Two Treatises 2, Tract 1 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Of turning from ſinne.
THe ſecond poynt to bee conſidered in this 2. The nature of it. whereChange or Turning, is the nature thereof, and that is ſet downe in the definition to be a turning from ſinne to God.
Heere though the nature of it be ſet foorth by a metaphor drawen from change of place, yet indeed Repentance is no change of place, but of qualities, manners and diſpoſitions from Euill to Good. The ſoule and body in regard of their eſſence, powers, faculties, and proper and naturall actions remaine the ſame after Repentance that before. OnelyOnly the corrupt and vicious qualities in them are taken away. and ſo they are rectified. Sorrow, feare, ioy, &c. are not aboliſhed, but onelyonly poliſhed, and refined of that droſſe of errour in regard of their obiect. Feare of puniſhment is turned into feare of ſinne, and worldly ſorrow into godly, Carnall mirth into ſpirituall ioy in the holy Ghoſt.
Againe this change is twofold. 1. Paſsiue, wherby God changes and turnes vsus. In the which wee are meere patients, and God onelyonly workes. 2. Actiue, whereby wee being turned and changed by God, doe labour further to turne and change our ſelues. Both theſe in time are together, but yet diſtinct in nature. The former is that which is called Regeneration, and is as it were the infuſing of a ſoule into a dead body. The latter is Repentance, and is the motion or ſtirring of the ſoule infuſed. Of it Iohn, when he ſaith, He that hath this hope purgeth 1. Ioh. 3. 3.himſelfe. And this latter actiue Conuerſion in Repentance, is the effect of the former paſſiue conuerſion. After I was conuerted I repented: ſo Iſay 30. Ierem. 31. 18.21. 22. And in this regard is Repentance made the gift of God, becauſe his turning of vsus, is the cauſe of our turning our ſelues.
For the vnderſtanding of the nature of this turning two things muſt be conſidered. 1. The Parts. 2. The Properties thereof.
The Parts are two. 1. Auerſion from ſinne. 1. The parts which are2. Conuerſion to God.
For the former; It was thus expreſſed in the definition, 1. Auerſion from ſinne.Repentance is a grace, &c. whereby the ſinner &c. turnes from his ſinne: where let vsus mark that Repentance is made a turning from ſinne indefinitely without reſtriction: whence ariſe thoſe two Conſectaries. 1. That there is no ſinne ſo great but may be; And 2. That there is no ſinne ſo ſmall, but muſt be oppoſed and encountred with Repentance. Reaſon ſayes, Great ſinnes cannot be: and ſmall ſinnes need not be repented of. In great ſins Reaſon derogates from Gods mercy; as though they could not bee pardoned for all our Repentance: My ſinne is greater then can be forgiuen. In leſſer, Gen. 4.from his iuſtice and truth; as though they might be pardoned without any Repentance at all. Againſt both theſe errours oppoſe wee both theſe aſſertions, and thus doe we maintaine them.
1. I ſay; There is no ſinne ſo hainous or hideous, but there is place for Repentance, the ſinne againſt the holy Ghoſt alwayes reſerued: of which it is ſayd, that it is impoſsible that euer the offendors therein ſhould be renewed by Repentance. Not that Hebr. 6.the Arme of Gods power is ſhortned, or the bowels of his mercy ſo ſtraightned, as though any ſinne could ouercome either: but as of a Phyſician though otherwiſe able, and willing to heale a Patient, it may be ſayd yet, hee cannot heale him, if he bee obſtinately wilfull, and will neither endure the Phyſician, but ſpits in his face, nor his Phyſick, but ſpils it on the ground; euen ſo the caſe is here. Therefore cannot this ſinne be pardoned, this ſpirituall diſeaſe be cured, becauſe this is the nature of it, to rage and raue deſperatly both againſt the phyſicke, and againſt the Phyſician; to trample Heb. 10. 29.the bloud of Chriſt vnderunder feet, and to deſpight the ſpirit of God the ſprinckler of this bloud, and not to endure him, when he perſwades to prepare the heart to Repentance, for the receit of that Soueraigne medicines.
