Concerning Repentance, Part 9 – Part 12
Motives to repentance:
1. God takes notice of the repentance of his people, Ier. 31.18. I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himself: what follows? vers. 20. My bowels are troubled for him, I will surely have mercy upon him. Psal. 32.5. When David said he would confess his inquities, God presently forgave them. God notes sighs and groans, as in the publicane Luke 18.13. prayers and tears, as in Hezekiah, Isa. 38.3. and puts the tears in a bottle, Psal. 56.8. he notes their intentions and purposes; as in the prodigal Luk. 15.19. their reformations and amendments Ion. 3.10. God saw the Ninevites, that they turned from their evil way.
2. God is wont to comfort penitent souls; Psal. 126.5. They that sow in tears, reap in joy. God gives comfort to them that mourn Isa. 61.2. The Jews in their humiliations (to which in this text he alludes) were wont to put on sackcloth and ashes, Esth. 4.3. Mat. 11.21. Now the Lord gives beauty for ashes, and the oile of joy for mourning. The Jews in their festivities were wont to anoint themselves with oile, and to put on garments of praise upon their festival dayes; by which figurative speeches is meant the comforts God gives penitent mourners: such have God dwelling with them, to revive their hearts, Isa. 57.15. So that they increase their joy, Isa. 57.15. so that they increase their joy in the Lord, Isa. 29.19. proportionably to their casting down: Job. 22.29. When men are cast down, thou shalt say there is lifting up; and thou shalt save the afflicted people; for he is a God that comforts them that are cast down, 2 Cor. 6.6. So that though they weep and lament at present, yet their sorrow shall be turned into joy, Joh. 16.20. Yea, they have more joy in the meltings of their hearts, then the worldlings in their greatest laughters.
3. The excellency of the person offended, both for glory and love. For glory; Job and Isaiah were abased in the beholding of his glory, Job 42.6. Isa. 6.5. If there be such glory in the Sun, that we can hardly behold it, what is the glory then of the Creator, which is admired of Saints when they come to enjoy it, because the expectations are exceeded! 2 Thes. 1.10. and for his love, it hath been so great, that it should break our hearts that we have sinned against him that took us from all our kindred when we were as vile as the worst; and came and married us to his Son, when we were enemies to him.
4. The vileness of the person offending: dust and ashes, Gen. 18.27. a worme, a wild asses colt, full of brutishness, and such expressions: full of failings in every duty, either in the thing done, or manner of doing, or end of the deed, or the motive that stir'd up to it, Isa. 64.7.
5. The exceeding sinfulness of our offence, seen,
1. In that it works death in us by the good Law of God, Rom. 7.13.
2. It's the onelyonly thing contrary to the pure nature of God, Psal. 5.4.
3. It's an enemy to the being of God; for sin nor sinners cannot away with Gods justice: now he that is an enemy to one of Gods attributes, is an enemy to the rest.
4. Thy sins formerly have been reigning sins, and so partition-walls betwixt thee and God, Isa. 59.1.
5. The severe sentence of God against sin, casting the angels out of heaven for it, Adam out of Paradise, the Jews out of their country; which sentence punished the Son of God, becoming a surety for our sins. Zach. 13.7. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow. Yea, he was carryed to prison, and to judgement for them, till he gave satisfaction, Isa. 53.6, 8. Yea the damned in hell for ever lie under this sentence, Matth. 25.41.
6. The impurity of our natures, which like a filthy dunghill reeks and evaporates filthy vapors. The soul of man is like a stately building, thorow the midst whereof runs a nasty noysome sink:
1. This corrupt principle is worse then the Devil, whose Nature is good, though his Will be bad: but in our flesh is no good at all.
2. All manner of evil is in it; it's like the town-sewer, into which all filthiness runs. It's pitiful to have a noisome disease running on us; but more loathsome to have it from top to toe. Such is our defilement by corruption; every faculty is defiled, so that there is no part sound till renewed by grace.
6. The horrid abominableness of some of thy gross sins: as, 1. Thy scandalous sins, whereby thou hast strengthened many wicked, and sadded many righteous persons, 2 Sam. 12.13. 2. Thy relapses: how oft hast thou turned with the Dog to his vomit? how oft hast thou done evil, and God hath forborne thee? Psal. 78.38. Many a time hath God turned away his anger from thee, and did not stir up all his wrath.
