Mans Active Obedience, Chapter 26
CHAP. XXVI.
The fifth maine difference betweene ſound beleeuers and counterfeits is, in their repentance; and how farre hypocriees may proceed therein.
Queſtion.
THere hauehave bin ſhewed many plaine and cleere differences betweene the 1. knowledge of Chriſt that men hauehave, and betweene the manner of mens 2. apprehending and laying hold of him for ſaluation, as alſo betweene the 3. perſwaſion and aſſurance that men hauehave of obtaining life and ſaluation in Chriſt, by meanes of ſuch their laying hold vponupon him: and laſtly betweene the 4. ioy following thereupon, which may be found in thoſe that are but hypocrites and temporary beleeuers, and in thoſe that are vnfained in their faith and true beleeuers indeed. It remaineth that forſomuch as you hauehave ſhewed in all that hauehave true faith indeed, there muſt be found wrought together with all theſe graces b…fore going, a ſound and thorough reformation of life to follow after, and for euer to be maintained and continued in, to the end. And that hypocrites can as well counterfeit this as any of the reſt: that you likewiſe doe now ſhew ſome prognant and cleere differences, whereby the repentance of a true beleeuer, whoſe faith is vnfained, may be found to differ from the repentance of an hypocrite, that is alwaies hollow at the heart and vnſound in his faith.
A. Repentance among other the graces of Gods ſpiritRepentance. giuen to ſuch as ſhall be ſaued (being one of the vitall parts of the body, among other the members which cannot be wanting) if wee would hauehave life well to remaine, (repentance being called repentance vntounto life) and being in ſome ſort as neceſſarie to be had as is true faith it ſelfe, which cannot be true, except this be accompanying of it: and therefore they are many times ioyned together in the Scripture, and both by Iohn the forerunner, and by Chriſt himſelfe that followed after, the one of them is as well commended vntounto vsus, as is the other: Repent (ſay they) and beleeue the Goſpell. This therefore being a grace abſolutely needfull for all, and which all ſeeme to be deſirous greatly to obtaine, there are none that will beare themſelues more bold vponupon it, and that will preſume further vponupon their vndoubted hauing of it, then thoſe that are moſt without it, and are furtheſt from all likelihood or poſſibilitie of euer obtaining it: thoſe are hypocrites and counterfeit beleeuers, of whom our Sauiour Chriſt ſaith, their portion aſſigned to them is to be with the diuell and his angels: ſhewing that of all others there is leaſt hope of their being euer brought to ſound repentance, that ſo finally they may be ſaued; for he ſaith, that harlots and publicanes are neerer vntounto it, then are they, and therefore ſooner ſhall be ſaued, as who ſhall before them enter into the kingdome of heauen. And yet none will make a more fairer ſhew of being indeed humbled, and of earneſtly repenting, then will ſuch. There is no externall action requiſite to be done by him that is truly penitentHow farre hypocrites goe. indeed, which they will not performe, and that in outward appearance to the full, they will faile in none of the parts that doe belong to the humbling of the outward man, and bringing downe of the body, though it it were to lye vnderunder aſhes, and to rake themſelues in the duſt, but in all the bodily worſhip of ſound and true repentance indeed, ſo farre as euer that doth extend, there ſhall be nothing found wanting in them, but as if their worke were abſolute herein, they will appeare to be very complementall in all. There are none that will bid fairer, nor goe further for giuing God contentment in all outward respects, then they will do, if they might but know wherwithal they might come before the Lord, and bow themſelues before the high God, and what would be pleaſing vntounto him, in ſuch reſpect hee could not aske the thing at their hands, but he might be ſure to hauehave it: If their comming before him with burnt offerings, and with calues of a yeere old might be accepted if he would be pleaſed with thouſands of Rammes, or with teme thouſand riuers of oyle: if the giuing of their firſt borne for their tranſgreſſion, the fruit of their bodies for the ſinne of their ſoules, they would ſtick at none of this: as may be ſeene in thoſe hypocrites ofMich. 6. old. Nay they will pinch themſelues neerer, and come to be no ſparers of their owne fleſh. If puniſhing of their bodies, and whipping of their fleſh will help any thing to better this matter, they will be whipped, and whip themſelues in vie who ſhall whip themſelues ſoreſt, and till the bloud ſhall be ſeene to follow after: all which things (as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh) hauehave indeed a ſhew of good wiſedome Coloſſ. 2. 23.and great humilitie, while thus they are found neglecting of their owne bodies, not hauing them in any honour to the ſatisfying of the fleſh. Which courſes of theirs making ſuch afaire ſhew in the fleſh, cauſeth their repentance in outward ſhew to ſeeme, as great and as good as doth the beſt, and ſetteth ſuch a gloſſe and luſtre vponupon it, as maketh it not only ſeeme to be very conspicuous and notable in the eyes of all men that doe ſee it and looke vponupon it, but ſo obſeruable, as the Lord himſelfe from heauen ſeemeth to take knowledge of the ſame, and in ſome ſort not to neglect: as in the example of Ahab is plaine and manifeſt. Yea not1. King▪ 21. 