The Practice of Repentance, Chapter 11
CAP. 11. Let…s of Repentance in respect of sinne.
THe second thing propounded to further the practise of Repentance, is to remoue the lets and impediments which hinder men from the practise of it. For,
The more excellent any duty or grace is, the more difficulty there is in attaining it; and Repentance being of all graces the first and leader, wee must not thinke it easie to come by. God seeing it in our nature, lightly to set by things we easily come by, hath set a price vponupon his best blessings, that wee might prize them: and is not so prodigall of them, as to cast them vponupon sleepers, and sloathfull persons, that thinke them worth no paines nor labour.
And Sathan hangeth such weight on our corruption, and by his policy and power, so cloggeth and blocketh vp the way to this grace, as very few are able and willing to incounter with so many Glants, and Hydraes, & to vndertake so many Herculean labours and difficulties, as hee must goe through, that meaneth to goe through stitch with sound Repentance.
Though therefore men vnacquainted with repentance, think it the easiest thing in the world; an houres worke, or dispatched with three words, Lord hauehave mercy: yet neuer any true Penitent found it so easie, but the hardest taske in all the world: and he that commeth in earnest to it, must cast his costs, and consider whether he bee able to drinke of this cup, or no.
We shall finde it no small labour to reckon, & discouer these hinderances; and much lesse is he to finde it so, that is to grapple with them, & conquer them.
These lets being so many, may be prosecuted vnderunder four heads, being cast in our waies, either by sin, or the world, or satan, or our selues.
1 In respect of sin we hauehave sundry lets,
1. louelove of sinne,
2. seeming profit,
3. appearance of pleasure,
4. a kinde of credit in sin.
1. The louelove of sin riseth from the nearnesse, long acquaintance, and familiarity with vsus, it being bred and born with vsus, at boord and bed with vsus, as neare and deare as our eies and hands vntounto vsus. And this disordered louelove of sinne, maketh vsus hate and loath all meanes, which might worke vsus to dislike and forsake it. So our Sauiour telleth vsus, Iohn 3.19. Men louelove darkenesse because their deeds are euill. This louelove of darknesse, of sinne, maketh men loath the grace of Repentance.
Now to remoue this lett, consider:
1. To louelove sin is to hate the Lord. Psal. 97.10. All yee that louelove the Lord hate all that is euil: therefore louelove of euill will not stand with louelove of God. EueryEvery grace is actiue against the contrary.
2 To louelove sin is to louelove death. Gen. 2.17. In the day thou sinnest thou shalt dye: And to hate his own soule. Pro. 8.35. He that sinneth against mee, hateth his owne soule: And all that hate me louelove death, Pro. 11.19.
3 A child of God cannot but hate his owne sin; he hateth the euill he doth, and is far from allowing himselfe in it, Rom. 7.
Yea, abhorreth himselfe in dust and ashes for his sinne, Iob. 42.6.
4 Yea, we shall find all the affections of the godly set against sin.
1 His sorrow is chiefly for his sin. Wee read not that Peter euer wept so bitterly for any suffering, as he did for his sin: nothing is so contrary to godly sorrow, as sinfull ioy.
2 His feare watcheth against sinne, and flyeth sinne as a serpent, yea
the occasion
and appearance
of it.
3 His shame is most for his sin. The Publican is ashamed to looke towards heauen; and the Prodigall ashamed to look to his fathers house.
5. Grace wheresoeuer it is, resolueth against all sin, voweth against all; he will work no iniquitie, Psal. 119.2. he will with full purpose of heart cleaue vntounto the Lord; he renueth a daily purpose of not sinning, of banishing sin, and conquering it.
2 In sin is a seeming profit, which the sinner is loath to let go.
The Vsurer will not part from his gainful and vnlawfull trade: the Buyer and Seller will not lay aside their oathes and lyes, their sleights and deceits, by false wares, weights, lights, and an hundred deuices to deceiue.
