The Practice of Repentance, Chapter 34
CAP. 34. Markes and signes of Repentance, and first in respect of sinne to be repented.
4▪ NOw followeth the fourth generall, concerning the signes & markes of a man truely penitent: for this grace will shew it selfe, what way soeuer a man turne himselfe; whether he looke vponupon, first, his sinne repented: or, secondly, God offended: or, thirdly, himselfe: or, fourthly, vponupon others: it wil be working eueryevery way.
1 In respect of sinne, a man truely penitent, will discouer himselfe by those properties and practises.
1 He remembreth his sinnes, though they be remitted, and that with shame and sorrow. Ezek 16.60. I will establish my couenant with thee: then shalt thou remember thy sinnes, and be ashamed of thy waies; nor neuer open thy mouth any more, namely, in iustification of thy self, when I am pacified towards thee for all thou hast done; vers. 62.63. So as when God is pacified, yet the humble heart is ashamed.
This is one clause of the new couenant. Ezek. 36.26.Reason. A new heart will I giuegive you, and a new spirit I will put into you. vers. 31. Then shall you remember your owne wickednesse, and your deedes, which were not good, and iudge your selues worthy to be destroyed for your sinnes: therefore shal the house of Israel be ashamed and confounded for your owne waies, vers. 31.
2 This remembrance of former sinnes, though pardoned, preserueth and bloweth vp the embers, and keepeth aliue godly sorrow in the soule. Zach. 12.10. The looking on him whom wee hauehave pierced, exciteth all that hauehave receiued the spirit of grace and compassion, to mourne for him, as their first borne. Peter remembring what himselfe had done, and his master had said, went out, and wept bitterly. Hereby our Repentance is renewed daily, and the wound made bleed afresh.
3 As it is our happinesse that God once pardoning our sinnes, forgetteth them, and neuer remembreth them more: so it is a signe, and way of our happinesse, that our selues forget them not, but hold them before the eye of our mindes, to containe vsus in constant humiliation for them.
2 He will aggrauate his sin, when he beholdeth it: hee will excuse none, extenuate none; he will not mince, nor hide any, as Adam: nor cast it off himselfe vponupon others shoulders, as Saul ▪ The people did it: But he weigheth his sinnes in a true ballance, which hath shewed none of them to be light: he will put in so many weights, as to bring him to a iust humiliation. If his sins be of a bloudy dye, his heart shall bleed with godly sorrow. If they hauehave beene sinnes of knowledge, and after illumination, or after admonition, or with vehemence, or repetition, or in hatefull manner, with cursing and swearing, as Peters was: Oh this will bring backe bitter sorrow, brinish teares; here is cause to weepe bitterly. If his sins hauehave beene old sins, as old sores, and festers, long continued in, and liued in till the eleuenth or twelfth houre; the longer and more painefull will be the cure: the more willing will hee be to open them, and content to hauehave them handled. If they hauehave beene committed in foule circumstances; as to hauehave beene drunke, or disordered on the Sabbaoth day: to be rude, or irreligiously disposed in the Church, vnderunder the eye of God: to run ryot against good counsell, against the directions of the Word, and motions of the spirit: the fouler the sinne, the deeper will be the sorrow. But if they hauehave beene after Repentance, vowes, promises, after fasting, prayer, now the weight increaseth marueilously vponupon the soule. A good heart will hardly thinke any Repentance enough for such sinne.
Farre from true Repentance, is that false heart that is more ashamed to confesse sin, than to commit it: and in confession, doth it in the grosse and lumpe, with excuses and extenuations; and in making shew of sorrow, is as a cloud without raine, soone blowne ouer: he hath neuer a teare of godly sorrow for foulest sinnes, or if any, too soone dryed away.
He that can plead for his sin, and defend bad actions, with faire pretences, as Saul saueth the fat against the commandement, for sacrifice: that can rob God and his Ministers of their right, pretending a reach of wisedome, or publike care beyond all others: that can plead for their vsury, a practise of charity; as doing as they would be done to: their iniustice and false arts in trading, because they doe as others doe, and else they cannot liue: or their non-residency, because of their charge, or a way to preferment: all these, and all others that hold vp bucklers for their sins, neuer yet knew what Repentance meant. In a word, he that can please himselfe in the remembrance of his sinne, that can glory how he hath ouer-reached his brother, which is ordinary in trading: that can reioyce in the pleasure or profit gotten by sinne, is farre from Repentance. A good heart, the more pleasing or profitable any sinne hath beene, wil lament so much the more.
