The Mystery of Self-Deceiving, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
Of the deceits of the temporarie in the outward practise of repentance.
HAuing thus detected the deceitfulnesse of the temporaries repentance in that which is inward, this chapter shall be spent in shewing the deceit 2. Outward in Wordsof that which is outward, both that which is in words, and in deedes: for the former, there are two specials, wherein the temporary deceiueth himselfe; Confession and prayer.
1. For confession, it cannot bee denied, but that it 1 Confession.is a worthy seruice of a repenting sinner, or else God would neuer hauehave promised so great a reward to it: if wee confesse our sinnes hee is faithfull to forgiue: Iob in the large catalogue of his good workes, wherwith he cheered himselfe in that heauy agonie; among the rest, reckoneth the confession of his sinnes for one, If I hauehave hid my sinne, as did Adam, &c. And Dauid hauing saide, take away the trespasse of thy seruant, 1, Iohn 1, 9. Iob 31, 33. 2 Sam. 24. 10. cleered.to make good that speech, and to proue himselfe Gods seruant, he addeth, for I hauehave done foolishly; as some godly learned thinke, hereby intimating that, if he deserued not to be called Gods seruant, in regard of his late sinne, yet, at least in regard of his later seruice, of confession: yea elsewhere when only Psal. 32, 4. August.a purpose of confession conceiued by him, Gods eare was in his heart, before his confession was in his tongue: I thought, I would confesse my sinne, and thou forgauest me: for as only the man wakened out of his dreame can tell his dream, so onelyonly the man awakened out of his sinnes by repentance, can truely confesse them. Wherefore howsoeuer temporaries, and Vt somniū n…rra…e vigilantis▪ sic peccata confiteri verè poenitentis est. Discouered because it comes neither from 1 A brokenvnregenerate men may make an outward confession, as Saul, Iudas, Pharaoh, and others did, yet the truth is, there is much guile in thir confessions.
1. True confession must come, as wee see in the Publicane, from a touched and troubled soule, from that broken and bleeding heart of Dauid, from that melting, and relenting heart of Iosiah: This is the sacrifice which the Lord will not despise. But our temporary knowes it not, The paine off the wracke onelyonly wrings the confession from him, not the mercy of that sweet God, whom he hath offended. And therfore as we see in Pharaoh, when he is off of the wrack, he begins to sing another note, and to vnsay and cal in, in a manner, his confession.
2 It must come also from a beleeuing heart, laying 2 nor a beleeuing,hold vponupon mercy: As Daniel 9. 9. Yet compassion and forgiuenesse is with the Lord albeit wee hauehave rebelled against him. And Esr. 10. 2. we hauehave trespassed, &c. yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this namely for the forgiuenesse of this sinne. This the temporary in his distresse cannot do. Iudas could say, I hauehave sinned, but for his life he could not adde those words of Dauid, Take away the sinne of thy seruant. Nay hee could not say that confession, I hauehave sinned, to God, but only to the high Priests: for he was wholly swallowed vp of despaire. His repentance was a desperate repentance, not tempered with faith, so as is the true repentance. And therefore our Sauiour preaching repentance saith, Repent and beleeue.Mark, 1, 15.
3. Confession must come from an honest heart, 3 nor an honest heart.purposing not to sinne, that so with the confession we may ioyne also the confusion and ouerthrow of sinne: He that confesseth and forsaketh (that is, hee that in that very act of confessing forsaketh) his sin, shall find mercy. This was the confession of that good Prou, 28, 13.Shecaniah, Ezr. 10. 2. 3. We hauehave trespassed, &c. Now therefore let vsus make a couenant with the Lord, to put away all the wiues. But how farre are the temporaries from this, who when by confession they hauehave seemed to disgorge their stomacks, hauehave filthily with the dogge eaten vp their owne vomit againe? And so farre are they from this purpose of not sinning, that they are fully set vponupon sinne, in confessing; as in those Israelites, that said, we hauehave sinned, we will go vp: Deut, 1, 41.which was as much as if they should hauehave said, we hauehave sinned, we will sinne: for God in the former verse vers. 40.had forbidden them to goe vp: yea many of them presume to sinne, because of confession, thinking by it to be eased, as the drunkard by his vomiting: And though some of them in their good moodes, and in some of their fits may seeme, when they humble themselues in confession, verily to purpose amendment, yet these are no sound, no setled, no sincere & honest purposes, but sudden flashings, conceiued by their deceitfull hearts, rather to auoide the iudgements either felt, or feared, then truely to please God; and thus because the heart is not rent together with the garments, therefore neither is the sin rent, but rather sown faster together by that rending of the garment, and because with that penitent Publicane, they ioyne not the inward vniting of the hart, with the outward knocking of the brest, therefore this Tundens pectus et not corrigens vitia, illa consolidat. Aug. 2. Praier, discouered becauseknocking doth not batter in peeces, but rather consolidate and more firmely compact sinne together.
