Repentance Sounding Alarm, Chapter 2
Now whereas I hauehave laid open the certainty of mans ſaluation; as farre, and as faire as I can, by the authority of Gods word, I purpoſe in this ſecond Chapter, by the helpe of God, to ſet forth the doctrine of repentance, and ſhew the neceſſity thereof: and ſo conclude according vntounto this Text of Scripture, Matth. 3.2. Repent yee.
GOod Chriſtian Readers, if yée looke thorow the whole booke of God, from the Alpha of Geneſis, vntounto the Omega of the Reuelation; you ſhall finde ſcarce any Text to be ſhorter than this; yet howſoeuer there is none more néedfull, nor any more profitable; neither doth the Holy Ghoſt ſo much labour in all the Scripture, as he doth to draw men vntounto repentance, Repent yee aEzech. 18.21. Eccleſ. 8.21 22. Ier. 18.11. Acts 17.30. 2 King 17.13. Ier. 25.5. Acts 11.18. Luk 3 3. Ier 36.3. Mat. 3.2, 8. 2 Pet. 3.9. Mat. 4.14.17. Act. 2.38. Hoſ. 14.1, 2. Eſay 31 6. Mal. 3.7. Ezech. 33.11 Ierem. 4.14. Eſay 1.16. Eſay 55.7. Luk. 13 3. 2 Chro. 33.6.
Great néed requires great haſte, and the wound that is déepeſt, hath néed of the diligenteſt cure, ſo that the longer I hauehave continued in ſinne, the more earneſtly I doe returne vntounto my God by repentance; for repentance ought to bring forth as much ſorrow, as ſinne gaue delight; example in Manaſſes bManaſſ. pr., Mary Magdalen cLuk. 7.18., and the like.
Saint Auguſtine was a great ſinner, and wrote many bookes of repentance: which ſheweth to whom much is forgiuen, they ought to louelove much: and the greater their ſinnes are, the more néed they hauehave of repentance, Repent yee.
And I which am the vnworthieſt of all men, hauehave wrote, (for the benefit of others, as well as my ſelfe) almoſt all the bookes that euer I made, concerning repentance: and the longer I hauehave written of it, the more tender my heart is, and the more earneſt my deſire is to returne vntounto my God by repentance, and amendment of life, in the which I pray God to gire me his grace to continue vntounto my liues end.
And as a Traytor that is condemned to die, (if he loued his Prince,) he would goe neare to breake his heart with griefe, to thinke that he ſhould be ſo villanous vntounto ſo gracious a Prince that would forgiue al… his fact, if he would but aske for pardon, become a new man, and true ſubiect vntounto him:
Euen ſo it is with me, (through griefe for my ſinnes,) each time I behold Gods mercies towards me, (a miſerable and moſt wretched ſinner,) in ſparing me ſo long, and giuing me ſuch a large time of repentance. Repent yee. Duo verba, duo luminaria, Theſe two words are like the two great lights in HeauenaGen. 1.16., which ſerue to direct vsus in all our wayes, they are the Superſedeas and diſcharge of ſinbIam. 3.5. Mat. 12.41 Luk. 11.32. Eſay 1.16. Gen. 50 17. 2 Pet. 3.9. Ezech. 18.20, 21. Mal. 13.7. Eſay 55.7. Zach. 1.3. Ezech 33.5. Eſay 56.2. Ier. 4.14. through the merits of Ieſus Chriſtc1 Pet 1 18, 19. Heb 9.14. Reuel. 1.5.: And the cauſe of vnity betwéene God and man. They are Imperatoria breuitas, a Lordlike breuity: Tis ſhort, for feare leſt mans brittle memory ſhould come ſhort of it: and it is the full weight of a few words, Virtus maxima in mole minima, very much in a little. And they are more precious than any pearle, or pure gold, and as néedfull to direct me that made this booke, as you that reade it: wherefore if euer wée hope to be ſaued, we muſt needs forſake our ſinnes, and with all humility returne vntounto God by repentance, according vntounto my Text, Repent yee.
