SERM. II. Numb. xiv. 22. 23. 2.) With regard to the extent of the divine mercie, and the hope of fharing in it upon the lateft repentance, feveral things be obferved. . may The mercie of God is certainly very great. Nor does it become us to fet limits to it. It may be extended to fome very late, if fincere penitents. We dare not deny, that whenfoever finers forfake the evil of their ways and their doings, he will have mercie upon them, accept them, and pardon them. Nevertheless none are in more danger of being excluded, than thofe, who in the early days of life are favored with frequent and earneft calls and invitations, and withstand them. And there are in fcripture fome declarations and threatenings, which are very awful, and affecting. You know, that a peremptorie fentence paffed upon the whole congregation of the people of Ifrael, who often repeated their tranfgreffions. Because, faid the Lord, all thofe men, which have feen my glorie and my miracles, which I did in Egypt, and in the wildernesse, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice: furely they fhall not fee the land, which I promised unto their fathers. II. Pf. xcv. 7; 8. Heb. iii. Which event is emproved both by the SERM. Pfalinift, and the Apoftle in the epiftle to the Hebrews, as a warning to men, not to provoke the divine being by long delays, and repeated acts of difobedience, emprove the prefent opportunity, To day, if ye will hear his voice, your hearts, as in the provocation. and to faying: harden not And men & iv. 23...29. are directed by one of the Prophets, in this manner: Seek the Lord, while he may be If. lv. 6. found. Call ye upon him, while he is near. And very moving are the warnings and expoftulations of Wisdom in the book of Proverbs: How long, ye fimple ones, will ye love Prov. i. fimplicity,...and fools hate knowledge...Because I have called, and ye refufed: I have ftretched out my hands, but no man regarded: but ye have fet at naught all my counfel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity, and will mock, when your fear cometh... Then fhall they call upon me, but I will not answer. They shall feek me early; that is, when diftreffes and calamities have befallen them; but they shall not find me. they bated knowledge, and did not fear of the Lord. For that choose the SERM. II. Mat. xx. As for the repentance and acceptance of the penitent thief, we do not know, when he repented. The crime, for which he fuffered, may have been committed by him, and repented of, fome while before. Suppofing his repentance to be very late, and very fudden, on the day of his death only his cafe is altogether fingular, on account of his fuffering with Jefus. You know likewife, that the other malfactor repented not, even then. Moreover the penitent gave extraordinarie proofs of the fincerity of his repentance: under the pains of crucifixion acknowledging the juftice of the punishment he underwent, profeffing faith in Jefus, and praying to him, in the time of his lowest abasement, when almost all the world rejected him, and the difciples themselves failed, through the weakneffe of their faith. Above all it thould be confidered, that there is a great difference between his cafe and theirs, who live under the gofpel-difpenfation. He had not in early life fuch inftructions, fuch warnings, fuch calls and invitations, as you have had. The parable of the laborers hired into the 1.... 16. vineyard, at the third, fixth, ninth, and eleventh II. eleventh hours of the day, does not relate SERM. to the ages of man's life: but rather represents the difpenfations of divine providence in the feveral ages of the world. They who were hired at the eleventh hour are the Gentils, who had been long without the benefit of revelation. Therefore when asked, Why ftand ye here all the day idle? they fay, becaufe no man bath hired us. Which fhews, that the doctrine of this parable cannot countenance delays in things of religion: or encourage thofe to expect particular calls and invitations in old age, who have been favored with fuch advantages, and neglected them, in the time of their youth. 3. Once more, fome may fay: We are backward now, in the time of our youth, and the early days of life, to enter upon the ways of religion and virtue : because we fear, we shall not perfevere. And if we should finally fall away, our guilt would be encreased. To which I answer: You are in the right to be fenfible of your own weakneffe, and the difficulties of a religious courfe of life. For there are difficulties therein. It is a great undertaking, and fhould be entered upon D 4 with SERM. with mature confideration. Nevertheless, you have no good reafon to defer, or hefitate 21. II. in your choice. If you are ferious and fincere in the undertaking, your progreffe and perfeverance may be reckoned very likely and hopeful. They who fet out in the way of religion, with a mixture of worldly views and expectaMat. xiii. tions, may well fall away, if tribulation, or perfecution, arifeth because of the word. But they who have a true principle of virtue, will 1 John ii. hold out to the end. They went out from us, fays St. John, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us. 19. that they might be made were not all of us. But they went out, manifeft, that they Obferve the hiftorie of the Old and New Teftament. And I prefume, you will scarce find any inftances of total apoftafie in men who were once fincerely good, but many examples of early and perfevering piety. Abraham immediatly obeyed the call of God, and went out, not knowing whither he went. And he continued to give frequent proofs of a ftrong and lively faith. Ifaac and Jacob walked with God all their days. Jofeph |