Evidence for Heaven, Treatise · Part 3
REPENTANCE.
ANother grace of the holy Spirit of God, demonstrating his saving habitation in the …oul, is Repentance (to …t) true Gospel-Repentance.
I (s…ith the Lord) will pour upon the house of David, the Spirit of grace and supplications; And they shall look upon him, whom they have pr…ed, and they sh…ll mourn for him, &c. Zach. 12 10.
This Text plainly points out unto us two things▪ 1. That wheresoever the holy Spirit of God dwelleth savingly, in what soul soever he resideth, as a sanctifier, there he worketh true faith and Repentance.
2. That in whomsoever these graces are wrought, they are a true and real testimony of the holy Spirits saving habitation in that soul, …or as much as it is proper and peculiar unto the Spirit of God alone, to work these in the heart of man.
Here Note, three or foure things, 1. That the grace of Repentance, though it be a distinct grace from faith, yet is it an inseparable concomitant of justifying faith, coupled with it in infusion, and he that totally wanteth either, hath neither.
Secondly Note; That faith, and love, and Repentance, and every other renewing grace habitually considered, are coequal, the habit of every grace being infused together: So that where there is one grace in truth, there is every grace in truth, in the habit of it, in some measure.
And thirdly, That although every grace of the Spirit, habitually considered, be coequal, yet these actually considered, and according to their manner of working, and appearing in us precede each other; faith precedes love, and faith and love precedes Repentance, Repentance being a fruit of faith and love.
Fourthly, That grace (to wit) renewing grace, and glory, are inseparably linked together: He that hath the one shall certainly have the other, for this grace is the earnest of our inheritance.
Lastly N…te, That this grace of repentance, is a renewing grace,The Gospel joines Repentance and remission of sins toge…her, Luk. 2….47. Act. 5.31. a speciall work of the Spirit of God in man, a…d a grace that he worketh in all that truly beleeve and love.
That Repentance is a renewing grace, a special work of the Spirit of God in man, is evident by those special promises, which are made unto it in holy Scripture, of spiritual and eternal blessednesse. He that confesseth, and forsaketh his finne▪ shall have mercy, Prov. 28.13, If my People, which are called by my Name shall humble themselves, and pray and turn from their evill wayes, then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sinne, &c. 2 Chron. 7.14. And the Red…emer shall come to Sion, and to them that turn from transgression in Iacob, saith the Lord, Isa. 59.20. Again, When, I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely dye, if he turn from his sinne, and doe that which is lawful and right, He shall surely live, he shall not die, none of his sinnes that he hath committed, shall be mentioned unto him; he hath done that which is lawfull and right, he shall surely live, Ezek. 33.14, 15, 16.
All sins (all manner of sinns,) and Blasphemies shall be forgiven unto him. Mark 3.28. Matth. 12.31. compared, Though your sinnes be as Scarlet, they shall be made as white as Snow; though they be red like Crimson, they shall be as Wooll, Repentance unto salvation,Isai. 1.18. and Act. 11.18. True Repentance is called, Repentance unto life. By all which it is evident, That it is a renewing grace,2 Cor. 7.10. a special work of the Spirit of God in man.
Note.Repentance being a special work of the Spirit of God in man, and an inseparable concomitant of a Justifying faith, is therefore a true touchstone, to try our selves and our spiritual estate▪ by, and such an one as all must try themselves by, that will gather to themselves, a true testimony of their eternal happiness by Christ, and make their Calling and Election sure in the subject.
Quest.But what is this grace of Repentance? How may it be defined?
Repentance is a Divine quality wrought by the Spirit of God in the soul, whereby a sinner,Sol. is so much touched in heart for his sinnes that he truly turns from them all unto the Lord.
