ing, that they are enemies even to the cross of Chrift. And there feems to be this natural reason for it, that all great and permanent impreffions upon the mind, all deep inward refentments, have ufually a proportionable effect upon the body, and the inferior faculties. But though this happen very frequently, yet it is not fo conftant and certain: for all men have not the fame tenderness of spirit, nor are equally prone to tears; nay, though a man can weep upon natural accounts, as upon the lofs of a child, or near relation, or an intimate friend, or when he lies under a fharp bodily pain, yet a man may truly repent, though he cannot exprefs his forrow for fin the fame way, provided he give teftimony of it by more real effects: and therefore the rule, which is commonly given by cafuifts in this cafe, feems to be more enfiaring than true and useful; namely, "That "that man that can fhed tears upon account of any evil "lefs than that of fin, as certainly all natural evils are, "ought to question the truth of his repentance for any "fin that he hath committed, if he cannot shed tears for "it." This, I think, is not true, because there is scarce any man of fo hard and unrelenting a fpirit, but the lofs of a kind father, or a dear child, or other near relation, will force tears from him: and yet fuch a man, if it were to fave his foul, may not be able, at fome times, to fhed a tear for his fins. And the reafon is obvious; because tears do proceed from a fenfitive trouble, and are commonly the product of a natural affection; and therefore it is no wonder if they flow more readily and eafily upon a natural account; because they are the effect of a caufe fuitable to their nature. But forrow for fin, which hath more of the judgment and understanding in it, hath not its foundation in natural affection, but in reafon; and therefore may not many times express itself in tears, though it may produce greater and more proper effects. So that, upon the whole matter, I fee no reason to call in queftion the truth and fincerity of that man's forrow and repentance, who hates fin, and forfakes it, and returns to God and his duty, though he cannot fhed tears, and exprefs the bitterness of his foul for his fin, by the fame fignifications that a mother doth in the dofs of her only fon. He that cannot weep like a child, VOL. VII. Y may may refolve like a man, and that undoubtedly will find acceptance with God. A learned divine hath well illuftrated this matter by this fimilitude. Two perfons walking together efpy a ferpent, the one fhricks and cries out at the fight of it, the other kills it: fo is it in forrow for fin; fome exprefs it by great lamentation and tears, and vehement tranfports of paffion; others, by greater and more real effects of hatred and deteftation, by forfaking their fins, and by mortifying and fubduing their lufts: but he that kills it does certainly best exprefs his inward difpleasure and enmity against it. The application I fhall make of what hath been faid upon this argument fhall be in two particulars. I. By way of caution, and that against a double miftake about forrow for fin. 1. Some look upon trouble and forrow for fin, as the whole of repentance. 2. Others exact from themselves fuch a degree of forrow as ends in melancholy, and renders them unfit both for the duties of religion, and of their particular calling. The first concerns almoft the generality of men; the latter but a very few in comparifon. ift, There are a great many who look upon trouble and forrow for their fins, as the whole of repentance, whereas it is but an introduction to it. It is that which works repentance; but is not repentance itfelf. Repentance is always accompanied with forrow for fin; but forrow for fin does not always end in true repentance: forrow only refpects fins paft; but repentance is chiefly preventive of fin for the future. And God doth therefore require our forrow for fin, in order to our forfaking of it. Heb. vi. 1. Repentance is there called repentance from dead works. It is not only a forrow for them, but a turning from them. There is no reason why men fhould be fo willing to deceive themfelves; for they are like to be the lofers by it: but fo we fee it is, that many men are contented to be deceived to their own ruin, and among many o ther ways, which men have to cheat themselves, this is none of the leaft frequent, to think that if they can but fhed a few tears for fin upon a death-bed, which, no doubt, they may easily do, when they see their friends weep weeping about them, and apprehend themfelves to be in imminent danger, not only of death, but of that which is more terrible, the heavy difpleasure, and the fiery indignation of almighty God, into whofe hands it is a fearful thing to fall: I fay, they think that if they can but do thus much, God will accept this for a true repentance, and hereupon grant them pardon and eternal life. And upon thefe fond hopes, they adjourn their repentance, and the reformation of their lives to a dying 2 hour. Indeed, if I were to fpeak to a man upon his deathbed, I would encourage him to a great contrition and forrow for his fins, as his laft