Twenty sermons preached at Oxford before His Majesty, and elsewhere

3. Under the Gospel, although I am fallen, yet if I repent, the greatest sin that is, cannot condemn me. By repentance I am safe. Let our sins be never so great, yet if we return by repentance, God accepts us. Faith and Repentance remove all. The Law knows no such thing. Look into the Laws of the Realm. If a man be indicted and convinced of Treason, Murder or Felony; though this man plead, True, I have committed such an offence; but I beseech you Sir, pardon it, for I am heartily sorry for it: I never did the like before, nor never will again. Though he thus repent, shall he escape? No, the rigour of the Law will execute Justice on him: there is no benefit had by repentance, the law will seize on him, he should have looked to it before. If thou committest Murder or Burglary, it's not enough to put one good deed for another; to say, I have done thus and thus for the King; I kept such a Fort, or I won such a Town: this will not serve thy turn, it will not save thy neck: the law takes no knowledge of any good thing done, or of any repentance. This is thy estate. Consider then what a case they are in, that are shut up under the Law: until a man hath saith, it admits no excuse, requires things far above thy power to perform; it will accept no repentance: And therefore we may well make this Conclusion in the Galatians, As many as are under the law, are under the curse, as it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them, Gal. 3.10.

3. Under the Gospel, although I am fallen, yet if I repent, the greatest sin that is, cannot condemn me. By repentance I am safe. Let our sins be never so great, yet if we return by repentance, God accepts us. Faith and Repentance remove all. The Law knows no such thing. Look into the Laws of the Realm. If a man be indicted and convinced of Treason, Murther or Felony; though this man plead, True, I have committed such an offence; but I beseech you Sir, pardon it, for I am heartily sorry for it: I never did the like before, nor never will again. Though he thus repent, shall he escape? No, the rigour of the Law will execute Justice on him: there is no benefit had by repentance, the law will seize on him, he should have looked to it before. If thou committest Murther or Burglary, it's not enough to put one good deed for another; to say, I have done thus and thus for the King; I kept such a Fort, or I won such a Town: this will not serve thy turn, it will not save thy neck: the law takes no knowledge of any good thing done, or of any repentance. This is thy estate. Consider then what a case they are in, that are shut up under the Law: until a man hath saith, it admits no exeuse, requires things far above thy power to perform; it will accept no repentance: And therefore we may well make this Conclusion in the Galathians, As many as are under the law, are under the curse, as it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them,