Chapter 3: On The Necessity Of Repentance

EARNESTLY CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH:
REPENTANCE EXPLAINED AND ENFORCED
by
JOHN THORNTON
Chapter 3: On The Necessity Of Repentance
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THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS
GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH.
THAT IS WHY HE IS GOD

CHAPTER III.

On the Necessity of Repentance.

It was necessary I should first tell you wherein true repentance consists. As a mistake on this point is dangerous, you ought to have right ideas of it: the most forcible addresses will otherwise be like arrows shot at random. If you are convinced, that repentance is a thorough change of mind, let me intreat you to consider how necessary it is. When I attempt to reason with you, every page of scripture will furnish me with arguments. When I make a solemn appeal, I hope conscience will rise up as a witness within, and declare the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. When I try to persuade you, surely your own best interests should lead you to lend a willing ear to one, who has no end to answer but the promotion of your own welfare. The cause which I plead is of infinite importance. I shew you the necessity of that repentance, to which the gospel calls you. You may not give up all thoughts of it, but determine to look to the worldly things for the present. “And what is it that thou dost count necessary? Is thy bread necessary? Is thy breath necessary? Then thy conversion is much more necessary. Indeed this is the one thing needful. Thine estate is not necessary; thou mayest sell all for the pearl of great price, and yet be a gainer by the purchase. Matthew 13:46. Thy life is not necessary; thou mayest part with it for Christ to infinite advantage. Thy esteem is not necessary; thou mayest be reproached for the name of Christ, and yet be happy; yea, much happier in reproach than in repute. 1 Peter 4:14. Matthew 5:10. But thy conversion is necessary (See Allein’s Alarm.).”
I would therefore address you as Moses did Israel, Set thine heart to all the words that I testify unto thee this day, for it is not a vain thing, it is thy life.
I shall endeavour to prove, that repentance is absolutely, universally, and immediately necessary.
Repentance is absolutely necessary.
Without it heaven cannot be obtained, nor hell avoided. If these can be made to appear undeniable points, other arguments can scarcely be needed for this part of the subject.
Without repentance, it is impossible to obtain heaven. Heaven is a place of pure and perfect happiness, for which there must be a suitable preparation. The apostle speaks of being made meet
to become partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. But to suppose there can be a fitness for heaven while you remain in a state of impenitence, is as absurd, as to think a building can be finished before the first foundation stone is laid. Every creature is suited to its own element. A fish cannot live in the air, nor a bird in the water. Take a carnal man into the company of the pious, and he is miserable, because out of his own element. Accustomed to foolish and filthy talking, he has no ear for wisdom and instruction. Blinded with the glitter of vanity, he cannot discern the beauty of holiness. Feeding on the dry husks and dregs of the world, he has no taste for what is pure and spiritual. He has taught his tongue to speak lies and oaths, but it has never learned to pray or praise. Sin reigns in his heart, and therefore religion has no power, nor place there. Now if such a man is wearied, and his patience worn out, by being an hour or two in the company of godly men on earth, is he not quite unfit for heaven? Were he admitted into the mansions of immortal glory, they would afford him no joy. O remember, that a heavenly temper and disposition must be brought into the soul, before the soul can be raised to heaven. We must be holy, or we cannot be happy. We must be like Christ, or we can never be with Christ. To suppose that an ungodly man can go to heaven is to suppose an impossibility. Will a father suffer a murderer to dwell among his children, or a king permit a rebel to lodge in his palace? What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? Does not Christ expressly say, If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins, and where I am ye cannot come? Is not such a declaration enough to make the ears of every one that heareth to tingle? Yes, you had better, with a free pardon, die in a desert or dungeon, than with riches and honours die in your sins. If you be shut out from the presence of Christ, you will not have one moment of peace, one drop of comfort, or one ray of hope forever. It is a weighty maxim of Baxter, “Heaven will pay for any loss we may suffer to gain it, but nothing can pay for the loss of heaven.” How strongly and solemnly is the necessity of a change of mind insisted on in the Scriptures! Verily, verily, I say unto thee except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he, cannot enter into the kingdom of God. John 3:5. If you are not washed in the laver of regeneration, you can have no part with Christ. Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. If the gospel does not change you, rest assured your impenitence will not change God’s councils. False notions may lull you for a time, but they cannot turn age into youth, a bed of thorns into a bed of roses, or the king of terrors into an angel of peace.
