SERM." declare mine iniquity, fays David, and I will be

And this forrow must be proportionable to the degree of our fin. If we have been very wicked, and have finned greatly against the LORD, and "have "multiplied our tranfgreffions" and continued long in an evil courfe, have neglected GOD, and "for"gotten him days without number," the measure of our forrów muft bear fome proportion to the degree of our fins: if they have been "as fcarlet and "crimson," (as the prophet expreffeth it) that is, of a deeper dye than ordinary, our forrow must be as deep as our guilt; for it is not a flight trouble and a few tears that will wafh out fuch ftains.

..

Not that tears are abfolutely neceffary, though they do very well become, and most commonly accompany a fincere repentance. All tempers are not in this alike; fome cannot exprefs their forrow by tears, even then when they are moft inwardly and fenfibly grieved. But if we can easily shed tears upon other occafions; certainly "rivers of tears" ought to run down our eyes," because we have broken GOD's laws, the reasonable, and righteous, and good laws of fo good a GOD, of fo gracious a fovereign, of fo mighty a benefactor, of the founder of our being, and the perpetual patron and protector of our lives but if we cannot command our tears, there muft however be great trouble and contrition of fpirit, especially for great fins; to be fure to that degree as to produce the

3. Property I mentioned of a penitent confeffion, namely, a fincere refolution to leave our fins, and betake ourselves to a better courfe. He does not confefs his fault, but ftand in it, who is not refolved to amend. True fhame and forrow for our fins is

utterly

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utterly inconfiftent with any thought of returning to SERM them. It argues great obftinacy and impudence to confefs a fault and continue in it. Whenever we

make confeffion of our fins to GoD, "furely it is "meet to fay unto him, I will not offend any more; "that which I know not, teach thou me; and if I "have done iniquity, I will do no more."

This is the first part of repentance mentioned in the text, the firft condition of our finding mercy with GOD, the penitent acknowledgment of our fins to him. I proceed to the

Second condition required to make us capable of the mercy of God, which is the actual forfaking of our fins; " whofo confeffeth and forfaketh them "shall have mercy." I fhall not go about to explain what is meant by forfaking fin," it is that which every body can understand, but few will do; there lies all the difficulty. I fhall only put you in mind, that forfaking of fin comprehends our return to our duty, that neceffarily follows from it. In fins of commission, he that hath left any vice, does thereby become mafter of the contrary virtue. Virtus eft vitium fugere; not to be drunk, is to be fober; not to opprefs, or defraud, or deal fally, is to be juft and honeft; and for fins of omiffion, the forfaking of them is nothing elfe, but the doing of thofe duties which we omitted and neglected before. And therefore what Solomon here calls "forfaking of "fin," is elsewhere in fcripture more fully expreffed, by "ceafing to do evil, and learning to do "well," Ifa. i. 16. By forfaking our fins, and turning to God; Ifa. Iv. 7. "Let the wicked man "forfake his ways, and the unrighteous man his

thoughts, and let him return unto the LORD." By turning from all our fins, and keeping all God's E 4

laws

SERM. laws and ftatutes; Ezek. xviii. 21. "If the wicked "will turn from all his fins which he hath commit

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ted, and keep all my ftatutes, and do that which " is lawful and right."

And this is a moft effential part of repentance, and a neceffary condition of our finding mercy with GOD. That part of repentance which I have mentioned and infifted upon before, the penitent acknowledgment of our fins to GOD, with fhame and forrow for them, and a firm purpose and resolution to leave them; all this is but preparatory to the actual forfaking of them: that which perfects and completes repentance, is "to turn from our evil ways,” and "to break off our fins by righteoufnefs."

And these terms of confeffing and forfaking our fins, are reafonable in themfelves, and honourable to GOD, and profitable to us; and upon lower terms we have no reason to expect the mercy of God, nor in truth are we capable of it, either by the prefent forgiveness of our fins, or the final abfolution of the great day, and the bleffed reward of eternal life, GOD peremptorily requires this change as a condition of our forgiveness and happiness; "re"pent and be converted, that your fins may be "blotted out," Acts iii. 19. "If thou wilt enter "into life, keep the commandments," Matth. xix. 17. "Without holinefs no man fhall fee the LORD," Heb. xii. 14. And why fhould any man hope for the mercy of GoD upon other terms than thofe which he hath fo plainly and peremptorily declared?

It is a mean and unworthy thought of GoD, to imagine that he will accept men to his favour and eternal life upon other terms than thofe of better obedience. Will any wife father or prince accept lefs from his children and subjects? Will they be satisfied with

fighs and tears, as well as with obedience? And well SER M. pleased if they be but melancholy for their faults, though they never mend them? We must not impute that to GOD, which would be a defect of wifdom and good government in any father or prince upon earth. GOD values no part of repentance upon any other account, but as it tends to reclaim us to our duty, and ends in our reformation and amendment.

This is that which qualifies us for the happiness of another life, and "makes us meet to be made par"takers of the inheritance of the faints in light." And without this, though GoD fhould be pleafed to forgive us, yet we could not forgive ourfelves; and notwithstanding the legal discharge from guilt, the fting of it would remain, and we should, like our first parents after they had finned, run away and hide ourselves from GOD, though he fpake never fo kindly to us. God hath placed in every man's mind an inexorable judge, that will grant no pardon and forgiveness but to a reformed penitent, to him that hath such a sense of the evil of his paft life, as to become a better man for the future.

And whoever entertains any other notion of the grace and mercy of GOD to finners, confounds the nature of things, and does plainly overthrow the reafon of all laws, which is to reftrain men from fin: but when it is committed, to pardon it without amendment, is to encourage the practice of it, and to take away the reverence and veneration of those laws, which feem fo feverely to forbid it. So that next to impunity, the forgiveness of mens fins upon fuch eafy and unfit terms gives boldnefs and encouragement to fin, and must neceffarily in the opinion of men leffen the honour and efteem of God's laws.

And

SERM.

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And thus I have confidered and explained both the bleffing and benefit which is here promised and declared, viz. "the mercy and favour of GOD," which comprehends both the present forgiveness of our fins, and power against them, and grace to perfevere in goodness to the end, and our final abfolution at the great day, and the glorious and merciful reward of eternal life and likewife the conditions upon which this bleffing is promised, viz. the peninitent acknowledgment of our fins to GoD, with fuch fhame and forrow for them, as produceth a fincere refolution of leaving them, and returning to a better course, and the actual forfaking of them, which involves in it our actual return to our duty, and a conftant and fincere obedience to the laws of GOD in the future courfe of our lives.

I fhall now make fome application of this difcourse to ourselves. I am fure we are all nearly concerned in it. The beft of us have many fins to confefs and forfake; fome of us very probably have need to change the whole courfe of our lives, to put us into a capacity of the mercy of God. This work can never be unfeasonable; but there cannot be a more proper time for it, than when we are folemnly preparing ourselves to receive the holy facrament ; in which as we do commemorate the great mercy of GOD to mankind, fo we do likewise renew and confirm our covenant with him, that holy covenant wherein we engage ourselves to forfake our fins, as ever we expect the forgiveness of them at Gop's hand.

To perfuade us hereto, be pleased to confider the reasonableness of the thing, the infinite benefit and advantage of it; and which is beyond all other arguments, the abfolute neceffity of it, to make us

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capable