5.

"Afterwards fhall the children of Ifrael return, and "feek the Lord their God, and David their king, and shall "fear the Lord, and his goodness in the latter days.”

III. I proceed now to make fome practical improvement of what hath been faid. And,

1. From what hath been faid, you may learn, that none can understand, embrace, or esteem the mercy of God, but those who are convinced of their fin and mifery.Mercy can be of benefit only to the guilty; mercy can be bestowed only on the guilty; and therefore all that can be faid in illustration of the divine mercy, all that can be faid in commendation of the divine mercy, will be ef teemed as idle tales by thofe who do not know themselves to be guilty. Hence the negligence and unconcern with which the gofpel is received. Very many of those to whom it is addressed are infenfible of their danger. The employments of the world ingrofs their time; the enjoyments of the world poffefs their affections: an eternal, unchangeable flate is fuppofed at too great a distance to require their attention. I befeech you, my brethren, to confider, that the time of your trial is wafting apace. Let the commencement of another feafon* put you in mind of its fpeedy paffage, and perfuade you to look forward to the day of death or judgment, when all offers of mercy, and exhortations to repentance, shall cease, and when, though there may be forgiveness with God to all the proper objects of it in his extensive dominion, yet there fhall be no forgiveness for you.

2. From what hath been faid you may obferve, that the publication of divine mercy, that the illuftration of the riches of divine grace in the gofpel, hath not the leaft tendency to leffen our fenfe of the evil of fin, or the obligation we lie under to obedience: on the contrary, it ferves greatly to improve both the one and the other. When we endeavor to bring confolation to the broken in heart; when we fet before them the tender mercies of our God, and the infinite compaflion of the Saviour; when we prefs them

* Preached at the beginning of the year.

to hearken to the invitations of the gofpel; when we encourage them to reft their falvation upon it, and to be at peace; this only ferves to excite their indignation against fin, and perfuade them to fly from it, to bring them to the obedience of children, and fhed abroad the love of God in their hearts.

3. From what hath been faid, you may fee the difference between a real and fcriptural difcovery of forgive. ness with God, and that careless fecurity which arises from a prefumptuous reliance on his general mercy. The one prevents conviction, the other produces it. The general and common plea of God's mercy, keeps the finner at eafe as he is; but a real and fcriptural difcovery of forgive. nefs with God, heals the broken in heart, and at the fame time increases their fenfe of the evil of fin, and their abhor. rence of every approach to it.

fo

Prefumption, and fuch views of God's mercy as are taken by the secure, arife entirely from the extenuation of fin. The language of their hearts is, "Surely this is not great a matter, but God's mercy will forgive it." If you will either seriously examine yourselves, or observe, with fome attention, the difcourfe of careless worldly perfons, you will perceive this very clearly. They comfort themselves with the thoughts of their little comparative guilt, rather than of the certainty and greatness of divine mercy. "I may perhaps," fays one of them, "have been. guilty of fuch or fuch fins: but I am fure I never did fo or fo," or perhaps as fome others who immediately occur to their minds as greater finners than themselves. I cannot help mentioning to you the faying of a prince of our own country towards the close of life, who had been a remarkable libertine in his younger years: "I cannot

think," fays he "that God will be fo hard as to damn "a man for taking a little pleasure out of the common " road."

..

In oppofition to this, the true penitent fees more than ever his inexcufable guilt as a finner, but hopes for forgiveness from God, as the effect of his own infinite grace,

* K. Charles II. to Bishop Burnet.

and the accomplishment of his promife in the gospel. He gives the whole glory of it to him; and never thinks of diminishing the luftre of his tranfcendent mercy, by covering or extenuating the offence. Hence fecure perfons are eafily fatisfied, while true penitents make fupplication with strong crying and tears. They are often reconfidering the promife, and frequently queftioning the ground on which their dependance has been placed. Hence alfo fecure perfons feek eafe to themselves from the remonstrances of confcience, by ftifling conviction, and offering excufes; but true penitents, by giving full force to the accufation, and pleading the benefit of the remiffion. To fay all in a word, the one ftruggles hard to be found innocent, the other to obtain mercy.

4. From what hath been faid, you may fee of how much moment it is to the Chriftian to keep clear views of the mercy of God, as well as of his own intereft in it. The moment he lofes the comfortable fenfe of peace with God, his chariot-wheels are troubled, and he drives heavily. It makes his duty burdenfome, and his trials infupportable. And no wonder, fince he is not fo far left of God as to return to the fecurity of finners; and at the fame time the fource of his inward confolation is like a spring shut up, and a fountain sealed. For what end are the promifes of God contained in fcripture? why are they put into your hands? why are they repeated in your ears? Why, but for preferving you in that peace which the world. cannot give, and which, bleffed be God, it cannot take away. Hear what your Saviour fays John xvi. 33. "These things I have fpoken unto you, that in me ye "might have peace. In the world ye fhall have tribulation but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

5. In the last place, You may fee from what hath been fail, in what way you may most effectually, and moft certainly, preferve your peace with God, viz. By the frequent exercife of penitence and confeffion. This will fhew you the neceffity of forgivenefs from God. This will confirain you daily to feek for forgivenefs from God. Beware of feeking or preferving peace by the extenuation of in, or by flifling conviction. This may well lead you

to floth and security for a feason, which lays the foundation of the bittereft repentance of all; but will never give you the comfort of God's children. He that fhutteth his eyes upon his own fins, fhall never fee the glory of divine mercy. Serious, voluntary, deliberate humiliation, is the true way of promoting both that fteadiness in duty, and that peace with God, which ought to be the Chriftian's fupreme defire. Whatever deftroys felf-fufficiency promotes the growth of true piety. The gofpel is particularly directed to thofe that fee their neceffity. It brings comfort to the mourner, help to the miferable, and mercy to the guilty. It is a great mistake, to think, that the contrition and penitence of the children of God is hurtful to their comfort, for it is the very foundation of it; according to that refreshing promife, with which I fhall conclude, If. lxi. 1, 2, 3. "The fpirit of the Lord God is upon me, "because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good ti

dings unto the meek, he hath fent me to bind up the bro"ken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the "opening of the prifon to them that are bound to pro"claim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of "vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn to "appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto "them beauty for afhes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the fpirit of heavinefs, that they "might be called trees of righteoufnefs, the planting of "the Lord, that he might be glorified."