But as for all other ſinne; Chriſt ſayes, I came to call ſinners (without exception) to Repentance, though Publicans and Harlots: Princes of Sodome and Gomorra, that is, ſuch as matched the filthy Sodomites Iſ. 10. 16.in wickedneſſe, are yet bidden to waſh themſelues in this riuer. The conſpirators againſt Chriſt are called to kiſſe the ſonne, namely with the Pſal. 2.kiſſes of that repenting woman, Luc. 7. who would hauehave thoght that euer the crucifiers of Chriſt, who ſhed his bloud by murther, ſhould hauehave drunke his blood by faith; and imbruing their hands in the matter, Acts 2.ſhould hauehave bathed their ſoules in the merit therof. And yet euen theſe are bidden Repent.
This is to comfort ſuch whom the multitude and hainouſneſſe of their ſinnes diſcourages, as though there were no acceſſe to mercy by Repentance. VntoUnto theſe God ſayes, Come, let vsus reaſon together: Iſ. 1. 18.Stand not reaſoning with your owne diſtruſtfull hearts, but hearke what I ſay to you. If yee will waſh and clenſe your ſelues by Repentance; Though your ſinnes were as red as crimſon, &c. yet then ſhall they be as white as ſnow. O but my ſinnes are exceeding great, and aboue the ordinary ſeize: why ſo much the more neede haſt thou to repent: the more dangerous the diſeaſe is, the more is phyſick vſed. And if thy ſinne bee ſo great as thou complaineſt, what meaneſt thou to make it greater by not repenting. The greatneſſe of thy ſinne troubles thee. Repentance will make it leſſe: it is only impenitency that is the condemning ſinne. O but the greatneſſe of my ſinne hinders me from repenting: ſay not ſo: Remember that Chriſt is thy phyſician, and Repentance is his phyſicke, Mat. 9. The whole neede not a Phyſician, but the ſicke; I came not to call the Righteous, but ſinners to Repentance. Wilt thou now make him ſo weake and vnskilfull a Phyſician, that he ſhould be good onelyonly at a cold, or at the rheume, or ſome ſuch petty infirmity, and not able to deale with a burning peſtilentiall feuer? Indeed bodily diſeaſes ſometimes ſo weaken that there is no ability to receiue, much leſſe the power in the phyſicke receiued to worke. Many diſeaſes are there that poſe the beſt Phyſicians, Ludibria Medicorum.and are their ſhame and reproch: not ſo here: Neuer art thou ſo low brought, but Chriſt is able to make thee take his receit of Repentance: and when it is once taken, neuer doubt of the working: for there is no ſinne, no ſpirituall diſeaſe that exceedes the skill of our ſpirituall Phyſician, Ieſus Chriſt. And therfore ſo many examples we hauehave of horrible ſinners renewed by Repentance, as Rahab an Harlot, Abraham an Idolater, Manaſſes a Tyrant, Paul a Perſecutour, thoſe Magicians called at the birth, that debauched theefe called at the death of Chriſt.
This doctrine condemneth the rigour of the Nouatians denying Repentance to them that fell away through feare in time of perſecution.
It anſwereth alſo that Queſtion concerning Relapſe or Recidiuation, into ſome greeuous ſinne after Repentance for it, namely, whether ſuch relapſed perſons may be recouered againe by new Repentance? This doctrine ſhewes plainely they may. Becauſe no ſinne is excluded from Repentance, ſaue that one vnpardonable. And heereto adde theſe reaſons.
1 Relapſe into ſome one perticular grieuous offence, after Repentance ſeemes not to bee more heynous, then a generall and long continued reuolt of one eminent in the profeſſion of the trueth, from religion, to idolatry, from holineſſe, to filthineſſe of life. But euen ſuch a reuolt may be holpen by repentance, as in Salomons caſe. Therefore a relapſe alſo.
2 Repentance is Chriſts Phiſick for ſicke ſinners, Matth. 9. Now if temporall Phyſicke doe help relapſes into the ſame diſeaſes, why may not repentance relieue relapſes into the ſame ſinnes.
3 Chriſt commands vsus to forgiue our brother vntounto 70. times 7. times in one day, if hee repent. Now that which God bids vsus doe, in ſome meaſure Matth. 18. 22.we doe it: and that good which we doe, and hauehave, we hauehave it from God, and doe it by his helpe. All our goodneſſe and mercy is but a little particle out of his fulneſſe, a drop out of his Sea. Therefore if there be ſuch mercy in vsus to forgiue thoſe that after their repentance for ſome iniuries done vsus, offend againe in the ſame kind, much more then in God the Father, and fountaine of mercies.