I think it not necessary, nor meet for me,Note. to discuss the termes or genus of this description: But here No…e, 1. That repentance unto salvation, is an Evangelical grace, a Gospel-grace; The Law knows no Repentance, cals for none, nor works none; it is the Gospel and the Gospel onelyonly, that knows Repentance, cals for it, and works it: Moses cals not for Repentance, but Christ doth, Mar. 1.15.
That this Repentance consisteth of two Essentiall parts,This is evident by the words in the proclamation of the King of Nineve Ion. 3.8. (to wit) contrition and conversion, humiliation and reformation; therefore he that would make a true trial of his Repentance, must have recourse unto both of these.
That it is Evangelical contrition, and not legall, that is the first Essential part of Repentance, unto life; it is cordial reformation, and not feigned, that is the second Essential part of Repentance unto life.
But what is this Evangelicall contrition? Quest.and how may I discern, whether I have it or no?
Evangelical contrition,Answ. is a godly sorrow of soul for all sinne,It is for inward fins, as well as outward. arising from the apprehension of a gracious God displeased by sinne, and thou maist discern it by this which here follows.
1. Evangelical sorrow springs out of the Love of God, and hatred of sinne, and increaseth the Love of God, and hatred of sinne in the soul; the Love of Christ constraineth the soul to hate sinne, and to mourn and grieve for sinne; and the bitterness of this sorrow and grief for sinne, sweeteneth the Love of God in Christ unto the soul, and inbittereth sinne: And hence it comes to pass, that the soul loves Christ more, and hates sinne more after it hath once felt this sorrow and been soked in it, then ever it did before.
2. Evangelicall sorrow is mixed with faith; The Evangelical mourner, bewailes his sinne, and rests on the mercy of God in Christ, and the promises which are in him, yea, and in him, Amen, for the pardon of his sinne, and the mortification of his corruptions, and grace to amend.
Note.Faith of adherence, is an inseparable concomitant of Evangelical sorrow, although faith of evidence be not so. He that sorrows for his sinne and rests not on Christ for the pardon of his sinne, his sorrow is legal, and not Evangelical, desperation and not contrition.
3. Evangelical sorrow is mixed with hope; The Evangelical mourner, mourns not without hope, he hath hope of obtaining mercy, even in the deepest of his sorrow for sinne, as appears by his carriage in his mourning; He despaires not, but seeks to God for mercy; his sorrow drives him to God, and not from God; as is evident by the example of the Prodigall, Luk. 1.in his deepest distresse, he despaires not, but goes to his father for mercy; but had he not had hope of obtaining mercy, he would have despaired, had he not had hope of obtaining mercy, he would never have gone to his father to seek it.
4. Evangelical sorrow is mixed with Joy, being mixed with Faith and Hope; the Evangelical mourner looks upon his sorrow as a sacrifice, with which God is well-pleased, and therefore Joys that he can sorrow, that he can offer this Sacrifice to God, The Sacrifices of God are a broken and a contrite heart, and spirit: A broken, and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise, saith the Scripture, Psal. 51.17. And this the contrite heart beleeves, and therefore Joys, when it can sorrow.
5. Hence it comes to passe, that the Evangelical mourner, is an agent, as well as a patient, in the action of mourning. He strives to provoke and quicken his dull heart, and soul, to mourn, and thinks no labour too much to bestow, to bring his soul to a godly manner of mourning; He desires nothing more then to turn his Carnal mirth into Godly mourning, Be afslicted, and mourn, and weep, saith the Scripture, Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into heavinesse, Jam. 4.9. This, this soul labours wonderfully to do, and nothing grieves him more, than that he cannot more grieve for sinne: He labours to make his carnall mirth the matter of his spiritual mourning, and wishes, O that mine eyes were a fountain of tears, that I could weep day and night, for the sinne of my nature, and the sinne of my life, and the iniquity of my People.
