grace with the outward means be neceffary to work repentance, then the impenitence of those to whom this grace is not afforded, which yet is necessary to repentance, is neither any new fin, nor any new aggravation of their former impenitence. For no man can imagine that the juft God will charge men with new guilt, and increase their condemnation, for remaining impenitent in fuch circumstances in which it is impoffible for them to repent:

IV. I obferve from this difcourfe of our Saviour's, that an irresistible degree of grace is not neceffary to repentance, nor commonly afforded to thofe who do repent. God may, where he pleafeth, without injury to any man, over-power his will, and ftop him in his courfe, and hinder him from making himself miferable, and by an irresistible right convince him of his error and the evil of his ways, and bring him to a better mind: but this God feldom does; and when he does it, it is very probable it is not fo much for their own fakes, as to make them inftruments of good to others. Thus, by a fecret but over-powering influence, he over-ruled the difciples to follow our Saviour, and to leave their calling and relations, and all their temporal concernments to do it. But one of the most remarkable examples of this extraordinary grace of God, is St. Paul, who was violently ftopt in his courfe of perfecuting the Chriftians, and convinced of his fin, and brought over to Chriftianity, in a very extraordinary and forcible manner. And of this miraculous and extraordinary converfion, God himself gives this account, that he was a chofen veffel unto him, to bear his name before the Gentiles, and Kings, and the children of Ifrael, Acts ix. 15.; and St. Paul tells us, Gal. i. 15. 16. that for this end God had feparated him from his mother's womb, and called him by his grace, and revealed his Son to him, in that extraordinary manner, that he might preach among the Heathen.

But generally God does not bring men thus to repentance; nor is it neceffary he fhould. For if an irrefiftible degree of grace were always neceffary to bring men to repentance, there could be no difference between the impenitence of Chorazin and Bethfaida, and of Tyre

Tyre and Sidon. For, according to this doctrine of the neceffity of irresistible grace to the converfion of every man, it is evident, that Tyre and Sidon neither could, nor would have repented, without an irresistible degree of God's grace, accompanying the outward means of repentance which he afforded to them; becaufe fuch a degree of grace is necessary to repentance, and without it, it is impoffible for any man to repent. But then it is as plain, on the contrary, that if Chorazin and Bethfaida had had the fame irrefiftible degree of God's grace, together with the outward means of repentance afforded to them, that they would have repented as certainly as Tyre and Sidon. Where then is the reafon of upbraiding the impenitence of the one, more than of the other? where the aggravation of the one's guilt above the other? where the juftice of punifhing the impenitence of Chorazin and Bethfaida, more than theirs of Tyre and Sidon? For upon this fuppofition, they muft either have repented both alike, or have been both equally impenitent. The fum of what I have faid, is this, that if no man does, nor can repent, without fuch a degree of God's grace as cannot be refifted, no man's repentance is commendable, nor is one man's impenitence more blameable than another's; Chorazin and Bethfaida can be in no more fault for continuing impenitent, han Tyre and Sidon were. For either this irrefiftible grace is afforded to men or not: if it be, their repentance is neceffary, and they cannot help it; if it be not, their repentance is impoffible, and confequently their impenitence is neceffary, and they cannot help it neither.

V. Iobferve from the main fcope of our Saviour's dif course, that the fins and impenitence of men receive their aggravation, and confequently fhall have their punishment, proportionable to the opportunities and means of repentance which thofe perfons have enjoyed and neglected.

For what is here faid of miracles, is by equality of reafon likewise true of all other advantages and means of repentance and falvation. The reafon why miracles will be fuch an aggravation of the condemnation of men is, because they are fo proper and powerful a

means

means to convince them of the truth and divinity of that doctrine which calls them to repentance. So that all thofe means which God affords to us of the knowJedge of our duty, of conviction of the evil and danger of a kinful course, are fo many helps and motives to repentance, and confequently will prove fo many aggravations of our fin and punishment, if we continue impenitent. The

VI. And laft obfervation, and which naturally follows from the former, is this, that the cafe of thofe who are impenitent under the gofpel, is of all others the moft dangerous, and their damnation fhall be heaviest and moft fevere.

