The Practice of Repentance, Chapter 10
CAP. 10. Concerning the time of Repentance, both of 1. Possibilitie, 2. Necessitie.
THe fourth rule of direction concerning the time of repentance, for the time, is either of
1. Possibilitie,
2. Necessitie.
The time of Possibilitie is, the whole time of this life, and onelyonly the time of this life. Except ye repent, while ye liue here, ye shall perish eternally.
God giueth eueryevery man a spaceReas. …. to repent in, as …zabel, Reu. 2.21. that is, the space of this life; and any time of this life the Lord may giuegive repentance. 2. Tim. 2.25. waiting at any time. Mat. 5.25. Agree in the way.
2. After this life can bee no Repentance, for these reasons.
1. Because there is no faith that ceaseth. The tree cut down, no fruit can grow any more: Repentance is a fruit of Faith.
2 Because the acts & parts of repentance are only for this life. These are: 1. Mortification, godly sorrow, Christian combat…. 2. Renouation, growth in grace, strife to perfection.
All these are by death abolished: no more teares, fight, no more imperfection, no more molestation of sin; but victory and perfection attained.
3. After death is nothing but iudgement. Heb, 9.27. there is a resting from labour of repentance, no more working, no more washing, no Purgatory, no more oyle may be gotten after the doore is shut, no more place for Repentance is to be found being at the waies end; Repentance is the way of life.
This consideration calleth vsus to the speedy vndertaking of Repentance, euen while this fraile and vncertaine life lasteth; for who hath a lease of his life, but for so few yeares as Hezekiah? Thou mayest dream of many yeares, as the glutton did, when that night his soule was taken, and hee called a foole, and so prooued.
Nature teacheth to take the time allotted for all other things; the husbādmā to sow while seedtime lasteth, to make Hay while the sunne shineth; the Merchant to buy and trade, while the Faire lasteth; the Sea man to take time and wind, which stayeth for no man: the Smith to strike while the iron is hot; the Souldier to fight while the battell continueth: yea, the very Storke, and Crane, and Swallow, to know their appointed time, Ierem. 8.7. and should not grace teach men to repent while they liue?
Obiect. Yes, God forbid but we should; but when dying day commeth, &c.
Answ. Wouldest thou repent on thy dying day? why then not eueryevery day of thy life, seeing eueryevery day may be thy dying day? and why doth thy folly not esteeme it so? 1. Pet. 1.17.
2 The time of necessity is the whole time of our life; the whole life being but one day of Repentance, and ought to bee begun, continued, and concluded with Repentance. This Generall we will take asunder into these propositions.
1 The first thing a Christian must doe, is to Repent.
1 Looke at God; his commandement, is, First seeke the Kingdome of God; To day, heare his voyce, Psal. 95.7. Exhort one another while it is called to day, Heb. 3.13. Eccles. 12.1.
2 His spirit will bee more grieued to morrow, and stand further from our helpe and comfort, and the more he is grieued, the hardlier will he be intreated.
3 His patience is more abused by refusing the meanes of our Repentance this day: by slighting his voyce, calling vsus, his stretching out his hand this day offering grace, and by not listening to the knockes and raps at the doore of our hearts.
4 His wrath will be more increased by the increase of our sin this day before to morrow; and being prouoked, may iustly giuegive vp the sinner to a heart that cannot repent. Were it not iust, that seeing he calleth, and they will not heare, that either hee should be dumbe, and neuer call hereafter, or God deafe, neuer to heare thee call? If thou that wilt not repent at Gods call and command, should not finde Repentance to bee at thy call and command; liue forgetfull of God, and dye forgetfull of thy selfe.
2 Looke at our selues, and see if Repentance had not need bee thy first taske. For,
1 Before Repentance, a man is an euill tree, and an euill tree can bring no good fruit; thou canst not pray, nor be heard in prayer; thou canst not heare, nor receiue Sacraments, but to damnation, nor performe any duty of piety or charity acceptably, till thou hast repented: If thou hast any thing to doe with God, or any expectation from him, thou must first wash and cleanse thy selfe, and then come and reason with him, Isa. 1.
2 If thou beest not apt, or willing to repent to day, thou wilt be lesse apt to morrow: for the heart will be more hardened, the conscience more seared, the will more crooked, the conuersion more difficult, corruption more rooted by continuance, the nayle ha…der driuen in, the soule more deadly stung, thy selfe furre weaker, to get out of silme, in all which regards, thou canst not vndertake Repentance too soon.
3 Look vponupon sin, and whether we had not need deale with it at first: for sinne is like fire set into our house to burne vsus vp; who but a mad man would not bestir himself with all speed to quench it in the first sparke, or breaking out, before it be increased to a great slame? should we not be as carefull for our soules as for out houses?
It is morbus natura, wee are wise to take our bodily diseases in hand betime, because the medicine is prepared too late, when the disease hath preuailed by continuance. It is the plague of the soule, for which the Physitians prescribe.
2 Sin by continuance groweth more in number, and more in strength; it is still ingendring, and groweth more fruitfull: one sin is a linke to another, drawing that, and one sin must maintaine another. Ahab must maintaine his couetousnesse by murther, Gehesi… one by another; Dauid his adultery by murther: Solomon from carnall whoredome, to spirituall: Herod maintaining incest, must cut off Iohns head: Sinne groweth stronger after the birth, and as a plant of the diuels planting. Take it when it is new set, it may be plucked vp easily, but let it grow to a tree, no strugling can plucke it vp, nor many blowes strike it downe.
