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by some alarming providence. When judgments overtake us, and conscience tells us that it is the hand of the Lord stretched out against us for our sin, the mind is appaled with fear, and so ceases to be in a state to pursue its favourite devices. But if, as soon as the pressing hand of providence is removed, the heart returns, like a spring, to its former position, there is no reason to consider its temporary depression as containing any true repentance.

Dr. Owen has expressed these sentiments with that unction of spirit, and deep insight into the human heart, which is peculiar to himself.

"There are two occasions," says he, "wherein men who are contending with any sin, may seem to themselves to have mortified it. First, when it hath had some sad eruption to the disturbances of their peace, terror of their consciences, dread of scandal, and evident provocation of God. This awakens and stirs up all that is in the man, and amazes him, fills him with abhorrency of sin, and himself for it; sends him to God makes him cry out as for life, to abhor his lust as hell, and to set himself against it. The whole man, spiritual and natural, being now awakened, sin shrinks in its head, appears not, but lies as dead before him. As when one that hath drawn nigh to an army in the night, and hath killed a principal person, instantly the guards awake, men are roused up, and strict inquiry is made after the enemy; who, in the mean time, until the noise and tumult be over, hides himself, or lies like one that is dead, yet with firm resolution to do the like mischief again upon the like opportunity.Secondly: In a time of some judgment, calamity or pressing affliction. The heart is then taken up with thoughts and contrivances of flying from the present troubles, fears, and dangers. This, as a convinced person concludes, is to be done only by relinquishment of sin, which gains peace with God. It is the angel of God, in every affliction, that galls a convinced person. To be quit of this, men resolve, at such times, against their sins. Sin shall never more have any place in them; they will never again give up themselves to the service of it. Accordingly sin is quiet, stirs not, seems to be mortified not indeed that it has received any one wound, but merely because the soul hath possessed its

faculties whereby it should exert itself, with thoughts inconsistent with the motions thereof; which, when they are laid aside, sin returns again to its former life and vigour. Of this we have a full instance in Pisa. lxxviii. 32-38. For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wonderous works. Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their y years in trouble. When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant. I no way doubt but that when they sought and returned, and inquired earnestly after God, they did it with full purpose of heart, as to the relinquishment of their sins. This is expressed in the word returned. To turn, or return unto the Lord is by a relinquishment of sin. And this they did early, with earnestness and diligence; but yet their sin was unmortified for all this, ver. 36, 37: and this is the state of many humiliations in the days of affliction, and a great deceit in the hearts of believers themselves lies oftentimes herein."*

When a professor of religion has fallen into some odious vice, and wishes to shelter himself from the censures of his connexions, you will often hear him allege, "I have repented:" whereas it amounts to little more than the shame and alarm above described, as his after conduct very frequently proves. Indeed it is not of the nature of true repentance to talk of having repented, and especially for the purpose of evading a faithful censure.

Fifthly Though we should refrain from the open practice of the sin, and that for a continuance; yet if it be merely from prudential or selfish considerations, we may be certain that we have not yet repented of it.-Though we had no religion, and pretended to none, we might find various inducements to refrain from gross immoralities. They affect our interest, our health, and our reputation: It is on such principles that mere worldly men will guard against them; and if we act from the same motives, wherein are

*On The Moritfication of Sin in Believers. Chap. V.

we better than they? Or if the dread of future punishment may be supposed to have some influence upon us, this is a very different thing from the fear of the Lord, which is to hate evil. And where the motives for abstaining from any evil are merely prudential, or selfish, we shall abstain from very little more than that which falls under the eye of creatures. Our watchfulness will respect little, if any thing, more than outward actions. The daily, care of our lives will be, not how we shall please God, but how we shall conceal the prevailing disposition of our hearts from those about us-a task this as difficult as it is mean; for whatever occupies our thoughts and affections, will, on various occasions, not withstanding our utmost care, escape us. Looks, gestures, manner of speaking and acting, as well as words and deeds themselves, betray what is predominant within. Hence it is that we generally deceive ourselves in these matters. We often fancy our character to be unknown when it is well known: and if it were otherwise, all is naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Of this we may be certain, that while our chief concern is to hide our sins from those about us, should we be summoned to give an account of our stewardship, it will appear that we have sinned and not repented of our deeds; and wherein this differs from going down to the grave with our guilt upon our heads, it is difficult to say.

Sixthly: If we take pleasure in talking of the evil, or in dwel ling upon it in our thoughts, it is a certain sign of the same thing. True repentance works in a way of silent shame and self-abasement: That thou mayest remember and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy shame, when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God. When men can talk, and even write of their former wicked courses with lightness, it is a certain proof that, whatever repentance they have had, they do not at present repent of it; and though nothing be said or written, yet if such things occupy our thoughts, imaginations, and affections, it is much the same. A mind full of this must needs be lacking of those spiritual exercises which render us that we shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and those that are VOL. IV.

48

378

SYMPTOMS OF A BACKSLIDING SPIRIT.

such are fitly enough described as having forgotten that they were purged from their old sins. If old sins are thought of with new delight, they are reacted and persisted in; and where this continues to be the case, the guilt of them must remain upon us, and may be found upon our heads when we go down to the grave.

Lastly: If we trifle with temptation, or be not afraid of putting ourselves in the way of it, or even of being led into it, we may be certain that at present we have not repented of our sin.—It is a saying almost grown into a proverb, He that is not afraid of temptation is not afraid of sin; and he that is not afraid of sin, must needs be in danger of being destroyed by it. If, after having been repeatedly drawn into sin, by associating in certain companies, or certain pursuits, we can, nevertheless, run into them again without fear, we cannot possibly have repented of our deeds. Nay more, though we should fear to plunge ourselves into temptation, yet, if when providence brings us into such situations and companies, our hearts secretly rejoice in it, this is no less an evidence of our impenitent state than the other. True repentance will not only teach us to shun the way of evil, but to be averse to every avenue that leads to it. If, therefore, we either run into temptation, or are glad when we are led into it, we are, beyond all doubt, under the power of it.

ON THE

INJURIOUS AND DANGEROUS EFFECTS

OF

SIN LYING UPON THE CONSCIENCE UNLAMENTED.

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It is a dangerous thing to fall into sin, whether secretly or openly; and the effects of it, sooner or later, will certainly be felt : but to continue in it is much more so. A very heavy threatening is denounced against God's open enemies for their persisting in sin: God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as GOETH ON STILL in his trespasses. But the same thing, in persons who have known the way of righteousness, must be abundantly more offensive. He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? There is a remedy at hand of God's providing; a propitiation for our sins; and it is declared, If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. But if, instead ot confessing our sins on the head of this propitiation, and imploring mercy in his name, we sink into hardness of heart, neglect prayer, shun the company of the faithful, and efface the remembrance of one sin only by the commission of another, what have we to expect?

I am aware that it is one of the devices of Satan, after having drawn a soul from God, and entangled him in the net of his own corruptions, to persuade him that the prayer of faith, in his circumstances, would be presumption; and that it is much more modest and becoming for him to stand aloof, both from God and his people. And if by faith were meant what some would seem to understand by it, a working up ourselves into a persuasion that,

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