SERMON XCIII.

PEACHED AT A PUBLIC PENANCE.

THE POWER OF GOD's MINISTERS TO REBUKE SINNERS AND RECEIVE THEM ON

REPENTANCE.*

JOSH. vii. 19, 20.

AND JOSHUA SAID UNTO ACHAN, MY SON, GIVE, I PRAY THEE, GLORY TO THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL, AND MAKE CONFESSION UNTO HIM; AND TELL ME NOW WHAT THOU HAST DONE; HIDE IT NOT FROM ME. AND ACHAN ANSWERED JOSHUA, AND SAID, INDEED I HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL, AND THUS AND THUS HAVE I DONE.

THE very text I have chofen, (the occafion of which you may fee at your leifure) the text, I fay, teacheth us after what manner we ought to treat fuch as have fallen into any grievous fins, in order to bring them to a sense of their error.

My Son, faith Joshua, the prince and leader of the people of Ifrael; My Son!-to a man who for his fin had deferved and was immediately put to death.

And shall not we, with the fame tenderness, and with greater if it be poffible, receive the

See the Ecclefiaftical Conftitutions of the Isle of Man, in the Life of the Author; and Vol. IV. the Form of receiving Penitents.

VOL. IV.

Y

confeffion

confeffion of one of our fellow-Chriftians; who profeffeth, and we hope fincerely, to turn from his evil ways?

What paffions other people have upon fuch occafions as thefe, I cannot tell; but for myfelf, I profefs, fo many mortifying and forrowful thoughts come into my heart at fuch times as thefe, that thofe who undergo the fhame of publick pénance scarce fuffer more than I do, who have inflicted it. I confider myself as one subject to the fame infirmities, the fame temptations, and the fame dangers, with those that have fallen; and that it is owing to the mere mercy of God, and not to my own wifdom, or strength, or holiness, that fin and hell have not got the dominion over me.

Such a forrowful occafion as this even forces one to remember, every man his own failings, which have been enough to have provoked God to have given the very best of us up to our own hearts' lufts, but that God is gracious and merciful, long-fuffering, forgiving iniquity and tranfgreffion.

Add to this, that as we are Christians, and all of one body, the church; one member cannot fuffer, but all the members muft fuffer with it.

We have a notable inftance, in this very chapter, (of which the text is a part) to what judgments a whole church and people are liable for the tranfgreffions of particular perfons, until the crimes are confeffed and punished.

The

1

The children of Ifrael are beaten by their enemies; their leader rends his clothes; the elders of Ifrael are under great forrow and confufion, and know not which way to turn themselves for help; and all this, because of one man who had finned, who had broken the command of God.

It was for this reason, amongst others, that St. Paul' fo fharply blames the Corinthians, that they had not bewailed the incestuous perfon, who had not only given scandal to all fober Chriftians, but would be a curfe to them if he were not put away from among them: So that as no man is fafe while notorious fins are unpunished, fo in truth no good man can be unconcerned when fuch punishments are inflicted by the governors of the church.

But we that are God's minifters have still greater reason to be very fenfibly affected, when we confider, that perhaps it is for fome fault of ours, fome great neglect of our duty; and that it is to reprove us; that God has fuffered any of our flock to fall into fuch dangerous and repeated crimes.

All these things laid together, you will all be fatisfied, as well as I am, that tears will become the very best of us upon these occafions, and that every one for himself, as well as for this our brother, ought with penitent hearts, and humble fpirits, to fmite our

breasts, and say, God be merciful unto us miferable finners.

And oh! that I could fo fpeak upon this fad occafion, and you would fo seriously attend to what I fay, that by the favour of God, we might, for the future, have fewer inftances of the wickedneffes we are fubject to, when God gives any of us up to ourselves for the hardness of our hearts.

My fon, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Ifrael, and make confeffion unto him; and tell me now what thou haft done, bide it not from me.

From this exhortation we learn, first, that when any man has done foolishly, and broken the commands of God, the greatest glory he can give to God, and the only amends he can make, is to confefs his fault, not only to God, but (where fcandal has been given) unto man also.

And Achan anfwered Joshua, and faid, Indeed I have finned against the LORD God of Ifrael, and thus and thus have I done.

From this humble and ready confeffion (even where his life was at stake) we may learn, fecondly, That when a man's confcience is truly awake, and well informed, he will not fcruple to confefs his fault, and take shame to himself.

And these are the two things that I fhall endeavour to convince you of in the difcourfe I am now going to make to you, which I pray God to give his bleffing to.

I. And first, I will fhew you how we are faid to glorify God in the publick confeffion of our

crimes.

We all profess to believe, that God is almighty, that he can do whatever he pleaseth; which belief ought in all reason to keep us from offending him by breaking his laws; for by the fear of the Lord, (faith the wife man) men depart from evil. And whom shall we fear, if we fear not him who can deftroy both body and foul in bell.

But notwithstanding we all profefs to believe the almighty, power of God, there are but too many who live without any fear of God in their hearts.

Now when a finner, ftruck with a sense of his guilt, and the terrors of the world to come, freely profeffeth that he fears the mighty power of God, and that God can punish him both in this world, and in the next, though he fhould escape in this; when this fear forceth him to confefs thofe crimes, which otherwife he would be afhamed and afraid to own; this is proper to convince all that hear and fee him, that God is indeed great and greatly to be feared.

And God is glorified by fuch a confeffion, and men are made more careful, and fearful of offending against his almighty power, while they fee the greatest finners humbling themselves before his majesty; profeffing themfelves overcome and conquered, and their

ftubborn