(3.) The third ingredient in repentance is, conversion, or turning from sin. Judges X. 15, "We have sinned," there was con- fession ; V. 16., " Tliey put away the strange gods," there was conversion. And it must be an universal turning from sin, Ezek. xviii. 31., " Cast away from you all your transgressions." You would be loath Cod t;]](»uld forgive only some of your sins ; v»ould you have God forgive all, and will not you forsake all ? Ke that hides one rebel, is a traitor to the crown ; he that lives in one known sin, is a traitorous hypo- crite. And it must not only be a turning from sin, but a turning unto God : tliere- fore it is called " repentance towards God," Acts XX. 21. The heart points towards God, as the needle to the north-pole. The jirodigal did not only leave his harlots, but did arise and go to bis father, Luke xv. 20. This repentance is the ready \^ay to par- don, Isa. Iv. 7., " Let the wicked forsake bis way, and turn to the Lord, and he will abundantly jiardon." A king will not par- don a rebel whilst he continues in open hostility. Thus you see repentance goes before remission ; they who never rej)ent- cd, can have no ground to hope that their sins are j)ardoned.
Aphorism*8. That sin is not forgiven till it be repented of.
Caution. Not that repentance doth me- rit the forgiveness of sin ; to make repen- tance satisfactory is popish ; by repentance we j/lease God, but we do not satisfy him. Alas ! " Christ's blood must wash our tears." Ke])entance is a condition, not a cause ; God will not ])ardon for repentance, nor yet without it; God seals his pardons on melting hearts ; repentance makes us prize pardon the more. He who cries out of his broken bones, will the more prize the mer- cy of having them set again ; when there is nothing in the soul but clouds of sorrow,
and now God brings a pardcm (which is a setting up of a rainbow in the cloud, to tell the soul the Hood of God's wrath shall not overflow,) O what joy at the sight of this rainbow ! The soul now burns in love to God.
Aphorism 9. The greatest sins come with- in the compass of forgiveness. Incest, so- domy, adultery, theft, murder, which are sins of the first magnitude, yet these are pardonable. Paul was a blasphemer, and so sinned against the first table ; a j^erse- cutor, and so he sinned against the second table ; yet he obtained mercy, 1 Tim. i. 13., I was all besprinkled with mercy. Zac- cheus, an extortioner, — Mary Magdalene, an unchaste woman, out of wliom seven de- vils were cast, — Pdanasseh, Avho made the streets run with blood, — yet these had par- don. Some of the Jews, who had a hand in crucifying of Christ, were forgiven. God blots out not only the cloud, but " the thick cloud," Isa. xliv. 22. ; enormities as well as infirmities. The king in the parable, for- gave his debtor that owed him 10,000 ta- lents. Mat. xviii. 27., a talent weighed 3000 shekels, 10,000 talents contained almost 12 tons of gold. This was an emblem of God's forgiving great sins, Isa. i. 18., "Though your sins be as scarlet, yet they shall be as white as snow." Scarlet, in the Greek, is called twice dipped, and the art of man cannot wash out the dye again. But though our sins are of a scarlet dye, God's mercy can wash them away : the sea can as well cover great rocks as little sands. Tliis I mention that simiers may not des])air. God counts it a glory to him to forgive great sins; now mercy and love ride in triumph, 1 Tim. i. 11., " The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant," it was exuberant, it did overflow as Nilus. We must not mea- sure God by ourselves : God's mercy excels our sins, as much as heaven doth earth, Ps. cxix. 11. If great sins could not be forgiven, then great sinners should not be preached to ; but the gospel is to be preach- ed to all. If they could not be forgiven, it were a dishonour to Christ's blood ; as if the wound were broader than the plaster. God hath first made great sinners " broken vessels," — he hath broken their hearts for sin; and then he hath made them ''golden
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vessels," — he hath filled them with the gol- den oil of pardoning mercy ; this may en- courage great sinners to come in and re- pent. Indeed the sin against the Holy- Ghost is unpardonahle, not hut that there is mercy enough in (iod to forgive it, but because lie who hath committed this sin will have no pardon ; he despites God, scorns his mercy, spills the cordial of Christ's blood, and tramples it under foot ; he puts away salvation from him ; but else the greatest sins are pardonable. When a poor sinner looks upon himself, and sees his guilt, and when he looks on God's jus- tice and holiness, he falls down confound- ed : but here is what may be as a cork to the net, to keep him from despair, if thou wilt leave thy sins and come to Christ, mer- cy can seal thy pardon.