6. Evangelical sorrow, is a heart-mollifying sorrow, it softeneth the heart, and makes it very tender and pliab…e, sensible of the least sinne, and the least displeasure of God for sin: Hearts broken with evangelicall sorrow, are like broken bones, very sensible of every touch. Hearts broken with Evangelical sorrow are very pliable to the will of the Lord above all other, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? saith a contrite soule, Act. 9.6. as if he had said, declare thy will, Lord, and I am ready to obey it, to the utmost of my power, whatever it be.
Note.Such as the measure of this sorrow is, such usually is the softness of the heart, and the pliability of the will; the more of this sorrow the soul hath, the more tender is the heart made thereby, and the more pliable is the will; the less of this sorrow the soul hath, the less softening hath the heart, and the less yielding is there in the will, to the Will of the Lord.
7. Evangelical sorrow is a heart meekening sorrow; it meekeneth the heart, and maketh it humbly stoop to the yoke of Christ, and patiently bear the Chastising hand of Christ, during the good pleasure of Christ. I will beare the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, untill he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me, saith the contrite soul, Mich. 7.9. It moderateth anger and maketh all calm within and without.It makes the soul to justifie God in all his dealings, as appears by, Neh. 9.33.
8. Evangelical sorrow is a heart-humbling sorrow, it maketh the heart humble and lowly; The more of this sorrow there is in the heart, the more humble it is, and the less of this there is in the heart, the prouder it is, the more fearless and careless it is of sinne; I am no more worthy to be called a Sonne, make me as a Servant, Lam. 1.18.(or any thing, the meanest imployment) in my fathers house, Luk. 23.41.is too good for me, saith the contrite soul. I am but a walking-dunghill,Luk. 15.19. and fitter to be set on a dunghill, then on a Throne, saith the contrite soul.
9. And hence it is, that the soul evangelically contrite, admires free grace, in every favour that it receives, spiritual or temporal, and is the thankfullest soul of all others, for mercies received; What shall I render unto the Lord, for all his mercies towards me, saith a contrite soul? This soul speaks to it self in the language of the Lord to Ierusalem, I was polluted in my blood, Ezek. 16.and cast out to the loathing of my person, and no eye pitied me, to do any office of love unto me: And then the Lord had compassion on me, and washed me with water, yea, with blood, with the blood of his Sonne he throughly washed away my filth, and annoynted me with oyl, indued me with his Spirit, and his grace, &c. I had forfeited all right to Heaven and earth into the Lords hand, and he hath given me all back again freely, and put me in a better condition, than I was in before. O the deepnesse of the riches of the Justice and Mercy of God!
10. In the tenth place, Evangelical sorrow, is a sorrow that keeps the soul in a sweet heavenly frame, for all holy and heavenly duties; it sweetly fits the soul for all holy performances.
Sorrow that flowes from the apprehension of Love in God, is fresh and lively,Note. and full of spirits; so that a man never performs any holy duty better, then when his heart is filled with this sorrow: Set a soul filled with this sorrow, to pray, and he will pray sweetly, and heavenly, fervently, and effectually (to wit) in faith, and so prevaile much with God; Set him to hear, and he will hear humbly, and the whole Word of the Lord will be sweet unto him, every precept and every threatning of the Lord, every bitter thing will be sweet unto him, every crum that fals from his Table will he gather up, as precious food: Set a soul filled with this sorrow to Divine Meditation, and he will do it with great, delight and freedome: set him to receive the Sacrament of the Supper of the Lord, and he will do this action in its beauty, He will looke upon him, whom he hath pierced and mourn, for his sinne that hath pierced him, and every other holy duty will he perform, with a more heavenly mind, than others, which have not felt this sorrow, or not in that measure, which he hath done.
11. The soul Evangelically contrite, sorrows not so much for suffering, as for sinning; not so much for being displeased, as for displeasing, and dishonouring God by sinne, it is grieved for its sinne, because the holy Spirit of God is grieved by its sinne, and broken with its whorish heart,Eze. 6.9. as the Prophet speaks, and is melted by the consideration of the incomparable goodness of God, and his kindnesse, and love in Christ towards its self, abused by its self, rather then broken with horrour, threatnings, punishments, or slavish feare; Against thee, Ps. 51.4.thee only have I sinned, and done this evill in thy sight, saith the contrite soul, and this is that which pierceth his soul.
