The Doctrine of Repentance

2. It reproacheth God, Jer. 2. 5. What iniquity have your Fathers found in me, that they are gone from me? He that returns to sin, doth interpretatively charge God with some evil. If a man put away his wife, it implies he knows some fault by her. To leave God, and return to sin▪ is tacitly to asperse the Deity. God who hates putting away, Mal. 2. 16. hates that he himself should be put away.

2. It reproacheth God, Ier. 2. 5. What iniquity have your Fathers found in me, that they are gone from me? He that returns to sin, doth interpretatively charge God with some evil. If a man put away his wife, it implies he knows some fault by her. To leave God, and return to sin▪ is tacitly to asperse the Deity. God who hates putting away, Mal. 2. 16. hates that he himself should be put away.

To return to sin, gives the Devil more¹ power over a man than ever, Mat. 12. 43. When a man turns from sin, the Devil seems to be cast out of him; but when he returns to sin, here is the Devil entering into his house again, and taking possession, and the last state of that man is worse than the first. When a prisoner hath broken prison, and the Jailer gets him again, he will lay stronger Irons upon him He who leaves off a course of sinning, doth as it were break the Devils prison; but if Satan takes him returning to sin, he will hold him faster, and take fuller possession of him than ever. O take heed of this^*