Concerning Repentance, Part 16 – Part 18
Ʋse.
Exhortation to restitution.
If thy conscience tell thee of any injustice in any particular, O then restore; if otherwise thou conveyest an estate or lands to all thy posterity, with all the appurtenances, remember Gods curse is one of the appurtenances, as in the case of Ahab, who left a Kingdome to Jehoram, who lost it: one great cause, was, the holding of Naboths vineyard. Remember that we are to serve God not onelyonly in holiness, but in righteousness. Remember, though we are to look to all the commands of God, without despising any, Psal. 119.6. Prov. 19.16. yet ought we especially to look at the great commands as judgement and righteousness. Take heed, in buying or selling, that thou praise not the commodity above the worth, nor dispraise it above the defect. Remember God is the avenger of all cozenage, 1 Thess. 4.6. and that there is a flying rowle of curses goes out against the theef: one whole side of the rowle was filled with them. Zach. 5.2, 3. Take heed of all theft; as in stealing the use of things, as well as the things themselves; as the use of another mans garment, to save your own: this is theft, though you do not carry it away. Take heed of such theft as comes by deceitful silence: as, if you should owe a man a thousand pounds, and you shall say nothing of it to his wife, the man being dead, because no man knew thereof, save the person who dyed suddainly, or in a strange country, where you and he were alone. Take heed of giving less weight or measure then you should, Levit. 19. So when thou art imployed to work for others, if thou look for a full dayes wages, do a full dayes work. Art thou a trades-man? Take heed of false mixtures, to sell wine and water for pure wine, to put away; much more to coyn copper for silver. Art thou a preacher, and dost not take paines in the Ministery of the word? thou art a thief, taking wages, and not performing duty. Art thou a Merchant? take heed of deceitful breaking, to say thou canst pay but ten shillings a pound, when thou canst pay fifteen shillings a pound. Art thou a servant, and makest no conscience of following thy business in thy masters absence? Thou art a thief: or if thou givest his goods without his consent, either explicite or implied. In a word, take heed of all injustice; false entryes, false musters, false accounts, and whereinsoever thou hast been guilty in any particular, make speedy restitution.
Motives hereto.
1. The sweet peace restitution brings to the conscience: Mark the just and perfect man; for the end of that man is peace, Psal. 37.37. Its some satisfaction, that you have been willing to follow the Lord in a chargeable duty: contrarily, when thou comest to lye on thy deathbed, and beholdest thy stately furniture and pleasant gardens, and stately lands and houses which thou hast got by deceitful means; what peace canst thou have, whiles conscience rings thee many a peal in thy ears, This is another mans? Bullets and shot must usually be got out of a wound, before it will close, and ease come: so must thou put away all thy ill-gotten goods, before thou wilt find any well-grounded peace. See Job. 20.18, 19, 20, 23.
2. Consider how many unjust men are taken away in the midst of their dayes, and do not live to have any comfort in what they have deceitfully gotten: Jer. 17.11. As the Partridge sits upon eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right shall leave them in the midst of his dayes, and in the end shall dye a fool: witness Judas with his thirty peeces, Mat. 27.4. Ananias and Sapphia.
3. Consider, a little ill-got goods is a means to consume that which hath been well-got. Naboth's vineyard was a means to make Ahabs posterity lose a kingdom. Achans golden wedge was a means to destroy all that he had. Solomon saith, Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour, shall increase. Pro. 21.6. Solomon compares such estates to a ball that is tossed from hand to hand: Wealth gotten by a tongue, (as most mens estates are so gotten) is a vainity tossed to and fro of them that seek death. How oft hath God translated Kingdomes from unjust possessors! as in Jeroboam, Baasha, Zimri. Contrarily, a small thing that the righteous hath justly gotten, is better then great treasures of the ungodly, Psal. 37.16.
Luther tells of a man in Germany, that marrying a daughter came on the marriage-day to give her her portion, saying to her husband, Here are so many crowns, which are got without the wronging of any man. Luther gave this censure of it, that he should prize such a portion more then a great sum got otherwise.
5. If thou restorest not goods unjustly gotten, thou conveyest a curse to posterity; Job 20.26. It shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle: As unjust parents intend their posterity should by their cheating be better in outward things; so God in justice causes that their posterity shall not thrive in outward things; so that of things ill-got, the third heir seldome rejoyceth.
6. Consider whether any sinful gaine will recompense the loss of thy soul, Mat. 16.26. if thou wert sure to gaine the whole world, what profit to lose thy soul? Prov. 10.2. Treasures of wickedness profit not.
Means to be kept from wrong doing.
1. To remember, righteousness is one end of thy redemption, Luke 1.75. Tit. 2.12, 13. The grace of God teaches to live righteously.
2. Gods wrath is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness, Rom. 1.18. 1 Thess. 4.6. Jam. 5.2, 3, 4. Hab. 2.6.
3. Remember the account of thy Stewardship, Luk. 16.2. 2 Cor. 5.10.
4. Unrighteous persons are excluded out of heaven, 1 Cor. 6.8, 9. Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his, Hab. 2.6.
5. Find out the root of thy injustice, which is an evil covetous heart: if covetousness be the root of all evil, then sure of this evil; 1 Tim. 6.10. Hab. 2.9. Woe to him that covets an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, as the Babel builders did that he may be delivered from the power of evil.
6. Be not greedy to be fingering other mens estates whether by executorship, in fingering other mens estates: such imployments are matters of trouble; and they who care to keep a good conscience, care not to be medling with them.
7. Make restitution: you will find so much trouble and bitterness herein, that you will never desire to touch that fire which hath so burnt your fingers.
FINIS.
End of the text · Christopher Blackwood, Concerning Repentance (1653)