fhe Dai et of Impenitence Vol. Il. But the Heathens were not without hopes of God's Mercy, and upon thofe fmall hopes which they had, they encouraged themfelves into Repentance; as you may fee in the Inftance of the ATinivites, Let them turn every one from his evil ways, andfrom the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell,' ifGod will turn and repent, an turn awayfrom his fierce anger, that weperiJis not ? Jonah 3. 8, 9. But if we, who have the cleareft Difcoveries, and the higher} Affurance of this, who profefs tobelieve that God hath declared himfelf placable to all Mankind, that he is in Chrifl reconciling the World to himfelf, and that upon our Repentancehe will not impute our Sins to us; if we, to whom the wrath ofGod is revealed from Hea- ven, againfl all ungodlinefs and unrighteoufnefs ofMen, and to whomLife and Im- mortalityare brought to light by theGofpel ; if alter all this, weBill go on in an im- penitent Courte, what (hall we be able to plead in excufe of our felves at that great Day? The Men ofNiniveh (hall rife up in judgment againft filch an impe- nitent Generation, andcondemn it; becaufe they repentod upon the terror of lighter Threatnings, and upon the encouragement of weaker Hopes. And therefore it concerns us, who call our felves Chri(lians, and enjoy the clear Revelation of the Gofpel, to look about us, and take heed howwe continue in an Evil Courfe. For if we remain impenitent, after all the Arguments which the Gofpel, fuper-added to the Light of Nature; affords to us to bring us to Re- pentance, it íh311 not only be more tolerable for the Men ofNiniveh, but for Tyre andSidon, for Sodom and Gomorrah, the moil wicked and impenitent Heathens, at the Day ofJudgment, than for us. For becaufe we have flronger Arguments, and more powerful Encouragements to Repentance, than they had, if we do not repent, we (hall meet with a heavier Doom, and a fiercer Damnation. The Hea- then World hadmany excufes to plead for themfelves, which we have not. The times ofthat ignorance God winked at : but now commands all Men every where to re- pent ; becaufe he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the World in Righ- teoufnefs, by that Man whom he bath ordained, whereof he hathgiven affurance unto all Men, in that he bath railed himfrom the dead. SERMON CXX, Of the Immortality of the Soul, as difcover'd by Nature, and by Revelation. zv,F,a 2 TIM. I. IO. S=0,1 a rn tht: rx`. But is nowmade manifefl by the appearing of our Saviour Jefus Chriff, who bath abolifhed Death, andbath brought Life and Immortality to light, through the Gofpel. HE Defign of the Apoftlein thefe two Epi(iles to Timothy, is todire& him g how he ought todemean himfelf, in theOffice whichhe bore in the Church; which he does in the firft Epiffle : and to encourage him in his work ; which he does here in the fecond : in which, after his ufual Salutation, he endeavours to arm him againft the fear of tholePerfecutions, and the flame ofthofe Reproaches, which would probably attend him in the Work of the Gofpel, ver. 8. Be not thou thereforeafhamed oftheTe/limonty ofour Lord, nor ofmehisPrifoner; but be thoupar- taker ofthe afflillions oftheGofpel, according to the Power ofGod, who bathfaced ws, and called to with an holy calling ; as if he had Paid, The God whom thou ferveft in this employment, and by whofe Power thou art ftrengthened, is he that bath faced and called tie with an holy calling, that is, it is he who by (efts Chrifl hath brought
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