Every serious student of the Scriptures must have observed, that they always represent repentance and faith as inseparably connected. It is not indeed worth while formally to dispute, which of these twin-graces is first exercised by the newly regenerated sinner: a belief of some divine truths may show him his need of repentance; and some degree of a penitent disposition may render him sensible that he wants an interest in Christ's salvation by faith in his name. It suffices to say, that true repentance is a believing repentance, and true faith is a penitent faith.-A general belief of God's mercy and readiness to forgive, seems essential to genuine repentance; but more explicit views of the way in which mercy is vouchsafed, are not always requisite yet repentance is doubtless rendered more deep, spiritual, and ingenuous, in proportion as the glory of the gospel is understood, and its consolations experienced.-We ought not, however, to overlook, much less to invert, the order in which the inspired writers mention repentance and faith. "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." "Repent ye and believe the gospel." "Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." "Repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ."-" If peradventure God will give them repentance, to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." 2 Tim. ii. 25, 26.

If it please God to give repentance to an opposer of his gospel, he will then acknowledge the truth, believe in Christ, and be saved: but if God do not give him repentance, he will continue an unbeliever held fast in the snare of the devil. This at least completely proves, that true repentance always accompanies the first actings of saving faith. And a man's views must certainly be unscriptural, when he cannot support them without inverting or altering the language of inspiration.

The word translated repentance denotes a change of mind: but surely no Christian will deliberately maintain, that this change takes place only in the understanding, without at all influencing the will and affections! Or that it is merely a change of opinion about the doctrine of justification! Yet incautious expressions to that effect are not uncommon. We read however

not only of " an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God ;” but also of an hard and impenitent heart, "through which sinners treasure up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath." So that, beyond all dispute, the change of mind, which is called repentance, peculiarly relates to the heart, without which every change of opinion can at most only amount to a dead faith and a form of knowledge. True repentance implies an entire revolution in a man's views and judgment respecting himself, and every thing to which he stands related, and in all his corresponding dispositions and affections. But though this internal change be especially denoted by the word thus translated; yet when the term is used in a popular sense, and as distinguished from regeneration, it includes fear of divine wrath, godly sorrow, humiliation, hatred of sin and all its pleasures and profits, forsaking sin, turning to God with ingenuous confession and cries for mercy, and entering on a new course of life. It is needless in this place to enter further on the subject, as the public has long been in possession of the author's deliberate thoughts upon it ;* but if any man doubt of what has been here advanced, let him carefully and impartially consider the scriptures referred to, with the several contexts, and I apprehend he will find it impossible to resist conviction. Job xlii. 6. Jer. xxxii. 19. Ezek. xviii. 28. Matt. iii. 8-10. xxi. 29–32. Luke xv. 10, 17, 21. 2 Cor. vii. 9-11. In the last passage referred to, the apostle speaks of godly sorrow as preceding, and working “ repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of:" surely then no repentance is saving or genuine which is unconnected with godly sorrow!

Repentance is both the command and the gift of God. It is our duty; but without divine grace we are wholly indisposed to perform it and in this res

* Discourse on Repentance.

pect it resembles all other duties, each of which is the subject of promises as well as of precepts; and none of them are performed in the right manner, except as the Lord gives us a new heart and a new spirit. "God (by the gospel) commandeth all men every where to repent.' "Jesus is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins." Repentance belongs entirely to the gospel and to the covenant of grace; and has nothing to do with the law and the covenant of works, except in our being grieved and humbled at heart for violating them, and in our humbly confessing that we deserve that wrath of God which is denounced against every transgressor. The gospel alone gives the call to repentance, the encouragement to repentance, and the grace of repentance: it is therefore most astonishing that the preaching of repentance should have ever been called legal, or thought inconsistent with the free grace of the gospel! Or that repentance should ever have been almost excluded from the list of evangelical graces, the constituent parts of true holiness.

But, says our Lord "What think ye? A certain man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not; but afterwards he repented and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise: and he answered and said, I go Sir, and went not.-Verily I say unto you, the publicans and harlots enter into the kingdom of heaven before you -For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and harlots believed him and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterwards, that ye might believe." Hence we learn that the general belief of John's testimony brought the publicans and harlots to repentance, and this repentance, prepared them for admission into the Messiah's kingdom by faith in him; and if the Pharisees had repented of their sin, in rejecting the ministry of John, their repentance would have been connected with the same faith in him to whom John bare testimony. Indeed the office of John Baptist, in preparing the way of the Lord, as the herald of the Saviour to proclaim his appearance and introduce his gospel, is peculiarly important in this argument. He first called sinners to repentance, showed the Jews in general the fallaciousness of trusting in their national privileges, and the Pharisees in particular the emptiness of their forms and external services; he used the proper means of convincing all sorts of persons of their guilt and danger; and then pointed out to them "the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world;"" the Son of God," who "baptizeth with the Holy Ghost:" concluding with this solemn declaration and warning "the Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hands. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not on the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth upon him." John iii. 35, 36. And his whole ministry undeniably proves, both that genuine repentance is always connected with saving faith; and that it is an important part of that " holiness without which no man shall see the Lord."