3. Thy sins of participitation, that thou hast been the cause of other mens sins; some whereof (may be feared) are in hell, when thy conscience cannot tell thee that thou hast been instrumentall in furthering any towards heaven. It was the great aggravation of Manassehs sin, 2 Chron. 33.9. that he made Judah and the inhabitants of Ierusalem to do worse then the heathen. If David so cryed out for the blood of one Ʋriah, Psal. 51.14. how should we cry out for the blood of so many souls!
7. The exceeding danger thou livest in, while thou goest on impenitently: every night mayst thou be taken to hell. All the time thou livest, thou livest in horror and fear, Heb. 2.15. Its a kind of hell, to be alwayes in fear of hell; yet this is the case of all impenitent persons. Till we are convinced of our danger, we never turn: after conviction, we turn speedily. Who would venture to take an hours sleep in an house that is a fire over his head? Oh, Gods wrath is a fire over thee, and wilt thou sleep in sin? it will burn to the lowest hell. Thou art afraid to dye in such a condition; Oh be afraid to live in it. If thou repentest not now, thou shalt for ever repent: wert thou in hell but one hour, and heardest the cry of the damned, and sawest how full hell is of late repenters, it would not a little startle thee to hear them cry for life or death, and can neither live nor dye, Prov. 5.11, 12. Luke 13.26. Luke 16.27. Prov. 1.24.25, 26, 27, 28.
8. Repentance fits us for all conditions: we are fit to live, and fit to dye; fit for prosperity, and adversity, and all because God and the soul are reconciled: we are fit for communion with God, and to stand against tentations. Come war, or peace, or prison, or death, or whatsoever, a true convert can say there is no sin I live in; I hate every false way. I finde a thorow change in me; It is upon thy knowledge, O God, that I am not wicked, Iob. 10.7.
Another man, that hath not repented, when evil times come, is at his wits end: he is afraid of that which should be most comfortable; as death, judgement, and the presence of God. How comfortably do we spend our life after we have once repented! The truth is, the life spent before we turned to God, was rather a death then a life.
9. The joy that is in heaven & earth upon the repentance of a sinner. On earth Saints rejoyce; when they heard that Paul preached the faith which formerly he persecuted, they glorified God, Gal. 1.23, 24. When the Samaritans were converted, There was great joy in that City, Act. 8.8. how oft doth Paul give thanks for the conversion of Saints? Eph. 1.15. Col. 1.3, 4. The angels of heaven rejoyce. How they come to know of the conversion of a sinner, I cannot tell; but this is plaine, they know of it, and rejoyce therein, Luk. 15.10. There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. And for God himself, he rejoyces thereat, Luk. 15.6, 7, 8. which is set forth by the similitudes of a man rejoycing because he had his lost sheep; and a woman rejoycing, because she had found her lost groat: hence, vers. 7. joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth: and when the prodigal came home, vers. 18. the Lord put wedding-apparel upon him, and killed the fatted calfe: why? he renders the reason, vers. 32. Because this my son was dead, and is alive againe, he was lost, and is found. When Paul and Barnabas declared the conversion of the Gentiles, they caused great joy unto all the brethren, Acts 15.3. Contrarily, the impenitent going on of sinners, sads the hearts of Gods children, Psal. 119.53, 136. 2 Pet. 2.7, 8. and glads none but devils and wicked men.
Come we to the reason why persons should repent: viz. For the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand; by which Christ meanes the preaching of the word, or the proffers of grace therein were present; therefore Repent.
Observe,
The present proffers of grace should be a great motive to stir us up to repentance.
Heb. 3.7. To day if yee will hear his voice. Isa. 55.6. Seek the Lord while he will be found. Eccles. 12.1. Remember Now thy Creator. 2 Cor. 6.2. Behold, now is the accepted iime. Apoc. 3.20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man will open unto me, I will come in to him: q. d. the present proffers of grace are to be taken.
Reason.
The reason is, We know of no time but the present, which we can call ours; time past cannot be recalled: time to come may be anothers, and not ours: therefore use the present.
2. The time wherein God makes proffers of grace, is but a short time: Iohn 21.35. A little while is the light with you; walk while you have the light. Some have had it but three or four yeers; as the fig-tree, Luk. 13.6, 7▪ 8. some a few dayes; as the Ninevites, Ion. 3.4. Some but a few hours; Mat. 10.12.13, 14, 15. If a preacher came to a place to preach, and they did not receive him, he was to go away, and to shake of the dust off his feet. If there be a Faire or Market, and chapmen come not in, the trades-man goes away: so will the Lord from us, if we receive not his proffers. Hence usually those whose hearts are wrought upon savingly, are wrought upon at first, Act. 13.48. Paul had preached but a few Sermons, and as many in Antioch as were ordained to eternal life believed. See also 1 Thess. 1.9, 10. Phil. 1.4, 5.
