guilty of which have been longest continued in and in their Nature and Consequences are most grievous which seem the Judgments of God most directed against what sins do the best Ministers and People witness most against By these Rules you may discern what are those National Sins which the Nation agree in the commission of or connivance at But if the National Sins be by accumulation of several sorts of sins according to the different state of people who constitute that Community You then must distinguish a Nation into its constituent or remarkably differing parties as Magistrates and Subjects Ministers and People Rich and Poor Infidels and Believers c. Compare the frame and carriage of each of these with that which God hath made their peculiar Duty and adding the former helps those National Sins will appear which are made up by complication though the same individual Crimes are not entertained by the several parties in a Nation 3. The Repentance must usually be National I do not mean that every individual must repent but the generality or at least some very considerable number and those of such Men that most represent and influence the Body A small number of private Penitents may save themselves but seldom secure a Nation I confess here I must be wary considering how graciously God is pleased to admit sometimes a few to personate a Body and give in Blessings for many on their mediation Phineas his Zeal turns away Wrath from all his people Num. 25.11 Ezek. 22.30 God seems to conclude the unavoidableness of Israels woe from the want of one man to divert it I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before me for the Land that I should not destroy it but I found none This the desolate Church complains of Isa 64.7 There is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee But though Sovereignty admits a very few Penitents to profit many Transgressors yet we are not usually to expect this what ever in extremity we may hope for want of better grounds usually a few are called none as to this effect No man repented him of his wickedness Jer. 8.6 Isa 66.4 and 59.16 I called and none did answer he wondered there was no intercessor There were the Prophets themselves and some others that Repented yet so few were as good as none to secure the good which multitudes concurred to remove His Call is to the generality to return and on that he promiseth favour Hear ye the word of the Lord all ye of Judah Jer. 7.2 3. Thus saith the Lord Amend your ways and your doings and I will cause you to dwell in this place And the failure by the refusal he affixeth to the body of them ver 28. Thou shalt say This is a Nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord nor receiveth correction c. We can hardly look for good to a Land unless the repenting persons be numerous enough to vindicate the Glory of God and influence the Land to Reformation Joel 1.14 15. Jon. 3.5 6. The assembly of Penitents must be solemn How general was the Repentance of Niniveh from the greatest to the least from the King and Nobles to the most abject Some farther light may arise from the next head 4. The Repentance should be suited to the different Condition and Circumstances of those that make up a Nation Each must repent of the sins common to all yea the gross trespasses of each sort must be bewailed by every sort But yet there is a Repentance peculiar to each which ought eminently to appear or at least really to be and this exerted according to their respective abilities Magistrates ought to mourn for the sins of the People and also to repent of their own ill Examples bad Laws c. And they must express their Repentance by exerting that Power which they have above others They should enact good Laws restrain and punish Sin command days of Humiliation appoint good Ministers c. So Ezra did Ezra 10.8 9. Neh. 13. The same did Nehemiah Magistrates do not repent if they do not so and a Land may perish for their neglect Suppose a Land divideable into Unbelievers and Believers These Believers must
repent of their own sins as well as the sins of Unbelievers They must be humbled for their own decays Contentions Worldlyness Barrenness Vanity Pride though less gross then others as well as for the Idolatry and Profaneness of the Irreligious The Reason is that these sins of theirs contribute to the bringing down Judgments and obstructing of Mercies as well as the grosser sins of Unbelievers nay in some sense more because they ought to be Witnesses for God in a degenerate Land Their Examples encourage the grosser Villanies of others they have more Light and Strength to keep themselves pure yea if the number of good Men be considerable in a Land the lot of a Nation is mostly determined by them and Gods regards is much more to them than others If you take the Epistles to the seven Churches to be so particular as most do you may see how God reproves and threatens them though small portions of those States of which they were Members in Civil Respects I think I may say that the Repentance of Believers for their sins must exceed the Repentance of Unbelievers in some proportion to that Life Grace and Aids which they have above those Unbelievers their Humiliation must be deeper and more ingenuous their resolves stronger their return more universal their Prayers more fervent their Reformation more extensive spiritual and vigorous than other men In this its true as a man is so