Concerning Repentance, Part 5
Grounds of Repentance.
1 Without Repentance, there is no forgiveness, Luke 24.47. Repentance and remission of sins was to be preached together, Acts 2.37. Repent, and be baptized for remission of sins. Acts 5.31. Christ is a Saviour, to give repentance unto Israel, and forgiveness of sins. Without Repentance, never look to have thy sins blotted out, Acts 3.19. Till a man doth repent of his sin, he doth implicitely like it: and how should we look that God should forgive sin, whiles we approve it? Hence Iohn Baptist preached the Baptism of repentance unto remission of sins, Mark 1.4.
2 The greatest sin, upon Repentance, is pardonable; but the least sin, without Repentance, is damnable. The greatest sin, upon Repentance, is pardonable; scarlet and crimson sins, Isai. 1.18. the filling of Ierusalem with blood; as in Manasseh, 2 Chron. 33.4. the murdering the Son of God, Acts 2.38. guiltiness of other mens damnation, as in Paul, (or soul-murder) who besides other evils, compelled persons to blaspheme, Act. 26.11. What sin so great, as the first sin of the first man Adam, who did what in him lay to ruine all his posterity? yet it's thought that he repented, and obtained mercy.
Object. But God will not acquit the guilty, Exod. 34.7.
Answ. God doth not account a person guilty that repents of his sin, but he that goes on in his sin: against such a man, peruse these threatnings, Deut. 29.19, 20. Psal. 7.11, 12, 13. and 11.6, 7. and 68.21.
Contrarily, the least sin, without repentance, is damnable: Prov. 19.16. He that despises his ways, shall die, that is, eternally; for the holyest die a temporal death. If a man shall live in any sin, though never so small, and despise it, because he thinks it a trifle; such a man shall die eternally. In this sense, the wages of sin is death, Rom. 6.23. So Ezek. 18.31. Cast away all your transgressions; for why will ye die? As if he should say, If you harbour the smallest evil in the purpose of your hearts, it will be your death.
3 Repentance is the remedy to poor sinners, for the malady of their sins, like a board after shipwrack. Hence this hath been propounded as a mean of comfort to afflicted consciences, Acts 2.37, 38. Not as if pardon of sin were annexed to Repentance, without Christ's satisfaction, as Socinus blasphemously maintains; but I mean such a Repentance as goes along with Faith; not onelyonly looking upon God, as Hos. 6.1. but God in Christ, as a father, with an holy confidence: Zech. 12.10. They shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn: and, In that day there shall be a fountain set open for sin and for uncleanness, Zech. 13.1.
4 Without Repentance, you must go to hell: Luke 13.35. Except ye repent, ye shall all perish. If Simon Magus repented not, Peter tells him, he is in the gall of bitterness, and bond of iniquity, Acts 8.23. 2 Pet. 3.9. God is not willing that any of us should perish, but that all should come to repentance; intimating, that all that did not repent, must be sure to perish. If Ahab went to hell, who had an outward repentance of sackcloth, 1 King. 21.29. If Saul and Balaam went to hell, who had a sight of their sin, and confess'd it: If Judas went to hell, who confess'd his sin, and that in particular; I have sinned, in that I have betrayed innocent blood; yea, profer'd restitution: What shall become of those who never once said, What have I done! what have I done against God? what against my neighbour? or what against my own soul? who never shed a tear, nor sent a groan to heaven in secret, for all their abominations.
5 In the use and exercise of Repentance, God is wont to come to pardon sin, and turn away his Judgements; though not for our prayers or tears sake, yet for his mercies sake. Isai. 57.17, 18. God was angry with his people for covetousness and other sins, so that he smote them: but when God saw them mourning, he turns away his anger, and restores comforts unto them. God's arrows stuck in David Psal. 6.1, 2. yet when he humbled himself, the Lord heard the voice of his weeping, vers. 8. Shall Moses's tears move Pharaoh's daughter to compassion; and shall not the tears of God's children, though not for the tears sake, yet as they are the fruits of his Spirit, not move the Lord? Shall the cry of a stranger move a creature; and shall not the cry of a childe prevail with a Father? We ought to look upon Fasting, and Prayer, and the exercise of Repentance, as the Ordinance of God, wherein the Lord hath appointed us to meet with him, and wherein he will make good the things he hath promised: and this is the ground of Fasting and Prayer in extremities. Come and meet God in the Ordinances of Prayer, Fasting, Baptism, Supper, and therein God will come with a full hand, and bestow that which his free grace hath engaged him to do. We confess our sins to him; but what is the ground of forgiveness? not our confession of sins, not our fasting, and prayers, and tears; but, I, even I am he that blots out thy sins, for my own names sake, Isai. 43.25.
In the exercise of Repentance, judgements also have been turned from Nations, 2 Chron. 7.13, 14. Ier. 18.7, 8. When Shishak King of Egypt was coming against Judah, the men of Judah humbled themselves: and the answer was, My wrath shall not be poured down by the hand of Shishak; but I will give them some deliverance. See other example, Jon. 3.6. Hos. 14.2. OnelyOnly I should commend to the powers of the earth, I mean, Magistrates, that they would send their pleasure herein to godly souls, rather by Letters of Recommendation, then Compulsion: for if the Magistrate may compel persons to come to worship that day, then may they de jure compel them to come to worship any other day, and for non-performance hereof, may punish their Subjects with Fines, Banishments, and Imprisonments, and so gradually soul-slavery may come upon the consciences of persons who cannot comply to the Magistrates Religion, or else daily they may look to be ruined for the same. I speak my heart herein, leaving others to their own apprehensions.
Besides, God's worshippers are a willing people, Psal. 110.3. Besides, how can wicked men pray, that have not the Spirit of God? How little did the affairs of Ireland thrive, so long as compulsory National Fasts were for it? When they were left off, in a little time things began to go well.