This appears also in a very convincing manner in the singular example of the penitent thief, who upon the cross humbly acknowledged, that he deserved his ignominious and torturing death; while he believed in the Saviour suspended beside him, for the salvation of his soul from future condemnation. Was there no essential difference in the frame of his spirit, from that of the other thief, who in the agonies of death, joined the multitude in reviling the holy Jesus? Did this difference arise from any other cause than regeneration? And was not he a partaker of true holiness?

Confession of sin, an essential part of true repentance, is every where represented as inseparable from saving faith, and preparatory to forgiveness. "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but he that confesseth and forsaketh them, shall obtain mercy." Prov. xxviii. 13. "If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.-If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John i. 8, 9. "I acknowledged my sin unto thee,

and mine iniquity have I not hid.-I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." Ps. xxxii. 5. "Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin; for I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me." Ps. li. 1—5. The publican, the prodigal son, the thief upon the cross, and other instances already adduced, exemplify this ingenuous unreserved confession of their sinfulness: nor is there a single case in Scripture, real or parabolical, of a sinner acceptably applying to God for pardoning mercy, in which this disposition to glorify him, by a full and free confession is not implied or expressed." He looketh upon men; and if any say, I have sinned and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; he will deliver his soul from going down into the pit, and his life shall see the light." Job xxxiii. 27, 28.

No doubt this (as well as all other holy dispositions) may be counterfeited; and the appearance of humility assumed where the heart remains unhumbled. Thus Pharaoh, Judas, and several others, confessed their sins in a partial, extorted, and reluctant manner. Yet no doubt, if genuine, it implies a right spirit; the proper frame of mind, in which a sinner ought to appear before his offended Lord, being exactly the reverse to a proud self-justifying disposition. He who ingenuously confesses his sins, gives unto God the honour both of his justice and of his mercy; he expresses approbation both of the holy law and of the blessed gospel; he willingly submits to God's righteousness, and is prepared to welcome a free salvation; he adores the grace, which "hath abounded towards us, in all wisdom and prudence," and glorifies the Lord, as "just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus."

"His name," says the angel, "shall be called Jesus; because he shall save his people from their sins." "God, having raised up his Son Jesus," says the apostle" hath sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." "He gave himself for us, to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify us unto himself, a peculiar people zealous of good works." Now let a reflecting person seriously ask himself, whether any one can truly be lieve in Christ, without in the least understanding this part of his salvation, or desiring the principal blessing which he confers on his people? Can he desire salvation from sin, without the least hatred of sin or love of holiness; Or can there be any hatred of sin and love of holiness in a heart that is entirely unholy? The views of a newly awakened sinner may be extremely confused, and the fear of wrath with desires of deliverance from it, may greatly preponderate in his experience: nor should this be condemned as mere selfishness, while salvation from deserved punishment is sought from God's mercy in his appointed way; for even this is directly contrary to our natural pride and enmity to God; and the desire of happiness is as strong in an holy as in an unholy creature. Indeed the sinner himself in his first application for mercy, may not, during the anxious trepidation of his heart, perceive any thing more than a desire of forgiveness and happiness in the favour of God : yet in reality, every acting of true faith in Christ is connected with some degree of a desire to be delivered from sin, and to be made holy; which will appear to the intelligent observer, in that tenderness of conscience, and dread of relapsing into former evil ways, which are manifested by convinced sinners, in their deepest distress, and which often help the judicious pastor to discriminate between those convictions which arise from spiritual illumination, and the terrors which spring from merely natural principles.

Indeed they, who are well versed in doctrinal discussions, may feel a kind of wish after sanctification, without any hatred of sin or love of holiness, from a conviction that they cannot be saved unless they be sanctified: and thus the common saying, "the desire of grace is grace," should be used with caution, or it may aid the enemy to deceive men's souls.-But persons of this description will not sincerely apply to Christ for any part of this salvation, or diligently use the proper means of seeking it. "The soul of the sluggard desireth and hath not: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.” Prov. xiii. 4.

When our Lord invites "the weary and heavy laden to come unto him, that they might find rest to their souls;" he adds, "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me." He declares that he will treat all those as enemies, "who will not have him to reign over them:" and every scriptural call to sinners implies the same instruction. "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, and he will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah lv. 6, 7. Certainly the evangelical prophet had no idea of forgiveness and the comfort of it, preceding every degree of true repentance and all the works meet for repentance, according to the doctrine maintained by some modern teachers of free salvation. With these Scriptures before us, can we maintain, that any one truly returns to the Lord, by Christ the living Way, and by faith in him, who does not so much as desire salvation from his sins, and renewal unto holiness? And is not a sincere and hearty desire of these blessings itself a genuine part of holiness?