to his strength If their Repentance be no greater than others they may expose a Nation and prove its ruine I might proceed to Gentry and Commonalty to Ministers and People but time prevents me and the same Rules may guide you in these as in the instances before described I shall only add that supposing a part of the Land Persecutors and the other Persecuted for Truths sake these latter must be humbled for the sins of Persecutors and repent of their own sins and that according to the advantage which their Afflictions give for their Humiliation and Amendment While men throw repenting work off of themselves to others as if they could acquit themselves of Gods Challenge are there not also sins among you are you no way guilty The Land is like to suffer and the common condition to be deplorable It 's true if the design of God be to single out any one sort of a Nation to suffer by themselves the impenitents of that sort may not dammage the body of the Nation further than their struggles with or their loss of that part may affect the residue As if God resolve to punish Professors of Religion only their impenitence may affect the whole no further than the distress of such Professors amounts to except as it is an awful omen because Judgment seldom begins at Gods House but it reacheth in woful issues to others afterwards Or if God hath a Controversie with the Gentry of a Land their impenitency may not fatally reach the ordinary people if penitent For if God resolves to punish ravenous domineering Pastors or Persecutors their neglect of Repentance shall not hurt the whole that repents nay it will be their advantage to have them blasted if they remain impenitent as the Kingdoms plagues It 's much more so as to particular Families whether the highest or less influencing the corruption of a Common-wealth But where God designs not a distinct respect in his Judgments the stubbornness of any one sort doth threaten the Nation their not repenting in a way proper to them may plunge the whole into a loss of Mercies Thus I have according to my small light resolved the Case The decision of the Case proved 1. The described Repentance doth ordinarily afford a people National Mercies notwithstanding National Sins In the resolution of the Case there occurred some Reasons and many Scriptures to evidence this so that I shall need to say little more for proof There seems to be an express Rule in this matter Jer. 18.7 8. At what instant I shall speak concerning a Nation or concerning a Kingdom to pluck it up and to pull down and to destroy it If that Nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evil I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them The Repentance which God hath accepted so as to prolong the wellfare of Nations was of this sort as you see in Niniveh and other places 2 Chron. 12.7 Should we examine the Repentance of any Land it hath rarely arrived to a greater height A defect of the Repentance injoined in the Covenant of Grace is obvious in that Repentance which hath yet been effectual as to National Mercies This Repentance answers the great methods and ends of Gods general Government as to the Temporal Weale of Nations and provides a Foundation to proceed upon in those methods whereby his Spiritual Kingdom is advanced and the Eternal Welfare of Souls is promoted we may expect God will continue National Mercies to a People who come up to that Repentance which hath preserved other Nations 2 Chro. 7.14 And 30.8 9. Jer. 26.3 13. We have great Encouragement to our Hopes from many Texts 2. Where this Repentance obtains not a People cannot justly expect National Mercies Isa 8.9 Let a Nation seem never so safe its security is vain and all its supports shall be blasted by Impenitency Jer. 15.7 What though a People are related to God I will destroy my people sith they return not from their evil ways May not their priviledges and pledges of Gods Presence secure them No Trust not in lying words saying The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these will ye steal murder commit Adultery and swear falsly and say we are delivered to do all these abominations Go to Shiloh and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel and now because you have done all these works and I spake unto you but you heard not I will do unto this house Jer. 7.4 9 10 12 13 14 15. wherein you trust as I have done to Shiloh and I will cast you out of my sight Mock shadows of your Repentance and weak uneffectual Attempts for it and 14.4.7 12. 44.1 10 11. will leave men under disappointments When a People is given up to impenitency and God with-holds a Blessing from the Methods Isa 6.9 10 11. that tend to their Repentance there 's just cause of Fear that Judgments are determined against that Land Hear you indeed but understand not make the heart of the people fat and shut their eyes least they see with their eyes understand with their hearts and convert and be healed How long Lord till the cities be laidwaste God is so positive against a land refusing to return that their Felicity is impossible Wrath came upon Judah for this their trespass 2 Chro. 24.18 19 20. yet he sent Prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord but they would not give ear Thus saith God Why
