Mans Active Obedience, Chapter 30
CHAP. XXX.
How they diff…r alſo in the effects which either doe bring forth, and in the cauſes of either.
THe one, namely godly ſorrow of a true conuert,Effects of godly ſorrow. draweth a man to God, and cauſeth him to ſeeke comfort from him alone, euen then when he ſeemeth moſt of all to bee enemie vntounto him: ſaying with Iob, Iob 13. 15.Though thou ſhouldeſt kill me, yet will I truſt in thee.
The other, which is the worldly ſorrow of an hypocrite, driueth a man away from God, after hee hath ſinned, and cauſeth him to flie, what he can, the preſence of God, in whoſe ſight he dares not be ſeene; but ſhunning his preſence, hee thinketh himſelfe neuer more ſafe then when he is furtheſt from him. The one therefore findeth comfort, and the other hath none.
They differ alſo in that which cauſeth the ſorrow of the one, and of the other; and in that which is cauſed by either.
That which cauſeth the ſorrow and repentance of hypocrites, is more vſually plagues and puniſhments, either inflicted and felt, or threatned and feared when they are imminent, and hang ouer their heads: their hearts reſemble flint ſtones, which will caſt no ſparkles vnleſſe they be ſtrooke. Rarely will it be found that any of them are brought to bee humbled by the ſole miniſtery of the Word; or if by that, rather by the denouncing of iudgements, and by the threatnings and thundrings of the Law, then by the ſweet and amiable voice and ſound of the Goſpell, whereout the promiſes of life, and offers of grace are made vntounto vsus. Foelix trembled when Paul preached of temperance, and righteouſneſſe, and iudgement to come, but Feſtus mocked when hee heard him preach Chriſt, and begin to open the ſecrets and myſteries of the Goſpell in his hearing; then hee cried out againſt him, that he was beſide himſelfe, and that too much learning had made him mad. They be not (for the moſt part) words, but blowes and ſtroakes, and thoſe well laid on too by the powerfull hand of a reuenging and irefull Iudge, that will ſerue to maule and breake downe the ſtoutneſſe and ſtubborneſſe of the hearts of proud hypocrites, though ſo well able is the Lord to ſmite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and to ſlay the wicked with the breath of his lippes, as hee can make his word quicke and powerfull, and forcible enough to pierce deepe, and cut ſharper then a two edged ſword, and out of that quiuer can draw out ſuch arrowes to ſhoot into the ſides of all hypocrites, as ſhall be ſharpe enough to pierce and to ſplit the hearts of all the Kings enemies, and be able to draw blood out of their ſides, and to fetch ſighes out of their hearts; yea to make them for the time to roare out of their throats for horrour and feare, bee they neuer ſo ſecure, though in the end they become little the better for it. The Lord can make the threatnings of his iudgements out of his word denounced, come bleake to the hearts of offenders, which ſhall ſend a terrible ſhaking through all their bones, and become as thunder ſtrokes doubled, that are able to daunt the ſtouteſt ſtomack that is: the Lord can make the terrour of the Law, and the thundring out of the threatnings thereof to flaſh as the lightening in eueryevery conſcience that hath guiltineſſe in it, and to be as fier to make their hearts to melt, though otherwiſe as hard as braſſe. Thus either by the mighty ſtrokes of Gods reuenging hand; inflicting iudgements, plagues, and puniſhments, or by the terrour of the Law, that doth nothing but thunder out threatnings of vengeance, doe the hearts of moſt ſecure hypocrites many times come to bee daunted; yea in a manner ſtrucken dead with horrour and feare, and trembling for the time. And theſe are the things that breed and bring out the repentance that they hauehave, and cauſeth all their ſorrow to be ſuch as it is.
