CQNFEEENCh f: 411 his crime, yet no degrees of penitence can assure the offender that he shall certainly and entirely be forgiven, or can claim for- giveness at the hand of the sovereign ; because repentance makes no recompence at all for the dishonour done to the autho- rity of the law, and of him that made it. His future obedience is all due, if he had never sinned ; and therefore it cannot compete- 'sate for past neglects and transgressions. LOG. But when sinful man is truly penitentfor his faults, itis the best thing that a creature can do in sinful circumstances, and the best recompence that he can make toan offendedGod, who is a righteous and merciful Governor, andwill require no more than a sinner can give. PITH. But a sinner can dare pcenas, suffr punishment, to Make a sort of compensation, by forfeiting and losing his peace, and thus doing honour to the law in a passive manner, when he would not do it by active obedience. Suppose, Sir, if I dare 'suppose a thing almost impossible, that so worthy a gentleman, and so loyal a subject as Logisto, should rebel against his pre- sent Majesty KingGeorge the Second,' should murder a fellow. subject, or violate any of the laws of the land by a capital crime, and after he had continued some time in a vicious course, he shouldrepent, and assure his majesty, that for time to come he would be a very faithful subject, has he sufficient ground to claim or to expect a pardon, merely because he is sorry for what he has done, and resolved sincerely to do so no more ? King George is indeed a man of mercy, but would that repentance of yours be any reparation for the injury you have done to the autho- rity ofthe king or the welfareofthe state ? Doyou not know, Sir, shat the government takes no cognizance of such repentances? Éven the most sincere penitent cannot claim a right to have his treason pardoned. Government requires that criminals bepu- nished to maintain the authority of the law and-the law-givers : The life of the criminal is forfeited and due to the state : Crimi- nals must be made examples of justice, that the honour ofgo- vernment may be maintained, and that other subjects, who see or hear of this punishment, may be secured in their obedience and duty, by such public examples of punishment and terror. Now to apply this to thecase in hand : The great God suf- ficiently makes it appear, in the conduct of his providence, and in his government of the world, that he does not punish offend- ing creatures'merely topromote their own correction, repentance and reformation. How many thousands, of sinful men are cut off by earthquakes, famine, pestilence, inundations, &c. and cent down to the grave, where there is no reformation or repen- tance ? How many sinners, who have been already truly peni- tent and reformed, have borne these desolating testimonies ofthe displeasu4e of God against sin, and felt a heavy share of these VOL. ue. D D.
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