God is it will vrge to the outward worship of God So that the The true feare of God vrges vs to outward worship of of God Psal 14. 1. neglect of Gods outward worship argues little true feare of God Heere then the grosse neglecters of Gods worship in prayer hearing receiuing the sacraments are condemned for Atheists Psal 14. 1. The foole hath sayd in heart there is no God This Atheisme of their hearts is manifested in their liues in the neglect of Gods worship ver 4. They call not vpon Vers 4. the Lord. This discouers them also which say they may giue outward reuerence to Idols so the heart bee reserued to God but when God is truely feared in the heart he will bee also worshipped with the knee Shew mee thy feare by thine outward worship Doctr. 2 2. That the feare of God is both the fountaine whereout the worship of God proceedes and the The feare of God is the fountaine both of matter and manner manner wherein it must be performed which condemnes most mens prophane irreuerent and ceremoniall seruice of God Secondly Christ interprets this place by adding the word Alone and him alone shalt thou serue For that this is the true sense may appeare by the negatiue in the former verse in that place Deut. 6. Ye shall Deut. 6. not worship other Gods but the Lord your God shall yee serue The case is alike when wee say that by faith onely we are iustified for so much is implied in that negatiue of Paul Not by workes but by faith Now the word onely is to bee referred as well to the first part of the sentence Thou shalt worship the Lord as to the last Thou shalt serue him or else Christ had but played with the Diuell 2. His manner of Application of the text to answer 2. His application Sathans temptation is excellent First Sathan tempted him to outward idolatry perswading him thereto by the benefit he should haue thereby euen the Lordship of the whole world because it was at Sathans dispose Now Christ with this text answers both this argument whereby he tempted and the temptation it selfe The argument of benefit by alleadging a flat place of Scripture against that whereto Sathan promised a blessing As if hee had sayd How can any benefit come by that which Gods prohibition hath cursed This teacheth Doct. that nothing is to bee gotten by offending God Nothing is to be gotten by offending God And indeede in such cases the question is whether we will chuse God or our penny Christ or Barrabas Therefore excellently Ioseph when tempted by his mistresse to folly by hope of gaine How can I doe this and sinne against God Gen. 39. 9. opposing Gen. 39. 9. the losse of Gods fauour to the gaining of his mistresses Againe whereas Sathan the better to draw on Christ and to assure him of this benefit craked of that Lordship hee had in the world Christ notably refutes this vaine bragge by the title of Lord which this text giues to God Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God containing a secret reason why God is onely to be worshipped because hee onely is the Lord of all things And so there lies couched this argument against Sathan None can bee made Lord of the world but by the iust Lord and to him onely is homage to be giuen in that regard But not thou Sathan but God is the Lord of the world And therfore not thou but he to bee worshipped in hope of receiuing this Lordship Doct. This sheweth how we may stay our selues against the wants of any of those outward things by considering The consideration that God is the Lord of all may stay vs against the wants of outward things that God is the Lord of all The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof And therefore doe wee begge our daily bread at the Lords hands because his is Kingdome Thus Christ answers the argument The temptation it selfe to fall downe and worship is directly and plainely answered by the words of the Text Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God Where the doctrine plaine Doct. That not onely God is to be adored with outward religious worship Such as is the bending of the Onely God is to be adored with outward religious worship knee vttering words of prayer with hands stretcht out and eyes lift vp Though some of these may be done to Princes yet not with that purpose and affection of heatt wherewith we do them to God And it is this purpose of the heart that makes these outward actions religious worship The outward actions may be performed in scorne as they Matth. 26. Matth. 26. bowed to Christ The Papists say that Angels and Saints may be worshipped with religious worship but yet not with the same that God is worshipped Gods worship they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or worshippe The Saints 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or seruice Answ 1. This distinction is a meere mockery as if a woman giuing her body and affection to another man should inuent one name for the giuing of her affections to her husband another for giuing them to another 2. Latreia signifies seruice to men yea cruell and base bondage Deut. 28. 48. Leuit. 23. 7. in the translation of the Septuagints And Douleia signifies seruice to God Matth. 6. 22. Rom. 1. 7. and in many other places 3. Douleia properly signifies an higher and strickter seruice then the other for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comming of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to binde signifies a bond-man and seruus in latin quasi bello seruatus signifies such a seruant as was taken captiue in the warres Latreia signifies the seruice of one hired for money And therefore that place Leuit. 23. 7. Yee shall doe no seruile worke the Leuit. 23. 7. seauenty rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to preuent the fraud of the Iewes that would haue hired others to worke Therefore as wittily our Humphrey speakes worthily doe the Papists take Douleia to themselues quia duriter gratis seruiunt because they haue an hard and a rewardlesse seruice As they were not hired of the Saints to serue them so they are like to receiue no wages of them Yet though this be the proper signification of Latreia we denie not but that very fitly it is applied to diuine seruice because it ought to be voluntary as is the worke of him that is hired and not constrained as is bond-slaues But to leaue this difference of words let vs see what reall difference they put betwixt the worship of God and Saints Bellarmine defines diuine worship that which is giuen to the person worshipped as vnto the first beginning and last end Now saith he so to worship any creature is idolatry and that is heere forbidden Belike then our Sauiour falsely alleadged this place to prooue that he might not worship Sathan For Sathan did not desire to be worshipped as the first beginning
there are that doe ioy to make long and large accounts of their leaudnesse feeding their delights with their liues past as the dogge returneth to smell of his cast gorge and the horse to his doung yea when by Confession they haue disgorged their sinne they presently with the dogge licke vp their vomit againe Others there are that are fully set vpon sinne in confessing As those Israelites that said we haue sinned we will goe vp As much as to say wee haue Deut. 1 41. sinned we will sinne for God forbad them flatly to goe vp Others there are that as the Papists presume to sinne because of confession thinking by it to bee eased as the drunkard by vomiting And though some in their good moodes may seeme in confession verily to purpose amendment yet these are no sound no settled no sincere and honest purposes but sudden flashings conceiued by their deceitfull hearts rather to auoyd the iudgements felt or feared then truely to please God But wee in our confession must imitate that good Shecaniah who in confessing sinne entred into Couenant Ezra 10. 2. 3. with the Lord against the sinne confessed We haue sinned now therefore let vs enter into couenant with the Lord. Otherwise confession the remedy against sin is turned into sin The remedy encreaseth the disease Some of the Heathen in the daies of sacrifice to their Idols for health did riotously banquet to the preiudice of their health So to too many of vs in the very selfe same dayes we confesse our sins wee runne afresh to our sinnes And God in his iust iudgement punishes hypocriticall confession with a further greedinesse of sinning When the heart is not rent with the garments the rending of the garments sowes the sinne faster together when the heart and conscience is not knocked together with the brest that knocking will neuer batter sin but consolidate and compact it more firmely together Tundens pertus non corrigens vitia ea consolidat Aug. it will be as the knocking of a naile which driues it further in In the next place to Confession wee must ioyne 2. In Deprecation Deprecation with strong cries crauing pardon euen as the poore hunger-bitten begger does an almes or as the cast malefactour pleads for his life at the barre before the Iudge Thus did Dauid Haue mercy vpon me ô Lord according to the multitude of thy compassions Psal 51. c. And Daniel O Lord heare ô Lord Dan. 9. forgiue againe and againe repeating his cries In these penitentiall prayers we may note these two things First that they be deepely serious the guilty theefe pleading for his life goes not about to entertaine the Iudges eares with quaint phrases and fine words but he studies to shew the passion and affection of his heart There are some lusty beggars that in begging will keepe a flourishing in their Rhetoricke such as it is A wise man will neuer be moued to compassionate them Hee will thinke they are not throughly hungerbitten they would vse another kind of dialect then and leaue their fooleries and fall to humble and pittiful complaints and groanes As Salomon saies The poore man speaketh supplications so the repenting sinner Prou. 18. beeing poore in spirit speakes supplications The best flowers he can garnish his prayers with are his sighes his sobbes his groanes his cries This is the Rhetoricke of repentance in prayer The affectation of carnall eloquence in prayer shewes there is little repentance in such praiers 2 That oftentimes affection in them is so strong that wordes faile Rom. 8. 26. Dauid when Nathan had wounded him cryed out I haue sinned Why will some say did he not go on and craue pardon his inward griefe was such that hee could not in wordes in desire of heart hee did his heart was full and the seedes of the 51. Psalme were then in his breast So the Publicane said no more but Lord be mercifull to me a sinner yet there was affection Luke 18. meditation enough to haue spent a whole day in prayer and not onely to furnish that one short sentence Lord be mercifull Some haue more words then matter in their prayers but humbled repentants haue more matter then wordes and so are streighted as great throngs of people pressing out at some narrow passage sticke fast and cannot goe forward but very slowly Some are very short in praier for want of matter and affection but repenting sinners are short because of the aboundance of matter and affection being as full vessells that doe not runne presently at the first piercing or as the flesh that in deeper wounds bleeds not presently Thus was it with the repenting prodigall he purposed to speake thus and thus to his Father Luc. 15. Namely Father I haue sinned c. make mee but as one of thy hired seruants Now this last clause he leaues out when he comes to his Father by reason his heart was so surcharged with griefe his passions drunke vp his speech as wee see how Christs teares made his speech broken and imperfect Luk. 19 41. And fit it is indeede there should bee this sweete harmony betwixt the repenting sinners heart and tongue his broken heart and his broken prayers The vse Seeing the practise of true humiliation consisteth in these exercises of Confession and deprecation let vs in Gods feare buckle to the serious practise of them Hast thou sinned Suffer not sinne to lye vpon thy conscience Cast vp thy confession suffer not the impostumation any longer to paine thee with the swelling but giue a vent to the humor and so get ease Dauid professeth that neither in silence nor in roaring hee could finde any ease till he came to confession But I thought I would confesse and then thou forgauest Among men indeede Psal 32 Deo peccatum dicere sufficit et solicitur In hominibus vero contrarium peniâ—us cum peccatores confessi fuerint tunc magis puniuÌ„tur Chrysost ad pop Ant. hom 3. 1. Iohn 1. 2. Sam. 24. in their Courts confession brings no such priuilege there confesse and bee hanged after confession followes condemnation but here confession and iustification goe together If we confesse God is faithfull to forgiue it must needs be some special seruice which God promiseth so great a reward vnto Dauid after his sinne of numbring the people proueth himselfe to be Gods seruant because he confessed it Take away the trespasse of thy seruant yea but how darest thou call thy selfe Gods seruant who hast so lately and so grieuously sinned He answers for I haue done foolishly Though I am not his seruant in playing the foole yet in confessing my folly I am his seruant Iob among many fruits of obedience as Iustice Mercy Chastity whereby hee would proue himselfe Gods seruant reckons also this of Iob 31. confession If I haue hid my sinne as did Adam equalling the confession of his sinnes with the best of his vertues For as hee onely can
and before Ionas 4. 1. 2. God was all one as to haue committed that sinne againe the second time Heere is comfort then euen for relapsed persons that are intangled againe in the same offences whereout formerly they were deliuered by repentance And yet this comfort belongs onely to poore troubled consciences not to presumptuous sinners It is not to encourage any that stands to fall or that is fallen to lye still but onely him that is fallen and feeles himselfe fallen and begins to despaire of recouery to striue to get vp on foote by putting him in hope of a possibility of rising vp againe by helpe of that stone which is Luke 2. set as for the fall so and that much more for the rising againe of many But as for lesser slippes whose experience doth not tell him that euen after repentance he is again and againe hampered in the same snares of anger techinesse lust negligence secret pride hypocrisie vaine-glory c. Though yet the fruit of serious repentance before will appeare in our falling againe that we shall presently catch our selues tardie Therefore we must not be ouer much perplexed in such cases to thinke our former repentance vnsound For repentance doth not wholly take away sinne but onely weakens it lessens and impayres it And as he truely runned who afterward sitteth downe so hee may truely repent of some sin who afterward is foyled by it againe 2 Consectary is that there is no sinne so small but it needes repentance The world thinkes that repentance is onely for more grieuous sinnes as murther adultery oppression blasphemy as for lesser matters they hope they may bee dispensed withall Heere our ciuill men are to bee nipped who put away repentance from themselues because free from grosse scandall Surely though they had no vnbeleefe or prophanenesse of heart which indeede are as heynous sinnes as any yet haue they cause enough to repent if it were but for the very least idle thoughts or wordes they euer thought or spoke The children of GOD whose heart God hath softned by the touch of his spirit will be troubled euen for the least sinnes account ting no sinne little which is committed against so great a God Iohn Husse that good Martyr in his Foxe Martyrol in Epist Hess imprisonment repented for his playing at Chesse because of the losse of time and prouocation vnto anger So Bradford and Ridley for their negligences and secret infirmities euen in good actions as is to bee seene in their letters When Dauids hand did touch but the lap of Sauls garment that touch of his hand cost him blowes and stroaks of heart Euery thing is laid to heart by Gods children such things the world neuer sticks at sinnes of omission as wel as of comission Ephesus is called to Reuel 2. 4. 