a man that is bleeding of his wounds 2. This sorrow is to drive out sin Sin breeds sorrow and sorrow kills sin Holy sorrow is the Ruberb to purge out the ill humours of the soul. It is said that the tears of Vine-branches are good to cure the Leprosie Sure it is tears that drop from the penitent are good to cure the leprosie of sin Salt water of tears kills the worm of conscience 3. This sorrow is to make way for solid comfort Psal. 126. 5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy The penitent hath a wet seed-time but a delicious harvest Repentance breaks the imposthume of sin and then the soul is at ease Hannah after weeping went away and was no more sad 1 Sam. 1. 18. Gods troubling the soul for sin is like the Angels troubling the Pool Ioh. 5. 4. which made way for healing But it is not all sorrow evidenceth true Repentance There is as much difference between true and false sorrow as between water in the spring which is sweet and water in the Sea which is briny The Apostle speaks of sorrowing after a godly manner 2 Cor. 7. 9. But what is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this godly sorrowing Answer There are six Qualifications of it 1. True godly sorrow is intrinsecal and that two waies 1. It is a sorrow of the heart Hypocrites sorrow lies in their faces Matth. 6. 16. They dis-figure their faces They make a sowre face but their sorrow goes no further Like the dew that wets the leaf but doth not soak to the root Ahabs Repentance was in outward shew His garments were rent but not his spirit 1 King 21. 27. Godly sorrow goes deep like a Vein which bleeds inwardly The heart bleeds for sin Act. 2. 37. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They were pricked at their hearts As the heart bears a chief part in sinning so it must in sorrowing 2. It is a sorrow for heart-heart-sins The first ebullitions and risings of sin Paul grieved for the Law in his members Rom. 7. 23. The true mourner weeps for the stirrings of pride and concupiscence he grieves for the root of bitterness though it never blossoms into act A wicked man may be troubled for scandalous sins a real convert laments heart-heart-sins 2. Godly sorrow is ingenuous it is more for the offence than the punishment Gods Law is infringed his love abused this melts the soul in tears A man may be sorry yet not repent As a thief is sorry when he is taken not because he stole but because he comes under the penalty Hypocrites grieve only for the bitter consequence of sin I have read of a fountain that never sends forth streams but the evening before a famine So their eyes never pour out tears but when Gods Judgements are approaching Pharaoh was more troubled for the froggs and River of blood than for his sin But godly sorrow is chiefly for the trespass against God so that if there were no conscience to smite no Devil to accuse no Hell to punish yet the soul would be grieved because of the prejudice done to God Psal. 51. 4. My sin is ever before me David doth not say the sword threatned is ever before me but my sin Oh that I should offend so good a God that I should grieve my Comforter this breaks my heart Godly sorrow shews it self to be ingenuous because when a Christian knows he is out of the Gun-shot of hell and shall never be damned yet still he grieves for sinning against that free-grace which hath pardoned him 3. Godly sorrow is fiducial it is intermixed with faith Mar. 9. 24. The Father of the child cryed out and said with tears Lord I believe Here was sorrow for sin checkered with faith as we have seen a bright Rainbow appear in a watry cloud Spiritual sorrow will sink the heart if the pully of faith doth not raise it As our sin is ever before us so Gods Promise must be ever before us As we must feel our sting so we must look up to Christ our brazen Serpent Some have had their faces so swell'd with worldly grief that they could hardly look out of their eyes That weeping is not good which blinds the eye of faith If there be not some dawnings of faith in the soul it is not humiliation but despair 4. Godly sorrow is a great sorrow Zach. 12. 11. In that day there shall be a great mourning as the mourning of Hadadrimmon Two Suns did set that day when Iosiah died and there was a great Funeral mourning To such an height must sorrow for sin be boiled up Pectore ab imo suspiria Quest. Whether have all the same degrees of sorrow Answ. No sorrow doth recipere magis minus In the new birth all have pangs but some have sharper pangs than others 1. Some are naturally of a more rugged morose disposition of higher spirits and are not easily brought to stoop these must have greater humiliation As a knotty piece of timber must have greater wedges driven into it 2. Some have been more hainous offenders and suitable to their sin must their sorrow be Some Patients have their sores let out with a needle others with a launce Flagitious sinners must be more bruised with the hammer of the Law 3. Some are designed and cut out for higher service to be eminently instrumental for God and these must have a mightier work of humiliation pass upon them Such as God intends to be Pillars in his Church must be more hewn Paul the Prince of the Apostles who was to be Gods Ensign-bearer to carry his Name before the Gentiles and Kings was to have his heart more deeply launced by Repentance 2. But how great must sorrow for sin be in all It must be as great as for any worldly loss Turgescunt lumina fletu Zach. 12. 10. They shall look on me whom they have peirced and mourn as for an only Son 2. Sorrow for sin must surpass worldly sorrow We must grieve more for offending God than for the loss of dear relations Isa. 22. 12. In that day did the Lord call to weeping and baldness and girding with sackcloth This was for sin But in case of the burial of the dead we find God prohibiting tears and baldness To intimate that sorrow for sin must exceed sorrow at the grave and good reason for in the burial of the dead it is only a friend departs but in sin God departs 3. Sorrow for sin should be so great as to swallow up all other sorrow As when the pain of the Stone and Gout meet the pain of the Stone swallows up the pain of the Gout 4. We are to find as much bitterness in weeping for sin as ever we found sweetness in committing it Sure David found more bitterness in Repentance than ever he found comfort in Bathsheba 5. Our sorrow for sin must be such
as makes us willing to let go those sins which brought in the greatest income of profit or delight Then the Physick hath been strong enough when it hath purged out the disease And then a Christian hath arrived at a sufficient measure of sorrow when the love of sin is purged out Godly sorrow in some cases is joyned with restitution Whosoever hath wronged others in their estate by unjust fraudulent dealing ought in conscience to make them recompence There is an express Law for this Numb 5. 7. He shall recompence his trespass with the principal thereof and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed Thus Zacheus Luk. 19. 8. If I have wronged any man by false accusation I restore him â—…our-sold When Selymus the great Turk lay upon his death-bed being moved by Pyrrhus to bestow that wealth he had wronged the Persian Merchants of upon charitable uses he commanded it should rather be sent back to the right owners Shall not a Christians Creed be better than a Turks Alcoran 'T is a bad sign when a man on his death-bed bequeaths his soul to God and his ill-gotten goods to his friends I can hardly think God will receive his soul. Austin saith without restitution no remission And it was a speech of old Latimer if ye restore not goods unjustly gotten ye shall cough in Hell 1. But suppose a person hath wronged another in his estate and the party wronged be dead what shall he do in this case Let him restore his ill-gotten goods to that mans heirs and successors Qu. But what if none of them be living Answ. Let him restore to God that is let him put his unjust gain into Gods treasury by relieving the poor 2. But what if the party who did the wrong be dead Then they who are his heirs ought to make restitution Mark what I say if there be any who have estates left them and they knew that the parties who left their estates did defraud others and died with that guilt upon them then the Heirs or Executors who possess those estates are bound in conscience to make restitution else they entail the curse of God upon their family 3. But if a man hath wronged another and he be not able to restore what shall he do in this case Let him deeply humble himself before God promising to the party wronged if the Lord make him able full satisfaction and God will accept of the will for the deed 6. Godly sorrow is abiding It is not a few tears shed in a passion will serve the turn Some at a Sermon will fall a weeping but it is like an Aprill showre soon over Or like a vein opened and presently stopp'd again But true sorrow must be habitual Oh Christian the disease of thy soul is Chronical and is frequently returning upon thee therefore thou must be continually physicking thy self by Repentance And this is that sorrow which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after a godly manner How far are they from Repentance who never had any of this godly sorrow Such are 1. The Papists who leave out the very soul of Repentance making all penitential work consist in fasting pennance pilgrimages but there is nothing of spiritual sorrow in this they torture their bodies but their hearts are not rent What is this but the carkass of Repentance 2. Carnal Protestants who are strangers to godly sorrow they cannot endure a serious thought nor do they love to trouble their heads about sin Paracelsus speaks of a Phrensie some have which will make them die dancing So sinners spend their lives in mirth they sing away sorrow and go dancing to damnation Some have lived many years yet never put a drop in Gods bottle nor do they know what a broken heart means they weep and wring their hands as if they were undone when their estates are gone but have no agony of soul for sin There is a twofold sorrow 1. A rational sorrow which is an act of the soul whereby it hath a displacency against sin and chuseth any torture rather than to admit of sin 2. There is a sensitive sorrow which is expressed by plenty of tears The first of these is to be found in every child of God but the other which is a sorrow running out at the eye all have not yet it is very commendable to see a weeping penitent Christ counts those the great beauties which are tender-eyed and well may sin make us weep We usually weep for the loss of some great good By sin we have lost the favour of God If Micah did so weep for the loss of a false God Iudg. 18. 24. Ye have taken away my gods and what have I more Then well may we weep for our sins which have taken away the true God from us SECTION III. 3. THE third Ingredient in Repentance is confession of sin Sorrow is such a vehement passion as will have vent it vents it self at the eyes by weeping and at the tongue by confession Neh. 9. 2. The children of Israel stood and confessed their sins Hos. 5. 15. I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their sins 'T is a metaphor alludes to a Mother who when she is angry goes away from the child and hides her face till the child acknowledgeth its fault and begs pardon Gregory Nazianzene calls confession a salve for a wounded soul. Confession is a self accusing 2 Sam. 24. 17. Lo I have sinned Indeed among men it is otherwise no man is bound to accuse himself but desires to see his accuser but when we come before God we must accuse our selves me me adsum qui feci in me convertite Ferrum And the truth is by this self-accusing we prevent Satans accusing In our confessions we tax our selves of pride infidelity passion now when Satan who is called The Accuser of the Brethren shall â—…ay these things to our charge God will say They have accused themselves already therefore Satan thou art non-suited thy accusations come too late Nay the humble sinner doth more than accuse himself he doth as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sit in Judgement and pass a sentence upon himself he confesseth that he hath deserved to be bound over to the wrath of God And hear what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 11. 31. If we would judge our selves we should not be judged But have not wicked men confessed sin as Iudas and Saul yes but theirs was not a true confession That confession of sin may be right and genuine these eight qualifications are requisite 1. It must be voluntary it must come as water out of a spring freely The confession of the wicked is extorted like the confession of a man upon a rack When a spark of Gods wrath flies into their conscience or they are in fear of death then they will fall to their confessions Balaam when he saw the Angels naked
7. 13. 5. It is a breaking the heart of God Ezek. 6. 9. I am broken with your whorish heart as a loving husband is with the unchast carriage of his wife 6. Sin when acted to the height is a crucifying Christ afresh and putting him to open shame Heb. 6. 6. That is impudent sinners pierce Christ in his Saints and were he now upon earth they would crucifie him again in his person Behold the odious nature of sin 3. Look upon sin in its comparison and it appears ghastly Compare sin either with affliction or Hell and it is worse than both 1. Compare sin with Affliction sickness poverty death and it is worse than these There 's more malignity in a drop of sin than in a Sea of affliction For Sin is the cause of affliction and the cause is more than the effect The sword of Gods justice lies quiet in the scabbard â—…ill sin draws it out Affliction is good for us Psal. 119. 71. It is good for me that I was afflicted Affliction causeth Repentance 2 Chron. 33. 12. The Viper being stricken casts up its poison So Gods Rod striking us we spit away the poison of sin Affliction betters our grace Gold is purest and Juniper sweetest in the fire Affliction prevents damnation 1 Cor. 11. 32. Therefore Maurice the Emperour prayed to God to punish him in this life that he might not be punished hereafter So that affliction is many waies for our good but sin hath no good in it Manasseh's affliction brought him to humiliation but Iudas his sin brought him to desperation Affliction doth only reach the body but sin goes further it poisons the fancy disorders the affections Affliction is but corrective sin is destructive Affliction can but take away the life sin takes away the soul Luk. 12. 20. A man that is afflicted may have his conscience quiet When the Ark was tossed on the waves Noah could sing in the Ark. When the body is afflicted and tossed a Christian can make melody in his heart to the Lord Ephes. 5. 19. But when a man commits sin conscience is terrified witness Spira who upon his abjuring the Faith said he thought the damned spirits did not feel those torments which he inwardly endured In affliction one may have the love of God Rev. 3. 19. If a man should throw a bag of money at another and in throwing it should hurt him a little and raise the skin he would not take it unkindly but look upon it as a fruit of love So when the Lord bruiseth us with affliction it is to enrich us with the golden graces and comforts of his Spirit all is in love But when we commit sin God withdraws his love When David had sinned he felt nothing but displeasure from God Psal. 97. 2. Clouds and darkness are round about him David found it so he could see no Rainbow no Sun-beam nothing but clouds and darkness about Gods face That sin is worse than affliction is evident because the greatest judgement God laies upon a man in this life is to let him sin without controll When the Lords displeasure is most severely kindled against a person he doth not say I will bring the Sword and Plague on this man but I will let him sin on Psal. 81. 11. So I gave them up to their own hearts lusts Now if the giving a man up to his sins in the account of God himself is the most dreadful evil then sin is far worse than affliction and if it be so then how should it be hated by us 2. Compare sin with Hell and you shall see that sin is worse Torment hath its emphasis in Hell yet nothing there is of so bad an aspect as sin 1. Hell is of Gods making but sin is none of his making Sin is the Devils creature 2. The torments of Hell are a burden only to the sinner but sin is a burden to God Amos 2. 13. I am pressed under you as a Cart is pressed with sheaves 3. In the torments of Hell there is something that is good namely the execution of divine justice There is justice to be found in Hell but sin is a piece of the highest injustice it would rob God of his glory Christ of his purchase the soul of its happiness Judge then if sin be not a most hateful thing that is worse than affliction or Hell 4. Look upon sin in the issue and consequence and it will appear hateful Sin reacheth the body it hath exposed it to variety of miseries We come into the world with a â—…ry and go out with a groan which made the Thracians weep on their childrens birth-day to consider the calamities they were to undergo in the world Sin is the Trojan Horse out of which come a whole Army of troubles I need not name them because almost every one feels them While we suck the hony we are pricked with the briar Sin gives a dash in the wine of our comforts it digs our grave Rom. 5. 12. Sin reacheth the soul By sin we have lost the Image of God wherein did consist both our sanctity and majesty Adam in his pristine glory was like an Herald that hath his Coat of Arms upon him all reverence him because he carries the Kings Coat of Arms but pull this Coat off and no man regards him Sin hath done this disgrace to us it hath plucked off our Coat of Innocency but that is not all this bearded arrow of sin would strike yet deeper it would for ever separate us from the beatifical vision of God in whose presence is fulness of joy If sin then be so hyperbolically sinful it may swell our spleen and stir up our implacable indignation against it As Ammons hatred of Tamar was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her 2 Sam. 13. 15. So we should hate sin infinitely more than ever we loved it SECT VI. 6. THE sixth Ingredient in Repentance is turning from sin Reformation is left last to bring up the rear of Repentance What though one could with Niobe weep himself into a stone if he did not weep out sin True Repentance like aqua fortis eats asunder the Iron chain of sin therefore weeping and turning are put together Ioel 2. 12. After the cloud of sorrow hath dropped in tears the firmament of the soul is clearer Ezek. 14. 6. Repent and turn your selves from your Idols and turn away your faces from all your abominations This turning from sin is called a forsaking of sin Isa. 55. 7. As a man forsakes the company of a thief or forcerer 'T is called a putting sin far away Iob 11. 14. As Paul put away the Viper and shook it into the fire Act. 28. 5. Dying to sin is the life of Repentance That very day a Christian turns from sin he must enjoyn himself a Perpetual Fast. The eye must fast from impure glances the ear must fast
