Two Treatises 2, Tract 1 · Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX. Motiues to Repentance, from the good it brings.
NOw ſee a little the Good it brings, and procures. 2. In procuring good.And the Good is twofold: Spirituall, and Temporall.
The ſpirituall good which Repentance procures, 1. Spirituall.is twofold.
1. Firſt, it brings to the repenting ſinner, the Holy Ghoſt. Repent, ſaith Peter, and be baptized, and yee ſhall receiue the gift of the Holy Ghoſt.Act. 2. 38.
Now it brings the Holy Ghoſt both in reſpect of 1. The Holy Ghoſt.his Comforts, and in reſpect of his Graces.
1. For the Comforts of the Holy Ghoſt, then are 1. In the comforts.they moſt bountifully diſpenſed to vsus, when we are moſt vncomfortable, and mourne for ſinne, Bleſſed are they that mourne, for they ſhall be comforted. Repentance Matth. 5. 4.is the preparing the way of the Lord in the deſert, by it are the rough and filthy wayes of our Iſai. 40. 3. opened.hearts amended, and made fayre, and then the Lord himſelfe ſets in his feet, and walkes in them: by it our hearts being made of a deſert, a paradiſe, Chriſt comes preſently and makes it the place of his delight, and ſolace. By repentance wee gaine ſweet fellowſhip with Chtiſt, and a more liuely, and comfortable preſence of the Holy Ghoſt. For by preparing away in the wildernes, is meant the change of our hearts by Repentance: and by the way of the Lord, is meant the bleſſed, and comfortable preſence of Chriſts ſpirit within vsus: when thoſe crooked wayes of ours are made ſtraight by our repentance, and theſe rough places plained, Then ſhall Iſai: 40. 5. Luc: 3. 5. 6.the glory of the Lord be reuealed, and all fleſh ſhall ſee the ſaluation of God. So true in this regard alſo is that ſpeech, Repent, for the kingdome of God is at Matth: 3. 2.hand, that is, Chriſt is a King at hand, ready, royally to diſpenſe his bounty in powring the vnſpeakable comforts of his ſpirit vponupon you.
2. It procures the Holy Ghoſt in reſpect of his 2. In the graces of it.Graces, procuring both the meanes of Grace, and Grace it ſelfe. God will neuer be wanting to the repentant ſinner in the good meanes of grace: O ye diſobedient children turne againe ſaith the Lord, &c. Ier: 3. 14. 15.And I will giuegive vntounto you Paſtors according to mine heart which ſhall feede you with knowledge and vnderſtanding. Thus Cornelius his ſerious exerciſes of prayer and repentance, brough vntounto him firſt an Angell, then an Apoſtle, and then the Holy Ghoſt himſelfe. And as it procures the meanes, ſo alſo Act: 10. 3. 25 44Grace it ſelfe. And among other the gifts and graces of the ſpirit, procured by Repentance, we may inſtance in Knowledge a mayne one, and which is the ground of all the reſt. Now we ſhall ſee how Repentance gaines it. Sinnes are as ſcales to our eyes, whence they are called workes of darkneſſe, and the Deuill, the prince of darkneſſe, but the violent ſtreame of repenting teares, carry and bruſh away theſe ſcales. Naturall teares indeed dull our bodily eyes, but theſe teares cleare the ſoules eyes, Proouing ſaies the Apoſtle, if God at any time will 2. Tim: 2. 25.giuegive them Repentance, that they may know the truth. The reaſon of our ignorance of Gods word, is the hardnes of our hearts, which being remooued by repentance, we come then to the knowledge of it. Excellent is that of Paul concerning the Iewes, that 2. Cor: 3. 16.when their heart ſhall be turned to the Lord, the vayle ſhould be taken away. That vayle of ignorance which thorough the hardnes of their hearts is drawne ouer their eyes, by repentance ſhall be remooued, and taken away. The Lord ſaies Dauid, will teach ſinners Pſalm: 25. 8.in the way: why Ioh: 9. he will not heare ſinners, and will he then teach them? He expounds himſelfe in the next verſe, what ſinners he meanes, euen ſuch as he will heare alſo, euen humble, and repenting ſinners, Them that be meeke will he guide in iudgment, verſ. 9.and teach the humble his way. Humiliation is the way to get vnderſtanding, From the day ſaies the Angell to Daniel, that thou didſt ſet thine heart to vnderſtand, and to humble thy ſelfe before thy God, Dan: 10. 