SE R MoNs of the Forgivene(s of S r N s. There is a godly Sorrow, of which the Holy Spiri t is the Sptiqg. :Tis the Promife ·of God to his People, /JVill pour forth the Spirtt of Grace oudSuppltcotton upou the l<ba- ;;r:;;s,:tu!;;u}:;c;~; ;:1:t4~~~:! ~~~b;m1.vbo;ll~b?crt~:fit:e~fe~,u:1o~~7;11i~:~!!~;~ able ro its Principle. The fcrious Comemplarion of our bleeding dying Saviour, is a fpiri~ual a1_1d powerful Motive to melt us into the Tca~s of ~epentance. How copgruous IS it, 1f the Purchafc of our Pardon coil: our SaVIOUr Ius bloody Agony, that the _applying of rhe Pardon to us fl~ould cofr us the m?ft birrcr _Sorrow ? Divine Grief is more from the Memory of the Ev1ls we have commtttcd agamfi: ·our heavenly Father, than from the Evils we fuffer. Carnal Sorrow is barren and unprofitable. Jr may be faid of it, what the wife Preacher lays of wild Mirth, What dojl thou ? Only rhat Sorrow that comes from Heaven is accepted there : One ipiritual Tear is of more Value and Efficacy with God than a Torrent of narural Sorrow. Repenting ~orrow is mi ind~fpenfibk 0!.1alification in order to our Pardon~ not mc~cly from the Wtll of the Law-gtver as the Reafon of our Duty, but from the Congrutty of the thing it !elf. 'Tis obtervablc, that 'tis the Wifdom and Kindncfs of d1e God of Nature, t ha t the Food that prcihves Ltfe is pkaf~nr to our Tafl:e, to lnYttc us every Day to cat, and renew our Srrcngh ; but Phyfick that is ncceffary for the Recovery of ~~~~~li i~~~ctfes ~il~~~~~~~h~1Cat~~~~ ~feg-~~~~~~.111 ~~:~:~h~1~~~ro~:f~irC:~1cffiL~;1 ~~ rs~: which is medicina l to the Soul , is very affl iCting ; it wounds the Spirit, and breaks the Heart, that we m:ly be jealous of our felves, IHl we car of rhc forbidden Fruit that requires iO bincr a Remedy. Godly Sorrow, rho' it be very afflicting to Narurc, y~t the Excrcifc of it is n:ore fatisfying to a li.nccre Penitent, than all the Pleafurcs of Sm. I n two C~fCs Grief 1~ plcafJnt : when 'tts upon the Account of a PcrfOn dearly loved; a Parent mdulgcs hts Sorrow for the Death of a Child that was the Life of his Life. Ot when Pain is Beneficial ~~1~(~: ~~~~~a~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~d ~~~~}0~s 0[c:l~~~~~r;;i~l~~e ~~~;e~~;l~t~~ ~~!~ ~~~~~A= dcntions are mix'd with repenting Sorrow: for it principally arifes from the RefleCtion upon Si n, as that which has fo difl10nour'd and difplcafed the bleffed God our Mal;.er, Preferrcr, and Redeemer ; that we have prcfcrr'd the plcafing our corrupt and licentious Appetites, before the obeying his holy, juj/, and goocl Will. The repenting Sinner declares his Love ro God by his Grief for offending him, and volumarily remembers his p_afi. Sins, and is pleafcd in ovcrAowing ?orrow for them. And this Sorrow i$ prepar~ tt ve for Peace : UnutteraUe Groans arc tntroductive of unfpeakaUe Joys : the Holy Sptn t that convwces of Sm is the hlejfed Comforter. Gu~it,T~~~~f:~~~,'o~~?J~,Si~n:!'~1r~I~P1~i;;~;~::ha~~a~~~~pli~;~~~ei~u~2au~:e 0~e~~~~t~~g Sinucr, by ConfooulilCfs and RcAeChon upon Sm, that mduces fo heavy a Gmlt, that dcfiJcs rh~ Soul with fo deep a Pollution, that no Ray of its Original Purity remains, rhat dcbafcs it infinitely bclmV its heavenly Defcent, mourns with Tears of Confufion 355 for what he has done. Repenting Ephraim bemoans himfclf, that he had been rebel[j_jer. j1. ous .againO: the l'Aethods of God's Mercy, like a refrJctary Bullock unaccufiom'd to the Yoke: and his recoiling Thoughts made him to fi11ite on his Thigh, to be afhamed to the degree of Confufion for his Difobedience. How affecti ng an O bject he was in God's Eye, rhe immediate .A.nfwer declares : Is Ephraim my dear Son ? is he a p!eafant Cbiid? for jince I fpake ogainf/ him, I do earnef/ly remember him jlill: therefore my Bo1ve/s ore troubled for him; ! JVtlt furely bo·ve Mercy upon him, fuith tbe Lnrd. The Pfalmt ft re- .flcCb~g ~pon Ius bcmg alm?!l v~nquifh'd by a vexatious Temptation, degra~es and vilifies lumfclf, fo foolijh JVas I and 1gnorant, and like a Beoj/ before thee. Ezra m the Con- Pf,J. n feflion of the Holy Seed's mixing with Heathen Idolaters, fa ith, 0 Lord, I blujh and am afh:imed at the foul Deformity of their Sin. The Apoftle upbraids the Romans with a. fbngmg Reproach, What Fruit ha'V~ you of tbofe thmgs whereof ye are ~ow ajhamed, the End whereof is Death? When a foohili Chotce is made, and the Folly tS detected, and Expenencc d1fappomts the Expectation, the natural Confcquent 1s Shame. At the la11 Day, when the Fi!thinefs and Folly of Men fl~all be publifh'd before God and all the i\ngcls and Saints, .how much rather would rhey be hid in the Darknefs of ;heir Graves, than be cloathed wnh Confulion before that glorious and immenfe Theatre ? The forrowful ~nfc!Tion of Sin, with deep Shame here, will prevent the expofing rhe Sinner to &~;ltC~n~~~~~ ~~~(i'f:~~~ concomitant with it, the j udging our [elves as unworthy of the leafl Mercy; and defetving fevere Punifllmetjt. The Apoflle affttres us, If JVe wotdrl
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