pard on a sinner while he is in the act of rebellion 3. Sinners continuing in impenitency are out of Christs commission See his commission Isa. 61. 1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted Christ is a Prince and Saviour but not to save men in an absolute way whether they repent or no. If ever Christ bring men to Heaven it shall be thorow Hell gates Act. 5. 31. Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and Saviour to give Repentance As a King pardons Rebels not if they persist in open defiance but if they relent and yield themselves to the mercy of their Prince 4. There is a great deal of equity in it that we should repent We have by sin wronged God we have ecclipsed his honour we have infringed his Law and good reason we should make him some reparation By Repentance we humble and judge our selves for sin we set to our seal that God is righteous if he should destroy us and thus we give glory to God and do what in us lyes to repair his honour 5. If God should save men without Repentance making no discrimination then by this Rule he must save all not only men but Devils as Origen once held and so consequently the decrees of Election and Reprobation must fall to the ground which how diametrically opposite it is to sacred writ let all judge CHAP. VI. Shewing that it will be harder for some to repent than others THere are two sorts of persons who will find it harder to repent than others 1. Such as have sate a great while under the droppings of Gods Ordinances but grow no better The earth which drinketh in the Rain yet beareth thorns and briars is nigh unto cursing Heb. 6. 8. The metal which hath lain long in the fire but is not melted and refined there is little hope of it When God hath sent his Ministers one after another exhorting and perswading men to leave their sins but they settle upon the lees of formality and can sit and sleep under a Sermon it will be hard for these ever to be brought to Repentance they may fear lest Christ should say to them as once to the Fig-tree Never fruit grow on thee more 2. They will find it harder to repent who have sinned frequently against the convictions of the Word the checks of conscience and the motions of the Spirit Conscience hath stood as the Angel with a flaming sword in its hand it hath said Do not this great evil but sinners regard not the voice of conscience but march on resolvedly under the Devils colours these will not find it easie to repent Iob 24. 13. They are of those that rebel against the Light It is one thing to sin for want of light and another thing to sin against light Here the unpardonable sin takes its rise first men sin against the light of conscience and so proceed gradually to the despighting the Spirit of grace CHAP. VII Containing a reprehension to the Impenitent FIRST then it serves sharply to reprove all unrepenting sinners whose hearts seem to be hewn out of a Rock and are like the stony ground in the Parnble which wanted moisture This disease I fear is epidemical Ier. 8. 6. No man repented him of his wickedness Mens hearts are marbled into hardness Zach. 7. 12. They made their heart as an Adamant They are not at all dissolved into a penitential frame It hath been a received opinion that Witches never weep Sure I am such as have no grief for sin are spiritually bewitched by Satan We read that when Christ came to Ierusalem he upbraided them because they repented not Matth. 11. 20. And may he not upbraid many now for their impenitency Though Gods heart be broken with their sins yet their hearts are not broken They say as Israel Ier. 2. 25. I have loved strangers and after them will I go The justice of God like the Angel stands with a drawn sword in his hand ready to strike but sinners have not so good eyes as Balaams Ass to see the sword God smites on mens backs but they smite not with Ephraim upon their thigh It was a sad complaint the Prophet took up Ier. 5. 3. Thou hast stricken them but they have not grieved That sure is reprobate silver which contracts hardness in the furnace 2 Chron. 28. 22. In the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord this is that King Ahaz An hard heart is a receptacle for Satan As God hath two places he dwells in Heaven and an humble heart so the Devil hath two places he dwells in Hell and an hard heart 'T is not falling into the water drowns but lying in it 'T is not falling into sin damns but lying in it without Repentance Hardness of heart brings at last to searedness of conscience 1 Tim. 4. 2. Having their conscience seared with an hot Iron Men have silenced their consciences and God hath seared them And now he lets them sin and doth not punish Isa. 1. 5. Why should I smite you any more As a Father gives over correcting a child whom he intends to dis-inherit CHAP. VIII Containing a serious Exhortation to Repentance LET me in the next place perswade all to this great duty of Repentance Sorrow is good for nothing but sin If you shed tears for outward losses it will not advantage you Water for the Garden if poured in the sink doth no good Powder for the eye if applied to the arm is of no benefit Sorrow is medicinable for the soul but if you apply it to wordly things it doth no good O that our tears may run in the right chanel and our hearts even burst with sorrow for sin That I may the more successfully press this Exhortation I shall shew you that Repentance 1. Is necessary 2. It is necessary for all persons 3. For all sins 1. Repentance is necessary Luke 13. 5. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish There 's no rowing to Paradise but upon the stream of repenting tears Repentance is required as a qualification It is not so much to endear us to Christ as to endear Christ to us Till sin be bitter Christ will not be sweet 2. Repentance is necessary for all persons God commandeth all men Act. 17.30 1. It is necessary for great ones Ier. 13. 18. Say to the King and the Queen humble your selves The King of Niniveh and his Nobles changed their robes for sackcloth Ionah 3. 6. Great mens sins do more hurt than others the sins of leaders are leading sins therefore they of all others had need to repent If such as hold the Scepter repent not God hath appointed a day to judge them and a fire to burn them Isa. 30. 33. 2. Repentance is necessary for the flagitious sinners in the Nation England had
CHAP. IX Containing powerful Motives to Repentance THAT the exhortation to Repentance may be more quickned I shall lay down some powerful Motives to excite Repentance 1. Sorrow and melting of heart fits us for every holy duty A piece of Lead while it is in the lump can be put to no use but melt it and then you may cast it into any mould and it is made useful So an heart that is hardened into a lump of sin is good for nothing but when it is dissolved by Repentance now it is useful A melting heart is fit to pray When Pauls heart was humbled and melted then Behold he prayes Act. 9. 11. It is fit to hear the word Now the word works kindly When Iosiahs heart was tender he humbled himself and rent his cloths at the hearing the words of the Law 2 Chron. 34. 19. His heart like melting wax was ready to take any seal of the word A melting heart is fit to obey When the heart is like metal in the Furnace it is facil and malleable to any thing Lord what wilt thou have me do A repenting soul subscribes to Gods will and answers to his call as the eccho to the voice 2. Repentance is highly acceptable Then our hearts are a garden of Eden delightful to God when a spiritual River runs to water this garden I have read that Doves delight to be about the waters and surely Gods Spirit who descended in the likeness of a Dove takes great delight in the waters of Repentance The Lord esteems no heart sound but the broken heart Psal. 51. 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit Mary stood at Iesus feet weeping Luke 7. 38. She brought two things to Christ saith Austin unguentum lachrymas tears and oyntment her tears were better than her oyntment Tears are powerful Orators for mercy they are silent yet they have a voice Psal. 6. 8. Hear the voice of my â—…eeping 3. Repentance commends all our services to God That is Gods savoury meat which is seasoned with the bitter hearbs of godly sorrow Hearing of the word â—…s then good when we are pricked at the heart Act. 2. 37. Prayer is delightful to God when it ascends from the Altar of a broken heart The Publican smote upon his breast saying God be merciful to me a sinner this prayer pierced Heaven He went away justified rather than the other Luke 18. 14. No prayer toucheth Gods ear but what comes from an heart touched with the sense of sin 4. Without Repentance nothing will avail us Some bless themselves that they have a stock of knowledge but what is knowledge good for without Repentance It is better to mortifie one â—…in than to understand all mysteries Impure speculatists do but resemble Satan â—…ransformed into an Angel of light Learning and a bad heart is like a fair face with a cancer in the breast Knowledge without Repentance will be but a torch â—…o light men to Hell 5. Repenting tears are delitious they may be compared to myrrhe which though it be bitter in taste it hath a sweet smell and refresheth the spirits So Repentance though it be bitter in it self yet it is sweet in the effects it brings inward peace The soul is never more enlarged and inwardly delighted than when it can kindly melt Alexander upon the safe return of his Admiral Nearchus from a long voyage wept for joy How oft do the Saints fall a weeping for joy The Hebrew word to repent signifies to take comfort * None so joyful as the penitent Tears as the Philosopher notes have four qualities they are moist salt hot bitter 'T is true of repenting tears they are hot to warm a frozen conscience moist to soften an hard heart salt to season a soul putrifying in sin bitter to wean us from the love of the world And I will add a fifth they are sweet in that they make the heart inwardly rejoyce Ioh. 16. 22. Your sorrow shall be turned into joy Let a man saith Austin grieve for his sin and rejoyce for his grief Tears are the besâ—… sweet-meats David who was the greaâ—… weeper in Israel was the sweet singer oâ—… Israel The sorrows of the penitent are like the sorrows of a travelling woman Ioh. 16. 21. A woman in travel hath sorrow but as soon as she is delivered of the child she remembreth no more the anguish for joy that a man is born into the world So the sorrows of humbled sinners bring forth grace and what joy is there when this manchild is born 6. Great sins repented of shall find mercy Mary Magdalen a great sinner when she washed Christs feet with her tears obtained pardon Some of the Jews who had an hand in crucifying Christ upon their Repentance the very blood they shed was a soveraign balm to heal them Isa. 1. 18. Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow Scarlet in the Greek is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it is twice dipt and the art of man cannot wash out the dye again But though our sins are of a scarlet colour Gods mercy can wash them away This may comfort such whom the hainousness of sin discourageth as if there were no hope for them yes upon their serious turning to God their sins shall be expunged and done away Oh but my sins are out of measure sinful do not make them greater by not repenting Repentance unravels sin and makes it as if it had never been O but I have relapsed into sin after pardon and sure there is no mercy for me I know the Novatians held that after a relapse there was no renewing by Repentance But doubtless that was an errour The children of God have relapsed into the same sin Abraham did twice equivocate Lot committed incest twice Asa a good King yet sinned twice by creature-confidence Peter twice by carnal fear Matth. 26. 70. Gal. 2. 12. But for the comfort of such as have relapsed into sin more than once if they solemnly repent a white flag of mercy shall be held forth to them Christ commands us to forgive our trespassing brother seventy times seven in one day in case he repent Mat. 18. 22. If the Lord bids us do it will not he much more be ready to forgive upon our Repentance What is our forgiving mercy to his this I speak not to encourage any impenitent sinner but to comfort a despondent sinner that thinks t is in vain for him to repent and that he is excluded from mercy 7. Repentance is the in-let to spiritual â—…lessings it helps to enrich us with â—…ace it causeth the desart to blossom as â—…he Rose it makes the soul as the Egypâ—…an fields after the overflowing of Nilus â—…ourishing and fruitful Never do the â—…owers of grace grow more than after a â—…ower of repentant tears Repentance â—…auseth knowledge 2 Cor. 3. 16. When â—…eir heart shall be turned to the
repented brought their Books and by way of revenge burned them Act. 19. 19. These are the blessed fruits and products of Repentance and if we can find these in our souls we have arrived at that Repentance which is never to be repented of CHAP. XI A necessary Caution inserted SUch as have solemnly repented of their sins let me speak to them 1. By way of Caution Though Repentance be so necessary and excellent as you have heard yet take heed that you do not ascribe too much to Repentance The Papists are guilty of a double errour 1. They make Repentance a Sacrament Christ never made it so and who may institute Sacraments but he who can give vertue to them Repentance can be no Sacrament because it wants an outward sign A Sacrament cannot properly be without a sign 2. The Papists make Repentance meritorious they say it doth ex congruo merit pardon this is a gross errour Indeed Repentance fits us for mercy As the Plough when it breaks up the ground fits it for the seed So when the heart is broken up by Repentance it is fitted for remission but it doth not merit it God will not save us without Repentance nor yet for it Repentance is a qualification not a cause I grant repenting tears are precious they are as Gregory saith the fat of the sacrifice And as Basil saith the medicine of the soul. And as Bernard the wine of Angels but yet tears are not satisfactory for sin We drop sin with our tears therefore they cannot satisfie Austin saith well I have read of Peters tears but no man ever read of Peters satisfaction Christs blood only can merit pardon We please God by Repentance but we do not satisfie him by it To trust to our Repentance is to make it a Saviour Though Repentance helps to purge out the filth of sin yet it is Christs blood washeth away the guilt of sin therefore do not idolize Repentance Do not rest upon this that your heart hath been wounded for sin but rather that your Saviour hath been wounded for sin When you have wept say as he Lord Iesus wash my tears in thy blood CHAP. XII Comfort to the Repenting Sinner 2. LET me in the next place speak by way of comfort Christian hath God given thee a repenting heart know these three things for thy everlasting comfort 1. Thy sins are pardoned Pardon of sin circumscribes blessedness within it Psal. 32. 1. Whom God pardons he crowns Psal. 1â—…3 4. Who forgiveth thy iniquities who crowneth thee with loving kindness A repenting condition is a pardoned condition Christ said to that weeping woman Thy sins which are many are forgiven Luk. 7. 47. Pardons are sealed upon soft hearts O thou whose head hath been a fountain to weep for sin Christs side will be a fountain to wash away sin Zach. 13. 1. Hast thou repented God looks upon thee as if thou hadst not offended he becomes a friend a father he will now bring forth the best Robe and put it on thee God is pacified towards thee and will with the Father of the Prodigal fall upon thy neck and kiss thee Sin in Scripture is compared to a cloud Isa. 44. 22. No sooner is this cloud scattered by Repentance but pardoning love shines forth Paul after his Repentance obtained mercy 1 Tim. 1. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I was all bestrowed with mercy When a spring of Repentance is open in the heart a spring of mercy is open in Heaven 2. God will pass an Act of Oblivion he so forgives sin as he forgets Ier. 31. 34. I will remember their sin no more Hast thou been penitentially humbled the Lord will never upbraid thee with thy former sins After Peter wept we never read that Christ upbraidâ—…d him with his denial of him God hath cast thy sins into the depth of the Sea Micah 7. 19. How not as Cork but as Lead The Lord will never in a judicial way account for them God when he pardons doth as a Creditor that blots the debt out of his Book Isa. 43. 25. * Some move the question whether the sins of the godly shall be mentioned at the last day The Lord saith he will not remember them and he is blotting them out So that if their sins be mentioned it shall not be to their prejudice for the debt-book is crossed 3. Conscience will now speak peace O the musick of conscience Conscience is turned into a paradise and there a Christian doth sweetly solace himself and pluck the flowers of joy 2 Cor. 1. 12. The repenting sinner can go to God with boldness in prayer and look upon him not as a Judge but a Father He is born of God and is heir to a Kingdom Luk. 6. 20. He is incircled with Promises he no sooner shakes the tree of the Promise but some fruit falls To conclude the true penitentiary may look on death with comfort his life hath been a life of tears and now at death all tears shall be wiped away Death shall not be a destruction but a Gaol-delivery Thus you see what great comfort remains for repenting sinners Luther said before his conversion he could not endure that bitter word Repentance but afterwards he found much sweetness in it CHAP. XIII The resolving of a Question SOme may propound a question Whether must our Repentance and sorrow be alwaies alike A. Though Repentance must be alwaies kept alive in the soul yet there are two special times wherein we must renew our Repentance in an extraordinary manner 1. Before the receiving of the Lords Supper This spiritual Passeover is to be eaten with bitter herbs Now our eyes should be fresh broached with tears and the stream of sorrow overflow A repenting frame is a sacramental frame A broken heart and a broken Christ do well agree The more bitterness we taste in sin the more sweetness we shall taste in Christ. When Iacob wept he found God And he called the name of the place Peniel for I have seen God face to face Gen. 32 30. The way to find Christ comfortably in the Sacrament is to go weeping thither Christ will say to an humble penitent as to Thomas Reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side and let those bleeding wounds of mine heal thee Another time of extraordinary Repentance is at the hour of death This should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a weeping season Now is our last work to be done for Heaven and our best wine of tears should be kept against such a time We should repent now that we have sinned so much and wept so little that Gods bag hath been so full and his bottle so empty We should repent now that we repented no sooner that the garrisons of our hearts held out so long against God ere they were levelled by Repentance We should repent now that we have loved Christ no
her solemn engagements she played fast and loose with God and ran after her Idols We see by experience when a person is on his sick-bed what protestations will he make if God recover him again yet he is as bad as ever He shews his old heart in a new temptation Resolution against sin may arise 1. From present extremity not because sin is sinful but because it is painful This Resolution will vanish 2. Resolution against sin may arise from fear of future evil an apprehension of death and Hell Rev. 6. 8. I looked and behold a pale horse and his name that sate on him was death and Hell followed after him What will not a sinner do what vows will he not make when he knows he must die and stand before the Judgement seat Self-love raiseth a sick-bed vow and love of sin will prevail against it Trust not to a passionate resolution it is raised in a storm and will die in a calm 3. The third Deceit about Repentance is the leaving many sinful courses 'T is a great matter I confess to leave sin So dear is sin to a man that he will rather part with a child than a lust Micah 6. 7. Shall I give the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul But sin may be parted with yet no Repentance 1. A man may part with some sins and keep other As Herod reformed many things amiss but could not leave his incest 2. An old sin may be left to entertain a new As you put off an old servant to take another This is to exchange a sin Sin may be exchanged and the heart not changed He who was a Prodigal in his youth turns an Usurer in his old age A slave is sold to a Jew the Jew sells him to a Turk here is the Master changed but he is a slave still So a man removes from one vice to another but he is a sinner still 3. A sin may be left not so much from strength of grace as from moral grounds A man sees that though such a sin be for his Tooth yet it is not for his interest It will ecclipse his credit prejudice his health impair his estate therefore upon prudential reasons he gives it a dismiss The true leaving of sin is when the acts of sin cease from the infusion of a principle of grace As the air ceaseth to be dark from the infusion of light CHAP. IV. Opening the Nature of True Repentance I Shall next come to shew what Gospel-Repentance is Repentance is a grace of Gods Spirit whereby a sinner is inwardly humbled and visibly reformed For a further amplification of Repentance know that Repentance is a spiritual medicine made up of six special Ingredients if any one be left out it loseth its vertue 1. Sight of Sin 2. Sorrow for Sin 3. Confession of Sin 4. Shame for Sin 5. Hatred for Sin 6. Turning from Sin SECTION I. 1. THE first Ingredient in Repentance is Sight of Sin The first part of Christs Physick is Eye-salve Act. 26. 18. 'T is the great thing noted in the Prodigals Repentance Luk. 15. 17. He came to himself He saw himself a sinner and nothing but a sinner Before a man can come to Christ he must come to himself Solomon in his description of Repentance puts this in as the first Ingredient 1 King 8. 47. If they shall bethink themselves A man must first recognize and consider what his sin is and know the plague of his heart ere he can be duly humbled for it The first creature God made was Light So the first thing in a penitent is illumination Ephes. 5. 8. Now ye are light in the Lord. The eye is made both for seeing and weeping Sin must first be seen before it can be wept for Hence I infer where there is no sight of sin there can be no Repentance Many who can spy faults in others see none in themselves They cry they have good hearts Were it not strange that two should live together and eat and drink together yet not know one another Such is the case of a sinner his body and soul live together walk together yet he is unacquainted with himself He knows not his own heart nor what an Hell he carries about him Under a vail a deformed face is hid Persons are vailed over with ignorance and self-love therefore see not what deformed souls they have The Devil doth with them as the Faulkner with the Hawk blinds them and carries them hooded to Hell Zach. 11. 17. The sword shall be upon his right eye Men have insight enough into worldly matters but the eye of their mind is smitten they see not any evil in sin The sword is upon their right eye SECT II. 2. THE second Ingredient into Repentance is Sorrow for Sin Psal. 38. 18. I will be sorry for my sin Ambrose calls sorrow the imbittering of the soul. The Hebrew word to be sorrowful signifies to have the soul as it were crucified* This must be in true Repentance Zach. 12. 10. They shall look upon me whom they have pierced and â—…ourn As if they did feel the nails of the Cross sticking in their sides A woman may as well expect to have a child without pangs as one can have Repentance without sorrow He that can believe without doubting suspect his faith and he that can repent without sorrowing suspect his Repentance Martyrs shed blood for Christ and penitents shed tears for sin Luk. 7. 38. She stood at Iesus feet weeping See how this limbeck dropped the sorrow of her heart ran out at her eye The brazen lavor for the Priests to wash in Exod. 30. 18. did tipifie a double lavor The lavor of Christs blood we must wash in by Faith and the lavor of tears we must wash in by Repentance A true Penitentiary labours to work his heart into a sorrowing frame he blesseth God when he can weep he is glad of a rainy-day He knows 't is a Repentance he shall have no cause to repent of Though the bread of sorrow be bitter to the taste yet it strengthens the heart This sorrow for sin is not facil It is an holy Agony 'T is called in Scripture a breaking of the heart Psal. 51. 17. The Sacrifices of God are a broken heart And a rending of the heart Ioel 2. 13. Rend your hearts* The expressions of smiting of the thigh Ier. 31. 19. knocking on the breast Lâ—…k 18. 13. putting on of sackcloth Isa. 22. 12. plucking off the hair Ezra 9. 3. What are all these but outward signs of inward sorrow This sorrow must be 1. To make Christ precious O how desirable is a Saviour to a troubled soul Now Christ is Christ indeed and mercy is mercy indeed Till the heart be full of compunction it is not fit for Christ How welcome is a Chyrurgion to
