those who are moft happy, do continually receive new additions to their bleffednefs; and that their felicity is never at a stand, but perpetually growing and improving to all eternity; and that as their knowledge and love do increase, fo likewife the capacity and caufes of their hap; pinefs are ftill more and more enlarged and augmented: fo that it is reasonable enough to fuppofe, that there is really joy among the angels, and fpirits of juft men made perfect, over every finner that repenteth...

II. Who are here meant by the juft perfons who need no repentance? That our Saviour, in this expreffion, gives fome glance and reflexion upon the Pharifees, (who prided themfelves in their own righteoufnefs, and, inftead of confeffing their fins to God, ftood upon their own justification, as if they needed no repentance), is very probable; because this parable was defigned to anfwer their murmurings against him for converfing with publicans and finners; and, by the by, to give a check to thofe who were fo conceited of their own righteoufnefs, as if they had no need of repentance. And this is very fuitable to what our Saviour elfewhere fays to them upon the like occafion, that the whole have no need of the phyician, but the fick; that he came not to call the righteous, but the finners to repentance. But yet, though our Saviour exprefleth himself, fo as that the Pharifees might with reafon enough apply it to themfelves, that there was more joy in heaven over one finner that repenteth, than over ninety and nine of them, who were fo con-. ceited of their own righteoufnefs, that they thought they had no need of repentance, (for indeed our Saviour delivers himself fo as to leave room for fuch a fevere application); yet I think there is little doubt to be made, but that he intended fomething farther: and that fuppofing the Pharifees were as just as they pretended, and were really righteous men, fo as to ftand in no need of fuch a repentance as great finners do; yet our Saviour affirms, there was more joy in heaven over one penitent finner, than over ninety and nine fuch juft perfons.

1

But are there any perfons in the world fo juft, as abfolutely to ftand in need of no repentance? No; there. was never any fuch perfon in the world, him only excepted who faid this, our bleffed Saviour, who had no

fin, neither was guile found in his mouth. And therefore this phrafe, of needing no repentance, is to be understood in a qualified fenfe, and with some allowance; otherwise our bleffed Saviour had fuppofed a cafe which never was, of a great number of perfectly righteous men. And our Saviour's meaning in this is fufficiently explained in the laft parable of this chapter, concerning the prodigal fon; where the prodigal fon is the finner that repented, and his elder brother, who had always obferved and obeyed his father, he is the juft perfon who needed no repentance. So that by him our Saviour plainly defigns thofe who, being religioufly educated, and brought up in the fear of God, had never broke out into any extravagant and vi tious courfe of life, and fo'in fome fenfe had no need of repentance; that is, of changing the whole courfe of their lives, as the prodigal fon had. Not but that the best of men are guilty of many faults and infirmities, which they have too much caufe to repent of, as our Saviour fufficiently intimates in that parable. For certainly it was no small infirmity in the elder brother, to be fo envious, and to take fo heinoufly the joyful welcome and entertainment which his prodigal brother at his return found from his father: but yet this fingle fault, and sudden surprise of paffion, confidering the. conftant duty which he had paid to his father through out the courfe of his life, did not make him fuch a fin ner, as to need fuch a repentance as his brother did; which confifted in a perfect change of the whole courfe of his life. And of fuch just perfons as thefe, and of fuch a repentance as this, it feems very plain, that our Saviour intended this difcourfe.

III. But the main difficulty of all is, with what reafon it is here faid, that there is more joy in heaven over one fin ner that repenteth, than over ninety and nine juft perfons which need no repentance? Is is not better not to offend, than to fin and repent? Is not innocence better than amendment, and the wifdom of prevention to be prefer red before that of remedy? Is it worth the while to do amifs, to make way for repentance? And is not this almost like finning, that grace may abound? And if repentance be not better than righteoufnefs, why is there more joy in heaven over the penitent, than over the righ

A a-2

teous;;

teous; nay over one penitent finner, than over ninety and nine juft perfons? Do not the bleffed always rejoice moft in that which is really beft? Here is the difficulty, and it requires fome care and confideration clearly to remove it. In order to which, be pleased to confider thefe three things, which I think to be very material to the clearing of it.