5. Repentance for leauing her first loue Euen not to increase in grace according to the good meanes and occasions we enioy is a matter that craues repentance fauouring our selues though in neuer so small sinnes cannot stand with repentance which turnes the backe vpon all sinnes whatsoeuer bee they great or be they small CHAP. XII Of the second part of Conuersion Turning to the Lord. THe second part of Turning is turning to the 2. Conuersion to God Lord. In sinne our backs are turned to him In repentance our faces are turned towards him For it is not enough to cease from sinne but withall we must turne to the Lord and set our hearts towards him and his kingdome O Israel if you returne returne vnto me saith the Lord. And let him that stole Ier. 4. 1. steale no more but let him labour and giue to him that Eph. 4. 28. needes For euery tree that brings not forth good fruit shall be hewen downe and cast into the fire Many lead Mat. 3. 10. a ciuill and an honest life not spotted with grosse sinnes yet for all this they haue prophane hearts turned to the world-ward not sauouring or affecting the things of God But here is the very pith of repentance The turning of the heart vpward to Heauen and fixing the eye vpon God and so making towards him with the foote that so it may be said of euery true repentant that his behauiour is as of one that is going vp to the heauenly Ierusalem Luke 9. as it was saide of Christ going to the earthly Ierusalem Oh this one thing showes how little repentance there is in this world when the shame of our affections carries vs downeward to the earth A plaine argument the heart is turned to God For in this regard a Christians conuersation is in heauen because by repentance his eye is now turned to heauen and his feete are carrying him thether apace Phil. 3. 2. This then ministers exceeding great comfort to the poore repenting sinner discouraged with his manifold slippes and infirmities and is brought to doubt of the truth of his repentance by the sense of his many and daily frailties Such an one may remember that repentance consists in a turning of the heart and affections to God not in walking in a way without a stumbling foote Repentance takes not away stumbling it takes not away slipping and sliding of the foote It keepes the face from turning from God and the foote from walking from God It fares with a repentant as with a man going vp an hill who though he may haue many fals and slippes yet still is said to bee going vp the hill because his face is toward the toppe of the hill So it is with the penitent sinner he is turning to God though he haue many falls because his face is set and the maine current of his affections is bent vpon God This therefore be thy comfort thou wentest not out to meete and to welcome sinne but it came vpon thee at vnawares and like a coward comming behind thee strooke vp thine heeles thy feet indeed slid a little downeward but thy face was still vpward But the maine point that heere is to bee insisted vpon is this that repentance alwaies brings with it a wonderfull and a palpable change and alteration of the heart and life When our affections like wilde madde horses are violently galloping to hell the spirit of God by repentance as by a bridle suddenly giues a ierke and turnes them and sets them a going as fast the other way So that those our companions in the broad way stand maruelling at vs that wee breake off company and doe not still continue running out with them into the same excesse of ryot 1. Pet. 4 4. So great is the change that not onely our selues but others also may discerne it as to maruell at it It is compared to the change of darkenesse into Eph. 5. 8. light which who sees it not yea vnto the change of a stone into flesh I will take away the stony heart and giue you a heart of flesh Why doth Sathan bid Ezek. 26. 26. Christ
men can hardly be brought vnto to demolish and cast down the goodly buildings as they thinke though indeed rotten and ruinous of their ciuill vertues they can hardly endure to haue all their life by-past censured and condemned for nought But yet they must if euer they will see the kingdome of God Except a Iohn 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 man be borne againe hee cannot see the kingdome of God The word againe is significant which as Beza there notes imports that we must goe ouer all againe that is past and reiect it as vnprofitable and begin a new Thus did Paul who was a better ciuilian then thou canst be for thine heart when he repented hee threw away all his glozing ciuill vertues as offals to dogges And though before hee Phil 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thought himselfe in good case yet when the Law was reuealed vnto him he saw what hee was then Rom. 7. and then was troubled for inward lusts and motions of his heart And these our times want not such examples when ciuill men hauing beene ceazed vpon by the spirit they haue seene their owne dangerous state and haue beene vrged to repentance and so haue felt a wonderfull change in their harts and liues of neglecters of the word and praier they haue become conscionable practisers of all religious dueties and zealous louers of that which before onely fashionably and for Lawes sake they haue performed Let then ciuill men whose nature is changed by the spirit of Repentance know that they are in a damnable state and that it will not bee well with them till they grow to a loathing and a detestation of this their euill life voyd of all heat and heart of holy deuotion CHAP. XIII Of the properties of Conuersion BVt because many will yet deceiue themselues 2. The properties of it which are 3. thinking they haue repentance when they haue none and some againe will bee so terrified with this doctrine of the change which repentance workes that they will thinke they haue no repentance when indeede they haue wee will therefore further proceed to speake of three properties of this change or turning of the heart in Repentance By the two former whereof wee shall terrifie the first kinde of selfe-deceiuers and by the third shall comfort the second kind of doubters 1. Properly This change then must be an orderly change beginning in the soule euen in the 1. It is orderly very marrow and spirit thereof and so proceeding to the outward man and the actions thereof This orderly change the Apostle teacheth when first he bids vs be renued in the spirits of our mindes and then Eph. 4. 23. 24 let him that stole steale no more O Ierusalem wash thine Ieremy 4. heart But alas how many are there that set the cart before the horse and begin to change their liues before their hearts Some indeede aduise vs so to doe but as I thinke not aduisedly It is the onely way to hypocrisie to doe that outwardly which is not first begunne in wardly And besides it is idle and to no purpose to purge the channell when the fountaine is corrupt and to apply remedies to the head when the headach is caused from the impurity of the stomacke Miserable experience shewes how such disordered beginnings of Repentance often come to a miserable end Content not then thy selfe with leauing sinne outwardly but see you loath it inwardly content not thy selfe to loppe off the boughes but lay the axe to the roote of the Tree 2. Properly It must be a thorough change The 2. It is thoroughly Lord sanctifie you throughout that your whole spirit and soule and body may bee blamelesse Many in their repentance giue but the halfe turne Acts 1. those 1. Thess 5. 23. that turne from one sinne to another as from couetousnesse to prodigality from Atheisme or Iudaisme to Popery This is as if the mouse escaping the trappe should fall into the pawes of the cat It is iust like the turning of the wind from one point of the North vnto the other from North-east to North-west but yet still it is in the North and as far from the South as before So these men turne but yet in their sinne still and as farre from God as before Secondly those that turne their vnderstandings from errour to truth but not their wills from euill to good as those that of Papists turne loose and vnreformed Protestants Thirdly those that turne from many sinnes and with Herod doe many things but yet they remaine vnturned from some one speciall sinne Some indeede there are whose change makes them like Aethiopians white onely in teeth euery where else cole-black I meane our verball professours that haue onely a change from the teeth outward a change of their wordes can speake well and that is all But others there are that goe further and doe much and yet not enough because though they seeme to turne from sinne and to looke towards God yet haue a leering eye and a squint respect vnto their sins with Lots wife casting a longing looke after their olde Sodome And they turne as if a man whose face is towards the West should turne to the North or South for so turning hee may looke both waies both to the West whereon his face was set and to the East whereon his backe was turned So many turne from their sinnes to God not directly but side-waies so that with one eye they may looke to God and with the other to some sinne But as hee whose face is turned directly to the East cannot see the West so he who indeed looks directly to God cannot looke to his sinnes but he must needs haue them behind his backe Repentance if it be true is generall It strippes vs starke naked of all the garments of old Adam and leaues not so much as the shirt behind In this rotten building it leaues not a stone vpon a stone As the flood drowned Noahs owne friends and seruants so must the floud of repenting teares drowne euen our sweetest and most profitable sinnes Most true is that saying of Thomas Aquinas That all sinnes are coupled together though not in regard of conuersion to temporall good for some looke to the good of gaine some of glory some of pleasure c. Yet in regard of auersion from eternall good that is God So that hee that lookes but toward one sinne is as much auerted and turned backe from God as if he looked to all In which respect S. Iames sayes he that offends in one is guilty of all Repentance is a thorough change of the whole man of the whole life it refines euery part not so much but vanity and lightnesse in apparell The Lord shall wash saith Isaiah the filthines of the daughters of Zion that is that proud brauery and affected meanes of apparell mentioned in the third Isay 4. 4. opened chapter by the spirit of iudgement that is of
more easily feare and tremble at a danger whence comes that opposition betwixt feare and hardnesse of heart as Blessed is that man Prou. 28. 14. that feareth alwayes but hee that hardneth his heart shall fall into euill and that of the Prophet why hast Is 63. 87. thou hardned our hearts from thy feare Now this feare is of excellent vse in the practise of Repentance for it is as a bridle to order guide and keepe vs in the way whereinto Repentance Prou. 28. 14. turnes our feet Blessed is the man that feareth alwaies but he that in desperate boldnesse hardens his heart shall surely fall into euill Therefore by the force of the opposition he implies that he that feares shall be kept from euill and that heerein his blessednesse consisteth which he more plainly auouches elsewhere The feare of the Lord is a well-spring of life to Prou 14. auoyd the snares of death for more particularly it thus keeps thus First it makes vs to quake at the very first risings of euill and sinnefull motions in our hearts and so to dash sinne in the shell Tremble sayes Dauid and sinne not Psal 4 4. Secondly when strong and violent tentations assault vs it strengthens vs and withholds our assent for the repenting sinner being now turned to God he alwayes sees God and knowes that God sees him and therefore the awefull reuerence hee carries to his presence restraines him This vpheld Ioseph How can I saith he doe this and sinne against Gen. 39. 9. God This strengthened him against the powerfull and adulterous follicitations of his Mistresse The times was fit his master was absent and the place fit priuate and remote yet though time and place gaue him leaue Gods feare would not so powerfull was it against her powerfull perswasions to folly So Isaac though naturall affection would haue carried him to haue reuersed Iaakobs blessing specially when he was importuned by the howlings of Esau yet hee did not and what was the bridle that held him backe He feared an exceeding great feare Gen. 27. 33. which is mentioned afterward The feare of my father Isaac sayes Iaakob swearing by God whose feare Gen. 31. 42. opened possessing Isaac his father kept him from passing away the blessing to Esau Thirdly it keepes from such sinnes where the feare of man restraines not euen from secret and vnknowen sinnes to the world Thou shalt not saith Leuit. 19. 14. the Lord curse the deafe why what should hinder he cannot heare vs if we doe Thou shalt not lay a stumbling blocke before the blinde why what should let vs hee cannot see vs if wee doe Marke the words following Thou shalt feare the Lord who both heares thy curses and sees thy stumbling blockes Fourthly In the whole course of our life it makes vs worke out our saluation with fearing and trembling euen reioycing in feare and feasting in feare knowing Phil. 2. Psal 2. Iude 12. that there is then the greatest danger when to our eyes there is the least appearance of it In these and such like respects is this feare so necessary in the practise of repentance for Repentance is a continuall returning towards God and drawing neerer still to him To the which how soeuer that hellish and slauish feare bee a let for it driues a man backe from God and turnes away the face from sinne yet not this louing and filiall feare for it driues from sinne and keepes vs from forsaking God I will put my feare sayes the Lord Ier. 32. 40. in their hearts that they shall not depart from mee Out of this feare arises that notable duety which some Repentants in the more serious exercise of their Repentance in the Scriptures haue practised Namely that entring into Couenant with God binding our selues by solemne oath vnto him This was Dauids practise I haue sworne and I will performe it that I will keepe thy righteous iudgements Psal 119. 106. The same duty we finde practised in the bookes of Ezra and Nehemiah Now this practise arises out Ezr 10. Neh. 10. of this feare and iealousie which we haue of our deceitfull hearts As when wee feare the faith and honest dealing of men wee will not trust to their bare words but we will haue it vnder their hands and seales The contrary to this feare is bold venturousnesse when we rush desperately into all manner of sinne and in boldnes of face and hardnes of heart worke out our owne damnation Now by this may wee try the truth of our Repentance What doe we feare to sinne when we see sinne following vs doe we runne from it as the chicken seeing the Kite come flies vnder the wings of the hen Art thou now afrayd of an oath Hast thou beene a couetous vsurer a swinish drunkard Eccles 9. 2. an vncleane adulterer a godlesse Sabaoth-breaker And art thou now afrayd of these sinnes tremblest thou at the thoughts of them then hast thou good euidence of the truth of thy Repentance But this giues the most the lie that bragge of their Repentance because as it is sayd of those deceiuers that they feast without all feare feeding themselues So it Iude 12. may be sayd of them that they follow their sinnes with all greedinesse without feare or wit So farre from feare that they doe desire the occasions of sinne and euen harden their hearts against this feare These may well feare that they neuer knew what Repentance meant CHAP. XV. Of three other duties wherein conuersion is practised 5. DVty is Desire That which we feare wee 5. Desire desire to bee freed from and to enioy the contrary So hee that feares death desires life and he that truely feares sinne desires to be freed from sinne and to enioy the presence of God euery day more and more This desire then of Gods grace and his presence to deliuer vs from the cumber and the burden and body of death is another affection of a repentant heart for when by Repentance we are turned to God and see the sweete beauty of his face wee are exceedingly rauished withall and therefore in strong and earnest desires we make towards him faine would we bee at the end of our iourney that we might be with him graspe him with our armes and satiate our selues with his sweetnes Hence it is that the children of God desire death and dissolution with Paul because Phil. 1. 23. till then they cannot be with Christ These desires are so much the stronger because of our infirmity in approaching towards God which is such that we goe but as it were creeping This greeues vs and makes vs desire that wee were rid of these infirmities which so clogge vs and hang as lead at our heeles This makes vs cry with the Church Draw me and we will runne after thee and with Dauid Oh Cant. 1. 3. that my wayes were directed By Repentance indeed Psal 119. 5. we are escaped
