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shall have grace to believe and repent, is much to be doubted.

For the longer repentance is delayed, the heart is more hardened, and indisposed to repentance, through the deceitfulness of sin, Heb. iii. 12, 13, 15, 19. And it is a judgment of God upon such, as are not led to repentance by the riches of God's goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering, that he should leave them to their impenitent hearts, that cannot repent; so treasuring up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath, Rom. ii. 6. Custom in sin does so root and habituate it in man, that it will be as hard for him by his own will and power to repent hereafter, he neglecting God's present call and offer of grace, as it is for the Ethiopian to change his skin, or the leopard his spots, Jer. xiii. 23.

It cannot be denied, but that God is free, and if he please, may open a door of hope and gate of mercy unto the most obstinate sinner, who has deferred his repentance to his old age, Hosea ii. 15; wherefore, if such an one find his heart to be broken with remorse for his former sins, and is troubled in conscience for this his sin of not accepting of God's grace when it was offered; I wish him to humble himself before God, and entertain hope. For God has promised pardon to the penitent, whensoever they repent, Ezek. xviii. 21, 22. And though no man can repent when he will, yet such an one may hope that God is now giving him repentance, in that he has touched his heart, and made it to be burdened with sin.

Yet for all this hope which I give to such a man, know, that it is very seldom to be found, that those who continued to despise grace until old age, did ever repent: but God left them justly to perish in their impenitency, because they despised the means of grace, and the season in which he did call them to repentance, and offered to them his grace, whereby they might repent. God deals with all sinners usually, as he said he would do, and as he did to Judah: Because I would have purged thee, said he, that is, I took the only course to purge thee, and bring thee to repentance,