nestly long for instruction and help from above; and feel the most affectionate gratitude to him, who hath not only revealed, bat procured peace for us, at the price of his blood: offering up his life on the cross, Son of God as he was: fo great was the difficulty, to make it consistent with justice and holiness to exercise mercy!

Indeed, after all that hath been done to affure us it shall be exercised, there are fome, of minds more tenderly sensible than ordinary, who, after committing great offences, or perhaps, only such as to them appear very great, experience the utmost reluctance, either to be reconciled to themselves, or perfuaded that God will be reconciled to them. And hence not a few of them plunge desperately into whatever folly or fin will drive away their uneasiness for the present; while others go on in the most punctual practice of piety, but enjoy scarce any fatisfaction from it, overwhelining themselves on every occasion and none, with groundless terrors. The pernicious impatience of the former proceeds, in great measure, from a very absurd and criminal pride, which ought to be humbled by the prudent feverity of just reproof. But the meek dejection of the latter calls for the tenderest compassion and the kindest encouragement; yet, perhaps, intermixed, now and then, with some degree of gentle chiding. To such therefore it must be faid; your grief and fear prove, that your heart is not hardened, but fincerely defirous to ferve and please God: the good works, which he enables you to perform so regularly, prove your faith and repentance: the imperfections, which you bewail, all his children have, not you alone. Why then are you caft down, and your foul disquieted within you *? How ill foever you may think of yourselves; though God requires you not in the least to think worse than the truth, and would have you judge calmly of your spiritual state, not under the disability of a fright: but whatever opinion you may form of your own deferts, forbear to entertain an injurious one of him. When he hath sent his blessed Son to make atonement for you, when he hath told you in his holy word, when he tells you by his ministers every day, that this atonement reaches to the very worst of cafes, do not except your own in contradiction, to him:

• Pfalm xlii. 5.

de

do not indulge doubts and scruples about what he hath plainly promised, in order to be miserable against his will: but, together with the forrow of having offended, allow yourselves to feel the joy of being restored to favour. A wife and good parent would wish to have his child affected only in a moderate manner with a fenfe of his past faults, when once he is returned to his duty: and though still he hath the weaknesses incident to his tender age, doth not reject him for them, or defire he should fink under them; but strive against them with a chearing belief, that he shall out-grow them, as he approaches to maturity. Why will you not reflect then, that, like as a father pitieth his own children, even fo is the Lord merciful to them that fear him? For be knoweth whereof we are made; he remembereth that we are but dust *.

It is extremely unhappy, that when persons attend public difcourses on religion, in which different instructions, defigned for as different forts of auditors, must however be spoken to all forts promifcuously, each, for the most part, applies to himself just what doth not belong to him, notwithstanding the best care to prevent it. The bold finner confides most securely in what he hears of God's mercy: while the low-fpirited penitent almost dies away at the mention of his justice. The first hath no dread of the most wilful fins, because the nature of man is frail; the last hath no peace about the most excusable deficien cies, because the precepts of the gospel are strict. We can only caution them, not to mistake thus: and beg they would have a more ferious regard, on the one fide, to their future happiness; on the other, to their present comfort. It.grieves us to think of the terrors, that we may sometimes occasion those to fuffer, who have no need to fuffer any at all. But we must of neceffity give out the strongest warnings against the greatest danger: and run the risque, if we cannot avoid it, of making a few good persons uneasy without cause, rather than leave many bad ones afleep in fatal felf-flattery. For indeed the doctrine of forgiveness, though in itself the most ingenuous motive to thankful piety and obedience, is too often most difingenuously perverted to encourage tranfgression. Repentance, men argue, is fure to obtain pardon and pardon reftores us

• Pfalm ciii. 13, 14.