sword could say I have sinned Numb 22. 34. But true confession drops from the lips as myrrhe from the tree or honey from the comb freely Luk. 15. 18. I have sinned against Heaven and before thee He charged himself with sin before his Father charged him with it 2. Confession must be with compunction the heart must deeply resent it A natural mans confessions run thorow him as water thorow a pipe they do not at all affect him but true confession leaves heart-wounding impressions on a man Davids soul was burdened in the confession of his sins Psal. 38. 4. As an heavy burden they are too heavy for me It is one thing to confess sin and another thing to feel sin 3. Confession must be sincere our hearts must go along with our confessions The hypocrite confesseth sin but loves it like a thief that confesseth stoln goods yet loves stealing How many confess pride and covetousness with their lips but â—…oul them as honey under their tongue Austin saith before his conversion he confessed sin and begg'd power against it but his heart whispered within him not yet Lord he was afraid to leave his sin too soon A good Christian is more honest his heart keeps pace with his tongue he is convinced of the sins he confesseth and abhors the sins he is convinced of 4. In true confession a man doth particularize sin A wicked man acknowledgeth he is a sinner in general he confesseth sin by whole-sale his confession of sin is much like Nebuchadnezzars dream Dan. 2. 3. I have dream'd a dream but he could not tell what it was vers 5. The thing is gone from me So saith a wicked man Lord I have sinned but he doth not know what the sin is at least not remember whereas a true convert acknowledgeth his particular sins As it is with a wounded man he comes to the Chyrurgion and shews him all his wounds here I was cut in the head there I was shot in the arm So a mournful sinner confesseth the several distempers of his soul. Israel drew up a particular charge against themselves Iudg. 10. 10. Wee have served Baalim The Prophet Daniel recites the very sin which drew a curse along with it Dan. 9 6. Neither have we hearkned unto thy servants the Prophets which spake in thy Name By a diligent inspection into our hearts we may find some particular sin indulged point that sin with a tear 5. A true penitent confesseth sin in the fountain he acknowledgeth the pollution of his nature The sin of our nature is not only a privation of good but an infusion of evil It is like Canker to Iron or a Stain to Scarlet David acknowledgeth his birth-sin Psa. 51.5 I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my Mother conceive me etiam embrioni haeserit peccatum We are ready to charge many of our sins upon Satans temptations but this sin of our nature is wholly from our selves we cannot shift it off to Satan we have a root within that bears gall and wormwood Deut. 29. 18. Our nature is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an abysse and seminary of all evil from hence come those scandals that infest the world 'T is this pravity of nature which poisons our holy things 't is this which wings Gods judgements and makes our mercies stick in the birth O confess sin in the fountain 6. Sin is to be confessed with all its circumstances and aggravations those sins doubtless are dyed in grain which are committed under the Gospel horison Confess sins against knowledge against grace against vows against experiences against judgements Psal. 78. 31. The wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them for all this they sinned yet still These are killing aggravations which do accent and inhance our sins 7. In confession we must so charge our selves as to clear God should the Lord be severe in his providences and unsheath his bloody sword yet we must acquit him and acknowledge he hath done us no wrong Nehemiah in his confessing of sin vindicates Gods righteousness Nehem. 9. 33. Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us Mauritius the Emperour when he saw his wife slain before his eyes by Phocas cryed out Righteous art thou O Lord in all thy wayes 8. We must confess our sins with a resolution not to act them over again Some run from the confessing of sin to the committing of sin Like the Persians who have one day in the year wherein they use to kill Serpents and after that day suffer them to swarm again So many seem to kill their sins in their confessions and afterwards let them grow as fast as ever Isa. 1. 16. Cease to do evil 'T is vain to confess we have done those things which we ought not to have done and continue still in doing so Pharaoh confessed he had sinned Exod. 9. 27. But when the thunder ceased he fell to his sin again vers 33. He sinned yet more and hardned his heart Origen calls confession the vomit of the soul whereby the conscience is eased of that burden did lye upon it Now when we have vomited up sin by confession we must not return to this vomit What King will pardon that man who after he hath confessed his treason practiseth new treason Thus we see how confession must be qualified Is confession a necessary Ingredient in Repentance then here is a Bill of Indictment against four sorts of persons 1. It reproves those that hide their sins as Rachel hid her Fathers Images under her Gen. 31. 34. Many had rather have their sins covered than cured They do with their sins as with their pictures draw a curtain over them or as some do with their Bastards smother them But though men will have no tongue to confess God hath an eye to see he will unmask their treason Psal. 50. 21. I will reprove thee and set them in order before thee Those iniquities which men hide in their heart shall be written one day on their forehead as with the point of a Diamond They who would not confess sin as David that they might be pardoned shall confess sin as Achan that they may be stoned 'T is dangerous to keep the Devils counsel Prov. 28. 13. He that covers his sin shall not prosper 2. It reproves them who do indeed confess sin but it is by halves they do not confess all they confess the pence but not the pounds they confess vain thoughts or badness of memory but not the sins they are most guilty of as rash anger extortion uncleanness Like him in Plutarch who complained his stomach was not very good when his lungs were bad and his liver rotten But if we do not confess all how do we think God will pardon all 'T is true we cannot know the exact catalogue of our sins but the sins which come within our view and cognizance and which
our hearts accuse us of must be confessed as ever we hope for mercy It reproves them who do in their confessions mince and extenuate their sins A gracious soul labours to make the worst of his sins hypocrites make the best of them they do not deny they are sinners but yet do what they can to lessen their sins they indeed offend sometimes but it is their nature and it is long of such occasions These are rather excuses than confessions 1 Sam. 15. 24. I have sinned I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord because I feared the people Saul layes his sin upon the people They would have him spare the Sheep and Oxen. 'T was an Apology not a self-indictment This runs in a blood Adam acknowledgeth he did taste the forbidden fruit but instead of aggravating his sin he translates it from himself to God Gen. 3. 12. The woman whom thou gavest me she gave me of the Tree and I did eat If I had not had this woman to be a tempter I had not transgressed inscripsere deos sceleri That is a bad sin indeed that hath no excuse as it must needs be a very course Wooll which will take no dye How apt are we to pare and curtail sin and look upon it through the small end of the perspective that it appears but as a little cloud like the bigness of a mans hand 1 King 18. 44. It reproves them who are so far from confessing sin that they boldly plead for it Instead of having tears to lament it they use Arguments to defend it If their sin be passion they will justifie it Ionah 9. 4. I do well to be angry If it be covetousness they will vindicate it When men commit sin they are the Devils Servants when they plead for it they are the Devils Attorneys and he will give them a fee. 2. Let us shew our selves penitents by sincere confession of sin The Thief on the Cross made a confession of his sin Luk. 23. 41. We indeed suffer justly And Christ saith to him This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Which possibly might occasion that speech of Austin that confession of sin shuts the mouth of Hell and opens the gate of Paradise That we may make a free and ingenuous confession of sin let us consider Holy confession gives glory to God Iosh. 7. 19. My Son give I pray thee glory to God the God of Israel and make confession unto him An humble confession exalts God What a glory is it to him that out of our own mouths he doth not condemn us While we confess sin Gods patience is magnified in sparing and his free-grace in saving such sinners Confession is a means to humble the soul He that subscribes himself an Hell-deserving sinner will have little heart to be proud with the Violet he will hang down his head in humility A true penitent confesseth he mingles sin with all he doth therefore hath nothing to boast of Uzziah though a King yet having a Leprosie in his forehead he had enough to abase him 2 Chron. 26. 19. So a child of a God though he doth any good yet acknowledgeth much evil to be in that good this layes all his feathers of pride in the dust Confession gives vent to a troubled heart When guilt lyes boiling in the conscience confession gives ease It is like the lancing of an Imposthume which gives ease to the Patient Confession purgeth out sin Austin calls it the Expeller of vice Sin is a bad blood confession is like the opening of a vein to let it out Confession is like the dung-gate by which all the filth of the City was carryed forth Nehem. 3. 13. Confession is like pumping at the leak it lets out that sin which would else drown Confession is the spunge that wipes off the spots of the soul. Confession of sin endears Christ to the soul. If I say I am a sinner how precious will Christs blood be to me When Paul had confessed a body of sin he presently breaks forth into a gratulatory triumph for Christ Rom. 7. 25. Thanks be to God through Iesus Christ If a debtor confess a Iudgement yet the creditor will not exact the debt but appoint his own Son to pay it will not the debtor be very thankful So when we confess the deâ—… and that though we should for ever 〈◊〉 in Hell we cannot pay it that God should appoint his own Son to lay down his blood for the payment of our debt how is free-grace magnified and Jesus Christ eternally loved and admired Confession of sin makes way for pardon No sooner did the Prodigal come with a confession in his mouth I have sinned against Heaven but his Fathers heart did melt towards him and he kissed him Luk. 15. 20. When David said I have sinned the Prophet brings him a box with a pardon The Lord hath put away thy sin 2 Sam. 12. 13. He who doth sincerely confess sin hath Gods bond for a pardon 1 Ioh. 1. 9. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins Why doth not the Apostle say if we confess he is merciful to forgive our sins no but he is just because he hath bound himself by promise to forgive such He who confesseth sin and comes with a penitent heart by faith in Christ Gods truth and justice is ingaged for the pardoning of that man How reasonable and easie is this command that we should confess sin 1. It is a reasonable command For if one hath wronged another what more rational than to confess he hath wronged him We having wronged God by sin how equal and consonant to reason is it that we should confess the offence 2. It is an easie command What a vast difference is there between the first Covenant and the second In the first Covenant it was If thou committest sin thou diest In the second Govenant it is If thou confessest sin thou shalt have mercy In the first Covenant no surety was allowed under the Covenant of Grace if we do but confess the debt Christ will be our Surety What way could be thought of more ready and facile for the salvation of man than an humble confession Ier. 3. 13. Only acknowledge thy iniquity I do not ask for sacrifices of Ramms to expiate thy guilt I do not bid thee part with the fruit of thy body for the sin of thy soul Only acknowledge thy iniquity Do but draw up an Indictment against thy self and plead guilty and thou shalt be sure of mercy Methinks all this should render this duty amiable Throw out the poison of sin by confession and this day is salvation come to thy house Let this suffice to have spoken of our confession of sin to God Only there remains one case of conscience Whether we are bound to confess our sins to men The Papists insist much upon
your golden hours more with froth than spirits 6. Repent of your forgetfulness of sacred vows A vow is a binding ones soul to God Numb 30. 1. Christians have not you since you have been bound to God forfeited your Indentures Have not you served for common uses after you have been the Lords by solemn dedication Thus by breach of vows you have made a breach in your peace Surely this calls for a fresh lavor of tears 7. Repent of your unanswerableness to blessings received You have lived all your life upon free quarter you have spent upon free-graces stock you have been bemiracled with mercy but where are your returns of love to God The Athenians would have ungrateful persons to be sued at Law Christians may not God sue you at Law for your unthankfulness Hos. 2. 9. I will recover my Wooll and my Flax. I will recover them by Law 8. Repent of your worldliness By your profession you seem to resemble the Birds of Paradise that soar aloft and live upon the dew of Heaven yet as Serpents you lick the dust Baruc a good man was taxed with this Ier. 45. 5. Seekest thou great things for thy self 9. Repent of your divisions these are a blot in your Coat-armour and make others stand aloof off from Religion Indeed to separate from the wicked resembles Christ who was separate from sinners Heb. 7. 26. But for the godly to divide among themselves and look askew one upon another had we as many eyes as there are stars they were few enough to weep for this Divisions ecclipse the Churches beauty and weaken her strength Gods Spirit brought in cloven tongues among the Saints Act. 2. 3. But the Devil hath brought in cloven hearts Surely this deserves a shower of tears Quis talia fando Temperet à lachrymis 10. Repent for the iniquity of your holy things How often have the services of Gods worship been frozen with formality and sowred with pride There have been more of the Peacocks plumes than the groans of the Dove 'T is sad that ever duties of Religion should be made a stage for vain glory to act upon O Christians there is such a thick rhyne upon your duties that 't is to be feared there is but little meat left in them for God to feed upon Behold here repenting work cut out for the best and that which may make the tyde of grief swell higher is to think that the sins of Gods people do more provoke God than others Deut. 32. 19. The sins of the wicked pierce Christs side the sins of the godly go to his heart Peters sin being against so much love was more unkind which made his cheeks to be furrowed with tears Mark 14. 72. When he thought thereon he wept 3. Repentance is necessary for all sins Let us be deeply humbled and mourn before the Lord for original sin We have lost that pure quintessential frame of soul as once we had our nature is vitiated with corruption Original sin hath diffused it self as a poison into the whole man Like the Hierusalem-Hartichoke which wherever it is planted presently over-runs the ground There are not worse natures in Hell than we have The hearts of the best are like Peters sheet where were a number of unclean creeping things Act. 10. 12. This primitive corruption is bitterly to be bewailed because we are never free from it It is like a spring under ground which though it be not seen yet it still runs We may as well stop the beating of the pulse as stop the motions to sin This inbred pravity retards and hinders us in that which is spiritual Rom. 7. 19. The good that I would I do not Original sin may be compared to that fish Pliny speaks of a Sea-Lamprey which cleaves to the keel of the ship and hinders it when it is under sail Sin hangs weights upon us that we move but slow to Heaven O this adherency of sin Paul shook the Viper which was on his hand into the fire Act. 28. 5. But we cannot shake off original corruption in this life Sin doth not come as a lodger for a night but an indweller Rom. 7. 17. Sin that dwelleth in me 'T is with us as with one who hath an Hectick feaver upon him though he changeth the air yet still he carries his disease with him Original sin is inexhaustible This Ocean cannot be emptyed though the stock of sin spends yet it is not at all diminished the more we sin the fuller we are of sin Original corruption is like the Widows Oyl which encreased by pouring out and that which may be another wedge to break our hearts is that original sin doth mix with the very habits of grace Hence it is our actings towards Heaven are so dull and languid Why doth faith act no stronger but because it is clogg'd with sense Why doth love to God burn no purer but because it is hindred with lust Original sin incorporates with our graces As bad lungs cause an Asthma or shortness of breath so original sin having infected the heart our graces breathe now very faintly Thus we see what in original sin may draw forth our tears In particular let us lament the corruption Of 1. Our Will 2. Our Affections 1. Let us mourn for the corruption of our Will The will not following the dictamen of right reason is byassed to evil The will distasts God not as he is good but as he is holy It contumaciously affronts him Ier. 44. 17. We will do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our mouth to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven The greatest wound is fallen upon our will 2. Let us grieve for the corruption of our Affections which consists in two things Their 1. Diversion 2. Propension Let us grieve for the diversion of our affections they are taken off from their proper object The affections like arrows shoot beside the mark At first our Affections were wings to fly to God now they are weights to pull us from him Let us grieve for the propension of our Affections our love is set on sin our joy on the creature our Affections like the Lapwing feed on dung How justly may the distemper of our Affections bear a part in the scene of our grief We of our selves are falling into Hell and our Affections would thrust us thither 2. Let us lay to heart actual sins Of these I may say Who can understand his errours Psal. 19. 12. They are like Atoms in the Sun like sparks of a Furnace We have sinned in our eyes they have been casements to let in vanity We have sinned in our tongues they have been fired with passion what action proceeds from us wherein we do not betray some sin To reckon up these were to go to number the drops in the Ocean Let actual â—…ins be solemnly repented of before the Lord.
