Exhortation to Repentance, Title page 1 – Dedication 1
M. PERKINS, HIS EXhortation to Repentance, out of Zephaniah: Preached in 2. Sermons in Sturbridge Faire.
TOGETHER WITH TWO Treatiſes of the Duties and Dignitie of the Miniſtrie: Deliuered publiquely in the Vniuerſitie of Cambridge.
With a Preface praefixed touching the publiſhing of all ſuch workes of his as are to be expected: with a Catalogue of all the perticulers of them, diligently peruſed and publiſhed, by a Preacher of the Word.
Prouerbs 28. 13.
Hee that hideth his ſinnes ſhall not proſper, But he that confeſſeth and for ſaketh them ſhall finde mercy.
LONDON Imprinted by T. C. for William Welby, and are to bee ſold at his Shop in Pauls Church-yard, at the ſigne of the Grey-hound. 1605.
To the right worſhipfull, my very worthie and Chriſtian friend, Syr William Gee, Knight, one of his Maieſties Honourable Counſell in the North, Recorder of the Towne of Beuerley, and Hnll, and one of his Maieſties Iuſtices of peace in the Eaſtriding of the Countie of Yorke, a true friend of learning, and pietie, and to the vertuous, and religious Lady his wife. Grace and peace from God &c.
AMongſt the many reaſons (Worſhipful Syr',) which hauehave perſwaded mee that Poperie cannot bee the true religiō, this is not the leſt: the inſufficiency of their doctrin of faith & repētance: which two things though they be the chiefe & principal points in Religion, and ſo neceſſarie that he, who doth not, both knowe, and practiſe them aright, can neuer be ſaued yet I dare auouch, that the faith and Canitius in Catechiſme. Coſterus in Enchiridio.repentance of the Romiſh Church, as they are taught by many of the beſt approued Papiſts, are no better then ſuch a faith, and ſuch a repentance as an hypocrite, and a very reprobate may attaine vntounto: Indeed, to inſiſt vponupon repentance onelyonly (they make many faire floriſhes, they call it penance, they make it a ſacrament, & ſay it is a boord that ſaues a man after ſhipwrack, and write great volumnes of it, and of confeſsion, and of Caſes of Corradus. Nauarrus. Loper Sairus. Hallus. Graffius, & many other.conſcience, (as you good Syr in your owne reading know better then I) & yet alas, when all is done, it is but a ſhadow of repentance; and indeede how can they teach aright the doctrine of repentance: which erre ſo fowly in ſetting downe the iuſtice of God, and the vilenes of ſin, which 2. points a man muſt know, elſe he will neuer repent: but Poperie miſconceiuing the iuſtice of God, teaching it not to bee infinite in as much as it needes not an infinite ſatisfaction, & miſconceiuing the nature of ſin, teaching eueryevery ſin not to bee damnable, … to offend Gods Infinite iuſtice, …ring (I ſay) in theſe 2. how is it poſſible they ſhould conceiue aright the nature of repentance? by which a man ſeeing his ſins, their fouleneſſe their puniſhment, and his own miſery by them, confeſſeth them, bewails them, fearing Gods iuſtice, flyeth frō it, and craues forgiueneſſe of his merciemercy, and laſtly purpoſeth, & indeuoureth to leaue them all, and to leade a newe life. The ſerious conſideration hereof, hath often made me wonder, why many Popiſh treatiſes being in ſome ſort exhortations to repentance ſhould be ſo accounted of, as they are by ſome: for though I confeſſe there are in ſome of them, good and holeſome meditations, and many motiues to mortification, and good life, yet would I gladly learne of any man but this one thing, how thoſe exhortations can be pithie, or powerful, ſound or any way ſufficient to moue a man to repentance, when as, not thoſe bookes, nor all Poperie is able to teach a man ſufficiently what true repentance is.
If any man reply: I will therefore learne the doctrine out of the Proteſtants bookes, and vſe the Papiſts for exhortation onelyonly: I then anſwere, is it not a more compendious, and conuenient, and a leſſe ſcandalous courſe, to ſeeke exhortations out of ſuch writers, as do teach the doctrine aright? nay I doubt how it is poſſible to finde a powerfull exhortation to repentance in any Papiſt, who erres in the Doctrine: the reaſon is manifeſt, becauſe Doctrine is the ground of exhortation: and if the doctrine be vnſound, how can the exhortation, be any better. Let vsus therefore leaue theſe muddic puddles, and fet our water at the fountaine: the water of life, at the fountaine of life, I mean the doctrine of faith, and repentance at the written word of God, and at ſuch mens writings as are grounded therevpon, and agreeable thereunto.Deering… Grenham. Bradford. and many other.
