I. Scripture-light the most sure light ... delivered in three sermons on 2 Pet.…

And whereas you say, That you are declined, and have much revolted, and so have continued, even many years, Consider, whether you be not mistaken; Every abatement in affection is not a declining in grace; possibly we may not grieve for sin afterward so much, as at our first conversion, yet we may hate it more, at first you may ⟨p. 67⟩pray more against it, yet afterward watch more against it, we never see the face of sin so ugly as in the glass of Gods free love, & do you not see the free love of God more? possibly your affections might be higher at the first, but is not conviction more clear and full; as affections dry up, so we grow more settled in our judgment, and if your judgment be more settled, you are not declined, though your affections be somewhat abated.

And whereas you say, That you are declined, and have much revolted, and so have continued, even many yeers, Consider, whether you be not mistaken; Every abatement in affection is not a declining in grace; possibly we may not grieve for sin afterward so much, as at our first conversion, yet we may hate it more, at first you may ⟨p. 67⟩pray more against it, yet afterward watch more against it, we never see the face of sin so ugly as in the glass of Gods free love, & do you not see the free love of God more? possibly your affections might be higher at the first, but is not conviction more cleer and ful; as affections dry up, so we grow more setled in our judgment, and if your judgment be more setled, you are not declined, though your affections be somewhat abated.

And whereas you say, That you have returned to your sin again and again, and have continued under your revolt for many years, I shall only tell you what Mr. Bilney, a blessed Martyr, once said, hearing a Minister preach very terribly against sin, and saying thus, Behold! thou old sinner, thou hast lain rotting in the grave of thy sin this threescore years, and dost thou now think to go to heaven in one year? dost thou think to go forward to heaven more in one year, than thou hast gone backward to hell these threescore years. Ah! said Mr. Bilney,: here is goodly preaching of repentance in the name of Christ; Had I heard such doctrine preached heretofore, my poor soul had despaired for ever, but, saith he, the Lord Christ dyed for sinners, young sinners, and old sinners, for one as well as the other, such as have lain long in sin, aswell as those that have lain but a little while in sin, if they will come home unto Christ. And you know what our Saviour saith, if thy Brother transgress against thee, forgive him. But Lord, he hath transgressed against me once, and I have forgiven him, yet, saith our Saviour, forgive him again. O! but Lord, I have forgiven him again and again, and yet he returns to his fault again, then forgive him again, saith Christ. But Lord, how often shall I forgive my Brother? Saith our Saviour, if he sin against thee Seventy seven times, and says that he doth repent, do thou forgive so oft; And now shall the Lord Jesus Christ enjoin us to forgive our Brother, if he sin against us seventy seven times? and will not the Lord Christ forgive much more, if a poor soul do turn unto him, and say, Lord I repent me that I have sinned against thee? Will the Lord Christ command me a poor sinner to forgive so many times, how often will the great God forgive, what seventy seven times? nay seven hundred times seven hundred. And have ye any reason then to be discouraged in this respect? surely you have not.