Sin is strong in the cogitation, stronger in affection, most in action and heart.
4 Looke vponupon Repentance, and there is a twofold Repentance, that is seldome true.
1 Late Repentance: for then commonly sin leaueth vsus, not we sin; and when Repentance liueth not with vsus, commonly it dyeth with vsus: and what thanke is it to leaue the world, when the world leaueth him, and casteth him off? When weakenesse hindereth him to sinne, wee must thanke his weakenesse, not him, saith Basil.
2 Forced Repentance, when men in distresse of body, or mind, or feare of death, pretend a Repentance; will promise, pray, vow, or doe any thing: but the feare is scarce ouer, but so is their Repentance▪ then returneth the vncleane spirits with seauen worse than himselfe; and now running from God, God is gone further off, than before; and a thousand to one neuer returneth againe.
O therefore is the delay so dangerous? is neither the day of thy life, nor the day of grace certaine? is the present day late enough? may the next day be too late? how darest thou cast thy Repentance into thy last accounts, which ought to be the first worke of eueryevery Christian? how darest thou deferre it beyond this day, and hazzard to lose that in one moment, which can neuer be hoped or gayned afterward?
Let eueryevery eye behold Christ mourning ouer him, as ouer Ierusalem: Oh that thou haddest in this day knowne the things of thy peace! but these things are hid from thine eyes: A wise man may slippe, or fall into a pit, but he is a mad man that will not rise out againe.
2 As Repentance must be the first, so it must be the constant and daily exercise of eueryevery Christian, who must esteeme his whole life, a continuall Repentance.
We sweepe our houses eueryevery day,Reason 1 but the houses of our hearts hauehave more need, because of the soyle and dust of our daily infirmities: Our hands hauehave daily need of washing, our hearts much more.
2 As the bloud runneth through all the veines, and is necessary to carry life and spirit through all the parts: so Repentance must run through all the occasions of the day: all which call vsus to repent. For
1 We are bound to the daily sacrifice and seruice of God; which cannot be performed without Repentance. Come before God without Repentance, all is one as if thou cut off a dogs head, or offer swines flesh.
2 Our daily failing cals vsus to daily repentance; we goe ouer daily frailties, many yeelding to temptations, many rouing thoughts, idle speeches, many sinfull actions of bad and scandalous examples, many secret sins not easily found out, many sinfull defects cleauing to our best duties; eueryevery one of these call vsus to a constant practise of Repentance in examination, confession, watchfulnesse, mortification, &c.
3 Many are the daily troubles of our callings, many afflictions meete vsus; many crosses befall vsus in our family, in our estate, in our friends; many afflictions vponupon the Church and land we heare of: eueryevery of these hauehave a loud voice to summon vsus to daily Repentance: for man suffereth for his sin; and remoue the cause, the effect will cease.
4 We stand in need of daily blessings and new fauours, and these call on vsus to renue our Repentance daily, for else our sins will hinder good things from vsus: either we must remoue them, or they will remoue Gods mercies from vsus; and instead of blessings, cast vsus into perils and dangers eueryevery moment.
For time, Repentance is also the last duty of a Christan which hee must principally intend.Rule 3. For.
1 All naturall motion is swifter to the Center, and so supernaturall: eueryevery sound grace is most stirring at last, and this especially, because Sathan is most stirring in temptation, and so in his last act is most troublesome; and therefore Repentance must bee most busie in thrusting downe the last powers raised against it.
2 In sicknesse, sorrow, and approach of death, is great cause of sight, sense, and godly sorrow for sinne, the mother of them. Now is a time of humiliation, mortification, so that now the worst can dissemble a Repentance, and therefore now true Repentance cannot but aboue all times shew it selfe.
3 The lesse time that grace seeth it hath to worke in, the more stirring and working it will be; onelyonly grieued that it hath not more, and cannot more glorifie God: and as friends parting▪ when they take their last farewell, they desire to take their fill one of another; so the Saint… being to bid farewell to godly sorrow, are willing to take their fill of it.
4 What is it else thou wouldest hauehave thy Master finde thee doing at his comming, but so doing? and what else hath the promise of blessednesse? & what seruant else, but hee whom the Master findeth so doing?
Now the way to doe it well at last, is to exercise it well before hand, else it will hardly and …unglingly come off: but what a man doth customably, and habitually, is done easily, cunningly, and comfortably. Nothing but the dispatch of this businesse maketh life sweet and desirable. Nothing else affordeth peace with God, part in Christ, quietnesse of conscience; but the comsort of sound Repentance, without any of which, life is no better than death.
Nothing but this can allay the feares and bitternesse of death: How can the euill seruant but feare to be called to accounts, that hath neuer made them ready? How can the condemned Pellon but feare the assizes, who neuer looked after pardon?
But why should the soule feare to goe forth to God, when it knoweth it is reconciled to him? what need he feare sudden death, who is euer prepared? When a malefactor hath sued out his pardon, let the assizes come when they will, the sooner the better: Neuer will that soule feare to goe to Christ, that is in Christ; nay, it will desire it, because it is best of all.