⚫ from the Lord Jefus Christ, for victory and dominion over my corruptions; and fhall I not both refolve in ⚫ his ftrength against them; and lie at his foot, that the law of the Spirit of life in Chrift Jefus, may make me • free from the law of fin and death! Have I difhonoured God fo much already, loaded my precious Saviour ⚫ with fo many horrible indignities; and brought fuch < a weight of guilt upon myself; and is it not now high time to bid an utter defiance to my most darling lutts, the greatest enemies to God and my own foul?' Such as this is the language of a gospel repentance. And tho' there may be a fincere repentance without full evi◄ dence of an intereft in Chrift, there can be none without a believing view of the infinite merit of his blood; and the fafety of bringing a guilty foul to that fountain for pardon and cleanfing, as I will endeavour to fhew you more particularly. You can't but fee the great diftinction, and even confrariety, between a guilty flight of the foul from God, like Adam after his fall; and an humbling, felf-condemning flight to God's pardoning mercy, like the prodigal when returning to his father's houfe: Between legal, flavifh, felf-righteous endeavours to atone for our fins, and make our peace with God; and repairing only to the blood of Chrift for cleansing from all our fins: between mourning for our guilt and danger; and mourning for our fins, as they are against God, against a precious Saviour, against infinite mercy and love; And in a word, between attempting a new life by the strength' of our own fefolutions and endeavours; and looking only to the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift for grace and ftrength, as well as pardon and freedom from condem nation. 3. A legal repentance flows from an aversion to God and to his holy law: but an evangelical repentance from love to both. The diftrefs, the terror, and amazement, that awakened finnets are under, arife from their dreadful apprehensions of God, and his terrible juftice. They know that they have greatly provoked him, are afraid of his wrath; and therefore want fome covert, where they may hide themselves from his prefence. They might before, perhaps, have fome pleafing apprehenfions of God, while they confidered him as being all mercy without juftice; and while they could hope for pardon, and "yet live in their fins. But now, they have fome fense of his holiness and juftice, he appears an infinite enemy; and therefore moft terrible to their fouls. They are confulting indeed fome way to be at peace with him; because they are afraid the controverfy will iffue in their deftruction. They refolve upon new obedience, from the fame motives that flaves obey their fevere tyrannical mafters while the rule of their obedience is directly contrary to the bent, bias and difpofition of their fouls. Were the penalty of the law taken away, their averfion to it would quickly appear, and they would foon embrace their beloved lufts, with the fame pleasure and delight as formerly. This is frequently exemplified in thofe, who wear off their convictions and reformations together, notwithstanding all their former religious appearances, difcover the alienation of their hearts to God and his laws, by their finful and fenfual lives; and (as the apoftie expreffeth it) fhew themfelves enemies in their minds, by their wicked works. But on the contrary, the fincere gofpel penitent, fees an admirable beauty and excellency in a life of holiness; and therefore groans after higher attainments in it. He is fenfible how much he has tranfgreffed the law of God, how very far he is departed from the purity and holinefs of the divine nature. This is the burthen of his foul. Hence it is, that he walks in heavinefs; and waters his couch with tears. He mourns, not because the law is fo ftrict or the penalty fo fevere, for he cheems the law to be holy; and the commandment holy, just, and good but he mourns, that though the law be jpiritual, he is carnal, fold under fin. He mourns, that his nature is fo contrary to God, that his practice is fo contrary to his will; and that he can make no better progrefs in mortifying the deeds of the fleth, in regulating his affections, appetites, and paffions, and in living to God. So that with the mind he himself ferves the law of God, though in much imperfections; and though by reafon of his remaining carnality, he is forced to acknowledge and lament, that with the flesh he ferves the law of fin : The true penitent is breathing with the fame earnestness after fanctification, as after freedom from wrath. He does not want to have the law bent to his corruptions: but to have his heart and life fully fubjected to the law and will of God. There is nothing he fo much defires, 'befides an interest in Christ and the favour of God, as a freedom from fin, a proficiency in faith and holiness; and a life of communion and fellowship with God. Oh (fays the penitent believer) what a wicked heart have I, that is fo eftranged from the holy nature of God and from his righteous law! What a guilty wretch have I been, who have walked fo contrary to the glorious God, have trampled upon his excellent perfections, violated his holy law; and made fo near an approach even to the nature of the devil! O for the cleanfing efficacy of the blood of Chrift; and the renewing influences of his Holy Spirit, to parify this fink of pollution; and to fanctify thefe depraved affections of my foul! Create in me a clean heart, O God, ・ and renew a right spirit within me! Let this feparating wall between God and my foul be