transgress you the commandments of the Lord that ye cannot prosper Were it otherwise Gods Name would not be Sanctified no order in this lower World would be kept But further Impenitence is not onely a Moral Obstacle to good as it provokes God to with-hold it but it s a Natural Obstacle the wickedness of men is efficient of Wo to a People and is in many senses destructive of Mercies and inconsistent therewith Many Enormities of a Nation are its Plagues as bad Laws wickedness in Magistrates a corrupt Ministry Oppression c. It s Iniquity is even materially its Ruin APPLICATION Many Inferences are obvious As How dreadful an Evil is Sin How dangerous to a Land are multitudes of Offenders A Nation is foolish that discountenances Piety and destroyeth the godly Party whereby it strikes at its own Refuge How good and long-suffering is God that calls the vilest Nations to return waits long for their Answer and destroys not till their Repentance be even hopeless What Enemies to themselves Neighbours and Posterity bound up in their doom are an impenitent people What sottish and Atheistical Men are they that guide their hopes and fears of a Nations Welfare by Fancies or second Causes but without regard to Gods Favour or Anger or the influence that Repentance or Impenitence have upon the wayes of God towards a People What a dismal Prospect is a Wicked Nation sporting with their Provocations and Warnings How uncertain a Tenure do most Nations hold their Mercies by But I have not time to insist on these I shall briefly apply the Resolution of the Case to our own Nation We are a Nation we have National Sins Repentance of these Sins is a presage of our future State as well as others I know no exemption or peculiar allowance we can expect at the hands of the righteous Governour of the World Oh that our Hearts were under the Power of this awful Truth that our iniquity may not be our ruin Ezek. 18.30 In order to this 1. I shall insist on some things in order to our Repentance 2. Enquire Whether we may groundedly expect National Mercies from our present Frame 3. Conclude with an Use of Lamentation of our National Impenitency and Dangers In order to our Repentance I shall 1. Represent to you the National Sins we ought to Repent of Hereby you 'l know what we should be humbled for resolve against and reform What a Terror ought it be but to mention our Provocations Oh that a Land of Light should be chargeable with such Enormities and yet be secure and hate to be reformed Where shall I begin the Charge We and our Fathers for some Ages have been guilty of the same sins yet unrepented of Against whom shall I level the Inditement Alass we have all sinned and done wickedly as we could Magistrates and Subjects Ministers and People the Unbelievers and Believers To what sorts of Sins shall I confine my self to Wo is us what Sins did God ever destroy a Land for that are not National with us But that the sound may not appear uncertain I account my self bound in Conscience to be more particular My subject forceth me not any uncharitable design Oh that my own heart were more filled with Zeal for God and deepest sorrows for the Nations Sin whiles I am recording what may offend the guilty though the Charge be too plain to admit a Denial Let us Enquire Is England altogether innocent as to its Laws Do not we see that some of the terms of Conformity are far other than our blessed Lord hath instituted Are they not remote from a tendency to advance real Piety and exclusive of some things that would much conduce thereto Is not a Diocesan Bishop set up whose sole Jurisdiction barrs all the other Ministers from the Exercise of a great part of their Office while the Bishop is utterly unable to perform it through the largeness of his Diocess Is there not more than an Umbrage of Lying and Perjury imposed on all Ministers when they must Assent Subscribe and Swear to what is more than suspicious yea utterly false Are not a heap of Ceremonies and corrupt Usages re-assumed though once cast out to the facilitating of the return of Popery dividing of Protestants and the scandal of the weak who are too apt to place Religion yea all their Religion in those Vanities How many severe Laws were made against Dissenters and severely executed to the ruin of Thousands Was it no provocation to silence Two Thousand Faithful Ministers when their Labours were so necessary and their places were to be filled up with many young Men who have proved fatal to serious Religion The Sacrament is made a Politick Engine to further the Damnation of unworthy Receivers that all such may be kept out whom they suspect any way hazardous to excessive Pomp and Ecclesiastick Pageantry Can the Land be Innocent where Atheism is so professed the most Blasphemous Oathes are fashionable Perjury Uncleanness Drunkenness Malignity against all credible Holiness so common and consistent with Reputation VVas it not among us that the Covenant was burnt by the hands of a Common Hangman and horrid Murthers committed as legal Executions Is not that Christian Nation guilty where prophanation of Sabbaths is so notorious yea pleaded for as warrantable Most Families have nothing of Gods VVorship the plainest Essentials of Religion by few understood the Operations of the Spirit turned into Ridicule and Religion placed in things that bear not a faint resemblance of the very form of it while Sobriety its self is meer matter of Scoff and the Fountains of Learning send forth many more fitted to Infect than Reform the Age Is it to be concealed that Men enter on the Ministry as Apprentices on