154 COMING TO GOD wITttOOT CHRIST carries no more hatredof sin in it than Judas had, who hanged himself för inward vexation and anguish of soul ; Mat. xxvii. 5. But if this repentance be never so sincere, is the great God obliged to pardon such repeated crimes and iniquities as ours are, merely because the criminal repents ?° Do the princes of the earth think it necessary to forgive every rebel and traitor, because lie is sorry he has been guilty of treason and exposed himself to punishment ? Why then should the Kingof kings be bound to let every criminal pass without being punished, merely because he repents of bis wickedness? It will be said perhaps, we have nothing better to offer than our repentance. And what then ? Must a poor rebel be always pardoned because he has nothing to make satisfaction to his injuredsovereign, besides his own tears ? And yet there are too many who stilf will hope that their sins are washed away; and their guilt atoned for, by their sorrows and repentances ; and some christian divines have ex- pressed themselves a little too grossly and unwarily on this point. O let us have a care of such mistakes, and bless the Lord,.. that he bath taught us a better laver than our own tears, a more powerful atonement than any of our sorrows or terrors. The pollutions of the soul by sin require a better cleansing, and affronts to the majesty of heaven demand a higher satisfaction or recompense, than any that we can make with our utmost 'forts of this kind. 2. "Others fly to "works of charity to the poor, or of supposed piety towards God, performed either in life or at death." Hence arise some extraordinary appearances of liberality in the world : This hope of making some compensation for sin, lays thefoundation of churches and hospitals : And magnificent struc- tures arise upon the earth to gain the 'favour of the God of hea- ven, who bath been provoked by former iniquities. Whole estates are sometimes given away by old sinners, and alienated from their natural heirs and possessors, even from needy friends and kindred, and are devoted to religious and charitable uses, in order to purchase salvation for their souls. If they are protestants indeed, we can hardly suppose they have these actual reasonings within themselves, as to infer, that God will be so much pleased with these legacies, as to pardon their sins, for the sake of such a liberality to the church or the poor this is the popish dcictrine of merit, which as protestants we all renounce. But still there is a secret working. of this self- righteousness in the hearts of multitudes : And when upon a death-bed they bequeath large legacies to the service of God, or the relief of die poor, they hope to breathe out their spirit comfortably into the hand of God the Father, with some de- pendance on these legacies, at least as sufficient evidences of their love to God; and with confident expectations of obtaining his salvation.
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