SERM, the tempers and manners of men, when, III. from a doleful depravity, wherein reason and confcience, and all the best sentiments and affections of human nature, seem to be loft or asleep, and all the defigns and pursuits of men are directed by selfish inferior appetites, or contracted vitious propenfities; when, I fay, from this wretched degeneracy they are recovered to the love and practice of the things that are pure, and true, and just, and venerable, and virtuous; to feek the things that are above, to approve the good and acceptable, and perfect will of God, and to walk in newnefs of life, These representations fhew the efficacy of the gospel and the grace of God, for effecting fuch a change in men ; it is all a voluntary change, wherein their own natural powers actively exert themselves, the whole is comprehended under the duty of Repentance. Still it is to be remember'd, that the effence of repenting, confists in prevailing good inclinations, contrary to the evil ones which had the ascendant before, and good works directly oppofite to those wicked ones of which finners had been guilty. Thus, John Baptift who first declared the coming of God's kingdom, and taught the doctrine of repentance for the remiffion of fins, when, having in general,

but as

exhorted

exhorted his hearers to repent, they afked SER M. him more particularly what he meant by it, III. and what he would have them to do, explains it thus, Luke iii. from ver. 11. accommodating his exhortation to their various circumstances; the common people he directed, instead of outward ceremonies and forms, in which the religion of that time chiefly confifted, to abound in works of fubftantial piety and charity, and to give out of their plenty for the relief of their indigent fellow-creatures; the collectors of taxes, called Publicans, he exhorted to perform what was given them in charge justly and mercifully, never extorting from any man more than what the due and faithful difcharge of their truft required; and the foldiers, that they should not behave themfelves infolently and oppreffively, but be content with their wages. This was the Baptift's doctrine of repentance, and it may very eafily, by parity of reasons, be applied to all the various relations, circumftances, and conditions in human life. In general, let men forfake their wicked ways and unrighteous doings, and turn to the Lord, practising the virtues which are contrary to their former vices. And in particular, Let him that stole, freal no more; let him that has been covetous,

6

break

SERM. break off his fins by fhewing mercy to the III. poor; let the lewd and voluptuous become chafte and temperate; the wrathful and contentious put on bowels of mercies, humblenefs of mind, forbearing and forgiving the weak and the injurious; in fine, let us *put off the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful iufts, and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true bolinefs. All the facred writers with one confent, continually urge men to this, as the only effectual way to obtain reconciliation with God, and the remiffion of all their fins. The prophets under the Old Teftament infift upon it as well as Chrift and his apoftles, affuring the Jews, that without it all their facrifices and other external rites would be unavailable to their acceptance with God; that indeed God was ready to forgive their iniquities; though their fins were as fcarlet, and red like crimson, he would make them white as fnow and wool; but it is upon the condition of their washing and making them clean, putting away the evil of their doings, ceafing to do evil, and learning to do well. No more taking pleasure in their former finful courfes, rigorously exacting the labours and fervices of the poor, and

* Ephef. iv. 22, 24.

grinding

Ifaiah i. 16. 18.

grinding their faces by oppreffion, but SER M. dealing their bread to the hungry, and cloath- III. ing the naked ||: in fhort, exercising themselves univerfally in the works of true piety and righteousness. Sorrow for fin, and what is called contrition, humiliation for having offended God, and perverted that which is right; the confeffing of our iniquities with shame and grief, and pious virtuous inclinations, a defire to become holy as God is holy; all these are neceffary to repentance,. but it is a fatal mistake to imagine, that it effentially confifts, and is compleated in any, or all of them; or, that any thing will be accepted without what I have already mentioned, a thorough and effectual forfaking all fin, and turning to God, and to the practice of our duty, univerfally. These preparatory exercises and difpofitions of the mind, arife from the reafon of things, and the very frame of our nature. As repentance is the rational exercise of the foul, wherein its intellectual and active powers are deliberately employed, what first and naturally occurs to the reflecting thoughts of a penitent, is, his former conduct; and he cannot review it otherwise than with an ingenuous remorse and felf-abhorrence. When a Man confi-.

Ifa. lviii. 7.

ders

SERM.ders that he has done wrong, it is impoffible III. to avoid a deep concern; for it is the highest

pleasure to be justified to our felves, and the reproaches of a self-accufing heart are most painful; and this is the best and most effectual prefervative from a relapfe into former follies. * Sorrow after a godly fort, as the apoftle fays, is naturally productive of fear, and zeal, and carefulness; fear of offending God for the future, a zeal and care to please him in all things. And as this is the true foundation of repentance, that it may be firm and stable, nothing is more neceffary for us to attend to, than that our forrow be of the kind I just now mentioned, after a godly fort. There may be a grief even for fin, which is of another character; that is, when the penal and pernicious confequences of it only are confidered, especially, the disgrace and the miseries to which it exposes finners in this world. Such a forrow is really no more than a painful sense of natural evil or unhappiness; and if fin is only confidered, as the occafion of that, without entering into its moral deformity, we can never imagine that forrow arifing thence, has any thing in it of that ingenuous remorfe which is acceptable to God; or that it will produce, or in

* 2 Cor. vii. 9---II.

deed