A Potion for This Holy Time of Lent, Part 2
¶ Of Contricion.
PHILEMON.
PPenaunce consisteth in The two partes of Contriciō.thre partes, Contriciō, Confession, & Satisfaccion or amendement of lyfe. Fyrst as concernig Contriciō, ye shall vnderstande that it consysteth in two speciall partes, which must alwayes be cōioyned togyther, & cā not be disseuered.
THEO
I praye you, what are they?
PHIL.
The fyrst is, a very sorowe or mournynge of the herte for the synnes cō mytted agaynst the wyll of GOD. The seconde is a constant faythe, to beleue that be the synnes neuer so great & manifolde, yet yf we repent & aske mercye, God the father wyll, not for the worthynes of ony merite or worke done by vsus, but for y• onlye merytes of the bloud and passion of our Sauioure Iesus Christ, vndou tedly forgyue vsus our synnes, repute vsus iustifyed & of y• nōber of his electe chyldren. The contricion of suche a penitent synner pleaseth God great ly, yea it is an acceptable Sacrifyce vntounto hym, as Dauid sayth, a Sacri Psal. l:fyce to God is a troubled spyryte, a cōtryte and humble herte God wyll not despyse. God saythe S. Austen, De ciui. de… lib. x. ca. iii…wyll not the Sacryfyce of a slayne beast, but of a slayne herte. An herte that is humbled with the knowlege of the filthynesse & abhominacion of her owne synnes, & slayne with the feare of God, and yet trusteth in the moost confortable promyses of God the father, made vntounto vsus in Christes moost blessed bloude, thyrstynge for strēgth to do the wyll of God, canne none otherwyse but hauehave God mercyfull vntounto her. God fylleth thē that Luke. ….are hūgry with good thynges, sayth the mooste gloryous virgyn, but he letteth go the rytch emptye. God resisteth i. Pet. v.the proud, but to y• humble he gyueth grace. Blessed are they that Math. v,hunger & thyrst after ryghteousnes, for they shalbe filled. Who euer hath …rue Cō tricion dry …ethaway bothe presumpciō & …espetaciōthis godly contricion in hym, canne neyther presume nor yet despayre. For if he be vnfaynedly cōtryte and sorowfull for his synnes, he must ne des graunte hym selfe to be synfull, miserable, voyd of all goodnes, bent vntounto euell, prone to noughtynesse, whiche thynge vtterly subdueth pre sumpcion & engraffethe in the harte submission, obedyence & humilite of mynde. Agayne, yf he be trulye contryte, be his synnes neuer so great & innumerable, yet casteth he his eyes on Gods mercy, set forth to all penitent synners in Christe Iesus, that wyll laye hand on it with a sure and vndouted sayth, which lykewyse ma keth hym, that by no meanes he can dispayre. For though his synnes be great, yet he knoweth that the mercy of God is greater, & therfore can not his synne condemne hym. Why is Christe called a Phisicion, but bycause he is able to heale synners? If De Peniad venan.our Phisicion be wyse, sayth Flugē tius, than can he heale all infyrmities. If our God be mercyful, thā can he forgyue all synnes. For ther is no perfecte goodnes, of whom al nough tynes is not ouercome. There is no perfecte medicine, to whome any dis ease is foūde incurable. Thus se we, y• where perfecte contricion is, there is neyther presumpcion nor despera cion.
EVSE.
I praye you, hawe maye we come by this true & perfecte contricion?Howe we may come by … true … …fect cōtri cion. Rom. x. The scrip ture deuyded into two partes.
PHIL.
Uerelye by the worde of God. For fayth commeth by hearynge, and hearynge by the worde of God. Ye shall note that y• holy scripture is deuyded īto two partes, that is to saye, the lawe & the promyses, the knowledge wherof is ryght necessary for the obtaynynge of true & perfecte Contricion. Ye knowe that Marke this simi litude.a mannes face shalbe longe defyled, spotted & deformed before he shal per ceyue it, except it be eyther told him of other, or els that he him selfe seeth it euidētly ī some myrrour or glasse. Semblably, the soule of a christē mā shall be spotted wyth synne a great space, before he perceyueth it, and be truly contryte & sorye for it, excepte it be eyther tolde hym of other by de clarynge the lawe of God to hym. or els he hymselfe loketh in the glasse of trueth, whiche is the lawe of God, & by that menes perceyueth his owne deformite, misery and wretchednes. For by the lawe cōmethe the knoweledge Roma. iii. Prouer. viof syn. The cōmaundement is a lanterne, and the lawe is a lyght & waye of the lyfe, sayth Salomō. Da uid also saythe, O LORDE thy worde Psa …is a lanterne to my feete, & a lyghte to my pathwayes. So that y• nexte … …sson.waye to hauehave the knowledge of oure synnes, whereby we shoulde be moued to be cōtryte & sorowfull in our hartes for our wickednesses & offences, & to stond in feare of Gods rygh teousnes, is euer to hauehave the lawe of God before our eyes. I hauehave hydden Psal. …thy speches in my herte, saythe Dauid, that I maye not offende the.
