The Practice of Repentance, Chapter 8
CAP. 8. Concerning the manner of entrance into Repentance.
THe third rule for the direction of our Repentance, concerneth the manner of it, and this both of
1 Entrance,
2 Proceeding.
1. For the right entrance into this duty, wee must know that there can be no true Repentance, without due preparation. Amos 4.12. Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. And in all diuine duties, the rule is, Eccles. 5…6. Be not hasty with thy feet, nor rash in thy mouth, but consider how thou must doe a good thing wel.
In this preparation, remember,
1 Thy selfe, and thy owne estate: For a man must returne into himselfe, before he can returne to God. The prodigall Sonne, as he departed from his father, so he departed from himselfe; and therefore before hee returned to his Father, he is said to be in se reuersus, he returned into himselfe. Esa. 46.8. Returne into your mindes, O transgressors: implying, that sinners are as madde men, out of their right mindes, & must come into themselues againe, before they be well.
Now, in considering thy selfe, first, remember from what an happy estate thou art fallen. Reuel. 2.5. Remember whence thou art fallen, and repent: So the Prodigall remembred from what an happy condition in his fathers house, he was fallen.
2 Remember thy waies, and workes see, and say how foolishly thou hast done: so Dauid, I considered my wayes, and turned my feete, Psal. 119.59. proclaime thine owne folly, as Dauid, I hauehave done very foolishly: Ex lege agnitio paccati, weigh thy sins in the Ballance, not of crooked iudgement, reason, or affections, but of the law of GOD, which maketh them exceed all the mountaines of the world in weight; for now must they needs presse thee downe to hell, powring on thy head all the curses written in that Booke.
See them in the glasse of the Gospell, committed against the bloud of the couenant, thou hauing done what thou canst to make that of none effect. See in them thy vile and abiect condition, that durst commit such sins against God, to abhorre thy selfe with Iob in dust and ashes.
3 Consider thy forlorne and cursed condition, till thou dost repent: thou art without GOD; he that sinneth, hath neither seene God, nor knoweth him, Iohn. 3.6.
Thou lyest in a state wherein thou art not capable of Gods mercy, for God will not be mencifull to that man, Deut. 29.120. Nay, he cannot, vnlesse he can be vniust in bestowing grace vponupon the contemners of grace. Say not God is mercifull▪ for his bounty would lead thee to Repentance; but the heart that cannot repent, treasureth vp wrath against the day, Rom. 2. Yea, thou lyest in a state in which the Angell of the Lords wrath is ready to meet thee, as Balaam, with death at eueryevery corner. Reuel. 16.2. The Angell that powred out the V… o…s of Gods wrath on the earth: the reason is giuen, because they repented not of their works: and except ye repent, ye must perish euerlastingly.
2 In this Preparation, remember with whom thou hast to deale: Repentance is a drawing neere vntounto God, Iam. 4. Men draw neere vntounto GOD many waies; by outward profession, by inward faith & apprehension, by prayer and inuocation, but especially by Repentance and Conuersion: therefore saith Iames, Draw neere to God, cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and wash your hearts ye wauering minded: for sin estrangeth, separateth, withdraweth from God; but Repentance is a returning to him, and striking a new league.
In this approach to God, it will notably set forward Repentance. If
1 Thou set him before thee, a God cloathed with Maiesty and honour: with iustice, and wrath against sin: this striketh the soule with an awfull feare, and dread of God, to make it stoope before him.
See we how the idolatrous person will cast himselfe on his face before his idoll: he will goe barefoot, creepe along as a worme from one end of the Church to another, to get a kisse of it: and shall we approach the true God with so little reuerence, when they shew so much to Idols? It is the feare of God that diminisheth the power of sinne.
2 If thou set him before thee in the riches of his mercy, in prouiding so excellent a remedy against sinne, as is the precious bloud of his deare Sonne, when nothing in the world else would serue, 1. Pet. 1.10.
3 And now to set thy face towards God, as Daniel did, Dā. 9.2.
1 Implying a drawing of the minde from all other distractions & occasions, as now hauing onelyonly to doe with God, who in this duty requireth the whole heart, and the powring out of the soule before him.
2 To testifie that we are turned quite out of our selues, in whom is no helpe, and depend onelyonly vponupon him for all supplies and mercy.
3 In this preparation, consider the necessity, benefit, and vse of Repentance.
1 That nothing else can free vsus from the snare of the death in which we are captiues, 2. Tim. 2.9
2 Nothing else reconcileth vsus vntounto God, and restoreth vsus to his fauour.
3 Nothing else correcteth the corruption of nature, and returneth into innocency.
4 Nothing else reneweth our life and course, and maketh vsus capable of holinesse, or happinesse.
All this preparation is requisite; not onelyonly because of Gods command, but rash and temerarious vndertaking of religious duties, is a taking of Gods name in vaine, and fruitlesse.
2 If Daniel be not fit till hee be prepared, much lesse we who hauehave so many distractions, so much earth, so dull spirits.
3 There is no comfort in doing the duty, but in the well and acceptable doing of it: and neuer is it well performed, but when we are well prepared.