Mans Active Obedience, Chapter 29
CHAP. XXIX.
The diuers ſorts of ſorrow, with the obiects about which they are conuerſant.
NOw of griefe and ſorrow thus neceſſary to bee found in eueryevery kind of repentance, there are two ſorts; the one is a godly ſorrow, or ſorrow after God; the other is a worldly ſorrow, conceiued for worldly reſpects and fleſhly ends. Godly ſorrow is that ſorrow which God himſelfe is the authour of, andGodly ſorrow. which is wrought by Gods owne Spirit in the hearts of his elect; and therefore cannot but alwaies be pleaſing vntounto God. It is called godly ſorrow, becauſe it is more for Gods cauſe, then for our owne, cauſed more with diſqueitPſal. 51. 3. and griefe for the ſinne that hath been committed, then with the ſmart of the puniſhment for ſinne either feared or felt. It is a griefe for ſinne, becauſe it diſpleaſeth God, whichZach. 12. 10. is made ſo much more to abound, by how much more we apprehend and hauehave feeling of his fauor, and his louelove vntounto vsus in Chriſt Ieſus. This godly ſorrow may be occaſioned not onelyonly by our owne matters, but others matters may in like manner iuſtly cauſe this godly ſorrowing, when men can be grieued to ſee God to be diſhonoured by others,Deut▪ 9. 28. Numb. 14. 6. Ioſhua 7. 8. 9. and crie out with Moſes and Ioſhua, when they ſaw Gods glorious name was in danger to be blaſphemed by the Heathē, after the people hauing ſinned, God was ſtirred in wrath to bee reuenged, and to execute heauy iudgements vponupon them. When Gods ſeruants with Dauid can put on ſackclothPſal. 35. 13. in others heauineſſe, and their ſoules with Iobs, can be in heauineſſe for the poore, weeping for ſuch as be in miſerie: Iob 30. 25. Pſal. 119. 136.when mens eyes can guſh out as did Dauids, with riuers of teares, becauſe men keepe not Gods Law; when they can mourne with thoſe mourners in the dayes of Ezekiel, for the abominations in the land. All ſuch kind of ſorrowing is to ſorrow godly, and teares ſo ſhed, are teares of louelove and pitty to men, and teares of zeale and pietie towards God. Now this godly ſorrow is the ſorrow that is only proper and peculiar to the elect of God to all true beleeuers, ſuch as are truly ſanctified indeed, which cauſeth and bringeth forth in them that repentance which is vntounto life, by which they ſhall vndoubtedly bee ſaued in the end. A worthy and excellent gift which God hath giuen to his elect (as one of the Fathers hath well obſerued) That (ſaith he) which God gaue firſt for a puniſhment, he hath Ambroſe. Peccatum peperit dolorem & dolor contririt peccatum.now turned into a bleſſing, ſinne hath cauſed ſorrow, and ſorrow hath conſumed ſin: like as the wood breedeth the worme, and the worme conſumeth the wood againe; that is a happie ſorrow that doth driue ſinne away; one teare of true repentance cauſed by this godly ſorrow, is worth a thouſand ſack-clothes of all hypocrites beſide.
There is alſo another ſorrow, which the Apoſtle callethWorldly ſorrow. a worldly ſorrow, when hee that ſorroweth, ſorroweth as men of the world vſe to doc that are wholly addicted and giuen to the world, and not as men that are renued by the Spirit of God. This ſorrow is like to that ſpoken of by the Prophet Hoſeah, which makes men whine becauſe Hoſea 7. 14.the world is hard. And this ſorrow is common to all worldlings, and indeed is but the ſorrow of all hypocrites, for they hauehave no better, though they can better colour the matter then others, and caſt a fairer cloake of a pretence of holineſſe, to doe ſanctifiedly all that they doe, when yet their moſt ſpirituall actions are but carnall deeds and workes of the fleſh. Worldly ſorrow may be occaſioned as well by others matters ſometimes, as by mens owne: when any mourne, ſorrow and lament, for the troubles, loſſes, and croſſes of other men, their kindred, friends, and acquaintance: but yet in a worldly reſpect. There is aVix que tenet lachrimas, quia nil lachrimabile cernit. kinde of ſorrow that is conceiued about others matters, which is the ſorrow of enuie, conceiued for others welfare, which is diuelliſh and deſtroying ſorrow.
