Use 2. Is to persuade you to this work upon the necessity of this course. It is not only necessary necessitate prcecepti, but medii. It is
268 SERMONS UPON ACTS II. 37, 38. [SeR. IV.
an irlvRome duty, but necessary. Till ye are brought to repentance, ye never had, nor can have, pardon of sins, and so no true peace of consci- ence. Some things have only the necessity of a duty, we sin if we do it not ; but this hath the necessity of a remedy, we perish if we omit it. It is not only a duty but a remedy. When a father shall command a sick child to use such a remedy to save his life, he is not only guilty of disobedience if he refuse it, but destroyeth his own life by refusing a remedy necessary to preserve it. This is absolutely necessary. If you disobey God in other things, yet you should not in the command of repentance : those that need none, and care for none, Christ will have nothing to do with them : Mat. ix. 13, 'For I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.' Would you hope for mercy in another way than God and Christ are agreed on ? But because exhor- tations lose their force unless they be particularly directed, I must speak to two sorts.
1. Some that never 5^et repented nor turned to the Lord. Oh, con- sider, without repentance no pardon, and without pardon no salvation; he that remaineth in his sins shall die in his sins. You may have ex- perience of God's patience and common goodness, but never of his special mercy. A dog when he dieth will be in a better case than you : a dog when he dieth, his misery dieth with him ; but the misery of an impenitent sinner then beginneth. You are condemned already, Avhat hindereth execution ? only God tarrieth, ' is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to lepentance,' 2 Peter iii. 9. He is willing to take a little more pains with you, to give you a little further time ; but do you know how long he will bear ? Have you any certain lease of enjoying the world and the comforts you now have ? After a few more refusals of his renewed offers, and slighting of his mercies and patience, who can tell but God may take the denial, and fret the slender thread of life asunder ? Who knoweth but the next day he will say, ' Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground? ' Therefore it is time to set about self-loathing and grieving for your sins, and dedicating yourselves seriously to God's use and service.
2. To those that have repented already, to renew their repentance. This is a work that must always be doing, if you would maintain quiet and peace in your souls. As long as there is sin in your hearts, you ought to groan under it : Kom. vii. 24, ' Oh, wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this death ! ' And as often as sin is committed, so often must repentance be renewed : sin and trouble are inseparable. Conscience would be no conscience if it were otherwise. Therefore I would press you —
[1.] To use this way constantly of fetching out grace. As your salvation is carried on from faith to faith, Kom. i. 17, so from repent- ance to repentance. By repeated acts of the first graces our privileges are continued to us. Faith is never out of season, nor repentance; it is as necessary afterwards as it was at first, whenever )^ou sin against God. Those that have a Father in heaven must still come to him for forgiveness, Mat. vi. 13. It is a renewed act, for the continuance, sense, and the increase of the sense and feeling of pardon. If you are pre- judiced against such a course, you have no reason to think your
VeR. 38.] SERMONS UPON ACTS II. 37, 38. 2G0
sins are pardoned. The christian religion revealeth no'bther way of comfort and sound peace ; and that assurance is justly liable to suspi- cion which can be maintained without repentance.
But you will say, Sinners are pardoned already ; justification is one indivisible act of grace, pardoning all sins past, present, and to come.
I answer — Though there be a justification of the person, yet there is a reiteiated remission. There is a great deal of difference between the merit of pardon, justification of the person, and the actual remis- sion of sin : the merit is but once, Christ never needetli to sufter more ; the justification of the person is obtained upon our actual interest in Christ ; then there is a release from the eternal punishment and wrath due to us because of sin. A believer can no more come under the power of the second death : this sentence is never reversed.
But now, pardon of sin is another thing : Acts xiii. 38, 39, ' Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins ; and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.' The sinner is justified, but not the sin ; these are distinct things. Justification notetli the state of the person, that is once upon our implantation into Christ ; but upon every peccant act we need a new pardon, that is repeated as sins are committed. Before it is com- mitted it is not remitted, for it is not sin. It is pardoned in that notion in which it is sin ; virtually pardoned, but not formally. Justification is the grant of a privilege, that we have interest in remission of sin.