The Practice of Repentance, Chapter 6
CAP. 6. Rules concerning persons that must repent.
NOw in prosecuting the practice of Repentance, I will confine my selfe within these bounds.
1. Propound the rules and directions to guide vsus in the duetie.
2. The lots or chiefe impediments which hinder Repentance.
3. The meanes and helpes for the happy performance of it.
4. The signes and marks of a man truely repenting.
5. The motiues or inducements to prouoke vsus to Repentance.
1. The rules or directions to guide vsus in this duety, concerne
1. The persons that must repent; 2. the sinnes to bee repented of; 3. the manner; 4. the time.
The generall rule concerning the persons, is, That all, and euerie man must repent. The word in the Text is indefinite. Except yee repent; that is, all of you. Acts 17 30. But now admonisheth eueryevery man, eueryevery where to repent. The doctrine of Repentance is preached to all.
1. All hauehave sinned, and turned away from God;Reas. 1. all are depriued of the glory of God: there is none that doth good, no not one. 1. Ioh. 1.8. If any man say hee hath not sinne, he deceiueth himselfe, and the truth is not in him. Iam. 3.2 In many things we sin all: therfore all hauehave need to repent.
All men are vnderunder sin, Rom. 3.9. that is, all men in respect of naturall corruption, and actuall pollution, are equally vnderunder the guilt and punishment of sin, the sentence of the Law, the curse of God. A matter of such danger, as a man had better bee vnderunder the weight of all the mountaines in the world, than vnderunder the weight of sinne vponupon his soule: therefore eueryevery man must repent.
2. EueryEvery man will say, hee would hauehave his sins remitted; therefore eueryevery man must repent: for Repentance and Remission of sins goe hand in hand. Marke 1.9. Iohn preached the baptisme of Repentance for Remission of sins; and the state of impenitency, is a state of perdition: Except ye repent, ye shall perish, for you are yet in your sins.
3. EueryEvery one will say, hee would bee saued, and come to heauen at last, but without Repentance, can be no saluation; neither is there place in heauen, for an impenitent person; flesh and bloud shall not inherit the Kingdome of God: Without shall be dogs, and swine not washed from their filthinesse.
Consider the commandement. Ier. 4.14. Wash thy heart from filthinesse, that thou maiest be saued.
2. The threatning; If Christ wash thee not, then thou hast no part in him.
3 The appropriated onelyonly to those that hauehave part in the first resurrection, the second death shall hauehave no power ouer them.
4 The folly of a man that aymeth at a high & excellent end, and neuer thinketh of the way and meanes to attayne that end: so it is to thinke of heauen, and not of Repentance, the way and means to it. Hence will follow,
1 If all men, then naturall and vnregenerate men, be they neuer so ciuill, must hasten their Repentance. For,
1 They are as clouds without water, trees dead, without fruit, condemned persons without a pardon; the law hath read an after sentence of death vponupon them: And a madnesse were it for a Fellon to looke to bee quit by that law that condemneth him▪ that stare is nothing but death▪ onelyonly Faith and Repentance of the Gospell, maketh thee capable of mercy and pardon.
2 Why is Repentance Preached to naturall men, but that of old men, they should be come new? of Wolues, they should become Sheepe of Christs fold? of Ethiopians and strangers, they shoud become of the houshold and family of God? Such were they to whom Peter Preached, Act. 2. when so many thousands were conuerted: and in all ages we hauehave commission to instruct the contrary minded with meekenesse, waiting when God will giuegive them Repentance, 2. Tim. 2.15.
3 Ciuill men hauehave most need be called to Repentance, because they thinke of all other, they least need repentance, and seem to themselues not to be so farre from the Kingdome of God, as indeed they be: For hauing no sense of their misery, they rest in pure naturals, ciuill honesty, externall vertues, as in a good estate. And indeed, this conceit of their goodnesse, leaueth them in a damnable condition; that what our Lord saith of a rich man. I may say of a ciuill man; it is hard for him to come to heauen, and often extreame flagitious sinners are sooner cōuerted. Publicans and Harlots that cannot hauehave that conceit of themselues, goe often into heauen before them.
Let all such well consider, what is all ciuill, vpright honest carriage before God, without Faith and Repentance.
Surely nothing but a shining sinne, and beautifull abhomination: And therefore the Apostle Paul, though before his conuer…sion hee was beyond all ciuill men in respect of gifts, vertues, and righteousnesse of the Law, yet he must vndoe all this, and cast out all as dung in comparison of grace, and begin all againe.
What better was the Pharisee for thanking God he was not as other; vniust, extortioner, nor as the despised Publican, when hee could not thanke God, that hee was a Penitent, or beleeuer? What better art thou to say, I thanke God I come to Church, heare the Word, receiue the Sacraments, pay men their due, giuegive almes to the poore? when with a forme of Ciuility or Religion, thou onelyonly couerest thy corruption from thine owne eyes, as a man in the darke; but art an enemy to the power of godlinesse, to the powerfull Preaching of the Word, to godly Preachers; a resister of Faith, Repentance, Mortification, and holinesse in thy selfe, and others, without which thou shalt neuer see God: Thanke God as much as thou wilt, thou shalt neuer get thanke from God for all this.