12.thy words were heard. Herevpon it is that the ignorance of the Gentiles, and the infidelitie of the Diſciples, Eph: 4. 18. Mark: 6. 52. 8. 17.is imputed to the hardneſſe of their hearts. Is it any maruell then that men are ſo groſſely ignorant, that they neuer feele the enlightning and quickning preſence of the Spirit, ſo that they may euen ſay in this regard, though not we hauehave not heard, yet we hauehave not felt whether there bee an holy Ghoſt, or no? Is this any maruell when men goe on ſo wilfully and impenitently in their ſinnes? Repentance is the beſt commentary to the Miniſter on his text, and to the priuate man on his Miniſters Sermon. If any man, ſayes our Sauiour, will doe my will (and this is the will of God, euen our ſanctification, Ioh. 7. 17. 1. Theſſ. 4. 3.and this is our ſanctification, by Repentance to correct our errors, & to endeuor our ſelues in obedience) then he ſhall know whether the doctrine I ſpeake be of my ſelfe, or of my father. It was a good ſaying of Bradfords, That we muſt firſt be in the Grammar-ſchoole of Repentance, before wee goe to the vniuerſity of Predeſtination. And Cardinall Poole anſwered not amiſſe to him that demanded what courſe ſhould be taken in reading of the Epiſtle to the Romans, Firſt, ſaith he, beginne at the twelfth chapter, and reade to the end, and practiſe the precepts of Repentance and mortification, and then ſet vponupon the former part of the Epiſtle, where iuſtification and predeſtination are handled.
Secondly, Repentance bringeth grace and acceptation to all our good workes. Inſomuch as 2. Acceptation to our ſeruices.without Repentance they are no good workes in Gods ſight. This will the better appeare if wee conſider how that Repentance muſt hauehave a double worke, in eueryevery good worke. It hath both a worke preparatory and concluſory, it muſt beginne, and conclude all our ſeruices to God.
1. It hath a preparatory worke, whereby wee are fitted and prepared to doe that good, which is to be done. For when we are to doe any good thing, our ſinnes paſt riſe vp againſt vsus to hinder vsus, and they ſtop the paſſage of Gods grace, whereby we ſhould be enabled to doe it. It is neceſſary therefore that with repenting hearts for ſinnes paſt, we goe about the doing of good workes, and ſo draw downe from heauen the grace of God, to enable vsus to do that good we go about. Heereupon Peter bids thoſe conuerts Repent, and be baptized, firſt, to Acts 2. 38.waſh themſelues in the teares of Repentance, before they were waſhed in the waters of baptiſme. So Paul requires of the Corinthians the renewing of 1. Cor. 11. 31.their repentance in the iudging of themſelues before the receiuing of the Sacrament of the Supper.
2. Worke of Repentance in doing good workes is concluſory, in the cloſing vp of a good worke, for our beſt righteouſneſſe is as a menſtruous cloath. Iſ. 64. 6.This menſtruity muſt bee waſhed away with the teares of Repentance. We bring foorth the fruits of our obedience, as the Beares doe their whelpes, altogether vnſhapen. Wee had neede by repentance licke them ouer, and bring them into better forme. And as ſowre apples hauehave ſugar to commend them to our taſte; ſo had our obedience neede of the weeping water (ſalt in our feeling, but ſweete to God) to commend it to his palat. Thus did Nehemiah cloſe vp his many worthy ſeruices with this act of repentance, acknowledging himſelfe an vnprofitable ſeruant, and crauing pardon for his defects: As after his reformation of the abuſes on the Sabaoth, he prayes, Remember me, ô my God, concerning this, and pardon mee according to thy Neh. 13. 22.great mercy. And after the relation other abuſes reformed, hee cloſes his booke with this, Remember me, ô my God, in goodneſſe. Theſe bee the ſpirituall Neh. 13. 31.good things which the grace of Repentance procures vntounto vsus.
