Concerning Repentance, Part 8
Ʋse of Exhortation.
To repent of your sins. But because this is in the general, I will propose particular sins to be repented of. 2. Motives to repent of all sin.
Sins to be repented of, are,
1. Habitual denial of Christ: most men that have escaped other pollutions, live in this sin, because they have an implicite intention lurking in their hearts, to deny Christ or his truth, rather then lose their Estates, Lives, Liberties, &c. which frame of heart will bring you to hell, if you dye in it: See Mat. 10.32, 33. 2 Tim. 2.11.
2. Implicite faith, in that you receive things for truth upon mans word, not knowing it to be from the Scripture.
3. Dissimulation in worship, Hos. 13.2. Let him that sacrificeth kiss the Calves. Many persons kissed Jeroboams calves, who curst them in their hearts; yet because their kindred and friends went that way, and the stream of times, they made a semblance hereof. So, many wives are of the Religion of their husbands, and children of their fathers, and servants of their masters Religion; not because God hath convinced them that such Religion is true, but for to bring themselves in favour with men.
4. Of your walking contrary to your own principles: men have their principles so and so, and they go clean contrary in their practice: Rom. 14 22. Happy is the man that condemns not himself in those things he allows. Many receive principles about Usury, and about the Sabbath, and Baptisme, &c. and yet walk contrary to them. Balaam will condemne thee, Numb. 23.12. They are either of heaven, or of men, Mat. 21. If of men, why do you not reject them? if from heaven, why do you not believe and practise them?
5. Of your winking against light. Men reason, If I receive such a thing for truth, then either I must practise it, or not: if not, then I must never look for quiet in my conscience; if I do receive it, then will it expose me to persecution. Hence they wink against it, especially when it either exposes persons to suffering, or goes about to rob them of their darling-sin. Truth comes to many persons as a prophet from God, but they serve it as Herod did the Baptist; who first imprisoned him, and then cut off his head. These are like those men who say to the seers, See not; and to the Prophets, Prophesie not. Prophesie to us smooth things, Isa. 30.10, 11. They said not so in word; but their cariage spoke for them; the prophets knew well enough what they meant.
6. Of compliance to humane laws in point of worship, as those, Dan. 3.7. who, as soon as they heard the sound of the Cornet, Harp, Sackbut, fell down and worshipped the golden image: much better did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Gods people are wont to have Truth and Religion wrought in their hearts, before they make profession of it in their lives. It is bad to walk after the commands of men in point of worship, Isa. 29.13, 14. Hos. 5.11.
7. Of secret murthers, whereby you have desired the death of any person, either out of malice to their persons, or desire of getting by their death, or of being freed of any trouble or charge thereby; as as too many parents, who are glad of the death of their children, No murtherer hath eternal life abiding in him, 1 Joh. 3.15.
8. Of close lying. Many make little conscience of what they speak, so long as they can keep from the infamy of a lye. Take heed, and be watchful, in those cases wherein persons are apt to lye. Sometimes, in a matter of gaine, persons will over-reach strangely, not considering what is so got, is like a ball tost from one to another, Prov. 21.6. sometimes, to gratifie a friend, or to be revenged of an enemy. Sometimes, in telling stories persons lye, to make them up. Sometimes, in the commendation of vertuous men, and crying down wicked men; making the one far better, and the other much worse then he is. Sometimes, in self-justification, and in the condemnation of an adversary. Besides, in complementing few are sensible how egregiously they lye.
To conclude, where is that man almost that doth not lye, when he is at a dead lift, to escape a cross? Besides, in things that tend to the reputation of us and our Ancestors, persons are apt to double exceedingly. Besides, how oft do persons affirm things doubtful in their owne consciences, for certainties to other men! in a word, whenever there is difference betwixt our heart and tongue, or betwixt our heart and outward expressions, there is more or less falsehood; and so much more, when it is with intention to deceive. Of all these we ought to repent.
And to this sort are feigned pretences; when we shall with Judas pretend the poor, but intend our gain; pretend (Joh. 12.6.) the conscience of an oath, to take away John Baptists life; or, with the Jews pretend a law, when we intend only revenge; as the Jewes, John 16.7. We have a Law, and by that Law he ought to dye because he made himself the Son of God: so, to pretend conscience, to provide for our family, that hereby we may with-hold from charitable actions. Though Godly men would not for a world deliberately, yet on a sudden are they, contrary to the purpose of their heart, some of these waies, or by suck-like surprized; so that in their repentance they had need to say (Psal. 119.29.) Take from me the way of lying, and grant me thy law gratiously:
9. Of rash judging. This is the entertaining a determinate opinion concerning the evil of another, upon insufficient grounds. The reasons that may be too light to perswade an ill opinion of one man, may be rightly enough and just concerning another; and those which are light to a firm assent may be strong enough to beget a suspicion, whereby the minde stands in doubt, and inclines to neither part. This rash judgement is frequently practised, and oft condemned; as Jam. 4.11 12. yea sometimes in good men; as in Eli towards Hanna, 1 Sam. 1.14. This being contrary to equity, Matth. 7.12. and to charity, which thinks no evil, i. e. causelesly, 1 Cor. 13.5. ought to be repented of.
