I. That the wicked ought to reform. I. That the wicked ought to reform. And that will appear upon these suggestions. Firft, fin is contrary to reafon, credit, and fafety.. 1. Sin is contrary to reason. This is the malignant and mischievous nature of every finful action. It is in itself unreasonable, contrary to all wisdom and understanding and you will eafily grant, that what is against reason ought not to be done at all; or if it be done, that it ought to be revoked. We cannot fay worse of a man, than that he is an unreasonable person: nor worse of an action, than that it is contrary to reason. If a man will hear no reason, who will have to do with him? For he that will not hear reafon, will do no right; and therefore what is done against reafon must be revoked, and disclaimed. For what is fo done is done against right, which is the rule of all actions. For right is the measure of all motion, and the law of heaven. Right is so sacred a thing, that even poverty, neceffity, calamity, and mifery, which make cases very pitiable, and compaffionable, they are not confiderable, in competition with right, for fo we read, Lev. xix. 15. Thou shalt not counte Be the man poor or nance a poor man in his cause. rich, the right of his case, and nothing else must be confidered in judgment. 2. A finful action is difcreditable to any person whatsoever. It is faid of the fons of Eli, that by their wickedness, they made themselves vile, 1 Sam. iii. 13. The higher any man is in place, the greater he is in power, the more eminent for birth, and dignity; the greater is his fault if he commit a finful action. No man whatfoever hath credit enough to countenance that which is wicked, and ought not to be done. ; 3. It is grievous, painful, and intollerable to bear the effects of wicked and finful actions, and to vary from right. Unless a man difclaim and revoke it, fuch actions are very coftly and dearly paid for though they promise pleasure for the prefent, yet they lay the foundation of an evil conscience, and a difquieted and discontented mind; and if they be not repented of, we shall rue it to eternity and that, not only in respect of lofs, but mifery; which we cannot now exprefs. For we know not what is meant by Tophet's burning, nor fully understand what is comprehended in those words of enduring the worm that dieth not, and the fire that goeth not out. Let no man deceive himfelf; real fatisfaction, true content must have a folid foundation, a clear conscience, honeft intention, right actions, an unblame. able tenour and courfe of life. And that is the first the malignancy and naughtiness of every sinful action, as being a contradiction to reason, against right the agents difcredit, a grievous, painful, an intollerable thing. Secondly, Being fuch, it cannot be juftified. For this is most certain, whatsoever is contrary to the reafon of the thing, or to the right of the cafe, is mo rally null and void, though it be done by any per fon fon whatsoever, I fay, null as to the validity of the thing; though not null and void as to the mifchief it doth to the agent. It is without all authority, and right. For this power is not in God himself; For his throne is established in righteousness, Pro. xxv. 5. It is a principal miscarriage; so that a bad man is not a man of power and priviledge, he is not a man of excellency; but he is, as a man that is deaf, blind, or lame; that is not diftinguished from other men, by any perfection, but by impotency and deformity. As the palfy-motion, which seems to be quicker than other, but it is not from ftrength but from weakness: no man can justify a finful action, but to a bad conscience, or before an unrighteous judge; who is either ignorant or partial, or himfelf as bad by undue principles, corrupt interest, or an abuse of power. For it is not to be able, for a man to do that which ought not to be done. Thirdly, Every finful action, however we may stand to it, or may be countenanced here in the world, will be difcountenanced fooner or latter, whether we will or no. For it will fall under cenfure, and be brought to judgment, and condemned and punished. For right fhall finally prevail : things themselves will not long continue out of order. Folly and madness will at last be weary and afhamed of themselves: befides the judgment of God, which will be according to truth, for God will bring to light the hidden works of darkness, &c. Fourthly, If we do not repent of that which we have done finfully, it will lie upon us as the black. eft spot, as the heavieft judgment, and as the worst malady malady. Men are fenfible of bodily evils, but mental are the heaviest. Moral evil is the greatest of alt evil; for it hath the baseft fymptoms, and moft unhappy confequences and the most frequent twitches. For moral evil makes an internal wound, a wound in the confcience, where there is the quickest and tendereft fenfe. For all bodily evils, the creator of all things hath vouchfafed remedies: but for the evils of the mind, for wounds in the confcience, there is no remedy, but the motion of the mind, in the way of repentance, and application to the blood of Christ for expiation, and atonement. For a wounded fpirit who can bear, Prov. xviii. 14. Now on the other fide, if a man doth repent, he may be released; for repentance doth alter the cafe. For this is moft certain, that thofe who are finite and fallible, if they do fail or miscarry, upon repentance may be restored to favour; and if the fault be repented of, it is morally made null and void. And what we repent of, God hath declared he will pardon. And if we repent, and difclaim, and God pardon, it is then as if it had not been done. Then alfo the goodnefs of God is rightly resented, and his patience understood, and the means of grace. are in their right ufe; and those that were spiritually dead are quickened unto life; for by finful actions men are said to be dead, dead in trefpaffes and fins, and St. Jude 12. hath it twice dead, once dead by finning against the rule and law of right; and dead again by continuing in impenitency, contumacy and hardness of heart. Fifthly, There is no expectation either of God's pardon pardon, or of help from him, but in the way of repentance. For who can promife himself any thing out of the terms of the covenant of grace; viz. repentance from all dead works, refolution of obedience to God, and faith in the Lord Jefus Chrift, Acts xx. 21. Repentance is fo indifpenfably neceffary, that he which hath once done amifs, in respect of the habit of the mind, he doth it again and again that doth not repent. For he is the fame man; and men act like themfelves. You have a good form of words, when men are furious, fpiteful, and devilish, we tell them, that they fhew their spirits; and it is very right. I will now fuggeft to you two places of scripture for the proof of what I have faid in this fifth particular, viz. that there is no expectation of God's pardon, or of help from him, but in the way of repentance, 2 Tim. ii. 25. If God peradventure will give them repentance to life. Which fhews that there is great hazard of their repentance, who are wilful oppofers of the truth; and that God will pardon them no other way, intimates this to us, that the cafe is very hazardous, whether fuch as are wilful opposers of the truth, fhall ever be brought to repentance. The other place is, Acts viii. 20. where the apostle speaks to Simon Magus, Repent of this thy wickedness, if perhaps the thought of thy heart may be for given thee. Which shews that his fin was not unpardonable, but that there was no poffibility of pardon without repentance. Sixthly and lastly, We are all under obligation to repent, tho' there would no good come to us by it. For |