SERMON XLVII.

THE REPENTANCE OF SINNERS MATTER OF

JOY IN HEAVEN.

LUKE XV. 7, 10.

I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT LIKEWISE JOY SHALL BE IN HEAVEN OVER ONE SINNER THAT REPENTETH, MORE THAN OVER NINETY AND NINE JUST PERSONS WHICH NEED NO REPENTANCE. LIKEWISE I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT THERE IS JOY IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ANGELS OF GOD OVER ONE SINNER THAT REPENTETH.

THE

HE Pharifees were much offended with our Lord for fhewing so much concern for finners as to keep them company, in order to teach them their duty, and to convince them of their danger.

a

Our Lord affures them, by these three parables, that God is well pleased when finners are converted; that the angels rejoice at it; and that fuch as are at the pains to bring back poor, ignorant, or wicked people, who have gone aftray like loft fheep, do a work very acceptable to God, and God will reward them for it.

a The Parables of the Loft Sheep, the Piece of Silver, and the Prodigal Son.

In

In fhort; our Lord has, by these fimilitudes, difcovered to us one of the most comfortable truths in the world, which is, that when men have offended God, yet if they become fenfible of their fin, and truly forry for it, God will pardon what is past, and take them into favour, as if they had never offended him.

What is the reason that we can hear fuch holy fcriptures as these without being moved? The reason is plain: we do not consider that we are finners; we do not know what it is to be a finner; we are not fenfible that every finner is liable to the anger of God, is as one loft and undone, until he repent and be restored to God's favour.

Would you know the condition of a finner, whofe confcience is awake, and lets him fee his fin and his condition?--

Look upon David, when he had been guilty of adultery and murder: hear how he expreffes his grief: My forrow is continually before me; for mine iniquities are gone over mine head; as an heavy burthen, they are too heavy for me.

Look upon St. Peter, when he had denied his Lord, and thought upon it, you will find him weeping bitterly.

See the publican in the temple; he dares not fo much as lift up his eyes, but fmites. upon his breast, and cries, God be merciful unto me a finner.

Confider the penitent woman, at the feet of Jefus, washing his feet with her tears. What was all this for? Our Lord will tell you: Her fins were many; Chrift had forgiven her upon her repentance; and thus fhe expreffes her love and thankfulness; fhe looked upon it as the greatest mercy in the world, to be reftored to the favour of God, and fhe would not but shew it by her love and by her tears.

And if we are not thus affected, when we confider how merciful God has been to us, it is because we are not truly fenfible what it is to be out of his favour, what it is to be under his displeasure. In fhort; it is because our confciences were never well awake.

They that are whole (or think themselves fo) care not for a phyfician, but they that are fick. Come unto me, faith our Lord, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

When once it is thus with men, they will hear these parables with delight, and receive the doctrines contained in them with cheerfulness.

They will understand, for instance, with the greatest fatisfaction imaginable, that by the Shepherd, who went to feek his loft sheep, is meant Jefus Chrift, who came into the world to feek and to fave finners. When they hear what pains he took to find it; how he took it upon his fhoulders, how he rejoiced that he had found it, and called his friends and his neighbours to rejoice with him; they will then

apply

apply this parable to themfelves; they will fee plainly, that God defires their converfion; that if he defires it, he will afford them all the means of being converted; that their fouls are dear in his fight, or elfe he would not have fent his own fon to feek and to save them. Then they will fee and acknowledge the tender love of this good fhepherd, who spared no pains to find his loft fheep; they will therefore love him, defire to please him, and not willingly do any thing that may justly offend him.

And when they hear again the parable of the woman that had loft a piece of filver, what concern she had upon her, what pains fhe took to find it, what pleasure she had when she had found it; they will easily fee, that all this is matter of the greatest comfort to finners; that if the angels rejoice upon the converfion of a finner, it is because God is pleased with it, and because they know that God will not reject any that return to him.

And they will still be more convinced of this when they go on to confider the circumftances of the prodigal fon. He left his father's house without his leave; that which his father gave him to maintain him decently, he fpent upon harlots; he never thought upon his father, nor the fad affliction he gave him, till he could live no where elfe: thefe are all inftances. of a vile behaviour; and yet after all, the father receives him without upbraid

ing him, and treats him after fuch a manner as if he had never done amifs.

And will God thus deal with finners, who return to him after all their wanderings; who, being fenfible of their unhappy condition, defire his pardon and favour?

Yes, thus God will deal with his unhappy creatures; unhappy, because they have offended him; but happy, in having fuch a father, so full of goodness, fo ready to pardon.

Will any finner after this fay, I would willingly return, if I could hope that God would receive and pardon me? A finner may indeed fay, I will not forfake my fins; I will not ask pardon; I will not return to my duty; but no man can say, if I fhould defire to return to God, he will not receive me.

Let us all then, for we are all finners; let us all be encouraged to return to God by a fincere repentance: his goodness fhould lead us to it; our own danger should spur us on; the joys of heaven should invite us; and the examples of others being received and pardoned, should encourage us to hope for the fame merciful treatment.

In fhort; the parables we have read will bear witness against us at the last day, that God did invite us, but we unworthily despised his favours of mercy and pardon.

But what pretences have any finners for not returning to God, and depending upon his pardon? Why, fome fay, that true repent

ance,