Concerning Repentance, Part 6
Ʋse of Caution.
Take heed we be not mistaken in repentance. Some take natural repentance, that is, sorrow for sins against natural conscience, to be Repentance: others take Legal sorrow: others, outward Reformations. That we may not be mistaken, I shall propound these Cautions:
1. Faith and Repentance are wrought together in the soul, in respect of time, though in respect of order Faith goes first: for at the same moment I believe that Christ was crucified for my sins, I mourn for my sins, which were the cause of his crucifying: Zech. 12.10. They shall look on him whom they have crucified, (that is, by an eye of faith) and they shall mourn. Faith apprehends God's fatherly love in Christ, which love works a reflex love in us to the Lord; whence flows sorrow for displeasing such a loving God: so that Faith is first in order, but Repentance is first in feeling. Hence Repentance is often set first; as, Repent and believe.
2. Think not your Repentance any satisfaction for sin: for nothing satisfies for this, but Christ's death. If we place our Repentance and our deliverance from sin or wrath, as a meritorious cause together with Christ, we make an idol thereof; because we make our Repentance to be that, which onelyonly the righteousness of God is. When thou expectest thy Repentance shall bring down an answer from God, thou dost in effect make thy Mediator. All our Repentance, of it self, is not able to turn away the least sin or judgement, or to procure the least smile and favour from God: onelyonly God having promised these mercies, of his free grace, in the use of means, is pleased freely to convey them.
Some think, because of their outward humiliation, to be accepted. Isai. 58.3. Wherefore have we fasted, and thou takest no knowledge? And Mal. 2.13. they walked in black before the Lord, and thought they should be accepted for it: but as an earthly father delights not in the sorrows or tears of his children, further then it arises from the sense of their offence, for offending such a loving Father; no more doth God delight in the tears of his, further then they are the fruits of his own Spirit, melting the heart for the ugliness of sin, and his goodness thereby offended.
3. Think not, when thou hast once laid hold on the death of Christ for pardon, that then thou must mourn no more: our whole life must be a continual repenting, forasmuch as infirmities still break out: not as if pardon formerly got, could be made void by following sins; but because the blood of Christ is a continual steaming fountain for sin and for uncleanness, Zech. 13.1. dispensed to penitent souls, and to them alone, 1 Joh. 1.8 9. therefore we must still go on in the exercise of Repentance.
Some fancie, that after Repentance in the act of Conversion, there must be no more sorrow in the exercise of Repentance, but that they must onelyonly rejoyce in God: but we must daily repent, because we daily sin: let us not cease sorrowing, till we cease sinning; and that will not be, till we cease breathing. He that goes not on in the exercise of Repentance seems to repent of his former Repentance. We must not onelyonly humble our selves, but also walk humbly with God, Mic. 6.8. because, though the guilt and punishment in some sense be taken away at once, yet are the spots of corruption healed by degrees. We are oft to call to minde our former sins, not as matter of Terrour, but of Humiliation. And joy and sorrow may both consist in the soul at one and the same time: for our God comforts them that are cast down, 2 Cor. 7.6. and that proportionably to their sorrows and sufferings, 2 Cor. 1.5.
3 Know, that Repentance is not true, which leaves the life unreformed: Prov. 28.13. He that confesseth and forsaketh, shall finde mercy. Rom. 6.2. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? When the Israelites in Ezra's time repented of their strange wives, they put them away, Ezr. 10.23. Reservation of a purpose of sin, or unresolvedness against it in any particular, will plainly shew that we never repented. For example: when a man purposeth to hold his estate, with the denial of the Truth; yea, if he do not absolutely purpose to forsake that, or any thing else, in the strength of God, for his Truth, this partial Reformation shews a man never repented, nor went further then Herod, who did many things, Mark 6.20. but would not do all.
4 Let sound Humiliation run along with Reformation. Some have guilty sorrow, 1 Tim. 6.10. They pierce themselves thorow with many sorrows. Others, despairing sorrows; as Judas, Mat. 27.3. Others, hypocrical sorrow; as Herod sorry both before and after his sin, yet did commit it, Mark 6.26. But this sorrow that goes along with true Repentance, arises from the love of God, Luke 7.38. so that the repentant soul mourns after the Lord, as doves of the valleys for their mates, Ezek. 7.16.
5 In thy Repentance, look not back upon any of thy old sins with any tickling delight, but with continual loathing, either actual or habitual, Isa. 30.22. Hos. 14.8. A man may commit the same sin a thousand times over, by new delighting in it. If a soul have not a constant implacable hatred to his old sins, he will be ready to fall into the recommission of them when tentations come. The soul is like the stomach, that will hardly be brought to taste of that which it loaths. For the measure of hatred of sin, it should be most against that sin which we have dandled most, Ier. 2.19. compared with Iob 20.12.
6. Let not repentance be for one sin, but for every sin. Some sorrow for one sin, and rejoyce in another; as King Darius, that was sorry for Daniel's being cast into the Lions Den, but rejoyced in the favour of his great Courtiers, Daniels enemies, Dan. 6.14. or as Herod, who sorrowed for John's death, but rejoyced in Herodias. Many are troubled for some one sin, which the natural conscience could not swallow; as for Murther, Adultery, Theft; that never came to mourn for sin as it is sin; as appears because they are troubled for these, not for others, which are of as deep guilt in the sight of God, though not of so deep staine in the sight of men. Yet may sorrow be more for one sin then another, because committed against greater light, and with more scandal.
7. Conjoyn the whole man in repentance both soul and body, because both have been partakers in sin. Ahab humbled himself in sackcloth, but his heart was not humbled. One teare flowing from a broken heart, is more accepted then many such sackcloths: To hang down the head like a bulrush, in token of shame for sin, Isa. 38.5. is commendable; but not enough: The heart must also be affected, and that will also affect the whole man; the countenance with sadness, the eyes with teares, the body with with prostration, or falling downe before the Lord. Mary Magdalen's heart being humbled, Luke 7.38. presently her eyes pour out teares to wash Christs feet, her hair wipes them, and her lips, that had formerly kist wantonly, with them she kisseth Christs feet.
8. Let thy repentence be sutable to thy sins, Mat. 3.8. For a sutableness of satisfaction, so onelyonly Christ his death is sutable; but let the sutableness be betwixt the fruits of sin and the fruits of repentance, that it may appear to our selves and others (whom by our scandals and presumptions we have offended) that there is a change wrought in us. So did Manasseh, 2 Chron. 33.11. and Mary Magdalene, Luke 7.38. as Peter, who had denied Christ shamefully before men, came after to witness him before a whole Councel; and those persons who had bestowed their gold to make a golden-calfe, after were exceeding free in bestowing gold and jewels, and pretious things for to adorne Gods Sanctuary. Penitent souls desire that the knowledge of their repentance might come to those who have had knowledge of their sin.