2 If all men, then godly and regenerate men, who hauehave already repented, they must hold on their repentance: For,
1 Euen the best men after grace receiued, hauehave sinne dwelling in them. Rom. 7.14. The law is spirituall, but I am carnall, sold vnderunder sinne. Paul was then long conuerted, & euen then did that he hated, and hated what he did, verse 15. And no man in earth so iust that sinneth not, Eccl. 7.22. witnesse Noah, Lot, Abraham, Dauid, Pet…r, the Virgin Mary … they are, outstraying, Psal. 119.10.
2 God will hauehave the best men trayned in Repentance by the daily sight of their sinnes, in many burdens, temptations, corruptions, sicknesses, casualties, and death it selfe: for euen they by many afflictions, must enter into heauen: All fruits of sinne, must be goades to Repentance.
3 The best must daily repent, because euen the best duties performed by the strength of grace, are in themselues sinfull and defectiue: the righteousnesse of the Christian is as a filthy clout. How much cause hauehave they daily to bewaile their sinnes, that must repent for their best duties?
4 Our Lord hath taught his Disciples, and the most regenerate, to pray daily for forgiuenes of sinne, which is an act of Repentance. Neuer can a man bee free from Repentance, till he be free from sinne; whic… … use the best can neuer …, he must neuer lay … Repentance. When thou hast attained a perfect image of God, then farewell Repentance; but that image which was lost in a moment, cannot be repayred throughout the whole life, for the repayring of which, they must still retaine and renue Repentance.
3 If all men, then young men must repent. Eccles. 12.1. Remember thy Creator in the daies of thy youth: For,
1 How is it for vsus to take the corruption of nature in hand betimes? for sinne fasteneth by continuance; a sore the longer vncured, the more incurable it is; so in this corruption which is morbus naturae, and habits grow into another nature, which will not be repelled easily.
2 The Grace of Repentance, is a gift of God, not in our owne power, and must be taken while it is offered; If God offer it now to thee a young man, or maid, refuse not this gracious offer, but euen this day heare his voice; and as young Samuel, say, Speake Lord, thy seruant heareth.
3 What a commendation and aduantage is it for youth to bee early graced, and truely conuerted, euen in the morning of their life? Many sinnes are preuented in such a one, whereby also much sorrow and accusation is cut off, which doth often perplexe good men: as Dauid prayeth often against the sinnes of his youth. Besides, such a one hath many opportunities of well doing, and aboundeth in good duties, to their abundant comfort, both here, and in their reckoning.
4 Young persons may dye, they hauehave no lease of their liues; youth is as fickle as age, time and tide stayeth not: perhaps the Gospell will not stay with thee, perhaps thou art not to stay in the world: Know thy day, and time of visitation.
4 If all men, then old men must hasten their Repentance, while yet their glasse runneth.
1 If young men must not deferre their Repentance, because they may dye; old men must much more, because they must dye.
2 Thou art an old man, whose time in the likely course of nature, cannot be long; hast thou deferred thy repentance till the 11. or 12. houre, and yet is it too soone to repent? Was not Iesabel in state fearefull enough before God by her fornication and filthinesse, but that God gaue her space to repent, and the repented not? This is the very height of sinne, and heapeth vp a terrible damnation. Is it not damnation enough to be a sinner before God, but an old sinner, an old drunkard, swearer, fornicator, lyer, cousner, an old foxe, and an old barking dogge against all goodnesse?
3 Consider how the lees and dregs of profanenesse be most sowre and stinking in old men: what a filthy sent leaueth an old sinner, when he is gone? he was an old gracelesse man, enemy of God to death; only his sinne was strong, and youthfull in him to the last.
5 If all, then women must repent too, if they will not perish.
1 Gods Schoole is as well open for women, as for men; and the Scriptures and the Ministery belong as well to women as to men, and these are commanded to learne the doctrine of Faith and Repentance, as men, and to professe the feare of God, 1 Tim. 2.15.
2 Women were made to the image of GOD as well as men. Gen. 1.27 and were first in transgression, and need Repentance as well as men.
3 Women are heyres of the same grace of life, and promises, and are to be saued by the same way and meanes as men. They shall be saued if they continue in Faith, LoueLove, Holinesse, and Modesty. 1. Tim. 1.10. In Christ, neither male nor female, &c.
4 The examples of many gracious women are propounded in Scripture, for imitation of all women: The vertuous woman hath the law of grace set in her lips. Many godly women followed Christ to heare his Sermons; The poore woman that washed Christ his feete with teares, and wiped them with her hayres: a notable eye-marke to all women of Repentance. Mary was commended by Christ, for chusing the better party; and the blessed Virgin Mary, for laying the word in her heart.
5 The Lord loueth Godlines, Religion, Repentance, being his owne grace, as well in women, as in men; and the times of sickenesse and death come on women as on men, and then nothing but true grace can bestead them.