Now, amongſt thoſe many inſtruments of God, who hauehave laboured with profit in this great point of Religion: namely repentance, drawing their doctrine out of the two breſts, of the 2. Teſtaments of Gods booke, I may well ſay, (to ſay no more,) that this man of God Maiſter Perkins, deſerues to hauehave his place: whoſe labours, whilſt he liued, and his yet liuing labours, what they deſerue, I had rather others ſhould proclame, then I once name: who profeſſe my ſelfe to bee one of thoſe many, who may truely ſay, that by the grace of God & his good meanes principally, I am that I am: But leaning him in that glorious manſion, which Chriſt the Lord of the Harueſt hath prepared for him: and now giuen him. I returne to my ſelfe, and doe humbly praiſe the Lord of heauen, who gaue mee my time in the Vniuerſitie, in thoſe happie dayes, wherein (beſide many other worthy men of God, whereof ſome are falne aſleepe, and ſome remaine aliue vntounto this day) this holy man did ſpend him ſelf like a Candle to giuegive light vntounto others:
The ſcope of all his godly endeuours was to teach Chriſt Ieſus, and him crucified, and much laboured to moue all men to repentance, that as our knowledge hath made Popery aſhamed of their ignorance: ſo our holy liues might honour our holy profeſsion. And as repentance was one of the principal ends, both of his continuall preaching and writing: ſoeſpecially and purpoſely hath hee twiſe dealt in that Argument.
Firſt, in his Treatiſe of Repentance: publiſhed 1592. wherein briefly (as his manner was) but ſoundly, pithily, and feelingly, hee layeth downe the true doctrine, and the very nature of repentance: and after the poſitiue doctrine, hee toucheth ſome of the principall controuerſies and difficulties in that doctrine, but afterwards thinking with himſelfe, that hee had not ſeriouſly and forcibly enough, vrged ſo great & neceſſarie a Leſſon as Repentance is, therefore ſhortly after, being deſired and called to the duty of preaching, in that great, & general aſſembly at Sturbridge-Faire, he thought it a fit time: for this neceſſary and generall exhortation to Repentance: to the intent, that as wee were taught the doctrine of Repentance, in the former treatiſe: ſo in theſe ſermons we might bee ſtirred vp to the practiſe of it. And certainly, (Good Sir:) I iudge there could hauehave beene no matter, more fit for that aſſembly then an exhortation to repentance, for as the audience was great and general, of all ſorts, ſexes, ages and callings of men, and aſſembled out of many corners of this kingdom ſo, is this doctrine generall for all: ſome doctrines are for Parents, ſome for children, ſome for ſchollers, ſome for tradſe-men, ſome for men, ſome for women, but repentance is for all: without which, it may bee ſaid of all, and eueryevery one of age, not one excepted: No Repentance, no ſaluation
Theſe Sermons being in my hands, and not deliuered to mee from hand to hand, but taken with this hand of mine, from his owne mouth, were thought worthy for the excellencie, & fit for the generallity of the matter, to be offered to the publique veiwe: I hauehave alſo other workes of his in my hands: of which (being many,) I confeſſe my ſelfe, to be but the keeper for the time, taking my ſelfe bounde to keepe them ſafely, to the benefite of Gods Church, of whoſe treaſure vponupon earth I make no queſtiō, but they are a part: and I hartily deſire you (my godly friends) & all other faithfull Chriſtians to ſolicite the Lord in prayer for me, that I may faithfully diſcharge my ſelf of that great charge which in this reſpect lyeth vponupon me: and that his grace and bleſsing may be on mee, and all others, who are to be imployed in this ſeruice, wherein (had the Lord ſo pleaſed) wee could heartily hauehave wiſhed neuer to hauehave bin imployed: but that his life might hauehave eaſed vsus of the labour: and that as I begin with this, ſo I, or ſome other better able (which I rather deſire) may goe forward, vndertaking the weight of this great burthen, and not faint, till he hauehave made a faithfull account to the Church of God, of all theſe Iewels deliuered to our truſt.
And now theſe firſt fruites of my labours, in another mans vineyard, as alſo all that hereafter doe or may follow, I humbly conſecrate to the bleſſed Spouſe of Chriſt Ieſus, the holy Church of God on earth, and namely to the Church of England, our beloued mother, who may reioyce, that ſhe was the mother of ſuch a ſonne, who in few yeares did ſo much good to the publique cauſe of religiō, as the wickedneſſe of many yeares ſhall not Maiſter Perkings, but forty yeares old at his death.be able to weare out. But firſt of all, and eſpecially, I preſent the ſame vntounto you (my very worſh▪ and Chriſtian friends) who (I muſt needes ſay) are very worthy of it in many reſpects.