a Trade and use it as a meer means for a Livelihood How many are Pastors without the peoples Consent And too many preach while unacquainted with the Gospel as a Law of Faith and Rule of the Recovery of Apostate Sinners The Labors of such have no tendency to Convert or Edifie their Hearers yea alass Conversion is judged a Foolish thing to urge All the most Debauched and Prophane are Regenerate if they were Baptized and come to Church Many Souls eternally perish by the influence of this one principle and the Ministry is diverted from its greatest end Have we not seen the Ministry too much laid out to serve the late Governments in designs of enslaving the Nations and ruining the Life of the Protestant Religion Though amazing was the Providence which almost too late opened some Mens Eyes by a close attempt against their own places and so swayed their Minds that they contributed to save the Land from that Ruin which a few more Sermons of Non resistance if believed by the Nation had rendred unavoidable The good Lord continue that impulse least our Miseries become greater by the beginnings of our Deliverance I design not this Account of all our publick Ministers blessed be God
necessary to our Common Weale Let us all cry Turn us O Lord and we shall or will be turned Frame your doings as men determined to turn unto the Lord. Set heartily to it with all your might for it 's hard work delay it not a moment Oh God bow our wills that the Land may jointly answer Lo we come unto thee Jer. 3.22 for thou art the Lord our God Can you pretend wherein shall we return Alas Mal. 3.7 wherein have we not departed from him All in a manner is out of frame every thing every person considerably needs amendment Let us all Unite in this and God will bless us with Light and Love for Union in other things This work needs all our hands let us make up that wherein others will be defective all striving to begin and outdo each other Oh that all emulation and strife were reduced to this which of us shall first and most Reform 3. If the generality will not be perswaded to repent of National Sins let not particular persons neglect it I am loath to descend so low yet this is better than none Who knows how many may be convinced by the Repentance of a few At least you may preserve your selves Ez. 9.4 6. and view the publick Calamity with more composure than other Men as having done your utmost to prevent them We know not but God may delay Judgments for the sake of a few remarkable Penitents though we may not commonly expect it Shall there be so great cause and none set themselves to it Hath God none among us that regard his loudest Calls Can there be so little Love to his Name and Honour in England that even a few will not afflict their Souls that he is so provoked that a few will not testifie against this common Apostacy Poor Nation that hast none that love thy wellfare that all will lose showers of Mercy for thee rather than sow in Righteousness Ezek. 22.30 Oh that some would resolve this day Let not God say I fought for a man but I found none Repent of your Personal Sins otherwise how can you repent of National Sins Examine thy self how far thou art infected with the National Provocations What hast thou contributed thereto Charge thy Soul therewith Say the measure is so much the fuller for my sake Bewail thy share mourn over the faults of others thou mayest grieve for what thou canst not reform but be sure to reform thy self to thy utmost reform thy Family yea set thy self to bring all thou art in thy place capable to amendment Do not judge of faults by the common Opinion let not the Example of others be thy Standard but set the Divine Rule before thee and review things thereby Resolve to stem the Tide and to judge and act in the face of it What though the multitude be against thee what though Bigots rail what though many Professors yea Men of thy own Party condemn thee All is nothing whiles God will accept and approve thee A Man must be singular that will reform himself in a degenerate Age he must be resolved that will attempt to reform others 2. Let us enquire whether we may expect National Mercies from our present frame and state I believe God will not forsake us but in time he will do us good But the Enquiry is meant thus Whether Mercy will be immediately enjoyed is the wrath of God turned away and will his progress in a way of Judgments be stopped Can we reasonably conclude though the Sword hath been furbished it shall not destroy Our Warfare is accomplished the Clouds are past the bitterness of Death is over Dare I say rejoyce O Land in the favour of a reconciled God For good only good shall presently be unto thee I shall by way of Objections give you what is matter of Hopes and in the Answer to those Objections give you the ground of my Fears and in the end declare my Thoughts Object 1. Are there not some Testimonies of National Repentance from whence we may hope Mercy is towards us As 1. Penal Laws against the Worship of God are as good as disannulled and Persecution is at a stop Answ 1. I wish the general remains of Malignity argue not a sorrow for that Liberty 2. I find most of them that were guilty of Persecution instead of repenting of it do justifie it as a just Prosecution though it was an Usurpation of the Rights of People as Men and as Christians 3. Are the Sacrament Test and Act of Uniformity removed 2. We had a publick Fast-day kept with