Resolution to Return Unto God by Repentance, Part 1 – Part 4
Firſt, what Repentance is.
THere is no Doctrine in the Church of God more neceſſary thē the doctrine of Repentance and amendment of life; neither doth the holy Ghoſt ſo much labour in all the Scripture, as hee doth to beat repentance into mens heads.
It was not only the only Sermon which S. Iohn Baptiſt preached, to prepare the way for Chriſt, but alſo it was the firſt that euer was made, it was preached by God himſelfe, to our firſt parents in Paradiſe; & euer ſince both the Prophets, Apoſtles, and many of Gods faithful Miniſters hauehave preached Repentance vntounto the people.
Yet notwithſtanding many are ſo wedded vntounto ſinne, and they are become ſo godleſſe, ſo graceleſſe, ſo rooted and fully reſolued to liue therein, yt the moſt part little vnderſtand the Doctrine of Repentance, and leſſe practiſe the duty. Many preſume to deſcribe it, though few know it: many can talke of it, but few walke in it; many ſpeake of it, but few feele it; and many thinke they hauehave caught it, when they hauehave but the ſhaddow of it; becauſe it is ſo ſlippery that few can hold it, and ſo ſecret that many cannot find it: it is hid from the world, and reuealed vntounto none but to the elect Children of God.
It is a worke that no men with their ſine heads and deepe deuices can comprehend, for the conuerſion of a ſinner is ſupernatural. And whoſoeuer doth or hath not felt in himſelfe what repentance is, ſhalbee dammed; therefore hee that hath eares to heare, let him heare, and he that hath eyes to ſee, let him ſee what Repentance is, and withall bring this precept of the Philoſophers with him, Noſce teipſum, Know thy ſelfe; it is the firſt thing to be done in repentance, and the beginning of all grace.
Repentance is a worke of grace▪ ariſing of a godly ſorrow, from a true faith, and knowledge of a mans own ſpirituall eſtate. It is a conſtant turning of man in his whole life from all his ſinnes, vntounto God; it is an harty ſorrow for ſinne with amendment of life, hauing a godly Reſolution to ſinne no more.
It is a moſt neceſſary thing for mankind; it is the very ſuperſedeas and diſcharge of ſinne, and the cauſe of vnity betweene God and man. There is no other means to make peace betweene Chriſt and vsus, but Repentance: No other to diſcharge ſin, nor courſe to auoyde hell, but Repentance; neither any way to winne heauen, but Repentance: and therefore Repentance is moſt neceſſary.
What wounded body would not ſeeke a ſalue? much more what wounded ſoule, ſlain with ſin, would not ſeeke Repentance, ſeeing it is the onelyonly ſalue to cure the ſoule?
It is an Ephod of purity; and a defiled man may not weare it. The dignity of it is great, & honorable; and the Lord will not beſtow it vponupon an vnworthy perſon. It is a magnificent gueſt, and wil not come into a polluted Tabernacle. It is an holy Sainct, and will not dwell in the Synagogue of Sathan.
It is not to bee bought with ſiluer or gold, nor to bée had from the gifts of Kings, Popes, or Potentates: it is a thing of ineſtimable value, it ſheweth the attonement betweene the Sauiour and the Sinner; and beeing gotten by Faith, Prayer, and hearing the Word of God, it brings thee vntounto Chriſt. It is libera Donatio, a gift abſolute, without conſideration, which God euer beſtoweth vponupon his friends, vppon thoſe that louelove him. It is called the Spirit of Burning; therefore with ſpéede repēt, that repentance may burne thy ſinnes, leſt the fire of hell burne thy ſoule. Eſay 4. 4.
The true Eſſence or nature of thy Repentance, onelyonly conſiſteth in turning from all thy ſinnes vntounto God: and therefore it is not altogether deriued of the word Poenitentia, becauſe the Diuines ſay, it doth not comprehend Totum Terminum a quo et ad quem, from what, and to whom thou muſt returne.
But this is the true Repentance, which the Latins interpret by this word Reſipiſcentia, or Conuerſio; we is not onelyonly the changing of the minde, but it is Receſsus a malo, a forſaking of euill, Acceſsus ad bonum, & returne vntounto that which is good: Reuertimini vſque ad me, returne as farre as vntounto me. Thou muſt not with Agrippa come we almoſt, for God delights not in thoſe which will but almoſt repent: but if thou wilt repent truely, thou muſt carefully giuegive vntounto God three things, viz. Primam Lunam, Rotam Solis, Canis iram:
The firſt quarter of the moon, COR
The circle of the Sun,
And the rage of a dog.
And withall hauehave both a purpoſe in minde, and an inclination in will, and endeauour in life, wholly to forſake all thy ſins for euer, and turne vntounto God.
For better proofe that true Repentance is a turning vntounto God, thou maiſt finde examples in the holy Scriptures plentiouſly.
