Penitent Confession and Vindication in Answer to a Book, Chapter 1
Chap. I. The Reaſons of the Neceſſity of REPENTANCE.
§ 1. REPENTANCE is a ſubject ſo ordinarily preached or written of, that I will preſuppoſe the Reader acquainted with the meaning of the word: Only here telling you, 1. That it is not meer ſorrow for having ſinned when the pleaſure is paſt, that I mean. 2. Nor a bare wiſh that it had not been done. 3. Nor every ſlight Reſolution to do ſo no more, which time or temptation will ſoon wear off. 4. Nor the actual forſaking of this or that particular ſin. 5. And yet it is not ſo high a degree as a perfection in ſorrowing, hating or forſaking ſin.
But it is ſuch a ſelf-humbling and ſelf-loathing ſenſe of the inward badneſs of our Souls, original and further contracted, privative and poſtive, and of the ſinfulneſs of our Lives by Omiſſions and Actions, againſt God, our ſelves and others, as proceedeth from a rooted Belief of Gods Law, and Goſpel, which Chriſt by his Holy Spirit maketh effectual, to turn the Soul to the Predominant Love and Choice of God as our God, and Chriſt as our Saviour, and the Holy Ghoſt as our Sanctifier, and of Heavenly Perfection as our higheſt End and Hope, and the revealed will of God as our Rule, holy Obedience as our Practice, and the Communion of Saints as our deſired Society; with ſo prevalent a hatred and enmity to ſin, that it reigneth not in us, nor live we in any that is inconſiſtent with the ſald predominant Love of God and Goodneſs.] This is the Repentance which I here treat of, though lower degrees that bring Men but to a common Humiliation, Confeſſion and Amendment be better than none, and may tend to prevent ſome Judgments of God, and prepare Men for better.
§ 2. There is great Reaſon that without Repentance, we ſhould not expect Deliverance and Salvation: For,
1. Without Repentance we continue in the ſin that we ſhould repent of: We have the ſame ſinning Mind, and Will, and Affections, which we had in the acting of the ſin; and therefore are under the ſame criminal Guilt: What ſhould elſe fit us for Deliverance and Salvation, more than any wicked Men! He that Repenteth not would do the ſame again and a ain, if he had the ſame Temptations. The Man is not changed: He may as wiſely expect to be ſaved by the change of the Weather, or the reſtraint of a Priſon, or a Watchman, or by his decay of Age, or by want of Money, or by pain and ſickneſs, all which may reſtrain him from ſome ſins, as by an impenitent unchanged heart. And God hateth all the workers of Iniquity.
§ 3. 2. Repentance is much of the Eſſential Cure of a depraved ſinful Soul: And to be ſaved without Repentance, is to be Cured and not Cured: To be well without health: To be ſaved, and not ſaved.
§ 4. 3. To be ſaved without Repentance, is to Reconcile the moſt Holy God (not to the Sinner but) to the Sin: Light to Darkneſs; Chriſt and Belial: Contrary to the Divine perfection; and the Glory of his Holineſs.
§ 5. 4. And it is a denying or reproach to the Wiſdom and Juſtice of his Government: What worſe can be ſaid of the moſt unrighteous Kings and Judges, than that they equal not only the juſt and the unjuſt, the good and bad, but even the penitent and the obſtinately impenitent? And what an odious ſtate is ſuch a governed Kingdom in?
§ 6. 5. It is clean contrary to the deſign of Mans Redemption, and the Office, Undertaking and Honour of our Redeemer: He came to deſtroy the works of the Devil, and to ſave his people from their ſins: And how are they ſaved from them that are not Converted from them?
