15. But besides these outward omissions, may they not find in themselves, inward defects without number? Defects of every kind: they have not the love, the fear, the confidence they ought to have toward God. They have not the love which is due to their neighbour, to every child of man: no, nor even that which is due to their brethren, to every child of God; whether those that are at a distance from them, or those with whom they are immediately connected. They have no holy temper in the degree they ought: they are defective in every thing: in a deep consciousness of which they are ready to cry out with Mr. de Renty, “I am a ground all overrun with thorns:” or with Job, I am vile: I abhor myself, and repent as in dust and ashes.
16. A conviction of their guiltiness is another branch of that repentance which belongs to thechildren of God. But this is cautiously to be understood, and in a peculiar sense. For it is certain, there is no condemnation for them that are in Christ Jesus, that believe in him, and in the power of that faith, walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. Yet can they no more bear the strict justice of God now than before they believed. This pronounces them to be still worthy of death, on all the preceding accounts. And it would absolutely condemn them thereto, were it not for the atoning blood. Therefore they are throughly convinced, that they still deserve punishment, altho’ it is hereby turned aside from them. But here there are extremes on one hand and on the other, and few steer clear of them. Most men strike on one or the other, either thinking themselves condemned, when they are not, or thinking they deserve to be acquitted. Nay, the truth lies between: they still deserve, strictly speaking, only the damnation of hell. But what they deserve does not come upon them, because they have an Advocate with the Father. His life and death and intercession still interpose between them and condemnation.
17. A conviction of their utter helplesness, is yet another branch of this repentance. I mean hereby two things; 1. That they are no more able now of themselves to think one good thought, to form one good desire, to speak one good word, or do one good work, than beforethey were justified: that they have still no kind or degree of strength of their own, no power either to do good or resist evil: no ability to conquer or even withstand, the world, the devil, or their own evil nature. They can, it is certain, do all these things; but it is not by their own strength. They have power to overcome all these enemies; for sin hath no more dominion over them. But it is not from nature, either in whole or in part: it is the mere gift of God. Nor is it given all at once, as if they had a stock laid up for many years; but from moment to moment.
18. By this helplesness I mean, secondly, an absolute inability to deliver ourselves, from that guiltiness or desert of punishment whereof we are still conscious: yea, and an inability to remove by all the grace we have, (to say nothing of our natural powers) either the pride, self-will, love of the world, anger, and general proneness to depart from God, which we experimentally know to remain in the heart, even of them that are regenerate; or the evil which in spite of all our endeavours, cleaves to all our words and actions. Add to this, an utter inability wholly to avoid uncharitable, and much more, unprofitable conversation: Add, an inability to avoid sins of omission, or to supply the numberless defects we are convinced of, especially the want of love and other right tempers, both to God and man.
19. If any man is not satisfied of this, if any believes that whoever is justified, is able to remove these sins out of his heart and life, let him make the experiment. Let him try, whether by the grace he has already received, he can expel pride, self-will, or inbred sin in general. Let him try, whether he can cleanse his words and actions from all mixture of evil: whether he can avoid all uncharitable and unprofitable conversation, with all sins of omission; and lastly, whether he can supply the numberless defects which he still finds in himself. Let him not be discouraged by one or two experiments, but repeat the trial again and again. And the longer he tries, the more deeply will he be convinced of his utter helplesness in all these respects.
20. Indeed this is so evident a truth, that well nigh all the children of God scattered abroad, however they differ in other points, yet generally agree in this, that although we may by the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, resist and conquer both outward and inward sin, although we may weaken our enemies day by day, yet we cannot drive them out. By all the grace which is given at justification, we cannot extirpate them. Though we watch and pray ever so much, we cannot wholly cleanse either our hearts or hands. Most sure we cannot, till it shall please our Lord, to speak to our hearts again, to “Speak the second time be clean.” And then only the leprosy is cleansed. Then only the evil root, the carnalmind is destroyed, and inbred sin subsists no more. But if there be no such second change, if there be no instantaneous deliverance after justification, if there be none but a gradual work of God, (that there is a gradual work none denies) then we must be content, as well as we can, to remain full of sin till death. And if so, we must remain guilty till death, continually deserving punishment. For it is impossible, the guilt or desert of punishment should be removed from us, as long as all this sin remains in our heart, and cleaves to our words and actions. Nay, in rigorous justice, all we think, and speak, and act, continually increases it.
II. 1. In this sense, we are to repent, after we are justified. And till we do so, we can go no farther. For till we are sensible, of our disease, it admits of no cure. But supposing we do thus repent, then are we called to believe the gospel.
2. And this also is to be understood in a peculiar sense, different from that, wherein we believed in order to justification. Believe the glad tidings of great salvation, which God hath prepared for all people. Believe that he who is the brightness of his Father’s glory, the express image of his person, is able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God through him. He is able to save you from all the sin that still remains in your heart. He is able to save you from all the sin that cleaves to all your words and actions. He is able to save you from sins of omission, andto supply whatever is wanting in you. It is true, this is impossible with man; but with God-Man all things are possible. For what can be too hard for him, who hath all power in heaven and in earth? Indeed his bare power to do this, is not a sufficient foundation for our faith, that he will do it, that he will thus exert his power, unless he hath promised it. But this he has done: he has promised it over and over, in the strongest terms. He has given us these exceeding great and precious promises, both in the Old and the New Testament. So we read in the law, in the most ancient part of the oracles of God, The Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart and with all thy soul, Deut. xxx. 6. So in the Psalms, He shall redeem Israel (the Israel of God) from all his sins, so in the Prophet: Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you—And I will put my Spirit within you and ye shall keep my judgments and do them. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses, Ezek. xxxvi. 25, &c. So likewise in the New Testament. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people. And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us—to perform the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, should serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousnessbefore him, all the days of our life, Luke i. 68, &c.
3. You have therefore good reason to believe, he is not only able, but willing to do this, to cleanse you from all your filthiness of flesh and spirit, to save you from all your uncleannesses. This is the thing which you now long for: this is the faith which you now particularly need, namely, that the great Physician, the lover of my soul, is willing to make me clean. But is he willing to do this to-morrow or to-day? Let him answer for himself. To day, if ye will hear my voice, harden not your hearts. If you put it off till to-morrow, you harden your hearts: you refuse to hear his voice. Believe therefore that he is willing to save you to-day. He is willing to save you now. Behold, now is the accepted time. He now saith, Be thou clean! Only believe; and you also will immediately find, all things are possible to him that believeth.
4. Continue to believe in him that loved thee, and gave himself for thee, that bore all thy sins in his own body on the tree, and he saveth thee from all condemnation, by his blood continually applied. Thus it is that we continue in a justified state. And when we go on from faith to faith, when we have faith to be cleansed from indwelling sin, to be saved from all our uncleannesses, we are likewise saved from all that guilt, that desert of punishment, whichwe felt before. So that then we may say not only