Two Treatises 2, Tract 1 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Of the ſecond part of Conuerſion, Turning to the Lord.
THe ſecond part of Turning, is turning to the 2. Conuerſion to God.Lord. In ſinne our backs are turned to him, In repentance our faces are turned towards him. For it is not enough to ceaſe from ſinne, but withall we muſt turne to the Lord, and ſet our hearts towards him and his kingdome. O Iſrael if you returne, returne vntounto me ſaith the Lord. And let him that ſtole Ier. 4. 1.ſteale no more, but let him labour and giuegive to him that Eph. 4. 28.needes. For eueryevery tree that brings not forth good fruit ſhall be hewen downe and caſt into the fire. Many lead Mat. 3. 10.a ciuill and an honeſt life, not ſpotted with groſſe ſinnes, yet for all this they hauehave prophane hearts turned to the world-ward, not ſauouring or affecting the things of God. But here is the very pith of repentance, The turning of the heart vpward to Heauen, and fixing the eye vponupon God, and ſo making towards him with the foote: that ſo it may be ſaid of eueryevery true repentant, that his behauiour is as of one that is going vp to the heauenly Ieruſalem, Luke 9.as it was ſaide of Chriſt going to the earthly Ieruſalem. Oh this one thing ſhowes how little repentance there is in this world, when the ſhame of our affections carries vsus downeward to the earth. A plaine argument the heart is turned to God: For in this regard a Chriſtians conuerſation is in heauen, becauſe by repentance his eye is now turned to heauen, and his feete are carrying him thether apace.Phil. 3. 2.
This then miniſters exceeding great comfort to the poore repenting ſinner diſcouraged with his manifold ſlippes and infirmities, and is brought to doubt of the truth of his repentance by the ſenſe of his many and daily frailties. Such an one may remember that repentance conſiſts in a turning of the heart and affections to God, not in walking in a way without a ſtumbling foote. Repentance takes not away ſtumbling, it takes not away ſlipping, and ſliding of the foote. It keepes the face from turning from God, and the foote from walking from God. It fares with a repentant as with a man going vp an hill, who though he may hauehave many fals and ſlippes, yet ſtill is ſaid to bee going vp the hill, becauſe his face is toward the toppe of the hill. So it is with the penitent ſinner, he is turning to God, though he hauehave many falls, becauſe his face is ſet, and the maine current of his affections is bent vponupon God. This therefore be thy comfort, thou wenteſt not out to meete and to welcome ſinne, but it came vponupon thee at vnawares, and like a coward comming behind thee ſtrooke vp thine heeles, thy feet indeed ſlid a little downeward, but thy face was ſtill vpward.
But the maine point that heere is to bee inſiſted vponupon, is this, that repentance alwaies brings with it a wonderfull, and a palpable change and alteration of the heart and life. When our affections, like wilde madde horſes are violently galloping to hell, the ſpirit of God by repentance, as by a bridle, ſuddenly giues a ierke and turnes them, and ſets them a going as faſt the other way. So that thoſe our companions in the broad way ſtand maruelling at vsus, that wee breake off company, and doe not ſtill continue running out with them into the ſame exceſſe of ryot.1. Pet. 4 4.
