SERM. things are entirely different from repentance, IV. and men are unhappily deceiv'd who trust in

them. When our Saviour gave commiffion to his apostles, and establish'd their authority in this manner, John xx. 23. Whofe foever fins ye retain they are retained, and whofe foever fins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; it is contrary to the strain of the gospel, and reafon itself, to imagine, that he has invested a fucceffion of fallible mortals with a power of pardoning fins, and especially upon conditions different from those which he has irrevocably fix'd by his laws. The plain meaning is, that having received the Holy Ghost as their guide, the apostles had commiffion, by their doctrine, to declare the perpetual unalterable terms upon which finners might obtain the justification of life; and on the other hand, that kind of disobedience which wou'd fix them under a fentence of condemnation. But, indeed the mistake of those proteftants is as pernicious, (and in some respects more criminal, because it is gone into against better means of knowledge) who found their hopes of acceptance, and the remiffion of fins, on meerly external acts, on the public inftrumental duties of religion, on confeffions and prayers, and the

facraments,

IV.

facraments, without amendment of life ;SERM. this is nothing but hypocrify, it is mocking God and deceiving our own fouls.

Secondly, It must be extreme folly and infinitely dangerous, to delay the neceffary work of repentance till the approach of death. This general perfuafion is fix'd in the minds of men, that repent they must fome time or other, fince without it their deftruction is inevitable. But through the deceitfulness of fin their hearts are fo harden'd, and their affections fo obftinately cleave to their vitious courses and worldly interests, they incline to put off that work, which however confeffedly neceffary, yet is difagreeable, to a more convenient season; and the most convenient they can pitch upon is, when they must leave this world, and the pleasures of fin can be no longer held.

A great many arguments might be infisted on, to fhew the abfurdity of fuch a conduct, Any one that confiders the mutability of human affairs, the uncertainties to which they are liable, particularly the life of man; our own observation furnishing a multitude of inftances of men dying without any opportunity, or even poffibility, of preparing for death;

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SERM.death; or having any deliberate thoughts IV. about the iffues of it any, I fay, who

confiders this, muft fee that it's imprudent

even to madness, to put our falvation on fuch a rifque as the design and expectation of repenting on a death-bed. And as wife providence, to guard against our poftponing the work of our falvation, has placed the manner and circumftances of our dying wholly out of our view, and made them to us utterly uncertain, fo the dispensation of grace and divine aids may be loft, and the Spirit of God grieved by their tranfgreffions, will at laft ftrive no more with finners, who are become altogether flesh, incorrigibly corrupt, having by a cuftom of doing evil harden'd themselves into an utter infenfibility: Does not experience fhew, and the least reflexion on the nature of habits, that the longer repentance is delay'd, the more difficult it becomes? And must not every one be fenfible how inconfiftent, and indeed difingenuous it is, to commit fin with an intention to be afterwards heartily forry for it, if there were no more in repentance than forrow for

fin ?

But the confideration to which my present fubject particularly directs our thoughts, is,

that

IV.

that repentance, as it has been in this discourse SERM. explained, fignifying an actual Reformation of life, breaking off our fins, and bringing forth the fruits of righteoufnefs, in the approach of death, is impracticable: I have shewn you that according to the fcriptural notion of it, it confifts in a thorough univerfal change of the heart and affections of the difpofitions and manner of life; at least, newness of life is abfolutely neceffary according to the gospel declarations. But in the case fuppos'd, what opportuuity is there for all this? To be griev'd for our tranfgreffions, to acknowledge them with fhame, to change our inclinations and purposes, and declare, that if we were to live we would return to them no more, which is all the repentance dying men can exercise, is not to do what God indifpenfably requires as the terms of our acccptance, but to fubftitute fomething elfe in the place of it. Befides, if ever fo great stress was to be laid on these things, the fincerity of them in dying men, is always liable to fufpicion. How little can be attained of that calmness and deliberation which is neceffary to them, and how natural is it to fear that in the prefent circumftances of diftrefs and confternation, seem

SERM.ingly religious difpofitions are only extorted IV. by the immediate fhocking apprehenfions of death, and of a future punishment? We fhould not indeed take upon us to pronounce judgment against men, who having liv'd wickedly, do in the immediate views of death exercise all the repentance which is then poffible for them'; no doubt it is the best they can do, and it's most reasonable to press them to it. But the fcriptural declarations are not calculated for that cafe, and for aught I fee, give very little ground of com fort. Their evident design is, to awaken finners out of their Security, and urge them by the strongest motives, while yet there is fpace given to repent and to amend their doings, and that being the cafe of every one of us, what remains but that we apply it to ourselves, diligently minding in our day the things that belong to our peace, before they be bid from our eyes.

SER