But to leaue others matters, and to conſider of the ſorrow of a worldling in his owne particular caſe. This worldly ſorrow is ſuch a ſorrow, as is conceiued by him for worldly reſpects, for fleſhly and carnall ends; when one is made ſorrowfull, not ſo much in reſpect of God, or any reuerence hee beareth to his glorious Maieſtie, whom he hath ſo much offended, as for the preſent paine that is vponupon his carkaſe, the anxietie vponupon his conſcience, and the grieuouſ…es of ſome iudgements and plagues, either feared or felt: this is but a blind terror, vexation and anguiſh of conſcience, which being brought vponupon them, they many times neither know from whom that commeth that doth ſo trouble them, nor for what it is that they are ſo ſmitten. Stricken they are, and they know not by whom; they finde not out the cauſe that procures their griefes, which are their ſinnes and wickedneſſe, to get them remoued; and therefore the cauſe not being remoued, the effect muſt ſtill remaine. They lie ſnared and held faſt by the cordes of their owne iniquities, to thoſe heauie miſeries, plagues and calamities, which God by his righteous and iuſt iudgement doth bring vponupon them. And as blinde men in the dark, they ſee no way to eſcape, or how poſſibly to get out, and therefore they muſt needs miſcarrie in it, their ſorrow being but ſorrow vntounto death. This kinde of ſorrow is either intended in a high degree, or it is in ſuch a meaſure as may be ſuffered: when it is in an high degree, deſperation is the end of it, making them to lay violent hands vponupon themſelues, to become their owne hangmen and executioners to deuoure themſelues. When it is but in a ſmall meaſure, then by little and little it vaniſheth away as it began, and ſoone commeth to nothing againe; no ſooner the paine ouer, and the affliction gone that did trouble them, but their teares and their ſorrowes are at an end, and no more to be heard on, they becomming as bad as euer before, without any amendment to be ſeene, but with the ſwine they turne againe to their filthie puddle and wallowing in the mire, and with the vncleane dogge they fall to the eating vp againe the vomite which they ſpued out before. Such ſorrow bettereth not the heart by changing and turning a man ſo as he become ſoundly conuerted by meanes thereof, but only moueth the heart for the preſent with the diuquiet of paine, which onelyonly was the cauſe why it hath been ſo vexed.
By all this it may appeare how the ſorrow that is in the repentance of a true conuert, is found to be differing from the ſorrow that is in the repentance of an hypocrite; and that is in the obiect that either of them doe reſpect and is occupied about. The ſorrow of him that is truly penitent, is moſt conuerſant and occupied about malum peccati, The euill of his ſinne, whereby God hath been offended, to be moſt grieued for that.
The ſorrow of him whoſe repentance is vnſound, is moſt of all occupied about malum poenae, The euill of puniſhment, and this (by the marueilous ſlie and ſubtill working of Satan, and the vnknowne deceitfulnes of his owne heart) is alwaies and euen then done; when it may be a falſe hearted hypocrite doth both thinke with himſelfe, and boldly profeſſe to others, that it is his ſinne that he mournes for, and is moſt troubled about: when indeed if the truth were knowne, and could bee ſounded and ſeene into, which lieth ſo deeply buried vnderunder a maſſe, and (as I may ſay) a mountaine of hollow hypocriſie of ſuch a mans heart, it would be found that it were either feare of ſome further puniſhment, then yet he hath endured; or ſhame for his ſinne alreadie committed, which hath thus broken out; or loſſe of his credit, or ſome profit and benefit that is like to follow thereof; or elſe the ſenſe of ſome ſtinging iudgement and plague that hee now goeth vnderunder, and things of the like nature (all which are yet but puniſhments for his ſin) to be the things that he is moſt chiefly moued for. About theſe things he principally is grieued, and that in the firſt place, and for their owne ſakes, as which he is moſt afraid of, and which hee doth moſt abhorre. He may alſo be grieued for his ſinne,Falſe ſorrow for ſinne. and wiſh it had neuer been done: but this hee doth in a ſecondary place and in a by reſpect, not ſimply grieuing for the ſinne, and abhorring it therfore becauſe it is ſinne, but becauſe it is like to bring all this woe vponupon him, and is the cauſe of the puniſhment that he preſently doth goe vnderunder. For who knoweth the depths of Satan how cunning a deceiuer hee is, that can deceiue the falſe-hearted hypocrite himſelfe, that is ſo ordinary a deceiuer of others, and cauſe that in a moſt materiall point neceſſary to ſaluation, he ſhall be ouerſeene moſt and ſooneſt deceiue himſelfe? And who knoweth beſides Satans cunning working, how many nookes and crookes, windings and turnings againe is in that labyrinth of an hypocrites hollow heart, wherein deceit may cloſely be hid and neuer found out, no not the wrong and wrie reſpects that are in his owne heart, and priuily doe leade and guide him in the actions that himſelfe doe commit; they are not eaſily diſcernable to his owne ſelfe, much leſſe can they be ſhewed by others, which they are, and where they lie, that ſo they may be the better taken heed of. But indeed the maine obiect of the ſorrow of an hypocrite is malum poenae, the euill of the puniſhment, with which hee is ſmitten and made ſo to ſmart, that hee cannot reſt in quiet, and that maketh him ſo much to ſorrow and be grieued, which elſe he would not. He may be humbled, but it is rather before his ſickneſſe, with which he is afflicted, then before the Lord, whom he hath offended.