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* Veraciter, in

regraliter. Lyr. Mercer.

+ Revera, Ex mulate. Druf. animo, non fiferio ac bona fide. Grot.

Evil way, then he repented him of the Evil that he had faid he would do unto them, and he did it not. Nay, but it is not any turning unto God, that will fuffice neither: We must turn * even unto him, and with all our Heart: Words very Emphatical, and which offer to us two great Conditions, which are abfolutely neceffary to render our Converfion every way fuch as it ought to be. First, That it must be hearty and fincere: There must be nothing of the Hypocrite mix'd with it; our Souls muft go along with our outward Performances; and thefe penitential appearances be the true Declarations of that real, inward forrow, which we feel in our Hearts for our Offences. For God is not a Man, that he fhould be mocked. He fees into our very Souls, and knows the fecrets of all the Children of Men. And Secondly, That it must be intire, and without referve: As we must be forry for every Sin we have already committed, fo we must refolve against ever committing any for the time to come; For God is of purer

Pfal. xliv. 21.

1 Chron xxviii

9.

Rom. viii. 27.

Eyes than to behold the leaft Iniquity; Hab, i. 13. and if our Repentance be fincere, fo

shall we be too. The fame Piety which moves us to hate any Evil, will equally fill us with an Averfion against all. And if we defire to continue but in one Offence, it is because that we do truly repent of

none.

So that now then if we will answer the defign of this day; if we will render our Faft fuch as the Lord has chofen, and has promifed to reward with the Bleffings both of this life, and of that which is to come, we must not think it enough that we comply

with

Deut. ii. 25

with the outward Ceremonies and fhew of Repentance, but we muft indeed refolve to bring forth the Fruits of it. Whilft we addrefs our felves to God for Pardon, we must take heed to difpofe our Souls in fuch a manner, that we may be fit to receive it. And if we thus improve the great Solemnity of this day, we shall not fail to meet with a favourable acceptance at the Throne of Grace. Joel ii. 18. God will be jealous for his land and pity his People: He will perfect the great Deliverance he has begun for us, and once more render us the fear and terror of all our Enemies round about us. Our Faith, which has fo often triumph'd over all the Arguments of its Adverfaries, fhall now no less triumph over all their black Designs to roat it out, and to destroy it; and fhew to all the World, that though for our Tryal God may fometimes permit the Winds to blow, and the Floods to rife, and the Storms to beat against our Church, yet has he founded it on that Rock that shall never Matth xvi.18. fail; Nor fhall the gates of Hell, either the Power of France, or the Cunning of the Jefuit, or the Malice of Both, ever be able to prevail against it.

And this brings me to the other thing I am to fpeak to Our Encouragement to this Duty.

II. For God is Gracious and Merciful, flow to anger, and of great Kindness, and repenteth him of the Evil.

It is not at all needful for me to enter on any particular Explication of all these Attributes, and fhew what Arguments every one of them affords to engage us to Repentance. Two things in general there are,

which will at first fight arise from them to excite us to it; viz.

First, The Goodness and Mercy of God to the greatest Sinners upon their Repentance:

God is Gracious and Merciful, and of great Kindnefs.

Secondly, His unwillingness to pronounce any Judgments at all against them, and his readiness to recal them, if they repent:

He is flow to Anger, and repenteth him of the Evil.

And First, Of the Goodness and Mercy of God to the Greatest of Sinners upon their Repentance: He is Gracious and Merciful, and of great Kind

nefs.

When God proclaimed his own Name in the midst of the People of Ifrael, we read Exod. xxxiv. that he chose to do it, not fo much in the terrible Attributes of his Majesty and Power, as in the foft Idea's of his Mercy and Goodnefs: The Lord, the Lord God, Merciful and Gracious, long-fuffering,

and abundant in Goodness and Truth; Exod. xxxiv. keeping Mercy for thousands, forgiving 6, 7. iniquity, and tranfgrefion, and fin. And

if we look into all the following Reprefentations which he makes of himself, whether by his Holy Prophets under the Legal, but efpecially by our Bleffed Saviour and his Apoftles under the Chriftian Difpenfation, we fhall find there is no Character he fo much delights in, as that of being good and Gracious, not willing that any should perish, but that all fhould Come to Repentance, 2 Pet. iii. 8.

And

And now what more forcibleEncouragement can any one defire to bring him to Repentance, than to be thus affured of the Goodness and Mercy of God to the greatest of Sinners, if they Repent? That he will not only forgive him upon his return, but will even affift him with Grace and Strength in the doing of it. That he defires not the death of the most profligate Offender, but rather that he fhould turn from his wickedness and live. In a word, That he has promised forgiveness, without exception, to the moft wicked Men upon their Repentance; fo that if they will but yet break off their evil Courfe, and keep his Statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, they fall furely live, they fhall not die, Ezek. xviii. 21.

Many are the ways, and excellent the Methods that God has taken to convince us of his Mercy, and the time would fail me to enter on a particular Confideration of them.

Sometimes he declares not only that he is ready to pardon us if we repent, but that he even defires we should repent, that he may forgive us. And left his Word fhould not be fufficient, he confirms that defire with an Oath, Ezek. xxxiii. 11. As I live, faith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the Wicked, but that the Wicked turn from his way and live: Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O House of Ifrael?

Sometimes he Expoftulates with us in the way of Reasoning, to fee if by that means he may be able to bring us to confider his Love and Affection to us, Ifai. i. 16. Wash ye, make ye clean, put away the Evil of your doings from before mine Eyes; ceafe to do evil, learn to do well. Come now, and let us rea fon together, faith the Lord: Though your Sins be

Ifai i. 16.

17,

AS

as Scarlet, they fhall be white as Snow;

though they be red like Crimson, they Ifai. i. 18. fhall be as Wool.

If he Exhorts us to Repentance, he always does it upon this Promife, That he will Pardon us, if we repent. If we turn from our Sins, Iniquity fhall not be our ruine.

If he threatens Judgments, yet ftill

Ezek.xviii.30.

Jonah ii. 4°

he keeps a reserve for Mercy to triumph over Judgment; and will rather be thought inconftant in his most peremptory Decrees, than inexorable to Repenting Sinners. Thus he commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh, and to pronounce an utter Destruction against it. He fix'd the very time too, Tet forty days, and Nineveh fhall be overthrown. But what now was the iffue of all this? Were they utterly deftroy'd, according to this Prophecy? Nay, but on the contrary, God was yet intreated for them, and spar'd them. So we read, ver. 10. the City believed, and feared God, and turn'd from their Evil way: And God repented of the E

10.

vil that he faid he would do unto them, and he did it not, Jonah 3.

And what must the Confequence of all thefe Reflections be, but to engage us not to defpife the Goodnefs of God, whereby he thus graciously invites us to Repentance; but to conclude with Holy David, Pfal. cxxx. 3. If thou, LORD, fhouldst be extream to mark what is done amifs; O God, who may abide it? But there is Mercy with thee, therefore fhalt thon be feared.

And what I have now faid of God's mercy in General, will yet more hold in the other Part of this Character, wherein is fet out to us in Particular,

Secondly,

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