Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

་་

and commands all men presently to repent, and hot SER M. to put off the main work of their lives to the end of, CLXII. them, and the time of fickness' and old age. Let us not offer up a carcass to GOD instead of a living and acceptable sacrifice: but let us turn to GoD, in the days of our health and ftrength, "before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, of which we "fhall fay we have no pleasure in them; before the "fun and the moon and the ftars be darkned;" as Solomon elegantly expreffeth it, Ecclef. xii. 1, 2. before all the comforts of life be gone, before our faculties be all ceafed and fpent, before our understandings be too weak, and our wills too ftrong; our understandings be too weak for confideration, and the deliberate exercife of repentance, and our wills too strong and stiff to be bent and bowed to it.

Let us not deceive ourfelves, heaven is not an hofpital made to receive all fick and aged perfons, that can but put up a faint request to be admitted there; no, no, they are never like to fee the kingdom of God, who inftead of feeking it in the first place, make it their laft refuge and retreat; and when they find the fentence of death upon them, only to avoid prefent execution, do bethink themfelves of getting to heaven, and fince there is no other remedy, are contented to petition the great king and judge of the world, that they may be transported thither.

Upon all these confiderations, let us ufe no delay in a matter of fuch mighty confequence to our eternal happiness, but let the counfel which was given to Nebuchadnezzar be acceptable to us; let us "break "off our fins by righteousness, and our iniquities by fhewing mercy to the poor; if so be it may "be alengthening of our tranquillity." Repentance

་་

H 2

and

SERM. and alms do well together; "let us break off our fins “by righteousness, and our iniquities by fhewing

CLXII.

نت

ઃઃ

mercy to the poor;" efpecially upon this great occafion, which his majesty's great goodness to those diftreffed ftrangers, that have taken fanctuary among us, hath lately prefented us withal, "remembring "that we also are in the body," and liable to the like fufferings; and confidering on the one hand, that gracious promise of our LORD, "Bleffed are "the merciful, for they fhall receive mercy ;" and on the other hand, that terrible threatning in St. James," He fhall have judgment without mercy, that hath fhewed no mercy."

To conclude, from all that hath been faid, let us take up a prefent refolution of a better course, and enter immediately upon it, "to day whilft it is call"ed to day, left any of you be hardned through "the deceitfulness of fin. O that men were wife, "that they understood this, that they would confi"der their latter end! And grant we beseech thee Almighty God, that we may all know and do, "in this our day, the things which belong to our peace, for thy mercy's fake in JESUS CHRIST, " to whom with thee, O Father, and the Holy "Ghoft, be all honour and glory now and for ever." Amen.

66

[ocr errors]

SER

SERMON CLXIII. The fhamefulness of fin, an argument for repentance.

ROM. vi. 21, 22.

What fruit bad ye then in thofe things, whereof ye are now afbamed? For the end of those things is

.

[ocr errors]

death.

But now being made free from fin, and

· become fervants to GOD, ye have your fruit unto koli nefs, and the end everlasting life.

T

117

CLXIIL

this text.

HERE are two paffions which do always SERM. in fome degree or other accompany a true repentance, viz. Sorrow and fhame for our fins ; The firft because these are neceffary to engage men to a refo- fermon on lution of making that change wherein repentance does confift: for till we are heartily forry for what we have done, and afhamed of the evil of it, it is not likely that we fhould ever come to a firm and. steady purpose of forfaking our evil ways, and be-. taking ourselves to a better course.

And these two paffions of forrow and fhame for our fins, were wont anciently to be fignified by those. outward expreffions of humiliation and repentance, which we find fo frequently mentioned in fcripture, of "being cloathed in fackcloth" as a teftimony of our forrow and mourning for our fins, and of "being fprinkled upon the head, and covered over "with filth and dirt, with duft and afhes," in 'token of our fhame and confufion of face for all our iniquities and tranfgreffions. Hence are thofe expreffions. in fcripture of "repenting in fackcloath and afhes, of "lying down in our fhame, and being covered with confufion,"

[ocr errors]

H 3

SERM.

confufion," in token of their great forrow and CLXIII. fhame for the manifold and heinous fins, which they had been guilty of,

Of the former of these, viz, trouble and forrow *SERM. for our fins, I have very lately * treated; and of the CLXI. latter, I intend now by God's affistance to speak, viz,

fhame for our fins, and that from these words which I have recited to you; "what fruit had ye then in "thofe things?" &c. In which words the apoftle makes a comparison between an holy and virtuous, and a finful and vicious courfe of life, and fets before us a perfect enumeration of the manifeft inconveencies of the one, and the manifold advantages of the other.

First, the manifeft inconveniencies of a vicious and finful course; and the apoftle mentions these three.

I. It is unprofitable, it brings no manner of prefent benefit and advantage to us, if all things be rightly calculated and confidered. "What fruit had ye "then in thofe things?" Then (i. e.) at the time when you committed thofe fins, had you any prefent advantage by them? No certainly; but quite contrary.

II. The reflection upon our fins afterwards is cause of shame and confufion to us; "What fruit

had ye then in thofe things, whereof ye are now "afhamed?"

III. The final iffue and confequence of these things is very difinal and miferable; "the end of those

things is death." Let us put these things together, and fee what they amount to: No fruit then when ye did thefe things, and fhame now when ye come afterwards to reflect upon them, and death and mifery at the last.

Secondly, Here is likewife on the other hand re

presented

prefented to us the manifold benefits of an holy and SERM. virtuous life. And that upon these two accounts.

I. Of the present benefit of it, which the apoftle calls here, fruit; "ye have your fruit unto holiness."

II. In refpect of the future reward of it; "and "the end everlafting life." Here is a confiderable earnest in hand, and a mighty recompence afterwards, infinitely beyond the proportion of our best actions and fervices, both in refpect of the greatness and the duration of it, "everlasting life;" for a few tranfient and very imperfect actions of obedience, a perfect and immutable and endless state of happiness. I fhall begin with the

Firft of the two general heads, viz. the manifest inconveniencies of a finful and vicious courfe; and the apostle I told you in the text takes notice of three.

I. It is unprofitable, and if all things be rightly calculated and confidered, it brings no manner of prefent advantage and benefit to us. "What fruit had

[ocr errors]

ye then in those things?" Then (i. e.) when ye committed thofe fins, had you any prefent advantage by them? No, certainly, quite contrary; as if the apostle had faid, if you ferioufly reflect upon your former course of impiety and fin, wherein you have continued fo long, you cannot but acknowledge that it brought no manner of advantage to you; and when all accounts are truly caft up, you muft, if you will confefs the truth, own that you were in no fort gainers by it: For the words are a pois, and the apostle plainly intends more than he expreffeth, "What fruit had ye then in thofe things ?" (i. e.) the wicked courfe which ye formerly lived in, was fo far from being any ways beneficial to you, that it was on the contrary upon all accounts extremely to your prejudice and difadvantage. H 4

μείωσις,

And

CLXIII.

« AnteriorContinuar »