2. Repentance brings alſo temporall Good, and outward bleſſings. If ye conſent, and obey, that is, if 2. Temporal Good. Iſ. 1. 19.ye conſent to yeeld obedience to the former commandement of waſhing you, and making you cleane by Repentance, then ſhall you eate the good things of the land, you ſhall not onelyonly hauehave the bleſſings of heauen, but the bleſſings of the earth alſo. So the Lord promiſes the captiued Iewes peace, Ier. 29. 11. 12. 13. 14.and freedome from their captiuity vponupon their Repentance and ſeeking vntounto God. So Ioel vponupon his exhortation to the people to turn vntounto the Lord with Ioel 2. 12. 17. 19.all their heart, and with faſting, and with weeping, and with mourning, &c. brings in the promiſe of temporall bleſſings, The Lord will anſwer, and ſay vntounto his people, Behold, I will ſend you corne, and wine, and oyle, and you ſhall be ſatisfied therewith. Thus faſting procures feaſting, and when we feaſt the Lord with the wine of the teares of our repentance, then will hee fill vsus with the wine and fruites of the earth, when wee hauehave withered faces with the teares of Repentance, then will hee giuegive vsus oyle to make our Pſal. 104.faces to ſhine, and will powre downe a bleſsing without Mal. 3. 10.meaſure, when in any good meaſure wee humble our ſelues for our ſinnes. This is that argument where withall Eliphaz vrges Iob to turne vntounto the Iob 22. 23. 24. 25.Lord, If thou return to the Almighty, thou ſhalt be built vp: Thou ſhalt lay vp gold as duſt, and the gold of Ophir as the flints of the riuer. Or elſe, if Repentance doe not procure theſe things alwayes, yet it brings as great a good, as Eliphaz there tels Iob, Yea, the Almighty Sic Iun. Aurū …ectiſſimum.ſhall be moſt choice gold and ſiluer, and ſtrength vntounto thee. If God doe not giuegive thee gold, hee ſhall giuegive thee himſelfe which is better then gold. Hee will make a bleſſed ſupply another way. Such is that gracious promiſe made by the Prophet Hoſea to the Iſraelites vponupon their Repentance, O Iſrael returne Hoſ. 14. 3. 5. 6.vntounto the Lord thy God, And what ſhall follow thereupon? I will heale their rebellion, I will louelove them freely; there be ſpiritual bleſſings which ſhal follow vponupon their repentance, but there is not all, he alſo promiſes temporall bleſſings, I will be as the dew vntounto Iſrael, he ſhall grow as the lilly, and faſten his roots as the trees of Lebanon. When we giuegive vntounto God the dew of repentant teares, then will he himſelfe bee a dew vntounto vsus. There is one dew for another, a dew from heauen, for a dew from the earth. And no maruell that true Repentance procures temporall good, when as but a temporary Repentance hath not wanted theſe temporall bleſſings. Ahab a very None-ſuch for working of wickednes, for there was none like Ahab, who ſold himſelfe to commit euill, yet euen he but rending his clothes, though he rent not 1. King 21. 27. 28. 29.his heart, and putting on ſack-cloth and faſting, is not neglected of God: Seeſt thou, ſayes the Lord to Eliah, how Ahab is humbled before me? Becauſe he ſubmits himſelfe before me, I will not bring that euill in his dayes. How much more will God regard the rending of the heart, who thus farre reſpects the rending of the clothes? If God doe thus to the dry, what will he doe to the greene tree?