The Practice of Repentance, Chapter 1
CAP. 1. The ground of the Treatise.
FIrst, the occasion of chusing this Text and argument.
VponUpon occasion of Peters repentance, which I hauehave opened vntounto you, I entred into a more serious consideration of the duty, and conceiued,
1 That Precepts and Examples must goe together, & therfore I would giuegive directions, as well as incitations, how to imitate so worthy a patterne.
2 As at all times, so at this time especially, the vrging of the doctrine of repentance, is not onelyonly not vnseasonable, but very necessary: For,
1 A great Iudgement, neuer to be forgotten, was lately vponupon vsus; we then promised, and vowed repentance and amendment, if God would bee pleased to remember his own name of Grace and Mercy, and our prayers. But we hauehave forgotten all, and dealt▪ vnfaithfully with the Lord: for where is the reformation of any one thing in publike or priuate; in Court or City; in Churches, in Houses, in persons or behauiours? Are not former sinnes as rife, as vnrepented, vnreformed, as euer before? pride, prophanenesse, drunkennesse, swearing, ryot, excesse, vnmercifulnesse, while your bils bring you in some starued in your streetes? Nay, are not things growne farre worse than before, since we dissembled with our tongues? Had it not beene a lesser plague for numbers to hauehave beene buried of the Plague, than to suruiue, to heape vp so many sinnes against God, against their owne vowes, and promises?
2 As it is a fearefull present Iudgement to forget that Iudgment so lately past; so, many are the signes, as the iust causes are many of Iudgements to come, which lye in ambush against vsus, and not farre remote from vsus. We had need generally to be called to repent, if we will not all perish: As Pharaohs counsellors, so may we say; What, wilt thou see all Egypt destroyed, before thou obey Gods commandement in letting them goe? shall wee still stand it out, till ineuitable destruction ouertake vsus?
3 The true desire of eueryevery godly Minister, and man of God, must be to preuent Iudgements from a people: for which purpose wee must lead them in the exercise of Repentance, which our Text will teach vsus to be the onelyonly meanes to auoid perdition. And wee want not examples of the best Euangelicall Preachers that euer were, to presse hard this point; especially in a secure age, as ours is. Iohn Baptist here began, Mark. 6.12. Repent, for the Kingdome of God is at hand. Peter to them that were pricked in their hearts, here began, Acts 2. Be Baptised & repent▪ Nay, Christ himself did it, Repent, for the kingdome of God, &c. Many condemne pressing of Repentance, as too Legall, who seeme ignorant, that the Law knoweth no repentance.
Now the occasion of the words, and scope of our Sauiour in them: Some come vntounto Christ, and tell him of heauy newes, that Herod had taken the Galileans▪ and slaine them, mingling their bloud with their sacrifices. Like enough they came to intangle him; for if Christ shall patronage the persons, they hauehave an accusation, that hee were a friend of Rebels and seditious persons: If he shall speake against Pilates cruelty, they will accuse him to Pilate as an enemy of authority: If he shall approue of Pilats fact, and tyranny, then will they accuse him to the people as one that abetteth the cruelty of the Roman President, against the liberty of the Iewes. Thus can wicked men, and doe, lay snares and traynes eueryevery where against the members of Christ; euen from Gods iudgements, wherof they should make better vse, they can feed and excite their owne malice against the Saints: As the Heathens against Christians, as the causes of all plagues, famine, drought, &c.
But our Lord, being the wisedome of his father, bewraieth,
1 his diuine wisedome, who seeing that hee cannot answer without danger, either to the persons or the fact, either to approue, or reproue it; he passeth that, & bringeth them to a iudgment at home in Ierusalem, by the fall of the Tower of Siloam; yea, and leadeth them into themselues, to consider not so much what sinners others be, as themselues, who if they repent not, shall perish as other sinners doe.
2 His louelove, and desire to doe them good, who intend euill against him. For, perceiuing they make a wrong vse of this iudgement, supposing, and concluding the Galilaeans were greater sinners than others or our selues: he laboureth to reforme the Iudgement, & earnestly inuiteth them to repent, repeating the same words, both in the third and fift verses. Thus must his ministers and seruants doe, meekly instruct the contrary minded, vrging, and waiting when God will giuegive Repentance.
In the words are three parts.
1 An implication of his Authority: I tell you.
2 A correction of their wrong censure, Nay.
3 A direction to preuent iudgements from themselues, Vnlesse ye Repent.
1 Gods owne Authority: I tell you.
I, who am truth it selfe, and cannot misleade you.
I, who am the doctor of the Church, and speake by my own Authority, as neuer did Prophet, Apostle, nor any Angell of heauen.
I, who being true God, & omniscient, know and search all hearts, and see and discerne all sinnes, neuer so secret, in all the degrees and circumstances of them.
I, who am the Iudge of the world, and cannot passe a wrong sentence, I tell you: Vae qui non audit.
All this must quicken our attention, and settle our faith in the truth of things here vttered, and to be opened in this Text. If the greatnesse of the person moue, here is the mighty God speaketh: If the wisedome of the speaker, a greater than Salomon is here: If an Angell from heauen spake, we would beleeue; but here is the Lord of the holy Angels: Will wee heare and beleeue a seruant, and not the master, not the Lord himselfe? But saith Diues in hell, If one were sent from the dead, they would beleeue: here is one sent from the dead, raised by his owne power.
2 The correction of their wrong censure vponupon this iudgement of others, Nay: You aske if they were greater sinners, because of the iudgement which befell them, I tell you nay; as if he had said: I say not that they were not sinners, nor not great sinners, nor doe I deny but they might be greatest sinners, but not therfore greater sinners, because they were thus smitten by Pilate.