3 He hateth and shunneth all sinne eueryevery where. This indignation and bitter hatred against sinne, is made a fruit and note of true repentance, 2. Cor. 7.11. Can. 5.4. See how the Church rated her selfe for her folly, and vnkindnesse against Christ: and no maruaile. For,
1 If we look at God, he hateth all sin with a deadly hatred; and all that louelove the Lord, must hate all that is euill: And the more a man conceiueth God his friend, the lesse friendly can he be to his sin: and the more fauour a man expecteth from God, the lesse can he fauour any sin.
2. If hee looke at his sin, he seeth it a serpent, and hateth it, though the sting be gone, by a spirituall and gracious Antipathy. And now the league being broken, he will neuer be friends any more with it: but in anger, as Ephraim to his Idols, say, Get thee hence, what baue I more to do with you?
3. If he looke on sinne in the euills it hath formerly wrapped him in, he cannot but shunne, feare, and fly it. A burnt childe dreadeth the fire. A man once stung with an Adder, will fly from all Serpents: A man that hath felt the paines of broken bones by his fals, will feare to fall, and looke better to his feet.
An impenitent person may forbeare to sweare: but a true conuert feareth an oath, Eccles. 9 So he feareth to breake the Sabbath, is affraid of couetousnes, worldlinesse, drunkennesse, profanenesse, and other sins: and this not in respect of his owne skin only; but in respect of God, now reconciled vntounto him. Euen as a deare Wife feareth to offend her louing Husband, to whom she was lately married.
4. Hee resisteth and holdeth fight against all sin; euen those that he cannot conquer, he combateth against. As Iacob said of the people of the …and after the slaughter of the Sich…mites, Now will they hate vsus, and therfore will raise their powers against vsus to destroy vsus: euen so a godly heart hating sin, will rayse all his power against it, to destroy the whole bodie of sin, & wil reuenge vponupon it as his capitall enemie.
A Subiect that hath taken vp armes against his Prince and Countrey, and gone out in rebellion with rebels and traytors, if once hee come to see his offence on the one side, and the Princes clemencie on the other, pardoning his offence, and sauing his life, cannot chuse but hold himselfe extraordinarily bound to resist all such rebels, euen while he liueth. This is the case of eueryevery Christian, who hauing run with his rebellious lusts, fighting against the crown and dignitie of Iesus Christ; but now graciously pardoned, cannot but stand stoutly against them.
And this cannot be other; but where flesh is, and spirit, the spirit will bee lusting against the flesh. Wheresoeuer these twins are conceaued, this Iacob and Esau will struggle in the wombe, and Rebecca shall feele the striuing within her: whereas the barren and fruitlesse wombe, which neuer receiued the seed of God, feeleth no such strugling.
5. Hee relinquisheth his sin in true endeauour, and neuer returneth to it any more: for true Repentance is neuer repented of. When Christ commanded the Deuill out of the man, he said, Come out, and go into him no more: And the same power he putteth forth in commanding out these Legions of lusts and deuils, lurking in our thickets; once cast out, they come in no more to rule and raigne, the same word casteth and keepeth them out.
2. In eueryevery true Repentance is a clearing ones selfe, 2. Cor. 7. And with all true humiliation goeth reformation: for repentance is not a vow, and purpose for hereafter only; but a present act and endeauour.
3. In eueryevery one that must find mercy, there must go with confession forsaking of sin. Neither can a penitent man say, I was a lyar, swearer, drunkard, and so am still: for though sin be still in him, he is not in sinne: and though flesh be in him, he is not in the flesh. So as howsoeuer he that hath confessed his sin once, and againe, but continueth in it, may thinke himselfe well eased; yet is it no otherwise than when a drunkard hath eased himselfe by casting, that he may drinke more. You shall heare a swearer take himselfe in his sinne, and say, God forgiue me, now I sweare: and yet swear as fast still as his tongue can turn out oathes. Others forced to a kinde of Repentance, passe many promises, and vowes, and confessions are made: but after returne as a swine to the wallowing, and an horse to the smell of his dung. Here was no Repentance, but a forced hypocrisie.
6. In all this worke of Repentance he differenceth himselfe from the hypocrite in his strife and resistance of sin.
1. In that he setteth himselfe against sinne vniuersally: 2. sincerely.
1. Hee is set by grace against all sin, because all is contrary to grace, as 1. his own sins. As Paul, Rom. 7. I hate that which I doe: as a man feareth and slieth most the danger that is nearest him.