The Non-resident will not part with his gainefull sinne, though it be the price of a thousand of soules.
The Lawyer, the concealing and hiding of truth, which hee ought to open. They cannot liue if they should.
To conquer this Let, consider,
1 That no man can establish himselfe by iniquitie, Pro. 12.3. What stabilitie is in that house, which is founded in water, and vnderpropped with kindled fire-brands? Could Saul stablish his house, by founding it in disobedience, and vnderpropping it with persecuting Dauid? No, it falleth on his owne head, and crusheth and hideth all his posteritie in the ruines of it.
Could Ieroboam stablish his house, or confirm the kingdome to it, by deuising the tricke of the two Calues at Dan & Bethel?
Can a sicke man gaine his health by drinking a strong poison? Such is the gaine of him, that will assure his state by sin.
2 All is not gaine that is gotten by sin; no man can reckon it for cleare gaine: for there is no gaine, but the losse is far greater: for
1 In sinfull gaine is a losse of grace; faith and dependance vponupon God is gone. Thou leanest on a reed, makest a wedge of gold thy hope. Better had it bin to hauehave begd thy bread, than lost thy faith.
There is a losse of good conscience: And better had it beene to hauehave cast ouer-board all that ill-gotten goods, than made shipwracke of a good conscience. And what comfort to hauehave thy house full of goods, when thy conscience telleth thee, they hauehave a bad master?
2 What gained Balaam, Iudas, Ananias and Saphira, when by seeking vnlawfull gaine, by cursing, betraying, lying, they lost their liues for their labours?
3 What gaine, or profit is it for a man, to winne the whole world, and lose his owne soule? Or what recompence shall hee giuegive? Here is not only a certain, but an irrecouerable losse.
4 What gaine, or profite shall he finde, when the curse of God bloweth vponupon the state so ill gotten? which maketh it as a fire to consume the rest, if anie be better gotten than other. As Ahab when for Naboths Vineyard he lost his whole kingdom: or sometimes the curse of God raiseth an vnthrifty heyre, who shall lauish it, and as wickedly waste it, as euer it was wickedly gotten.
And how can it bee, but the curse must accompanie that wealth, for which men fal down to the Diuell and worship him, on which condition onelyonly hee enricheth them?
3 The only true gaine is to gaine Christ, in comparison of whom all things are drosse and dung, Phil. 3. the gaine of godlinesse, 1. Tim. 6. The gaine of true wisedome is better than that of gold, prov. 3.13. a better & more induring substance, Heb. 10.34. A treasure in heaven worth selling all, as Christ to the young man: An vndeceiueable wealth, not consumed with vse, but encreased; not left on earth, but carried to heauen: a wealth for which the Saints willingly endured the spoyling of their goods, because they knew they had a better substance.
3 In sinne is an appearance of pleasure, and euerie sinner is loath to change the sweetnesse of sinne, with the sower & tart seed of Repentance and mortification; loath is the sinner to let the sweete morsell goe from vnderunder his tongue, Iob 23.12. whence it is that we see so few drunkards, fornicators, worldlings, wantons, gamsters, playhaunters are so seldome reclaymed, and won to Repentance.
To remoue this let, consider
1 That sinne the more delightfull, the more dangerous it is; as Sampson in Dalilahs lap, the more pleasing the more pernicious: for as the eues they set vponupon men, & rob, and wound their soules; and vsually ease slayeth the sinner, as in the Proverbs. Which was the Apostles argument, 1. Pet. 2.11. Abstaine from fleshly lusts, for they fight against the soule, though they seem neuer so familiar & friendly. First, they chase away feare of euill to come. Amos 6.1. They that are at ease in Sion, put farre off the euill day. Matth. 14.39. The old world, set vponupon pleasure, knew nothing till the floud came.
Secondly, they thrust out pleasures of the world to come; they make a man delight more in the Diuels bookes, Cards and Dice, than in Gods; in gathering money than in gathering grace, make their Hawks and Doggs more chargeable than Gods poore members.