and only remedy, and the beft thing he can do at that time; but, on the other hand, when I am speaking to thofe that are well and in health, I dare not give them the least encouragement to venture their fouls upon this, because it is an hazardous, and almost desperate remedy; efpecially when men have cunningly and defignedly contrived to rob God of the fervice of their lives, and to put him off with a few unprofitable fighs and tears at their departure out of the world. Our Saviour tells us, that it is not every one that Jhall fay unto him, Lord! Lord! that shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; and that there is a time when many fhall feek to enter in, but shall not be able. The fum of this cantion is, that men fhould take heed of miftaking forrow for fin for true repentance, unlefs it be followed with the forfaking of fin, and the real reformation of our lives. Ahab humbled himself, but we do not find that he was a true penitent. Judas was forry for his fin, and yet, for all that, was the fan of perdition. Efau is a fad type of an ineffectual forrow for fin, Heb. xii. where the Apoftle tells us, that he found no place for repentance, that is, no way to change the mind of his father Ifaac, though he fought it carefully with tears. If forrow for fin were repentance, there would be store of penitents in hell; for there is the deepest and most intenfe forrow, weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. 2. Another miftake which men ought to be cautioned against in this matter, is of thofe who exact from themselves such a degree of forrow for fin, as ends in Y 2 deep deep melancholy, as renders them unfit both for the duties of religion, and of their particular callings. But, because there are but very few who fall into this miftake, I fhall need to fay the lefs to it. This only I fhall fay, that those who indulge their forrow to fuch a degree, as to drown their fpirits, and to fink them into melancholy and mopifhnefs, and thereby render themfelves unferviceable to God, and unfit for the neceffities of this life, they commit one fin more to mourn for, and overthrow the end of repentance by the indif creet ufe of the means of it. For the end of forrow for fin is the forfaking of it, and returning to our duty: but he that forrows for fin, fo as to unfit him for his duty, defeats his own defign, and destroys the end he aims at. II. The other part of the application of this difcourfe fhould be, to ftir up this affection of forrow in us. And here, if I had time, I might reprefent to you the great evil of fin, and the infinite danger and inconvenience of it. If the holy men in fcripture, David, and Jeremiah, and St. Paul, were fo deeply affected with the fins of others, as to fhed rivers of tears at the remembrance of them; how ought we to be touched with the fenfe of our own fins, who are equally concerned in the difhonour brought to God by them, and infinitely more in the danger they expofe us to!, Can we weep for our dead friends? And have we no fenfe of that heavy load of guilt, of that body of death, which we carry about with us? Can we be fad and melancholy for temporal loffes and fufferings, and refuse to be comforted? And is it no trouble to us to have loft heaven and happinefs, and to be in continual danger of the intolerable fufferings and endless torments of another world? I fhall only offer to your confideration the great benefit and advantage which will redound to us from this godly forrow; it worketh repentance to falvation, not to be repented of, faith St. Paul. If we would thus fow in tears, we should reap in joy. This forrow would but continue for a time, and in the morning of the refurrection there would be joy to all eternity, joy unfpeakable, and full of glory. It is but a very little while, and thefe days of mourning will be accomplished; and then all tears tears shall be wiped from our eyes; and the ranfomed of the Lord fhall come to Zim with fongs, and everlasting jay Shall be upon their heads. They fhall obtain joy and gladness, and forrow and fighing shall flee away. Bleffed are they that mourn, for they fhall be comforted: but wo unto you that laugh, for ye fhall mourn and weep. If men will rejoice in the pleafures of fin, and walk in the ways of their hearts, and in the fight of their eyes; if they will remove forrow from their heart, and put away all fad and melancholy thoughts from them, and are refolved to harden their fpirits against the fenfe of fin, against the checks and convictions of their own confciences, and the fuggeftions of God's holy Spirit, against all the arguments that God can offer, and all the methods that God can ufe to bring them to repentance; let them know, that, for all these things, God will bring them into judgment; and becaufe they would not give way to a timely and seasonable forrow for fin, they fhall lie down in eternal forrow; weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth fhall be their portion for ever. From which fad and miferable eftate, beyond all imagination, and paft all remedy, God of his infinite goodness deliver us all, for Jefus Chrift his fake. To whom, &c. SER. Y 3 |