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and the wrath of God denounced against it,SER M.
which is principally intended for the admo- IV.
nition of chriftians, that they do not fall in-
to fuch fin; yet a referve for the repentance
of those who are fo guilty is not obfcurely
infinuated. The apostle Paul refers to a
fact of this fort which happened among the
Corinthians. One, and probably a teacher
of no inconfiderable character, was guilty
of fuch fornication as was not named even
among the Gentiles, * that a man should have
his father's wife. Because the example was
of a very infectious nature, and highly re-
proachful to christianity, it was necessary
that it should be cenfured with a peculiar
feverity; accordingly, the apostle, by virtue
of his extraordinary miraculous power, de-
livered the offender to fatan, meaning, that
fome uncommon temporal judgment was
inflicted upon him. But what was the in-
tention? was it that he should be immedi-
ately overwhelmed and swallowed up in reme-
dilefs ruin? no, but for the deftruction of
the flesh, that the spirit might be faved in the
day of Jefus Chrift. That is, that the fin-
ner might be restored to a good state, and
the hope of eternal life by repentance. And,
VOL. I.
therefore,

1. Cor. v. I.

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SERM. therefore, when the punishment had its due IV. effect in the humiliation and repentance of

the offender, the apoftle exhorts the faints at Corinth to comfort him as a penitent, and receive him again into their fellowship. In the epiftles to the feven churches of Afia, Revel. chap. 2 d, and 3 d, fome are charged, with great defection, and the divine difpleafure is denounced against them, they are threatned with the removal of their candleftick out of its place, and other punishments; but ftill upon the fuppofition of impenitency; and it is expreffly declared, that if they did repent, their deftruction fhould be prevented. Nay, fome of the most notorious tranfgreffors, who feduced the fervants of Chrift into groffly immoral practices, are threatned indeed with death, but it it is, except they repent. The apoftle Peter himself is an example for the encouragement of offending difciples of Chrift to repent; thro' fear he denied his master before men, for which fin his mafter pronounces a fevere punishment; but he obtained mercy, having with deep forrow for his fin returned to a better mind and better refolution, which he teftified thro' the whole courfe of his after life, and even at his death.

There

There is, therefore, repentance alfo grant- SER M. ed even to them who profeffing christianity IV. have deliberately and prefumptuously finned against its laws; and their repentance is of the fame kind with that which the gospel defcribes in the cafe of converted infidels : a thorough forfaking, and purging the conScience from dead works, to ferve the living God, Iprinkling the hearts from an evil con fcience, and washing the body with pure water. Let them never imagine that their condition is any thing the better for their having been chriftians before the committing of their iniquities, and that from thence there remains any foundation of hope for them; their habitual courfe of wickedness utterly inconfiftent with integrity, forfeits the christian character, and with it all claim to the privileges of the gofpel covenant. Their ftate is that of a total alienation from God; and their converfion to him, that it may be fincere and acceptable, muft be attended with an entire change of difpofition and converfation, from evil to good: As David in his penitential exercises, after the most heinous tranfgreffion of his life, addreffes God, not only with a deprecation of his displeasure for that particular offence, G 2

nor

SERM.nor indeed, only, with a defire and purpose IV. of amending it, but with the utmost foli

citude that he might be wholly renewed;

in the fame manner as a new convert to religion would do, after an universally profligate and abandoned life according to his lufts in ignorance, create in me a clean heart, 0 Lord, and renew a right Spirit within me. Nay, if there be any difference, it is this, that the repentance of such sinners ought to be peculiarly remarkable and confpicuous, as their iniquities have been accompanied with peculiar aggravations; and, especially let it be remembred, that nothing can be to them a fatisfying evidence of their fincerity, but an effectual amendment, an intire, refolved, abstinence from their former iniqui ties, and the fteddy exercise of the con trary virtues.

I come, in the next place, to lay before you the gospel motives to repentance. But, before I enter upon them, it may not be amifs to confider a little the reasonablenefs of the thing itself, and its agreeableness to our natural fentiments. We have indeed this invaluable advantage by the gospel reve lation, that it adds new and very powerful inducements

* Pfalm li. 10.

inducements to our obeying the eternal and SER M. immutable laws of God; but ftill the first IV. confideration which takes faft hold on the minds of men, is, that the things which those laws injoin are excellent and right things, moft becoming a reasonable nature, and tending to its perfection, and its highest felf enjoyment.

Now, I think it will appear to every attentive perfon very rational and fit, that we fhould undo what we have done amiss ; that if we have gone into any wrong course, we should not persevere in it, but upon conviction abandon it; that we should renounce our errors, and if we have done iniquity, refolve that we will do it no more; that is, that we should repent. It is true, indeed, that repentance is not directly contained in the original obligation of the law of nature, for it primarily injoins what is good without fuppofing the cafe of a departure from it; but in the event of fin, it imports a plain confequential obligation to forfake it, and return to our duty, as being that only which we can reasonably do in fuch circumstances, and whereby we can only have hope towards God, or be approved by ourselves.

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But,

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