3. Because a careless neglect or refusal of Gods calls, brings miserye Prov. 1.24. Because I have called and you have refused — I will laugh at your destruction. Ezek. 24.13. Because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. Heb. 2.3. How shall we escape, if we neglect (though not contemne) so great salvation. Heb. 1….25. We shall not escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Prov. 28.9. He that turns away his ear from h…ring the law that is, from yeelding obedience presently, his prayer is abomination; that is, so long as he turns away. Eccles. 9.12. Man knoweth not his time: as the fishes are taken in an evil net, and as the binds are caught in the snare; so are men snared in an evil time. Luk. 19.41 42. O Jerusalem, if thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day, the things that belong unto thy peace; but now are they bid from thine eyes: Therefore the destruction of Jerusalem follows in the two next verses, for missing the present NOW. Mat. 22.4. Those that were invited to the Kings feast, because they refused, were called no more; but their refusal was taken for a denial. Paul and Barnabas came to preach at Antioch, Acts 13.46. sundry of the Jews adjudged themselves unworthy of that, and of everlasting life, by putting the word from them; yet had they not had above two Sermons. Heb. 3.7. compared with vers. 11. To day if ye will hear his voice: but they would not; hence God swore they should not enter into his rest. Mat. 13.13, 14, 15. Christ renders a most just reason why be taught them in parables, which was, Because they were full of voluntary blindness under present meanes; seeing Christs miracles with their bodily eyes, and hearing Christs Sermons with their bodily ears, they did not see nor hear with the eyes and ears of their hearts.
Hence Christ compares them to the old Jews in Isaiah's time, whose voluntary blindness God punisht with greater blindness: fo…, verse 15. they closed up their eyes as those who wink at the noon-Sun.
1. Ʋse of Caution.
To beware of putting off repentance. … If we say we will live in a l…st one day may we not dye in it▪ If we say we will commit onelyonly this one sinful act, may it not be our last? What security hath a thief from the gallows for his next robbery?
Satan deludes us with the smalness of the time: we put the Lord off, it is but a monethmonth, or a day, or a yeer, and then we will alter: we may be neer a good action, yet be hindred by delayes, that we cannot effect it.
Object. But the thief upon the cross repented at last.
1. In all the course of Scripture, we finde but one that so repented: how know you you shall be next?
2. As the princes of the earth pardon that at their first entring upon their reign, which they never pardon after; so did Christ pardon the good thief at last, being ready to enter upon his Kingdome.
3. Its no way to reason from an extraordinary to an ordinary case; as to say, Once it rained Manna and Quailes; once Balaams Ass spake; once Gods people went through the red-sea: therefore it shall be so still. This president of extraordinary mercy, is become the ordinary hackney whereon the ungodly ride post to hell.
4. There was one thus pardoned, to keep souls from despairing; and but one, to keep persons from presuming.
5. To reason from an individual to a general, or from a particular to an universal, is a wrong reasoning: this thief had mercy when Christ was crucified, therefore any other man shall have it at any other time.
6. To convince you, this theif did not delay the Lord one day: had he put off Christ till to morrow, as many do, his soul had perished.
Obj. God calls at all hours; some at the eleventh hour: what if we put off repentance?
A. 1. God hath then called some, to shew what he can do, not what he will do.
2. Though some few have been called at the eleventh hour, yet many millions have perished at the sixth or ninth hour; contrary to thy supposition, imagining every mans life to have eleven or twelve hours.
3. Those (Matth. 20.) that were called at the eleventh hour, were never called before. Art thou called at the third or sixth hour? the ninth and eleventh hour belongs to others, not to thee; for he saw others standing idle.
4. Suppose that assuredly thy life had eleven or twelve hours, to answer the Lord by repentance then, would be comfortless or not so comfortable, because what is done then, we may fear is done out of servile fear, Psal. 78.34. Besides, we cannot live to see the fruits thereof to be true and sincere; which a timely repentance would have made evident to us, Isa. 38.5.
5. Christians should live every day of their life, as if it were their last day or hour. 1. By taking every opportunity of doing good, as if it were their last, Gal. 6.10. 2. By doing every action with as much uprightness, as if they were presently to be judged for it, Isa. 38.3. 2 Cor. 1.12. 3. By a conscientious avoiding every sin, as if it were the last action we were to do in the world, Gen. 39.10. Job 31.1, 23.….