4 Neither want wee altogether example of Scripture. Abrahams example, Gen. 12. 19. hazarding his wiues chaſtity by a ſlippery pollicie: and againe, Geneſis. 20. 2. daſhing his foote at the ſame ſtone is alleaged by ſome. To the which wee may alſo adde that of Iohn, worſhipping the Angell the ſecond time, after the Angells rebuke for his former errour. But in theſe examples there is no mention made of repentance after the firſt ſlip. Though in all likelihood the rebuke of an Angell ſhould preuaile with Iohn, and of a heathen man with Abraham, ſpecially when hee ſaw Gods rebuke in the the danger he was in. Beſides that theſe ſeeme rather to bee examples of infirmities, then of more grieuous offences, whereof the queſtion is made. As for Peters diſſimulation in his Iudaizing, Gal. 2. it was nothing of that nature that his diſſimulation was in denying Chriſt. And therefore it cannot be counted ſuch a Relapſe as now we ſpeake of. The example of Ionas ſeemes fitter for this purpoſe: his ſinne was grieuous to runne away from God, and forſake his ambaſſage to Niniueh: and for it being grieuouſly puniſhed in the whales belly, hee there heartily repented, as appeares, Ionas. 2. yet for all this when God ſpared Niniueh, he was angry with him, and iuſtified his former ſinne, and wiſhed hee had neuer come thither; which in effect, and before Ionas 4. 1. 2.God was all one as to hauehave committed that ſinne againe the ſecond time. Heere is comfort then euen for relapſed perſons, that are intangled againe in the ſame offences whereout formerly they were deliuered by repentance. And yet this comfort belongs onelyonly to poore troubled conſciences, not to preſumptuous ſinners. It is not to encourage any that ſtands to fall, or that is fallen to lye ſtill, but onelyonly him that is fallen, and feeles himſelfe fallen, and begins to deſpaire of recouery, to ſtriue to get vp on foote, by putting him in hope of a poſſibility of riſing vp againe by helpe of that ſtone which is Luke 2.ſet as for the fall, ſo and that much more for the riſing againe of many.
But as for leſſer ſlippes, whoſe experience doth not tell him that euen after repentance he is again, and againe hampered in the ſame ſnares of anger, techineſſe, luſt, negligence, ſecret pride, hypocriſie, vaine-glory, &c. Though yet the fruit of ſerious repentance before will appeare in our falling againe, that we ſhall preſently catch our ſelues tardie. Therefore we muſt not be ouer much perplexed in ſuch caſes, to thinke our former repentance vnſound. For repentance doth not wholly take away ſinne, but onelyonly weakens it, leſſens, and impayres it. And as he truely runned who afterward ſitteth downe: ſo hee may truely repent of ſome ſin who afterward is foyled by it againe.
2 Conſectary is, that there is no ſinne ſo ſmall but it needes repentance. The world thinkes that repentance is onelyonly for more grieuous ſinnes, as murther adultery, oppreſſion, blaſphemy: as for leſſer matters they hope they may bee diſpenſed withall. Heere our ciuill men are to bee nipped, who put away repentance from themſelues becauſe free from groſſe ſcandall. Surely, though they had no vnbeleefe or prophaneneſſe of heart, which indeede are as heynous ſinnes as any, yet hauehave they cauſe enough to repent, if it were but for the very leaſt idle thoughts, or wordes they euer thought or ſpoke. The children of GOD whoſe heart God hath ſoftned by the touch of his ſpirit, will be troubled euen for the leaſt ſinnes; account ting no ſinne little which is committed againſt ſo great a God. Iohn Huſſe that good Martyr in his Foxe Martyrol. in Epiſt. Heſſ.impriſonment repented for his playing at Cheſſe, becauſe of the loſſe of time, and prouocation vntounto anger. So Bradford and Ridley for their negligences, and ſecret infirmities euen in good actions, as is to bee ſeene in their letters. When Dauids hand did touch but the lap of Sauls garment, that touch of his hand coſt him blowes and ſtroaks of heart. EueryEvery thing is laid to heart by Gods children, ſuch things the world neuer ſticks at, ſinnes of omiſſion as wel as of comiſſion. Epheſus is called to Reuel. 2. 4. 5.Repentance for leauing her firſt louelove. Euen not to increaſe in grace according to the good meanes, and occaſions we enioy, is a matter that craues repentance, fauouring our ſelues though in neuer ſo ſmall ſinnes cannot ſtand with repentance, which turnes the backe vponupon all ſinnes whatſoeuer, bee they great, or be they ſmall.