Take heede of that deceitfulnesse of heart whereby we promise our selues great matters of our selues if wee might but change our estates and callings to our mindes Oh how liberall would the poore man be if he were rich how vpright and iust the priuate man if he were a Magistrate But they consider not that there are temptations in those estates and callings and that more dangerous then in their owne and therefore they know not what they shall doe till they haue triall of themselues And therefore they should rather feare the worst of themselues So much of Sathans temptation Now let vs see Christs answer But Iesus answered and sayd It is written Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth Christs answer to Sathans temptation out of the mouth of the Lord. The diuels argument was If thou wert the sonne of God thou wouldst turne stones into bread to releeue thine hunger and so preserue thine humanity which otherwise will perish But thou doest not turne stones into bread Therefore c. Our Lords answer now is both to the consequence and the false ground of it To the consequence hee answers by retorting it most excellently whatsoeuer proceedes out of the mouth of God can preserue mans life Therefore it followes not that if I be God I must needes nourish my body by bread oh absurd and senselesse Sathan Nay if I could not nourish my body but by bread then were I not God and therefore need I not turne these stones into bread because I am God and can make what I will to nourish me euen stones without being turned into bread To the ground of the consequence which was that without bread his life could not bee preserued he answers that it was directly false and prooues it by the words of Scripture Deut. 8. Man liueth not by bread c. Deut. 8. 3. And thus we see the scope of this answer Wherin Consider 1. Whence it is taken 2. The answer it selfe Doct. 1 For the first It is taken out of Deut. 8. Where Moses tels the Israelites that God therefore did feed them with Manna from heauen to teach them that man liueth not by bread onely Our Lord could haue confounded the Diuell otherwise but to shew the power of the Scripture and to grace it and to The word of God is the sword of the Spirit wherewith we must wound Satan Ephes 6. giue vs an example of fighting against Sathan hee chuses this way of confuting him by the written word This is that sword of the spirit Eph. 6. wherewith we must wound Sathan We are bidden to resist him by faith but this faith is grounded on Gods word Vse 1 The Vse 1. Against the Papists that take away the weapons from Gods people and so betray them into the hands of their enemies and in steed of the sharpe two edged swords of the spirit giue vs a leaden and a woodden sword of their owne as their holy water their crossings their graines and their durty reliques It is not the signe of the crosse but the word of the crosse that ouerthrowes Sathan For he is that strong man that will not yeeld but to a stronger Now the signe of the crosse and holy water and such bables are humane inuentions and therefore too weake to chase him away But the word of God hath a diuine power in it and so is able to ouercome him And indeed if there were no other argument to prooue the Scripture to be Gods word this were sufficient that it hath power to quaile and to quash Sathans temptations Vse 2 2. Against such of vs as delight in other bookes and not in Gods and this is the fault of many ministers that are mighty in the Fathers Schoole-men and Counsels but not with Apollos in the Scriptures Acts 18. 24. Acts 18. 24. But Ministers with Christ should labour to bee good Textuaries and not Ministers onely but all Christians in their places For Christ heere alledgeth Scripture not as a Minister but as one tempted to defend himselfe Now all Christians are subiect to temptations In the plague time none will goe abroad without some preseruatiue None will goe foorth into the fields but take at least a staffe with them for feare of the worst Those that trauell will not ride without their swords Those that know they haue enemies will neuer goe foorth vnweaponed and Kings alwayes haue their guards Now all of vs hauing Sathans temptations and our enemies ready for vs at euery turne we had neede daily to resort to the armoury of the Scriptures and there to furnish our selues For when this word shal be hid in our hearts and enter into our soules then shall we preuaile both against the violent man and the flattring woman that is against all kinde of temptations whether on the right or on the left hand I haue hid thy word saith Dauid Psal 119. in mine hart Psal 119. that I might not sinne Thus Ioseph preuailed against that temptation to folly by remembring the seauenth commandement The reason why we are so Genes 39. often foiled is for that we read not the Scriptures at all or else carelesly without affection or attention and impression in the heart Let vs now then like good ants hoard vp against the winter of triall of this spirituall graine In that time one sauoury sentence of Scripture shall do vs more seruice then all the pretty and witty sayings sentences of Fathers Philosophers and Poets If Christ as man notwithstanding his vnion with the God-head had vse and comfort of the Scripture how much more then the most holiest men Cast not off the study of the Scriptures onely to the Ministers Though the law bee not thy profession yet thou wilt haue so much skill in it as to hold thine inheritance and to keepe thy land from the cauiller So heere though diuinity bee not thy profession yet get so much skill as to keepe thine heauenly inheritance against Sathans cauils As any is more subiect to Sathans temptations so hath hee greater neede of the Scriptures Therefore Princes and great ones specially haue speciall great neede of them Deut. 17. 18 19. Iosh Deu. 17. 18. 19. Iosh 1. 8. 1. 8. And betimes let vs inure our little ones to them Who knowes but that the alledging of these texts heere might bee the fruit of that institution in the Scriptures in his childhood vnder his parents 2. The answer it selfe followes In which heere are two things 1. First a concession or grant implied 2. The answer it selfe in the word Onely Man liueth not by bread only It implies thus much I grant that ordinarily man liues by bread Where by bread synechdochically is meant all other the creatures made for food As Iob 1. They went to eat bread that is to feast banquet Then secondly a restriction of the grant Yet not onely by bread but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth
neuer thus yeeld nor relent toward God 6. It is further added so humbleth himselfe for It consisteth of two parts his sinne that he turnes from it to the Lord. In which words I set downe the two maine and essentiall parts of Repentance namely Contrition or Humiliation and Conuersion or Reformation That both these are required to repentance may appeare 1. By the very names which Repentance hath both in Hebrew Greeke and Latine In Hebrew it is called both Nacham and Teshubha the former 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying erking the latter turning Answerable in the Greeke Metameleia signifies after-griefe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or anxiety of minde after the doing of somewhat Metanoia after-wit or after-wisdome when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seeing our errour or slip we are better aduised and change our minde So Poenitentia as the word imports the paine of griefe and Resipiscentia the mindes recouering of wisdome or becomming wiser after our folly This harmony of languages as touching the names of Repentance shewes plainely there must bee in it these two things griefe for that which is done amisse and a change of our minde from that it was before 2. By the phrases and manner of speech which the Scripture vseth touching Repentance Sometimes repenting for or of as vncleannesse 2. Cor. 12. 21. for idolatry Reuel 9. 20. which cannot otherwise be vnderstood then of griefe for the committing of such sinnes But sometimes we meet with Repentance from Repent from thy wickednesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 8. 22. And Repentance from dead workes Heb. 26. 2. which cannot in any congruity of speech note griefe but onely a change or departure from sinne 3. By the description of it in this sort in the Scripture when it cals men to repentance as Ioel 2. 11. Turne to the Lord with weeping Rend your hearts and turne to the Lord. That is in one word Repent So Iames 4. after that Psal 8. he had sayd Draw neere to God which is the generall or whole of Repentance afterward explaining it in the particulars he addeth first Clense your hearts and purge your hands There is Renouation or Reformation and then Psal 9. 10. Suffer affliction that is bee touched with smarting griefe for your sinnes as if you were in some grieuous outward affliction Let your laughter be turned into weeping humble your selues vnder the mighty hand of God There is the other part Contrition or Humiliation And 2. Chron. 7. 14. God promising mercy to his people vpon condition of their repentance hee thus describes their repentance If they shall humble themselues and turne from their euill wayes making repentance to stand in these two points in humbling themselues for and turning themselues from their sinnes Ob. 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly sorrow worketh Repentance Heere sorrow is distinguished from repentance as the cause from the effect Answ Repentance as may appeare by that already spoken sometimes signifies onely one part of repentance sometimes onely the change and alteration of minde sometimes onely the touch of the affections An example of the former is the place obiected as also Ier. 18. If they repent it shall repent me of the euill I had thought that is I will alter my mind and repeale my threatnings And Acts 11. 18. where the Iewes hauing heard Peter relate the descents of the holy Ghost vpon the Gentiles in hearing his sermon conclude thereon Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted Repentance vnto life There was no mention made of any sorrow or humiliation but onely of the wonderfull descent of the holy Ghost causing them to speake strange tongues and to magnifie the name of God Which strange change of their mindes by the holy Ghost it seemeth they call repentance But there are examples of the latter also where repentance onely signifies sorrow and displeasure with our selues as Gen. 6. It repenteth me I made man Luc. 17. It repenteth me the speech of a trespasser crying him mercy whom hee hath offended And Acts 26. 20. That they should repent and turne to God Where Repentance being so plainely distinguished from Conuersion must needes be restrained to the signification of sorrow and humiliation But as from this place we may not gather that Repentance is not a turning to the Lord no more may we from that other 2. Cor. 7. that it is not a godly sorrow Ob. One part is not a cause of his fellow-part But sorrow is a cause of the change of mind 2. Cor. 7. 10. Therefore sorrow and change of minde are not fellow-parts of Repentance Answ One part may bee a cause of his fellow-part As sanctification of the soule is the cause of the sanctification of the body And yet both are parts of sanctification Ob. Contrition seems to be a part of the change and alteration For what greater change then for a hard heart to turne soft and a stony to become fleshie And this is contrition or humiliation Therefore Humiliation and Alteration are not well distinguished Answ The Apostle plainely distinguisheth them when he saith Godly sorrow causeth Repentance that is the change of minde For though godly sorrow bee a part and peece of that passiue change which is wrought in vs at the first instant of our calling by God yet it is a cause of the actiue change whereby we change and alter the purpose and resolution of our harts before set on sinne and now turne them to the Lord. For were it not that we felt the bitternesse of our sinnes and were truly touched in conscience for them wee would neuer in good sadnesse forsake and abrenounce them Howsoeuer then some late Diuines take the word Repentance more restrainedly some onely for a godly sorrow others only for a turning from sinne to the Lord yet the truth is that Repentance accordingly as it is described in the Scripture is the connexion of them both Vse Heere then is the triall of our Repentance If humiliation and Reformation both meete together then is our Repentance accomplished But either of these single make but a halfe and a halting repentance An vnreformed sorrow is but deformed And a sorrowlesse reformation is but a very sorry one Humiliation without reformation is a foundation without a building And reformation without humiliation is a building without a foundation To lay a foundation and not to build on it is to no purpose but to expose our selues to laughter Luc. 14. This man began but could not finish To build without a foundation is to play the foolish builder Luc. 6. 48. for that building will soone fall and so all our labour will be lost Heere then is discouered a double errour in repentance 1. Of such hypocrites as make much adoe and seem to lay their sins much to heart yet stil continue in them bathing cherishing not drowning choaking them in their tears Such a one was Ahab who crept crouched put on sackcloath being threatned for his cruelty against Naboth
into the teares of godly sorrow For after that in the Law we haue seene our miserable and desperate estate in our selues we should presently raue and rage against the Lord did hee not in this our extremity giue vs some hope and inckling of mercy presenting vnto our eye the infinite merits of Christ the indefinite promises of the Gospell calling all without exception to the fruition of those merits excluding none but such as exclude themselues and despise the grace that is offered them But when once mercy is tendred to vs that stand condemned in the Law and that onely vpon condition of our humble submissiue embracing of it Oh then the working of our bowels the stirring of our affections the melting relenting of our repenting hearts reasoning thus with themselues And is it so indeed hath the Lord giuen his owne Son to the death to saue sinners doth hee offer vs the benefit therof who hauing been such desperate Rebels against him stand cast and condemned euen in the sentence of our own consciences What marble brest what oaken heart is there whom such kindnes would not affect How can we chuse but out of loue and affection towards so sweet and gracious a God grieue that euer we haue so grieued him And now hath Contrition it perfect worke in vs when the bloud of the Lambe hath melted the Adamant and the Sun-shine of Gods loue in Christ hath thawen the ice of our hearts For before it was the feare of hell and so indeed selfe-loue and in a manner pride that humbled vs because we would not be miserable But now it is the loue of God that humbleth vs because of the wrong wee haue done him who hath done vs so much good Before it was the hatred onely of punishment that made vs to grieue but now it is the hatred of sin that brings the punishment and that specially because displeasing to the Lord our good God that causes all the trouble And thus we see in what order and by what degrees Contrition is wrought But heere certaine questions may be mooued Quest 1. Whether the sole threatnings and curses of the Law are not of themselues auaileable vnto true contrition forasmuch as Iosiahs heart melted in godly sorrow vpon the hearing of the 2. Chro. 34. 27 threatnings Answ Those threatnings were not meerely Legall but such as were qualified with some tincture of mercy in the Gospell Afflictions soften our hearts but how no otherwise then as we apprehend Gods mercy in them So did Iosiah apprehend mercy in those threatnings that they proceeded from Gods loue and so accounted them as the wounds of a friend and thence came the melting of his heart Dauid relented euen at Shemeies bitter reuilings but it was through the sense of Gods sweet mercy in them Quest 2. Whether God keepe the order spoken of constantly in humbling his children so that none can truely be grieued for sinne till they haue beene cast downe with legall terrours Answ 1. Many may haue the first degree of humiliation by the Law which neuer come to the second by the Gospell As Iudas Caine and other Reprobates vtterly ouerwhelmed with the terrors of the Law as children sometimes in the trauell are killed with the paines thereof before they can be borne But as there can bee no birth without the paines of the trauell going before so neither no true Repentance without some terrours of the Law and streights of conscience None can haue the second degree without the first The Reason is plaine None can haue Repentance but such as Christ cals to Repentance Now he cals onely sinners to Repentance Matth. 