1 For the matter it ſelfe, which is repentance, my ſelfe being able to teſtifie, that you are not heares. but doers, ripe in knowledge, & rife in the practiſe of repentance, inſomuch as I dare from the teſtimonie of my conſcience, and in the word of a miniſter pronounce of you, that as you hauehave heard and knowne this Doctrine of repentance, ſo bleſſed are you, for you doe it.
And 2. for him, who was the author hereof (whoſe mouth ſpake it from the feeling of his ſoule, & whoſe ſoule is now bound vp in the bundle of life:) I know and cannot in good conſcience cōceale the great delight, you hauehave alwaies had in the reading of his bookes, the reuerend opinion, you had of him liuing, and how heauily and paſſionately, you tooke his death, and departure: therefore to cheare you vp in want of him, I ſend you here this little booke, his owne childe, begotten in his life time, but borne after his death: obſerue it well and you ſhall find it, not vnlike the father, yea, you ſhall diſcerne in it the fathers ſpirit, and it doubts not, but to find entertainement with them, of whom the father was ſo well reſpected.
And for my ſelfe, I ſpare to rehearſe what intereſt you hauehave in me, & al my labours, it is no more then you worthily deſerue, and ſhall hauehave in me for euer: you are the faireſt flowers in this garden, which in this place I after others hauehave planted for the Lord (or rather God by vsus): And two principall pearles in that caowne, which I hope for, at the laſt day from the Lord my God, whoſe worde at my mouth you hauehave receiued with much reuerence, and with ſuch profit, as if I had the like ſucceſſe of my labours in others, I ſhould then neuer hauehave cauſe to ſay, with the Prophet, I hauehave laboured in vain, & ſpent my ſtrength in vaine, but my iudgement is with the Lord. & my work with my God.
And if I knewe you not, to be ſuch as take more delight in doing well, then in hearing of it, I would proue at large, what I hauehave ſpoken of you: yet giuegive me leaue to ſay that, which without open wrong, I may not conceile, that beſide your rare knowledge, and godly zeale to religion, and other duties of the firſt table to God himſelfe: your charity & pitty to the needy diſtreſſed Chriſtians, at home and abroad: your mercifull dealing with them, who are in your power; your beneuolence to learning, and namely to ſome in the Vniuerſitie; doe all proclaime to the world thoſe your due praiſe: which I (well knowing your modeſties) do ſpare once to name: neither, would I hauehave ſaid thus much, were it not for this cold and barren age, wherein wee liue, that ſo, when our preaching cannot moue, yet your godly examples might ſtirre vp. Pardon me therefore I pray you, and think it no wrong to you, which is a benefit to Gods Church: But goe forward in the ſtrength of the Lord your God, & hold on in that happie Pſal. 11. 16 Apoc. 2. 10 1. Theſ. 5. 24.courſe you hauehave begun, bee faithfull vntounto the end, the Lord will giuegive you the Crowne of life, faithfull is hee, which hath promiſed, who will alſo doe it: proceed (good Sir) to honour learning in your ſelfe and others, and religion eſpecially, which is the principall learning; and proceed both of you, to practiſe religion in your own perſons; and in your family: hold on to ſhine before your family, and amongſt the people, where you dwell, in zeale and holineſſe: hold on hereby, ſtill to ſhame popery, to ſtop your enemies mouthes, and to honour that holy religiō, which you profeſſe, to gaine comfort of good conſcience to your ſelues, & aſſurance of eternall reward: and laſtly, to encourage me in thoſe painefull duties which lye vponupon me: for I openly profeſſe that your religious zeale and louelove of the truth, with māy other good helps, are principal incouragements in my miniſtry, & eſpecial motiues vntounto me, to vndertake the charge of publicatiō, of ſo many of the workes of this holy man deceaſed, as may not in better maner be done by others. But I keep you too long from this holy exhortation following, I therefore ſend you to it, & it to you, and from you to the Church of God, for I dare not make it to bee priuately yours and mine, wherein the whole Church hath intereſt, as well as we: It was preached in the field, but it is worthy to be admitted into our hearts: I found it in the open field, but vponupon diligēt view, finding it to bee Gods corne, and a parcel of his holy and immortal ſeed, therefore I brought it home, as good corne deſerues: And as it is Gods corne, ſo in you I deſire all holy chriſtians to lay it vp in Gods garners, that is in their hearts and ſoules.
And thus committing this little volume to your reading, the matter to your practiſe: you and yours, to the bleſſed fauour of that God, whom you ſerue: and my ſelfe and my endeuours. to your hartie louelove, and holie praiers. I take leaue: From mie ſtudie. Auguſt. 7. 1604.
Yours in Chriſt Ieſus, euer aſſured. WILLIAM CRASHAVVE.