§ 7. 6. How reaſonable a condition is this to make a miſerable ſinner free from all his guilt or danger of deſtructive puniſhment, without any purchaſe, price or compenſation of his own, by the meer Merits, and Love, and Bounty of a Saviour, and a merciful God; and this after long and aggravated ſinning, as ſoon as ever he is but converted by Faith and true Repentance. What would you think of ſuch terms of pardon offered by Man, in his leſſer injuries? If one abuſe you, rob you, ſlander you, and you tell him, do but repent and give over, and I will forgive thee, becauſe an Interceſſor hath purchaſed thy forgiveneſs] would you think him fit for pardon that refuſed ſuch an offer? Can you for ſhame ſay to God, I will not repent and amend, but yet forgive me. It is an abſurd errour of the Libertines that take Repentance in order to forgiveneſs to be a Legal burden, and the preaching of it to be no Goſpel preaching? What Law is it but the Goſpel or Law of Grace that giveth pardon on ſuch gentle terms? The firſt Law of Innocency gave no forgiveneſs: The Law of Moſes as Political gave temporal pardon, but only for ſome leſſer ſins, and on coſtly burdenſome terms: The Law of Grace made to lapſed Man (Adam, Noe, Abraham, and fully by Chriſt incarnate) is it that calleth for Faith and Repentance as the condition of Everlaſting Pardon and Life: Chriſt is a Prince and a Saviour, to give Repentance and Remiſſion of Sins.
§ 8. 7. What would it do but equal Devils and Men, to ſave the Impenitent? And even feign God to allow his rational Creatures to live in a profeſſed VVar againſt himſelf, his Son and Spirit, his Word and Promiſes, and Mercies, and againſt themſelves and one another. He that profeſſeth impenitency for belying or wronging me, bids me look to my ſelf, for he will do it again if he have opportunity and provocation.
§ 9. 8. How contrary is it to Thankfulneſs and Ingenuity, to wiſh to be ſpared in Impenitency, after the purchaſe and tenders of ſo great Mercy? What! Dare you ask leave to ſin again and again, when the pardon of every ſin, is the pardon of the puniſhment in Hell Fire?
§ 10. How unmeet then are they for Pardon and Salvation that hate Conviction and Reproof, and Rail at him as a Railer at them, that doth but call them to Repentance? That think he heinouſly injureth them that ſheweth them by the cleareſt light of Evidence, that they need Repentance? What is Repentance but the actual healing of a ſinful Soul? The returning Prodigal when he repenteth cometh to himſelf, and then cometh home to his Father: He that was loſt is then found; and he that was dead is made alive: And is he meet for a Phyſicians help, that would not be cured, but hateth health? Is this a reaſonable and thankful requital for all the wonders of Love and Mercy manifeſted to loſt and miſerable Sinners, in the great work of Mans Redemption? Shall we put Chriſt to be our Accuſer, and to ſay, I came from Heaven, and condeſcended to deepeſt Humiliation, to heal theſe Sinners, and they would not be healed? Without their conſent I was Incarnate, Obeyed, Suffered, Died, and Conquered Death by my Reſurrection: Before they deſired it I gave them the Goſpel, and the offers of Free Grace, and ſent them Meſſengers to beſeech them to be reconciled to God: But it was not meet that I ſhould be Theirs, that would not be Mine, and ſave them that would not conſent to be ſaved: To make them willing, which is a Moral change, I uſed moſt undeniable Reaſons, and Means as Moral Cauſes: I ſet Heaven before them in my Promiſes, and Hell in Threatnings: I convinced them of the Evil of Sin, and of the Miſery of unconverted Sinners, and of the Vanity of all that can be ſet againſt the Mercies and Hopes which I ſet before them, and of all other Remedies without my Grace: And yet unleſs I would by Omnipotency heal them, they would not be healed. However God uſe the way of unreſiſtible Omnipotency on ſome▪ and will not be fruſtrate in his Deſign of the Saving of his Elect, nor leave the Event of his Grace to the uncertain Determination of the Will of Man, yet thoſe will be found unexcuſeable that wilfully go on and periſh, after all the ſapiential moral Methods, Reaſons, Perſwaſions, Mercies and Patience, warning and Corrections, that were uſed as tending to their Cure.