9. 13. euen sinners heauy laden with the sense of Gods wrath against sinne Math. 11. 29. He comes only to saue the lost sheep that is such sheep as feele themselues lost in themselues and know not how to find the way to the folde Rom. 8. 15. Yee haue not againe receiued the spirit of bondage vnto feare which shews that once they did receiue it namely in the very first preparation vnto conuersion that then the spirit of God in the Law did so beare witnesse vnto them of their bondage and miserable slauery that it made them to tremble Now there vnder the person of the Romans the Apostle speaks to all beleeuers and so shewes that it is euery Christians common case 2. Yet all are not handled alike Though none wholly scape yet some haue gentler fits then others and some are but sprinkled in this baptisme wherein others are euen doused ouer head and eares and some doe but sippe of that cuppe wherof others drinke to the very dregges It is with the trauell of a sinner in his Repentance as with a womans in child-birth None trauels heere without paine yet some are like those Hebrew women Exod. 1. and haue a farre quicker dispatch then many others Those conuerts Acts 2. in their Repentance had some grudgings and prickes of conscience but yet they had none of Iobs nor Dauids fits which held them many dayes together For the same Peter that wounded presently healed them and being filled with the ioy of the holy Ghost they comfortably conuersed with the Christians Matthew as it is thought at his first conuersion entertained Christ with a feast and so did Lydia the Apostles which they could not haue done if they had beene in any extremities of the agonies of conscience God applies himselfe heere to the seuerall natures conditions and dispositions of his children 1. Some haue beene more hainous sinners and of longer standing then the rest Now the more festred and dangerous the wound is the sharper must be the cure Some sores will as easily bee let out with the pricking of a pinne as others with the Surgeons launching The more viscous and glutinous the humour is the stronger must the purge be The greater the burthen is the greater will bee the paine of the backe Hence it was that Paul being a more hainous offender then the rest of the Apostles as being a malicious persecutor whereas they had beene honest and sober fishermen hence it was I say that hee tasted deeper of this cup then they as we see Acts 9. insomuch that he sayes the Law slew him Rom. 7. Hence also it is that such who in their tender yeeres by meanes of religious nurture haue beene seasoned with the grace of God dropping by little and little into them before any grosser defilement of actuall transgression doe not behold that grim and seuere countenance of the Law which those commonly see who stand idle to the twelfth houre 2. God meanes to employ some in more worthy seruices For the which hee sees it fit to prepare them by the deepest humiliation For the higher and greater the building is the deeper must the foundation be layd in the earth 3. Some are of greater places and parts then others some naturally of a more crabbed crooked disposition some more stout bold hardy then others
Ioh. 4. Christ sat as a Iudge in her conscience and pinched her with that close imputation of adultery There was no dealing with Iob till the whirl-wind schooled Iob. him An vnhumbled sinner is as vnfit for Gods instruction as an vnbroken colt for the saddle and as the hard and clotty fallow ground not subdued by Ierem. 4. the plough is for the seede Who can weilde a mightie hard rocke but let it bee broken to fitters and stamped to dust the hand of the Artificer may worke it as he will When Isay Is 6. Acts 9. and Paul were tamed with the terrors of the Lord then Lord heere I am What wilt thou haue mee doe When the Lyons and Beares are meekned then a little childe may lead them Is 11. Hence those speeches The Lord shall direct the humble Humble Psalm 25. Mic. 6. 2. Chro. 30. 8. Ierem. 44. 10. thy selfe to walke with thy God Be not stiffe-necked but giue the hand to the Lord to be lead by him They are not humbled neither haue they walked in the wayes of the Lord. There is no more resistance in a bruised heart against the Lord then in soft waxe against the seale 5. To procure vs the sounder comfort Whole sores throb and rage Ease is by breaking The deeper the wound is searched and teinted and the sharper corrasiues be applied the sounder will the flesh be afterward The lower ebbe the higher tide The deeper our descent in Humiliation the higher our ascent in Consolation Therefore when Christ promiseth vs his spirit to be our Comforter he shewes this shall bee the first ground-worke of Comfort which hee shall lay the conuincing of our conscience of sinne I will send the Comforter and hee Ioh. 16. shall conuince the world of sinne A miserable Comforter one would thinke no but marke whether this Conuiction of sinne tends For it is added that he shall conuince them of righteousnesse After he hath soundly conuicted them of sinne in themselues vnto condemnation He shall to their comforts conuict their iudgements and perswade their hearts of righteousnesse in Christ vnto iustification So the Prophet sheweth how his peace was wrought out of his trouble When I heard my bellie Hab. 3. 16. trembled my lips shooke rottennesse entred into my bones and I trembled but marke the end of all this that I might rest in the day of trouble Surely after the most toylesome labour is the sweetest sleepe After the greatest tempests the stillest calmes Sanctified trouble establishes peace And the shaking of these windes makes the trees of Gods Eden take the deeper rooting 6. God heerein hath respect to his owne glory which he gaineth to himselfe in working thus by contraries ioy out of feare light out of darknesse heauen out of hell When he meant to blesse Iacob Gen. 32. he wrestled with him as an aduersary euen till hee lamed him When he meant to preferre Ioseph to the throne hee threw him downe into the dungeon to the golden chaine about the necke hee laded him with iron ones about his legges and caused the iron to Psal 105. enter into his soule When he meant to make a most beautifull and orderly world he makes first a vast gulfe a grosse Chaos wherein was nothing but darknesse and confusion and yet out of it he caused light to shine and out of it brought hee this goodly frame of heauen and earth which now wee see Euen so in the second creation which is by Regeneration first there is nothing but a hellish Chaos of darkenesse in the minde of Confusion in the heart and yet at length comes forth the goodliest creature that euer was the new creature in Christ The Vse of all this is 1. To discouer their errour who thinke they haue true Repentance when they haue only some legall qualmes of sorrow some stirrings and stingings of conscience which euen the fiends in hell haue who yet are vncapable of Repentance Indeed these are preparations to Contrition as wee heard in the Elect and are as the pricking of the needle before the thread But contrition it selfe is a further matter Christ biddes the heauy loaden come vnto him and learne of him to bee humble A man therefore may be heauy loaden and as yet not come to him nor truely humbled When those whom Peter pricked asked what they should doe to be eased of that paine hee prescribed them Repentance as the salue for that sore of a wounded conscience A man may haue a sore and feele it and yet want the salue that should heale it And yet the feeling of the sore is the first step to recouery For this makes vs enquire after the salue 2. To terrifie such as being stupefied in conscience and are wholly vnsensible of sinne can carry it away lightly as Sampson did the gates of the city and their backes neuer complaine of the burthen These blocks that neuer in their life were moued with Gods threatnings neuer in any straight of conscience neuer groaned vnder the burthen of Gods anger they haue not so much as entred into the porch of this house or lift the foote ouer the threshold of this schoole of Repentance In Dauids Repentance for numbring the people this is noted at the first step his heart smote him So in 2. Sam. 24. his Repentance for adultery hee notes this to bee the ground My sinne is euer before me The terrible Psal 51. image thereof affrights me continually But for these Brutes their sinne is euer behinde them Nothing is before them but their profits their pleasures their bagges their barnes And the delightfull image of these things so bewitches and besots them that they will neuer see the face of sinne till they feele the fire of hell And iust it is that such who will not see sinne heere by the light of Gods word should at last see it for euer by the light of the Diuels fire 3. To comfort such as are distressed in conscience in the apprehension of Gods wrath against their sinne It is a speciall worke of the spirit thus to discouer vnto them their misery and in the sight thereof to touch their heart Yee haue not againe receiued Rom. 8. 15. the spirit of bondage vnto feare saith Paul The word Receiued implieth that the trouble of conscience is to be accounted of as a gift and the word Spirit shewes the author of the gift Heere is comfort then thou art in the way to saluation thou hast receiued the first gift which the spirit bestoweth vpon all those whom it bringeth to Repentance in that thou seest thy bondage and tremblest Yea but poore comfort thou wilt say to behold and feele God as an enemy with his sword wounding me then with his naile continually raking in the wounds with his axe continually hewing and hacking mee yea and quite cutting me downe and laying me flat on the ground Silly man who seest not the depth of Gods wisedome Gods
1. out of the belly of hell with Ionas call vpon God Euen when wounded by God they goe to him to Ion. 2. 2. be healed Come let vs returne to the Lord hee hath Hos 6. 1. wounded vs and he will heale vs. The Reprobate in hell weepe and waile and yet no godly sorrow there because they cannot crie to God Excellently Luther Hell were no hell if the least whispering vnto God could bee heard there Despaire stops the mouth of the Reprobate that they cannot speake one word to God in their deiections so as the godly do As Ionas complaining of God in the whales belly complaines yet to God Thou hast cast me out Whereas a Reprobate as Caluin notes would haue sayd He hath cast me away in the third person Heere then is further triall of our sorrow and Repentance if as Paul speakes in another case Wee mourne not without hope if as the Lord inuites vs we 1. Thess 4. Is 1. 18. Mar. 1. 15. can come and reason with him if as Christ commands wee repent and in repenting beleeue that as our sinne so also Gods mercy be euer before vs. The wicked as they beleeue without repenting their faith being presumption so they repent without beleeuing their repentance is desperation And therfore they mutter and murmure like the chaffe which when it is shaken flutters in the face of the fanner as angry with him But the Godly are good wheat falling downe at the feete of the fanner as those conuerts that humbled themselues and sought for ease of him that pricked them Men Acts 2. and brethren what shall we doe And the reason is because they haue faith supporting them that they sincke not in the Deepes of Desperation As in Dauid in the 51. Psalme when begging mercy his wounded conscience obiected the greatnesse of his sinnes faith opposeth the greatnesse and multitude of Gods mercies According to the multitudes of thy compassions And againe to that obiection of the deepe rooting of his sinne because hee had lien in it three quarters of a yeere Faith answers Wash me throughly There is no staine so deep but thy hand can fetch it out Heere Dauids faith plucked him out of the mire and made him come to the Lord clinging and clasping about him 3. Because it is offered vp to God as a seruice 3. It is voluntary and sacrifice and that with a free and voluntary spirit Psal 51. The sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite spirit The Godly are Agents in their sorrow For because it is mingled with the sense of ioy in the apprehension of Gods loue by faith they take delight therein and their teares become their meat Psal 42. This voluntarinesse of sorrow in the Godly appeares in two things 1. In the Vse of all good incentiues and prouokements thereof They worke and labour their hearts what they can thereto according to that commandement Iames 4. Suffer affliction And nothing grieues them more then that they cannot grieue But the wicked are meere patients in their sorrow because wanting faith to temper the cup they drinke nothing but pure gall yea deadly poison Hence those strugglings those wrastlings with and murmurings against God With the sturdy horse they irefully champ the bit and desire nothing more then to haue the deadly arrow fall out of our side Hence those so many sleights of their feasting musicke mirth pastime to driue away this so vnwelcome a ghuest Which the Godly haue both inuited and welcommed with sacke cloth ashes fasting going into the house of mourning rending of cloathes and powring foorth whole buckets of water as some expound that 1. Sam. 7. 6. 2. In turning euery thing vnto sorrow worldly not onely griefes but euen ioyes also According to that of Iames Let your laughter be turned into weeping that is let your laughter be made the matter of your weeping Let it bee the fuell to feede that fire So doth repenting Salomon Eccl 2. out of the hony of his abused pleasures hee gathers gall contrary to the Bee sucking sweetnesse out of bitternesse The pleasant witted man will turne euerie thing to a lest euen sad and serious but the touched sinner euery thing vnto sorrow euen sweete and ioyfull The practise of Bradford that worthy M. Samsons preface to his Sermon of Repentance Repentant in this kind was very memorable who to this purpose booked euery notable accident each day that passed and that so that in the penning a man might see the signes of his smitten heart For if he did see or heare any good in any man by that sight he found and noted the want thereof in himselfe crauing mercy and grace to amend If he did see or heare any plague and misery he noted it as a thing procured by his owne sinnes and still added Lord haue mercy on me 4. Because it keeps our hearts in a blessed frame 4. It fits for holy duties of godlinesse fitting them for prayer meditation reading hearing conference admonition or any other spirituall duty Worldly sorrow is a heauy leaden thing making a man fitter to sleepe then to pray as we see in Ionas and the Disciples But godly sorrow in the sense of Gods loue is fresh and liuely and full of spirits We neuer pray or performe any Christian duty better then when our hearts are fullest of this sorrow Againe it makes the heart exceeding soft and tender and so sensible euen of the least sinnes As Dauids heart smote him for cutting off but the lap of Sauls coate and for the entertainement of euill motions Why art thou disquieted why frettest thou my Psal 42. soule It makes the heart like the eye that will feele the least mote or like a straight shooe that cannot endure the least pebble stone which in a wide one would neuer be perceiued And thus we see the properties of true Sorrow or Contrition that it is both a louing Sorrow proceeding from the loue and affection of our hearts towards the Lord and a beleeuing Sorrow comming to God and fastening vpon his mercy and a willing and voluntary Sorrow delightfully bathing it selfe in her teares and lastly a soft and tender-hearted Sorrow working a disposition vnto deuotion And therefore woorthily called godly Sorrow And of the nature of humiliation so much CHAP. IV. Of the measure of Humiliation THe next point is touching the measure of Humiliation or Sorrow for sinne Where I 2. The measure of it propound three rules 1. Rule Of all other sorrowes sorrow for sin must be the greatest Reason 1. Griefe is founded in loue According as our loue is so is our griefe But our loue of God and his fauour is the greatest loue and therfore our griefe for his offence by sinne the greatest griefe Therefore as Dauid saies Thou hast giuen me Psalm 4. more ioy in the light of thy countenance then they haue had when their corne oile abounded So on the contrary must euery