So great is the change that not onelyonly our ſelues, but others alſo may diſcerne it as to maruell at it. It is compared to the change of darkeneſſe into Eph. 5. 8.light, which who ſees it not? yea vntounto the change of a ſtone into fleſh, I will take away the ſtony heart, and giuegive you a heart of fleſh. Why doth Sathan bid Ezek. 26. 26.Chriſt turne ſtones into bread to prooue himſelfe God? Hee had long before done a greater matter then that, euen turned ſtones into fleſh which is ſofter then bread. Great and wonderfull is that change of glory in the life to come, when a peece of clay ſhall ſhine as the Sunne, when corruption ſhall put on incorruption, when theſe baſe earthly bodies ſhall bee ſpirituall bodies, and theſe weake ignorant ſoules ſhall become like the Angels themſelues. But this change which is wrought by Repentance in the conuerſion of a ſinner farre excels it: For the diſtance betwixt Grace and Glory is not ſo great as betwixt Sinne and grace: for grace is the beginning of glory. And therefore Paul couches Sanctification vnderunder Glorification, being but the perfection of Sanctification: And Peter cals the Grace Rom. 8.of ioy, glorious ioy and vnſpeakable. But ſin is flat contrary 1. Pet. 1. 8.to grace, and a change from one degree to another, is eaſier then from one kinde to another. No maruell then if the Angels doe ſo triumph at the Repentance of a ſinner, when they ſee a greater Luc. 15. 10.change then that at the firſt creation, when out of that deformed and confuſed Chaos, ſo good and ſo bewtifull a creature as heauen & earth was drawn. Oh the bright hue the leprous ſoule is in, when once waſhed in this Iorden. Though before blacker then the ſtocke, yet now ſhineth as once Ieruſalems Lam. 4. 7.Nazarites. The beggers naſty ragges are ſtript off, the old man is put off, and the royall robes they cloath vsus, the new man is put on. Great is the change of olde age into youth. Now in Repentance of olde men we become young men, we caſt our olde skinne with the ſnake, and oh how ſmug and freſh are wee then? Wee euen renue our ſtrength Pſal. 103.with the Eagle. All olde things paſſe away, and all things become new.2. Cor. 5.
Heere then is an excellent triall of our Repentance. Let vsus not deceiue our ſelues. Repentance will transforme a man out of himſelfe, ſo that all the world may ſee it, and ſay, How much is this man changed from that he was? Canſt thou ſay of thy ſelfe as Paul of Oneſimus? Once vnprofitable, now profitable. Or as Paul of the Corinthians, Once I was a theefe, Philem. 11.an adulterer, an extortioner, a couetous perſon, &c. But 1. Cor. 6. 9. 10 11.now I am waſhed, now I am cleanſed. Once I was a dogge, vnderunder the table, but now a ſonne ſitting at the table: once I was a bramble in the wilderneſſe, but now a pleaſant and a fruitful figge-tree in Gods Orchard. If thus thou canſt ſay of thy ſelfe, it is a bleſſed euidence of true Repentance. But how ſore doth this ſay to full many of vsus. For
Firſt, how many prophane wretches are there that lie wallowing in their mire, and liue in the daily and greedy practiſe of groſſe ſinnes, that may ſay, I was a ſwearer, and ſo I am ſtill, I was a prophaner of the Sabaoth, a proud ſcoffer, and a mocker of all goodneſſe, I was couetous, a drunkard, an vncleane perſon, and as I was, ſo I am ſtill. Thou wretch that haſt thy leproſie ſtill ſticking in thy forehead, wilt thou euer bragge, that thou haſt waſhed thy ſelfe in this Iorden? Thou that haſt an Aethiopian hide tanned in the ſunne of thine owne ſcorching concupiſcence, and the Diuels fiery temptations, thou that haſt the Leopards ſpots, and the Leuiathans ſcales, wilt thou euer take the boldnes to thee of ſaying, Thou Repenteſt? where is thy change? where is thy transformation? Repentance would make a change in thee. It made of Paul a furious perſecutour, a zealous Preacher, It makes a Lyon to become a Lambe: It makes the Iſ. 11. 