On the other ſide, the true and godly ſorrow, the ſound and vnfained repentance, the beſt conuerſion of true beleeuers, that is freeſt from ſuſpition of being counterfeit, is that which is cauſed by the miniſtery of the Word, and by the powerfull working thereof vponupon the conſcience: which is as a hammer to breake the ſtonie hardneſſe of the heart, that it may goe all to duſt and powder, and is as fier with the heate thereof to melt the heart, though it were neuer ſo hard frozen in the dregges of ſinne before, as ſhall cauſe ſuch a thaw to bee in that heart, and to abound of weeping, mourning, and ſhedding teares for ſinnes committed, as if the very ſprings of ſorrow were all opened and looſened, that might cauſe whole ſtreamesThe teares and waters of repentance are as that red ſea, wherein the whole armie of our ſins, which are our moſt dangerous enemies that do purſue vsus, are deeply drowned. and brookes of teares to run downe, and flow from the eyes of him that is truly penitent, ſufficient to lay in ſoak the very heart it ſelfe in that abundance of teares; yea, to cleanſe both heart and life, and waſh away all filth of ſin that euer before hauehave been committed. When ſuch a worke is wrought vponupon a mans heart by the miniſterie of the word, and the conſcience feeling it ſelfe wounded and ſtrucken at the hearing thereof, ſhall find no reſt till it hath eaſed it ſelfe by abundant weeping, ſorrowing and mourning that God ſhould euer be ſo offended by him; and vntill direction bee giuen him, what better courſe is now to bee taken, crying out with thoſe true conuerts, and penitent perſons in the Acts, Men and brethren, what ſhall we doe that we may be ſaued? When the word doth thus worke vponupon any, without any other inforcement of outward croſſe or affliction, that elſe doe happen, it is an excellent good ſigne, and one of the beſt euidences that can bee brought out, of the truth of that ſorrow that hath been bred thereby, and of the ſoundneſſe of that repentance that hath followed thereof. I denie not but that by croſſes and afflictions the Lord doth oftentimes recouer and fetch home his ſtray-ſeruants, and reclaime them out of their ſinnes. The Lord hath many meanes, and hee can make all, or any of them effectuall to doe good to thoſe that are his: he ſometimes awakeneth his ſeruants by the ſound of his word, knocking at the doore of their hearts: ſometimesAct. 2. 37. 2. Sam. 12. 1. 7. 13. Neh. 9. 30. Gen. 6. 3. by his Spirit, wherewith he ſtriueth within vsus: ſomtimes by ſtriking and whipping our naked conſciences, leauing them diſmayed with feare and dread, and hiding the light of his countenance from vsus, ſo as wee feele not the ioy we were wont to hauehave: ſometimes by corrections and puniſhments 2. Sam. 24. 10. Pſal. 38. 2. 3. 8. Iob 33. 16. 17. Ionah 1. 17. and 2. 1. 2.on our bodies for our ſinnes, opening our eares by them, and ſealing our inſtruction; that ſo he may keepe back our ſoules from the pit, and our liues from periſhing, the Lord making this the fruit of all the affliction he ſendeth to his children, euen the taking away of their ſinne. ForIſa. 27. 9. which cauſe it is that the heauenly iuſtice and fatherly care of God is often ſhewing vsus his rods; ſometimes ſhaking them at vsus, ſometimes ſtriking them vponupon vsus, to make vsus awake and leape out of this miſerable, filthy, and dirty puddle of our ſinfull life. If then the Lord bee faine to lay on bodily croſſes vponupon vsus, the better thereby to breake our hearts, they being bleſſed of God, may well be made auailable this way to doe vsus good. But it is not ſo free from ſuſpition; it is better to leaue one ſinne by the power of the miniſtery of the word, then twenty by being beaten from them by conſtraint of outward trouble and affliction, eſpecially when the knowledge of Gods inexpreſſable louelove vntounto vsus in Ieſus Chriſt, is manifeſted and brought to light by the Goſpell preached, ſo as thereout we are made to know how God hath ſo loued vsus, as he hath giuen his Sonne Chriſt Ieſus vntounto vsus to be our Redeemer, and ſo hath giuen vsus to him to bee his redeemed; yea, that he hath giuen his owne ſelfe vntounto vsus to be our moſt louing Father, reconciled vntounto vsus in Chriſt Ieſus, and giuen vsus againe power by him, to become his children, with boldneſſe to cry, Abba father to him, by the ſpirit of adoption which we hauehave receiued from him; when the knowledge, eſpecially the ſenſe and feeling of th…ſe thing… … hearts with ſorrow and griefe for … committed, that euer we ſhould hauehave … gracious, and a Father moſt kind … ſpoken: when of a childlike affection … towards him, with ſorrowing deeply for hauing off…nded him, and are found asThe ſoule that is drenched with teares of true repentance, receiueth ſuch a tincture and die of grace, that will neuer after out. good natured children, that hauehave ſoft and tender hearts, to bee grieuing, ſobbing and ſighing in eueryevery corner for angering our Father; ſo as our teares may bee perceiued not to be teares of fullenneſſe or ſtubbornneſſe, but of kindneſſe and dutifulneſſe towards him: when looking vponupon him whom we hauehave pierced with our ſinne, wee ſhall be found to mourne before him, as one that mourneth for his onelyonly ſome; and ſhall be in bitterneſſe for him, as one thatZach. 