It has been shown, that humility, repentance, hatred of sin, with sincere desires to be saved from it, and a willing submission to Christ as our King, are inseparably connected with every exercise of genuine faith in him: and doubtless all these are branches of true holiness. The same also may be observed concerning the genuine spirit of prayer, which has properly been considered as the very breath of faith, and one of the first symptoms of spiritual life. A person at a distance from the means of clear instruction, or perplexed in attempting to distinguish truth from falsehood, may sincerely pray for divine teaching, and other spiritual blessings, from a general knowledge and feeling of his wants, and a belief of some revealed truths, even previously to explicit faith in Christ: and thus he may be further enlightened as to the nature and glory of the gospel, and have the way of God expounded to him more perfectly. Acts xviii. 24-28. But it cannot be conceived, that any one has believed in Christ, and been even justified by faith in him; while he has never yet in his heart presented a single sincere petition for spiritual blessings!-Indeed the application of the soul to Christ for salvation seems to be essentially prayer, mental prayer, and as inseparable from it, as the motion of the lungs from the act of breathing, or that of the heart from pulsation. True Christians are frequently in the New Testament distinguished as "those who call on the Lord Jesus Christ;" and it is said, "The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him: for whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him, in whom they have not believed?" Rom. x. 10-14. It is allowed that no one can call on the Lord Jesus, before he has some degree of faith in him: but at the same time, these testimonies of the Scripture prove, that the spirit of prayer inseparably accompanies every exercise of faith from first to last. Else what is the nature of faith? Is it merely assent and inactive reliance? Or is it the soul going forth with fervent desires after the mercy and grace, of which the urgent want is felt, to him whom it believes able and willing to deliver, to help, and to save? If this latter be the acting of faith in Christ, what is the me`dium of the soul's application to him, except the lifting up of the heart in desire and expectation? and this is the essence of Prayer. Hence it is that salvation is so closely joined with prayer in many places in Scripture. “Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee." Ps. lxxxvi. 1—7. "Ask and it shall be given you :Every one that asketh receiveth." "Let us come boldly to the throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." "All that call on the Lord shall be saved." According to these promises, it is as impossible a man should truly pray, and yet not be saved, as that he should truly believe, and not be saved; because genuine faith and prayer are inseparable.

Men may read, repeat, or even frame prayers, in a formal manner, without the least degree of real holiness. They may sincerely ask for tempora

things, "that they may consume them on their lusts;" or for deliverance from temporal calamities and dangers. They may even pray heartily to be saved from future punishment, and to be made for ever happy, according to their own notions of felicity, without any idea of what happiness consists in. But genuine prayer is the language of humility, and of spiritual desires and expectations: it is the expression of conscious indigence, dependence, and unworthiness; and of hearty longings after those blessings, which God alone can bestow, and which can only be enjoyed in his favour and presence. "Lord, thou has heard the desire of the humble; thou wilt prepare their heart; thou wilt cause thine ear to hear." Ps. x. 17. Hence we read of "praying in," or by," the Spirit;"" praying in the Holy Ghost," and "worshipping in spirit and truth." "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is his delight." Prov. xv. 8. Saul when a Pharisee, may be supposed to have made long prayers: but these were doubtless very different from the earnest supplications which he poured out before the Lord at Damascus, and which were thus noticed, "For behold he prayeth." Can it be conceived, that a holy God delighteth in any prayer, which hath nothing holy in its nature? Yet the humble supplicants, who are most acceptable to him, are most apt to be dissatisfied with themselves, and even to question the sincerity and uprightness of their earnest and fervent prayers. The case of Manasseh may illustrate this subject; for none of those, who enter into the spirit and importance of this discussion, will deny that he found mercy by faith in the promised Saviour. The first intimation of any thing hopeful in his case is thus given: "When he was in affliction he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto him; and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication." In the subsequent narrative, his prayer is repeatedly mentioned; and his sins before he was humbled are strikingly contrasted with his subsequent conduct. 2 Chron. xxxiii. Hence I apprehend, we may infer with certainty, that acceptable prayer and genuine humiliation always accompany saving faith. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise."

If then humility, godly sorrow, hatred of all evil, ingenuous confession, and whatever else belongs to true repentance, with upright desires after salvation from sin, and spiritual prayer, do indeed invariably attend every acting of faith in Christ; that faith must be a holy exercise of a regenerate soul; for surely none will maintain, that there is not the least symptom of spiritual life, the smallest degree of holiness, in any of these, or in all of them united! On the other hand, it can scarcely be imagined, that any will deliberately persist in maintaining, that justifying faith so precedes all humiliation, and other spiritual affections, as to be wholly unconnected with them; and that a man is actually justified and at peace with God, before he at all begins to humble himself, be sorry for his sins, to confess and hate them, or to pray for spiritual blessings! This would invert the whole order of Scripture, and can never be directly and consistently avowed by a candid and serious disciple of the Lord Jesus; however he may be led, upon a controversial subject, to drop expressions, make statements, or adopt sentiments, which fairly admit of such an interpretation.-But in fact, the grand difficulty consists in prevailing with men, so far to examine their preconceived opinions, and to question the truth of them, as to bestow the pains requisite for duly weighing the force of those arguments, which from Scripture are brought against them; and either solidly to refute them, at least so as to satisfy their own minds, or can¬ didly to acknowledge that they were mistaken.