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A47525 An exhortation to a personal and national repentance a sermon / preached at St. James Church, Westminster, Feb. 5, 1688/9 by Tho. Knaggs ... Knaggs, Thomas, 1660 or 1-1724. 1699 (1699) Wing K663; ESTC R36232 11,547 38

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An Exhortation to a Personal and National Repentance A SERMON Preached at St James Church Westminster Feb. 5. 1688 9. By Tho. Knaggs M. A. and Chaplain to the Right Honourable Ford Earl of Tankerville Printed at the Request of several Persons of Quality LONDON Printed for John Barnes at the Crown in the Pall-mall and Sold by A. Baldwin in Warwick-lane M DC XCIX St. MARK vi 12. And they went out and preach'd that men shu'd repent REpentance is a Doctrine which God preached by the Mouth of all his Prophets Noah to the old World Lot to Sodom Moses to Egypt Prophets in their several Generations to Israel and Judah John the Baptist to prepare the way for Christ with a Sermon of that Subject and Christ himself and all his Apostles preach'd that men should reform and amend their Lives The subject they were enjoyn'd to preach on was not of curious and nice matters but of such only as were profitable for the good of souls They went out and preach'd that men shu'd repent That we at this time especially may be stirred up to so great and necessary a duty I will 1. Shew how joyful and well pleasing it is to God that men should come to Repentance 2ly 'T is acceptable to the Blessed Angels 3ly 'T is grateful to the Penitent himself 4ly Offer to your consideration what great danger and unreasonableness there is in impenitency whether in particular Persons or in a publick Nation 5ly Shew the great advantage profit and benefit which redound to both of these by a timely and early Repentance Lastly Shut up all with an exhortation to that necessary Duty I begin with the first of these how joyful and well pleasing it is to God that Men shu'd come to Repentance And 1. Repentance is highly pleasing to God because it destroys sin which of all things is most hateful to him Sin makes a Separation between God and Man puts a Division between the Creator and his Creature blots out Gods Image defaceth the beauty of the Creation kindles a war between Heaven and Earth grieves the Holy Spirit of God and strengthens the Kingdom of the Prince of Darkness Now when the wicked man turns from his wickedness and doth that which is lawful and right when the sinner ceaseth to do evil and learneth to do well leading the Remainder of his life in all godliness and honesty sin in this penitent is then destroy'd and his Conversion becomes highly pleasing to God For hereby God is glorify'd a Soul saved and the Grand Adversary of Mankind the Devil baffled and confounded 2ly Repentance is well pleasing to God because it turns away his anger and makes way for mercy in which of all other things he most delights This is over all his works This rejoyceth against judgment and in that Proclamation which he told M os He wou'd make all his goodness to pass before him Exod. 34.6 7. we find him thus delivering himself the Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious This is the greatest Jewel in his Crown and therefore when a sinner-comes to Repentance 't is pleasing to God and gives an occasion of Joy to him in that his anger is turned away and mercy is to take place which of all his attributes he most delights in 3ly Repentance is well pleasing to God because it fills Heaven with happy Souls and encreaseth the number of just men made perfect All such as die truly Penitent are blessed and happy their Souls at the leaving of their bodies become as the Angels in Heaven and are fellow partakers of those pleasures which are at Gods right hand for evermore 4ly Repentance is well pleasing to the whole blessed and glorious Trinity God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost do all rejoyce when men break off their sins by Repentance And 1. Repentance is pleasing to God the Father The Prodigal Son being mov●d with a true and serious Repentance return'd home after a Life spent in luxury and profuseness He arose and came to his Father and said Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son And presently the Father saw him had compassion on him and ran and fell on his Neck and kissed him the badge of love and reconciliation For tho the Sons condition was poor and miserable his Crimes many his Offences of a deep die and his Reception into his Father's favour unlikely yet so prevalent and well pleasing was his Repentance that even that brought him into his Fathers favour again and he that scarce hoped to be admitted as a Servant is once more owned as a dear Son Luke 15.22 23 24. The Father said to his Servants bring forth the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and be merry for this my son was dead and is alive again He was lost and is found 2ly Repentance has the same effect in God the Son 'T is a great satisfaction to him to see so good effect of his passion that his blood was not shed in vain that he was born liv'd and dy●d to a good purpose and all that he did and suffer'd for such and such Souls turn to a good account The Repentance of every sinner is answering of Christs prayers the satisfaction of his desires and the reward of his sufferings And therefore Repentance is pleasing to God the Son inasmmch as that precious blood which he shed on the Cross was not shed in vain 3ly Repentance is well pleasing to God the Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost in Scripture is sometimes call'd Spirit and all those operations whereby we please God are term'd fruits of the earth Gal. 5.22 Now Repentance embraceth all the good motions and inspirations of that Holy Spirit by which means the instruments of sin are chang'd into his sanctify'd Members and his Holy Temples By repentance a penitent sinner is made the Temple of God in that the Spirit of God dwelleth in him holy unto God an habitation of God thro the Spirit He is joyned to the Lord one Spirit with him a new Creature in Christ and conformed to him He lives in the Spirit and walks in the Spirit Thus the Spirit of God finding itself cherished and kindly used and all its good motions and inspirations gratefully receiv'd 't is matter of joy and pleasure to him Thus Father Son and Holy Ghost are all hugely pleased when men repent and amend their lives Who would not therefore forsake his sins renounce a wicked life and stedfastly propose to become a new man to occasion delight and pleasure in the ever blessed Trinity If there was no other Argument to stir us up to the duty of repentance this one would think should move us to it And therefore let us take care to behave our selves after such a manner that we commit nothing that shall