the 2. The procurer of grace 1 Pet. 5. humble For all the grace that God giues is obtained by prayer But proud Pharisies that feele no wants well may they giue thankes but pray they will not Luc. 18. 10. 11. The rich are too stout to begge onely the poore speake with supplications Prou. 18. saith Salomon Onely the poore in spirit that mourne in the sense of their hunger and thirst wil open their mouthes wide in the cries of hearty prayer and therefore they onely shall bee filled with good things when the rich shall bee sent empty away Therefore Christ calling sinners to him in the first place biddes them to be humble and Matth. 11. meeke For meeknesse fits vs to conuerse sweetely with men but humility first prepares vs to receiue those graces of God which makes our conuersing with men sweete and amiable The Lord is neere Psal 34. saith Dauid to the contrite in spirit God is high aboue all but loe a mysterie saith Austin The lower a Christian is the neerer is he to this high God For the Lord hath two palaces as it is in Isay one of glory and that 's in Heauen Heauen is my throne c. Another of grace heere on earth and that 's Is 66. 1. 2. the heart of a contrite sinner 3. Humiliation is the preseruer of grace procured 3. The Preseruer of grace And therefore compared to a strong foundation vpholding the building against the force of winde and weather Onely those streames of grace hold out that flow out of the troubled fountaine of a bruised spirit An vnhumbled professor quickly starts back euen as an vnbroken egge or chesnut leapes out of the fire Grace is no where safe but in a sound and honest heart Now onely the humble heart is the honest heart Onely a rent and Non est cor integrum nisi sit scissum broken heart is a whole and sound heart The drosse cannot be purged out of the gold but by melting Crooked things cannot bee straightned but by wringing Now humiliation is that which wrings and melts vs and makes vs of drossie pure of crooked straight and vpright and so sound durable and perseuering Christians 4. Humiliation is that which commends all our 4. The Commander of our seruices seruices making them both profitable to our selues to our brethren and acceptable to the LORD Christ preferred the teares of that repenting woman before all the delicates of the Pharisies table Bottles hath he for the least drops So precious are they with him A little of this soueraigne baulme water is worth in Gods account more then a whole poole of the mudde of confused distempered worldly sorrow The Sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite spirit The plurall number is in Psal 51. steed of the superlatiue degree with the Hebrewes and so notes the excellency of this sacrifice as being the salt that seasons all other sacrifices To him Is 66. 2. 3. will I looke saith the Lord that is poore and of a contrite spirit He that killeth a bullocke namely without this contrite heart whereby hee must first kill his owne corruption is as if he slew a man or blessed an Idoll In effect thus much now He that receiueth the Communion without Humiliation is as if hee went to the Masse For though God would not haue his Altar couered with the teares of worldly sorrow Mal. 2. 13. yet hee would of spirituall as not rellishing any sacrifice without them What good does all our hearing doe vs as long as wee want Iosiahs melting hart no more then the strokes of the hammer doe the anuile All our prayers what are they but idle prattle if they be not piercingly darted out of the Publicanes smitten heart no prayer strikes Gods eares but his whose heart was first stricken with Gods hand Neither commonly doe any exhortations preuaile with others which proceed not from an affected heart Origen Sanctorum enim non tantum verba sed ipsi aspectus spiritali gratia pleni sunt Chrysost after his fall reading for his text that Psal 50. What hast thou to doe to take my word into thy mouth c. and not able to speake for teares set all the Congregation a crying So effectuall is the very silence of a touched heart See the example of the woman of Samaria Ioh. 4. 39. mightily preuailing with her neighbours Christ hauing before humbled her 5. Humiliation is the way to true exaltation 5. The way to exaltation Godly sorrow is the mother of true ioy for it giues a vent to sinne that lies heauy vpon the conscience as lead and so the heart eased of that burthen is light Blessed are they that mourne saith Matth. 5. Christ for they shall bee comforted But woe bee to you that laugh for yee shall weepe Because the fire of Gods mercy and loue could not make you weepe heere the fire of hell shall heereafter Blessed are they that weepe heere where there are wiping hand-kerchers in the hands of Christ Els they shall weepe heereafter euen when they shall see all the teares of the mourners in this life wiped away Happy art thou if thou weepe heere where thy teares may be water to quench the fire of thine own concupiscence Else shalt thou weep where thy teares shall bee oyle to feede those eternall flames Happy art thou if in godly indignation thou gnashest thy teeth at thy sinnes heere Else shalt thou in a desperate murmuring gnash them in hell at thy punishment and gnaw out thy very tongue for sorrow Miserable is that mourning in hell where the Diuell the tormentor is at hand with his Scorpions But happy is the mourning heere where the Spirit the Comforter is at hand with his oyle to supple thy wounds Repenting teares are the wine of God and his Angels Well mayest thou expect from them the oyle of their comfort when thou hast giuen them the wine of thy teares CHAP. VI. Of the the examination of our hearts by the Law THe last point followeth and that the chiefest 4. The practise of Humiliation in two things of all namely the practise of Humiliation And it consisteth in two points 1. In the inward working of it in the heart 1. Inward working 2. In the outward expressing of it when it is wrought In the inward working of it two spciall dueties must be practised 1. In consideration of our owne wayes 1. Consideration of our owne wayes to God 2. Of Gods wayes to vs. 1. For the first There will bee no sorrow for an euill not knowen Sinne must bee seene before it can bee sorrowed for I agnize my sinne saith Psal 38. 18. Dauid and am sorry for mine iniquity Onely sinners that is such as know and feele themselues to bee Matth. 9. sinners are called to Repentance Ieremie calling Ierem. 3. 13. the Church to Repentance first biddes her know her iniquity After Christ had
discouered to Laodicea Reuel 3. her miserable estate of pouerty blindnesse nakednesse he bids her repent Now vnto a true sight of sinnne there is required a narrow search after it and serious consideration of it Man suffers for sinne saies the Prophet But how shall we know for what sinnes The next Lam. 3. 39. 40. words shew Let vs search and try our waies and turn to the Lord. The heart is deepe and deceitfull and as in such houses where malefactors are hid many Ierem. 17 9. secret lurking holes are there for sinne vnespied vnlesse a more through search bee vsed There fore the Prophet exhorting to this dutie sayes Gather your selues that is gather your wits together that dispersed and wandred about vanities and intentiuely Hagg. 2. 1. fixe them vpon the consideration of your owne estate Indeed in the examination of a close and cunning companion the Iudge had need haue his eyes in his head In the practise of Repentance wee sit as Iudges vpon our selues and our sinnes and therefore in the examination and triall of them had neede haue our wits about vs. And therefore the Prophet bids vs examine our hearts on our beds in the still silence of the night when there Psal 4. is nothing to distract vs and when after our first sleepe our wits are freshest And this he prescribeth as the only way to true humiliation Tremble and sin not There is humiliation And that ye may do so speake in your selues commune with your own hearts examine your reines This is the first thing noted in that Prodigals Repentance He came to himselfe saith Christ and sayd c. By his sinne as he wandred from God so Luc. 15. 17. from himselfe hee was a stranger at home in his owne soule He was as it were a mad man besides himselfe he had not the vse of his reason to consider his owne estate and therefore now beginning to bethinke himselfe of his doings he is sayd to come to himselfe A phrase of the same nature is that of Salomons concerning the Repentance of the Israelites When they shall turne to their owne hearts and returne 1 King 8. 47. The beginning of returning to God is this turning to or vpon our owne hearts and taking notice how matters goe there The minde hath many motions and turnings about but the best is when in this graue and sad consideration it turns and reflects vpon it selfe Else what is it for her to mount vp into the heauens to compasse about the whole earth to flie ouer the seas to descend downe into the bottome of the Deepe if whiles thus busie abroad she be idle at home knowing other things remaine ignorant of her selfe Dauid though a King and had many things to thinke vpon yet neglected not this I haue considered Psal 119. 59. my wayes saith he And what followed Vpon consideration lamenting them I turned my feet into the wayes of thy testimonies It is impossible the straying traueller should returne into the way that markes not nor mindes not his way that thinkes not with himselfe Am I in the right When God will bring the wandring lost sinner home he puts such thoughts as these into his heart God hath placed thee heere in this world made thee after his image endued thee with reason and vnderstanding surely to doe some thing more then bruite beasts doe who minde onely things present euen to seeke and serue him according to his Word But tell me now ô my soule doest thou answer this end of thy creation doest thou set God before thine eyes nay rather doest thou not the cleane contrary so Ezechiel describes the Repentance of the Israelites Then shall yee remember your owne waies and Ezek. 16. 61. Ezek. 18. 28. courses and be ashamed And againe Because hee considereth and turneth away from his transgressions For this Consideration instructs a man throughly in the knowledge of his estate And after I was thus instructed I repented saith Ephraim We see in nature Ier. 31. 18. 19. there is the same instrument of seeing and weeping to shew that weeping depends vpon seeing Hee that sees well weeps well Hee that sees his sinnes throughly will bewaile them heartily Loe then the cause of that great hardnesse of heart and senslesnesse that raigneth this day in the world Euen that brutish in consideration that men go on walking rashly and minde not what they Leuit. 26. do or in what case they stand to Godward No man repented saith Ieremie but why no man sayd What Ierem. 8. 6. haue I done But as the horse rusheth into the battell so they into their sinnes blessing and flattering themselues therein and putting away all such thoughts as should but once offer to make their courses questionable Bankerouts will not endure the sight of the counting-booke nor fowle faces of the looking glasse Guilty Rahels will bee loath to rise when searching Laban comes Nay Elephants out of the conscience of their owne deformity will be troubling the waters But if indeed we desire to worke our hearts vnto godly sorrow wee must then deale faithfully with them and truly enforme them of their estate And to this purpose an Inquisition must be erected an Audit must bee kept in them Many a man prayes and confesses his sinnes and performes Matth. 6. such like outward exercises of Repentance yet without any inward touch because they doe not as Christ counselleth enter into the closet and secret parlour of their hearts and there behold their many and greeuous sinnes the sight whereof would make them pray with greeued troubled spirits and euen poure out their soules vnto the Lord in the teares of Repentance It were to be wished that we had the fore-wit to consult of that wee doe before hand and to say what am I a doing But if heere we be inconsiderate we must yet at the least haue the after-wit to examine that which is done and to say what is this we haue done In the creation when God reviewed at the end of euery day the worke of the day and at the end of the sixe dayes the whole and all the parts and seeing all to bee good and very good how thinke we was hee cheered The repenting sinner when hee shall recount his dayes past and take a suruay of his seuerall actions therein and finde all naught and very naught how can so ruefull a spectacle but worke much griefe and pensiuenesse of minde A dead carkasse when whole sends foorth a filthy stench much more when it is cut vp and opened Sinne considered in grosse is odious and vgly enough But when by examination it shall bee anatomized and euery particular thereof discouered ô how terrible must such a sight bee and how auaileable to a through humiliation But of the necessity and vse of thy Examination search of hart and life in the practise of true contrition there is no question All the difficulty is
Of Mercy where the patience prouidence 2. Of mercy bounty and kindnesse of the Lord is seriously to be recognized of vs knowing as the Apostle speaketh that it leadeth vs to repentance But heere specially Rom. 2. excelleth the meditation of the death and passion of Christ wherein thou shalt see both the infinitenesse of thy sinne and Gods loue And heere consider thy sinnes as the Iudas that betrayed the souldiers that apprehended bound smote and wounded thy Sauiour as the gall and vineger in his mouth spittle in his face thorns on his head nailes in his hands speare in his side Surely if a man but vnwittingly should kill though the silliest and basest man that is it could not yet but be a great trouble vnto him What then should this be to vs that we haue wilfully murthered the Lord of glory the sonne of God himselfe Behold also Gods infinite loue and see Christ doing the same to thy sinnes which they to him and in suffering death at their hands inflicting death on them and all other thy spirituall enemies for God doth that to his enemies to make vs relent which he bids vs doe to ours If thine enemie hunger giue him meat if he thirst giue him drinke Nay Rom. 12. 20. when we Gods enemies were dead hee gaue vs life and that by the death of his owne sonne and so hath heaped coales of fire on our heads to melt our harts in godly sorrow The way then to pierce our hearts with sorrow for sin is to behold Christ pierced with nailes on the crosse Then shall they looke on mee whom they haue pierced and lament Ezech. 12. And this is the consideration both of our own and Gods wayes required as an incentiue and prouokement of godly sorrow The which shall bee farre more effectuall if we keepe iournals or day-bookes of them both both of our speciall sinnes and Gods speciall mercies for then in the exercises of Repentance may we the more easily set our sinnes in order before our eyes and for the better affecting of our hearts may we spread the catalogue of our sinnes before the Lord as Ezekiah did Rabsakehs 2. Kin. 19. 14. blasphemous letter This course holy Bradford tooke and some thinke Iob did so because of that speech Not one of a thousand CHAP. VII Of Confession and Deprecation HVmiliation wrought in the heart must bee expressed outwardly both in word action 2. Outward expressing it in word In word by his Confession of sinne and Deprecation In Confession consider 1. Parts 1. In Confession In it 1. parts which are 2. 2. Manner The parts of confession are two 1. Accusing of our selues 2. Iudging of our selues Both these are necessary duties For by accusing 1. Accusation In which our selues we preuent Sathan by iudging our selues we preuent God When we haue accused our selues what can Sathan that accuser of the brethen say which wee haue not sayd before so his mouth is stopt Hee comes too late wee being Accusers God is our Discharger and what then shall Sathan be but a Slanderer By iudging of our selues doe wee likewise put God out of office for he will say loe how this man iudgeth himselfe I will not therefore iudge him If in Ahabs hypocryticall iudging seest thou not 1. Kin. 21. 