I Proceed next to the reasons which do enforce Repentance.
Reason 1. 1. From Gods soveraign command, Act. 17. 30. He commandeth men every where to repent. Repentance is not arbitrary; ‘tis not left to our choice whether we will repent or no, but it is an indispensible command (Epictetus). God hath enacted a Law in the High Court of Heaven, that no sinner shall be saved but the repenting sinner; and he will not break his own Law. Though all the Angels should stand before God, and beg the life of an irrepenting person, God would not grant it, Exod. 34. 6. The Lord God, merciful and gracious, keeping mercy for thousands, and that will by no means clear the guilty. Though God is more full of mercy, than the Sun is of light, yet he will not forgive a sinner while he goes on in his guilt: He will by no means clear the guilty.
Reason 2. 2. The pure nature of God denies communion with an impenitent creature. Till the sinner repent, God and he cannot be friends, Isa. 1. 16. Wash ye, make ye clean. Go steep your selves in the brinish waters of Repentance, Ver. 18. Come now and let us reason together. Now, saith God, I will parley with you, but else come not near me. What communion hath light with darkness? How can the righteous God indulge him that goes on still in his trespasses? Exod. 23. 7. I will not justifie the wicked. If God should be at1 peace with a sinner before he repent, he should seem to like and approve all that he hath done; he should go against his own holiness. ‘Tis inconsistent with the sanctity of Gods nature to pard on a sinner while he is in the act of rebellion.
Reason 3. 3. Sinners continuing in impenitency, are out of Christs commission: See his commission, Isa. 61. 1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted. Christ is a Prince and Saviour, but not to save men in an absolute way, whether they repent or no. If ever Christ bring men to Heaven, it shall be thorow Hell gates, Act. 5. 31. Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and Saviour to give Repentance. As a King pardons Rebels, not if they persist in open defiance, but if they relent, and yield themselves to the mercy of their Prince.
Reason 4. 4. There is a great deal of equity in it, that we should repent. We have by sin wronged God; we have ecclipsed his honour; we have infringed his Law, and good reason we should make him some reparation. By Repentance we humble and judge our selves for sin; we set to our seal that God is righteous if he should destroy us: and thus we give glory to God, and do what in us lyes to repair his honour.
- If God should save men without Repentance,2 making no discrimination, then by this Rule he must save all; not only men, but Devils, as Origen once held; and so consequently the decrees of Election and Reprobation must fall to the ground; which how diametrically opposite it is to sacred writ, let all judge.