Sacred Therapy, Book 2 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Wherein the doubt of the regenerat man, concerning his being in the state of grace, arising from his apprehended defect of humiliation and sorrow for sin, is answered.
SOme regenerat persons will be found, who mourn indeed for their sin, and do acknowledge, that they deserve death for their sins, do confesse they stand in need of Christ, do thirst for his righteousnesse, do desire earnestly▪ to be united unto him by faith, do follow the exercise of Religion, and do endeavour to keep their consciences undefiled in all things; and yet for all this, do not only doubt whether they be renewed, but also do esteem it a presumptuous rashnesse in them to approach unto Christ, or to cast themselves over on him by faith, before they be more seriously humbled, before they feel a more hearty sorrow and grief, before they feel the pangs of the new birth more sharp, before they be more pressed with the burthen of their sins, and do feel in themselves the spirit of fear and trembling and bondage in a higher measure.
From whom, if you ask a reason of their doubt, they shall answer, that they are not yet called to come unto Christ, because these are only called to come unto Christ who are weary and loaden in the superlative degree, and are so born down with the weight of sin, as they cannot be more, and not despair; for so do they interpret that saying of Christ, Matth. 11. 28. Christ is sent only to the contrite and broken in heart, who sit in the dust, under the spirit of bondage, that is to say, as they take it, to them who are under grief unspeakable, as they expound, Isa. 61. 1, 2, 3. So in their opinion, Christ came to save only those who in their own sense are lost, that is, who are on the brink of desperation: wherefore, in respect they are not gone down deep enough as they think into this gulf and hell of anguish and sorrow, they dare not approach or look toward Christ.
Mean time they lye daily mourning and weeping, and will not grant that their grief is worthy of the name of grief; which sorrow they cannot dissemble or hide, but do bewray it in their countenance, habite, walking and frequent sighing, and will professe, that they can hardly think they have right to eat or drink of Gods creatures, and were it not for fear of adding yet more sin to the former, they would not eat or drink at all: ofttimes they chatter as swallows and sigh as the turtle dove, and oft-times their bowels sound out as if their parents or children or nearest relations were dead, and yet for all this do not satisfie themselves in sorrow, but do complain that they are stupid and senslesse of their sinfull and miserable condition, wherein they do lye bound: and though they do confesse, that sometimes they mourn, yet they alledge their mourning is but like the early dew, or morning cloud, that goeth soon away. All the while it is in vain to offer to the afflicted consolation in Christ, because (saith he) I am not one of the mourners in Sion whom he will comfort: and in this their mistake, they do confirm themselves by another error, saying, that the measure of repentance and sorrow should answer unto the measure of sin; my sins, saith he, go far beyond the sins of others.
This and the like objections they cast in, whereby they do obstruct their own way unto Christ and keep themselves aback from him, till they be satisfied with their own prescribed measure of sorrow; which case indeed deserveth much compassion: for, who would not commiserat their case, who, being in a very miserable condition, dare not seek relief from their own misery which they do feel, and all because they are not yet more miserable? and when they are asked, cannot determine what measure of affected humiliation they would stand at as sufficient:
2. In the cure of this case, as much must be yielded to the afflicted, as reasonably can be: and first, it must be confessed, that it is the duty of all who approach unto Christ, to come in the sense of sin, and acknowledgment of their miserable condition, and that the due deserving of their sin, is everlasting death.
It must be confessed also, that the measure of compunction, contrition and lamentation for sin, may possibly be exceeding great, as we see in the experience of Heman the Ezrait, Psal, 88. 11. I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up; while I suffer thy terrors, I am distracted. And David, Ps. 38.
This also further must be yielded unto him, that the operation of the spirit of conviction by the law, doth ordinarily and of its own nature go before the spirit of adoption or the operation of the spirit of the Gospel, according to the covenant of grace, so that no man can in earnest embrace Christ as a Physician, as Mediator and Saviour of his soul, except he be sensible of his disease, acknowledge his natural enmity against God, and his own lost condition, being by nature under the curse of the Law.
Secondly, when these things are agreed upon, the afflicted person may be posed concerning the measure of the sorrow for sin, whether it must be the same in every convert, to wit, in that extremity and superlative degree, which he doth miss and desiderat in himself, and how long that sorrow in this eminent measure must continue? By this question he cannot choose but be at a stand, and unable to answer with Scripture-warrand; for, the Scripture doth indeed require serious repentance, but the measure of sorrow and sadnesse, it doth not prescribe: for, Matth. chap. 3. v. 2. 6. many upon the hearing of Iohn Baptist preaching, were convicted of their sins, and did confesse their sins in the general, and forthwith were baptized by him. And, Act. 2. 37. 41. three thousand souls at the hearing of one sermon of Peter, were convinced of their sin, pricked at the heart, repented, and fled to Christ for grace; were converted, baptized and entered members of the Christian Church, all in one day. Again, the afflicted may be posed with another question, seing he desiderats such a measure of sound hearty sorrow in himself before he can make his addresse unto Christ, out of what fountain mindeth he to draw this sorrow? of himself he hath it not, and from Christ by his grounds he cannot seek it: for he saith, for want of his imagined measure of sorrow for sin, he dare not approach unto Christ, because as he alledgeth none are called to come unto Christ, except such only as are in a superlative degree weary and loaden, and so full of the spirit of heavinesse, that he must be at the point of desperation near by. But the Scripture doth teach us, that Christ is that exalted Prince to give repentance unto Israel, in what measure of sorrow he pleaseth; and that therefore, such as are convinced of and in any measure sorrowfull for offending God, should run unto Christ, that he may give them a better measure of repentance.