Lord the â—…ail shall be taken away The vail of ignoâ—…nce which was drawn over the Jews â—…yes by Repentance should be taken â—…way Repentance inflames love Weepâ—…g Mary Magdalen loved much Luk. 7. 47. â—…od preserves these springs of sorrow in â—…e soul to water the fruits of the â—…pirit 8. Repentance ushers in temporal â—…lessings The Prophet Ioel perswading â—…e people to Repentance brings in the â—…romise of secular good things Ioel 2. â—…2 19. Rent your heart and not your garâ—…ent and turn unto the Lord and the Lord â—…ill answer and say to his people Behold I â—…nd you Corn and Wine and Oyl When â—…e put water into the Pump it fetcheth â—…p only water but when we put the waâ—…er of tears into Gods bottle this fetcheth up wine I will send you wine and oyl Sin blasts the fruits of the earth Hag. 1. 6. Ye have sown much and bring in little But Repentance makes the Pomgranate bud and the Vine flourish with full clusters Fill Gods bottle and he will fill your basket Iob 22. 23. If thou return to the Almighty thou shalt lay up gold as dust Repenting is a returning to God and this brings a golden harvest 9. Repentance staves off judgements from a Land When God is going to destroy a Nation the penitent sinner staies his hand as the Angel did Abraham's Gen. 22. 12. ' The Ninivites Repentance caused God to repent Ionah 3. 10. God saw that they turned from their evil waies and God repented c. An outward Repentance hath adjourned and kept off wrath Ahab who sold himself to work wickedness yet upon his fasting and rending his garments saith God to Eliah I will not bring the evil in his daies 1 King 21. 29. If the rending of the clothes did keep off judgement from the Nation what will the rending of the heart do 10. Repentance makes joy in Heaven The Angels do as it were keep holy-day Luke 15. 10. There is joy in the â—…resence of the Angels of God over â—…ne sinner that repenteth As â—…raise is the musick of Heaven so Repentance is the joy of Heaven When men neglect the offer of salvation and freeze in sin this delights the Devils but when a soul is brought home to Christ by Repentance this makes joy among the Angels 11. That which may cause tears to distill from our eyes is to consider how dear our sins cost Christ. Christ is called the Rock 1 Cor. 10. 3. When his hands were pierced with nails and the spear was thrust in his side then was this Rock smitten and there came out water and blood And all this Christ endured for us Dan. 9. 26. The Messiah shall be cut off but not for himself We tasted the Apple and he the Vineger and Gall We sinned in every faculty and he bled in every vein Cernis ut in toto corpore sculptus amor And can we look upon a suffering Saviour with dry eyes Shall we not be sorry for those sins which made Christ a man of sorrow Shall not our enormities draw tears fâ—…om us which drew blood froâ—… Christ Shall we sport any more with sin and so rake in Christs wounds Oh thaâ—… by Repentance we could crucifie our sins afresh The Jews said to Pilate Ioh. 19. 12. If thou let this man go thou art not Cesars friend If we let our sins go and do not crucifie them we are not Christs friends 12. This is the end of all the afflictions God sends whether it be sickness in our bodies or losses in our estates that he may awaken us out of our sins and make the waters of Repentance flow Why did God lead Israel that march in the wilderness among fiery Serpents but that he might humble them Deut. 8. 2. Why did he bring Manasseh so low changing his Crown of Gold into fetters of Iron but that he might learn Repentance 2 Chron. 33. 12 13. He humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers then Manasseh knew that the Lord was good One of the best waies to cure a man of a Lethargy is to cast him into a Feaver So when a person is stupified and his conscience grown lethargical God to cure him of this distemper puts him to extremity and brings one burning calamity or other that he may startle him out of his security and make him return to him by Repentance 13. The daies of our mourning will soon be ended After a few showers that fall from our eyes we shall have a perpetual sun-shine Christ will provide an handkerchief to wipe off his peoples tears Rev. 7. 17. God will wipe away all tears Christians shortly you shall put on your garments of praise you shall exchange your Sackcloth for white Robes instead of sighs you shall have triumphs instead of groans Anthems instead of the water of tears the water of life The mourning of the Dove will be past and the time of singing of birds will come Volitant super aethera cantus This brings me to the next 14. The happy and glorious reward that follows upon Repentance Rom. 6. 22. Being made free from sin ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life The leaves and root of the Fig-tree are bitter but the fruit is sweet Repentance to the fleshy part seems bitter but behold sweet fruit EVERLASTING LIFE The Turks phancy after this life an Eliziâ—…m or Paradise of Pleasure where they have all dainty dishes served in they have gold in abundance silken and purple apparel and Angels bringing them red wine in silver cups and golden plates Here is an Epicures Heaven But in the true Paradise of God are those astonishing delights and rare viands served in which eye hath not seen neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive God will lead his penitents from the house of mourning to the banquetting-house no sight there but of glory no noise but of musick no sickness unless of love There shall be holiness unspotted and joy unspeakable then the Saints shall forget their solitary hours and be sweetly solacing themselves in God and bathing in the Rivers of divine pleasure Flumina jam lactis jam flumina nectaris ibant Planaque de viridi stillabant ilice mella O Christian what are thy duties compared with the recompence of reward what an infinite disproportion is there between Repentance enjoyned and glory prepared There was a feast-day at Rome wherein they used to crown their fountains God will crown those heads which have been fountains of tears Who would not be willing to be a while in the house of mourning that shall be possessed of such glory as put Peter and Iohn into an extasie to see it but darkly shadowed and pourtrayed out in the transfiguration Matth. 17. This reward which free-grace gives is so transcendantly great that could we have but a glimpse of glory revealed to us here we should need
so discompose body and mind that one is but in an ill posture at such a time to take care for his soul. In sickness a man is scarce fit to make his will much less to make his peace The Apostle saith Is any sick among you let him call for the Elders of the Church Iam. 5. 14. He doth not say is he sick let him pray but let him call for the Elders that they may pray over him A sick man is very unfit to pray or repent he is like to make but sick work of it When the body is out of tune the soul must needs jar in its devotion Upon a sick bed a person is more fit to exercise impatience than Repentance We read that at the pouring out of the fourth Vial when God did smite the Inhabitants and scorched them with fire They blasphemed the Name of God and repented not Rev. 16. 9. So when the Lord pours out his Vial and scorcheth the body with a Feaver the sinner is fitter to blaspheme than repent 4. How dost thou who puttest off all to a sick bed know that God will give thee in that very juncture of time grace to repent The Lord usually punisheth neglect of Repentance in time of health with hardness of heart in time of sickness Thou hast in thy life time repulsed the Spirit of God and art thou sure it will come at thy call Thou hast not taken the first season and perhaps thou shalt never see another spring-tyde of the Spirit more All this considered may hasten our Repentance Do not lay too much weight upon a sick-bed 2 Tim. 4. 21. Do thy diligence to come before winter There is a winter of sickness and death a coming therefore make haste to repent let thy work be ready before winter To day hear Gods voice Heb. 3. 7. CHAP. X. The Trial of our Repentance IF any shall say they have repented let me desire them to try themselves seriously by those seven Adjuncts or Effects of Repentance which the Apostle laies down 2 Cor. 7. 11. 1. Carefulness The Greek word signifies a solicitous diligence or careful shunning all temptations to sin The true penitentiary flies from sin as Moses did from the Serpent 2. Clearing of our selves The Greek word is Apology The sense is this though we have never so much care yet through strength of temptation we may slip into sin now in this case the repenting soul will not let sin lye festring in his conscience but doth judge himself for his sin he pours out tears before the Lord he begs mercy in the Name of Christ and never leaves till he hath gotten his pardon Here he is cleared of guilt in his conscience and is able to make an Apology for himself against Satan 3. Indignation He that repents of sin his spirit riseth against it as ones blood riseth at the sight of him whom he mortally hates Indignation is a being fretted at the heart with sin The penitent is vexed with himself David calls himself a fool and a beast Psal. 73. 22. God is never better pleased with us than when we fall out with our selves for sin 4. Fear A tender heart is ever a trembling heart The penitent hath felt sins bitterness this Hornet hath stung him and now having hopes that God is reconciled he is afraid to come near sin any more The repenting soul is full of fear he is afraid to lose Gods favour which is better than life he is afraid he should for want of diligence come short of salvation he is afraid lest after his heart hath been soft the waters of Repentance should freeze and he should harden in sin again Prov. 28. 14. Happy is he that fears alwaies A sinner is like the Leviathan who is made without fear Iob 41. 29. A repenting person fears and sins not a graceless person sins and fears not 5. Vehement desire Sowre sauce sharpens the appetite So the bitter herbs of Repentance sharpen desire But what doth the penitent desire he desires more power against sin and to be released from it 'T is true he hath got loose from Satan but he goes as a prisoner that hath broke Prison with a fetter on his leg he cannot walk with that freedom and swiftness in the waies of God he desires therefore to have the fetters of sin taken off he would be freed from corruption he cries out with Paul Who shall deliver me from this body of death Rom. 7. 24. In short he desires to be with Christ as every thing desires to be in its centre 6. Zeal Desire and zeal are fitly put together to shew that true desire puts forth it self in zealous endeavour How doth the penitent bestir himself in the business of salvation How doth he take the Kingdom of Heaven by force Matth. 11. 12. Zeal quickens the pursuit after glory Zeal encounters with difficulty is imboldened by opposition tramples upon danger Zeal makes a repenting soul persist in godly sorrow against all discouragements and oppositions whatsoever Zeal carries a man above himself for Gods glory Paul before conversion was mad against the Saints Act. 26. 11. And after conversion he was judged mad for Christs sake Act. 26. 4. Paul thou art besides thy self But it was Zeal not Phrenzy Zeal doth spirit and animate duty it causeth fervency in Religion which is as fire to the sacrifice Rom. 12. 11. As fear is a bridle to sin so Zeal is a spur to duty 7. Revenge A true Penetentiary pursues his sins with an holy malice he seeks the death of them As Sampson was avenged on the Philistines for his two eyes He useth his sins as the Jews used Christ he gives them gall and vinegar to drink he crucifies his lusts Gal. 5. 24. A true child of God seeks to be revenged most of those sins which have dishonoured God most Cranmer who had with his right hand subscribed the Popish Articles was revenged on himself he put his right hand first in the fire David did by sin defile his bed after by Repentance he watered his bed with tears Israel had sinned by Idolatry and afterwards they did offer disgrace to their Idols 1 Sam. 30. 22. Ye shall defile the covering of thy graven Images of silver Mary Magdalen had before sinned in her eye by adulterous glances and now she will be revenged on her eyes she washeth Christs feet with her tears she had sinned in her hair it had intangled her Lovers now she will be revenged on her hair she wipes Christs feet with it The Israelitish women who had been dressing themselves by the hour and had abused their Looking-glasses to pride afterwards by way of revenge as well as zeal offered their Looking-glasses to the use and service of Gods Tabernacle Exod. 38. 8. So those Conjurers who used curious Arts oâ—… Magick as it is in the Syriack when once they
more that we have fetched no more vertue from him and brought no more glory to him It should be our grief on our death-bed that our lives have had so many blanks and blots in them that our duties have been so fly-blown with sin that our obedience hath been so imperfect and we have gone so lame in the waies of God When the soul is going out of the body it should swim to Heaven in a Sea of tears CHAP. XIV The removing the Impediments of Repentance BEfore I lay down the Expedients and Means conducing to Repentance I shall first remove the Impediments In this great City when you want water you search the cause whether the Pipes are broken or stopped that the current of water is hindered So when no water of Repentance comes though we have the Conduit-pipes of Ordinances see what the cause is where is the stop that these penitential waters do not run There are ten Impediments of Repentance 1. Men do not apprehend that they need Repentance they thank God all is well with them and they know nothing they should repent of Rev. 3. 17. Thou sayest I am rich and have need of nothing He who apprehends not any distemper in his body will not take the Physick prescribed This is the mischief sin hath done it hath not only made us sick but senseless When the Lord bade the people return to him they answered stubbornly Wherein should we return Mal. 3. 7. So when God bids men repent they say wherefore should they repent they know nothing they have done amiss Surely no disease worse than that which is Apoplectical 2. People conceit it an easie thing to repent It is but saying a few prayers a sigh or a Lord have mercy and the work is done This conceit of the easiness of Repentance is a great hinderance to it That which makes a person bold and adventrous in sin must needs obstruct Repentance but this opinion doth make a person bold in sin The Angler can let out his line as far as he will and then pull it in again So when a man thinks he can lash out in sin as far as he will and then pull in by Repentance when he list this must needs imbolden him in wickedness But to take away this false conceit of the easiness of Repentance consider 1. A wicked man hath a mountain of guilt upon him and is it easie to rise up under such a weight Is salvation per saltum Can a man jump out of sin into Heaven Can he leap out of the Devils arms into Abrahams bosom 2. If all the power in a sinner be employed against Repentance then it is not easie All the faculties of a natural man joyn issue with sin Ier. 2. 25. I have loved strangers and after them will I go A sinner will rather lose Christ and Heaven than his lusts death which parts man and wife will not part a wicked man and his sins and is it so easie to repent The Angel rolled away the stone from the Sepulchre but no Angel only God himself can roll away the stone from the the heart 3. Presuming thoughts of Gods mercy Many suck poison from this sweet flower Christ who came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1. 15. is accidentally the occasion of many a mans perishing Though to the Elect he is the bread of life yet to the wicked he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a stone of stumbling 1 Pet. 2. 7. * To some his blood is sweet wine to others the water of Marah Some are softned by this Sun of Righteousness others are hardned Oh saith one Christ hath died he hath done all for me therefore I may sit still and do nothing Thus they suck death from the Tree of Life and perish by a Saviour So I may say of Gods mercy it is accidentally the cause of many a ones ruine Because of mercy men presume and think they may go on in sin But should a Kings clemency make his subjects rebel The Psalmist saith there is mercy with God that he may be feared Psal. 130. 4. but not that we may sin Can men expect mercy by provoking justice God will hardly shew them mercy who sin because mercy abounds 4. A supine sluggish temper Repentance is looked upon as a tedious thing and such as requires much industry and men are settled upon their lees and care not to stir They had rather go sleeping to Hell than weeping to Heaven Prov. 19. 24. A slothful man hideth his hands in his bosom he will not be at the labour of smiting on his breast Many will rather lose Heaven than ply the oar and row thither upon the waters of Repentance We cannot have the world citra pulverem without labour and diligence and would we have that which is more excellent Sloth is the canker of the soul Prov. 19. 15. Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep It was a witty fiction of the Poets when Mercury had cast Argus into a sleep and with an inchanted Rod closed his eyes then he killed him When Satan hath by his witcheries lull'd men asleep in sloth then he destroyes them Some report while the Crockadil sleeps with his mouth open the Indian Rat gets into his belly and eats up his entrails So while men sleep in security they are devoured 5. Another obstruction of Repentance is the tickling pleasure of sin â—… Thes. 2. 12. Who take pleasure in unrighteousness Sin is a sugred draught but mixed with poison The sinner thinks there is danger in sin but there is delight and the danger doth not so terrifie him as the delight bewitcheth him Plato calls love of sin a great Devil Delighting in sin hardens the heart In true Repentance there must be a grieving for sin but how can one grieve for that which he loves He who delights in sin can hardly pray against it his heart is so inveagled with sin that he is afraid of leaving it too soon Sampson doted on Dalilahs beauty and her lap proved his grave When a man rolls iniquity as a Sugared lump under his tongue it infatuates him and is his death at last Delight in sin is a silken halter 2 Sam. 2. 26. Will it not be bitterness in the latter end 6. An opinion that Repentance will take away our joy but that is a mistake it doth not crucifie but clarifie our joy and take it off from the fulsom lees of sin What is all earthly joy it is but Hilaris insania a pleasant phrensy Falsa inter gaudia noctem 〈◊〉 Worldly mirth is but like a feigned laugh it hath sorrow following at the heels As the Magitians Rod it is instantly turned into a Serpent But divine Repentance like Sampsons Lion hath an hony-comb in it Gods Kingdom consists as well in joy as in righteousness Rom. 4. 17. None are so truly chearful as penitent ones Est quaedam flere