Without repentance, it is impossible to avoid hell. Hear the faithful and true Witness — I tell you Nay; but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. That the awful and weighty truth might make a deeper impression, he doubles his declaration, and by pointedly repeating the same words, applies it to the conscience with stroke upon stroke. Luke 13:3-5. To perish in this place, does not mean the death of the body, for that comes alike to all, the righteous and the wicked. Nor does it mean a total loss of being, although some bad men have brought themselves to wish, and almost believe, they should die like the beasts. The present life is but the porch, by which we enter into an eternal state. The word of God assures us, It is appointed for men once to die, and after death the judgment. By comparing one part of scripture with another, we learn, that to perish is to be deprived of all happiness and doomed to endless misery. Peter speaks of the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Christ commands us to fear him, who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Paul says, Those who know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. 2 Thessalonians 1:9. By examining the scriptures, you will be convinced that to perish, is for the precious soul to be irrecoverably lost! To perish is to endure indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, as the just punishment of sin. To perish is to be cast into outer darkness and unquenchable fire, among the workers of iniquity! What a description has our Lord given of Dives in hell! After he had left behind him his fine linen and purple robes, he was clothed with shame and covered with confusion. Instead ot these rich wines which he once drank so freely, he now begs in vain, for a drop of water to cool his tongue! O how plainly, how positively, how solemnly has God forewarned the wicked of eternal destruction! Can you read or hear of this without being alarmed? Can you even bear to think upon it for a moment, without terror and dismay? Do not treat these things as fancies and fables. A faithful God has stamped his threatenings, as well as his promises, with the seal of truth. Hath he said it, and shall he not do it? Hath he spoken it, ami shall he not bring it to pass? Yea, heaven and earth shall pass away, but not one jot or tittle of his word shall be made void.
Woe to them that seek for those things only, which feed their lusts, and flatter their pride. If you remain unmelted with all the tender mercies, and unmoved with all the solemn warnings of God, how can you escape the damnation of hell? Whither will you go for shelter? What device, what contrivance do you trust to for deliverance? Can you thunder with a voice like God? or wage war with the Almighty? Can you find a corner in the vast universe to hide you from the all searching eyes of your Judge? When once plunged into the pit of despair, can you pass the gulf which God has fixed between heaven and hell? O, consider and believe it, there is nothing before you but repentance or ruin. Do you think it necessary to pursue your business, provide for your family, and preserve your health? These however are the things of time, but godliness is necessary for eternity. O, the importance of eternity! when millions of millions of years are gone, eternity will not be lessened! The wicked, saith Christ, go away into everlasting punishment, and into the place prepared for the devil and his angels. Matthew 25:46. And if, without a change, this must be your doom, is not repentance absolutely necessary? This demands your serious attention, though every thing else should be neglected. The soul is too precious to be risked for the poor trifles of a day. It is useless to gather riches and honours; for if you had whole kingdoms in your possession, they could not deliver you from death. If you continue impenitent to the last, all the angels of heaven, should they wish it, could not save you from hell. Woe unto you, if God withdraw the beams of his favour! Every creature will then forsake you. The heavens will reveal your iniquity, and the earth shall rise up against you. The want of penitence, after we have sinned, provokes God more than the sin itself. Has the thought of this ever yet seriously affected you? O, may you be smitten to the heart, with a conviction of your sin and danger! May you be plucked as a brand out of the burning, by the arm of Sovereign grace! O, cry earnestly — cry unceasingly, “Lord, I have been ignorant and sensual, as a beast before thee! I have been a stubborn rebel, a hateful monster! Turn thou me, and I shall be turned: save me, and I shall be saved. Why am I yet spared, when thousands, less guilty, have been cut off in their sins? Lord, enter not into judgment with thy servant ; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. Had I been swept away into the fiery oven of thy wrath, it would have been nothing more than I have deserved. Have mercy upon me, have mercy upon me, and blot out my sins. Give me thy good Spirit, to soften the soil of my heart, that the incorruptible seed of truth may take root there, and bring forth an hundred fold”.