outward Solemnity Answ I 'll judge of no Mans Heart yet I cannot but observe 1. The most polluting Sins of the Land were not solemnly owned much less bewailed Where was a publick acknowledgment of the sinful Silencing Two Thousand Ministers because they durst not profane their Office and plainly Lye and Perjure themselves I might name many such other sins alas general Confessions avail little 2. What publick Reformation in Life and Manners appears since that day What fewer Oaths Profaneness is no way abated Men are returned with the Dog to the vomit Now Fastings without amendment are but a mockery with God and profit not a people 3. Men are so far from Repentance that they cannot endure to be reproved for their sins They say you irritate if you mention their offences They like to hear others accused but abhor the least hint against their own faults Tell the imposer on the Church that uninstituted terms of Communion are sinful and rage is awakened Perswade the bitter Spirit to be Peaceable and his Tongue is soon envenomed and you shall be railed on as the great disturber Object 2. But a great part of the Land is innocent of some of the most notorious Crimes the sober Persons are many who share not in the Profaneness of the Land The persecuted and ejected cannot be guilty of the oppressions they were under and many of the Church of England never agreed thereto Answ 1. How little do such truly mourn for those sins of other Men How much more common is it to hear the better sort scoff and laugh at Profaneness than bewail it Persecutors are more railed at than mourned for By this we become guilty 2. Are not there iniquities with the soberer part of the Nation impenitently continued in to this day Do we see backslidings healed how much more Mortified Heavenly Circumspect Charitable or Fruitful are the hopefullest persons in the Land by all our Calls Yea our Complaints though so general little tend to alter us Isa 64.6 7. Our Righteousness is as filthy rags we fade as a leaf Object 3. But if we consider the Sovereign dealings of God with us may not we expect Mercy though we see not Repentance As 1. God hath lately wrought a great Deliverance when we were on the brink of ruin and that by a series of Miracles when we were as unworthy as we are now Answ
1. Such Deliverances are never compleated and seldom long continue where Repentance doth not immediately follow Though God may command Deliverance first yet he annexeth Holiness to it and where that fails the beginnings of safety prove a snare Obad. 17. Ezek. 36.23 25 and do expose to greater distress When he saved from Babylon he cleanseth them from iniquity 2. Do not we find that Deliverance is at a sensible stop for want of our amendment Instruments to save us seem less apt our Enemies are in better heart and a much more threatening posture The hand of God is at a stop Those hopeful touches on the minds of Men are much defaced They that mean well are less spirited and entrusted They who design ill are more vigorous and countenanced What a Change have a few Months made in our hopes though they were raised by the highest displayes of Divine Power and Goodness It 's almost true 2 Kin. 19.3 Isa 26.18 17. and 33.11 You shall conceive chaff and bring forth stubble your breath as fire shall devour you 2. May not we hope that God will finish our Salvation for his own honour and not suffer a work wherein he hath so immediately appeared to be imperfect notwithstanding we reform not Answ 1. God hath his Honour concerned in giving National Mercies to an impenitent People as well as in not perfecting a begun Deliverance He is Sanctified in afflicting a sinful Land Isa 5.16 Ezek. 28.15 Psal 74.10 18. his Government is exposed in sparing an unperswadable People Nay we oftner find him bear the reproach of not Delivering his Afflicted People than of not punishing a Rebellious People 2. God can secure his Honour in both these respects with great consistency He may ruin Popery in other places whiles he exposeth Protestants to it here He may perfect this begun Deliverance in England as to Papists that they may not blaspheme and yet distress Protestants by each other and so still punish the Land for its impenitency Object 4. God seems to single out some particular Families for Judgments who have been most accessary to the sins of our Land He hath altered the succession and so it 's probable he may not punish the Nation for the iniquity of the Throne Answ 1. God may punish a Land for the sins of a former King though the Government be transferred into another Family God punished Israel with three years Famine in Davids Reign 1 Sam. 21.1 for Saul and his bloody house because he slew the Gibeonites 2. If others do not take warning by such Judgments as are levelled against particular persons and repent Judgments will extend beyond those persons or Families Successors by the same neglects and provocations will expose a Land to miseries though their title be not derived by descent from former offenders Yea if a new Government and People purge not the Land of the Crimes which had their rise in a former Court the vengeance will follow to the extent of the infection and the guilty at least be in danger of misery David righted the injured Gibeonites before the Famine ceased 3. How little is Profaneness or Irreligion restrained How faint and few are the attempts for Reforming the Nation since God hath blessed