voluptas The oyl of joy is poured chiefly into a broken heart Isa. 61. 3. The oyl of joy for mourning In the fields near Palermo grow great plenty of Reeds in which there is a sweet juice of which sugar is made So in a penitent heart which is the bruised Reed grow the sugred joys of Gods Spirit God turns the water of tears into the juyce of the grape which exhilerates and makes glad the heart Who should rejoyce if not the repenting soul he is heir to all the Promises and is not that matter of joy God dwells in a contrite heart and must there not needs be joy there Isa. 55. 17. I dwell with a contrite spirit to revive the heart of the contrite ones Repentance doth not take away a Christians musick but raiseeth it a note higher and makes it sweeter 7. Another obstacle of Repentance is despondency of mind Oh saith a sinner it is a vain thing for me to set upon Repentance my sins are of that magnitude that there is no hope for me Ier. 18. 11 12. Return ye now every one from his evil way and they said there is no hope Our sins are mountains and how shall these ever be cast into the Sea Where unbelief represents sin in its bloody colours and God in his Judges Robes the soul will sooner fly from him than to him This is dangerous Other sins need mercy but despair rejects mercy it throws the cordial of Christs blood on the ground Iudas was not damned only for his treason and murder but it was his distrust of Gods mercy destroyed him Why should we entertain such hard thoughts of God he hath bowels of love to repenting sinners Ioel 2. 13. Mercy rejoyceth over justice Gods anger is not so hot but mercy can cool it nor so sharp but mercy can sweeten it God counts his mercy his glory Exod. 33. 18 19. We have some drops of mercy our selves but God is the Father of mercies who begets all the mercies that are in us He is the God of bowels No sooner do we mourn but Gods heart melts no sooner do our tears fall but Gods repentings kindle Hos. 11. 8. Say not then there is no hope Disband the army of thy sins and God will sound a retreat to his judgements Remember great sins have been swallowed up in the Sea of Gods infinite compassions Manasseh made the streets run with blood yet when his â—…ead was a fountain of tears God grew propitious 8. Hope of impunity Men flatter themselves in fin and think God having spared them all this while he never intends to punish because the Assizes are put off therefore surely there will be no Assizes Psal. 10. 11. He hath said in his heart God hath forgotten he hideth his face he will never see it The Lord indeed is long-suffering towards sinners and would by his patience bribe them to Repentance but here is their wretchedness because he forbears to punish they forbear to repent Know that the lease of Patience will soon be run out There is a time when God saith My Spirit shall no longer strive A creditor may forbear his debtor but forbearance doth not excuse the payment God takes notice how long the glass of his patience hath been running Rev. 2. 21. I gave her space to repent but she repented not Iezabel added to her incontinency impenitency and what follows vers 22. Behold I will cast her into a bed Not a bed of pleasure but a bed of languishing where she shall consume away in her iniquity The longer Gods Arrow is drawing the deeper it wounds Sins against patience will make a mans Hell so much the hotter The next Impediment of Repentance is fear of reproach If I repent I shall expose my self to mens scorns The Heathen man could say when thou appliest thy self to the study of wisdom prepare for sarcasms and reproaches But consider well who they are that reproach thee they are such as are ignorant of God and spiritually phrantick and art thou troubled to have them reproach thee who are not well in their wits who minds a mad mans laughing at him What do the wicked reproach thee for is it because thou repentest thou art doing thy duty bind their reproaches as a Crown about thy head 'T is better that men should reproach thee for repenting than that God should damn thee for not repenting 3. If thou canst not bear a reproach for Religion never call thy self Christian Christianus quasi crucianus Suffering is a Saints livery and alas what are reproaches they are but the chips of the Cross which are rather to be despised than laid to heart 10. The last Impediment of Repentance is immoderate love of the world No wonder Ezekiels hearers were hardned into rebellion when their heart went after covetousness Ezok. 33. 31. The world doth so engross mens time and bewitch their affections that they cannot repent they had rather put gold in their bag than tears in Gods bottle I have read of the Turks that they mind neither Churches nor Altars but are diligent in looking after their tillage So many scarce ever mind Repentance they are more for the Plough and breaking of the clods than breaking up the fallow ground of their hearts The Thorns choke the word We read of them who were invited to Christs Supper who put him off with worldly excuses Luk. 14. 18. One said I have bought a piece of ground and must needs go see it I pray thee have me excused and another I have bought five yoke of Oxen c. The farm and the shop so take up peoples time that they have no leisure for their souls Their golden weights hinder their silver tears There is an Herb in the Country of Sardinia like Baulm which if they eat much of will make them die laughing Such an herb or rather weed is the world if men eat too immoderately of it instead of dying repenting they will die laughing These are the obstructions of Repentance which must be removed that the current may be clearer CHAP. XV. Prescribing some Means for Repentance I Shall in the last place prescribe some Rules or Means conducible to Repentance 1. The first is serious consideration Psal. 119. 59. I thought on my waies and turned my feet unto thy testimonies The Prodigal when he came to himself and did seriously consider his riotous luxuriances then he repented Peter when he thought of Christs words wept There are four things which if they were well considered of would be a means to make us break off a course of sinning 1. Consider seriously what sin is and sure there is enough evil in it to make us repent There are in sin these twenty Evils 1. Every sin is a recession from God Ier. 2. 5. God is the supream good and our blessedness lyes in union with him but sin like a strong byass draws
THE DOCTRINE OF Repentance Useful for these Times By Tho. Watson Minister of the Gospel I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy Golden Candlestick out of his place except thou repent Revel 2. 5. Nemo potest bene agere poenitentiam nisi qui speraverit indulgentiam Ambrose de Poenit. lib. 1. LONDON Printed by R. W. for Thomas Parkhurst at the Sign of the Golden Bible on London-Bridge 1668. THE Epistle to the READER Christian Reader THE two great Graces essential to a Saint in this life are Faith and Repentance These are the two wings by which he flyes to Heaven Faith and Repentance preserve the spiritual life as heat and radical moisture do the natural The Grace which I am now to discuss is Repentance Chrysostome thought it the fittest subject for him to Preach upon before the Emperour Arcadius And Austin caused the Penitential Psalms to be written before him as he lay upon his Bed and he did often peruse them with tears Repentance is never out of season it is of as frequent use as the Artificers Tool or the Souldiers weapon If I am not mistaken practical Points are more needful in this Age than Controversal and Polemical I had thought to have smothered these Meditation in 〈◊〉 Deâ—…k but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be of great concern in thiâ—… 〈◊〉 of time I have rescinded my first resolution 〈◊〉 have exposed them to a critical view Repentance is Purgative fear not the working of this Pill Smite thy â—…oul saith Chrysostome smite it it will escape death by that stroke How happy were it if we were more deeply affected with sin and our eyes did swim in their Orb. The waters of Râ—…pentance though they are troubled yet Pure where we may clearly see the Spirit of God moving Moist tears dry up the rheumes of sin and quench the wrath of God Repentance is the Cherisher of Piety the Procurer of Mercy The more râ—…gret and trouble of Spirit we have at our first Conversion the less we shall feel afterwards The greater Fine is paid the less Rent Christians have you a sad resentment of other things and not of sin Worldly Tears fall to the earth but godly tears are kept in a bottle Pâ—…alm 56. 8. Iudge not holy weeping superfluous Tertullian thought he was born for no other end but to repent Either sin must drown or the scul burn Let it not be said Repentance is difficult Things that are excellent deserve 〈◊〉 Will not a man digg for Gold in the 〈◊〉 though it makes him sweaâ—… It is better to go with difficulty to Heaven than with â—…ase to Hell What would the 〈◊〉 give might they have an Hâ—…rauld sent to them from God to proclaim mercy upon their repentance What Vollies of sighs and groans would they send up to Heaven what floods of tears would their eyes pour forth but it is now too late They may keep their tears to lament their folly sooner than to procure pitty O that therefore while we are on this side the Grave we would make our peace with God To morrow may be our dying day let this be our repenting day How should we imitate the Saints of old who have imbittered their souls and sacrificed their lusts and put on sackcloth 〈◊〉 hope of white robes Peter baptized himself with tears And that devout Lady Paula of whom Hierom writes like a Bird of Paradise bemoaned her self and humbled her self to the dust for sin Besides our own personal miscarriages the deplorable condition of tâ—…e Land calls for a contribution of Tears Have not we lost much of our Pristine fame and renown Time was when we did sit as Princess among the Provinces God made the sheaves of other Nations to do obeysance to our Sheaf but is not our Glory fled away as a Bird Hos. 9. 11. We are become the shame of our friends and the scorn of our enemies And what severe dispensations are yet behind we cannot tell Our black and Hideous Vapours having ascended we may fear loud Thunder-claps should follow and will not all this bring us to our wits and excite in us a Spirit of humiliation Shall we sleep on the top of the Mast when the winds are blowing from all the quarters of Heaven O let not the Apple of our eye cease I will not launch forth any further in a Prefatory Discourse but that God would add a blessing to this work and so direct this arrow that though shot at rovers it may hit the mark and some sin may be shot to death shall be the ardent prayer of him who is May 25. 1668. The Well-wisher of thy Souls Happiness Thomas Watson Reader Be pleased to correct these mistakes of the Press PAg. 21. Marg. for Christi primogenito r. Christo primogenito p. 64. l. 11. for fleshly r. fleshy p. 72. l. 6. for canker r. cancer p. 82. Marg. r. aquila senscente tam curuum habet rostrum p. 110. l. 23. for Good r. God p. 131. l. 10. for 1 Sam. 30. 22. r. Isaiah 30. 22. THE DOCTRINE OF REPENTANCE Acts 26. 20. That they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for Repentance CHAP. I. A Praeliminary Discourse together with the Proposition SAint Paul being falsly accused by Tertullus to be seditious chap. 24. 5. We have found this man a pestilent fellow and a mover of Sedition in this chapter he makes an apology for himself before Festus and King Agrippa Paul proves himself to be an Oratour He courts the King 1. By his Gesture He stretched forth his hands vers 1. as the custom of Oratours was 2. By his manner of speech ver 2. I think my self happy King Agrippa because I shall answer for my self before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused Paul treats of three things and that in so deep a strain of Rhetorick as he had almost converted King Agrippa 1. He discourseth of the manner of his life before his conversion ver 5. after the most strait Sect of our Religion I lived a Pharisee During the time of his unregeneracy he was zealous for Traditions and his false fire of zeal was so hot that it scorched all that stood in his way ver 10. Many of the Saints I shut up in prison 2. Paul discourseth of the manner of his conversion ver 13. I saw in the way a light from Heaven above the brightness of the Sun This light was no other but what shined from Christs glorified body And I heard a voice speaking unto me Saul Saul why persecutest thou me The body being hurt the head in Heaven cryed out At this light and voice Paul was amazed and fell to the earth ver 14. And I said who art thou Lord and he said I am Iesus whom thou persecutest ver 15. Paul was now taken off from himself all opinion of self-righteousness vanished and he did graft his hope of Heaven upon the stock
of Christs Righteousness 3. Paul discourseth of the manner of his life after his conversion He who before was a persecutor now became a Preacher ver 16. Arise for I have appeared unto thee to make thee a Minister and a Witness of those things which thou hast seen When Paul this vessel of election was savingly wrought upon he laboured to do as much good as before he had done hurt Before he persecuted Saints to death now he preacheth sinners to life God first sent him to the Jews at Damascus and afterwards enlarged his-commission to preach to the Gentiles And the subject he preacht upon was this in the text That they should repent and turn to God A weighty and excellent Subject deos Judaei Verum Deum sed non sicut oportebat I shall not dispute the Priority whether Faith or Repentance goes first doubtless Repentance shews it self first in a Christians life yet I am apt to think the seeds of Faith are first wrought in the heart As when a burning Taper is brought into a room the light shews it self first but the Taper was before the light So we see the fruits of Repentance first but the initials of Faith were there before That which inclines me to think that Faith is seminally in the heart before Repentance is this because Repentance being a grace must be acted by one that is living Now how doth the soul live but by Faith Heb. 10. 38. The just shall live by his Faith So that there must be first some seeds of Faith in the heart of a penitent else it is a dead Repentance and so of no value But whether Faith or Repentance go first sure I am Repentance is of such importance as there is no being saved without it After Pauls shipwrack he did swim to shore on planks and broken pieces of the ship Act. 27. 44. So in Adam we all suffered shipwrack and Repentance is the only plank left us after shipwrack to swim to Heaven It is a great duty incumbent upon Christians solemnly to repent and turn unto God Mat. 3. 2. Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Act. 3. 19. Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out Act. 8. 22. Repent of this thy wickedness In the mouth of these three witnesses this truth is confirmed Repentance is a foundation-grace Heb. 6. 1. Not laying again the foundation of Repentance That Religion must needs fall to the ground which is not built upon this foundation Repentance is a grace required under the Gospel Some think it legal but the first Sermon that ever Christ preached nay the first word of his Sermon was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Repent Mat. 4. 17. And his last farewell that he left when he was going to ascend was that Repentance should be preached in his Name Luke 24. 37. And the Apostles did all beat upon this string Mark 6. 3. They went out and preached that men should repent Repentance is a pure Gospel-grace The covenant of works admitted no Repentance There it was sin and die Repentance comes in by the Gospel Christ hath purchased in his blood that repenting sinners shall be saved The Law required personal perfect and perpetual obedience it cursed all that could not come up to this Gal. 3. 10. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them It doth not say he that obeys not all things let him repent but let him be cursed So that Repentance is a Doctrine brought to light only by the Gospel CHAP. II. Shewing how Repentance is wrought THE manner how Repentance is wrought is 1. Partly by the Word Act. 2. 37. When they heard this they were pricked in their heart c. The Word preached is Gods Engine he useth to effect Repentance 'T is compared to an Hammer and to a Fire Ier. 23. 29. The one is to break the other to melt the heart How great a blessing is it to have the Word dispensed which is of such noble vertue And how hard will they find it to escape Hell who put out the lights of Heaven 2. Repentance is wrought by the Spirit Ministers are but the Pipes and Organs it is the Holy Ghost breathing in them makes their words effectual Act. 10. 44. While Peter spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word The Spirit in the Word illuminates and converts When the Spirit toucheth an heart it dissolves into tears Zach. 12. 10. I will pour on the Inhabitants of Hierusalem a spirit of Grace and they shall look on me whom they have pierced and mourn 'T is wonderful to consider what different effects the Word hath upon men Some at a Sermon are like Iosiah their heart is tender and they let fall tears others are no more affected with it than a deaf man with mufick Some grow better by the Word others worse The same earth which causeth sweetness in the Grape causeth bitterness in the Wormwood What is the reason the Word works so differently it is because the Spirit of God doth carry the Word to the conscience of one and not another One hath received the divine Unction and not the other 1 Ioh. 2. 20. Oh pray that the dew may fall with Manna That the Spirit may go along with the Word The Chariot of Ordinances will not carry us to Heaven unless the Spirit of God joyn himself to this Chariot CHAP. III. Discovering the Deceits of Repentance IT will next be enquired what Repentance is I shall first shew you what it is not There are several Deceits of Repentance which might occasion that saying of Austin That Repentance damns many He means a false Repentance A person may delude himself with a counterfeit Repentance 1. The first Deceit of Repentance is legal Terrour A man hath gone on long in sin at last God arrests him shews him what desperate hazard he hath run and he is filled with anguish within a while the tempest of conscience is blown over and he is quiet then he concludes he is a true penitent because he hath felt some bitterness in sin Be not deceived this is not Repentance Ahab and Iudas had some trouble of mind It is one thing to be a terrified sinner and another thing to be a repenting sinner Sense of guilt is enough to breed terrour infusion of grace breeds Repentance If pain and trouble were sufficient to Repentance then the damned in Hell should be most penitent for they are most in anguish Repentance depends upon a change of heart There may be terrour yet no change of heart 2. Another Deceit about Repentance is resolution against sin A person may purpose and make vows yet be no penitent Ier. 2. 20. Thou saidst I will not transgress Here was a resolution but see what follows under every green tree thou playedst the Harlot Notwithstanding
auricular confession That one must confess his sins in the ear of the Priest or he cannot be absolved They urge that Iam. 5. 16. Confess your sins one to another But this Scripture makes little for their purpose It may as well be meant that the Priest should confess to the people as the people to the Priest Auricular confession is one of the Popes Golden Doctrines Like the Fish in the Gospel it hath money in its mouth Matth. 17. 27. When thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt find a piece of money But though I am not for confession to men in a Popish sense yet I think in three cases there ought to be confession to men 1. In case a person hath fallen into a scandalous sin and by it hath been an occasion of offence to some and of falling to others he ought to make a solemn and open acknowledgement of his sin that his repentance may be as visible as his scandal 2 Cor. 2. 6 7. 2. In case a man hath confessed his sin to God yet still his conscience is burdened and he can have no ease in his mind it is very requisite that he should confess his sins to some prudent pious friend that may advise him and speak a word in due season Iam. 5. 17. It is a sinful modesty in Christians that they are no more free with their Ministers and other spiritual friends in disburdening themselves and opening the sores and troubles of their souls to them If there be a thorn sticking in the conscience it is good to make use of those who may help to pluck it out 3. In case any man hath slandered another and by clipping his good name hath made it weigh lighter he is bound to make confession The Scorpion carries his poison in his tail the slanderer in his tongue his words pierce deep like the quills of the Porcupine That person who hath murdered another in his good name or by bearing false witness hath damaged him in his estate ought to confess his sin and ask forgiveness Matth. 5. 24. If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy Brother hath ought against thee go thy way first be reconciled to thy Brother and then come and offer thy gift How can this reconciliation be but by confessing the injury Till this be done God will accept of none of thy services Do not think the holiness of the Altar will priviledge thee thy praying and hearing is in vain till thou hast by confessing thy fault to thy Brother appeased his anger SECT IV. 4. THE fourth Ingredient into Repentance is shame Ezek. 43. 10. That they may be ashamed of their iniquities Blushing is the colour of vertue When the heart hath been made black with sin grace makes the face red with blushing Ezra 9. 6. I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face The repenting Prodigal was so ashamed of his excess that he thought himself not worthy to be called a Son any more Luk. 15. 21. Repentance causeth an holy bashfulness If Christs blood were not at the heart there would not so much blood come in the face There are nine Considerations about sin may cause shame 1. Every sin makes us guilty and guilt usually breeds shame Adam never blushed in the time of Innocency while he kept the whiteness of the Lilly he had not the blushing of the Rose but when he had defloured his soul by sin then he was ashamed Sin hath tainted our blood we are guilty of High-treason against the Crown of Heaven This may cause an holy modesty and blushing 2 In every sin there is much unthankfulness and that is matter of shame He who is upbraided with ingratitude will blush we have sinned against God when he hath given us no cause Ier. 2. 5. What iniquity have your Fathers found in me Wherein hath God wearied us unless his mercies have wearied us O the silver drops that have fallen on us we have had the finest of the Wheat we have been fed with Angels food The golden Oyl of Divine Blessing hath run down on us from the head of our heavenly Aaron And to abuse the kindness of so good a God how may this make us ashamed Cesar took it unkindly at the hands of Brutus on whom he had bestowed so many favours when he came to stab him What thou my Son Brutus O ungrateful to be worse for mercy Aelian reports of the Vulture that it draws sickness from perfumes So to contract the disease of pride and luxury from the perfume of Gods mercy how unworthy is it What to requite evil for good to kick against our feeder Deut. 32. 15. To make an Arrow of Gods mercies and shoot at him to wound him with his own blessing O horrid ingratitude Will not this dye our faces of a deep Scarlet Unthankfulness is a sin so great that God himself stands amazed at it Isa. 1. 2. Hear O Heavens and give ear O Earth I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me And surely that sin which makes God wonder may make us blush 3. Sin hath made us naked and that may breed shame Sin hath stripped us of our white Linnen of Holiness it hath made us naked and deformed in Gods eye which may cause blushing When Hanun had abused Davids servants and cut off their garments so that their nakedness did appear the text saith The men were greatly ashamed 2 Sam. 10. 5. 4. Our sins have put Christ to shame and shall not we be ashamed The Jews arrayed him in Purple they put a Reed in his hand spat in his face and in his greatest Agonies reviled him Here was the shame of the Cross and that which aggravated the shame was to consider the eminency of his person as he was the Son of God and the innocency of his life as he was the Lamb of God Did our sins put Christ to shame and shall they not put us to shame Did he wear the Purple and shall not our cheeks wear Crimson Who can behold the Sun as it were blushing at Christs passion and hiding it self in an ecclipse and his face not blush 5. Many sins which we commit are by the special instigation of the Devil and will not this cause shame The Devil put it into Iudas his heart to betray Christ Ioh. 13. 2. He filled Ananias heart to lye Act. 5. 3. He often stirs up our passions Iam. 3. 6. Now as it is a shame to bring forth a child illegitimate so to bring forth such sins as may call the Devil Father 'T is said the Virgin Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost Luk. 2. 35. But we often conceive by the power of Satan When the heart conceives pride lust malice it is very often by the power of the Devil May not this make us ashamed to think that
