germ. CVI. in order to Pardon. I.5 And whoever entertains any other notion of the Grace and Mercy of God to Sinners, confounds the Nature of Things, and does plainly overthrow the Rea- fon of all Laws, which is to refrain Men from Sin : But when it is committed, to pardon it without Amendment, is to encourage the Praetice of it, and to take away theReverence and Venerationof thofe Laws, which feem fo feverely to for- bid it. So that next to impunity, the forgivenefs of Mens fins upon fuch eafie and unfit Terms, gives boldnefs and encouragement to fin, and mutt neceffarily in the opinion of Men leffen the Honour and Efteem ofGod's Laws. And thus t have confidered and explained both the Blefling and Benefit which is here promifed and declared, viz. the Mercy and Favour ofGod, which com- prehends both the prefent Forgivenefs of our Sins, and Power again( them, and Grace to perfevere in Goodnefs to the end, and our final Abfolurion at the great Day, and the Glorious and Merciful Reward ofEternal Life : and likewife the Conditions upon which this Blefling is promifed, viz. the penitent acknowledg- ment of our fins to God, with fuch Shame and Sorrow for them, as produceth a fincere Refolution of leaving them, and returning to a better courfe, and the aráu- alforfaking of them, which involves in it our actual return to our Duty, and a Con(tant and Sincere Obedience to the Laws of God in the future courfe ofour Lives. I (hall nowmake Tome Application of this Difcourfe to our felves. I am fure we areall nearly concerned in it. The beft of us have many fins to confers and forfake ; force ofusveryprobably have need to change the whole courre of our Lives, to put us into a Capacity of theMercy ofGod. This work can never be unfeafonable ; but there cannot be a more proper time for it, than when we are folemnly preparing our felves to receive the Holy Sacrament; in which as we do commemorate the great Mercy ofGod to Mankind, fo we do likewife renew and confirm our Covenant with him, that Holy Covenant wherein we engage our felves to fórfakeour Sins, as ever we expeCt the forgivenefs of them at God's hand. To perfwadeus hereto, be pleafed to confider the Reafonablenefs of the Thing; the, infinite Benefit and Advantage of it; and which is beyond all other Argu- ments, the abfolute Necefiity of it, to make us capable of the Mercy and Forgive- nefs of God, in thisWorld and the other, and to deliver emfrom the wrath which is to come, and from thofe terrible ftorms of vengeance, which will infallibly fall upon impenitent Sinners : So that we haveall the Reafonand all the Encourage- ment in the World, to refolve upon a better courfe. Upon this Condition, the Mercy of God is ready to meet andembrace us, God will pardon our greater} Provocations; andbe perfe&tly reconciled to us. So he hath declared by the Pro- phet, Ifaiah t. 16. Wafhye, make you clean, put away theevil ofyour doingsfrom be- fore mineeyes, ceafe to do evil, learn to do well. Come nowand let usrealn together, faith the Lord ; tho' your finsbe asfcarlet, they fball be as whiteas fnow ; Mo' theybe redas crimfon, theyfhall be as wool. And what greater Encouragement can we de- fire, than that upon fo eafie and advantageous Terms, God thould be fo ready to have an end put to all Controverfies and Quarrels between him and us? I befeechyou therefore, brethren, by the Mercies of God, to take up a ferious Re- folution to break off your fins by repentance, and to reform whatever, upon due fearch and tryal of your ways, you (hall find to be amifs in your lives. I befeech you by the Mercies ofGod, that Mercy which naturallyleads to repen- tance, and which is long-fuffering to us-ward, on purpofe that we may not perifh, but come *repentance; which hath fpared us fo often, and is not yet exhausted and tired out by our intolerable obftinacy, and innumerable provocations ; thatmercy, which moved the Son of God to become Man, to live among us, and to die for us; who now as it were fpeaks to us from the Crofs, extending his pierced Hands, and painful Arms toembrace us, and through the gafping wounds of hisfide let us fee the tender and bleeding Compaffionof his Heart; that mercy which if we now defpife it, we (hail in vain one day implore, andéatch hold of, and hang upon, to fave us from finking into Eternal Perdition ; that mercy, which how much foever we now prefume upon, will then be fo far from interpofing between us
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