And this brings the cafe of these cities here in the text home to ourfelves. For in truth there is no material difference between the cafe of Chorazin and Bethfaida and Capernaum, and of ourfelves in this city and nation, who enjoy the clear light of the gofpel, with all the freedom, and all the

God to this na

sout

any people ever did. The merciesvantages that tion have been very great, especially in bringing us ou of that darkness and fuperftition, which covered this western part of the world; in refcuing us from that great corruption and degeneracy of the Chriftian religion which prevailed among us, by fo early and fo regular a reformation; and in continuing fo long this great bleffing to us. The judgments of God have been likewife very great upon us for our fins. God hath manifefted himself by terrible things in righteousness; our eyes have feen many and difmal calamities in the fpace of a few years, which call loudly upon us to repent and turn to God. God hath afforded us the most effectual means of repentance, and hath taken the most effectual courfe of bringing us to it. And though our bleffed Saviour does not fpeak to us in perfon, nor do we at this day fee miracles wrought among us, as the Jews did; yet we have the doctrine which our bleffed Saviour preached, faithfully tranfmitted to us, and a credible relation of the miracles wrought for the confirmation of that doctrine, and many other arguments to perfuade us of the truth of it, which thofe to whom our Saviour fpake had hot, nor could not then have, taken

from

from the accomplishing of our Saviour's predictions, after his death; the fpeedy propagation and wonderful fuccefs of this doctrine in the world, by weak and inconfiderable means, against all the power and oppofition of the world, the deftruction of Jerufalem, and the dif perfion of the Jewish nation, according to our Saviour's prophecy; befides many more that might be mentioned. And, which is a mighty advantage to us, we are free from thofe prejudices against the perfon of our Saviour and his doctrine, which the Jews, by the reverence which they bare to their rulers and teachers, were generally poffeffed withal, we are brought up in the belief of it, and have drunk it in by education; and if we believe it, as we all profefs to do, we have all the obligation and all the arguments to repentance, which the Jews could poffibly have from the miracles which they faw; for they were means of repentance to them no otherways than as they brought them to the belief of our Saviour's doctrine, which called them to repentance,

So that if we continue impenitent, the fame woe is denounced against us that is against Chorazin and Bethfaida; and we may be faid with Capernaum, to be lifted up to heaven, by the enjoyment of the moft excellent means and advantages of falvation that any people ever did; which if we neglect, and ftill continue wicked and impenitent under them, we may juftly fear, that with them we fhall be thrown down to hell, and have our place in the loweft part of that difmal dungeon, and in the very centre of that fiery furnace.

Never was there greater caufe to upbraid the impenitence of any people, than of us, confidering the means, and opportunities which we enjoy; and never had any greater reafon to fear a feverer doom, than we have. Impenitence in a Heathen is a great fin; elfe how fhould, God judge the world? But God takes no notice of that, in comparifon of the impenitence of Chriftians, who enjoy the gofpel, and are convinced of the truth, and upon the greatelt reafon in the world profefs to believe it. We Chriftians' have all the obligations to repentance, that reason and revelation, nature and grace can lay upon us. Art thou convinced that thou haft finned, and done that which is contrary to thy duty, and there

by

by provoked the wrath of God, and incenfed his juftice against thee? As thou art a man, and upon the stock of natural principles, thou art obliged to repentance. The fame light of reafon which difcovers to thee the errors of thy life, and challengeth thee for thy impiety and intemperance, for thy injuftice and oppreffion, for thy pride and paffion; the fame natural confcience which accufeth thee of any mifcarriages, does oblige thee to be forry for them, to turn from thy evil ways, and to break off thy fins by repentance. For nothing can be more unreafonable, than for a man to know a fault, and yet not think himself bound to be forry for it; to be convinced of the evil of his ways, and not to think himself obliged by that very conviction, to turn from it, and forfake it. If there be any fuch thing as a natural law written in mens hearts, which the Apostle tells us the Heathens had, it is impoffible to imagine, but that the law which obliges men not to tranfgrefs, fhould oblige them to repentance in cafe of tranfgreffion. And this every man in the world is bound to, though he had never seen the bible, nor heard of the name of Chrift. And the revelation of the gofpel doth not fuperfede this obligation, but adds new strength and force to it and by how much this duty of repentance is more clearly revealed by our bleffed Saviour in the gofpel; by how much the arguments which the gospel ufeth to perfuade men, and encourage them to repentance, are greater and more powerful; by fo much is the impenitence of thofe who live under the gofpel the more inexcufable.

Had we only fome faint hopes of God's mercy, a doubtful opinion and weak perfuafion of the rewards and punishments of another world; yet we have a law within us, which, upon the probability of thefe confiderations, would oblige us to repentance. Indeed if men were affured upon good grounds, that there would be no future rewards and punishments; then the fanction of the law were gone, and it would lofe its force and obligation: or if we did defpair of the mercy of God, and had good reason to think repentance impoffible, or that it would do us no good; in that cafe there would be no fufficient motive and argument to repentance: for no man can return to his duty, without

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