Serro. CXIII. of Holy RefolritioTa. ing, but fuch as cannot prudently be altered, fo long as reafon remains. For the Man who upon full Deliberation and Convi&ion of his Mind refolves upon any thing, cannot without the imputationof ficklenefs and inconftancy quit that Refolution, fo long as he hath the fame Reafon which he had when he took it up, and is (till fatisfied that the Reafon is good For inftance; The Man who hath taken up a Refolution to be Sober, becaufe of the uglinefs and unreafonable- nefs of Drunkennefs, and the temporal Inconveniences and Eternal Damnation which that Sinexpofeth a Man to ; if thefe Reafons be true and good, can never prudently alter the Refolution which he hath taken, and return to that Sin again. II. Let us confider what is the fpecial Gbjeer or Matter of riais Refolution, wherein the formal Nature of Repentance does confift, what it is that a Man when he repents refolves upon ; and that I told you is to leave his Sin, and to return to God and his Duty; and this is the Refolution which the Penitent here defcribed in the Text takes up, I will not offend any more.ThatwhichIfee not, teach thou me ; and if I have done iniquity, Iwill do no more. He refolves againft all known Sin, I will not offend any more , and it through Ignorance he had finned and done contrary to his Duty, he deliires to be better inftruered, that he may not offend again in the like kind, That which I fee not, teach thou me; and if Ihave done iniquity, I will do no more. So that the true Penitent refolves upon there two things. a. To forfake his Sin. And z. To return to God and his Duty. r. To forfake his Sin: and this implies the quittingof his finful courfe what- ever it had been; and that not onlyby abftaining from the outward aét and pra- ctice of every Sin, but by endeavouring to crucifie and fubdue the inward Af. fe&inn and Inclination to it. And it implies farther, the utter forfaking ofSin; for Repentance is not only a Refolution to abftain from Sinfor the prefent, but never to return to it again. ThusEphraim when he repented ofhis Idolatry, he utterly renounced ìt, laying, Whathave I to do any more with Idols ? Hof. 14. 8. He that truly repents, is re- folved to breakoffhis finful Courfe, and to abandon thofe Lulls and Vices which he was formerly addicted to, and lived in. 2. The true Penitent refolves likewife to return to God and his Duty : he does not fray in thenegative part of Religion, he does not only refolve nor to commit any Sin, but not to neglect or omit any thing that he knows to be his Duty ; and if he has been ignorant of any part of his Duty, he is willing to know it, that he may do it; he is not only determined to forfake his Sin, which will make him miferable, but to return to God, who alone can make him happy : he is now refolved to love God, and to ferve him as much as he hated and difhonoared him before; and will now be as diligent to perform and pra&ife all the Duties and Parts of Religion, as he was negligent of them before, and as ready to do all thegood he can to all men in any kind, as he was carelefsof there things before, thefe in general are the things which a true Penitent refolves upon. I proceed to the III. Thing I propofed to confider, namely, what is implyed in a fincere Refo- lotion of leaving our Sins, and returning to God and our Duty. And this holy Refolution, if it be thorow and fincere, does imply in it there three things. a. That it be Univerfal. 2. That it be a Refolution of the Means as well as of the End. 3. Thatit prefently comes to effect, and be fpeedily and without delay put in Execution. r. A fincere Refolution of amendment muff be univerfal : a Refolution to for- fake all Sin, and to return toour whole Duty, and every part of it; fuch a Re- folution as that of holy David, to hate every falfe way, and to have refpeli to all God's Commandments. This Refolution mull: be univerfal in refpe& of the whole Man; and with regard to all our Actions. In refpe&of the whole Man ; for we muff refolve not only to abftain from the outward A&ion of Sin, but thi, Refolutionmutt have K its
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