begotten of him. We fhall love the whole Christian brotherhood, fo far as they bear the image of their heavenly Father, by whatever names known, into whatever fects or parties split and divided.-Yea, we shall be linked in bonds of tenderest affection, to the whole numerous family both in heaven and on earth, whether our buman brethren by adoption and regeneration, or our angelical brethren by creation and unfinning rectitude and obedience. All who, with us, can call GOD Father, will have a dif tinguished place in our benevolent and complacential affections.* ESSAY XI. Of REPENTANCE. REPENTANCE partakes both of the nature of conversion and sanctification. Converfion begins by repentance; and it is the conftant daily duty of true converts, as long as they have finful natures and imperfect characters. 2. Repentance implies in it, a deep and afflicting fenfe of the evil nature and defert of fin; an earnest defire to be freed from its guilt, dominion and condemnation, and fincere endeavors to turn from it to the * Eph. iii. 15. John v.1. service and favor of a holy GOD, through a Redeemer. 3. Therefore the proper fubject of repentance, is a finner in the prefent life: For, in hell there is no place for repentance; and in heaven, though the blessed will retain the greatest hatred of fin, yet being guiltless and finlefs, they can have no proper compunction or contrition for fin, nor any uneafy afflictive fenfations of mind -on its account. All fin and forrow will be then for ever done away. 4. Though all finners will fooner or later be filled with forrow and diftrefs for what they have done against GOD, yet many in this life are hardened past feeling, through the deceitfulness of fin; have their neck as an iron finew, their brow as braïs, and live and die in this stupid, hardened, remorseless ftate, after having drowned the voice of confcience, and grieved the holy Spirit of GOD, which would have fealed them to the day of redemption. 5. Others have alfo fome kind of forrow for fin, which is never effectual; fome kind of repentance which is never true and saving; but, as the apostle expreffes it needeth to be repented of. We have examples of this in Cain, Pharaoh, Ahab, the Israelites, Nebuchadnezzar, Judas, and many under our own observation. 6. We ought, therefore, carefully to distin guish beween a false and true repentance, one that is merely legal, and one that is evangelical. Thefe are diftinguished by their names in the Hebrew, Greek and Latin languages, and by their motives and effects. 7. The words necham in the Hebrew, metameleia in the Greek, and pœnitentia in the Latin, are rendered repentance in the English; yet they only fignify, trouble and vexation after sin, accompanied with anguish and torment of mind. The words shevab in the Hebrew, metanoia in the Greek, and resipis centia in the Latin, are alfo tranflated repentance in the English, though they are of very different meaning from the former, and fignify a change of mind; a becoming wise after sin, and confequently, a doing better than before. And this last only, is saving, effectual, evangelical repentance. In the former fenfe only, wicked men are faid to repent, when the dread of GoD's wrath breaks in upon their confciences, and fills them with the terrific apprehenfion of their guilt, danger and mifery. 8. Conviction of every kind, whether legal or evangelical, effectual or ineffectual, is wrought by the Spirit of GOD, whe convinces the world of sin.* *John xvi. 8. L 9. The Spirit uses various instruments and means in awakening the foul to a diftreffing fight and sense of fin, fuch as reading and hearing the word; afflictive providences, dreams, public and private remonftrances, reproofs and admonitions, or ferious reflections excited by fome of these. 10. The word of God works remorfe in the hearts of finners by discovering to them the purity of the divine nature, the extent of the divine law, the evil and danger of fin, and by leading the finner to compare his own temper and actions with the law of GOD; while the Spirit enlightens the understanding, and fets home these things on the confcience ;* and this is called a law work. 11. Repentance unto life, or evangelical repentance, is wrought by the law and gos pel in conjunction, acting under the infuence and energy of the holy Spirit. The law is made to fhew the foul its guilt and danger, while the gospel points out a remedy The law wounds; the gospel heals; The law is made to enter, that fin may abound and appear exceeding finful; the gospel fhews how grace much more abounds through Jefus Christ.† 12. A mere legal repentance may be, and often is ineffectual, as in the cafes of Jer. xxxi. 19. Rom. vii. 12. Acts ii. 37. 2 Cor. vii. 10. Pharaoh, Judas, and others; yet it is of ten preparatory to, and iffues in an evan-` gelical repentance.* 13. Falfe and true, or effectual and ineffectual repentance are beft diftinguished by their concomitant circumftances and effects; as, (1.) A mere legal repentance, is a terror of conscience, arifing from a sense of guilt and danger, which often consists with the love of fin, and a hatred of holiness: But the real gospel penitent truly hates and abhors fin, and himself because of it.† (2.) The true penitent forfakes fin and flees. from it, not chiefly as it is damning, but as it is contrary to the nature and will of GOD, and a vile abuse of gospel grace; and he turns from it to GOD, with a full purpofe of, and hearty endeavors after new obedience. (3.) True repentance is ever accompanied with hope of mercy; with an apprehenfion of the mercy of GOD in Christ, and a truft in this mercy. 14. It is vile and unwarrantable prefumption in finners to hope for pardon or mercy without repentance. 15. Repentance is fadly miftaken by thofe, who imagine that it confifts in being forry or troubled for fin, while they ftill continue to commit it. * Arts ii &c. 37,--xvi. 27. 34. + Pfal. cxix. 101. Jobxlii. 6. Jer. ii. 34, 35. 25. Ezek xxxvi, 31. Hof xiv. 8 Acts xi. 23. Luke xv. 18, 20. й 2 Cor. vii. 10, 11. iii. 1 |