feed of thofe graces, and fhall undoubtedly be faved.

1. The word of God certifies us, that whofoever does not repent fhall perish, Luke xiii. 5. Your fouls then lie at ftake. The finner is gone away from God, and fo is come under the curfe. His foul is left in pawn that he fhall return; fo if he do not return, the pawn is loft, and loft for ever.

2. Heaven's door is bolted again.ft all impenitent finners; it is not fo wide as to let in a finner with a burden of unrepented-of guilt upon his back, Rev. xxi. 27. There shall in nowife enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie. So heaven ye cannot fee, and hell ye cannot escape, if ye repent not. It is the call of the gofpel to you; which, if it be not obeyed, fee the effect, 2 Theff. i. 7. 8. The Lord Jefus fhall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift. To this narrow point the matter is brought, Repent or perish, Ezek. xviii. 30. 31. Repent, and turn yourfelves from all your tranfgreffions; fo iniquity fhall not be your ruin. Caft away from you all your tranfgreffions, whereby ye have tranfgreffed, and make ye a new heart, and a new fpirit; for why will ye O house of Ifrael?

die,

3. Repentance is the other duty of the gospel, thereby fignifying, that without repentance there is no pollibility but we muft perish under God's wrath and curfe. John the Baptift preached repentance, fo did Chrift himfelf, the apoftles, &c. How can one think then to efcape without it?

4. True faith does always bring along with it true repentance, Zech. xii. 10. I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerufalem, the Spirit of grace and of fupplications, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only fon, and fhall be

in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first born. It is the great gift which Chrift is exalted to give, Acts v. 31. as he is a Saviour. So impenitent finners have no part in Christ, nor in his falvation, Matth. i. 21. and therefore they must perish.

III. I proceed to confider the question, Are faith and repentance in mens power, fince God requires them of them? Ans. They are not. For God's demands of us are the measure of our duty, but not of our ftrength, which reaches not to thefe. For,

1. They are the gifts of God, and the operations of his fpecial grace, Eph. i. 19. Acts v. 31. And where fovereign pleasure does not determine to give and work them, the party lies under the power of unbelief and impenitency. Hence it is God's grace and good-will which makes one differ from another; not man's free-will. Hence fays our Lord, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast bid thefe things from the wife and prudent, and haft revealed them unto babes. Even fo, Father, for fo it feemed gead in thy fight, Matth. xi. 25. 26. 2. Sinners by nature and in themselves can do nothing which is good, and therefore cannot believe nor repent, John xv. 5. Without me ye can do nothing. 2 Cor iii. 5. Not that we are fufficient of ourfelves to think any thing as of ourselves: but our Sufficiency is of God. In particular they cannot believe, John vi. 44. No man can come to me, except the Father which bath fent me, draw him. They cannot srepent, Jer. xiii. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his fkin, or the leopard his fpots?.then may ye alfo do good, that are accustomed to do evil. They are dead in fin, and must be quickened, yea created in Chrift Jesus to good works. They are'in bondage to fin and Satan, 2 Tim. ii. 26. therefore cannot come to Chrift, nor turn to God, till effectual grace bring them forVOL. III. Kk

5

ward, Acts xxvi. 18. open their eyes, and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.

Object. How then can God require them of us?

Anf. 1. God gave man this power, and he has loft it by his own fault, Eccl. vii. 29. God hath made man upright; but they have fought out many inventions. If a debtor fquander away his fubftance, the creditor has ftill a right to require what he owes him: fo though man has loft his power to perform, God has not loft his right to require the duty.

2. Men will not believe their own impotency. tency They will promife, refolve, and delay to believe and repent, as if these duties were in their own power; they will flight the motions of God's Spirit; yea, they are throwing away the remains of natural light and ftrength that have efcaped out of the ruins of the fall. So that God may very justly require these of them, to convince them, and ftir them up to feek grace.

IV. I proceed to fhew the connection betwixt faith and repentance, and escaping the wrath and curfe of God due to us for fin. Those who believe and repent fhall certainly escape. God has faid it, that they fhall; John v. 24. He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that fent me, hath everlafting life, and fhall not come into condemnation; but is paffed from death unto life. Ezek. xviii. 30. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your tranfgreffions; fo iniquity fall not be your ruin. Nay they are got beyond it already, Rom. viii. 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Chrift Jefus. In the moment the finner comes into Chrift, he is no more liable to eternal wrath, nor to the curfe; for he is not under the law, but under grace: and the utmost he is liable to, is fatherly chaftifements, Pfal. lxxxix. 30. 31. 32. 33. Thus faith and repentance have the connection of appointed means

prefcribed by God himself, which, by his bleffing, are rendered fubfervient to this great end, of ob taining falvation. Faith is the hand that receives Chrift and his righteoufnefs, as the all of falvation, John i. 12.; and repentance unto life confifts in that godly forrow for fin, flowing from faith, which is the exercife of all who are concerned about the falvation of their fouls, Jer. 1. 4. 2 Cor. vii. i 1.

V. I fhall now fhew the neceffity of ufing all the outward means whereby Chrift communicateth to his people the benefits of redemption.

1. God has peremptorily required this, Luke xiii. 24. Strive to enter 'in at the ftrait gate, namely, that we strive in the appointed means of grace and falvation. And fo he has particularly enjoined us the confcientious performance of each of them.

2. We have no ground to expect grace or falvation but in the ufe of the means, Prov. viii. 34. Bleffed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. Prov. ii, 3. 4. 5. If thou crieft after knowledge, and lifteft thy voice for understanding: if thou feek-ft her as filas ver, and fearcheft for her, as for hid treafures: then fhalt thou understand the fear of the Lord; and find the knowledge of God. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, Rom. x, 17.

3. The neglect of the means is a contempt of the thing. If we would be healed, we would lie at the pool. If not, we fay we care not for cure.

And there is required here, not a careless or merely-fuperficial ufe of the outward means, but a diligent one; that is, an embracing of every opportunity that God in his providence gives us for attending upon them, a careful improvement of them, and a looking earneftly to him for his bleffing upon them, without which they will not contribute to our fpiritual advantage, 1 Cor. iii. 6. 7. Queft. What is our ability in this point? Anf

The ufe of outward means is not beyond our reach. One may, without faving grace, read, hear, pray, and confider his cafe. And by these one may attain the highest pitch of preparation for the grace of God, in legal convictions, fears, forrows for fin, and natural (though not faving) defires of grace. Therefore do what ye can; it may be while ye are doing what ye can, God will do for you what ye cannot do for yourselves, Acts viii.

22.

Queft. Has God promised to fave and convert thofe who do what is in their power in the use of means? Anf. We dare not fay it. But, 1. It is pof fible. 2. It is probable *.

I fhall conclude with two inferences.

Inf. 1. Then, as ever ye would efcape God's wrath and curfe due to you for fin, repent and believe. Come to Chrift; turn from your fins unto God. There is no fafety otherwise, but this way ye fhall be fafe. No fin of No fin of yours will ruin you, if you believe and repent; and nothing will fave you, if ye do not.

2. Be diligent in the ufe of the means of falvation. They are laid before you, while they are by the fovereign difpofal of providence kept up from others. Neglect them not, as ye would not be found to reject the counfel of God against your felves. And fatisfy not yourselves in the bare use of them, but feek grace and falvation in them from Jefus Chrift, they being appointed means of grace.

*

*See all this illuftrated in Human nature in its Fourfold ftate, tate ii. head 3. under the title, Objections answered, edit. 2. P. 207.