CHRI.
Nowe I praye you, how shall we do concernynge the second parte of Contricion.
PHIL.
Whā ye are vn faynedly stryken wyth this Contriciō, so y• your hartes do truly feare y• iustyce of God, & ye abhorre synne euen to ye vttermoost of your power, longynge greatly for strength to do the wyll of God that ye maye walke innocently before the eyes of the diuyne maieste, than for the consolacion of youre consciences, and the reioysynge of your hertes, oughte ye to consyder the moost swete, mooste ioyefull, moost confortable promises of God, made to vsus frely in Christes moost precious bloud. Nowe to put Marke …,awaye desperacion, doth conueniēt time require, that ye cleue stedfastly wt all mayne to the promyses, which laye forth Gods mercy before your… eyes. Therfore loke where so euer ye heare or se ony confortable promyse of God in the holy scryptures, that declareth mercy to penitēt synners, beleue without doubtyng, that that pertaineth vnfaynedly to you. Whā so euer ye heare or read that Christe is a sauyoure, streyghte wayes laye hande on that, & beleue that he also is your sauyour. Whan the Scrypture i. Tim. i. Ioel. ii. Actum. ii. Roma. x.shall saye to you, Iesus Christe came into ye world to saue synners, & eueryevery one yt calleth on the name of the LORDE shall be saued, beleue you streyghte wayes, that ye are of that nōber which shal be saued by Christ. Whan the scrypture shall saye, God wyll not the deth of any synner, but rather that he tourne & lyue, beleue Eze. xviii.you streyghtwayes, that Gods plea sure is, ye shoulde be saued, yf ye returne to him with a cōtryte & fayth full herte, and so lyue wyth hym for euermore in the celestiall glorye, Except Marke … beare … wa…e.ye hauehave this fayth also annexed with your sorow, verely as your con tricion is imperfecte, so is it able to cast you into desperacion. Agayne, to hauehave a faythe that God wyll forgyue you your synnes, & not to be so ry for your offenses, nor to stonde in feare of Gods indignaciō for transgressynge his moost holy law, nor to hunger & thyrst after righteousnes, verely as your contricion is imperfecte, so is it the ryghte waye to lede you to presumpcion. Neyther desperacion nor presumpcion ought to be in the herte of ony chrysten mā, but a penitēt & sorowfull mynde erected & lyfted vp wyth fayth. For S. Austen De vera … falsa peniten. cap. ii.sayth, yf fayth be the foundaciō of penaūce, wythout the whych ther is nothyng that good is, verely that penance ought to be desyred, whych it is euident to be groūded on fayth. For a good tree can not bryng forth euell fruytes. Therfore that penāce which procedeth not of fayth, is vnprofytable. For we must beleue that remedy is graunted to penaunce of our sauyour. Fulgētius also sayth, De penit…. ad venant.Iudas that betrayed Christ, repented hym of his syn, but he lost helth & saluacion, bycause he trusted not to be forgyuen. He repented worthe ly in dede bycause he synned betrayenge the ryghteous bloude, but he therfore loste the fruyte of his repē taūce, bycause that he dyd not trust that the syn of his betraieng should be wasshed awaye wyth his bloude, whōe he betrayed. Thus se you how necessary faythe is vntounto a contryte herte, & howe that wtoute that, it is not possible for any penitēt siner to receyue remission of hys synnes, as dyuers manifest textes & Historyes of the holy scrypture do euydentlye proue & shew.
THEO.
You taught vsus this thynge abundantly before in y• thyrd dysh of your Bācket, neyther hauehave we forgottē it.
PHIL.
I am glad of it. Therfore wyll I nowe tary no lenger about this matter, but ma…e hast to the second parte of Penaūce whiche is Confession.
EVSE.
I praye you hertely, let it so be.