may leave sin for fear as in a storm the Plate and Jewels are cast over-board but the nauseating and loathing of sin argues a detestation of it Christ is never loved till sin be loathed Heaven is never longed for till sin be loathed When the soul sees an issue of blood runing he cries out Lord when shall I be freed from this body of death When shall I put off these filthy garments of sin and have the fair mitre of glory set upon my head Let all our self-love be turned into self-loathing We are never more precious in Gods eyes than when we are lepers in our own 2. There is an hatred of Enmity There is no better way to discover life than by motion The eye moves the pulse beats So to discover Repentance there is no better sign than by an holy antipathy against sin Hatred saith Cicero is anger boiled up to an inveteracy Sound Repentance begins in the love of God and ends in the hatred of sin But how may true hatred of sin be known 1. When a mans spirit is set against sin The tongue doth not only inveigh against sin but the heart abhors it So that let sin be never so curiously painted it is odious As we abhor the picture of one whom we mortally hate though it be exactly drawn Non amo te Sabidi Suppose a dish be finely cooked and the sauce good yet if a man hath an antipathy against the meat he will not taste it So let the Devil cook and dress sin with pleasure and profit yet a true penitent having a secret abhorrency of it doth disgust it and will not meddle with it 2. True hatred of sin is universal and that two waies In respect 1. Of the Faculties 2. Of the Object 1. Hatred is universal in respect of the Faculties That is there is a dislike of sin not only in the judgement but in the will and affections For many an one is convinced that sin is a vile thing and in his judgement hath an aversation from it but yet he tasts sweetness and hath a secret complacency in it Here is a disliking sin in the judgement and an embracing it in the affections Whereas in true Repentance the hatred of sin is in all the faculties not only in the intellectual part but chiefly in the will Rom. 7. 15. What I hate that do I. Paul was not free from sin yet his will was against it 2. Hatred is universal in respect of the Object He that hates one sin hates all Aristotle saith hatred is against the whole kind He that hates a Serpent hates all Serpents Psal. 119. 104. I hate every false way Hypocrites will hate some sins which do ecclipse their credit but a true convert hates all sins gainful sins complexion-sins the very stirrings of corruption Paul hated the motions of sin Rom. 7. 23. 3. True hatred is against sin quatenus sin An holy heart detests sin for its intâ—…nsick pollution Sin leaves aâ—…ain upon the soul. A regenerate person abhors sin not only for the curse but the contagion He hates this Serpent not only for its sâ—…ing but its poison He hates sin not only for Hell but as Hell 4. True hatred is implacable it will never be reconciled to sin any more Anger may be reconciled hatred cannot Sin is that Amalek which is never to be taken into favour again The war between a child of God and sin is like the war between those two Princes 1 King 14. 30. There was war between Rehoboam and Ieroboam all their daies 5. Where there is a real hatred we do not only oppose sin in our selves but in others The Church of Ephesus could not bear with them that were evil Rev. 2. 2. Paul sharply censured Peter for his dissimulation though he were an Apostle Christ in an holy displacency whipt the money-changers out of the Temple Ioh. 2. 15. He would not suffer the Temple to be made an Exchange Nehemiah rebuked the Nobles for their Usury Neh. 5. 7. And their Sabbath-prophanation Neh. 13. 7. A sin-hater will not endure wickedness in his family Psal. 101. 7. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell in my house What a shame is it when Magistrates can shew height of spirit in their passions but no heroick spirit in suppressing vice Such as have no antipathy against sin are strangers to Repentance Sin is in them as poison in a Serpent which being natural is delightful 1. How far are they from Repentance who instead of hating sin love sin To the godly sin is as a thorn in the eye to the wicked it is as a crown on the head Ier. 11. 15. When thou dost evil then thou rejoycest Loving of sin is worse than committing it A good man may run into a sinful action unawares but to love sin is desperate What is it makes a Swine but loving to tumble in the mire What is it makes a Devil but loving that which opposeth God To love sin shews that the will is in sin and the more of the will in a sin the greater the sin Wilfulness makes it a sin not to be purged by sacrifice Heb. 10. 26. O how many are there that love the forbidden fruit They love their oaths and adulteries they love the sin and hate the reproof Solomon speaks of a generation of men Eccles. 9. 3. Madness is in their heart while they live So for men to love sin to hug that which will be their death to sport with damnation Madness is in their heart It perswades us to shew our Repentance by a bitter hatred of sin There is 〈◊〉 deadly antipathy between the Scorpion and the Crocodile such should there â—…e between the heart and sin What is there in sin that may make a peâ—…itent hate it Sin is the cursed thing* the most mis-shapen Monster The Apostle useth a very emphatical word to express it Rom. 7. 13. That sin might become exceeding sinful or as it is in the Greek hyperbolically sinful Now that sin is an hyperbolical mischief and deserves hatred will appear if we look upon sin in a fourfold notion 1. Look upon sin in the original of it whence it comes it fetcheth its pedigree from Hell 1 Ioh. 3. 8. He that commiteth sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinneth from the beginning Sin is the Devils proper work 'T is true God hath a hand in ordering sin but Satan hath an hand in acting it Now how hateful is it to be doing that which is the peculiar work of the Devil nay which makes men Devils Ioh. 6. 7. 2. Look upon sin in its nature and it will appear very hateful See how the Scripture hath pensiled it out 1. Sin is a dishonouring of God Rom. 2. 23. 2. Sin is a despising of God 1 Sam. 2. 30. 3. It is a fretting of God Ezek. 16. 43. 4. It is a wearying of God Isa.
from hearing slanders the tongue must fast from oaths the hands must fast from bribes the feet must fast from the path of the harlot and the soul must fast from the love of wickedness This turning from sin implies a notable change There is a change wrought in the heart The flinty heart is become fleshly Satan would have Christ prove his Deity by making stones become bread Christ hath wrought a far greater miracle in making stones become flesh In Repentance Christ turns an heart of stone into flesh There is a change wrought in the life Turning from sin is so visible that others may discern it therefore it is called a change from darkness to light Ephes. 5. 8. Paul after he had seen the heavenly vision was so turned that all men wondred at the change Act. 9. 21. Repentance turned the Jaylor into a Nurse and Physician Act. 16. 33. He took the Apostles and washed their wounds and set meat before them A ship that is going Eastward there comes a wind and turns it Westward So that a man before was sailing Hell-ward the contrary wind of the Spirit blows and turns his course and causeth him to sail Heaven-ward Chrysostom speaking of the Ninivites Repentance saith that had a stranger who had seen Ninevehs excess gone after they repented into the City it was so metamorphosed and reformed that he would scarce have believed it was the same City Such a visible change doth Repentance make in a person as if another soâ—…l did lodge in the same body Now that the turning from sin be rightly qualified these few things are requisite 1. It must be a turning from sin with the heart the heart is the primum vivens the first thing that lives and it must be the primum vertens the first thing that turns The heart is that the Devil doth most strive for Never did he so strive for the body of Moses as he doth for the heart of man in Religion the heart is all if the heart be not turned from sin it is no better than a lye Ier. 3. 10. Her treacherous Sister Iudah hath not turned to me with the whole heart but feignedly or as the Hebrew in a lye * Iudah did make a shew of Reformation she was not so grosly idolatrous as the ten Tribes yet Iudah was worse than Israel she is called treacherous Iudah she pretended to a reformation but it was not in truth her heart was not for God she turned not with the whole heart 'T is odious to make a shew of turning from sin yet the heart is in league with it I have read of one of our Saxon Kings who was baptized that in the same Church he had one Altar for the Christian Religion another for the Heathen God will have the whole heart turned fâ—…om sin True Repentance must have no reserves or inmates 2. It must be a turning from all sin Isa. 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way A real penitent turns out of the road of sin every sin is abandoned As Iehu would have all the Priests of Baal slain not one must escape 2 King 10. 24. So a true convert seeks the destruction of every lust he knows how dangerous it is to entertain any one sin He that hides one rebel in his house is a traitor to the Crown and he that indulgeth one sin is a traiterous Hypocrite 3. It must be a turning from sin upon a spiritual ground A man may restrain the acts of sin yet not turn from sin in a right manner Acts of sin may be restrained out of fear or design but a right penitentiary turns from sin out of a religious principle and that is love to God If sin did not bear such bitter fruit if death did not grow on this tree yet a gracious soul would forsake it out of love to God This is the most kindly turning from sin When things are frozen and congealed the best way to separate them is by fire When men and their sins are congealed together the best way to separate them is the fire of love Three asking one another what made them leave sin saith one I think of the joys of Heaven saith another I think of the torments of Hell but saith the third I think of the love of God and that makes me forsake it How shall I offend the God of love 4. It must be such a turning from sin as turns unto God This is in the text That they should repent and turn unto God Turning from sin is like the pulling the Arrow out of the wound turning to God is like the pouring in of the Balsom We read in Scripture of a Repentance from dead works Heb. 6. 1. and a Repentance towards God Act. 20. 21. Unsound hearts pretend to leave old sins but they do not turn to God or embrace his service 'T is not enough to forsake the Devils quarters but we must get under Christs banner and wear his colours The repenting Prodigal did not only leave his Harlots but did arise and go to his Father It was Gods complaint Hos. 7. 16. They return but not to the most High In true Repentance the heart points directly to God as the Needle to the North-pole 5. The true turning from sin is such a turn as hath no return Hos. 14. 8. Ephraim shall say what have I to do any more with Idols The forsaking sin must be like the forsaking ones native soil never to return more to it Some have seemed to be converts and to have turned from sin but they have returned to their sins again This is a returning â—…o folly It is A fearful sin For 1. It is against clear light He who did once leave his sin it is to be supposed he felt it bitter in the pangs of conscience yet he returned to it again he must needs sin against the illuminations of the Spirit 2. It reproacheth God Ier. 2. 5. What iniquity have your Fathers found in me that they are gone from me He that returns to sin doth interpretatively charge God with some evil If a man put away his wife it implies he knows some fault by her To leave God and return to sin is tacitly to asperse the Deity God who hates putting away Mal. 2. 16. hates that he himself should be put away To return to sin gives the Devil more power over a man than ever Mat. 12. 43. When a man turns from sin the Devil seems to be cast out of him but when he returns to sin here is the Devil entring into his house again and taking possession and the last state of that man is worse than the first When a prisoner hath broken prison and the Jaylour gets him again he will lay stronger Irons upon him He who leaves off a course of sinning doth as it were break the Devils prison but if Satan takes him returning to sin he
will hold him faster and take fuller possession of him than ever O take heed of this A true turning from sin is a divorcing it so as never to come near it any more and whoever is thus turned from sin is a blessed person Act. 3. 26. God having raised up his Son Iesus sent him to bless you in turning every one of you from his iniquities Is turning from sin a necessary Ingredient in Repentance then there is but little Repentance to be found People are not turned from their sins they are still the same they were Proud they were and so they are still Like the beasts in Noahs Ark they went into the Ark unclean and came out unclean Men come to Ordinances impure and go away impure Though men have seen so many changes without yet there is no change wrought within Isa. 9. 13. The people turneth not to him that smiteth How can they say they repent who do not turn Are they washed in Iordan who have still their Leprosie upon their forehead May not God say to the unreformed as once to Ephraim Hos. 4. 17. Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone So here is a man joyned to his drunkenness and uncleanness let him alone let him go on in sin but if there be either justice in Heaven or vengeance in Hell he shall not go unpunished Use 2. It reproves them 1. Who are but half-turned and who are these Such as turn in their judgement but not in their practice they cannot but acknowledge that sin like Saturn hath a bad aspect and influence and will weep for sin yet are so bewitched with it that they have no power to leave it their corruptions are stronger than their convictions These are half-turned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 almost Christians Act. 26. 28. They are like Ephraim who was a Cake baked on one side and dough on the other Hos. 7. 8. They are but half-turned who turn only from gross sin but have no intrinsick work of grace They do not prize Christ or love holiness 'T is with civil persons as with Ionah he got a gourd to defend him from the heat of the Sun and he thought now he was safe but a worm presently ariseth and devours the gourd So men when they are turned from gross sin think their civility will be a gourd to defend them from the wrath of God but at death there ariseth the worm of conscience and smites this gourd and then their hearts fail and they begin to despair They are but half-turned who turn from many sins but are unturned from some special sin There is an harlot in the bosom they will not let go As if a man should be cured of several diseases but hath a canker in his breast and that kills him It reproves such whose turning is as good as no turning who have one Devil goes out of them and another enterâ—… they turn from swearing to slandering from profuseness to covetousness Like a sick man that turns from a tertian Ague to a quartan Such turning will turn men to Hell Let us in this shew our selves penitents in turning from sin to God There are some persons I have little hope to prevail with Let the trumpet of the word sound never so shrill let threatnings be thundered out against them let some flashes of Hell fire be thrown in their faces yet they will have the other game at sin These persons seem to be like the Swine in the Gospel carried down by the Devil violently into the Sea they will rather damn than turn Ier. 8. 5. They hold fast deceit they refuse to return But if there be any candour or sobriety in us if conscience be not cast into a dead sleep let us listen to the voice of the charmer and turn to God our supream good How often doth God call upon us to turn to him He swears Ezek. 33. 11. As I live I desire not the death of the sinner turn ye turn ye c. God had rather have our repenting tears than our blood Turning to God makes for our profit Our Repentance is no benefit to God but to us If a man drinks of a fountain he benefits himself not the fountain if he beholds the light of the Sun he himself is refreshed by it not the Sun If we turn from our sins to God God is not advantaged by it it is only we our selves reap the benefit therefore self-love should prevail with us Prov. 9. 12. If thou be wise thou shalt be wise for thy self If we turn to God he will turn to us he will turn his anger from us and his face to us It was Davids prayer Psal. 86. 16. O turn unto me and have mercy upon me Our turning will make God turn Zach. 1. 3. Turn ye unto me saith the Lord and I will turn unto you He who was an enemy will turn to be our friend If God turn to us the Angels are turned to us we shall have their tutelage and guardianship Psal. 91. 11. If God turn to us all things shall turn to our good mercies and afflictions we shall taste honey at the end of the Rod. Thus we have seen the several Ingredients of Repentance CHAP. V. Shewing the reasons enforcing Repentance I Proceed next to the reasons which do enforce Repentance 1. From Gods soveraign command Act. 17. 30. He commandeth men every where to repent Repentance is not arbitrary 't is not left to our choice whether we will repent or no but it is an indispensible command God hath enacted a Law in the High Court of Heaven that no sinner shall be saved but the repenting sinner and he will not break his own Law Though all the Angels should stand before God and beg the life of an irrepenting person God would not grant it Exod. 34. 6. The Lord God merciful and gracious keeping mercy for thousands and that will by no means clear the guilty Though God is more full of mercy than the Sun is of light yet he will not forgive a sinner while he goes on in his guilt He will by no means clear the guilty 2. The pure nature of God denies communion with an impenitent creature Till the sinner repent God and he cannot be friends Isa. 1. 16. Wash ye make ye clean Go steep your selves in the brinish waters of Repentance Ver. 18. Come now and let us reason together Now saith God I will parley with you but else come not near me What communion hath light with darkness How can the righteous God indulge him that goes on still in his trespasses Exod. 23. 7. I will not justifie the wicked If God should be at peace with a sinner before he repent he should seem to like and approve all that he hath done he should go against his own holiness 'T is inconsistent with the sanctity of Gods nature to