12. The soul Evangelically contrite, longs after freedome from sinne, more than freedome from suffering;Hos. 14 2. Ps. 25.18. Psa. 39 8. Psa 51.2, 9. it saies with the Church, Lord, take away all mine iniquity, not with Phara…h, the plague; Lord, look upon my affliction and my pain, saith the contrite soul, and ease me of that, if it be thy blessed Will, but however forgive all my sinnes, deliver me from all my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sinne: hide thy face from my sinnes, and blot out all mine iniquities. O wretched man that I am, Who shall deliver me (and when shall I be delivered) from the body of this death? This is the language of contrite souls.
The soul Evangelically contrite, counts sin the worst Evill, and Christ the best Good;Note. the guilt of sinne, the power of sinne, and the being of sinne, is of all burdens the heaviest unto a contrite soul, and that which of all other it longs to be freed from.
13. The soul Evangelically contrite, priseth Christ as the chiefest Good, as the only true Good; it is not satisfied with any thing without Christ, it is not fully satisfied with any thing but Christ, Christ in his Blood, Christ in his Spirit, Christ in his Ordinances, Christ in his Ministers, Christ in whomsoever his Image is stamped is precious, above all earthly things, unto the contrite soul; Thou art my beloved and my desire is towards thee, saith the Contrite heart to Christ.
To the soul Evangelically Contrite,Note. the light of Gods Countenance, and the sense of his love in Christ, is more worth than all the treasures, and pleasures in the world, Lord, lift thou up the Light of thy Countenance upon me; thy love is better than wine, Psal. 4.6. Cant. 1.2. Psal. 4.7.(better then Corn and Wine,) it strengthens more, it comforts more, it puts gladness in my heart, more then Corn and Wine, more than the choicest Creatures in the world, saith the Contrite soul. When once this contrition had ceazed on Davids heart,Psa. 63.1. Psa 42.1. his soul did thirst for God, as the thirsty land for rain, and as the chased Hart for the water-brooks. And not after God only in his immediate dispensations, but in his mediate also, after God in his Ordinances, in his Sanctuary, as appears, Psal. 63.2. & 84.10. & 27.4. and thus did Mary Magdalen, and Paul, and other Saints, under the New Testament, when once this contrition had ceazed on their hearts, they were very industrious seekers of God in his Ordinances; By which it is eminently evident, that it is the nature of Evangelical Contrition, of hearts Evangelically contrite, to prize highly communion with God, in his Ordinances.
As it was with David, and Mary, and the other Saints here, so it is with every soul Evangelically Contrite, he hath the same judgement of and affection towards Gods Ordinances, in truth, though not in the same degree.
Such as the measure of contrition wrought in the soul is, such usually is the measure of his affection to, and thirst after these Divine excellencies forementioned.
14. The soul Evangelically Contrite, disclaims all righteousnesse of its own, and rests wholly on the merit of Christ, for justification before God, We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy raggs, saith the Contrite Church, Isai. 64.6. What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Iesus, my Lord, and do judg them, but dung, that I may winne Christ, saith the Apostle, Phil. 3.8, 9.
When once this Evangelical contrition h…d ceazed on the heart of Paul, he renounced all his own righteousnesse, all before conversion and all after conversion, (his old man and his new) in matter of justification, and rested wholly upon the merit of Christ, which plainly demonstrates the truth asserted.