O ye children of Iſrael (ſaith Eſay) turne againe frō al your infidelity, wherein you hauehave drowned your ſelues.
Turne you, turn you from all your euill wayes, for why will ye dye O ye houſe of Iſrael?
Repentance may be called a worke of Grace; yea, a ſupernaturall Grace of a ſanctified ſpirit, ariſing of a godly ſorrow, from a true faith, and knowledge of a mans owne ſpirituall eſtate.
I may call Repentance a worke, becauſe it ſeemes not to bee a quality or habite, but an action of a Repentant ſinner, ſtriuing to returne from all his ſinnes, to come vntounto God: and it cannot be practiſed by any, but ſuch as are in the ſtate of Grace.
Thou muſt leaue all ſin, and turne wholly to God: therefore to be contrite, and not to conuert; to conuert, and not to reforme; to forſake ſinne paſt, and not to amend; to eſchew▪ euill, and not to doe good; and to acknowledge Gods mercy, & not to giuegive thāks: is indéed, not to repēt truly.
To doe one thing, and to leaue all the reſt vndone; or to doe all but one, and to leaue that vndone, is to do nothing at all: but to leaue all vndone, is to put the Diuell out of one corner of thy heart into another.
For bee thou well aſſured, that thy ſoule is a reall thing, and cannot paſſe but by liuery; therefore if thou wilt deliuer the whole poſſeſſō of thy ſoule vntounto God by Repentance vnfeignedly, thou muſt needes driue the Diuell out of all the corners of thy heart by amendmēt of thy life wholly.
Thou muſt reſolue to leaue ſinne fully and abſolutely. If thou begin to repent, and goe not forward from Grace to Grace, thy Repentance is of no value: Non progredi eſt regredi, Not to goe forward (in thy Repentance) is to go backward, without thy amendment: for there is no ſtanding ſtill (in the ſtate of ſin) if thou mind to repent. Qui ceſsat eſse melior, ceſsat eſse bonus: He that ceaſſeth to bée better, ceaſſeth to bée good; but he that doth begin & goe on to the end, receiues his reward, and this can neuer be obtained, except thou repent truly.
To Repent, conſiſteth but of two ſyllables; yet vntounto the wicked it is ſo hard to be learned, and ſo vnapt to be practiſed, that like as the Camelion can change himſelfe into all colours ſauing white, ſo wold they change thēſelues from all goodneſſe to follow euil, rather then to returne vntounto the Lord by Repentance.
To conclude this point, thou ſhalt no ſooner repent, but heauen ſhall bee confirmed vntounto thee, habendum et tenendum, for euer and euer.
Secondly, God is the Author of Repentance.
REpentance is libera donatio, a gift abſolute, without conſideratiō; and it comes fréely from God, who is the very efficientIer. 31. 18. Lam. 5. 21. Ier. 31. 18. Ier. 31. 18. 2. Tim. 25. 26. and principall Author or Donor thereof. It is therfore to be held the more precious, and to bee deſired with the more hope; yea, to be thy Summum Bonum, for it obtaineth Saluation vntounto all thoſe which truely repent and turne vntounto God. And hee that turneth vntounto God by Repentance, muſt firſt of all bee turned by God: and ſo ſaith Ieremiah, Ierem. 31. 19. Surely after IIer. 31. 19. was conuerted I repented, and after I was inſtructed, I ſmote vponupon my thigh; I was aſhamed, yea euen confounded, becauſe I did beare the reproch of my youth. AndIoh. 6. .44. our Sauiour Chriſt ſaith, No man can come vntounto me except my Father draw2 Tim. 2. 25 Pſ. 118. 29. Ier. 33. 11. Mat. 19. 16 Pſal. 105. Pſal. 103. 8. him. Therefore ſaith S. Paule, Inſtruct them with meekeneſſe, prouing if God will at any time giuegive them Repentance, that they may be ſaued.
For God is good andEzech. 18. Rom. 10. 1…. Pſal. 50. 15 Pſal. 91. 15 Pſal. 145. 18. mercifull vntounto all thoſe that turne vntounto him by Repentance; he is full of pitty, and hath no pleaſure at all that the wicked ſhould die: but is rich vntounto all that call vppon him for mercy; and hath promiſed to heare thy petitions if thou truely repent.
Furthermore, if thou hadſt repentance in thine owne power, and mighteſt repent when thou wouldeſt; yet it were but a folly; yea, it were a méere madneſſe to preſume in ſinne becauſe thou haſt a remedy. But now ſéeing thy repentance is in the hand of God, and that none can repent without his eſpeciall Grace, it were a double and a treble folly to delay thy Repentance from day to day, or to ſeeke it from any other but from God.
Thirdly, of Contrition.