1. That the fame thing, confidered in feveral refpects, may in fome refpects have the advantage of another thing, and for thefe reafons be preferred before it; and yet not have the advantage of it abfolutely, and in all refpects. Moral comparifons are not to be exacted to a mathematical ftrictnefs and rigour. To this purpofe I have obferved, in a former difcourfe, that it was long fince judicially noted by Ariftotle, "That moral and

proverbial speeches are not to be taken too ftrictly, as "if they were univerfally true, and in all cafes: it is fufficient if they be true for the most part, and in several refpects which are very confiderable. And of this nature are most of the proverbs of Solomon; and whofoever fall go about to make out the truth of them in all cafes, does, in my opinion, take a very hard task upon himfelf. But, which is nearer to my purpose, our Saviour himself, in the chapter before my text, and in the moral application of a parable too, namely, that of the unjuft fteward, ufeth a proverbial fpeech juft in the fame manner: The children of this world are in their genera tion wiser than the children of light; which is only a wife obfervation that is generally true, and in many refpects, but not abfolutely and univerfally. For fome men have been as wife and diligent for the glory of God, and intereft of their fouls, as ever any man was for this world, and for the advancement of his temporal interest. Of the like nature is this faying ufed by our Saviour, probably taken, as our Saviour did many other proverbial fpeeches, from the Jews, and applied to his own purpofe. For there are feveral fayings of the Jewish mafters much to this purpose: as, "Great is the dignity of

penitents; Great is the virtue of them that repent, fo "that no creature may stand in their rank and order :" and again," The righteous may not ftand in the fame <6 place with thofe that have repented." Thefe, I confefs, were very high fayings; but yet very well defigned

for

for the encouragement of repentance. And they are not without good reason, as will appear, if we consider these two things..

1, That the greater the difficulty of virtue is, fo much the greater is the praise and commendation of it: ands not only we ourselves take the more joy and comfort in in it, but it is more admirable and delightful to others. Now, it cannot be denied to be much more difficult to break off a vitious habit, than to go on in a good way. which we have been trained up in, and always accuftomed to. Those that have been well educated, have great cause to thank God, and to acknowledge the care of their parents and teachers: for piety and goodness are almost infinitely easier to fuch perfons, than to those who have wanted this advantage. It is happy for them they never tafted of unlawful pleasures; if they had, they would poffibly have drank as deep as others. It is well they were never intangled in a finful course, nor inflaved to vitious habits, nor hardened through the deceitfulness of fin; if they had, they might poffibly never have been recovered out of the fnare of the devil. By the happinefs of a good education, and the merciful providence of God, a great part of many mens virtue confists in their ignorance of vice, and their being kept out of the way of great and dangerous temptations; rather in the good i customs they have been bred up to, than in the deliberate choice of their wills; and rather in the happy preventions of evil, than in their refolute conftancy in that which is good. And God, who knows what is in man,, and fees to the bottom of every man's temper and inclination, knows how far this man would have fallen, had i he had the temptations of other men; and how irreco verably perhaps he would have been plunged in an evil courfe, had he once entered upon it. So that repentance is a very great thing. And though it be the most. juft, and fit, and reasonable thing in the world; yet, for all that, it deferves great commendation, because it is for the most part so very hard and difficult. And there. fore, though, abfolutely fpeaking, innocence is better than repentance; yet, as the circumftances may be, the virtue of fome penitents may be greater than of many juft and righteous perfons.

1

2dly, There is this confideration farther to recommend repentance, that they who are reclaimed from a wicked course, are many times more thoroughly and zealously good afterwards. Their trouble and remorfe for their fins, does quicken and fpur them on in the ways of virtue and goodnefs; and a lively fenfe of their paft errors, is apt to make them more careful and confcientious of their duty, more tender and fearful of offending God,. and defirous, if it were poffible, to redeem their former mifcarriages by their good behaviour for the future. Their love to God is ufually more vehement, and burns with a brighter flame; for to whomfoever much is forgiven, they will love much. And they are commonly more zealous for the converfion of others; as being more fenfible of the danger finners are in, and more apt to commiferate their cafe; remembering that it was once their own condition, and with what difficulty they were refcued from fo great a danger. And for the most part great penitents are more free from pride, and contempt of others; the confideration of what themselves once were, being enough to keep them humble all their days. So that penitents are many times more thoroughly and per fectly good; and, after their recovery, do in feveral refpects outftrip and excel thofe who were never engaged in a vitious courfe of life; as a broken bone that is well fet, is fometimes ftronger than it was before.

2. It will conduce alfo very much to the extenuating of this difficulty, to confider that our Saviour does not here compare repentance with abfolute innocence and perfect righteoufnefs; but with the imperfect obedience: of good men, who are guilty of many fins and infirmities, but yet, upon account of the general course and tenor of their lives, are, by the mercy and favour of the gospel, efteemed juft and righteous perfons, and, for the merits and perfect obedience of our bleffed Saviour, fo accepted by God. Now, this alters the cafe very much, and brings the penitent, and this fort of righteous perfons, much nearer to one another: fo that, in comparing them together, the true penitent may in fome cafes," and in fome refpects, have the advantage of the righteous, and deferve upon fome accounts to be preferred before him. awood/vlt ban But 3. Which