Godd." "There is not a man that liveth and sinneth not," says Solomon. " In many things we offend all," says St. James. " If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves," says St. John, " and the truth is not in us." But where shall we find these persons who need no repentance ? Will the advocates for this strange opinion venture to point out a person that possesses this high attainment ? If they did, the person himself, unless peculiarly blinded by the devil, would contradict their testi- mony. But we will suppose this paragon of excellence pro- duced : is he more righteous than Job, of whom God himself testified, that " there was none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feared God and eschewed evile?" For argument sake, we will suppose him equal to Job : would he then not need to repent? Hear what Job says of himself; " If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me : if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse. Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul : I would despise my life. If I wash myself with snow-water, and make my hands never so clean, yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor mef." Let those then who will maintain such an unscriptural sentiment lay to heart that warning of the Almighty, " Thou sayest, Because I am inno- cent, surely his anger shall turn from me : behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned g." If they will not humble themselves now, let them prepare to maintain their own cause against God in the day of judgment.
We say then that the necessity of repentance is universal : and we entreat every one to apply the declaration to his own soul, " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."]
Address —
1. To those who think themselves penitents —
[What has been spoken on the nature of repentance, may well lead us to examine ourselves, and to fear lest we should deceive our own souls. We entreat you all therefore to bear in mind the particulars which you have heard, and to try your- selves by them. If in any thing we appear to have pressed the point too far, let the confession which we always utter at the Lord's supper, be taken in connexion with it ; and it will be found that we have not uttered a single sentiment which is not contained in that formularv.
And here we cannot but entreat all who are in the habit of frequenting the Lord's table to inquire, whether their repent- ance be such as, in that prayer, they profess it to be. We are told by our Church what is required of them that come to
d Rom. iii. 9—19. e Job. i. 8.
f Job ix. 20, 21, 30, 31. s Jer. ii. 35.
purpose, lest
Knowing the
so to turn to
Yet remem-