Repentance is universally necessary.
Do not think what has been said applies to none but blasphemers, thieves, and murderers. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. The infection has struck deep, and spread wide. Sin is a disease equally dangerous, whether it works secretly within, or breaks out into odious irruptions of vice. Therefore God, saith the apostle, hath now commanded all men every where to repent. There is not one, come to years capable of seeing the difference between good and evil, who has not sinned against God. We behold a great many different opinions, tastes, and pursuits among men; but all are transgressors, and need repentance. I shall, therefore, address myself to the profligate and presumptuous; the negligent and careless; the self-righteous and hypocritical.
I address myself to the profligate and presumptuous.
It is asked, whom do I mean? I reply, do you profane the Sabbath, and spend those hours, which were set apart for the service of God, in. loose company, vain amusements, and vile pleasures? Do you boldly utter such wanton or indecent language, as must make a modest and good man blush? Do you give yourselves to cheating and fraud, lewdness and drunkenness? — then you are profligates. Sins of ignorance are less heinous; but these things are not only condemned by the law of God, but also contrary to the laws of men. If you practise wickedness in open daylight, against counsels, warnings, and reproofs; if you go on in your forbidden ways, wilfully and obstinately,— then, you are presumptuous sinners. You can neither plead ignorance nor surprise, and therefore are left without excuse.

Heaven from above, and conscience from within,
Cry in your startled ears — Abstain from sin! (Cowper)

And yet you rush upon those rocks, against which so many have made shipwreck before your eyes! O, think what would be you condition, if you were instantly seized by the strong hand of death! How could you appear before your Maker and Judge? Know you not, that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind; nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Is it possible to be guilty of such things, and not know it? And can you bear any of these black marks upon your characters, and not shudder at the sight of them?
Perhaps you boast, that you never pretended to any religion. “Whatever we be, we are not canting hypocrites. We scorn the pitiful tricks of base cowards. Away with all weak scruples; we can bravely despise them; and, dashing through difficulties, enjoy our frolics, in spite of death and destruction.” Let me tell you, the difference between a hypocrite and a reprobate is only like that which there is between a thief and a robber: they are both detestable. According to the striking words of Boston, a conscience seared as with a hot iron, is a sure presage of everlasting burnings. Who hath hardened himself against God, and prospered? Who can raise a defence that will shield him from the flaming bolts of the Almighty? If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin; but a fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. Hebrews 10:26. Who made Cain a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth? Genesis 4:14. Who made Pashur a terror to himself and to all his friends? Jeremiah 20:4. Who struck Belshazzar with horror, while he was feasting with his thousand lords? It was that God, to whom vengeance belongeth; who reserveth wrath for his enemies. I have read of a wicked man, who, when warned of hell, said, “I will believe it when I come thither”! But to what use will it be to believe there is a hell, when it is too late to escape from it? A daring and hectoring spirit cannot save you. Though you should imagine you have made a covenant with death, and with hell an agreement, so that the one shall not seize, nor the other claim you, what security can they afford? — the same that you would have of an estate, held by a lease written upon the sands of the sea shore, till the coming of the next tide! When the overflowing scourge shall come, your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand. Isaiah 28:15.