COntrition is a feare and inward ſorrow of conſciēce, perceiuing that God is angry with ſin, & is ſorry that it hath ſinned. And to ſpeake more largely of it, thou maiſt know this; y• Contrition alſo comprehendeth firſt the knowledge of God, requiring Obedience, and diſcommending Diſobedience; and not to remit Sin without full and perfect ſatiſfaction, either in reſpect of obedience it ſelfe, or elſe in reſpect of puniſhment.
Secondly, the diſcuſſing and examining of thy Nature, thy thoughts, will, affections, and all thy actions and déedes, according to the ſquare and rule of Gods Lawes in eueryevery point: for as ſaith S. Auguſtine, Peccatum puniendum eſt aut a te, aut a Deo: ſi punitur a te, tunc punitur ſine te: ſi vero a te non punitur, tecum punietur. Sin muſt néedes bée puniſhed, either of God, or of thy ſelfe; if by thy ſelfe, then ſin is puniſhed without thée; if of God, then thou and thy ſin muſt bée puniſhed together. Therefore if thou wouldſt repent with a true contrition, that thereby thou maiſt reape a moſt plentiful harueſt, thou muſt ſowe in Gods field ye ſéedes of Repentance, and oftentimes water them wt the teares of thy humble Contrition: ſo ſhalt thou gather the true fruits of euerlaſting ioy and felicity. For as ye déeper the woūd, the more diligent the cure: ſo let thy repentance bring forth as much ſorrow, as ſin gaue thee delight.
And as S. Ambroſe ſaith, Expectat lachrimas noſtras Deus, vt profundat Pietatem ſuā: God looketh for thy teares in thy Contrition, that hée may powre downe his grace vponupon thy amendment. Lauandum eſt cor Poenitentiae lachrimis. Thou muſt waſh thy heart in the troubled Poole of Betheſda, in the true tears of Repentance, hauing an inward ſorrow wrought by the holy Ghoſt, for thy ſinnes before committed, againſt ſo good and gracious a God; ioyned both with a perfect faith to bee forgiuen for Chriſt his ſake, and alſo from henceforth, with a ful and determinate purpoſe to amend and leade a new life.
Fourthly, of Examination.
BEfore thou confeſſe thy ſinnes vntounto God, thou muſt take heede to examine thy ſelfe, that thereby thou maiſt know them both in greatneſſe and danger: for vntill thou know thy ſins, that thy conſcience may be conuicted by them, thou canſt neuer humbly & hartily confeſſe them.
For, let any repentant ſinner aske his conſcience, what was the firſt cauſe of his conuerſion, and ſurely he will ſay, That when hee began to repent, he did firſt ſearch himſelfe; and finding his wayes dangerous, and his cauſe feareful, did therevpon reſolue to take a new courſe. It is the beginning of all grace, to ſearch, trie, and examine thy ſelfe. It is alſo a meanes to preuent Gods iudgement: for if thou doeſt not ſearch thy ſelfe, then God will ſearch thee with his fiery croſſes and terror of his puniſhments.
But if thou truely examine thy ſelfe, firſt to bee guilty of Adams ſin.
Secondly, prone by Nature to all euill.
Thirdly, ſubiect to the curſe of Gods wrath.
Thus in the guiltineſſe of Adams ſin, ſin hath his beginning; in the originall, his continuance; and in actuall, his full perfection.
So, anſwerable thereunto is the wrath of God; it beginneth by leauing thée by nature vntounto the ſlauery of Sathan; it is continued by death, and accompliſhed by damnation.
Now theſe three rules I leaue to thy carefull conſideration, aſſuring thée from God, thou canſt neuer bee ſaued, vnleſſe thou repent; nor neuer repent, except thou doeſt ſearch, trie, and examine thy ſelfe.
Thus, if thou wilt repent truly, thou muſt ſearch and looke into thy ſelfe, to ſee in what a miſerable caſe thou art; as I hauehave ſaid before: and thou ſhalt find, that by nature thou art the child of wrath, out of the fauour of God, not onelyonly wretched and accurſed by the Law, a bond-ſlaue vntounto Sathan, but finally ſubiect to death, hell, and damnation.
Thus if thou wouldſt know, if thou art in the right way of repentance, or no, thou ſhalt finde, if thou conſider in thy ſelfe, whether thou hadſt euer any neede of Gods pardon for thy ſinne, or of Chriſt his blood, to ſalue and cure thy ſoule: Or was thy heart euer wounded or grieued for thy ſin, ſo that thy ſoule were euen ſicke with the ſtinke thereof?
Or didſt thou euer hunger and thirſt after God in Chriſt? and with ſighes, groanes and teares, beg for his mercy vponupon thy knees (as for life and death:) If thou haſt not felt, nor done theſe things in ſome meaſure, ſurely thy caſe is very fearefull and dangerous; yu art not yet in the way of Repentance: therefore as yet the mercies of God belong not vntounto thee.