eL XCVII. The Long-fuffering of God. Laffly, As to the Encouragement which Men take from the fudden Repentance Of great Crìminalá and Maletaâors, and their dying, with fo much Comfort and Afluraançe if this.be well considered, there is little Conifort to be fetched from fuch Examples. For, rft. Tho a fincere,Repentance in Inch Circumftances be poffible ; yet it is al- Molt impoffìble for the Party himfelf concerned, much more for others, upon ally goodGround, to judge when it is fincere. God who knows the Hearts: .óf Men, and whether, if they, had lived longer, they would in the future Courfe of their Lives havejuftified and made good their Repentance and good Refoluti- ons, only knows the Sincerity of it. But silly, no certain judgment is to be made from the comfort and confident& df the .Party concerned for the bufinefs is not what comfort and confidence Men have, but what ground they have for it ; and whereas Men are,apt pioufly to fup- pofe, that fo, extraordinary a comfort and affurance is wrought in them by the Spirit of God, nothing is more uncertain ; becaufe we fometimes fee thofe who give no fuck tefl.ititony oftheir repentance, to dye with every whit as much,cou. rage, and comfort,; and confident perfuafion of their Salvation, as thole that dó, But this certainly is net from the Spirit of God, a natural Obftinacy andCourage may carry Men a great way ; and falfe and miftaken Principlespay fill Men for the prefent with as much comfort and confidence, as well groúnded hopes. In the Church, of Rome, great numbers of thole who have led very wicked lives, af- ter a forniâl Confeffìön and Abfölution, and fome good words of encouragement from the Prieft, dye as full óf peace and cömfort to all appearance, as the belt of Men. Indeed it is very natural to Men, who find themfelves in a defperate condition, to be ftrangely elevated and raifed, upon any hopes given of efcaping fo great e danger as they apprehend themfelves to be in ; efpecially if thefehopes be given them by agrave Man; of whole Piety and Judgment they have a, venerable ópi- nion. When Men have the fenterice of Death in themfelves, as, all wicked livers mutt have, they are natitrally apt to be overjoy'd at the unexpected news of a pardon. To fpealt my mind freely in this matter, I have no great opinion of that extraordinary comfort and ednfidence which fome have, upon a fudden repen- tance for great and flagrant crimes, becaufe I cannot difcernany fuffiçientground for it . I think great humility and dejection of mind, and a doubtful apprehen- lion of their condition, next almoft to defpair ofit, would much better become them ; becaufe their cafe is really fo very doubtful in it Pelf. There is great rea- fon for the repentance of fuéh perfons, and it becomes them well ; but I feeve-, ry little reafon for their great comfort and confidence, nor doe's it become their, circumftances andcondition. Let them exercife as deep a Repentance as is poG- frble, and bring forth all thefruits meet fer it that are poffible in fo fhort a time; let them humble themfelves before God, and pray inceflantly to him day and night for mercy ; make all the reparation they can for the injuries they have- done, by. confeßïon and acknowledgment, and by making fatisfaction to the par- ties injured, ifit be in their power, by giving Alms to the Poor, by warning o- thers, and endeavouring to reclaim them to a better mind and courfe oflife; and for the reft humbly conimit themfelves to the Mercy of God in Jefus Chrift ; let them imitate, as near as they can, the behaviour ofthe penitent thief, the only Example the Scripture has left us ofa late Repentance that proved effectual, who gave the greateft teftimony that couldbe ofa penitent forrow for his fins, and. ofhis Faith in the Saviour ofthe World, by a generous and couragious owning of him in the midit ofhis difgrace and fuff"ering, when even his own Difcipleshad denyed and forfaken him; but we do not find in him any figns of extraordinary comfort, much lets of confidence ; but he humbly commended himfelf to the mercyand goodnefs ofhis Saviour, laying, Lord remember me; when thou romejb into thy I(iugdorir: E R# 733
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