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1. That those who meet with more signal strokes than others, are not, therefore, to be accounted greater sinners than others. The Lord spares some as great sinners, as He signally punisheth. I tell you, nay. Reasons of this dispensation of Providence:

1. Because of God's sovereign power and absolute dominion, which He will have the world to understand — "Is it not lawful for Me to do what I will with Mine own?" (Matthew 20:15.)

2. Because we are now under the mixed dispensation of Providence; not the unmixed, reserved to another world, when all men shall be put into their unalterable state.

3. Because the mercy of God to some is magnified by His severity on others.

4. Because in very signal strokes very signal mercies may be wrapped up.

5. Because this dispensation is in some sort necessary to confirm us in the belief of the judgment of the great day.USE 1. Then learn that unordinary strokes may befall those that are not unordinary sinners; and therefore be not rash in your judgment concerning the strokes that others meet with.

2. Then adore the mercy of God to you, and wonder at His sparing you, when ye see others smart under the hand of God.

3. That the strokes which any meet with, are pledges of ruin to impenitent sinners. But "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."Reasons of this are —

1. Because they show how hateful to God sin is, in whomsoever it is (Isaiah 42:24).

2. Because they show how just God is. He is the Judge of all the earth, and cannot but do right.

3. Because whatever any meet with in the way of sin is really designed for warning to others, as is clear from the text (see 1 Corinthians 10:11, 12).

4. Because all those strokes which sinners meet with in this life are the spittings of the shower of wrath that abides the impenitent world, after which the full shower may certainly be looked for.USE 1. Be not unconcerned spectators of all the effects of God's anger for sin going abroad in the world; for your part and mine is deep in them. There is none of them but says to us, as in the same condemnation, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

2. Consider, O impenitent sinners, how can ye escape, when your ruin is insured by so many pledges thereof from the Lord's hand, while ye go on in sin?

3. The strokes that others meet with are loud calls to us to repent. That is the language of all the afflicting providences which we see going on in the world.To confirm this, consider —

1. God does not strike one for sin with a visible stroke, but with an eye to all.

2. Thereby we may see how dangerous a thing sin is to be harboured; and if we will look inward, we may ever see that there is sin in us also against the God of Israel.

3. How much more do strokes from the hand of the Lord on ourselves call us to repent? (Hosea 2:6, 7).USE 1. We may see that none go on impenitently in a sinful course, but over the belly of thousands of calls from Providence to repent, besides all those they have from the Word.

2. Impenitency under the gospel cannot have the least shadow of excuse. The calls of Providence common to the whole world, are sufficient to leave the very heathens without excuse (Romans 1:20); how much more shall the calls of the Word and Providence, too, make us inexcusable if we do not repent? I come now to the principal doctrine of the text.

I. EXPLAIN THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE.

1. What it is in its general nature.

2. How it is wrought in the soul.

3. The subject of true repentance.

4. The parts of repentance.I come now to the application of the whole. And here I would sound the alarm in the ears of impenitent sinners, to repent, and turn from their sins unto God. O sinners, repent, repent; ye are gone away to your lusts and idols, turn from them; ye have turned your back on God, turn to Him again. In prose. curing this call to repentance, I shall —

1. Endeavour to convince you of the need you have to repent.

2. Lay before you a train of motives to repentance.

3. Show you the great hindrances of repentance. And —

4. Give directions in order to your obtaining repentance.

(1) Labour to see sin in its own colours, what an evil thing it is (Jeremiah 2:19). What makes us to cleave to sin is false apprehensions we have about it.To see it in itself would be a means to make us fly from it. For this end consider —

1. The majesty of God offended by sin. Ignorance of God is the mother of impenitency (Acts 17:30).

2. The obligations we lie under to serve Him, which by sin we trample upon.

3. The wrath of God that abides impenitent sinners.

4. The good things our unrepented-of sins deprive us of.

5. The many evils which are bred by our sin against the honour of God, our own and our neighhour's true interest.

(1)  Be much in the thoughts of death. Consider how short and uncertain your time is.

(2)  Dwell on the thoughts of a judgment to come, where ye shall be made to give an account of yourselves.

(3)  Meditate on the sufferings of Christ.

(4)  Pray for repentance, and believingly seek and long for the Lord's giving the new heart, according to His promise (Ezekiel 36:26).

(T. Boston, D. D.)

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KJV: There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

WEB: Now there were some present at the same time who told him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.