Many persons, while they are full of health and spirits, make light of religion, who yet, in a time of sickness, find all their confidence fail. Mr. Hervey went to visit, a man on his death bed, who had been given up to all the gaieties and pleasures of a worldly life. “I found him (says he) no more that sprightly son of joy, which he used to be; but languishing, pining away — withering under the chastening hand of God! His limbs feeble and trembling; his countenance forlorn and ghastly; and the little breath he had left, sobbed out in sorrowful sighs. When I was seated beside him, he first cast a most wishful look at me, and then began, as well as he was able, to speak as follows: — “O, that I had been wise; that I had known this; that I had considered my latter end! Ah! Mr. Hervey, death is knocking at my door: in a few hours more, I shall draw my last gasp; and then, judgment! tremendous judgment! How shall I appear, unprepared as I am, before the all-knowing and omnipotent God? How shall I endure the day of his coming? The day in which 1 should have worked is over and gone; and I see a sad, horrible night approaching, bringing with it the blackness of darkness forever! Woe is me! when God called, I refused; when he invited, I was one of them that made excuse. Now, therefore, I receive the reward of my deeds: I smart, and am in sore anguish; and yet this is but the beginning of sorrows. It doth not yet appear what I shall be; but I am sure I shall be ruined, undone, and destroyed with an everlasting destruction.” It would be easy to mention many such instances. If you tread in the steps of such men, how can you expect any other than their end? I tell you nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
I address myself, next, to the negligent and careless.
It is asked, whom do I mean? I mean you, who lull yourselves into a false sleep; you, who glory in a settled indifference; you, who are given up to sloth, as if you had no souls to be either saved or lost.
The prophet speaks of some in his day, who cried peace! peace! when there was no peace. The trumpet sounded an alarm; but they did not arouse, to prepare for the battle. The storm gathered black and heavy; but they persuaded themselves it would blow away, and not reach them. And do you see yourselves here described? How loud, how earnest, how frequent, how solemn have been the calls of God to you? and yet you are as senseless as the stones! How many awful events and judgments have passed before your eyes? and yet you remain hardened in impenitence! How many showers of goodness has God caused to descend upon you? and still you are ungrateful! Time glides away; and you neither feel remorse for the past, nor concern for the future. Death draws nearer and nearer; but you prepare not to meet your God. What! do you not know, that a messenger from heaven cries, Woe to them that are at ease in Zion! Amos 6:1.
Perhaps you glory in a calm, settled indifference to religion! Whatever others may think, say, or do, you determine neither to favour nor oppose it. But do you believe, that, by being careless, you shall be found guiltless? Do you really think, you can steer an even course between the righteous and the wicked? Solon made a law in Athens, that those who, in a sedition, or contest of the citizens, refused to take either part, should be esteemed infamous. It is certain, God has made a law, that, in the grand concerns of religion, no one shall stand neuter. He that is not against us, says Christ, is for us. There is no middle path between the broad and the narrow way. After the gates of death are passed, there are but two final homes for all, and these are — heaven and hell! Continue, then, no longer to halt between two opinions, which are directly opposite; but choose you whom ye will serve. Perhaps you give yourselves to sloth: you think you are free from the crimes of the profligate. “We were never habituated to fraud, falsehood, gaming, intoxication, and profaneness. We have neither wronged the helpless, nor corrupted the innocent; neither despised governments nor mocked at religion.” But though you may not be chargeable with gross, disgraceful crimes, yet, if you be estranged from God, unmindful of the gospel of Christ, and unconcerned about an eternal world, your souls are exposed to ruin.
Remember the doom of the unprofitable servant, whose talent had been suffered to rust in a napkin. Thou slothful and wicked servant, out of thine own mouth thou art condemned. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 25: 26, 30. You may flatter yourselves with a false peace, and sit down in sloth and indifference; but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
I address myself to the self-righteous and hypocritical.
Is it asked, whom do I mean? I mean you, who are puffed up with the pride of self-sufficiency, and contented with a dull round of ceremonies. If regularly going to a place of worship on a Sabbath, be religion, you have been very religious from your childhood. You say your prayers every night, as constantly as a man winds up his watch, and much in the same formal and listless manner.
There are no persons, on whom the gospel has so little effect, as the self-righteous. They strike out a great variety of ways, by which to compass their end. Truth does not furnish one argument, for which their pride cannot find an objection. Being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, they do not submit themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. Romans 10:4-5. Persons of this stamp will quibble away the plainest testimonies of scripture, rather than yield to become indebted to the free grace of the gospel, for justification and life. They not only err, but also fortify themselves in error. If one scheme fails, they try another. They say in the pride and stoutness of their heart, The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. Isaiah 9:9-10.