29 how Ahab humbleth himselfe I will not therefore humble him how much more in the sincere and seuere iudging of the Godly Indeed in iudging of others Iudge not least ye be iudged but in iudging Matth. 7. 1. of our selues iudge that ye be not iudged 1. Cor. 11. Now for the former namely the accusing of our Three things selues there must be these three things therein 1. A particularizing of our sinnes In an accusation 1. Particularizing of sinne it is not enough to accuse in generall but we must come to particulars and charge the accused with this or that crime How can the Physitian helpe him that saies he is not well and will not tell him where Many deale with God in the confession of their sinnes as Nebuchadnezar with his Inchanters Dan. 2. about his dreame that hee had dreamed hee told them and desired an interpretation but what his dreame was he could not tell So many confesse themselues sinners and desire pardon But wherein they haue sinned and what their sinnes are they cannot or will not tell Generall Confessions and in grosse are too too grosse No they must be particularly remembred and ranked and sorted together in order 2. And beeing thus set in order some of thy chiefest sinnes must be culled out which haue bin 2. Calling out the chiefe most dishonourable to God and discomfortable to thine owne soule Thus Paul in his confession insists specially in that grand and capitall sinne of persecution I persecuted the Church of God And so those Israelites Besides all other our sinnes wee haue 1. Tim. 1. 13. 1. Sam. 12. 19. sinned in asking a King For he that truely and seriously repents of one sinne specially his deerest and sweetest sinne will much more repent of his other lesser sinnes Hee that will shake off his greatest friends will much more forsake the meaner and lesse respected And indeed vsually Repentance is first occasioned by some one speciall hainous sinne layd to heart The Apostles Acts 2. doe specially presse the murther of Christ vpon the Iewes and Acts 17. Ignorance vpon the Athenians Christ adultery vpon the woman of Samaria calling her to repentance As in battels though they fight against the whole Army yet specially against the Head and Generall as Fight neither against great 1. Kin. 22. nor small but against the King of Israel so specially we must set our selues in our confession against our Master sinnes the King being caught the rest will neuer stand out 3. Though we must specially dwell vpon some of our most speciall sinnes yet the rest must not be 3. Yet not neglecting the rest neglected for as Confession must be particular so also must it be full And our more greeuous offences must bring the rest to our remembrance As Dauids murther and adultery brought euen his birth-sinne to his minde And that sin of strange Psal 51. wiues many other sinnes to Esraes minde As we in correcting our children for one fault thereupon Esr 9. remember them of and reckon with them for many other before and as in accusation when a man is endited of some speciall crime his enemies vpon that occasion bring in whatsoeuer else they can get against him further to disgrace him so heere in accusing our selues nothing willingly must bee omitted Take wee heede of spirituall guile in hiding ought Thou mayest hide God from thy selfe thy selfe from God thou canst not To the Physician thou wilt discouer euen thy most shamefull diseases the fruites of thy filthy wickednesse If thou shouldest conceale but one circumstance of such a disease it might kill thee And sixe
tell his dreame that is awakened out of his dreame so he only can confesse his sinne that is truely and throughly awakened out of his sinne by the spirit of God farre are they from repentance who in stead of a free and childlike confession after their sinne are ready to vse shifts excuses extenuations minsings mittigations daubings with vntempered mortar nay that do sow cushions vnder their elbowes and lay pillowes vnder their heads that thy may sleepe securely in their sinnes A pittifull thing it is that whereas God hath giuen shame to sinne boldnesse to confession the matter should bee so inuerted Pudorem et vere undiam Deus dedit peccatâ— Confessioni fidutiam Inuertit rem Diabolus et peccato fiduciam praebet confessioni pudorem Non pudet peccare poeuitere pudet Chrys Iosh 7. 19. Dan 9. that men should be impudently bold in sinning and yet ashamed to confesse when they haue sinned Well in concealing thy sinne thou doest but keepe the Diuells counsell his secretary thou art whose pollicie it is thus to ouerthrow thee Hee knowes right well the next way for vs to get glory from God is to glorifie God And then doe wee glorifie him when by confession wee shame our selues According to that of Ioshua to Achan My sonne giue glory vnto God and of Daniel Glory to thee O Lord shame to vs. When man will not glorifie God by shaming himselfe God will glorifie himselfe by shaming man When man will not open his mouth to pleade against himselfe and his sinnes God will stop his mouth when hee would faine plead for himselfe before his iudgement seat and strike him dumbe that hee shall not haue one word to say in his own defence It is deceit enough that the Diuell should bring vs to sinne t is double deceit to make vs hide and excuse our sinnes and so to preuent vs of that mercy which is promised to simple and ingenious confession Hauing sinned therefore lay not in the way of Gods mercy the Noli opponere obicem defensionis sed aperi sinum confessionis Aug. Psal 51. 1. 2. 3. stumbling blocke of thine owne iustification but open the lap of thy confession to receiue it as Dauid doth Haue mercy vpon mee c. but why for I know or acknowledge my iniquity Well may hee open his lap to receiue Gods mercy that opens his mouth to confesse his owne misery Open thy mouth Psal 81. wide in hearty prayer and confession and I will fill it with the sense of fauour and mercy CHAP. VIII Of reall Humiliation THe expressing of our Humiliation in Deede 2. In deed followes And it consists in three sorts of actions 1. Such as respect our selues 2. Such as respect God 3. Such as respect our brethren 1. For our selues And that is the restraint of 1. In regard of our selues our selues in the vse of the comforts and pleasures of this life as meats mirth marriage musicke apparell company c. This restraint must be somtimes Ioel 2 15 16. 17. Exod. 33 4. in action when in more speciall sort we humble our selues in fasting but alwayes in affection so that we bee not deuoured and eaten vp of any earthly pleasure but may reioyce as though we reioyced 1. Corinth 7. not In wearing of sumptuous apparell bee no more puffed vp nor make any more reckoning of it then if it were sack-cloath in faring more dantily be no more prouoked to excesse in gluttony or to satisfying of our appetite then if we sate at a poore leane table Repentance is the sobriety of minde but wordly pleasures make the minde drunken This is the heauinesse spoken of Luc. 21. 34. Take heede lest your hearts bee oppressed with surfetting and drunkennesse It is a drunken heauinesse not the heauinesse of godly sorrow And indeed this is the reason that many are so eager in the pursuits of their pleasures because they would make Gods Sergeant their owne conscience that pursues them drunken with these pleasures iust as many men vse to doe getting the Sergeant that comes to arrest them into the Tauerne and there making him drunke that so they may escape This excesse that is in pleasures shewes how little men haue tasted of true humiliation If they did bathe themselues in salt teares could they bathe themselues in this sweet milke If they did consider what Christ suffred for their sinnes his want of all these outward comforts euen of an house to hide his head in his hunger thirst nakednesse his vineger on the crosse Could they so fill and glut themselues euen to satiety and surfet with the pleasures of this life and spend their whole precious time in them would they not rather steepe their owne dainties in this vineger of godly sorrow and delay this strong wine with this water and eate their meats as the Iewes their Passeouer with sowre hearbs If Exod. 12. their spirituall ioy in that Sacrament where Christ was giuen to the Beleeuer was to be seasoned with this sorrow how much more should this outward temporall ioy Thus did Dauid notably expresse his humiliation I cause my bed euery night to swimme Psal 6. 6. and water my couch with my teares His bedde is the place of his ease Now look how he qualefied that one ease and comfort so by proportion did he all the rest Not our beds onely but our boords our gardens our fine buildings all our delights must be washed with this water as good Bradford vsually at his dinner vsed to shed teares on his trencher So the woman Luc. 7. sate weeping and wiping while they were eating at table Ioseph of Arimathea makes his garden or place of pleasure to be a place of Humiliation by building a sepulcher therein Thus also doth Ieremie bring in the repenting sinner testifying his humiliation He sits Lam. 3. 28. alone retyring himselfe into his closet from his vain and delightfull company he shuts him vp himselfe close and layes his mouth in the dust what then shall we say to our Epicures to our good fellowes and the rest of that crue but that of Amos 6. Woe bee to them that are at ease in Zion not sitting alone not washing their beds with their teares but with their quaffings and carowsings They lie stretching themselues on iuory beds eating the lambs of the flocke and the calues out of the stall and sing to the sound of th violl c. For as they forget Iosephs affliction so they forget their owne sinnes were they remembred they would be sowre sawce to their sweete meate and would be as gall and wormewood to imbitter vnto them all their vaine delights 2. Such as respect God And those actions are 2. Such as respect God are twofold twofold 1. Feare trembling silence at his rebukes and 1. Feare threatnings Is 66. 2. I looke to him that is of an humble and contrite heart but who that is he shewes by the words following
and trembles at my word A man whose courage is cooled and naturall spirits wasted and his very heart broken with crosses in this world is soone taken downe A little thing daunts such a poore soule whereas a man of spirit and courage will not be terrified with ones threatnings Before our Repentance oh the stoutnesse and stiffenesse of our hearts against God! Though the Lyon roared neuer so much wee would not tremble but when with the hammer of the Law and happily of some afflictions besides God hath broken these stout hearts of ours then alas what a little thing will make vs stoope An angry word or an angry looke will more humble vs then then angry stroakes and stripes could do before Thus was it with broken heartd Iosiah he heard the book 2. Kin. 22. 10. 11. of the Law onely read in a priuate place by a lay-man and yet his heart melted Alas we heare the same threatnings not read onely but preached at large with an edge set on them in the open Church by Gods Ministers and yet wee tremble and relent no more then the seates wee sit on and the stones we tread on So contrite Hezekiah when Is 39. 8. Isaiah threatned him he bowed hee tooke not the boldnesse and foole-hardinesse of Ahab against Micaiah and which many now take to kicke against the Minister and his doctrine and to say It is not good which thou sayest as Ahab sayd but the word of the Lord saies hee is good Thus was it with Dauid and so is it with all tender hearted Christistians that when God hides his face and looks but a little awry on them then are they sore troubled So was it with humbled Iob Behold sayes he I am Iob 39. 37. 38. vile what shall I answer thee I will lay mine hand vpon my mouth Once haue I spoken but I will answer no more yea twice but I will proceed no further So Ionah testifies his repentance by closing his Prophecy with Ion 4. his silence But many are like those impudent castawayes at the last day that will not sticke to giue God the lie when hee rebukes them by his Ministers Matth. 25. Lord say they when saw we thee an hungry and sed thee not as if they had said why doest thou challenge vs of that wherof we were neuer guilty and so they charge God to charge them falsely 2. Humble patience in all our afflictions I say 2. Humble Patience humble patience for there is a threefold patience 1. Constrained and perforce when a man beares that which he would faine be rid of as the damned in hell 2. Voluntary and cheerefull But now one may suffer cheerefully when hee that afflicts deales vniustly And this patience argues a vertue rather in the sufferer then any iustice in the inflicter of the punishment 3. There is therefore an humble patience when a man acknowledges the righteousnes of his afflictions in regard of his sins when a man frees and iustifies God and blames himselfe altogether So Lam. 3. Wherefore is the Lam. 3. 39. 33. 34. liuing man sorrowfull Man suffereth for his sinnes for God doth not punish willingly nor afflict the children of men In stamping vnder his feete all the prisoners of the earth This is that which is called in Scripture Humbling our selues vnder the hand of God When we take Gods part against our selues in our crosses and not our owne parts against God as the humbled sinner sits alone and keepes silence and puts his mouth in the dust and giues his cheekes to smiters So the Repenting Lam. 3. 28. 29. 30. theefe wee are indeede heere righteously So the poore woman acknowledged the name of a Luc. 23. 41. dogge at Christs hand Truth Lord yet the dogs eat the crummes that fall vnder the table So the Lord Matth. 15. sayes of the Israelites that their vncircumcised harts Leuit. 26. 41. should bee humbled and they should willingly beare the punishments of their iniquities When then we murmure and like the angry horse stamp and champ the bit in our crosses and doe not with the Prophet say I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him wee know not as yet what true humilation is Mic 7. 9. 3. Such as respect our brethren and these actions Such as respect our brethren 3. 1. In quiet bearing of iniuries are threefold 1. In meeke and quiet bearing all iniuries vnkindnesses and disgraces whatsoeuer An vnhumbled wretch cannot suspect the least wrong but hee swells presently Whereas if a man bee truely humbled his humility will tell him thou deseruest thus to bee vsed thou art worthy of these wrongs Loe then true humiliation will make vs not only to take Gods part but euen our wicked enemies part against our selues as Dauid tooke Shemeis against himselfe Let him alone Dauid beeing humbled 2. Sam. 16. thought there could come no disgrace to him which his sinnes deserued not So Hezekiah and his people held their peace when Rabsakeh rayled on them For none can thinke or speake so vilely of 2. King 18. 36. an humbled repentant as he himself thinks of himselfe Who could haue said more of Paul then hee himselfe did when he said hee was the chiefe of sinners 1. Tim. 1. 15. The wicked call Gods children hypocrites proud couetous wordly Why alas they call themselues so and accuse themselues with heauy hearts of all these sinnes vnto the Lord. And wheras they vse to bee humbled with the sense of these sinnes they will be so farre from being moued with these clamours of the world that they will reioyce rather that there is matter occasion giuen them to shew and expresse their humiliation It is an ill signe when a man can put vp no iniury Moses being a meeke man humbled with the sence of his owne vnworthinesse with silence passed by the grudgings of Aaron and Miriam And Dauid when he was reuiled was as a deafe man that heard not and Numb 12. Ps 38. 12. 13. as a dumbe man in whose mouth was no answer 2 In not preferring and aduancing our selues aboue our brethren but in making our selues equall 2. In not aduancing our selues aboue our brethren with those of the lower sort and in giuing honour going one before another accounting the lowest place good enough for vs choosing the lowest place at the Rom. 12. Luke 14. feast And so indeed an humbled sinner will thus abase himselfe First of all considering that euen his best part his soule is made of nothing This excellent creature that thus reasons and discourses not long since was nothing Now nothing is lesse then a Feather then a stone then a moate in the ayre But then when hee lookes to his sinnes hee sees himselfe worse then nothing That ambition then which raignes in men whereby they aspire to the highest places and iudge themselues worthier then others shewes plainely that they were