Where our Sauiour teacheth vsus:
1 Not to iudge of mens persons by their outward condition; for, first, all things fall alike vntounto all of outward things: as the one dyeth, so dyeth the other, in outward appearance, by sword, plague, casualty: and no man knoweth louelove or hatred, by any thing that is afore him, Eccles. 9.1. and 1. Pet. 4.17. Iudgement must begin at Gods house.
2 This is an vncertaine rule to iudge by; Moses and Aaron, both were shut out of Canaan, as well as the searchers: Ahab destroyeth religion, Iosiah restoreth it, both shot with an arrow: Zedekiah a wicked man, had his eyes put out, so had Sampson the valiant Iudge of Israel, a type of Christ; If wee should iudge of their persons by their condition, wee must needs erre.
3 We must frame our iudgements of mens persons, as God doth, who iudgeth not of men by any outward & perishing thing, but by lasting & spiritual things: he looketh not on Diues as rich, nor on Lazarus as poore, but according to the presence, or absence of grace and spirituall riches: He iudgeth not by accidents, but substances.
Vse. Mis-iudge not thy selfe or others, as loued of GOD, because rich, and outwardly prosperous: commonly the lighter scale is higher; and a rich man, if wicked, an enemy to goodnes, ought to hauehave no more fauour and respect among men, than hee hath with GOD, and that is little enough: though as high as Nero, Pharaoh, alwaies holding offices of relation in diuine and ciuill societies: but else greatnes, seuered from goodnesse, is in great detestation with God, as his sinne is greater.
2 Nor iudge thy selfe hated, for pouerty, sicknesse, temptations: GOD neither chuseth nor refuseth for this.
3 Nor hauehave the faith of God in respect of persons, to embrace rich Professours, and despise the poore; God doth not so: Grace in the poorest man is as acceptable to him, as in the richest.
3 The direction to preuent iudgement from themselues: Except yee repent, ye shall likewise perish: that is, as miserably and cruelly. The word [Perhaps] pointeth not out the same kinde of death, but a destruction not lesse seuere, and a perdition as miserable of body and soule. And some there be who conceit the very manner of perdition to bee not much vnlike, and that the Lord had respect vntounto the generall perdition of the Iewes, by the Romans, forty yeares after. For as Pilat mingled the bloud of the Galilaeans with their sacrifices, so did the Romans mingle the bloud of the Iewes with their sacrifices, at the feast of the Passeouer; for then they destroyed them: & as the eighteen men were slaine with the fall of the tower of Siloah, when they were building it, as was likely; so the Iewes, if they repented not, were to bee oppressed, and suddenly slaine in the ruines of the City and Temple, as after it came to passe.
Note 1.Note 1. In all our conferences, and telling newes and relations one to another, let vsus learne to take occasion to edifie one another, and excite to faith and repentance, after the example of Christ, who on this occasion exhorteth them to repent. So the Apostle would hauehave all our speech sauorie, and tend to edification: especially, seeing the iudgements of God breaking out in the Church, and in the World, let vsus not speak of them as Newes, to fill vp discourse, but to help forward our Repentance and Amendment.
Note 2.Note 2. EueryEvery man must make vse to himselfe of Gods iudgements on others. These men began to condemne them on whom the iudgement fell: and our Lord leadeth them home, to iudge, and condemne themselues.
Reason.1. Gods end of his iudgement on others, is not their condemnation by vsus, but our emendation by them.
2. Why else doth the Lord strike others, and spare vsus, but that we might be wiser by other mens harmest? hat whilst he expecteth our amendment, his bountifulnesse and patience should lead vsus to repentance.
3. It is iust with God, that those that will not take example, should make examples: that if they will not bee bettered by other mens harmes, others may be bettered by theirs.
Vse. 1.Vse. In all spectacles of Gods iustice, eueryevery man enter into himselfe, and search his owne heart, and he shall find that euill of sin, which might iustly bring that, or a greater euill of punishment vponupon himselfe, as our Sauiour here implieth. Thus for a man to begin with his own sins, and lay them in the right scale, will keepe him from insulting ouer them, who hauehave perished, and cause him to deiect himselfe in true repentance, lest hee likewise perish. We can see the originall of affliction in others, and exaggerate the sin, but in our owne we doe not.
Note 3.Note 3. The only way to preuent deserued perdition, is Repentance; sinne bringeth iudgement, and only Repentance preuenteth it. Ier. 3.12. Returne O thou disobedient Israel, and I will not let my wrath fall, for I am mercifull. Nineueh was threatned, the time of destruction set, yet Repentance preuented it.
Vse.Vse. To prouoke vsus to repent, that we may partake of the riches of Gods mercy in the Gospell, to quit vsus from the condemnation of the Law. Heare the sweete voice, and warning of the Lord to his people: Turne ye, turne ye, Oh why will you dye? Except ye turne, ye must dye.
2. Perswade thy heart of the necessity of repentance; thy sin hath kindled the fire of Gods wrath: he must be iust, and only repentance is as water to quench this fire.
3. Take timely pitie on thy selfe: why wilt thou treasure wrath still? Rom. 2. If thou carest little for thy selfe, pity the Church and Kingdome, Reuel. 2. the Church is threatned, Repent, or I will come against thee. Beware it be neuer said of thee as of Thiatyra; I gaue her space to repent, and shee repented not: lest it follow, And I cast her into a bed of sorrow.