broken down! Let me be partaker ofthe divine nature, and be brought near to God, whatever elfe be denied me! O that my ways were directed, that I might keep thy ftatutes! O let me not wander from thy commandments; but deal • bountifully with thy fervant, that I may live and keep thy word. Such as these are the afpirations of a fincere repentance. A language which flows from a true love to God and his law; and an earnest defire of conformity to both. But you'll enquire (perhaps) is there no difference between repentance and love to God? Are not these different graces of the fpirit; and have they not their different exercises and operations? I anfwer, yes; they are truly different and diftinct: but they always have a joint exercife, in a truly gracious foul. As faith is tru ly diftinct from repentance; and yet every child of God is a penitent believer: fo is love likewife diftinct from repentance; and yet neither of thefe graces can exift without the other. We cannot truly love God, unless our fins are made hateful to us in repentance. We cannot fincerely turn to God, until we value his favour and take pleasure in a conformity to his will. As these graces therefore are joint productions of the bleffed Spirit in our regeneration, fo are they joint companions in the exercife of the divine love. From this reflection you may fee the reafon why fome of the fame things neceffarily occur in this discourse of repentance, which you met with in my last letter, when treating upon the difference of a true and falfe faith. By these hints, you may plainly fee the very great difference between a legal and an evangelical penitent The one looks upon God with dread, terror, and averfa, tion of soul. The other mourns his distance from him ; and longs to be more transformed into his image and likeness. The one ftill loves his fins in his heart, tho' he mourns that there is a law to punish them. The other hates all his fins without referve ; and groans under the burden of them; because they are contrary to God and his holy law. The obedience of the one is by mere conftraint. The imperfections of the other are matter of continual grief; and he is conftantly longing and ftriving after greater degrees of grace and holiness. The one can find no inward and abiding complacency in the service of God. The other runs the ways of his commandments with delight; and takes more pleasure in obedience, than in any thing else. 4. A legal repentance ordinarily flows from difcouragement and defpondency: but an evangelical repentance from encouraging hope. I have already confidered, how a legal repentance is excited and maintained by terrors of confcience; and fearful apprehensions of the wrath of God. Some indeed, by their external refor mations, pacify their confciences, get fettled upon their lees, and cry peace to their fouls; and fo their repentance and difcouragements both come to an end. But whilft their concern continues, their defponding fears are the very life of it. Their fins, both for number and nature, appear dreadful to their affrighted consciences, as they frequently violate their purposes and promises of new obedience. They are therefore afraid, that God will never pardon and accept fuch rebels as they have been; and though they dare not negle&t duty, they come with horror into the prefence of God, as to an inexora ble judge; and have nothing to keep their fouls from finking into defpair, but their good designs and endeavours, which yet are too defective to give them comfortable hope. And what is all this, but a moft ungrate ful undervaluing the blood of Chrift, limiting the goodnefs and mercy of God; and an implicit denying the truth of the whole gofpel of God our Saviour? Thus they are flying from the mercy of God, while they pretend to fly to it. But I need not enlarge upon this head, it being fo near of kin to what was observed under the laft. : I proceed therefore to fhew on the other hand, that though the true gospel-penitent may have a deeper impreffion of the greatnefs and atrocious nature of his fin and guilt, than even the awakened terrified legalist himfelf yet he dares not yield to any defpairing thoughts of God's mercy. Faith opens the door of hope, and therefore the door of repentance; as I have obferved before. True it is, that the gofpel-penitent may meet with many difcouraging doubts and fears: but thefe are his infirmity, not his repentance. The apoftle tells us, we are faved by hope. That is what gives life and ac tivity to every grace; and to repentance in particular, as I have had occafion to hint before. And it is yet needful to further obferve, that though a fear and jealoufy of our own fincerity may be confiftent with a truerepentance; and perhaps fometimes ferves to further its progrefs: yet all doubts of the faithfulnefs of the gofpel promifes, of the extenfiveness of the divine mercy, or of our exemption from the gofpel-offer: all apprehenfions of our not being elected, of our having finned away the day of grace, or of our having finned against the Holy Ghoft: all imaginations that our fins are fo circumftanced, as not to admit of pardoning mercy or the like; thefe are directly deftructive of or inconfiflent with the actings of a true repentance. A fincere penitent looks over the highest mountains, which are raised before him, by the greatnefs of his fins, his own mifgiving heart, or the temptations of Satan, into an ocean of infinite goodnefs and mercy. Thither he will fly: and there he will hope, let his cafe appear never fo dark: and though every thing feems to make againft him |