2. Point which the mouth performes is praier: neither can it bee denied, but that the temporary may pray, and that as one would thinke, very zealously, as no doubt but Iudas did together with his Luc. 11, 1.fellowes, all of them desiring Christ to instruct them how to pray; neither onelyonly may hee doe this with others, but also solitarily, and apart by himselfe, as it is said the Pharisee went vp to the temple to pray, Luk. 18. 10.as well as the Publicane, both of them to their priuate prayers, the temple then in regard of ceremoniall holinesse, beeing the place, as well of priuate as of publique praier; it may seeme then our temporary Rom, 8, 26.is well: for it is onelyonly the sanctifying spirit which teacheth to pray, who therefore is styled the spirit of prayer, and the children of God are vsually in Scripture described by this, that they call vponupon the name of the Lord. But alas his praiers are no true praiers, they are turned into sinne. For,
First, though he may pray to our thinking (and his 1 Not in more grieuous trials Iob 27. 10.owne too sometime) very feruently, yet as Iob saies, wil he pray alwaie? no, in more grieuous trialls his heart, and hope fails him, his mouth is stopt, he is strooke speechles with the ghuest in the parable, and hath not so much as one word, to blesse himself with all, who yet lauished most luxuriously in aboundance of wordes in the time of peace.
2. In praier he seekes himselfe, and not gods glory, 2 No… seeking Gods face.they care not so much for Gods fauour, as for their owne profit. Whereas the property of true praier is that set downe by Salomon, If my people 2 Chron, 7, 14whereon my name is called shall humble themselues, and pray, and seeke my face. In praier Gods face, and fauour is to be sought aboue all other things: and therfore our Sauiour teacheth vsus both to beginne our praiers with desire of his glory, Hallowed be thy name, and to end them with giuing glory to him, Thine is kingdome, &c. But the temporary is not thus holily caried in his praiers, with the respect of Gods glory, with Moses and Paul preferring it to his owne saluation, Ex. 32. 32. Rom, 9, 3.but with selfe-respects, and those very base; as may easily appeare by these two things: 1. his praiers are more zealous and feruent with others, then alone by Ille dolet verè qui sine teste dolet.himselfe: whereas the vehemency of a true Christian is then greatest, when hee is shut vp in his closet, and hath God only to be witnesse of it. This shewes, that pride and vaineglory sway him, not any true zeale to Gods glory: 2▪ after praier hee hath no care to returne thanks: as in the nine leapers which cried, as loud as the tenth, Iesus hauehave mercy, but returned Luc. 17, 13, 15not with him to giuegive thanks for their health; which shewed they sought themselues onelyonly in their prayer, and nothing esteemed the louelove of Christ. Thirdly, 3. Not directed against his sinnes.hee makes praier the end of praier, hee praies to pray; he rests in his praier, and doth not in good sadnesse vse his praier as a meane to preuaile against his sinnes: he praies idlie, and lazily, and doth not together with his lippes in praying, moue his hands, in indeuouring for that he praies; according as Salomon directeth, coupling together praier to God and our owne indeuour, If thou call for knowledge and cry Pro. 2. 3. 4.for vnderstanding, if thou seeke her as siluer, and search for her as for treasure. Lo, together with right crying and calling in praier, there must be seeking, and searching in the vse of the meanes: else we do but mock God, and our selues much more, if wee please our selues in such praiers. And that which Salomon speaketh of other idle talke, will be true of the vain prattle of such slothfull praiers, In all labour there is abundance: Prou, 14. 23.but the talke of the lippes onelyonly bringeth want. We shall still remaine poore, and beggerly in spirituall things, vnlesse our hands bestirre them, and labour together with our mouthes, vnlesse we rise vp from our praiers with a setled purpose to buckle our selues to our businesse. As Dauid after that hee had Ps. 119. 5, 6. 7.praied the Lord, that his waies might bee directed to keepe Gods statutes, and had inforced this praier by certaine arguments, he thus endeth it, I will keepe vers. 8.thy statutes: whereas the temporarie beleeuer feeles no such fruite of praier, but rather saies secretly, I will lye in my sinnes still, against which I hauehave praied: I will breake thy statutes, which I praied I might keepe. Much like to S. Austin, that before his conuersion Confess. l. 8. In exordio adolescentiae petieram a te castitatem, et continentiam et dixeram da mihi continentiam sed noli modo. Timebam enim ne me cito ex audir…s, et san…res a morbo concupiscentiae, quem expleri malebam, quam extingui.praied to God for chastity and continencie, but yet was afraide, as hee writes of himselfe, least God should heare his praier too soone, desirous rather to hauehave his lust satisfied, then extinguished. Such kinde of minds hauehave the vnregenerate in their praiers, still they louelove their sinnes, and would not for all their talke, leaue them by their good wils. And therefore doe they so neere resemble him in the fable, that when his cart stucke in the mire, called vponupon his God for helpe, but yet lay still, and would not stir the least of his fingers to help himselfe; yea and those also that in their sacrifices for health did riotously banquet against health: for while they pray against, they play and sport themselues in their sinnes.
