The Practice of Repentance, Chapter 39 – Chapter 40
CAP. 39. Motiues to Repentance in regard of God.
THe second Motiue: If we looke towards GOD, wee want no incitements to Repentance: as,
1 Without Repentance, wee hauehave nothing to doe with God: no fellowship, no society: two cannot walke together, vnlesse they be friends: without Repentance, we are without God, as rebels, gone out in rebellion against their Prince and country. 1. Ioh. 3.6. Whosoeuer sinneth, hath not seene God, nor knoweth him, Ephes. 2.12. Of all naturall men it is said, that they are aliens and strangers, without Christ, without hope, without God in the world. OnelyOnly by Repentance we are gathered into God againe. An impenitent person is in no other request with GOD, than an Heathen or Atheist.
2 In God wee may behold a strict iustice, and vnauoidable. Let a world of sinners combine against God, it shall bee washed away with waters of wrath, that would not wash themselues in the teares and waters of Repentance: Let a world of Angels sinne against God, those mighty and glorious creatures cannot make their party good against this iustice, but shall bee cast into perpetuall chaines of blacke darkenesse. Let Ionah, a godly man, sinne against God, and runne another way, neither shall the ship, nor the Mariners skill, nor toyle, saue him from the tempest.
Oh then shall I goe on in sin, to dare this iustice? shall I by an heart hardened, not knowing Repentance, heape vp wrath against the day of wrath? Did not I obserue the Angell powring out vials of wrath on them that repented not of their workes? Reuel. 16.11. Hath not this iustice appointed a day wherein he will iudge the world by Iesus Christ? and should not this admonish me to hasten my Repentance? Acts 17.30.
3 In God we behold an ocean of mercies, which mercies of God should leade vsus to Repentance, Rom. 2, 4. and shall we let them lye by vsus as things we make no vse of? whereas eueryevery mercy should be a Sermon of Repentance. But let vsus see how this mercy inuiteth vsus.
1 He hath proclaimed himselfe mercifull, gracious, one that repenteth him of our euill, that we should repent of our owne; ready to forgiue, nay, comming out to meet vsus vponupon our returne, as the Father of the Prodigall: one that woo…th, and seeketh, and calleth vsus, Turne yee, turne ye, why will yee dye?
2. His merciemercy hath made many mercifull promises: but only to the repenting sinner are they made, and made good. And indeed God neither can nor wil be mercifull to any, but penitent sinners. While thy rebellions increase, how can I be mercifull vntounto thee? how can I spare thee for these things? Ier. 5.7. And for his will, Deut. 29.20. God will not bee mercifull to such a man. Wouldst thou feed sauourly vponupon the promises of this life or a better? thou must season them all with the sharpe sauce of Repentance and godly sorrow, to which they are all inteyled.
Only on condition thou turn to the Almighty, thou shalt bee built vp, and lay vp gold as dust, Iob 22.23. If thou cease to doe euill and learne to do well, thou shalt hauehave thy sins washed, and eate the good things of the land, Esay 1.
3. This mercy repelleth no penitent sinner: but receiueth the greatest sinners vponupon return. Esay. 1.18. Wash you, cleanse you: then if your sins were red as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. No sins can foyle this merciemercy.
The poor penitent Theefe was not despised: nor the poor Woman called a great sinner, when she powred teares vponupon Christ: hee condemned not the poore Woman deprehended in the act of adulterie, standing penitently before him: nor reiected the Disciple that denied and reiected him: nor the Persecutor of the Disciples, the Oppres…or of the Church; but receiu…d him to merciemercy, 1. Tim. 1.13. … will hee shut the doore to thee repenting, that opened it to these?
4. Sinnes against mercy, cast the sinner into seueritie of iustice: sins against the remedie bring miseries remedilesse. Oh that we were wise, to say, Shall I sin against such mercy? hath the Lord done me all this good in my soule, body, in my selfe and mine, in outward mercies and inward, for this life and a better, that I should repay him euill for good, loade him with daily sins, for lading me with blessings daily?
Why hauehave not we the vnderstanding of men in vsus, to conceiue that our mercy to our sins, preuenteth Gods mercy to our soules? shall a seruant the kinder the Master is, be so much the more carelesse to prouoke him? Did Ioseph reason so? Would we brooke it at our seruants hand? Will God at ours?
A graciou… heart will conclude, as Psal. 130.4. Mercy is with thee that thou mayest bee feared. Let me by these mercies of God beseech you to giuegive vp your selues vntounto him.