Thirdly, the evils and danger which accompany and follow upon this practical error, may be represented unto the afflicted; for, first, by this his error he giveth way to Sathans tentation, who when he perceiveth the sense of sin begun in the afflicted by Gods mercy, and that the afflicted cannot now be hindered from repentance, nor be keeped in his former snare, doth change himself as if he were an angel of light, and setteth all at nought the measure of sorrow which the afflicted hath already, and shews unto him, how unanswerable the proportion of his sorrow is unto the multitude and hainousnesse of his sins, and so spurreth him on to mourn more and more, that if it be possible he may distemper and distract him, or make him pine away and perish in his sorrow, without faith or consolation in Christ: this is one evil.
Another evil is this, the affectation of such a degree of sorrow, smelleth of seeking some sort of expiation of sin, and compensation of the pleasure taken in sin, by suitable sorrow for it: unto which practical error, we are by nature too too prone: for as by nature we strive to be justified by works according to the covenant of works, written in the children of Adam; so when we see our selves come short of the righteousnesse of works, we go about (as is to be seen in Papists) to supply the defect of works, by some one sort or other of our sufferings and satisfactions for sin, in special, that by sorrow and tears in abundance, we may wash away the guilt and pollution we have contracted by sin. And in this course we run on naturally, after wakening of the conscience, to exact pennance and punishment on our selves, till the deluded heart say, it is enough. And then, as if all were well, the deceived sinner resteth himself: which deceit of the heart, the oftener it hath place and prevaileth, without being observed, it is the more dangerous.
A third evil, following on this practical error, is, by it the free grace of God and merits of Christ, are greatly obscured, and both the mans consolation and sanctification are marred: the loss that the afflicted sustaineth on the one hand, and the drawing on of new guiltinesse by such a course on the other hand, is covered under the vizard of humiliation.
A fourth evil followeth this error, which is this, the afflicted person, so long as he continueth in this mistake, he giveth way to the tentation, and doth of set purpose foster his own misbelief, that he may thereby foster and augment his own sorrow, and afright himself with dreadfull imaginations what shall become of him, that he may augment his affected heavinesse of spirit, and make the fountain of his tears run the more abundantly.
A fifth evil is, the afflicted so long as he suspends his going to Christ, because he hath not mourned sufficiently for sin, he fosters another fault unawars, to wit, a purpose to lay down any more sorrowing for sin, if once he had overtaken his imagined measure of sorrow, and had his accesse so made unto Christ. This deceit of the heart, is brought to light in the practice of some Antinomians, who allow themselves once to mourn for sin, that their mourning may make way for faith in Christ; but after they apprehend they have once repented, and casten their burthen on Christ, and do number themselves among believers, they scorn to mourn any more for sin, they harden themselves against all remorse of conscience, and do reject secret challenges as groundlesse, and make themselves merry with their own fancy, and reckon all penitents to be under the spirit of bondage: which evils, if the afflicted person would perceive to follow upon his error, which as a net is spred before his feet to keep him from going to Christ, and following the course and exercise of repentance all the dayes of his life, he would take heed better to his steps.
4. The afflicted must be informed, or called to mind concerning sorrow for sin, that it is not commended from the quantity or measure of it, but from the quality or sincerity of it. Now sincere sorrow for sin, is best discerned by the hatred which the mourner hath against sin, by the mourners humiliation of himself before God, by his abhorring himself both for his sin, and for the hardnesse of his heart under sin, by his purpose to strive against all sin, by his flying in unto Christ for relief from sin, by his entertaining and renewing of godly sorrow after he hath believed in Christ according as he findeth the inherent roots of sin to be springing up in him. This is indeed sincere and godly sorrow, which causeth repentance never to be repented of.
5. Fifthly and last of all, the afflicted must be exhorted not to linger any more but flye to Christ, and let him be humbled so much the more as he is not so humbled as he should and would be; let him call to minde, that Christ came not only to comfort mourners for sin, but also to call sinners unto repentance: for, Christ hath not put such a measure of sorrow, whereof we are speaking, to be the condition of the covenant of Grace, he doth not fell his precious wares, nor his gifts of grace, for the price of mens tears; but let him remember, that whosoever is so destitute in his own sense of all good, as he finds neither the sense of sin, nor repentance nor faith, nor any other good thing in himself, which may commend him to God, but by the contrair, much evil of all sorts, and yet cometh to Christ, is no doubt the poor in spirit, whom Christ hath pronounced blessed, Matth. 5. 3. and that the sense of his sin and misery, in the measure which he hath of it, is the evidence of eye-salve already bestowed upon him, to encourage him to buy of Christ all the riches which he holdeth forth to the poor in spirit, Revel. 3. 18.