Chap. 41. An Expoftion upon the Eookof o a. *err. 2 g, Hence, Obferve ; In great dangers; which threaten prefent death, or undoingat hall, evencommon men will contefs theirprint, andmakegreat floe ws or 'ambiances of repentance. When the mighty are afraid, when they are in trouble andmi- fery, then they cry to God for mercy, and cry out upon their fins, as the procuringcaufe of their miseries and troubles. Howgood, howgodly will they be for a fit (and it may work further) in a day of evil! It is raid of the Marriners in a form (Pfal, to,, 28.) Then they cry unto the Lord in their diflreffet. Even fuch Marriners, as feldom think of God, nor pray to him in a calm, being in a form,fall a praying, they purifie thomfelves r Now they are for repentance, now they will cat their fins over- board, feing themfelves alma+ (wallowed up by the raging tea, Thus (yam., a. 4i g,) when the Lord fens out a great wind into the fea, and there was a mighty tempefi in the fea, fo that the (hip was like to be broken: Then the e2farriners wereafraid; that was the fir' effe } which the temper wrought in them : and what was the next ? that was a fit of devotion; They cryed everyman tohisGod:Now they purified themfelves by repentance and prayer. Were not thefie Marriners grown very good, when beret with evil ? Thus many pray, repent, make lamentations over their fins, take up re- foliations again' their fins in a form ; then, or thus, even carnal, ignorant, common men will purifie themfelves in times of great danger. We fay well, true repentance: is never too late, but late repentance is feldome true. We may fay allo, Repentance in aflame is good, but repentance ina florin is not always good ;real danger! may produce but falte, feniged , and forced repentance. And they who repent only when they are in, or becaufe they are in a form, were never good as yet, nor will they continue in that goodnefs, which then they make flew of. As a godly manpuri- fies hirnfclf when he fees a form, fo he purifies himfelf in calm too, or when he is ingreatefi fafety. And if we do not purifie our (elves in a calm, as well as in a form, our repentance is but the repentance of Heathen Marriners. lac in a calm, what you are in a form ; be when you fee Lambs, what you were when you fee or taw Leviathans. Secondly,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=