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take of his special mercy, or else perish in evelasting misery, notwithstanding God's general mercy.

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Rem. 5. Consider likewise, that those wh> were once glorious on earth, and are now tri umphing in heaven, looked upon the mercy of God as the most powerful argument to preserve them from, and to fence their souls against sin, and not as an encouragement thereto, Ps. xxxvi. 3, 4, 5, 6. For thy loving kindness is before mine eyes, and I have walked in thy truth; I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evil doers, and will not sit with the wicked.' So Joseph strengthens himself against sin, from the remembrance of mercy. How then can I,' saith he, do this great wickedness and sin against God?' Gen. xxxix. 9. He had fixed his eye upon mercy, and therefore sin could not enter; his soul being taken with mercy, was not moved with his mistresses impudence. Satan knocked oft at the door, but the sight of mercy would not suffer him to answer nor open. So Paul, Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid how shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein ?* Rom. vi. 1, 2. There is nothing in the world renders a man more unlike a saint, and more like Satan, than to argue from mercy to sinfut liberty; from Divine goodness to licentiousness; this is the devil's logic. A man may as truly

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say, the sea burns, or fire cools, as that free grace and mercy should make a soul truly gracious to do wickedly. So the same apostle,

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I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.' So John, These things I write unto you that ye sin not.' What was it that he wrote? He wrote, 'That we might have fellowship with the Father and his Son?' and that the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin;' and that if we confess our sins, he is just and faithful to forgive us our sins;' and that if we do sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.' These choice favours and mercies the apostle holds forth as the best means to preserve and keep the soul from sin; and if they do not, you may write the man void of Christ and grace, and undone for

ever.

CHAPTER VI.

The sixth Device that Satan hath to draw the soul to sin, is,

BY persuading the soul, that the work of repentance is an easy work, and that therefore it

need not make such a matter of sin. Why? suppose you do sin, saith Satan, it is not so difficult a thing to return, and confess, and be sorrowful, and beg pardon, and cry, Lord have mercy upon me; and if you do but this, God will clear the score, and pardon your sins, and save your souls, &c. By this device Satan draws many to sin, and makes many millions of souls servants, or rather slaves to sin, &c.-The remedies against this device of Satan, are these that follow:

Remedy 1. Seriously consider, that repentance is a mighty difficult work; a work that is above our power. There is no power below

that which raised Christ from the dead, and made the world, that can break or turn the heart of a sinner: thou art as well able to melt adamant, as to melt thine own heart; to turn a flint into flesh, as to turn thine own heart to the Lord; to raise the dead and make a world, as to repent independent of grace. Repentance is a flower that grows not in Nature's garden. • Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil,' Jer. xiii. 23. Repentance is a gift that comes down from above. Men are not born with repentance in their hearts, as they are born with tongues in their mouths. Acts v. 31. Him hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Savi

our, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.' So in 2 Tim. ii. 25. In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.' It is not in the power of any mortal to repent at his own pleasure.* Some ignorant deluded souls vainly conceit that these five words, Lord have mercy upon me, are efficacious enough to send them to heaven: but as many are ruined by buying a counterfeit jewel, so many are drawn into hell through a mistake in repentance; they rest in their repentance, though it be but the shadow of it, which caused one to say, Repentance damneth more than sin.'

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Rem. 2. Also consider, the nature of true repentance. Repentance is some other thing than what vain men conceive.†

Repentance is sometimes taken in a more strict and narrow sense, for godly sorrow; sometimes it is taken in a large sense, for amendment

It was a vain brag of the king of Cyrus, that caused it to be written upon his tomb-stone, "I could do all things." So could Paul too, but it was through Christ which strengthened him.

The Hebrew word for repentance signifies to return, implying a going back from what a man had done. It denotes a turning or converting from one thing to another, from sin to God. The Greeks have two words by which they express the nature of repentance, one signifies to be careful anxious, solicitous after a thing is done; the other after-wit, or after-wisdom, the mind's recovering of wisdom, or growing wiser after our folly.

of life. Repentance hath in it three things, viz. The Act, The Subject, and The Terms.

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1. The formal act of repentance is a changing and converting; it is often set forth in scripture by turning. Ephraim saith, Turn thou me, and I shall be turned;' and, after that I was turned, I repented;' it is a turning from darkness to light.

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2. The subject changed and converted, is the whole man: it is both the sinner's heart and life: first his heart, then his life: first his person, then his practice and conversation; Wash ye, make you clean,' there is the change of their persons; Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well,' there is the change of their practices: so' Cast away,' says Ezekiel, all your transgressions whereby you have transgressed,' there is the change of the life, and make you a new heart and a new spirit,' there is a change of the heart.

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3. The terms of this change and conversion, from which, and to which, both heart and life must be changed,-from all sin to Ged. The heart must be changed from the state and power of sin, the life from the acts of sin, but both unto God; the heart to be under his power in a state of grace, the life to be under his rule in all new obedience, as the apostle speaks, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto God.' So the

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