And of these, 1. his smallest sins. Dauid the cutting off Sauls lap: he thinketh none of them gnats, or mites, which GODS Law taketh order against; for which either Christ must dye or himselfe eternally.
The wicked man can startle at great and outragious euils, murther, adulterie, drunkennes: but the godly repent of those which the world count no sins, as, vnprofitablenes vnderunder the ministerie of the Word, profanation of the Sabbath, petty oaths, rash anger. And whereas the wicked man thinketh is thoughts free: the weakest Christian repenting, repeateth the wandrings, and disorder of his very thoughts.
2. His own most secret sins: knowing that none are secret in respect of God, with whom he hath to deale; and that the more familiar any sin is, it is so much the more dangerous.
3. His fat, profitable, delightfull, and most necessary sins: he spareth no Agag, no f…tlings, … cutteth off hands, plucketh … eyes, that is, lusts, which … as neare and necessary. Zacheus casteth away his most gainefull sins presently.
2. Because true hatred is of kindes, and true zeale is as fire which will fasten on any fewell that commeth in the way of it: therefore a true penitent hateth and resisteth other mens sins. If he can hee will hinder them, if he cannot do that, he can and wil grieue and mourn for them. So Dauids eyes gusht out with riuers of teares, because men kept not the Word. Ieremie wished his head a fountaine of teares: And Lots righteous soule was vexed, to heare and see the vncleane conuersation of the Sodomites. But wicked men are so far from repenting for other mens sins, that they cannot repent their owne.
2. He dealeth against all sin sincerely; as Hypocrites cannot: which appeareth thus.
1. A godly man reneweth his Repentance often. But when, daily? In the time of his peace, when all things go well with with him, when the world laugheth on him, and at him for it. The Hypocrite neuer or seldome thinketh on Repentance, but when Gods hand is vponupon him: when he is bound on his bed, and can intend no other businesse, then call for the Minister, whom in all his health and life he wronged and scorned. Thus the Hypocrites howle on their beds (saith Hosea) but were his grace true, he would hauehave done it in prosperitie.
2. Godly men going seriously about the worke, repent of particular sins. Dauid cryeth out of blood: Peter of his deniall: Paul sayth, I was, &c. But Hypocrits repent in the grosse and lumpe, and would faine deceiue GOD and themselues, by hiding themselues in generals: God be mercifull vntounto vsus, we are all sinners, and cannot be saints. I hauehave bin deceiued as others hauehave been: yet I am not the greatest sinner. And thus slubbereth ouer the businesse.
3. True Repentance will easily passe by an offence against himselfe: but not easily passe ouer a sin against God. Moses in his owne cause the meekest of men, in Gods cause the most fiery and zealous.
But an Hypocrite can earnestly hate, and reuenge an iniurie to him: but, in iniurie and wrong to God, can be calme enough: because Gods name & glory is nothing so deare to him as his own.
4. The sinceritie of godly Repentance will euer appeare in the healing of that errour, Dan 4.24. and vndoing what is ill done. It will neuer be without restitution of that which is wickedly gotten, or wrongfully held from the right owner. Sound Repentance will goe through stitch with restitution. Hast thou gotten so many hundreths by swearing, lying, breaking the Sabbaoth? hast thou gotten so many thousands by cruelty, and vsury? hast thou gotten so many pounds by robbing God and his Minister, by vniust and malitious detaining Gods part? wilt thou, or darest thou goe on, and not thinke of Repentance? or dost thou thinke of Repentance, and not of Restitution? Here is no healing of the error; the wound in thy soule bleedeth fresh, and, without timely Repentance, will doe so vntounto death.
5 The sincerity of true Repentance appeareth in the godly, in the speedy and seasonable apprehension of the offers of grace in the meanes. Psal. 119. I made hast and delaied not. Worldly men are for fastening on the world: there are their affections, desires, indeauours: the world hath ingrossed their thoughts, time; and the more water goeth through one pipe, the lesse goeth into another: but, as ready to breake, they deale in heauenly things; put off, and are taking order for three, or sixe moneths, and then proue as insufficient and insoluent as before. Ambrose saith, If I would offer thee gold to day, thou wouldest not say, I will come to morrow: but God offereth grace; thou canst finde no time to take it.