Repentance whereby they shall iudge themselues for that sinne and condemne that for nastinesse which before they accounted neatenesse and that for filthinesse which before they accounted finenesse 3. Property It is yet an vnperfect change Perfect it is in regard of parts as a childe is a perfect 3. It is vnperfect man but imperfect in degrees It is like the change of the ayre from darke to light in the dawning of the day which proceedes by degrees or as the change and turning of water from could to hot which is first luke-warme This I note for the comfort of such poore soules that when they heare repentance is such a change of the minde and feele so little change in themselues but their olde sinnes to be so strong and liuely are driuen to doubts But for their comforte they must know that this is a change that with greefe they feele and complaine euen of those secret infirmities which were wont neuer to trouble them The rising of the heart against sinne the antipathy and secret grudging and murmuring of the spirit against it euen then when it is foyled by it is an argument of a blessed change begunne which shall bee perfected in time CHAP. XIIII Of the practise of Conuersion in foure duties THe third point followes The practise of this 3 The practise of conuersion in 7. dueties Turning Reformation or Conuersion And it is notably set downe by the Apostle Paul 2. Corin. 7. 11. where seuen particular dueties are set downe wherein the practise of this second part of repentance consisteth For behould saith the Apostle 2. Cor. 7. 11. fully handled this thing that yee haue beene godly sorry what great care it hath wrought in you yea what cleering of your selues yea what indignation yea what feare yea how great desire yea what a zeale yea what punishment c He had said before Godly sorrow workes repentance that is this second part of repentance the change of the minde for godly sorrow as wee haue seene is the first part Now heere hee prooues that godly sorrow workes repentance and his reason standeth thus That which workes care and cleering and indignation c. that workes repentance but godly sorrow workes these things therefore it workes repentance So that it is plaine that the Apostle here referreth those things to the practise of this second part To come then vnto the particular duties 1. Duety is Care Now this care is twofold first 1. Care the maine care whereby a sinner takes thought for the remission of his sinnes and life eternall Such was the care of those after they were pricked in their hearts at Peters sermon when they crie out Acts 2 37. Men and brethren what shall wee doe The voice of men in care anxiety as of those that are in great care for this world what shall wee eat or what shall Matth. 6. 31. we drinke or what shall we put on And this is that which is figured in the Parable of the vniust steward who is brought in consulting and taking care what shall I doe digge I cannot and Luke 16. 3. to begge I am ashamed So that the first beginning of our turning to the Lord is a serious and a thoughtfull consultation what course to take for the pardon of our sinnes and the saluation of our soules Now in this carefull consultation there are two things to be considered 1. the ground 2. the end of it For the ground of it It is the sight and certaine knowledge of the errour of our former course of life and the iust censure and condemnation of it As when a man turnes him to the right way first he sees plainely and concludes that he is gone wrong and thereupon bethinks himselfe what to doe that he may recouer the right way againe 2. The end or effect of it it ends alwaies in true repentants in a setled determination and resolute purpose to enter into that good way which the word of God discouers vnto them for good Some indeede deliberate and consult but they remaine houering and do not resolue like faint chap-men that cheapen and hancker about wares but will not come off They are loath to sell all they haue to purchase the pearle to buy heauen with the losse of their sinnes For when Sathan sees a man beginne to mistrust his owne courses and to entertaine thoughts of departing out of Aegypt he vses all the craft he can to detaine him and pursues after him departing as Pharaoh after the Isralites So in the Gospell the dumbe and deafe Diuell when Christ came to dispossesse him raged and tooke on So that euery Christian in the practise of Repentance before he can passe from his consultation to a resolution and determination he shall finde and feele a shrewd bickering and conflict both with Sathan and the flesh that will labour him to continue in his sinnes still as Austin in his confessions shewes it was with him in his conuersion But notwithstanding all the temptations of Sathan the flesh the Christian gets the victory and growes to a resolution This purpose and resolution of the heart is the very hart of Repentance I haue determined to keepe Psal 119. 57. thy word saith Dauid And this is that which Barnabas exhorted the Antiochians that with purpose of heart they would cleaue vnto the Lord. And thus is Acts 11. 23. the Prodigall sonne brought in resoluing with himselfe I will goe to my father and say c. and when he Luc. 15. 18. did but thus resolue his father came foorth to meet him for this serious purpose to turne is turning I thought I will confesse and thou forgauest me So when Psal 32. 5. Zaccheus had but resolued to make restitution when as yet he had not done it Christ said Saluation was Luc. 19. 8. 9. come into his house If wee haue not this constant purpose of heart to forsake all our sinnes and to endeauour our selues to the obedience of Gods commandements we haue not yet set one foot ouer the threshold of Repentance The Prophet Ieremie calling vpon Israel to returne they are brought in answering the Lord Behold wee come Ier. 3. 22. vnto thee when this purpose and will of comming is conceiued there is returning So repenting Ephraim is brought in thus resoluing what haue I to Hos 14. 19. doe any more with idols And Iob Once haue I spoken but I will answer no more It is not enough for vs with Agrippa to be halfe perswaded but we must Acts 26. 28. goe through stitch and so pitch it in a setled purpose that we may say with Dauid I haue chosen the Psal 119. way of thy commandements The Prophet Isaiah bids the Iewes to wash them and to make them cleane to Is 1. 16. cease to doe euill and to learne to doe well c. Now it might bee sayd Alas these are hard matters how shall we be able to doe
any ship the Nineuites became obedient and humbled themselues at his preaching So then afflictions may come and may abide with vs but shall not consume vs no nor yet much disease vs if we haue once eased our backes of the burdens of our sinnes by Repentance This turnes all curses into a blessing God hath raised vp his sonne Iesus saith Peter and him he hath sent to blesse you in turning euery one of you from your iniquities So that turning from sinne is a blessing that turnes all crosses and curses into blessings And thus we see how Repentance remooues euill both of sinne and punishment CHAP. XIX Motiues to Repentance from the good it brings NOw see a little the Good it brings and procures 2. In procuring good And the Good is twofold Spirituall and Temporall The spirituall good which Repentance procures 1. Spirituall is twofold 1. First it brings to the repenting sinner the Holy Ghost Repent saith Peter and be baptized and yee shall receiue the gift of the Holy Ghost Act. 2. 38. Now it brings the Holy Ghost both in respect of 1. The Holy Ghost his Comforts and in respect of his Graces 1. For the Comforts of the Holy Ghost then are 1. In the comforts they most bountifully dispensed to vs when we are most vncomfortable and mourne for sinne Blessed are they that mourne for they shall be comforted Repentance Matth. 5. 4. is the preparing the way of the Lord in the desert by it are the rough and filthy wayes of our Isai 40. 3. opened hearts amended and made fayre and then the Lord himselfe sets in his feet and walkes in them by it our hearts being made of a desert a paradise Christ comes presently and makes it the place of his delight and solace By repentance wee gaine sweet fellowship with Chtist and a more liuely and comfortable presence of the Holy Ghost For by preparing away in the wildernes is meant the change of our hearts by Repentance and by the way of the Lord is meant the blessed and comfortable presence of Christs spirit within vs when those crooked wayes of ours are made straight by our repentance and these rough places plained Then shall Isai 40. 5. Luc 3. 5. 6. the glory of the Lord be reuealed and all flesh shall see the saluation of God So true in this regard also is that speech Repent for the kingdome of God is at Matth 3. 2. hand that is Christ is a King at hand ready royally to dispense his bounty in powring the vnspeakable comforts of his spirit vpon you 2. It procures the Holy Ghost in respect of his 2. In the graces of it Graces procuring both the meanes of Grace and Grace it selfe God will neuer be wanting to the repentant sinner in the good meanes of grace O ye disobedient children turne againe saith the Lord c. Ier 3. 14. 15. And I will giue vnto you Pastors according to mine heart which shall feede you with knowledge and vnderstanding Thus Cornelius his serious exercises of prayer and repentance brough vnto him first an Angell then an Apostle and then the Holy Ghost himselfe And as it procures the meanes so also Act 10. 3. 25 44 Grace it selfe And among other the gifts and graces of the spirit procured by Repentance we may instance in Knowledge a mayne one and which is the ground of all the rest Now we shall see how Repentance gaines it Sinnes are as scales to our eyes whence they are called workes of darknesse and the Deuill the prince of darknesse but the violent streame of repenting teares carry and brush away these scales Naturall teares indeed dull our bodily eyes but these teares cleare the soules eyes Proouing saies the Apostle if God at any time will 2. Tim 2. 25. giue them Repentance that they may know the truth The reason of our ignorance of Gods word is the hardnes of our hearts which being remooued by repentance we come then to the knowledge of it Excellent is that of Paul concerning the Iewes that 2. Cor 3. 16. when their heart shall be turned to the Lord the vayle should be taken away That vayle of ignorance which thorough the hardnes of their hearts is drawne ouer their eyes by repentance shall be remooued and taken away The Lord saies Dauid will teach sinners Psalm 25. 8. in the way why Ioh 9. he will not heare sinners and will he then teach them He expounds himselfe in the next verse what sinners he meanes euen such as he will heare also euen humble and repenting sinners Them that be meeke will he guide in iudgment vers 9. and teach the humble his way Humiliation is the way to get vnderstanding From the day saies the Angell to Daniel that thou didst set thine heart to vnderstand and to humble thy selfe before thy God Dan 10. 12. thy words were heard Herevpon it is that the ignorance of the Gentiles and the infidelitie of the Disciples Eph 4. 18. Mark 6. 52. 8. 17. is imputed to the hardnesse of their hearts Is it any maruell then that men are so grossely ignorant that they neuer feele the enlightning and quickning presence of the Spirit so that they may euen say in this regard though not we haue not heard yet we haue not felt whether there bee an holy Ghost or no Is this any maruell when men goe on so wilfully and impenitently in their sinnes Repentance is the best commentary to the Minister on his text and to the priuate man on his Ministers Sermon If any man sayes our Sauiour will doe my will and this is the will of God euen our sanctification Ioh. 7. 17. 1. Thess 4. 3. and this is our sanctification by Repentance to correct our errors to endeuor our selues in obedience then he shall know whether the doctrine I speake be of my selfe or of my father It was a good saying of Bradfords That we must first be in the Grammar-schoole of Repentance before wee goe to the vniuersity of Predestination And Cardinall Poole answered not amisse to him that demanded what course should be taken in reading of the Epistle to the Romans First saith he beginne at the twelfth chapter and reade to the end and practise the precepts of Repentance and mortification and then set vpon the former part of the Epistle where iustification and predestination are handled Secondly Repentance bringeth grace and acceptation to all our good workes Insomuch as 2. Acceptation to our seruices without Repentance they are no good workes in Gods sight This will the better appeare if wee consider how that Repentance must haue a double worke in euery good worke It hath both a worke preparatory and conclusory it must beginne and conclude all our seruices to God 1. It hath a preparatory worke whereby wee are fitted and prepared to doe that good which is to be done For when we are to doe any good
assault 2. His repulse in Christs answer In the assault consider 4. things 1. The assault 1. The sinnes wherto he tempts our Sauiour 2. The arguments whereby he tempts 3. The manner of conueyance 4. The time For the first By our former opening of the temptation it appeared that the words of the deuill The sinnes whereto Sathan tempteth Christ seemed first to vrge Christ to the working of the miracle and then secondly in case he did not to distrust his Fathers voyce But indeed this latter was the mayne thing he looked at in this temptation Therefore I say Sathan tempted him first of all to vnbeleefe not to beleeue his Fathers voyce Thou art my Sonne Secondly to distrust the prouidence of God for releeuing his body in this hunger As in the former he accused Gods truth so in this latter his care As he tempted him to doubt of that particular word spoken onely to him Thou art my Sonne so of that generall word spoken to all Gods children concerning his prouidence and protection ouer them And these two were inward and secret sinnes whereto he tempted to doubt of the truth of Gods word and the care of Gods prouidence And indeed these two necessarily go together for we can neuer trust in Gods prouidence for this life vnlesse we beleeue that word of his spirit telling vs we are his children for when we beleeue him to be our father and our selues his children then will we hange vpon his prouidence and assure our selues of his care Now in the third place out of these two bittter roots he would haue drawne him to a third namely in this distrust of Gods prouidence to haue wrought a preposterous miracle releeuing himselfe by vnlawfull meanes For the first then Doct. We see it is the deuills chiefe endeauour to call into question the truth of Gods word God had It is the diuels chiefe endeuor to call into question the truth of Gods word said Thou art my sonne and now he comes with his If thou be the sonne of God In the word of God there be specially three things 1. Commandements and these he accuseth as vniust and vnreasonable 1. commandements as that first commandement to our first parents 2. Threatnings and these he maketh to be but scar-crowes 2. threatnings and meere bugges as to our first parents that threatning yee shall dye no sayes the deuill but ye shall liue better then euer ye did So Deut Deut 29. 19. 29. 