. 196 OfREP~ NTAN c E; Sermon~, . - ThereisSinn,, afa!l : men fall againfirheirwills !that; is finneof injirmitie, There is Sinne, an Errour: men erre from the way, of ignorance:rhar, is finneof ignorance. The o_rie, for wanrof power; The other, for lacke ofskill. But "bel! lion : the third kinde (that hateful! finneof rebellion) can neitherpretend ignorance rior plead i'njirmitie; for, wittingly they revolt from their lmowneallegiance, and wilfully fet rhemfdves againfl: their lawful/ Sov eraigne: That is the finne of maliCe, Take all together. Sirme, a fall, anerroter, arehdlivn: (Wefee,jinneahoun. 1 leth: willyou[ee;howgraceover-.cboundethi) Yet,norfuch afall, out we may beraf[edi nor fuch adepart11re, but there is place left ro returne; no, nor fuel\ arebel– liim, but (ifitfuefor) mayhopelorapardon. For behold : Hee, evenHee, that Go n, from whomwee rhusfall, deparr, revolt, reacheth His hand ro them that fall ; ·_turncrh nor away from them, that turne to Him; is readie eo receive, to grace them; everi them, that rebelled againfl: Him. It is fo : for Hee fpeaketll to them, treateth with them, asketh of them, why they will not rife, r_etire, {ttb •. mit themfdves. . Which is more yet. Ifye marke, Hedoth not complaine and challenge them; for any ofall thpfethree; forfa!ling,ftraying, or for rebelling : Thepoint He pref– feth, i,s not, ourfitllipg;but, our lying full: rior_our departing, but our not retttrning; nor our hreakingoff, but our holdmg out; It 1s not: whyfall, orftray, or revolu Bur, why rifeyee nm; Retttrne yeenot ~ Sttbmityeenor yourfelves ~ Thus might \ Hee have framed H1s mterrogatones : Shall they fall andnot.ftand? Hee dot!) not; but, thus; Jhall they fa// and not r!ji1 i Shall they turnefromthe right and not keepe it~ No:But,lliallrheyturnefr.lmlt, and nott11rne t9lt~ Asmuchtofayas; Beit you havefallen, yet lye not fiill; erred, yet goenoton; Sinned, yet continue not in finne, and neither your fall, errour, nor{tnne, ertmt vobis infcandalttm, Jhal! be yow: c!efl:ruCl:ion, or doe you hurt. - · Nay, whi~(I isfarther, andtha~bey?n~all. It is not thef;:, neither; (though thil be wrong enough, yet upon the pomt,th15IS not the very matter.) Neither our lying }till,nor ourgoingon,rlot fianding out,fo they.have an.end,they·al!;and every ofthem may havehope. Perpetual/is dieword, and PerpetJJall is the thlng. Not, whyd!efe, any ofthefe, or all ofthefe; bur, wby thefeperpetual!?_To doe thus; todoeir arld never leavedoing ir; To make no end offinne, but our owne end; To make a perpe– tuiti£offin?e; Nevertorife, returne, repent, (for Repentan•ei~ oppofite, not tojinne, butt6thee"onrinuanceofit: )thatis thepoint. ' Injinnearethele: 1 T.hefal/, •Therelapfe, '3 Thewallow: it is none of theCe.' It is notfalling; nor, though it be recidiva pe'Cati, often relapfing. It is not lying }lilt; not, though it be V9luntabr}•mpec•at.£, rhewallow: It is nor;te of all tbefe: It is ..l.:,.,.7""""'a,, the never ceafing, theperpettlitie, the impenitencieof fin. Tofpeakeof fin, that'is theJinne out of mea["" finfidl; that, is the offence, that not onely maketft trelpable,but leaveth inexcrt[able. That fall, is nor; Adam's, but Laci(ersfall ; not to rrre, but toperifhfrom the right way; not Sbe111ei'srebellion, but the veryApoflajie and gain-Jaying of Coreh. _Thisthen, to adde fin tofin, to multiply fin by fin,to makeit infinite, to eternize . it as much asin~slyethi thar,isit, to which GoD crieth, oqteare? whypoe you fo ~ Whyperpetual/i Whyperpetual/? Indeed, why~ For,it would pofe the bell: ofus to finde out the '!2J!are? a true caufe or reafon for our doing-: Bcfore,Jhew bur anexample : Now here, Jhew but areafon, and carry it. Buf they can Jhew noreafon, why they will not. It weri: to be wifhed, we would rcp'en~ or Jhew good caufe to the contrary. ' But as (before) we violate our ownemffrmre; fo (here) we abandon reafon; we throw them both to the ground(order,and reafon)andfl:ampe uponthem both,whe11 we makeperpettdties. Veri!y,true caufe, orgood reafon there is none. Being called to Jhew caufewhy 1 They tell not :we fee; th!=yl!andll)ute; they cannot tell,,why: -~ o .';· Himfclfe is fain~to tell the~.Why) aH ~hecaufe that i~. is iht~ela~erP~
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