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of the fanctifying influences of his Spirit, to qualify you for the eternal inheritance? For the Amen, the true and faithful Witness, has given you his word for it, that if you thus come to him, he will in nowife caft you out.

I might fum up this important point in a yet fhorter view. If you fo heartily approve of, and delight in the gospel-way of falvation by Chrift alone, that you can cheerfully venture your foul and your eternal interests upon it, as the fure and only foundation of hope and fafety, you have then the faith of God's elect. And in this cafe he that has bestowed fuch grace upon you will carry on his own work in your foul, will give you those several qualifications and evidences of a gracious ftate, which I have above defcribed; and will at last prefent you faultlefs before his throne with exceeding joy.That you may have the delightful experience of fuch a progrefs of grace in your foul, is the prayer of, SIR, Your, &c.

LETTER IX. Wherein the Difference between a legal and an evangelical Repentance is diftinctly confidered.

SIR,

YOU

OU juftly observe, "It is of infinite concern, "that your repentance towards God (as well "6 as your faith towards the Lord Jefus Chrift) be "fincere; and that you have therefore cause to be "folicitous, not to be deceived with a repentance "which must be repented of:" And you have therefore juft reafon to defire "a clear apprehension "of the difference, between a legal and an evange"lical repentance." I fhall therefore endeavour, according

according to your defire, "to fhew you the diffe. 66 rence, in as easy and familiar a light as I can.". And perhaps it may give you a clearer view of the cafe, if I should fhew you first negatively, wherein the diftinction does not confift, under a few particu lars, before I proceed to a direct illuftration of it.

It may then be observed, that a deep diftrefs of mind on account of finning against God, is common both to a legal and evangelical repentance.-Even Judas could cry out with agony of foul, I have fin ned in betraying innocent blood; as well as the Pfalmift groans out his complaint, that there was no reft in his bones because of his fins.A diftreffing sense of fin, in itself confidered, is therefore no evidence for, nor againft, the truth and fincerity of repent

ance.

Moreover, a fearful apprehension of the divine difpleafure may be common to both forts of penitents. Mere legal convictions may make finners in Zion afraid, and fearfulness furprise the hypocrite; and deftruction from God may be a terror to a holy Job, in as great reality, though not with fuch de fpairing infidelity, as to a Cain or Judas; that this can be no diftinguishing mark of a true or falfe repentance.

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I may add, dread of, and a temporary reformation from outward and known courfes of finning, may likewise be the confequence of both a legal and evangelical repentance.- -Ahab humbled himself, lay in fackcloth, and went foftly; and Herod reformed many things, as well as David refrained his feet from every evil way.It is impoffible for a finner to give the reins to his lufts, while under the fe vere lathes of an awakened confcience, that a mere legal conviction muft, while it lafts, procure an external reformation.Such a reformation, of itfelf, can therefore be no evidence of a fincere repentance,

pentance, how great foever it may appear; and be fure it can be no evidence against it.

Besides, men may be put upon diligence and aclivity in duty, by both a legal and evangelical repentance.An infincere repentance may bring men, with the hypocritical Jews, to feek the Lord daily, and delight to know his ways, as a nation that did righteousness. In their afflictions they may feek him early. They may feek him and return, and inquire early after God.This may be the fruit of a legal repentance, as well as that a true repentance may, and always does, bring men to lift up their hearts and their hands to God in the heavens.- This therefore can be no diftinguishing criterion in the case before us.

Once more, a comforting perfuafion of having obtained pardoning mercy is common to both kinds of penitents.-God's ancient people, when moft incorruptible in their impiety, would truft in lying words, come and frand before him in the house that was called by his name, and fay, We are delivered to do all thefe abominations. The Ifraelites in the wilderness concluded, that God was their rock, and the mofi high God their Redeemer, when they flattered him with their lips, and lied to him with their tongues, and their hearts were not right with him.-And, on the other hand, the true penitent may say with David, I said I will confefs my tranfgreffions unto the Lord, and thou forgaveft me the iniquity of my fin.-A mere perfuafion of forgiveness therefore, how comfortable or joyful foever, does not diftinguish the nature of that repentance, on which fuch a perfuafion is founded.

In fhort, it is not the deepeft fenfe of fin or guilt, nor the most diftreffing forrow on that account; it is not the fear of God's wrath, nor the greatest external reformation of life; it is not the moft diligent external attendance upon all known

duty,

duty, nor the moft quieting perfuafion of having made our peace with God, nor all thefe together, that will denominate a man fincerely penitent.For all these may be, and have been, attained by mere hypocrites, and often are found with the falfe, as well as the true profeffor.

Having, by way of precaution, given you these remarks, I now proceed directly to confider the important cafe before us. And,

1. A legal repentance flows only from a fenfe of danger, and fear of wrath; but an evangelical repentance is a true mourning for fin, and an earnest defire of deliverance from it.- When the conscience of a finner is alarmed with a fenfe of his dreadful guilt and danger, it must neceffarily remonftrate against thofe impieties, which threaten him with deftruction and ruin. Thence those frights and terrors, which we fo commonly fee in awakened finners. Their fins (efpecially fome groffer enormities of their lives) ftare them in the face, with their peculiar aggravations. Confcience draws up the indictment, and fets home the charge against them. The law paffes the sentence, and condemns them without mercy.- -And what have they now in prospect, but a fearful looking for of fiery indignation to confume them?-Now with what diftrefs will they cry out of the greatness and aggravations of their fins?-With what amazement will they expect the dreadful iffue of a finful courfe?-How ready are they now to take up refolutions of a more watchful and holy life?-Now they are brought upon their knees before God, to acknowledge their fins, and to cry for mercy; and now conscience, like a flaming fword, keeps them from their former course of impiety and fenfual gratifications.—And what is all this repentance, but mere terror and fear of hell? Let but con

science

ance.

science be pacified, and their fear blown over, and the dog will quickly return to his vomit again, till fome new alarm revive the conviction of their fin and danger, and their former process of repentThus fome will fin and repent, and repent and fin, all their lives, and yet lie open to eternal repentance after all. Or if the distress of con. fcience make fo deep an impreffion, and fix fuch an abiding awe of particular fins upon the mind, that there remains a visible and continuing reformation, yet their lufts are but dammed up by their fears, and were but the dam broken down, they would run again in their former channel with renewed force. It is true, the law fometimes proves a schoolmaster to drive finners to Chrift; and con. viction of fin, and a legal repentance, is a neceffary preparative to a faving converfion; but this alone gives no claim to the promise of the gospel.-The houfe may be thus empty, fwept and garnished, but for the reception of feven worfe fpirits than were driven out of it; and a finner may thus escape the pollutions of the world, and yet, have his latter end worfe than his beginning.

If, on the other hand, we confider the character of a fincere gospel-repentance, though fuch legal terrors may lead to its exercise, they do not belong to its nature, nor are they any part of its defcription. Sin itself becomes the greatest burden and averfation to a truly penitent foul.-I hate (fays the Pfalmift) every falfe way. wretched man that I am, (says the Apostle), who shall deliver me from the body of this death! - Thus the penitent groans, being burdened, not for fear of hell; fuch fear being no part of a true repentance, though it may fometimes accompany a fincere and godly forrow for fin: But this forrow arifes from an affecting, humbling, mourning fenfe of fin; from a view of the

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