need put it self in mourning and be humbled by solemn Repentance Anglica gens est optima flens What horrible impieties are chargeable upon the Nation We see persons daily listing themselves under Satan Not only the banks of Religion but Civility are broken down Men seem to contend as the Jews of old who should be most wicked In their filthiness is leudness Ezek. 24. 13. If oaths and drunkenness if perjury and luxury will make a people guilty then it is to be feared England is in Gods black Book Sure men have cancelled their vow in Baptism and made a private contract with the Devil Instead of crying to mercy to save them they cry God damn them Never was there such riding post to Hell as if men did despair of getting thither time enough Hath it not been known that some have died with the guilt of fornication and blood upon them Hath it not been told that others have boasted how many they have debauched and made drunk Thus they declare their sin as Sodom Isa. 3. 9. Nay mens sins are grown daring as if they would hang out their flag of defiance and give Heaven a broad-side Like the Thraciâ—…ns who when it thunders gather together in a body and shoot their Arrows against Heaven The sinners in Brittain do even send God a challenge Iob 15. 25. They strengthen themselves against the Almighty they run upon him even on his neck on the thick bosses of his bucklers The bosses in the buckler are for offence in war Gods precepts and threatnings are as it were the thick bosses of his buckler whereby he would deter men from wickedness but they regard not but are desperate in sin and run furiously against the bosses of Gods buckler O to what an height is sin boiled up Men count it a shame not to be impudent May it not be said of us as Iosephus speaks of the Iews such was the excessive wickedness of those times that if the Romans had not come and sacked their City Ierusalem had been swallowed up with some Earthquake or drowned with a flood or fired from Heaven And is it not high time then for this Nation to enter into a course of Physick and take this pill of Repentance who hath so many bad humours spreading in her body politick England is an Island encompassed with two Oceans an Ocean of water and an Ocean of wickedness O that it might be encompassed with a third Ocean namely repenting tears If the Book of the Law chance to fall upon the ground the Jews have a custom presently to proclaim a Fast. England hath let both Law and Gospel fall to the ground therefore had need fast and mourn before the Lord The Ephah of wickedness seems to be full Good reason tears should empty apace when sin fills so fast Why then do not all faces gather paleness Why are the Wells of Repentance stopped Do not the sinners of the Land know they should repent Have they had no warning Have not Gods faithful Messengers lifted up their voice as a trumpet and cryed to them to repent but many of these Tools in the Ministry have been spent and worn out upon rocky hearts Hath not God lighted strange Comets in the Heavens as so many Preachers to call men to Repentance but still they are settled on their lees Zeph. 1. 12. Do we think God will alwaies put up our affronts Will he endure thus to have his name and glory trampled upon The Lord hath usually been more swift in the process of his justice against the sins of a professing people God may a while reprieve this Land by Frerogative but if ever he save it without Repentance he must go out of his ordinary Road I say therefore with Mr. Bradford REPENT O ENGLAND Thou hast beleaper'd thy self with sin and hadst need go and wash in the spiritual Iordan Thou hast kindled Gods anger against thee throw away thy weapons and bring thy holy Engines and Water-works that God may be appeased in the blood of Christ. Let thy tears run lest Gods roll of curses fly Either men must turn or God will overturn Either the fallow ground of their hearts must be broken up or the Land broken down If no words will prevail with sinners it is because God hath a purpose to slay them Among the Romans he who was for his capital offence forbidden the use of water was thereby concluded to be a condemned person So they who by their prodigious sins have so far incensed the God of Heaven that he denies them the water of Repentance may look upon themselves as condemned persons 3. Repentance is necessary for the cheating crew Psal. 11. 9. 18. Their deceit is falshood who are wise to do evil making use of their invention only for circumvention instead of living by their faith they live by their shifts These are they who make themselves poor that by this artifice they may grow rich I would not be misunderstood I mean not such as the providence of God hath brought low whose estates have failed not their honesty but such as feign a break that they may cheat their Creditors There are some who get more by breaking than others can by trading these are like beggars that discolour and blister their arms that they may move charity they live by their sores So these live by their breaking When the Frost breaks the streets are more full of water So many trades-men when they break are fuller of money These make as if they had nothing but out of this nothing great estates are created Remember the Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force not by fraud Let men know after this golden sop the Devil enters they squeeze a curse into their estates they had need repent quickly Though the bread of falshood be sweet Prov. 20. 17. yet many vomit up their sweet morsels in Hell 4. Repentance is necessary for civil persons these have no visible spots on them they are free from gross sin and one would think they were unconcerned in the business of Repentance They are so good that they scorn a Psalm of mercy Indeed these are often in the worst condition these are they who need no Repentance Luke 15. 7. Their civility undoes them they make a Christ of it and so on this shelf suffer shipwrack Morality shoots short of Heaven it is only nature refined A moral man is but old Adam dressed in fine cloths The Kings Image counterfeited and stamped upon Brass will not go currant The civil person seems to have the Image of God but he is but brass metal which will never pass for currant Civility is insufficient to salvation though the life be moralized the lust may be unmortified The heart may be full of pride and Atheism Under the fair leaves of a tree there may be a worm I say not repent that you are civil but that you are no more than civil
The house that was only swept and garnished Satan entred into Luke 11. 26. This was the emblem of a moral man who is swept by civility and garnished with common gifts but is not washed by true Repentance the unclean spirit enters into such an one If civility were sufficient to salvation Christ needed not to have died The Civilian hath a fair Lamp but it wants the oyl of grace 5. Repentance is needful for Hypocrites I mean such as allow themselves in the sin Hypocrisie is the counterfeiting of sanctity The Hypocrite or stage-player is gotten a step beyond the moralist and doth dress himself in the gâ—…rb of Religion he pretends to a form of godliness but denies the power 2 Tim. 3. 5. The Hypocrite is a Saint in jest he makes a majestick shew like an Ape clothed in Ermyn or Purple The Hypocrite is like an house with a beautiful frontispiece but every room within is dark he is a rotten post fairly gilded under his mask of profession he hides his plague-sores The Hypocrite is against painting of faces but he paints holiness he is seemingly good that he may be really bad In Samuels mantle he plaies the Devil therefore the same word in the original signifies to use Hypocrisie and to be prophane * The Hypocrite seems to have his eyes nailed to Heaven but his heart is full of impure lustings he lives in secret sin against his conscience he can be as his company is and act both the Dove and the Vulture he hears the word but is all ear he is for Temple-devotion where others may look upon him and admire him but he neglects family and closet prayer Indeed if prayer doth not make a man leave sin sin will make him leave prayer The Hypocrite feigns humility but it is that he may rise in the world he is a pretender to faith but he makes use of it rather for a cloak than a shield he carries his Bible under his arm but not in his heart his whole Religion is a demure lye Hos. 11. 12. But is there such a generation of men to be found the Lord forgive them their holiness Hypocrites are in the gall of bitterness Act. 8. 23. O how had they need humble themselves in the dust they are far gone with the rot and if any thing cure them it must be feeding upon the salt Marshes of Repentance Let me speak my mind freely none will find it more difficult to repent than Hypocrites they have so jugled in Religion that their treacherous hearts know not how to repent Hypocrisie is harder to cure than Phrensie The Hypocrites Imposthume in his heart seldom breaks If it be not too late seek yet to God for mercy Such as are guilty of prevailing Hypocrisie let them fear and tremble their condition is sinful and sad 1. Sinful because they do not embrace Religion out of choice but design they do not love it only paint it 2. Sad and that upon a double account 1. Because this art of deceit cannot hold long He who hangs out a sign but hath not the commodity of grace in his heart must needs break at last 2. Because Gods anger will fall heavier upon Hypocrites they dishonour God more and take away the Gospels good name therefore the Lord reserves the most deadly Arrows in his quiver to shoot at them If Heathens be damned Hypocrites shall be double-damned Hell is called the place of Hypocrites Mat. 14. 5. 1. As if it were chiefly prepared for them and were to be settled upon them in feâ—…simple 6. Repentance is necessary for Gods own people who have a real work of grace and are Israelites indeed they must offer up a daily sacrifice of tears The Antinomians hold that when any come to be Believers they have a Writ of Ease and there remains nothing for them now to do but to rejoyce Yes they have something else to do and that is to repent Repentance is a continued act The issue of godly sorrow must not be quite stopp'd till death Hierom writing in an Epistle to Laeta tells her that her life must be a life of Repentance Repentance is called a crucifying the old man which is not done on a sudden but leisurely it will be doing all our life And is there not a great deal of cause why Gods own people should go into the weeping bath 2 Chron. 28. 10. Are there not with you even with you sins against the Lord Have not you sins of daily incursion Though you are Diamonds have you no flaws Do we not read of the spots of Gods children Search with the Candle of the Word into your hearts and see if you can find no matter of Repentance there 1. Repent of your rash censuring instead of praying for others you are ready to passe a Verdict upon them 'T is true the Saints shall judge the world 1 Cor. 6. 2. But stay your time remember the Apostles caution 1 Cor. 4. 5. Iudge nothing before the time till the Lord come 2. Repent of your vain thoughts These swarm in your minds as the Flies did in King Pharaohs Court What beweildrings are there in the imagination If Satan doth not possess your bodies he doth your fancies Ier. 4. 4. How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee A man may think himself into Hell O ye Saints be humbled for this lightness in your head 3. Repent of your vain fashions 'T is strange that the garments which God hath given to cover shame should discover pride The godly are bid not to be conformed to this world Rom. 12. 2. People of the world are garish and light in their dresses It is in fashion now adaies to go to Hell but whatever others do yet let not Iudah offend Hos. 4. 15. The Apostle hath set down what upper garment Christians must wear 1 Tim. 2. 9. Modest apparel and what under-garment 1 Pet. 5. 5. Be ye clothed with humility 4. Repent of your decaies in grace Rev. 2. 4. Thou hast left thy first love Christians how often is it Low-water in your souls how often doth your cold fit come upon you where are those flames of affection those sweet meltings of spirit as once you had I fear they are melted away O repent for leaving your first love 5. Repent of your non-improvement of Talents Health is a talent estate is a talent wit and parts are talents and these God hath intrusted you with to improve for his glory He hath sent you into the world as a Merchant sends his Factor beyond the Seas to trade for his Masters advantage But you have not done the good you might Can you say Lord thy pound hath gained five pounds Luk. 19. 18. Oh mourn at the burial of your talents Let it grieve you that so much of your age hath not been time lived but time lost that you have fill'd up
patience to be content to live any longer O blessed Repentance that hast such a light side with thy dark and hast so much sugar at the bottom of thy bitter cup. 15. The next Motive to Repentance is to consider the evil of impenitency An hard heart is the worst heart it is called an heart of stone Ezek. 36. 26. If it were Iron it might be mollified in the furnace but a Stone put in the fire will not melt it will sooner fly in your face Impenitency is a sin grieves Christ Mark 3. 5. Being grieved for the hardness of their hearts It is not so much the disease offends the Physician as the contempt of his Physick Not the sins we have committed do so much provoke and grieve Christ as that we refuse the Physick of Repentance which he prescribes This aggravated Iezabels sin Rev. 2. 21. I gave her space to repent yet she repented not An hard heart receives no impression it is untuned for every duty It was a sad speech Stephen Gardner uttered on his death-bed I have denied my Master with Peter but I cannot repent with Peter O the plague of an obdurate heart Pharaohs heart turned into stone was worse than his waters turned into blood David had his choice of three judgements plague sword and famine but sure he would have chosen them all rather than an hard heart An impenitent sinner is neither allured by entreaties nor affrighted by menaces Such as will not weep with Peter shall weep with Iudas An hard heart is the Anviâ—… on which the hammer of Gods justice will be striking to all eternity 16. The last Motive to Repentance is the day of judgement is coming This is the Apostles own Argument Act. 17. 31. God commands men every where to repent because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world There is that in the day of judgement which may make a stony heart bleed Will a man go on thieving when the Assizes are nigh Will the sinner go on sinning when the day of judgement is so nigh Thou canst no more conceal thy sin than thou canst defend it and what wilt thou do when all thy sins shall be written in Gods Book and engraven on thy forehead O direful day when Jesus Christ clothed in his Judges Robe shall say to the sinner stand forth answer to the Indictment brought against thee What canst thou say for all thy oaths adulteries and thy desperate impenitency O how amazed and stricken with consternation will the sinner be and after his conviction he must hear the sad sentence Depart from me Then he who would not repent of his sins shall repent of his â—…olly If then there be such a time a coming wherein God will judge men for their impieties what a spur should this be to Repentance The penitent soul shall at the last day lift up his head with comfort and have a discharge to shew under the Judges own hand CHAP. IX Exhorting to speedy Repentance THE second branch of the Exhortation is to press persons to speedy Repentance Act. 17. 30. Now God commands men every where to repent The Lord would not have any of the late Autumn fruits offered to him God loves early penitents that consecrate the spring and flower of their age to him Early tears like Pearls bâ—…ed of the morning dew are more orient and beautiful Oh do not reserve the dregs of your age for God lest he reserve the dregs of his cup for you Be as speedy in your Repentance as you would have God speedy in his mercies 1 Sam. 21. 8. The Kings business required haste So Repentance requires haste 'T is natural to us to procrastinate and put off Repentance We say as Hag. 1. 2. The time is not yet come No man almost is so bad but purposeth he will amend but he adjourns and prorogues so long till at last all his purposes prove abortive Many are now in Hell that purposed to repent Satan doth what he can to keep men from Repentance when he sees they begin to take up serious thoughts of reformation he bids them stay a while longer If this traitor sin must die saith Satan let it not die yet So the Devil gets a reprieve for sin it shall not die this Sessions at last men put off so long that death seizeth on them and their work is not done Let me therefore lay down some cogent Arguments to perswade to speedy Repentance 1. Now is the season of Repentance and every thing is best done in its season 2 Cor. 6. 2. Now is the accepted time Now God hath a mind to shew mercy to the penitent he is on the giving hand Kings set apart daies for healing Now is the healing day for our souls now God hangs forth the white flag and is willing to parley with sinners A Prince at his coronation as an Act of Royalty gives money proclaims pardons fills the conduits with wine Now God proclaims pardons to penitent sinners now the conduit of the Gospel runs wine now is the accepted time therefore now come in and make your peace with God now break off your iniquities by Repentance 't is wisdom to take the season The Husbandman takes the season for sowing his seed now is the seed-time for our souls 2. The sooner you repent the fewer sins you will have to answer for Were you at the death-bed of an old sinner when conscience begins to be awakened and should hear him crying out here are all my old sins come about me haunting my death-bed as so many evil spirits and I have no discharge here is Satan who was once my tempter is now become my accuser and I have no Advocate I am now going to be dragg'd before Gods judgement-seat where I must receive my final doom Oh how dismal is the case of this man he is in Hell before his time but you who repent betimes of your sinful courses this is your priviledge you will have the less to answer for nay let me tell you you will have nothing to answer for Christ will answer for you your Judge will be your Advocate 1 Ioh. 2. 1. Father will Christ say here is one that hath been a great sinner yet a broken-hearted sinner if he owes any thing to thy justice set it on my score 3. The sooner we repent the more glory we may bring to God 'T is the end of our living to be useful in our generation better lose our lives than the end of our living Late converts who have for many years taken pay on the Devils side are not in a capacity of doing so much work in the Vineyard The thief on the Cross could not do that service for God as St. Paul did But when we do betimes turn from sin then we give God the first-fruits of our lives we spend and are spent for Christ. The more work we do for God the more willing we
shall be to die and the sweeter death will be He that hath wrought hard at his day-labour is willing to go to rest at night Such as have been honouring God all their lives how sweetly will they sleep in the grave The more work we do for God the greater will our reward be He whose pound had gained ten pounds Christ did not only commend him but advance him Luk. 19. 17. Have thou authority over ten Cities By late Repentance though we do not lose our Crown yet we make it lighter 4. It is of dangerous consequence to put off Repentance longer Mora trahit periculum It is dangerous If we consider what sin is Sin is a poison it is dangerous to let poison lye long in the body Sin is a bruise if a bruise be not soon cured it gangrenes and kills If sin be not soon cured by Repentance it festers the conscience and damns Why should any love to dwell in the tents of wickedness They are under the power of Satan Act. 26. 18. And it is dangerous to stay long in the enemies quarters It is dangerous to procrastinate Repentance because the longer any go on in sin the harder they will find the work of Repentance Delay strengthens sin and hardens the heart and gives the Devil fuller possession A plant at first may be easily plucked up but when it hath spread its roots deep in the earth a whole team cannot remove it 'T is hard to remove sin when once it comes to be rooted The longer the Ice freezeth the harder it is to be broken the longer a man freezeth in security the harder it will be to have his heart broken the longer any travel with iniquity the sharper pangs they must expect in the new birth When sin hath got an haunt it is not easily shaken off Sin comes to a sinner as the elder Brother came to his Father Luk. 15. 29. Lo these many years have I served thee neither at any time transgressed I thy Commandment and wilt thou cast me off now what in mine old age after thou hast had so much pleasure by me See how sin pleads custom and that is a Leopards spot Ier. 13. 23. It is dangerous to prorogue and delay Repentance because there are three daies may soon expire 1. The day of the Gospel may expire this is a sun-shiny-day it is sweet but swift Ierusalem had a day but lost it Luk. 19. 42. But now they are hid from thine eyes The Asian Churches had a day but at last the Golden Candlestick was removed It would be a sad time in England see to the glory departed With what hearts could we follow the Gospel to the grave To lose the Gospel were far worse than to have our City Charter taken from us Gray hairs are here and there Hos. 7. 9. I will not say the Sun of the Gospel is set in England but I am sure it is under a cloud That was a sad speech Matth. 21. 43. The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you therefore it is dangerous to delay Repentance lest the market of the Gospel should remove and the vision cease A mans personal day of grace may expire What if that time should come wherein God should say the Means of Grace shall do no good Ordinances shall have a miscarrying womb and dry breasts Were it not sad to adjourn Repentance till such a decree came forth 'T is true no man can justly tell that his day of grace is past but there are two shrewd signs by which he may fear it 1. When conscience hath done preaching Conscience is a bosom-Preacher sometimes it convinceth sometimes it reproves It saith as Nathan to David Thou art the man But men imprison this Preacher and God saith to conscience preach no more He that is filthy let him be filthy still This is a fatal sign a mans day of grace is past 2. When a person is in such a spiritual â—…ethargy that nothing will work upon him or make him sensible There is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the spirit of a deep sleep poured on him Isa. 29. 10. This is a sad presage his day of grace is past How dangerous then is it to delay Repentance when the day of grace may so soon expire 3. The day of life may expire what security have we that we shall live another day We are marching apace out of the world we are going off the stage our life is a taper soon blown out Mans life is compared to the flower of the field Psal. 103. 15. which withers sooner than the grass Our age is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as nothing Psal. 39. 5. Life is but a flying shadow The body is like a vesâ—…el tunned with a little breath sickness broacheth this vessel death draws it out O how soon may the scene alter Many a Virgin hath been dressed the same day in her bride-apparel and her winding-sheet How dangerous then is it to adjourn repenting when death may so suddenly make a thrust at us Say not you will repent to morrow Remember that speech of Aquinas God who pardons him that repents hath not promised to give him to morrow to repent in I have read of Archias a Lacedemonian who being among his cups one delivered him a Letter and desired him to read the Letter presently being of serious business he replyed seria cras I will mind serious things to morrow and that day he was slain Thus while men think to spin out their silver thred death cuâ—…s it Olaus Magnus observes of the Birds of Norway that they fly faster than the Birds of any other Country not that their wings are swifter than others but by an instinct of nature they knowing the daies in that climate to be very short not above three hours long do therefore make the more haste to their nests So we knowing the shortness of our lives and how quickly we may be called away by death should fly so much the faster on the wing of Repentance to Heaven But me-thinks I hear some say they do not fear a sudden surprizal they will repent upon their sick-bed I do not so well like a sick-bed Repentance He runs a desperate hazard who will venture his salvation within the circle of a few short minutes Thou that puttest off Repentance till sickness answer me to these four queries 1. How dost thou know thou shalt have a time of sickness Death doth not alwaies shoot its warning-piece by a lingring consumption some it arrests suddenly What if God should presently send thee a summons to surrender thy life 2. Suppose thou shouldest have a time of sickness how dost thou know thou shalt have the use of thy senses Many are distracted on their sick-bed 3. Suppose thou shouldest have thy senses yet how dost thou know thy mind will be in frame for such a work as Repentance Sickness doth