29. to reſtraine their repentance to ſo narrow a compaſſe, nor to keepe it ſhut in within the liſts and bounds of an outward caſting downe and bodily humiliation alone, let vsus grant it a larger ſcope, and giuegive way vntounto it, that it may hauehave entrance and paſſage into the very heart, and ſee what worke it will make there. Now thither will it alſo bring in al manner of diſquiet, the ſea doth not rage more, then that will turmoile the heart: great ſtirres are made there, and ſore broyles are bred therein. There doth it worke vponupon all the powers and faculties of the ſoule, the iudgement, will and affections, are all ſet vponupon ſtrongly, and ſeene much to be altered and changed. By it the iudgement is brought to vnderſtand better, and ſee that they were much deceiued, and that they hauehave groſſely ſinned: the will begins to will, and to vnwill againe that which before it did ſo eagerly couet: their affections are pierced through with helliſh ſorrowes, horrors and feares, and ſtrucken after a ſort dead with penſiue heauineſſe, which will bring to death. Who euer felt his ſinne heauier vponupon him, loading his conſcience, then did Caine, who complainedGen. 4. 13. that his ſinne was greater then could bo forgiuen, or his puniſhment for it, greater then could be borne? Who hath cried out more lamentably, or ſhed teares in greater abundance for his ouerſight, then did Eſau for the loſſe of his Gen. 27. 34.birthright? Whoſe conſcience was euer more ſtung with the guilt of ſinne, or felt the burning therof more fretting, like fire in his boſome that was not to be endured, then Iudas did, who crying out of his ſinne, could no better hold Mat. 27. 3. 4. 5.the money in his hand, which he had gotten as a purchaſe of iniquitie, then if hot lead had been poured into them, and therefore threw it away, though that could not quiet his conſcience, nor purchaſe him at all any more eaſe then hee had before? But yet to goe further, what glorious workes and goodly fruites of their faire ſeeming repentance, will many cunning hypocrites be ſeene to bring foorth? How many good things did Herod after he heard Iohns preaching? Who faſted oftner then did the Phariſies, prayed more, gaue more almes, paied their tithes better then did they? Who could goe further in the ſhew of doing good workes for outward appearance, then did that rich ruler that came to Chriſt to know what he might doe Luke 18. 18. 21.to inherit eternall life, who being directed vntounto the Commandements, anſwered, he had kept them all euen from his youth vp, and yet he ſeemed to be but an hypocrite? What ſeeking of God was there daily by the hypocrites in the time of the Prophet Iſaiah, how did they delight to know Iſai. 58. 2.the waies of the Lord, to aske of him the ordinances of iuſtice, taking delight in their approching vntounto God, faſting often, and afflicting their ſoules much, and bowing downe their heads like bulruſhes, with ſpreading ſackcloth and aſhes vnderunder them? and yet all to no purpoſe, becauſe they doing all this, did yet hold faſt their ſinnes, without looſing the bands of wickedneſſe. Such their repenting was no whit more acceptable vntounto God, then if they had not repented at all, they with the Phariſees, making cleane but the outſide of the plattar, when all within was full of briberie and exceſſe: neither could that kind of their faſting cauſe their voyce to bee heard on high, as the Prophet there telleth them. All ſuch kind of repentances, they were and will be found to be but counterfeit, and very fruitles, repentances euer to be repented of, becauſe they that hauehave reſted moſt on thē, and truſted moſt vntounto them, ſhal ſtill find cauſe to repent, becauſe they hauehave repented no better. Thus is there no grace or gift of Gods ſpirit how excellent ſo euer, which the diuell (who is ſaid to be Gods ape) wil not hauehave a counterfeit of. As he hath gottē a counterfeit of true faith, ſo he hath gotten a counterfeit of true repentance, which ſhall ſeeme as like it, as if it were the very ſame, when there ſhal be as great difference as between ſiluer and leade, and betweene gold and copper. He is like thoſe couſoning coiners, who hauing gotten the ſtamp of the mony that is currant among merchants, carrying the Princes armes & picture vponupon it, doth after the forme thereof coyne that that is counterfait, and pay it ouer for currant: they that hauehave good skill can perceiue which is gold, and which is but copper; but they that are vnskilfull take one for another. Of theſe falſe and counterfait, vnſauourie and vnſound repentances of falſe hearted hypocrites, with which they are knowne to hauehave periſhed, and by which they could neuer be ſaued, the Lord would hauehave ſundry patternes and examples to be ſet downe in the Scriptures, to teach and admoniſh all the world to take heed how any doe truſt vntounto the like, but to ſeeke to hauehave better, and ſuch as is true indeed, eueryevery way ſound and vnfained.