[2.] Secondly, It is not such a turning from sin, as that the true penitent shall never relapse into the same kind of sin any Tnore; for a true penitent may fall into the same sin again and again. It was a sm for the disciples to sleep when Christ had commanded them to watch and pray, and yet they slept again and again, Mat. xxvi. 40-4-5. The prophet Jonah was a holy man, and yet he relapsed into passion and discontent with God again and again ; he was discontent with the work God set him about ; therefore he flieth to Tarshish, Jonah i. 2, 3 ; and sorrows for it, and coufesseth that they that ' trust upon lying vanities forsake their own mercies,' chap, ii 8 ; and yet when God had shewed mercy to Nineveh, he was exceedingly discontented with God again : Jonah iv. 1, ' But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.' And when the Lord, who might have sent him to his grave, or affrowned him to hell, reasons lovingly, sweetly, and mildly with him, to take him off from his passion, chap. iv. 3, 4, and provides for him in his extremity ; yet upon a very small occasion, viz., the taking away of a gourd or shrub, which God did to convince him of his folly and wasp- ishness of spirit, he breaks out again into the same passion, or worse, as if he had never seen the evil of it, or been humbled for it : Jonah iv. 8, 9, 'I am greatly angry,' or I do w^ell to be angry, 'even unto death.' And that is very considerable that Job speaks concerning his friends : Job xix. 3, ' These ten times have ye reproached me, yet are ye not ashamed.' It is a sin to reproach any man ; it is a greater to reproach a godly man ; but yet greater to reproach a godly man under sad and sore afflictions ; but yet greatest of all to reproach a godly man under his sufferings, often, frequently ; yet, saith Job, ' These ten times have ye reproached me ;' and yet Job's friends were not only godly, but emi- nently godly. By this sad instance it is evident, that gracious men, yea, that men eminently gracious, may fall into the same sin again and again, yea, ten times, that is, often. Though Christ told his disciples that his kingdom was not of this world, yet at three several times their pride and ambitious humour put them upon striving for pre-eminence and w^orldly greatness.' ■ King Jehoshaphat, though he was a godly man, yet he joins affinity with that nonsuch wdcked Ahab, for which he was smartly reproved by the prophet : 2 Chron. xix. 2, ' And Jehu went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldst thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord ? therefore is wrath upon thee from the Lord.' Now, though this gracious prince was thus reproved and saved, even by a miracle of mercy, — 2 Chron. xviii. 1, 2, 3, 30, 31 compared ; — yet soon after he falls into the same sin again, and joins himself with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who did very wickedly, 2 Chron. xx. 35, 36, and for which he is severely reproved in ver. 37. ' Then Eliezer, the son of Dodavah of Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.' Lot was twice overcome with wine, &c., and Abraham, though the father of the faithful, yet falls once ' John xviii. 36; Mat. xviii. 1-4 ; Mark ix. 34; Luke ix. 46, and xxii. 24, 26.
432 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. III.
and again into the same sin: Gen. xii. 11-13, compared with chap. xx. 1, 2, 3, 4, 13. Peter falls once and again into the same sin ; and John twice worshipped the angel ; and Samson, who is by the Spirit of the Lord numbered amongst those worthies of whomi this world was not worthy, Heb. xi. 32, 33, 38, fell again and again into the same gross sin, as is evident in the 14th, loth, and 16th chapters of the book of Judges. And the church confesses, that their backslidings are many, Jer. xiv. 7. By all which it is most evident, that good men may fall again and again into the same sin ; and no wonder, for though their repent- ance be never so sincere and sound, yet their graces are but weak, and their mortification but imperfect in this life, and therefore it is pos- sible for a gracious soul to fall again and again into the same sin. If the fire be not wholly put out, who will think it impossible that it should catch, and burn again and again ?
I readily grant that the Lord hath graciously promised to heal the backslidings of his people : Hosea xiv. 4, and so Jer. iii. 22, ' Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings : behold we come imto thee, for thou art the Lord our God.' See Jer iii. 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 14. But I can nowhere find in all the Scriptures, that God hath engaged himself by any pai'ticular promise or promises, that Christians truly converted, truly penitent, shall never fall again and again into the same sins after their conversion. I cannot find in all the book of God, where God has engaged himself to give such strength or power against this sin or that, as that a Christian shall be for ever, in this life, put out of all possibility of falling again and again into the same sins. No per- son on earth can shew such a promise, that when a Christian has been thus or thus troubled, grieved, humbled, or melted for his sins, that then God will assuredly preserve him from ever falling into the same sins again. The sight of such a promise under God's own hand, would be as life from the dead to all real Christians, who fear nothing more than the sin of backsliding. Certainly, there is no such power or infi- nite virtue in the greatest horrors or terrors, troubles or sorrows, that the soul can be under for sin, nor in the fullest, sweetest, or choicest discoveries of God's rich grace and free love to the soul, as for ever to fence and secure the soul from relapsing into the same sin again and again. Though grace be a glorious creature, yet it is but a creature. Grace is but a created habit, that may be prevailed against by Satan's temptations, and by the strong, secret, and subtle workings of sin in our hearts. But this must be carefully minded and remembered, that though the saints may and do sometimes relapse, yet they do not re- lapse in such a manner as wicked men do relapse. For,
(1.) First, Theydonotrelapsevoluntarily,hutinvoluntarili/. Involun- tary relapses are when the resolution and full bent of the heart is against sin, when the soul strives with all its might against sin, by sighs and groans, by prayers and tears, and yet by some invincible weakness is forced to fall back into sin again, because there is not spiritual strength enough to overcome.
(2.) Secondly, They do not relapse out of choice, as wicked men do, Isa. Ixvi. 3.
(3.) Thirdly, They do not relapse out of any delight that they take in relapaing. Witness their sad complaints, their great lamentations, and
Chap. III.] a cabinet of jewels. 433