10. Of secret uncleanness, whether that which is contemplative, when the heart feeds on filthy objects: against this Job professes, Job 31.11. and Christ, Mat. 5.28. or that which is practical; whether alone by your self, as Onan, Gen. 38.9. so the Gentiles, Rom. 1. 24. they defiled their owne bodies, foreign, by themselves alone: or whether that which is social, or committed with your yoke-fellow (for I will not touch upon sins obvious to every eye, as adultery, fornication, &c.) as when you shall use copulation at forbid times, Ezek. 18.6. Hath not come neer a menstruous woman. Levit. 18.19. Thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness (though she be thy wife) as long at she is put apart for her uncleanness. Also, Levit. 15.24. Neither let any man say this was ceremonial: for the scab adhering to conceptions of such generation, shews how unnatural it is. Besides Physitians and Naturalists observe, such conceptions, if they live, they prove to be foolish and unhappy persons. Other secret uncleannesses there are in these relations, which the Apostle calls defiling of the marriage-bed, Heb. 13.4. as when persons shall use copulation so much, or so often, that they shall make themselves sottish or prayer-less, weakening their understanding or natural strength, whereby they are disabled either for judicious or manly actions. Under this kinde of secret uncleanness come in all wantonness and dalliance with strange women, whether married or unmarried: Prov. 6.29. Who so toucheth her, shall not be innocent. If thou knewest not these to be evils before now, repent of them, and let thy heart purpose in the strength of God, for time to come, to forsake them. I shall not name sins in several, all which are to be repented of; but these which are fully as dangerous, but less observed.
11. Of the sin of unprofitableness. Indeed we cannot be profitable to God neither doth he receive any thing of our hands, Job. 2.22. & 35.7. but we may be profitable to our selves and others: so was Onesimus after conversion, Philem. vers. 11. This comforted Hezekiah, when he lay on his sick-bed; the contrary afflicts the soul with horror, Isa. 38.3. compared with Mat. 25.30. This is unprofitableness, when God shall put talents of wealth or parts into our hands, and we shall not improve them for the good of others. The punishment herein, is not onelyonly a deprivement of our talent, Mat. 25.28. but a sentence into utter darkness, vers. 30. Take the unprofitable servant, and cast him into utter darkness. Why were the Goats condemned? it was not for murther, or theft, or such sins; but for not improving their talents to hungry and naked Christ, Mat. 25.35. Men that bring forth fruit to themselves, as Ephraim did, Hos. 10.1. dy as Jehoram did; of whom it is said that he dyed without being desired, 2 Chron. 21.20. Its the part of a fool, to have a prize put into his hands, and not to improve it, Prov. 17.16. It was the praise of Jehoiada, that he did good in Israel both towards God, and towards his house, 2 Chron. 24.16. We shall not alwayes have opportunity of doing good; therefore when we have it, we should take it: Gal. 6.10. While we have time and opportunity, let us do good to all. Thus did Jesus Christ; he knew the evening would come, when he could not work in this world; therefore, Joh. 9.4. he saith. I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. He went about doing good, Act. 10.38. Wicked men being not planted in the true vine, are altogether unprofitable, Rom. 3.12. regenerate men have a partial unprofitableness, Gen. 47.9. under which they go mourning to their graves, Rom. 7.15. That we may be more usefull, begg of God that he would teach us to profit, and lead us in a way that is good, Isa. 48.17. And so much more be earnest, because much of our time hath been spent in folly and vanity, 1 Pet 4.3, 4. We have been many yeers, and lived but few. Many live much in a little time; and some live not at all in a long time. Let therefore duty call thee not to live to thy self, but to the Lord, Rom. 14.7, 8.
12. Of sins against conscience, whether in the omission of a duty, Jam. 4.14. To him that knows to do good, to him it is sin, that is, an heinous sin. Such cannot pretend ignorance, Joh. 15.22. therefore they have no cloke for their sin: Joh. 9.41. If ye were blind, sayes Christ, ye should have no sin, comparatively; but now you say we see, therefore your sin remaines: or whether in the commission of evil; as Saul, who against his conscience forced himself, and offered a burnt-offering, 1 Sam. 13.12. so did the man who gathered sticks presumptuously on the Sabbath day; for which he dyed Numb. 15.33. such were to be cut off for reproaching the Lord, vers. 29. A presumptuous sin is a deliberate going on in sin, upon hope of mercy.
The greatness of these sins appears, in that there is a great contempt of God in them, Deut. 29.19. yea, there is more of the Will, and less of the Understanding. Yea, there is a resistance of the light the Spirit sets up in our hearts. Now there can be no resistance, where there is no opposition of the other part: Acts 7.51. Acts 5.3. thus Ananias & Sapphira resisted the light of the Spirit in their lying: The justice of God also proportioning stripes according to the nature of sins, shows unto us the hainousness of sins against conscience, in that such as knew, and did not, were beaten with many stripes, Luk. 12.48. for sinning against conscience, God was so angry with Belshazzar, that he lost his Kingdome, Dan. 5.22. and the Gentiles for so sinning were given up to a minde void of judgement. Yet are sins against conscience pardonable, Levit. 6.7. 1. Because the Priest might make atonement for such; as he instances in one of the greatest cases, which is knowingly to forswear a mans self. 2. Because sins against conscience are not the sin against he Holy Ghost, though they are steps thereto; the sin against the Holy Ghost being compounded of light, and taste of powers of the world to come, and malice against that truth we have formerly acknowledged. See Heb. 6.4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Heb. 10.26, 27, 28, 29. To sin against conscience, is the way to have no conscience at all; as in Spira's case. Many are like a Smith's Apprentice who when he first comes to the trade, is afraid of the sparks of fire; but being used to beat the Anvile a while, becomes fearless: so at first, when men sin against light, their consciences sparkle; but using ordinarily to sin against conscience, conscience leaves checking.