us with a prognostick of good in the Change of our Government Are Men spirited for this as Josiah Ezra Nehemiah c. To be infected by others seems easier than to reform them Object 5. Are we not under such accomplishment of Prophesies as may argue a Protestant Kingdom begun to be delivered shall have its deliverance perfected notwithstanding its sinful distempers Is not the Philadelphian state beginning the Witnesses rising the Ottoman Empire falling and Antichrists ruin just reviving and perfecting even to the utmost of the Judgments determined against him Answ I am well perswaded of all this and have declared it many years when the contrary was more probable as to the posture of affairs here and in the rest of Europe yet let me tell you 1. That in the accomplishment of these Prophesies the Spirit will be abundantly poured out in order to the eminent Holiness of such places as share in these Blessings All the Promises that refer to these latter days are full of Peace Purity of Doctrine and Worship and true Godliness With the Song for Antichrists Fall the Church is made ready and clean linnen which is the righteousness of the Saints is given to her Rev. 19.2 7 8. 2. Almost at the Entrance of fulfilling these Prophesies there will be the most shaking and astonishing Dispensation towards the Churches as ever befel them Then is the great Earthquake and 16.18 and 3.10 such as was not since men were upon the Earth so mighty an Earthquake and so great This is that hour of Temptation which shall eome upon all the world These Epistles I take to be Prophetick of the most eminent periods of the Church-state from Christs time to the End of the World and this Trial is in the beginning of the Philadelphian State It s true indeed this will benefit the Church at last and be fatal to its Enemies and false Members but it will be terrible to all 3. Such an awful Dispensation seems necessary to purge the Church and lay a good foundation of its real and lasting Glory This will be a means to convince false and irreligious Protestants Rev. 3.9 that said they were Jews and were not It will pluck up every plant out of the Church which God hath not planted Hereby all Constitutions repugnant to Christs Interests will be overthrown Without such a Paroxisme how should degenerated Christianity recover it self How shall the power of reforming the Church be rescued out of the hands of such who hate its Purity and Spiritual Welfare Its next to impossible by any Calmer means to settle Peace in the Church or awaken Protestants out of that formal Temper which is the Epidemick Crime of the Sardinian interval You have it expressed in those Words Thou hast a name to live and art dead Rev. 3.1 Many are really dead as Unregenerate others dead in opposition to Spiritual Liveliness Thus I have represented to you what seems most considerable as to the posture of our Land with respect to National Mercies I shall offer my own thoughts upon the whole I think the Repentance of England for National Sins is short of that which may give us grounds to expect National Mercies The methods of God indeed seem design'd to make us a happy people but it must be in the proper way and season The great things God hath begun to work the Liberty he hath settled the disposition in many young ones to return to God and comply with his Designs his manifest exposing such who were likely to obstruct a Reformation support my Hopes that Blessings are in reserve for this sinful Land but yet its probable that some extraordinary Storm will fall upon the Nation as a means to bring us to
amendment and a Testimony from Heaven against our crying Evils and shameful Impenitency By terrible things God will prepare us for Blessings and introduce our Happiness by that which will try our utmost Faith I can hardly account our Foundations sure while men justifie their Sins and persist in them Our very Reformation is impossible whiles men of most influence have no heart to it yea hate and fear it Whenever I see Magistrates engage in reforming us as their great Duty and with their whole might VVhen men of power esteem Repentance to be the truest Interest of the Nation VVhen the Ministry is awakened to cry aloud and doth impartially represent to the Land all its Sins and Dangers not mistaking or palliating our Offences VVhen the Body of the Land at least a considerable part of it do crave and approve of Reformation and concur with the Means God shall prepare for it Then and not till then shall I account our Repentance hopeful and consequently expect the Blessings to be established which God seems earnest to bestow Numb 24.22 But who shall live when God doth this VVhat overturnings will effect it when so many have failed to do us any good It s something very amazing which can alter Minds so averse or remove men unchangeably Obstinate Yet the Providences of God towards England are like to be terrible in proportion to all this I do not herein limit the Holy One but humbly propose my thoughts as to the usual aptitude of Means to their End not wholly neglecting the indications of present Providences as to this matter much less would I overlook Scripture Prophesies VSE of LAMENTATION Let us Lament the Impenitency of the Nation and its forfeiture of Mercies and hazard of Judgments hereby Jer. 8.6 What can be Cause of Mourning equal to our Obstinateness We are guilty of bloody Crimes and most regard it not We