4. Looke vponupon God in all his ordinances, wherein are offers of greatest merciemercy, and sanctified, as blessed meanes of attaining the whole grace reuealed by the Gospell; without Repentance they are not onelyonly vnprofitable, but most hurtfull, yea, and damnable. The Word which I speak, saith Christ, shall iudge you at the last day, speaking to the impenitent Iewes. The sweet tydings of the Gospell are a sauour of death to this man: The word will take hold on the impenitent person one time or other, Zach. 1.4.
The Sacraments doe him no good, but mischiefe, that by impenitencie casteth poyson into the Lords cup. 1. Cor. 11.26. He eateth and drinketh his owne damnation: euen the Lords table is a snare to a wicked man. The guest that came into the Supper without the wedding garment, heard the dolefull sentence, Take him, binde him hand and foot, &c.
His prayers are abominable so long as he turneth his eare from hearing the Law, Prov. 18. Psal 66. If I regard wickedness in my heart, God will not heare my prayer. Isay 1.15. When you stretch your hands I will hide mine eyes from you, and though you make many prayers I will not heare, for your hands are full of blood: Neuer say Lord, Lord, if thou doe not his Commandement.
His whole profession is hatefull. Psal. 50. What hast thou to do to take my word in thy mouth, & hatest to be reformed?
5. Looke vponupon God in the throne of his glory: who would not enioy the glory of God in heauen? who professeth not that hee will to heauen with the formost? but no repentance, no heauen: no other gate of heauen, nor passage, but by Repentance. Men are well pleased so long as wee speake of heauen, happinesse, saluation, eternall life: but when we speake of repentance, it is an hard saying, an vnpleasing doctrine, a duety which will not down. If they could get to heauen by any thing else than by leauing their sins, were it thousands of Rams, or ten thousand Riuers of oyle: if by giuing their first borne, or fruits of body for the sin of their soules, these they would exchange; but to mortifie lusts, that the hypocrite cannot yeeld. But
1. Thou must come to heauen by no meanes, but GODS owne.
2. There is but one way, and that a narrow and straight way of Repentance: and to dreame of heauen without Repentance, is to dreame to passe ouer a deep and broad Riuer without bridge or barge. Thou mayst poast and wander vp and down, and tyre thy selfe in coasting eueryevery way to auoyde the stoninesse, roughnesse and straightnesse of the way: but if thou meanest to come to thy iournies end, thou must passe this narrow lane, and there is no way in the world to shift it.
CAP. 40. Motiues to Repentance in respect of Christ.
THe third Motiue: in respect of Christ; in whom we see
1. Surpassing louelove aboue the louelove of women: hee loued vsus better than himselfe, than his life, when we were no better than rebels and enemies. Shall I louelove my sinne better than him, who loued my soule better than his own life? Oh let this coard of louelove draw vsus to Repentance; He came to call sinners to Repentance.
2. Looke vponupon his bitter passion, and therein see the merit and desert of the least sin: for which God must shed his blood, and pay the greatest price that heauen or earth contained.
Consider the end of his suffering. Hee dyed that sin might dye in me: and shall I put life in it againe, and frustrate the death of Christ? The fountaine was opened in his side, and streames of blood issued out, that my soule should be cleansed from the filthinesse of sin: and shall I wallow in the puddle still?
Consider that Christ was crucified for none in whom sin is not crucified: None hauehave part in his death, but such as are dead to sin: none hauehave the benefit of his death, but such as feele the vertue of it in themselues. Isay 59.20. Hee is a Redeemer of none, but such as turne from transgression in Iacob.
Consider in whomsoeuer there is sound application of Christs death, there is a similitude of his death. As he dyed for sin, so here is a dying vntounto sin. Rom. 6.5. Wee are grafted with him to the similitude of his death. As Christs body was nayled to the Crosse: so must wee nayle our sins to his Crosse.
As his body and strength was infeebled and weakned vponupon the Crosse, till he dyed: so must our body of sin bee daily weakned and subdued, till it be wholly dead in vsus.
As Christ spared no part of himselfe, but gaue himselfe wholly in all parts and members to death for vsus: so must we not spare any sin or lust, but put them all to paine, mortifying one as well as another.
And as Christ after death was raysed to life, and dyed no more: so wee, hauing dyed to sinne by mortification, must rise againe by daily renewing our Repentance, neuer to returne vnderunder the power of sin and death any more. This is the similitude of CHRIST'S death.
3. Looke vponupon Christ as our head, and there is no member of that head, but the true penitent: he admits no rotten or stinking member. 2. Cor. 5.17. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Truth of Christianitie is discerned by truth of Repentance. Without faith vnfained is no vnion with Christ: and all that faith is fained and false, which worketh not in Repentance. This grace discerneth vsus from hypocrites and wicked men.