Thirdly, they binde a man a willing slaue, and like the harlot, their hands are as bands to hold them fast in the snare; as Herod can make shift against many sinnes, but his Herodias.
2 The sweetnesse of sinne is as the sweetnesse of poyson, only sweet in the mouth, poyson in the belly. Prov▪ 5.4. Stollen bread is sweet, but the dead are there; sweet only in committing, bitter in the account and reckoning: and this last dish will spoyle the feast. Let wisedome set thine eye vponupon the future misery, which is as the sowre sauce to the sweetnesse; and were the sweetnesse of sin a true pleasure, what folly were it to buy a broken and momentany pleasure, with endlesse paine; to prefer an empty ioy aboue fulnesse of ioy; the pleasures of Gods left hand, aboue the pleasures of his right hand; a drop of pleasure, aboue a riuer of mercy and glory?
3 Nothing can be more contrary to the state of Grace, than a life led in pleasures: The Widow liuing in pleasure, is dead while she liueth: noted for a course of the vngenerate, Tit. 3.3. seruing diuers lusts & pleasures, & it is a brand of a foolish course. Eccles. 7.6. The heart of the foole is in the house of mirth.
Let vsus account it therefore an high wisedome: first,
To discouer other matters of pleasures, such as are the soules delight. The way of wisedome is the way of pleasure, Prou. 17. Oh that we knew what pleasures are in peace of conscience, ioy of holy Ghost, what a solace it is to be a sonne of God, an inhabitant of heauen, to liue by faith!
2 To exchange these broken, worme-eaten, and poysonfull pleasures of sinne for a season, with the pleasures of Gods house, of Gods spirit, and of Gods right hand for euermore.
In sinne is a kinde of credit and glory which the sinner is loath to let goe:The fourth Let. as the Gallant… and Great ones that must not put off any of their proud fashions or tyres; nor must not be behind any of their fantasticall disguises of the times. And our Roisters, Swearers, Swashbucklers, cannot be thought men of great spirit or place, if they should not despise the basenesse, and pusill… nimity of Repentance, and humble cariage of Christianity.
Against this Let, consider:
1 To glory in sin, is to glory in a mans owne shame; as if a man should glory to wallow as a swine in his owne dung, or as if a theefe should pride himselfe in his fetters which hold him fast to his execution. Phil. 3.19. The Apostle spake of such as gloried in their shame; that is, whereof they might, and ought to hauehave beene ashamed, and whereof they should be afterward ashamed▪ What will be the end of that glory, that fighteth against the glory of God? 2. Sam. 2.30.
2 Sinne vnrepented of, maketh a man the basest slaue and drudge of all men; it maketh him a slaue to the diuell, a drudge in the basest seruices of flesh and lusts: with more reason might the basest slaue in the Turkish Galleyes, glory of his freedome, and honour: Wilt thou be great in sinne? thou shalt be great in plagues, great in sorrow, in torment.
3 Sinne can draw no credit but from persons of no worth or reckoning. What credit for a Rebell or Traytor to get applause among his complices, and be well thought of among such condemned Rebels as himselfe, while they are all going to an infamous and cruell death, hated of the King, and despised of all good subiects, and the whole state in which they liued?
4 As godlinesse is the truest gaine, so it is the truest greatnes and honour: for is it not the truest greatnesse, to be great in Gods fauour and louelove?
To bee godly, is to be great, great in the Court of heauen, great in bloud and alliance, … in present estate, greater in ex…spectation, great in place and priuiledges▪ If therefore thou seekest great things for thy selfe, seeke grace, seeke precious faith, holinesse, hope; especially, seeke true humility: for hee that will be greatest, must be least, least in himselfe; and he that is so, will be least in sin: And suppose piety and grace carry reproach and contempt in the world: yet faith seeth it recompenced with euerlasting honour and glory in the life to come.