12. 10. is in bitterneſſe for his firſt borne. And when on the otherſide, the Lord looking graciouſly backe vponupon vsus, as he did vponupon Peter; that looke of his ſhall pierce ourLuk. 22. 61. hearts in remembring all his kindneſſes, cauſing vsus then with Peter, to goe out and weepe bitterly. When our ſorrow groweth thus, and is cauſed after this manner to ariſe; and when the change of life following hereupon, taketh alſo his beginning from the like ground, which is, that the appearing of the grace of God, which bringeth ſaluation vntounto all men, is that, that teacheth and moueth, Tit. 2. 10. 11.yea after a ſort compelleth vsus to denie vngodlineſſe and worldly luſts, and to liue godly, righteouſly, and ſoberly in our whole life time following: then is ſuch a ſorrow a true godly ſorrow indeed, and ſuch a conuerſion and repentance following thereof, vndoubtedly ſound and vnfained; which ſafely may be reſted on, and truſted vntounto indeed. I denie not but that Gods ſeruants both may, and ought to hauehave ſorrow and griefe of heart when Gods chaſtiſements are vponupon them, and when they are wounded and ſmitten by his hand; but that muſt not bee the principall cauſe of their ſorrowing, nor that which ſhould cauſe their ſorrow moſt to abound: not the puniſhment, but the fault is moſt to be reſpected of ſuch, and ought principally to be lamented and bewailed by them: I doe alſo acknowledge that the terrour of Gods Law denouncing plagues and puniſhments, and threatnings of vengeance to all that are tranſgreſſors thereof, may ſo ſtrike and aſtoniſh for a time the hearts of Gods humbled and deiected ſeruants, as there can bee felt of them no other then a ſeruile and ſlauiſh feare of death and condemnation, trembling before the fierceneſſe of Gods wrath, whoſe angry countenance they behold frowning vponupon them, and his hand lifted vp, bending the blow at them, which they feare will ſtrike them dead at his feet. Then is their ſorrowing little differing from that worldly ſorrow that cauſeth death: they ſorrowing, becauſe they can ſee no way of eſcaping; but of neceſſity (as they thinke) they muſt hauehave their portion with the diuell and the damned, in eternall hell fier. But this kind of ſorrowing and fearing, is not that which they doe euer abide in, nor no longer then the Lord ſeeth it moſt expedien for them, for their better humbling, and then it is taken away againe with that ſpirit of bondage that made them ſo to feare, and their worldly ſorrow becommeth changed into godly ſorrow, that cauſeth in them repentance vntounto life; and their ſlauiſh and ſeruile feare, into a ſonne-like and a child-like feare, cauſing them to feare the Lord; not ſo much becauſe of his wrath, as for that there is mercy with him: with which fearing there is ioyned boldneſſe, and the ſpirit of adoption giuen them, which cauſeth them to feare after that painfull manner no more. Legall contrition then is not any part or cauſe of repentance in Gods children, but onelyonly an occaſion thereof; and that by the meere mercy of God; for it ſelfe is the ſting of the Law, and the very entrance into the pit of hell. The Law and the Goſpell, although in ſome ſort they teach one thing, yet they perſwade not by the ſame arguments. The Goſpell perſwadeth by the death of Chriſt, who hath loued vsus, and giuen himſelfe for vsus, that we might be ſaued by him: this the Law neuer knew, nor yet taketh knowledge of, but it perſwadeth with terrour and feare of iudgement: but the Goſpell hath a more ſweeter voice, and in a more amiable manner calleth vsus to repentance and amendment of life, and our Sauiour Chriſt commeth with bleſſing vsus, to turne vsus from our iniquities. Our godly ſorrowing then for ſinne, which cauſeth repentance in vsus, and a turning from our ſinnes, itIer. 32. 39. 40. 2. Cor. 7. 1. is a gracious effect of the Goſpell, and a part of the new Couenant which the Lord promiſed to make with vsus in the latter dayes.
Thus the ſorrow of true conuerts differeth cleerly from the ſorrow of hypocrites, in that which cauſeth either.