When Noah had entered the ark, it is emphatically said, The Lord shut him in. But when the self-righteous have built their own refuge, they shut themselves in, and there rest secure, till they are either driven out by the sword of the Spirit, or burnt out by the fire of divine wrath. Those cloaked hypocrites, and proud boasters, the pharisees, were full of self-sufficiency, but looked upon all others with disdain. They scarcely thought the publicans worthy to take place within the same walls, or walk in the path which they had made holy by their steps. Instead of trusting in the merits of the Redeemer, they hoped for acceptance with God, from their fasts, and prayers, and alms.
And are you resting your dependence on the wretched foundation of your own goodness? I must tell you, while you despise God’s way, you will never be able to climb to heaven in your own way. All your virtues will not atone for one of your vices. Your scheme of religion makes void the righteousness, the sacrifice, and the grace of Jesus Christ, and therefore must assuredly fall; and if you cling to it, you must fall with it. Then, how dreadful it will be, to behold a frown on the face of the Judge, when you are expecting a welcome into the habitations of glory.

Deceitful views of future bliss, farewell!
You’ll read your sentence at the flames of hell.

You are mistaken in supposing your good works will buy you a place in paradise. Christ
does not save men by halves. God will not barter away eternal blessedness, for any thing that is offered by your hands. I tell you my; but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Your minds must be changed, and your hearts renewed, or you are utterly undone. Surely with one grain of common sense, and one ray of light from above, you may know a truth so plain, as the necessity of deep repentance. What idiot is there, as one well observes, who cannot perceive the difference between a shadow and a substance? And do you mistake the form of godliness for the power of it? Can yon really believe that a fine varnish will recommend a filthy vessel? Are you so stupid as to expect you shall enjoy the kernel, when you sit down contented with the empty shell? It was in vain for that false prophet, Balaam, to cry, Let me die the death of the righteous! Heaven was never yet gained by an idle wish! And as Balaam, at that very time, was following the wages of unrighteousness, though he uttered such fair words, he was quite as unfit for the perfect bliss of saints and angels, as the dumb ass which reproved him for his folly and madness. Think then of the holiness and majesty of God. Try yourselves by the standard of the divine law. Beware of that close lurking traitor in your own bosom, sin. Pray for the Spirit of God to shew you the depths of your depravity. Every true penitent, like the poor prodigal, must first come to himself, or he will never think of coming to the Father of mercies. He must see his nakedness, and feel his wants, or he will not be clothed with the richly wrought robe of the Saviour’s righteousness, and welcomed to the feast of gospel blessings. He must confess and forsake his sins, or he cannot enjoy pardon and reconciliation.
Repentance is immediately necessary.
There is a natural disposition in all men to put far away those great concerns, which ought ever to be near their hearts. What they cannot deny to be necessary, they contrive to delay. When God sent his messages to Israel by the prophet Ezekiel, they said, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of times that are far off. Ezekiel 12:27. And when you hear of repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, you are probably ready to own, that they are necessary, but when? Not yet, it will be soon enough in old age, or on a deathbed. But what makes you think so I can venture to declare, by what steps you have been led to this conclusion. You presume on a long life, on the mercy of God, and on the ground, of a few examples of late repentance.
You delay repentance, by presuming, that you shall yet live many years.