seem reconciled to our Abominations as if they were innocent and are as secure as if God had not threatned to punish a people for them The Land is full of Sin after all the means which were sent to cleanse us The Fire hath devoured yet our Dross remains The plague hath in its Rage swept away Thousands yet the provocations of England abate not How oft hath the Lord cried Wilt thou not be clean when shall it once be Jer. 12.27 But we have held fast our several Iniquities It s but lately that Popery and Slavery were coming on us like a Deluge to the amazement of all that could with any Zeal consider it but the Nation now seems sorry that it was at all Convinced and repents that there was the least motion in it towards amendment Oh the ferment that hastily succeeded our Fears least Sobriety or Holiness should obtain God hath followed his rebukes with undeserved yea unexpected Mercies but this Sun-shine hath made Weeds to grow instead of rendring Judgments effectual to make us Holy What Methods have been untried but none succeed Which is the Nation that ever withstood so many and various Calls to Repentance Niniveh is England's Reproach she repented at the first warning Sodom would have condemned us had it been trusted with half our Advantages Can the Earth shew an Instance of perverseness equal to ours As if the Gospel had extinguished Natural Conscience or a Christian Profession did make us more regardless than Pagans Every thing seems to harden us we grow worse by those things that recover others Alass We have few that bemoan our want of Mourning are all our Jeremiah's asleep that none drop a Tear for England's Security Do all think it needless or hopeless to turn unto the Lord that so few seem to set themselves in earnest about it How very few symptoms have we that we are not under a judicial Hardness Many are convinced they ought to Repent yea many resolve it but how Abortive doth all prove Our Iniquities baffle our Resolves and Satan triumphs over the vanity of our Purposes What a hateful prospect doth our Nation afford to God and Angels We are a wonder to our selves when a Drowsie Mind allows us to entertain any serious Considerations Lord what will the End of these things be Wilt thou always bear and seem to observe our Provocations as slightily as we do Alass this would make us more miserable than Gods sorest Rebukes Judgments more awful than any we have yet felt are become even necessary to our Happiness but though they be needful what heart can endure them What Terror must attend those Dispensations which will separate the Precious from the Vile pluck up Constitutions so rooted by Interest Custom Malignity and Ignorance Disable the Irreligious from settling Church or State and imbitter our reigning Sins to careless scornful and resolute Offenders How dreadful is that storm that will drive all good Men together when they are canton'd into so many Parties embittered by mutual Prejudices fond of and valuing themselves by fond Opinions and distances from others especially whiles self-conceit and ignorance so prevail How hot is that Fire which will purge out the Dross among Churches when it s eaten even into our Hearts What 's that which can awaken drowsie Saints make the selfish publick Spirited bring the careless to holy Watchfulness and revive that simplicity savouriness and heavenly-mindedness which is become such a Mystery and so unfashionable Surely we may expert a complication of Woes and each filled with unusual degrees of Gods avenging Skill and Power What may not we awfully expect Disappointment by the likeliest men dissolution of the most conceited Churches a shaking of the Nations Pillars a successive change of Instruments frequent blasts on begun Deliverances revivals by the most improbable Instruments many entire over-turnings and changes opposition among the best Friends very near Approaches of the most dreaded Mischiefs Mens minds struck with tremblings all Carnal Refuge failing us Reason put to a Non-plus Probable and Improbable confounded beyond Conjecture Counsel hid from the Wise Force and Power baffled Authority become weak all Order disturbed Men at a loss what to wish or deprecate uncertain what to Hope or Fear whom to distrust or confide in These and many such things seem obvious in the Constitution of that day of the Lord that is like to be upon us And how many more awful things are in his Treasures to fill up that Dispensation of which he hath so long warned the World as strange and unusual We cannot judge of this great Earthquake which will affect us as well as other Nations by what hath been for it is to exceed all that is past Who knows what new sights strange stroakes upon the Spirits of Men and unheard of Judgments may be reserved for this Season Can we love our Nation and be unmov'd Can we hate our selves so as not to Lament that these awful things should find us impenitent yea carry in them displeasing rebukes for that impenitency Should not we all wish that each of our Eyes were Fountains of Tears to bewail at once the Obstinateness and the impending Dangers of the Land of our Nativity Look away from me I will weep bitterly labour not to comfort me Isa 22.4 5. because of the spoilings of the daughter of my people For it is a day of trouble and of treading down and of perplexity by the Lord God of Hosts in the valley of vision breaking down of walls and of crying to the Mountains FINIS