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CHAP. V.

Of a Death-Bed Repentance.

T

SE C T. I.

The Cafe of the Thief upon the Cross
Examined.

HE Relation and Account of the Thief upon the Crofs, and our Saviour's Difcourfe with him, tho' it be put in, and lye in the Gospel only as a meer History, and a matter of fact that belonged to the manner of our Saviour's dying, his being crucified between Two Thieves, fo that it was not intended or defigned by any of the Evangelifts to teach any Evangelical Doctrine, or to give any peculiar Rule, Principle, or Inftruction that was extraordinary, and that was to be learnt and collected, confirmed and authorized only by that, and therefore though 'tis mentioned by all the Evangelifts, yet by Three of them very shortly and briefly, as a meer circumstance remarkable, chiefly for this, that the Legs of the Two Thieves were broken, as was ufual in crucifixions; whereas Chrift being fooner dead, prevented this, and fo literally comQ

pleated

pleated that Prophecy, A bone of him shall not be broken: And for the fake of another Prophecy, That he should be numbred with tranfgreffors, and be a Companion and fellowSufferer with the most infamous Criminals, and Malefactors, and nothing farther was intended or defigned by it, fo far as we know, or appears to us from Scripture, as the proper ufe, and the genuine purpose of it, though by accident indeed it was an honourable Confeffion of Christ, and a bearing Teftimony to him before his Crucifiers, and alfo an Owning a future ftate of Bliss and Happiness after this Life, when a Man was going out of the World, by his defiring Chrift to remember him in his kingdom, and Chrift's promifing, that he should be that day with him in Paradice; but these were Truths not to be learnt from hence only, but elsewhere, tho' they were hereby very folemnly attefted to: But there has been a Doctrine raised from hence, and not to be learnt from any other place of Scripture, never taught by Christ, or any of his Apoftles, but wholly taken up, and founded upon this Inftance of one of the Thieves upon the Crofs, which has from a matter of Hiftory and Circumftance been improved to Teach and Advance a new Do&trine, no where elfe to be found in the Bible; namely, That a wicked Man, when he comes to dye, may hope to be happy and go to Heaven by vertue of a fudden Converfion and a fhort Death-Bed Repentance, though he has spent his whole Life never

fo

fo carelefly and wickedly: Or that a DeathBed Repentance may be by the Gospel fufficient and effectual for a Man's Salvation, who has lived a very ill Life, and who does not fooner Repent of it, than when he comes to dye. Now this I think is not only the falfeft, but the most Pernicious and Mifchievous Doctrine that can be, for it plainly takes away the neceffity of a good Life, fince that is not neceffary which a Man can any way hope to be faved without; and fo tends to encourage Men to continue in their fins, with the hopes that they may have time enough to repent of them when they come to dye, and that there is a poffible, if not a likely way to fave themselves at the laft, though they live never fo wickedly, provided they have but a little time and warning, which hardly one in five hundred but has to perform this fudden Repentance, and are not prevented to do it by a fudden Death, which is an accident that happens but to few; If there be nothing elfe but this accidental uncertainty to fecure Religion, and the neceffity of a good Life, fo that otherwife a Sinner may at the laft claim the full benefit of Pardon by the Gospel-Covenant if he come in then by a fhort Repentance, though he has ftood out all his Life in Rebellion against God, and may, as we commonly fay, dye well, and make a good end, though he lived never fo ill: If this be true, then this Gofpel - Privilege of Repentance deftroys the Gofpel it felf, and the main End and Defign of it, and takes away the Q2

neceffity

neceffity of Gospel-Holinefs and Obedience, in order to our future Happiness; it removes and alters thofe Conditions of Salvation which are indifpenfably required by the Gospel, it abates and remits the plain terms of it, and by fuch a claufe of Privilege takes away all the Authority and force of its Commands, and all the Terror of its Threats and Punishments, and in effect unloofes all our Obligations to the Law of God, and to a good Life; whatever does this, and has fuch mischievous Confequences, and is fo contrary to the firft and plainest Truths in Religion, as I fhall fhew this is, cannot furely be a Gofpel-Doctrine, and therefore I am perfuaded that is not which allows Salvation to a meer Death-Bed Repentance by the terms of the Gospel.

The Great thing to fupport this, is the inftance of the Thief upon the Crofs, Luke 23. 42, 43, though I fhall fhew there is no certain ground or true foundation to be had from that of any fuch thing if we fully confider and examine it.

As to the Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard, Matth. 20. who came in at the Eleventh hour, and were rewarded as well as those who were hired at the firft; this belongs to another matter, and is fpoken in favour of the Gentiles, who though not fo foon called and taken into the Covenant, as the Fems, yet fhould afterwards be called and received into it, and have as great Privileges, and as great a Reward as the Jews themselves

who

who were God's firft, and peculiar People, hired and called in long before them: So that this is foreign to the cafe of a late and fhort Repentance of a dying Chriftian, who was called or hired as foon as he was baptized, and knew Chriftianity; and if he loyter all the day, and will not work at all, no not one hour, or any confiderable part of his Life, till Night comes, and then when 'tis too late, and he cannot work at all, only falls a crying and forrowing, and repenting for this his loytering and being Idle, there is nothing in the Parable to excufe fuch an one, but only thofe at the most, who had not the knowledge of Chriftianity, or the means of Salvation fooner offer'd them, but came in and workt as foon as they had, as foon as they were called and hired. The' Parable taken altogether, must not be applyed further than this, as if it extended to all thofe Chriftians who come in and Repent only at the laft, or even to those who have one hours time in proportion to their whole lives to do a few Acts of Obedience; for it is by no means true that he who works and is Religious a fhort and very little part of his Life, fhall be as well rewarded, and have as full an hire and recompence of God in another World, as he who does fo the whole; for then God would not render to men according to their works, as he hath declared he will do at the last judgment, for tho' he may do what he will with his own, yet his rewards and promifes are now fixt and determined by a Covenant; and though God

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