There was an idiot in the city of Athens, who counted all the ships that entered the port, and called them his own. Poor creature! from his want of understanding, he was to be pitied, rather than blamed. But if you confidently count those years your own, which are yet in the hand of God, you are chargeable with the grossest folly, and are without excuse. What assurance have you of a long life? Has God sealed you a lease, or sent you a promise, of thirty, twenty, or seven years to come? It may be, you are young, healthy, and vigorous, but are you sure of a single day? Do you not see innumerable diseases, vanquishing all the power of medicine? And what are these, but the forerunners and messengers of death? Do you not see your fellow creatures, of every age and rank, suddenly swept into eternity? And who knows but some fatal disease may in a few days seize your frame, or some direful accident cut you off in a moment? “We must,” said Bishop Taylor, “take our water, as out of a torrent and sudden shower, which will quickly cease dropping from above, and running in our channels below.” O how brittle is the tie that holds you in life! And when that slender bond is broken, you will be instantly in eternity! To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Hebrews 3:7. Will you dare to contradict the Majesty of heaven? When God says to-day, will you say to-morrow? Will you hearken to the voice of any flatterer, rather than to the voice of your Creator, Redeemer, and Judge? If you still turn away the faithful warnings and kind invitations of God, how justly may he swear in his wrath, that you shall not enter into his rest. You are probably very earnest and active in the things of this world, while you are so careless and dilatory concerning the world to come. Think what will be your views of such conduct in a dying hour.
That great and far famed scholar Grotius, on his death-bed, spoke thus,” Ah! I have consumed my life, in a laborious doing of nothing! I would give all my learning and honour, for the plain integrity of John Urick!” This John Urick was a religious poor man, who spent eight hours of the day in reading and prayer, eight in labour, and only eight in sleep and meals. Salmatius, another learned man, when about to die, cried out bitterly against himself, saying,” Oh ! I have lost a world of time! time, the most precious thing in the world! If I had but one year more it should be spent in reading David’s Psalms and Paul’s Epistles! Oh”, said he to his friends, “mind the world less, and God more.”
And do you talk of delaying repentance to future years? The ship should be repaired before it puts to sea, for it is difficult to keep it from sinking, when the storm comes. Repent and believe in health, sickness is not a time to begin. Are your present pleasures so highly prized, that you determine to risk the loss of the soul, rather than leave them? Have you time for every thing, except the one thing needful? What is your life; it is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little while and then vanisheth away. Hearken then to the serious and urgent admonition of the apostle, who introduces it with a double note of attention to fix your thoughts upon it. Behold! now is the accepted time! behold! now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2.
You delay repentance, by presuming on the mercy of God.
This I believe is a very common case. When we tell men of their sins, and point out the danger that lies before them, they cry, God is merciful, and therefore, if we repent, we shall be pardoned at last. Now I acknowledge that redeeming mercy is a most charming sound. The mercy of God reaches to the heavens. The mercy of God is the wonder of angels, and ought to be the song of mortals. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not, but are new to us every morning. Lamentations 3:22. But can any thing be more base, than to make this a plea to justify rebellion, and to persist in it? What would you think of a man, who year after year, should provoke and injure his best friends, because he still hoped, through their great kindness, to be forgiven and again received into favour? But no comparison can sufficiently set forth the shameful ingratitude of those who abuse the forbearance and long-suffering of God, and continue to sin that grace may abound. Every day we may behold the truth of Solomon’s words, Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil. They take their reprieve for a release. If indeed God is long in whetting the sword of vengeance, will he never strike the fatal blow? If the storm be long gathering, will it never burst? An hundred and twenty years the patience of God waited in the days of Noah, but at the last the flood came. And do you, reader, make divine mercy a plea to encourage you in sin and presumption! Let me beg your attention to the forcible and solemn language of the apostle. Thinkest thou, O man, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-sufferings not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Romans 2:4-5. Every word in this remarkable scripture is a strong and faithful appeal to the conscience. What! do you regard small favours from men, and dare you reject, or abuse the riches of God’s abounding mercy? Does that goodness which should lead you to repentance, strengthen and harden you in wickedness? If you go on, perverting the gospel, and thus, as the prophet speaks, turning blessings into curses, what will be the consequence? The riches of divine goodness, which you now despise, will be wholly withdrawn; and the treasures of wrath, which you are laying up, will be your only and eternal portion.
You delay repentance, from a presumption, built upon remarkable instances of late conversion.