to

What need

to the state we were in before we did amiss. have we then to fcruple going a little wrong, when the method of fetting all right again immediately is so plain before us? But in reality, true repentance, a thorough change of temper and purpose, manifested by a course of fuitable conduct, will be found, neither a short nor an easy work; but one exceeding the power of man, without the help of God. And not to say, how uncertain it is, whether God will give these artful contrivers time to repent effectually, what profpect is there in the least, that they will have a heart to do it? When once they have been so deliberately base and wicked bel against him for that very reason, which ought, of all others, to have made them dutiful to him; where is the likelihood, that they will ever become so honest and good, as to return and ferve him faithfully? No alteration requires a larger share of his grace to affect it: and no finners have lefs ground to expect any share of it, than these. But were it ever so probable, that even such offenders might come to amend their doings, yet there is an awful observation, arifing from the history before us, which remains to be insisted on,

as to re

V. That wickedness, even after it is forsaken, and after it is forgiven, produces nevertheless very often consequences so lamentable, that for this cause, amongst others, innocence is greatly preferable to the fincerest and completest repentance, that ever

was.

In the very same breath, that Nathan tells David the Lord had put away his fin, he tells him also of a trying affliction, and a very trying one it proved, that he should immediately undergo on account of that fin. Howbeit because by this deed thou haft given great occafion to the enemies of the Lord to blafpheme, the child that is born unto thee, shall surely die *. Nor could the most fervent interceffions of the royal penitent reverse the decree. Nay, the threatening prediction, which the prophet made to him before his repentance, that because be had killed Uriah with the fword, the fword should not depart from bis boufe; and as he had polluted his wife, his own should be polluted in the fight of the funt, was permitted to befall him, notwithstanding his repentance, with great exactness. VOL. I.

3 G

Nor

Nor doth there need much reflection upon what passes in the world to fee, that Providence, to this day, frequently fuffers events of a like nature to happen: partly to complete the humiliation of the finner, partly that others may hear and fear *.

Sometimes no immediate connexion between the tranfgrefsion and the suffering is visible, that it may seem to be the hand of God, rather than a natural effect; though indeed, would men consider, every effect proceeds from his hand: but commonly they are closely linked, to deter men from committing iniquity, by shewing them before-hand, what fruits they must expect it to produce. Indeed, were only the pain infeparable from repentance, the feeling of having done ill and deserved ill, to distinguish the condition of him who returns to his duty, from his who has always adhered to it; the diftinction would be very interesting and important. For how wide is the difference between hating and approving ourselveş: between thinking of God with dread and shame, and rejoicing in him as our trust from our youtht, and our portion for ever! But long after peace is restored within, which yet will never be so restored to great offenders, as not to leave matter of melancholy reflection; long after penitents are at ease with respect to their future state; afflicting confequences with respect to the present, will flow from what they have done amiss. Often they have hurt themselves, alienated their friends, loft their time and opportunities of doing well in the world, injured their characters, their fortunes, their healths: often they have hurt others, set mischievous examples; inticed, betrayed, oppreffed, provoked, those around them; and destroyed, perhaps, by short folies, what the endeavours of the rest of their days will never be able to repair. These, indeed, are confiderations, under which they should not despond: but furely others ought to take warning from them, and learn of how unspeakable value it is, to keep innocency, and take heed to the thing that is right §, from the very first. Life was not intended to be led inconfiftently; one part in doing wrong, the other in being forry for it. Uniform obedience is our Maker's demand: and whoever

Deut. xiii. II.

† Pfalm Ixi. 5.

Pfalm 1xxiii. 26.

$ Pfalm xxxvii. 38,

whoever departs from it wilfully, though he may return, will affuredly be made to know and fee, one way or other, that it is a thing evil and bitter, that he hath forfaken the Lord bis God*. Let those then, who experience this in themselves, submit to it with patience, and revere his justice: let those, who fee it in others, thankfully make use of the instruction it was graciously designed to give them: and let us all preserve a lively sense upon our fouls, that evil purfueth finners, but to the righteous good shall be repaid †.

1