For as God is mercifull vntounto the penitent ſinnergExod. 34.5 6, 7. Pſal. 145 9. Exod. 20 6., he alſo ſheweth his iuſtice vntounto the reprobatehDeut 32.4. Pſal. 55.6. Exod. 20.7. Nahum. 1.2, 3. VViſd. 14.9., whoſe anger vntounto them is moſt dreadfulliPſal. 18 7. Reuel. 6 15. Heb. 12.16., Odio eſt Deo impius & impietas eius, God hateth the wicked man, and his wickedneſſe tookPro. 15.8, 9, 29. 1 Ioh. 3.8. Pro 11.6. Pro. 1.28., Yea, their very thoughtslWiſd. 1.9. Mar. 12.36., words and worksmRom. 1.18. Pſal. 5.6. Exod 20.5. Epheſ. 5 6. God hateth: and therefore without repentance there is no ſaluationnLuk. 13.3. Eſay 59 2. Mal 1.2..
Againe, Inanis poenitentia, quam ſequens culpa de nouo iterat: Vaine is that repentance which an after fall defileth: It auaileth a man nothing, to aſke of God for pardon of his ſinnes, and fall like an hog into the mire of his ſinnefull life afreſh againe.
Wherefore if yée will truly repent, yée muſt forſake all your ſinnes for euer, and returne vntounto God by repentance, as theſe Scriptures teach you. O yee children of Iſrael (ſaith Eſay) turne againe from your euill wayes, wherein you hauehave drowned your ſelues aEſay 31 6., turne you, turne you from all your euill wayes, for why will yee die, O yee houſe of Iſrael bEzech. 33.11? Returne vntounto me, and I will returne vntounto you, ſaith the LordcMal 3.7.. Againe, O Ieruſalem, waſh thine heart from wickedneſſe that thou mayeſt bee ſaued dIer. 4.14.. And againe, Let the wicked forſake their euill wayes, and returne vntounto the Lord, and he will hauehave merciemercy on them, for he is mercifull, and very ready to forgiue eEſay 55.7.: So that, Nemo ad Deum flens acceſſit, qui non quod poſtulauit, accepit; No man came euer wéeping vntounto God, who did not receiue that which he required, (eſpecially if he ſought it through faith in his repentance:) wherefore Saint Peter wept bitterly, that his teares might waſh away his ſinnesfMat. 26 75..
Oh, let vsus dayly labour with all humility, to waſh away the pollution of our ſinnes with teares in our repentance, that we may be ſaued.
Now good Chriſtian Readers, I would hauehave you to conſider, that I made not this booke onelyonly for mine owne priuate vſe, with an Attende mihi, a ſuit vntounto God for my ſelfe, (which of all men hauehave moſt néed of repentance,) but alſo like the poore Italian begger, with an Attende tihi: Now for Gods ſake, your owne ſake, and your ſoules ſake, be mrecifull, be charitable, and comfortable vntounto your owne ſoules, and Repent yee.
So that you with me, and I with you, may all from the bottome of our hearts, returne vntounto the Lord by true repentance: And as Tertullian ſaith, Sperando timebimus, timendo cauebimus, cauendo ſalui erimus: In hoping or deſiring to repent, we ſhall feare our ſinnes, in fearing take héed to amend our liues, and in taking héed, (through our true repentance) by the merits of our SauiouraPſal. 18.1. 2 Sam. 22.3 Acts 5.31. Luk. 2.11. Mat. 1.21. 1 Tim. 4 1…. Ieſus Chriſt, be ſaued.
For, God aſſures no man pardon for his ſinnesbLuk. 13.3. Nahum. 1.2. Eſay 59 2. 1 Ioh. 1.9. 1 Ioh. 3.8., but ſuch as returne vntounto him by true repentance, become new creaturesc1 Pet. 1.23 Gal. 6 15. 2 Cor 5.17. Rom 11.5., and walke in newneſſe of lifedRom. 6.4. 1 Pet. 2 9, 10, 11, 12. Acts 3 16. Epheſ. 4 1. Gal 5 10. 1 Ioh. 2 3, 5, 6..