There certainly have been some awakened in the evening of their day, so late as the eleventh hour; but compared with the number of those who die much in the same careless and hardened state they live, such examples are very rare. It sometimes happens, in a dreadful shipwreck, that two or three are preserved, when hundreds are buried in the deep. But you may say, was not the penitent thief converted and pardoned on the cross? Yes, and it was both a wonderful display of infinite mercy, and an undeniable proof of the virtue of that precious atoning blood which Jesus was then shedding at his side. But the case of the penitent thief was singular. Life and peace entered his soul, while agony and death were racking and oppressing his body. We have one such instance, that none might despair; and but one such in the whole Bible, that none might presume. And do you hence take encouragement to give the prime of your days, and the vigour of your strength to the service of sin, and reserve only the droppings and dregs of life to the concerns of religion? After obstinately persevering for a long course of years, in rebellion against God, do you expect he will work a miracle to convert and save you in your last moments? Can you think of remaining in a state of impenitence and condemnation, till the wasted taper of life is sunk in the socket, and on the point of being extinguished by the blast of God’s displeasure? And besides, there is little dependence to be placed on the religion which begins at such a time. It is a true saying of the pious Bishop Hall, “Though sincere repentance is never too late, late repentance is seldom sincere.”
I shall close this chapter with an answer to two objections.
Objection 1. You labour to make me worse than I .am, and give a gloomy picture of misery, only .to frighten me.
God forbid, that I should fancy crimes, and then fasten them on your character. I do say, that something better is necessary, than that cheap outside religion, which is the trust of the proud and self-righteous. Mere decency of manners may gain you a good name among men; but real holiness of heart only can fit you for the presence of God. Rest not, however, on my word, or the opinion of any man, but search the word of God. It is said, there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not. Now if you are a transgressor, you need pardon. If you have departed from God, you must be converted. If heaven’s pure and everlasting joys are to be desired, or hell’s fiery and eternal torments are to be dreaded, repentance is absolutely necessary. Say not, this is a harsh subject. As there are some dangerous sweets, so there are some wholesome bitters. It is better you should receive truth, though it may be painful, than error mixed with the most pleasant ingredients. And besides directing you to the word of God, I would entreat you to examine your own heart. Let the important cause be tried fully and fairly in the court of conscience. A thousand witnesses, if they may but have a hearing, will rise up within, and condemn you; and as long as you are under the law, convicted as a transgressor, the wrath of God follows you wherever you go, mingles in all you possess, and marks you as a victim devoted to destruction. Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed in the field; cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. The heavens shall reveal thine iniquity, and the earth shall rise up against thee.
Objection 2. The severe doctrine you teach, will drive me to despair.
Although God has commanded all men every where to repent, many seem to think us cruel? when we insist upon it. When one vain objection after another is answered, and the awful truth brought home with many a vigorous charge upon the conscience, they lose all patience under such plain dealing. We cannot repent, say they, of ourselves, and why then urge us to it? Will it be any benefit to drive us to despair? I do wish to make you despair of finding safety or peace in a life of sin. It would be well did you despair of attaining heaven by your own strength, or merit, for this would be the beginning of solid hope. Luther, in one of his books, says, “ God hath assuredly promised his favour to the truly humble. By the truly humble, I mean those who are endued with repentance, and a despair of saving themselves; for a man can never be said to be really penitent and humble, till he be made to know that his salvation is not suspended in any measure whatever, on his own strength, endeavours, free-will, or works; but entirely depends on the free pleasure and purpose of God.” You can do nothing of yourself, but is the hand of the Lord shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear heavy, that it cannot hear? Your native springs are all dry, but is there not a fountain of grace, a river that makes glad the city of God? You are as destitute and helpless as the prodigal son, but is our heavenly Father’s house empty? No, in Christ, there is a never-failing fulness. Millions daily draw their supplies from it, and should millions more come, yet still there will be enough and to spare. With all my heart, I desire you may become a partaker of these blessings. It would be kind, saith one, if you saw a man trying to swim over the sea, to make him despair of an attempt so foolish, when you could lead him to a vessel ready to receive and convey him with safety. In like manner would I make you despair of happiness in the world, or help in yourself, that I may lead you to the hope of the gospel.