away the heart from God The sinner takes his leave of God he bids farewel to Christ and mercy Every step forward in sin is a step backward from God Isa. 1. 4. They have forsaken the Lord they are gone away backward The further one goes from the Sun the nearer he approacheth to darkness the further the soul goes from God the nearer it approach to misery 2. Sin is a walking contrary to God Levit. 26. 27. The same word in the Hebrew * signifies both to commit sin and to rebel Sin is Gods opposite If God be of one mind sin will be of another If God saith sanctifie the Sabbath sin saith prophane it Sin strikes at Gods very being If sin could help it God should be no longer God Isa. 30. 11. Cause the holy One of Israel to cease from before us What an horrible thing is this for a piece of proud dust to rise up in defiance against its maker 3. Sin is an injury to God For 1. It violates his Laws here is crimen laesae majestatis What greater injury can be offered to a Prince than to trample upon his royal edicts A sinner offers contempt to the Statute-Laws of Heaven Nehem. 9. 26. They have cast thy Law behind their back as if they scorned to look upon it 2. Sin robs God of his due You injure a man when you do not give him his due The soul belongs to God he laies a double claim to it it is his by creation and purchase now sin steals the soul from God and gives the Devil that which of right belongs to God 4. Sin is profound ignorance The School-men say All sin is founded in ignorance did men know God in his purity and justice they durst not go on in a course of sinning Ier. 9. 3. They proceed from evil to evil and know not me saith the Lord. Therefore ignorance and lust are joyned together 1 Pet. 1. 14. Ignorance is the womb of lust Vapours arise most in the night The black vapours of sin arise most in a dark ignorant soul. Satan casts a mist before a sinner that he sees not the flaming sword of Gods wrath The Eagle first rolls himself in the sand and then flies at the Stagg and by fluttering his wings so bedusts the Staggs eyes that he cannot see and then he strikes him with his tallons So Satan that Eagle or Prince of the Air first blinds men with ignorance and then wounds them with his darts of temptation Is sin ignorance there 's great cause to repent of ignorance 5. Sin is a piece of desperateness In every transgression a man runs an apparent hazard of his soul he treads upon the brink of the bottomless pit Foolish sinner thou never committest a sin but thou dost that which may undo thy soul for ever He who drinks poison it is a wonder if it doth not cost him his life One taste of the forbidden tree lost Adam Paradise One sin of the Angels lost them Heaven One sin of Saul lost him his Kingdom The next sin thou committest God may clap thee up prisoner among the damned Thou that gallopest on in sin it is a question whether God will spare thy life a day longer or give thee an heart to repent so that thou art desperate even to phrensy 6. Sin is a befilthying thing it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 filthiness Iam. 1. 21. The Greek word signifies the putrid matter of ulcers Sin is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an abomination Deut. 7. 25. Nay in the plural abominations* Deut. 20. 18. This filthiness in sin is inward a spot in the face may easily be wiped off but to have the liver and lungs tainted is far worse Such a pollution is sin it hath gotten into the mind and conscience Tit. 1. 15. 'T is compared to a menstruous cloth Isa. 30. 22. The most unclean thing under the Law A sinners heart is like a field spread with dung Some think sin an ornament it is rather an excrement So doth sin befilthy a person that God cannot abide the sight of him Zach. 11. 8. My soul loathed them 7. In sin is odious ingratitude God hath â—…ed thee O sinner with Angels food he hath crowned thee with variety of mercies yet dost thou go on in sin As David said of Nabal in vain have I kept this mans sheep 1 Sam. 25. 21 So in vain hath God done so much for the sinner All Gods mercies may upbraid yea accuse the ungrateful person May God say I gave thee wit health riches and thou hast imployed all these against me Hos. 2. 8. I gave them corn and wine and oyl and multiplied their silver and gold which they prepared for Baal I sent in provisions and they served their Idols with them The Snake in the fable which was frozen stung him that brought it to the fire and gave it warmth So a sinner goes about to sting God with his own mercies Is this thy kindness to thy friend Did God give thee life to sin Did he give thee wages to serve the Devil 8. Sin is a debasing thing it degrades a person of his honour Nahum 1. 14. I will make thy grave for thou art vile This was spoken of a King he was not vile by birth but by sin Sin blots our name taints our blood nothing doth so change a mans glory into shame as sin doth 'T is said of Naaman He was a great man and honourable but he was a leper 2 Kin. 5. 1. Let a man be never so great with worldly Pomp yet if he be wicked he is a leper in Gods eye To boast of sin is to boast of that which is our infamy as if a Prisoner should boast of his fetters or be proud of his halter 9. Sin is a damage In every sin there is infinite loss Never did any thrive by grazing on this Common What doth one lose he loseth God he loseth his peace he loseth his soul. The soul is a divine spark lighted from Heaven it is the glory of the Creation and what can countervail this loss Matth. 16. 26. If the soul be gone the treasure is gone so that in sin there is infinite loss Sin is such a trade that whosoever follows it is sure to break 10. Sin is a burthen Psal. 38. 4. My iniquities are gone over my head as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me The sinner goes with his weights and fetters on him The burden of sin is ever worst when it is least felt Sin is a burden where-ever it comes Sin burdens God Amos 2. 3. I am pressed with your sins as a Cart is pressed under the sheaves Sin burdens the soul what a weight did Spira feel how was Iudas his conscience burdened insomuch that he hanged himself to quiet his conscience They that know what sin is will repent that they carry such
drink the poison of sin in a merriment but it costs them their souls Rom. 6. 23. The wages of sin is death What Solomon saith of wine the same I may say of sin at first it shews its colour in the cup at the last it biteth like a Serpent and stingeth like an Adder Prov. 23. 31. Christ tells us of the worm and the fire Mark 9. 48. Sin is like oyl and Gods wrath is like fire So long as the damned continue sinning so long the fire will continue scorching and who can dwell with everlasting burnings Isa. 33. 14. But men question the truth of this and are like that impious Devonax who being threatned with Hell for his villanies made a mock at it and said I will believe there is an Hell when I come there and not before We cannot make Hell enter into men till they enter into Hell Thus we have seen the deadly evil in sin which seriously thought on may make us repent and turn to God If for all this men will persist in sin and are resolved upon a voyage to Hell who can help it They have been told what a soul-damning Rock sin is but if they will voluntarily run upon it and split themselves their blood be upon their own head 2. The second consideration to work Repentance is consider the mercies of God A stone is soonest broken upon a soft pillow and an heart of stone is soonest broken upon the soft pillow of Gods mercies Rom. 2. 4. The goodness of God leadeth thee to Repentance The clemency of a Prince doth soonest cause relenting in a malefactor While God hath been storming others by his judgements he hath been wooing us by his mercies What privative mercies have we had what mischiefs have been prevented what fears blown over When our foot hath been slipping Gods mercy hath held us up Mercy hath been alwaies a screen between us and danger When enemies like Lions have risen up against us to devour us free-grace hath snatched us out of the mouth of these Lions In the deepest waves the arm of mercy hath been under and kept our head above water and will not this privative mercy lead us to Repentance What positive mercies have we had 1. Supplying mercy God hath been a bountiful benefactor Gen. 48. 15. The God which fed me all my life long to this day What man will spread a table for his enemy we have been enemies yet God hath fed us he hath given us the horn of Oyl he hath made the hony-comb of mercy drop upon us God hath been as kind to us as if we had been his best servants and will not this supplying mercy lead us to Repentance 2. Delivering mercy When we have been at the gates of the grave God hath miraculously spun out our lives he hath turned the shadow of death into the morning and hath put a song of deliverance into our mouth and will not delivering mercy lead us to Repentance The Lord hath laboured to break our hearts with his mercies We read Iudg. 2. When the Angel which was a Prophet had preached a Sermon of mercy the people lifted up their voices and wept vers 4. If any thing will move tears it should be the mercy of God He is an obstinate sinner indeed whom these great Cable-Ropes of Gods mercy will not draw to Repentance 3. Consider Gods afflictive providences and see if our limbeck will not drop when the fire is put under God hath sent us of late years to the school of the cross he hath twisted his judgements together he hath made good upon us those two threatnings Hos. 5. 12. I will be to Ephraim as a moth Hath not God been so to England in decay of trading And ver 14. I will be to Ephraim as a Lion Hath he not been to England in the devouring Plague Well all this while God waited for our Repentance but we went on in sin Ier. 8. 6. I hearkned and heard but no man repented him of his wickedness saying what have I done And of late God hath been whipping us with a fiery Rod in those tremendous flames in this City which did hierogly phically resemble the great Conflagration at the last day when the Elements shall melt with fervent heat When Ioabs corn was on fire then he went running to Absalom 2 Sam. 14. 31. God hath set our houses on fire that we may run to him by Repentance Micah 6. 9. The Lords voice cries unto the City Hear ye the Rod and who hath appointed it This is the language of the Rod that we should humble our selves under Gods mighty hand and break off our iniquities by righteousness Dan. 4. 27. Manassehs affliction ushered in Repentance 2 Chron. 33. 12. This God useth as the proper medicine for security Hos. 2. 5. Her Mother hath played the Harlot that is by idolatry What course now will God take with her vers 6. Therefore I will hedge up thy way with thorns This is Gods method to set a thorn-hedge of affliction in the way Thus to a proud man contempt is a thorn to a lustful man sickness is a thorn both to stop him in his sin and to prick him for ward in Repentance The Lord teacheth his people as Gideon did the men of Succoth Iudg. 8. 16. He took the Elders of the City and thorns of the wilderness and briars and with them he taught the men of Succoth Here was tearing Rhetorick So God hath of late been teaching us humiliation by thorny providences he hath torn our golden fleece from us he hath brought our houses low that he might bring our hearts low When shall we dissolve into tears if not now Gods judgements are so proper a means to work Repentance that the Lord wonders at it and makes it his complaint that his severity did not break men off from their sins Amos 4. 7. I have with-holden the Rain from you vers 9. I have smitten you with blasting and mildew vers 10. I have sent among you the Pestilence but still this is the burden of the complaint Yet ye have not returned to me The Lord proceeds gradually in his judgements First he sends a lesser cross and if that will not do then a greater He sends upon one first a gentle fit of an Ague and afterwards a burning Feaver He sends upon another first a loss at Sea then the loss of a child then an husband Thus by degrees he would try to bring men to Repentance Sometimes God makes his judgements go in circuit from family to family The cup of affliction hath gone round in the Nation all have tasted it and if we repent not now we stand in a contempt of God and do interpretatively bid God do his worst and such a climax of wickedness will hardly be pardoned Isa. 22. 12 13. In that day did the Lord of Hosts call to weeping and mourning and behold joy and
many of our sins are committed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the old Serpent 6. Sin like Cyrcies inchanting cup turns men into beasts and is not that matter of shame Psa. 49. 12. Sinners are compared to Foxes Luk. 13. 32. Wolves Mat. 7. 15. Asses Iob 11. 12. Swine 2 Pet. 2. 22. A sinner is a Swine with a mans head He who was once in dignity little less than the Angels is now become like the beasts Grace in this life doth not wholly obliterate this bruitish temper Agur that good man cryes out Sure I am more bruitish than any Prov. 30. 2. But common sinners are in a manner wholly bruitified they do not act rationally but are transported by the violence of their lusts and passions How may this make us ashamed who are thus degenerated below our own species Our sins have taken away that noble masculine spirit which once we had The Crown is fallen from our head Gods Image is defaced reason is ecclipsed conscience stupified We have more in us of the brute than the Angel 7. In every sin there is folly Ier. 4. 22. A man will be ashamed of his folly Is not he a fool that laboureth more for the bread that perisheth than for the bread of life Is not he a fool that for a lust or trifle will lose Heaven Like Tiberius who for a draught of drink forfeited his Kingdom Is not he a fool that will to safeguard his body injure his soul As if one should let his arm or head be cut to save his Vest. naviget antyciras Is not he a fool that will believe a temptation before a promise Is not he a fool that minds his recreation more than his salvation How may this make men ashamed to think that they inherit not so much Land as folly Prov. 14. 18. 8. That which may make us blush is that the sins we commit are far worse than the sins of the Heathen we act against more light To us have been committed the Oracles of God The same sin committed by a Christian is worse than by an Indian because he sins against clearer conviction which is like the Dye to the Wooll or the weight put into the scale which makes it weigh heavier 9. Our sins are worse than the sins of the Devils 1. The lapsed Angels never sinned against Christs blood Christ died not for them the medicine of his merit was never intended to heal them but we have affronted and disparaged his blood by unbelief 2. The Devils never sinned against Gods patience as soon as they apostatized they were damned God never waited for the Angels but we have spent upon the stock of Gods patience he hath pitied our weakness born with our frowardness his Spirit hath been repulsed yet hath still importuned us and would take no denyal Our carriage hath been so provoking as would have tyred not only the patience of a Moses but of all the Angels We have put God to it and made him weary of repenting Ier. 15. 6. 3. The Devils never sinned against example they were the first that sinned and were made the first example We have seen the Angels those morning Stars fall from their glorious Orb we have seen the old world drowned Sodom burnt yet have ventured upon sin How desperate is that thief who robs in the â—…ery place where his fellow hangs in chains and surely if we have out-sinn'd the Devils it may well put us to the blush 1. Is shame an Ingredient into Repentance then how far are they from being penitents who have no shame many have sinned away shame Zeph. 3. 5. The unjust knoweth no shame It is a great shame not to be ashamed the Lord sets it as a brand upon the Jews Ier. 6. 15. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination nay they were not at all ashamed neither could they blush * The Devil hath stoln shame from men When one of the Persecutors in Queen Maries time was upbraided with his bloodiness to the Martyrs I see nothing saith he to be ashamed of Many are no more ashamed of their sin than King Nebuchadnezzar was of his being turned to grass When men have hearts of Stone and foreheads of Brass 't is a sign the Devil hath taken full possession of them There is no creature capable of shame but man the bruit beasts are capable of fear and pain but not capable of shame you cannot make a beast blush such do too much resemble the beasts who cannot blush for sin 1. There are some so far from this holy blushing that they are proud of their sins they are proud of their long hair These are the Devils Nazarites 1 Cor. 11. 14. Doth not nature it self teach you that if a man have long hair it is a shame to him It confounds the distinction of sexes Others are proud of their black spots and what if God should turn them into blew spots 2. Others are so far from being ashamed of sin that they glory in their sins Phil. 3. 19. Who glory in their shame Some are ashamed of that which is their glory they are ashamed to be seen with a good Book in their hand others glory in that which â—…s their shame They look on sin as a piece of gallantry the sweareâ—… thinks his speech most graceful when it is interlarded with oaths The drunkarâ—… counts it a glory that he is mighty tâ—… drink Isa. 5. 22. But when men shall bâ—… cast into a fiery furnace heat seven times hotter by the breath of the Almighty theâ—… let them boast of sin as they see cause 2. Let us shew our penitency by modest blushing Ezra 9. 6. O my God blush to lift up my face My God there was faith I blush there was repentance Hypocrites will confidently avouch God to be their God but they know not how to blush O let us take holy shame to our selves for sin Be assured the more we are ashamed of sin now the less we shall be ashamed at Christs coming If the sins of the godly be mentioned at the day of Judgement it will not be to shame them but to magnifie the riches of Gods grace in pardoning them Indeed the wicked shall be ashamed at the last day they shall sneak and hang down their heads but the Saints shall then be as without spot Ephes. 5. 27. so without shame therefore they are bid to lift up their heads Luk. 21. 28. SECT V. 5. THE fifth Ingredient unto Repentance is hatred of sin The Schoolmen distinguish of a twofold hatred The Doctrine of Repentance Odium Abominationis Odium Inimicitiae 1. There is an hatred of Abomination or loathing Ezek. 36. 31. Ye shall loath your selves for your iniquities A true penitent is a sin-loather If a man loath that which makes his stomach sick much more that which makes his conscience sick 'T is more to loath sin than to leave it One