7.Lyon eate graſſe quietly with the Lambe, as hee did at the firſt creation: It makes him forget and leaue off his roaring and his ramping. It made the woman of Samaria, and the crucifiers of Chriſt to become Ioh. 4. Acts 2.humble and ſerious petitioners to Chriſt and his Apoſtles. It turned the Iaylor from ſcourging, to annoynt the wounds of the Apoſtles. It made Zaccheus of a proling and pilling Publican, and a Acts 16.grinder of the faces of the poore, to be a compaſſionate, and a mercifull refreſher of their bowels. Loe, the Wolfe dwelling with the Lambe, and the Leopard with the Kid. Dauid who before his Repentance Iſ. 11.luſted after Bathſheba without feare, afterward was afrayd, for that hee had inordinately luſted after a little water, and ſpilt it on the ground. Preſumptuous Peter whoſe voyce was before his Repentance: 2. Sam. 23.Though all men, yet not I, oh how humble and how meeke was hee afterward: Symon loueſt thou mee more then theſe? to wit, then theſe thy fellowes? Ioh. 21.That was our Sauiours Queſtion; See now what was his anſwer. Not, more then theſe. No, he had now turned his crowing into crying, his confident triumphs into humble teares, Lord I louelove thee, though weakely, though not ſo ſtrongly as theſe who neuer denied, and forſwore thee as I hauehave done, yet Lord I louelove thee. Cowardly Peter before his Repentance plucking in his ſnailes horne at the touch of a ſilly girle, afterward how couragious was he, how did he not feare to affront the higheſt Prieſt himſelfe. Now then, thou that talkeſt of Repentance, ſhew me the like change in thy ſelfe. Canſt thou with good conſcience ſay, I was thus and thus, but now the caſe is altered, I hate that folly which before I loued, I embrace that grace of God which before, ſwine that I was, I trampled vnderunder my feete. Thou muſt be able to ſay ſo before thou canſt bee able to ſay thou haſt repented. Repentance and Continuance in thine old wicked courſes cannot ſtand together. Repentance will make thee of an earthling, a ſaintling, of fierce, meeke, of couetous, bountifull, of fleſhly, ſpirituall, of a wolfe, a ſheepe, yea of a Diuell, an Angell. So that thou maiſt ſay, I was an vncleane beaſt; but doe I follow drinking ſtill? So Paul; Doe I yet ſeeke to pleaſe men? as who ſhould ſay, it is time: Indeede Gal. 1. 10. explaned.once I did ſeeke to pleaſe men, but I am now otherwiſe then I was. So to the Corinthians, Yea though wee hauehave knowne Christ after the fleſh heeretofore, deſpiſing him for want of outward glory, yet now henceforth know him ſo no more. But alas, alas, no 2. Cor. 5. 16. expounded.change to be ſeene in many, except it be from euill to worſe.
2. How many ciuil men hauehave wee, that remaine in their pure naturalls, and bleſſe themſelues in their outward honeſty and glory in this, that they were alwaies the ſame, which is iuſt to glory in their ſhame. For what is it elſe but a plaine profeſſion that they neuer had any repentance: for that would hauehave made a ſtrange alreration. It would hauehave reuerſed, and hauehave vndone all that wee hauehave done. A thing indeed which ciuill men can hardly be brought vntounto, to demoliſh and caſt down the goodly buildings (as they thinke, though indeed rotten and ruinous) of their ciuill vertues: they can hardly endure to hauehave all their life by-paſt cenſured and condemned for nought. But yet they muſt if euer they will ſee the kingdome of God. Except a Iohn 3. foreign.man be borne againe, hee cannot ſee the kingdome of God. The word againe is ſignificant; which, as Beza there notes, imports, that we muſt goe ouer all againe that is paſt, and reiect it as vnprofitable, and begin a new. Thus did Paul who was a better ciuilian then thou canſt be for thine heart: when he repented hee threw away all his glozing ciuill vertues as offals to dogges. And though before hee Phil 3. foreign.thought himſelfe in good caſe, yet when the Law was reuealed vntounto him, he ſaw what hee was then, Rom. 7.and then was troubled for inward luſts, and motions of his heart. And theſe our times want not ſuch examples, when ciuill men hauing beene ceazed vponupon by the ſpirit, they hauehave ſeene their owne dangerous ſtate, and hauehave beene vrged to repentance, and ſo hauehave felt a wonderfull change in their harts and liues: of neglecters of the word and praier, they hauehave become conſcionable practiſers of all religious dueties, and zealous louers of that which before onelyonly faſhionably, and for Lawes ſake they hauehave performed.
Let then ciuill men whoſe nature is changed by the ſpirit of Repentance, know that they are in a damnable ſtate, and that it will not bee well with them, till they grow to a loathing, and a deteſtation of this their euill life, voyd of all heat, and heart of holy deuotion.