A Cabinet of Choice Jewels, Chapter 3 · Answer 4
The fourth Anſwer.
Anſ. 4 But fourthly and laſtly, As a true penitential turning from ſin, is a conſtant and continued turning from ſin; ſo 'tis a returning to God. Sin is an averſion from God, and repentance is a converſion to God, Act. 26.18. Sound repentance is not only a ceaſing from doing evil, but alſo a learning to do well, Iſa. 1.16, 17. Repentance and turning to God are joyned together, as being one and the ſame thing, Act. 26.20. The Prodigals repenting, was his returning to his Father, Luke 15.17. When he came … himſelf, he ſaid, I will ariſe and go to my father, and ſay father▪ … …ave ſinned againſt heaven and before thee, &c. The Hebrew word for repentance is from foreign Shob, which ſignifies to return; implying, a going back from what a man had done; it notes a returning or converting from one thing to another, as from ſin to God, from evil to good, from hell to heaven. The common call of ſinners to repentance, is to turn from ſin, and to return to God, Iſa. 55.7. Let the wicked forſake his way, Conſult theſe Scriptures, Iſa. 44.22. Iſa. 19.22. Iſa. 59.20. Hoſea 3.5. Hoſea 6.1. Hoſea 14.1.and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, &c. Jer. 1.4. If thou wilt return, O Iſrael, ſaith the Lord, return unto me; and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my ſight, then ſhalt thou not remove. And ſo Chap. 18.11. Return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your way and your doings good. 1 Pet. 2.25. For ye were as ſheep going aſtray, but are now returned unto the ſhepherd and biſhop of your ſouls. 'Tis not enough for a ſinner to forſake his ſins, but he muſt alſo return to the Lord. The true penitent ſubjects his heart to the power of divine grace, and his life to the bleſſed will and word of God. Look, as negative goodneſs can never ſatisfie a penitent ſoul, ſo negative goodneſs can never ſave an impenitent ſoul. It is not enough, O man, that thou art not thus and thus bad, but thou muſt be thus and thus good, or thou wilt be miſerable for ever, Ezek. 18.21. But if the wicked will turn from all his ſins that he hath committed, and keep all my ſtatutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he ſhall ſurely live, he ſhall not die. Negative righteouſneſs and holineſs, is no righteouſneſs, no holineſs in the account of God.Luke 18.5. Mat. 20.13, 14. It was not the Phariſees negative righteouſneſs, nor his comparative goodneſs, that could prevent his being rejected of God, or his being ſhut out of heaven, or his being turned into hell. It is not enough that the Tree bears no ill fruit, but it muſt bring forth good fruit, elſe it muſt be cut down and caſt into the fire; that Tree that is not for fruit, is for the fire;Mat. 7.19. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit (ſayes Chriſt) is hewn down and caſt into the fire. Heaven at laſt will be found too holy, and too hot, to hold ſuch as pleaſe themſelves, as ſatisfie themſelves with a negative righteouſneſs. All that negative righteouſneſs and holineſs can do, is only to help a man to one of the cooleſt chambers and eaſieſt beds in hell. True repentance brings the heart and life, not only off from ſin, but on to God too; it takes a man not only off from the wayes of death, but it engages him to walk in the paths of life, Pſal. 119.3. They do no iniquity, Nazianzene ſpeaking of true repentance, very aptly compares the ſoul to a pair of writing tables, out of which muſt be waſhed whatſoever was written with ſin, and inſtead thereof the writing of grace muſt be writupon the ſoul, both being neceſſary to true repentance. Jer. 31.19. Job. 40.4, 5. Jer. 4.1.they walk in his wayes. Prov. 13.14. The Law of the wiſe is a fountain of life, to depart from the ſnares of death. Prov. 15.24. The way of life is above to the wiſe, that he may depart from hell beneath. Pſal. 34.14. Depart from evil and do good. We read in Scripture of God's returning to us, as well as of our returning to God; in both there is repentance: When God returns to us, he repents of the evil of puniſhment that he hath brought upon us; and when we return to God, we repent of the evil of ſin which we have committed againſt him. The true penitent, does not only ſadly ſmite upon his thigh, and ſay, what have I done, but he alſo ſpeedily faces about, and cryes out, I will do ſo no more. When God calls for true repentance, it is with an if thou wilt return, O Iſrael, return unto me. And when the people of God do provoke and encourage one another to repentance,Hoſea 6.1. it is with a come let us return unto the Lord. Repentance unto life, is not a turning from ſin to ſin, nor 'tis not a turning from prophaneſs to civility, nor 'tis not a turning from civility to formality; but 'tis a turning from darkneſs to light,Acts 26.18. 'tis a turning from the wayes of iniquity into the wayes of piety, 'tis a turning from ſin to God. In this reſpect Iſrael's repentance was very defective; witneſs that ſad complaint of the Prophet (Hoſea 7.16.) They return (that is, they make a ſhew of repentance) but not to the moſt High. So they in that, Joel 2.12. have the half turn, but returned not to the Lord with all their hearts. So Jehu went far, and gave many a half turn, but never turned to the moſt High, and that was his ruin at laſt. Such a repentance as brings the ſoul never the neerer to God, is a repentance never the neer; but that repentance that brings the ſoul neerer to God, is a repentance never to be repented of. And let thus much ſuffice, to have ſpoken concerning that Evangelical Repentance, that hath the precious promiſes of remiſſion of ſin and ſalvation running out unto it, &c.