15. Evangelical sorrow is a lasting sorrow, and a wasting sorrow; When once it hath ceazed upon the heart of a Christian, it doth not pass away, as the morning cloud, and early dew, or a land-flood, but continueth and riseth up, as a spring, and is never exhaust, till sin, the cause of it, be wholly taken away, and not only the guilt, and punishment of sinne, but the very being of sinne, till total deliverance from this body of death be granted. This is evident in the Apostle Paul, Paul mourned for his sin after he was justified from his sinne.when once this sorrow had ceazed on his heart, he did not cease to bewail his proness to sinne, till his being in this world ceased, as appears, Rom. 7. ver. 14.24. And as it is a lasting sorrow, so it is a wasting sorrow, it consumes the body of death, it brings a consumption on sinne, it weakeneth the power of naturall corruption, and warreth succesfully against the most Giant-like corruption, it comes from the heart of a sinner, and it goes to the heart of sinne.
16. Finally Evangelical sorrow,This is fruit fit, and but fit for real Repen…ance. is a reforming sorrow, it makes a man truly turn from sinne, from all sinne, unto the Lord, and this is indeed the great distinguishing Character of it, and that which demonstrates the truth of it, contrition without conversion is not Repentance unto life; He that sorrows for his sinne, and turns not from his finne, unto the Lord, his sorrow is but a sorry one: Humiliation without Reformation, (saith one) is but a foundation without a building, and reformation without humiliation, is but a building without a foundation, a building which will not stand. Humiliation and Reformation God hath coupled together,Pro. 28.13. 2 Chron. 7.14.in his Gospel-Promises, wherein Repentance is fully described; Therefore Repentance unto life,Isai. 1.16, 17. must needs consist of both these: Evangelical Contrition and true Conversion are so coupled together,Act. 3.19. that they cannot be sundered; wheresoever sorrow for sinne is found, it is attended with true turning from sinne, unto the Lord. And this is the second essential part of true Repentance. And this the Scripture cals conversion. Repent and be converted, saith the Apostle in the forecited place, Act. 3.19. it is, as if he had said, mourn for sinne, and turn from sinne, if ever you would have your sinnes to be done away.
He that truly turns from sinne, turns from all sinne;Ezek. 14.6.18.30. He that turns not from all sinne, doth not truely turn from any sinne; God requires a sinner, to turn from all his transgressions, and he that truly turns from sinne, doth this; He turns from all sinne in affection, in purpose and resolution he allows not himself in any known sinne, he loaths all sinne, and conscionably indeavours to forsake all sinne, and get every corruption mortified, therefore saith the Apostle, Godly sorrow worketh Repentance unto salvation, 2 Cor. 7.10.his meaning is, it produceth Reformation (to wit) a true turning from all sin unto the Lord.
He that truly turns to the Lord,Ier. 24.7. 1 Kin. 8.48. doth it not feignedly, as Hypocrites do, but unfeignedly, cordially, with his whole heart, as the Prophet speaks, with full purpose of heart, to walk in all the wayes of God; This the Apostle cals, Repentance unto Salvation, and this is attended with carefulnesse, and circumspection for time to come, cleering of our selves, or apologie for our selves of our detestation of our fact; indignation or exceeding anger with our selves for our offences; Feare, (to wit) feare of relapsing into our former sinnes again; vehement desire (to wit) after strength and assistance from Christ, for the present, and future time; Zeal (to wit) in the performing of all good duties, contrary to our former special sinnes; Revenge (to wit) a holy revenge on our selves, subduing of the body, and keeping it under, lest it should hereafter be an instrument of sinne, as it hath formerly been. All this is evident by the language of the Apostle, in the forecited place, 2 Corinth. 7.11.
Wouldest thou then know, whether thy Repentance be Repentance unto Life, or no? whether it be such as truly demonstrates the holy Spirits saving habitation in thy soul, and the truth of thy faith, yea, or nay? thou must then have recourse to both the parts of true Repentance fore-mentioned (to wit) contrition and conversion; and if by what hath been said, it appears to be truly such, know that it is a sure argument of thy eternal happinesse, bless God for it and labour to grow in it.