zard as an Eternity of Mifery. But to fuch Chriftians that firmly believe them, and have all Reafon fo to do both from Revelation and Reason too, for all Mankind had ever fome belief and expectations of fad Punishments in another World for Wickedness, to them 'tis unaccountable folly and madnefs to live in fuch Sins, and in fuch courfes, as will throw them into this unquenchable Fire, and confign them to this dreadful and everlafting state of Mifery. Is there any Sin whofe charms are fo great, whofe gains are fo tempting, that for the enjoyment of all thefe for a little season, 'tis worth enduring the Torments of Hell for ever?

If these Terrors of the Lord will not perfwade Men to Repent and Leave their Sins, nothing will. nothing will. Yet there is one or two other Motives or Arguments to Repentance from Chriftianity, which I must propofe after this of Hell, and all the reft, namely,

SECT,

6.

SECT.

V.

Other Gospel Motives to Repentance.

Nother Motive which may be faid to be peculiar to the Gofpel, and which should encourage to Repentance above all others, is the Promife of the Divine Grace and Holy Spirit to enable us to peform it, to affift us to overcome all our evil Habits,and to mafter all the Corruptions and Imperfections of Humane Nature, to conquer all thofe Sins that are thought never fo difficult, or even infuperable to Flesh and Blood, and to practice all those Vertues that are most contrary to our Natural Temper or Senfual Inclinations. Be there never fo many Arguments to the doing of a thing, and never fo much danger in not doing it, be it never fo great and important, or never fo neceffary, yet if after all a Man be without power and without ability to do it, they will be all in vain, and to no more purpose, than to perfwade a blind Man to fee by the conveniency of that Senfe, or a lame Man to run by the danger he

may

may otherwife be in, or a Man tumbling from a precipice to ftop before he falls to the bottom, 'tis only to mock and deride us with Motives and Arguments to a thing, if it be wholly out of our power to effect it, and therefore there is no fuch Motive to the doing a thing that we are otherwife perfwaded is of great moment and im portance, as to be affured of fufficient power to enable us to go through with it, without which all our Vigour will be dampt, and all the finews of Industry cut, and all our Endeavours blafted, by which we fhould fet about it, and we fhall run the Cenfure of thofe foolish undertakers our Saviour fpeaks of, Luke 14. who would make War, or build a Tower, without power to go on with it. God has therefore given us the greatest Encou ragement by the Gofpel, that can be to fet upon the practice, as of all o ther Duties, fo efpecially of this hard one of Repentance, when he thereby affures us, that his Grace shall be fufficient for us, that he worketh in us both to will and to do, that his Spirit farall be given us, and abide with us for ever, and that we shall be mightily strengthened

by

by it in the inner man; fo that a new, and ftrong, and vital Principle, fhall be added to Humane Nature to ftrengthen its weakness, repair its decayes, recruit its forces, fupport its feeble powers, raise its funk ftate, and reftore it to the Vertue and Perfection it had loft by its Sins. How weak and decayed, how corrupted and degenerated Humane Nature was of its felf, both Scripture and our own Experience do fufficiently teach us; how ftrong and violent our Paffions are, and how weak our Reason to master and how ; govern them prone the Will is to confent to what is evil be it but a little grateful to Flesh and Blood, and what ftrong proclivities and inclinations are in us to many Sins. The Heathens were very fenfible of this corruption and decay of Humane Nature, and into what a low and degenerate ftate it was funk, and therefore they complained very often of the an and seppúnos, of the Souls being funk into Matter and a Terreftrial State, its wings being molted, and its powers being drooping and fickly, and what fhould raise and reftore it, and be a Cure to this Disease, they could

not

not find out; they felt how ftrong were the propenfions to Vice, and how the Mind ὥσπερ τισι μολυβδίσιν ὑποφέ gslas weis naxíar, as Hierocles fpeaks, was carried by its Paffions, like fo many weights hanging upon it, and inclining it to Sin, and what fhould ballance thefe, what should turn and counterpoize those propenfities and inclinations, what should bear up against all the Corruptions from within, and the Temptations from without, and relieve and fuccour the weak forces of decayed Nature that was fo ftrongly befieged, and fo little able to hold out of it felf, this they could not know; for 'tis only by the Gospel and Chri ftianity that we have the Promise of Gods Grace and Holy Spirit to be given to us when we ask it, and to belong as a right to all Chriftians by vertue of the New Covenant, and be a ftanding Principle to prevent and restrain us from Sin, and work Holiness and Vertue in our Minds. And now by vertue of this we have the greatest incouragement to Repent and Leave our Sins, which is a Power to do fo. We have a new Principle of Life conveyed into our Souls, and a fresh, and Heavenly,