Now for that which is real in the outward practise 2 In deeds reformation of life.of repentance, namely the reformaiion of life, the temporarie also may seeme to attaine heereunto: for in the Gospell the vncleane spirit is said to be cast Math. 12.out of him, which is to be vnderstood in regard of outward reformation of his life, in that he leaueth his former scandalous courses of drunkennesse, vncleanesse, swearing, lying, open contempt of holie things &c. & conformeth himselfe to some more sober and ciuill cariage. But yet this reformation is deceitful or else the vncleane spirit could not so easily reenter with seuen worse spirits than himselfe into the party thus reformed, so that his latter end Proued deceitfull.should become worse than his beginning. Now the deceit heere is this, that our Temporarie taketh his outward abstinence from sinne for true reformation; which vnlesse it proceed from the inward forsaking is naught worth. There must be abhorring of sinne, as well as absteining: loathing as well as leauing in true reformation. A theefe when he is manacled, cannot steale, he absteines outwardly: and yet happily hath a theeuish minde still. And a chained Lyon though hee absteine from deuouring, yet he hath his lionish nature still; he hath not left that. Many leaue their sinnes in like manner being restrained by feare, shame, and such like respects. Their hearts still delight, and tickle themselues in the thoughts of those sinnes. But true reformation of sinne must proceede from the hatred of sinne, and from the louelove of Gods law forbidding sinne, as Dauids did. I hauehave refrained, saith he, from eueryevery euill way; but why Psal. 119. 101.did he so? vponupon what ground? to what end? that I might keepe thy word. It was that louelove of the law which he had so pathetically a little before professed, Oh! how louelove I thy law? this was it that made him to refraine from sinne, his affection toward the word; and this was that he propounded to himselfe in absteining from sinne, in displeasing his owne corruption to please the law, to obey the law. The wolfe, saith Austen, comes to the sheepe-fold, De verbis Apost. serm. 21. Lupus. venit ad ad ouile ouium, quae…it inuadere iugulare, deuorare. Vigilant pastores, latrant canes, nihil poterit, non aufert, non occidit: sed tamen lupus venit, lupus redit. Numquid quia ouem non tulit, ideo lupus venit, & ouis redit? lupus venit fremens, lupus redit tremens, lupus est tamen, & fremens, & tremenswith a purpose to kill and eate. But the sheep-heards they watch, the dogges they barke, he can do nothing, hee takes away nothing, he kills nothing. Yet as he comes, so he goes awaie, a wolfe. What, because hee worried, and tooke away no sheepe, therefore was he a wolfe only in his comming, and a sheepe in his returning? No, the wolfe comes furious, returnes fearefull, and yet a wolfe as well in his feare, as in his furie. And so are many as wicked in their fearefull absteining from sinne, as in their bold and furious committing of sinne. Some also are disabled by age, and yet it doth them good to remember their former wickednesse, and to incourage others to the same. If bare leauing of the outward act were enough, then these also were reformed. Others also surcease from some sinne, because a contrary vice hath got the rule and possession of them, as when the prodigall man becomes couetous. Is heere any true reformation of prodigalitie? Others againe are interrupted in the practise of one sinne, by reason some other sinne diuerts them another way, as those messengers did Saul from pursuing Dauid. As thus a man is couetous, but yet ambition and vaineglory, being stronger, make him leaue his base, couetous niggardize. A man is giuen to incontinencie; but his pride, and feare of dishonour, carrying a greater sway with him, bridle his lust. A man is wickedly angrie with his brother, but yet couetousnes hath a greater hand ouer him, then anger; therefore there is a gift in secret giuen him, he is pacified. here couetousnesse controls, and checks, and reformes anger? will you call this a reformation? no this is nothing, whē one tyrant ouercomes another, but when the lawful King ouercomes him: not whē one corruption preuaileth against another, but when grace preuaileth against it; when though there were no other restraint, yet ones owne sanctified heart would restraine, and cause one to say with Ioseph, How can I doe this, and sinne against God? otherwise, to Genes. 39. 9.desist the outward act, can yeeld but poore comfort to assure vsus that we hauehave repented. Dauid had left the sinnes of murther and aduiterie for all that space of time, that was betwixt the murther of Vriah and Nathans comming to him, which was a yeare almost, hee did not still adde one murther to another, or one adulterie to another, he did not all that while fall to it a fresh: but yet, for all that, he repented not till Nathan came, and aroused him. Excellently Salomon, By the feare of the Lord men depart from euill, shewing that wheresoeuer the true feare of God is wanting, there is no true departing from euill, though the outward act of euill be forborne. Therefore when the godly are described by absteining from euill, withall the true ground of their absteining is set downe: As Eccles. 9. 2. when the wicked man is set out to be a swearer, the godly man by way of opposition is said, not simply not to sweare, but to feare an oath, to shew that wicked men may refraine swearing, but not out of any feare of Gods commandement. That is proper only to the godly: So Prou. 15. 27. the godly are set out not simply by their not receiuing gifts, but by hating of gifts; to shew that therefore they receiue not with the hand, because they hate them with their heart.