Wherefore beloued, ſéeing that mine, and all our ſoules are infected with the poyſon of ſinne, let vsus not looke, or thinke on our worldly buſineſſe; nor let our ſoules gad abroad with Dinah, but commune with our owne hearts, and returne vntounto God by ſpéedy repentance; for Periculum eſt animae, our ſoules lie at the ſtake, or point of death, bléeding with the heauie burthen of our ſinnes, and can be no way cured or ſaued, but by repentance, whom none can pardon but GodaLuk. 5 21. Dan 9 9. Heſt. 13 4. Hoſ. 14.1, 4. Ioh. 1.29. Pſal. 32.1, 2, 3 Ioh. 1.15, 16. Pſal. 3.8. Pſal. 49.7, 8. Mat. 1.21. Pſal. 17.7. Luk. 17.30. Ioh. 6.36. Luk. 1.77. Iohn 4 10. Pſal. 79 9. Pſal. 51.12, 13. 1 Tim. 1.15. 1 Iohn 3.5, 6. 1 Ioh. 1.7. Pſal. 4.8..
Therefore let vsus repent while me may hauehave time, and deferre it not vntill hereafter; for, Qui non eſt hodie, cras minus aptus erit; He that is not ready to repent to day, will be leſſe ready to morrow; becauſe his heart will be more hardened, his conſcience more ſeared, his ſoule more ſtung with ſinne, and himſelfe more weake to get out of the clawes of the Deuill.
O Lord my God,bPſal. 109.25. Pſal. 7.2. Pſal. 40 6. 1 King. 7.20, 21. Pſal 18.1. Pſal. 30.2. Pſal. 99.8, 9. it is my ſinnes, oh, it is mine vnrepented ſinnes, that kindleth the fire of thy wrath againſt me, and nothing but my teares I ſhed for them in my dayly repentance, through the merits of my Lord and SauiourcActs 5.31. Pſal. 18.1. Luk 2.11. 2 Sam. 22.3. Mat. 11.21. 1 Tim 4.…. Ieſus Chriſt, will be the water to quench them. Repent yee.
If euer precept came home vntounto our hearts, to warne vsus to forſake our ſinnes, it is this: if euer charge was reaſonable, or moſt néedfull for our ſoules ſaluation, it is this, Repent yee.
God hath giuen vsus, membra duplicia, two members, two eyes, two eares, two armes, two legges: that the failing of the one, may be ſupplyed by the other; animam vero vnam, he hath giuen vsus but one ſoule; when that is loſt there is no ſupplie.
I ſée (gentle Readers) the more I enter into repentance, the more tender mine heart is, and the more my vnrepented ſinnes doe grieue me, ſo that the griefe of mine heart is ſo great, for my ſinnes, that I can goe no further to inſtruct you in the doctrine of repentance, before I hauehave eaſed mine owne heart, by bewailing my ſins vntounto Almighty God: and like the poore Lazarus, or wounded begger, lay ouen all my wounds, blaines, and putrifying ſores of ſinne, vntounto my Lord and Sauiour Ieſus Chriſt.
Now I know no way better to grieue and lament for my ſinnes, than with Aannah b1 Sam. 1.10., to powre out my ſoule vntounto thée, O Lord my GodcPſal. 30.2. Pſal. 7.…. Pſal. 109.25. 1 King. 17.20 21. Pſal. 18.1. Pſal. 40.6. Pſal. 7.2. Pſal. 99.8, 9., by my moſt humble faſting, and deuout praying, with all humility vntounto thée, thot through thy merits dnd bitter paſſion on the croſſe) vponupon my true repentance) thou wilt hauehave mercy on me, O Lord hauehave mercy on me.
Wherefore with griefe for my ſinnes, from the bottome of mine heart, I will proſtrate my ſelfe before thée, my ſwéet and louing Sauiourd2 Sam. 22.3 Acts 5.31. Pſal. 18.1. Luk. 2.11. 1 Tim. 4.10. Mat. 1.21., moſt humbly deſiring thy mercifull eares to heare, and pitifull eyes to looke backe vponupon me, as thou diddeſt on the woman of CanaaneMat. 15.28, the poore PublicanfLuk. 18.13., on Mary Magdalen gIoh. 20.15:, or the penitent theefehLuk. 23.40, which came vntounto thée in his laſt houre.
End of the text · John Andrewes, Repentance Sounding Alarm (1631)