19. ye shall haue peace though ye walke after the stubbornnes of your owne heart neuer feare the curses threatned 3. Promises and them he 3. promises makes to be but vaine words as to Dauid in temptation Ps 77. Hath the Lord forgotten to be mercifull and Psal 77. to Cain Gen. 4. My sinne is greater then can be forgiuen Gen 4. and so to all dispayring persons Now in all these the deuill assaults our faith not as he thinks without reason For faith in the commandements breeds obedience in the threatnings feare in the promises comfort So that by this meanes he would bring it to passe that as God should haue no feare reuerence and obedience at our hands so we should haue no comfort at his hands But yet more He striketh more specially at our faith in the promises specially doth he strike at our faith in the promises not so much at the generall faith in beleeuing the truth of them in generall as at our speciall iustifying faith applying those promises vnto our selues Not so much to doubt at the generall voice of God in the word Euery beleeuer shall be saued but at the particular voyce of God by his spirit applying the generall to vs and saying Thou beleeuest Thou art my sonne For indeede this faith is the ground of all sauing Reu. 1. obedience The loue of Christ apprehended by 2. Cor. 5. faith constraines vs. 2. Cor. 5. And I beleeued therefore Psal 116. I spake Psal 116. We cannot performe any sincere acceptable filiall obedience till by faith wee are assured of Gods loue This perswasion sets vs on worke in our obedience Secondly faith is the very life of our liues and the strength of our soules without which we are but very drudges and droiles in this life The holy Ghost Rom. 15. 13. fill you with all ioy in beleeuing Rom. 15. 13. And beleeuing ye reioyced with ioy glorious and vnspeakable 1. Pet. 1. 8. 1. Pet. 1. 8. Therefore the diuell enuying our comfort and our happines would rob vs of our faith that he might rob vs of our ioy Thirdly faith is our cheycest weapon euen our shield and buckler to fight against him whom resist stedfast in the faith 1. Pet. 5. 9. Therefore as the 1. Pet. 5. 9. Philistins got away the Israelites weapons so doth Sathan in getting away faith from vs disarme vs and make vs naked For this is our victory whereby we ouercome euen our faith 1. Ioh. 5. And in this faith 1. Iohn 5. apprehending Gods strength lies our strengrh as Sampsons in his lockes and therefore the Diuell knowing this labours to do to vs which Delilah did to Sampson euen to cut off our lockes And indeed when he doth this he doth that to vs which Sampson did doe the Philistins hee pluckes downe the pillers of the house and ouerthrowes vs. Vse 1 Vse 1. Aboue all things then fortifie wee our faith and assurance that God is our father and we his sonnes Where the Diuell oppugnes most thither must we bring our greatest strength Now as we haue seen he labors specially to shake our faith Sathan hath desired to winnow you Luk. 22. 31. 32. Luk. 22 31. 32 what would he winnow in them The next words shew but I haue prayed for thee that thy faith faile not Though Sathan then come and accuse God to vs as not louing vs yet let vs bee no more mooued then a good wife would bee to heare a false knaue thus accusing her louing husband If wee must not receiue a false accusation against an ancient vnder two or three witnesses 1. Tim. 5. shall wee then rereceiue 1. Tim. 5. an accusation against the Auncient of dayes the Lord himselfe vpon Sathans word a knowen and detected deceiuer Such as are knowen to doe ill offices on both sides to come to mee with a tale against thee and then presently to goe to thee and say as much of mee such I say being once knowen who will regard them Now we know Sathan to be such an one Hee accuses God to vs and then hee goes and accuses us to God as he accused both Iob Iob 1. 2. to God Iob 1. 2. and afterward God to Iob as not respecting him As wee would bee loath God should beleeue Sathan against vs so let vs take heed that we beleeue not Sathan against God Vse 2 2. We may not then be discouraged when wee feele our selues thus
world as weaned children to the brest who doe not onely not desire it but though you shew them neuer so goodly a breast abounding with neuer so luscious milke and promise them neuer so much and flatter them what you can yet you shall not get them to take it and suck it When the diuell entices mortified Christians to sinne by these profers and promises of the world hee is more like to speed and winne them then a woman is like to perswade her weaned childe to doe this or that by plucking foorth the breast Of all arguments it is the worst to a weaned childe Indeed to a sucking childe it is the onely commanding argument and so is the brest of the world to an vnweaned and vnweined and vnmortified Christian The Diuell hath them on the hip hee may easily bring them to any thing Looke how a crust commands an hungry curre so doth a little worldly trash a carnall man They that haue longing desires and itching affections after this worlds delicates and they that will be rich fall into temptations and snares 1. Tim. 6. 9. 1. Tim. 6 9. There is no doubt but worldly couetous ambitious men would turne Papists yea Turkes and Infidels rarher then they would not drink the sweet milk of worldly profits and pleasures For couetousnesse it selfe is inward idolatry and what should keep him from committing outward sinne that commits inward He that bowes his heart to gold in his chest wil rather then lose that gold bow his knee to a golden or woodden image And this experience hath shewed in all ages So that not onely by couetous desires of worldly pelfe doth the diuell bring men oftentimes to kill others Pro. 1. 19. but euen themselues Prou. 1. 19. and their owne soules by betraying them into his hands by forsaking the faith 1. Tim. 6. 10. The 1. Tim. 6. 10. only way then to keep our selues from being drawn away by the allurements is by mortification to plucke out that eie of ours that is so much affected with the beauty of that golden Idoll and to circumcise that eare of ours that is too much delighted with the diuels sweet musicke to put a knife to that throat of ours that too much longs after his dainties Yea so to bee crucified with Christ that our nature may bee quite altered and changed so that now these worldly things may no more mooue vs then hay would doe a Lyon And indeed if we were thoroughly mortified nothing would mooue vs then but the kingdom of God peace of conscience ioy in the holy Ghost encrease of grace And as for the worlds treasures wee should despise them as growen and graue men doe childrens gewgawes and bables And we should take in as fowle scorne to haue the diuell thus offer vs these wordly profits as graue men would take it ill to bee perswaded to ought by the offers of childrens bables It is a signe therefore that wee are still babes and not men in Christ when the worlds toyes and bables haue such interest in vs. Labour wee then to bee graue sober and mortified Christians that since the diuels most powerfull motiue to draw vs away from God is this of worldly gaine and glory we hauing no affections to these things may bee no fit booty for any such temptation but being Gods Nazarites may be able without longing to looke on the wine sparkling in the glasse and being Gods chaste virgins may be able not to desire the strumpets beauty in our harts If the worlds beauty can command thine eies and her musicke thine eares surely the diuell can command thy knee to bow to him For if once we look on the Sunne shining and the Moone in her brightnesse the kissing of the hand that is adoration will follow Iob. 31. 27. Iob. 31. 27. Remedy 2 The second Remedie are holy meditations as namely Holy meditations 1. That desire of abundance is vnlawfull 1. Tim. 6. 8. 1. That the very desires of abundance and greatnesse are in themselues vnlawfull though we desire them not vpon such conditions as heere the diuell offers them Wee are commanded 1. Tim. 6. 8. to be content with meere necessaries for food and raiment Where there is contentation there are no further desires Agur Prou. 30. 8. praies against riches Prou. 30. 8. as well as against pouertie That which wee are to pray against we may not desire and such desires cannot be of nature for that is contented with little nor of grace for that is contented with lesse and therefore they must needes bee of corruption for that is the vnsatiable Horseleach Therefore for the things of this life we must be at an indifferency and subiect our selues to God as Dauid 1. Sam. 15. 25. 1. Sam. 15. 25. 2 That the diuell in these promises deceiueth vs. Not giuing all the things promises 2. That the Diuell in these promises deceiues vs and that three wayes First somtimes not giuing all the things promised but the contrary Adam was promised to be like God himselfe but how well he obtained it witnesse Gods bitter scoffe Behold man is become as one of vs Gen. 3. So he promised by his instruments life and honour to Cranmer if he would giue him the worship of the hand and receiue his marke in the hand by subscription but hee failed him So the Romish runnagates that goe thither for preferment what little respect haue they oftentimes so that they wish themselues at home again and sometimes returne in the same discontent in which they went How little was Iudas set by by the high Priests when once hee had serued their turne How did they shake him off in that pittifull distresse with Look thou to that How poore are the witches that in confidence of these promises euen sell themselues to the diuell Secondly sometimes the diuell deceiues vs in his promises not yeelding Not yeelding them so good as he promised them so good to vs as he promised cole-pits in stead of golden mines bleare-eied Leah in stead of beautifull Rahel stones and serpents in stead of fish and bread The Diuell promises vs much peace and felicitie in these outward things we finde nothing but vanitie and vexation of spirit Therefore they are called lies Ps 4. because as pleasant baits they couer Psal 4. Matth 13. the hook Hence that phrase Mat. 13. of the deceitfulnesse of riches Sweetnesse is promised in the bread of deceit but we finde it grauell crashing in our teeth Prou. 12. That same wickednesse which is so Prou. 12. sweet in the mouth and vnder the tongue will bee gall of Aspes in the middest of vs and God will make him that hath so greedily deuoured substance to vomit it vp againe for God shall draw it out of his belly he shall sucke the gall of Aspes and the vipers tongue shall slay him Iob. 20. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. The way of the wicked Iob. 20. 12. 13. 14. 15.
commeth yea and in humility attending vpon him and waiting for his comming in the exercises of the Word and prayer as they Acts 1. 4. 14. But how many may be charged as they Acts 7. 51. Yee stiffe-necked and of vncircumcised hearts and eares yee haue alwaies resisted the holy Ghost And therefore are ye so hard hearted and stiffe-necked because you haue resisted the holy Ghost when he would haue bowe your neckes and softened your heart 4. It is said to be a grace of the sanctifying spirit The sanctifying Spirit to distinguish it from the legall repentance that is sometime in the reprobate hauing receiued the spirit of bondage vnto feare for this repentance is a fruit of an effectuall calling Ier. 31. 19. After I was conuerted I repented and so is peculiar to the regenerate And heereby also is it differenced from that blush and neere resemblance of Repentance which is in such reprobates as haue receiued the enlightning spirit 5. It followeth in the description whereby the In order of nature it is after Faith beleeuing sinner I make the subiect of Repentance to be a sinner for so doth Christ Matth. 9. shewing that such as are perfect neede Repentance no more then whole men do physick But withall I cal this sinner a beleeuing sinner to shew that faith must goe before Repentance as the ground and root thereof In time Faith and Repentance are both together but in the order of nature faith is first Reasons 1. Repentance and griefe for displeasing God by sinne necessarily argue the loue of God for a man would neuer grieue but rather reioyce at the offence of him whom he hates When Christ wept for Lazarus the Iewes sayd Loe how he loued him Ioh. 11. and Christ imputes the repenting teares of that sinnefull woman Luc. 7. to loue Much is forgiuen her for she loued much And wheras Acts 20. 21. Paul makes Faith and Repentance the summe of the Gospell the same Apostle 2. Tim. 1. 13. makes faith and loue the summe of it which shewes plainely that Repentance comes from loue and so consequently from faith because faith works by loue Gal. 5. 6. and it is impossible wee should euer loue God till by faith wee know our selues loued of God 2. Repentance beeing vnto life must needes bee drawen out of Christ the fountaine of all spirituall life and quickning grace So that a man must first receiue Christ before he can receiue Repentance or any grace from Christ Now faith is that which receiues Christ Ioh. 1. 12. 3. Repentance being the softning of our hearts and the changing of our natures how shall our stony harts bee molten but in Christs bloud and what can bathe them in that blood but faith And how shall such wilde oliue branches as wee be changed but by being engrafted into Christ as into the naturall Oliue And what can ingraft vs into him but faith 4. It is impossible that a man apprehending nothing in God but rigour and seuerity should euer relent toward him or come in and submit himselfe No there is mercy with thee ô Lord that thou mightest be feared Psal 130. This is it that brings in the sinner creeping and crouching before God as the Syrians to Ahab because they had heard the Kings of Israel were mercifull Christs 1. Kin. 20. 31. gracious aspect cast on Peter drew foorth the tears Gods gracious reuealing of himselfe not to the ear onely but eye also of Iob made him abhorre himselfe and repent Iob 42. 6. hence the exhortations to Repentance are founded commonly vpon the mercy of God in the Gospell as Ier. 3. 14. O yee disobedient children returne for I am your Lord. So Matt. 3. Repent for the Kingdome of Heauen is at hand in which Christ is ready to dispense mercy and forgiuenesse to the repenting sinner so Os 6. 1. Ioel 2. 13. Rom. 12. 1. 2. Cor. 7. 1. There must be faith then to apprehend at least some hope possibility of mercy or else the sinner will harden his heart and enrage his affections grow furiously desperate against the Lord. 5. As the legall Repentance cannot be without Faith beleeuing the threats of the Law so neither by like proportion can the Euangelicall Repentance bee without faith in the promises of the Gospell going before Ob. Mar. 1. 15. Repent and beleeue Repentance is set first and so Acts 20. 21. Answ 1. The order of placing things in Scripture is not alwayes according to the order of nature But sometimes one thing is set first which in order of nature is last as the effect before the cause and then the cause comes after to shew how wee should obtaine the effect As faith is set after a good conscience and pure heart 1 Tim. 1. 5. when yet it is faith that purifieth the heart Acts 15. So heere first repent and then that yee may repent beleeue 2. Things in Scripture are often propounded according to the order of our sense and feeling Now though faith in order of nature be first and the act of Faith before the Act of Repentance yet it is not so liuely and strong and so not so sensible to vs till after Repentance for the promises are made onely to repenting sinners Ob. Matth. 21. 32. Yee repented not that yee might beleeue Answ Sometimes then name of Repentance is giuen to the first preparatory beginnings and introductions thereof Now the preparations to Repentance are those legall fits of feare and terrour which are both in nature and time to before Faith The Vse 1. Against the Popish Repentance which is made to goe before mercy and forgiuenesse as a meritorious procurer thereof But as we haue seene Repentance is caused by the taste of Gods mercy by faith Therefore the Baptist exhorteth to repentance not that the Kingdome of Heauen may come as earned out by the sweat of pennance but because the Kingdome of Heauen is come Againe there cannot possibly bee any true repentance in Popery because repentance springeth from the particular apprehension of Gods mercy by faith which Popery cannot endure 2. Against the Libertines abusing Gods mercy and easinesse to forgiue vnto wantonnesse As the grace that Kings vse to shew against Parliaments makes many theeues But indeed they are beasts and no men that sin because of Gods mercy and it is an argument that they neuer by Faith tasted of Gods mercy in the pardon of their owne sinnes For they that feele much forgiuenesse loue much Luc. 7. If a man should tell a condemned Traytour that his Soueraigne would forgiue all his treasons and restore him to all his former dignities would not such mercy make his heart euen to melt and knit him faster in loue and duety then euer 3. Heere is comfort to all true Repentants that mourne for their sinnes and purpose a new course This repentance of theirs is an euident argument of their faith that hath tasted of the sweetnesse of Gods mercy or else their hearts would