god's inquisition. 211
they spake not aviglit.' So much for the evidence. Come we now to the next clause, God's complaint upon this evidence.
* No man repented him of his wickedness.'
They did not repent of their wickedness, and the fault was general : ' No man repented.' The first yields this instruction,
Doct. That it is a state muck offcndinr) God, not to repent tchen his judg- ments are threatened.
God will not sufi'er it long unpunished, to be impenitent when his judg- ments are abroad and threatened, much more when they have already seized* upon our brethren. For that is the end of all his judgments, to draw us near to him, to draw us out of the world, and out of our sinful courses. When therefore we answer not, God must take another course. What is the plague and other judgments but so many messengers sent to every one of us to knock? And our answer must be, ' Lord, I will repent of my evil ways,' ' I will turn from my evil courses and turn to thee.' If we give this answer, God will take away his judgments, or sanctify them, and that is better ; but when there is no answer, the messenger will not be gone ; God will add plagues upon plagues till we give our answer, till we repent and turn from our wicked ways.
Now that we may do this, we must be convinced thoroughly that the courses we live in ai'e unprofitable, dangerous, hateful courses, and that the contrary state is better. For repentance is an after-wit,f and man being a reasonable creature, will turnj from his way except he. see great reason why. Therefore there must be sound conviction that ' it is a bitter thing to ofiend God,' Jer. ii. 19. We must indeed be convinced by the Spirit of God ; and the Spirit of God usually takes the benefit of afiliction, afiliction together with instruction. Instruction without affliction will do little good. Stripes and the word must go together, else we will not give God the hear- ing as we should. Therefore that we may be soundly convinced of our sins, we should desire God, especially in the hour of affliction, to help our souls by his Spirit, that we may be convinced that our courses are naught, that they are courses dishonourable to God and dangerous to ourselves ; that sin defiles our souls ; that it hinders our communion with God, which is the sweetest thing in the world ; that sin puts a sting into all our troubles ; that sin makes us afraid of that that should be comfortable to us, of death and judgment, and God's presence ; that sin grieves the good Spirit of God, that would take up his lodging in us ; that it quencheth the motions of the Spirit, that are sent as sweet messengers to us, to allure and comfort us ; that sin grieves the good Spirit of God in others ; that it grieves the good angels that are about us ; that it gratifies none but the devil, the enemy of our salvation ; that it defiles and stains our souls, wherein the image of God should shine ; that it doth us more harm than all the things in the world besides — indeed, nothing hurts us but sin, because nothing but sin sepa- rates us from God ; that it shuts heaven and opens hell, and so makes us afraid of death, lest death should open the gate to let us into hell ; in a word, that it hinders all good, and is the cause of all ill. Let us consider of this, and work it on our hearts.
And consider withal our former courses, rip up our lives from our child- hood, consider the sins of our youth, together with our present sins, that so we may the better stir up and awaken our consciences. Let us consider
* Spelled ' ceazed.' — G. % Qu. ' will not turn ' ? — Ed.
t That is, ' after-thouglit.'— G.
212 god's inquisition.
whether we are uow in a state wherein we could ho content that God should send his judgments upon us. Consider how we have hecn scandalous- to others, how we have drawn others to sin, that the guilt of other men's sins will lie upon us. It may be we have repented, but have they ? Consider the repetition of our sins, if wo have not committed them again and again, and other circumstances that may aggravate them. Ijct us labour to work these things on our hearts, and desire the Spirit of God to convince our souls of the foulness and dangerousncss of sin. V.lien we sin against con- science, what do we but set the devil in the place of God? We make our- selves wiser than God. 'We leave God's ways, as if wo could find better and more profitable and more gainful courses than his. Sound conviction of this will move us to repentance.
And let us bo stirred up to repent presently. Doth not God now warn you ? Is it not dangerous living one hour in a state that we would not die in? May not God justly strike us on the sudden? Do but purpose to live in sin one quarter of an hour ; may we not be taken away in that quarter ? Is not repentance the gift of God, and are not gifts given according to the good pleasure of the giver ? Wait therefore for the gales of gi-ace, and take them when they are offered. Grace is not like the tide, that ebbs and flows, that we know when it will come again when we see it go. No. God gives the gales of grace according to his good pleasure ; therefore take the advantage of the present motions of the blessed Spirit.