must as well be performed in bodie as soule Reason 2. 2. Because as vnitie and agreement is pleasant and acceptable vnto him betwixt man and man so much more would it please him that a man agree with himselfe Hence in the law was forbidden sowing diuers seeds in the same field making garments of halfe linnen and halfe wollen mourning in a festiuall time as Nehemiah Nehem. 8.9 with the Priests and Leuites that instructed the people said vnto them This day is holy vnto the Lord your God mourne not neither weepe How vndecent and vnacceptable then would this disagreement be betwixt the soule and the bodie that when the one weepeth the other should laugh when the soule is humbled with sorrow and feare the bodie should be puffed vp and swell in ioy and pleasure Reason 3. 3. Because it will further his repentance namely for the mortification of the flesh and the corrupt lusts of it and bringing it into obedience to the spirit for it requires abstinence from pleasure and abundance of diet whatsoeuer is aboue necessitie yea often the abating of that That as horses the more plentifully they are fed the more fierce and vntractable they are when as by withdrawing their prouender they are made subiect to their rider such is the flesh by abundance made to rebell And as a seruant that hath too much laid vpon him more than he can vndergoe reprocheth and reuileth his master so the bellie too full corrupts the minde and vnderstanding as Chrysostome speaketh Hom. 45. in Matth. but when it is abated of that it is brought into subiection of the spirit and soule Obiection Heere may some obiect that our Sauiour Christ willeth men when they fast Matth. 6.16 not to looke sower as the hypocrites for they dissigure their faces that they might seeme vnto men to fast Also that of the Prophet Ioel Ioel 2.13 Rent your hearts and not your garments and turne vnto the Lord your God And that of Dauid Psalm 51.17 The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit By which places it seemeth that the Lord requireth the inward humiliation and not the outward Answere I answere the inward is the principall which God requireth but he will also haue the other and in requiring of this more principallie he reiects not that The inward is more in request with God as the outward with man in their seruices Yet as man would haue both so God will though principallie he require the inward and if he seeme to reiect the outward the cause is for that he findeth it seuered from the other and done in hypocrisie which he abhors as much as he did a dead carrion or carcase brought to him for a sacrifice vnder the law when he required liuing sacrifices such are these when the soule is not humbled with the bodie Yet in some cases the outward may be omitted as when by vsing it men shall incurre the suspition of hypocrisie and a desire of vaine-glory in which respect Christ our Sauiour forbid it But rather the reproofe is because priuate things are done publikely and such as should be betwixt God and himselfe are acted in the view of the world Now for the vse of this Vse 1. vpon this we may iustly feare that many men are farre from humiliation and so from repentance from inward because they so much detest the outward a thing they neither will nor doe practise for we may well feare that they who doe not the lesse and the easier will not do the greater nor practise the harder Now it is a far lesse and easier thing to practise humiliation in the bodie then in the soule in the members then in the heart as it is easier to bend a bough then the bodie of a tree speciallie then the roote And besides men be naturallie hypocrites and more apt to performe the outward humiliation which being not found giues vs fuspition that the inward is far from them Vse 2. 2 To perswade men to labour for this that their outward humiliation may be correspondent to the inward as we finde the apparell of men is agreeable to their coditions and course of life And therefore this inward humble repentant must put on a black mourning weede that as he is in soule and conscience cast down by the sight of his sinne and sense of the wrath of God so he may behaue himselfe accordingly and expresse his inward humiliation in all his words deeds and in the whole course of his life which he ought to labour for as for the reasons before so because it will be very profitable for him in respect of the inward for the confirming and increasing of it For as it is in all other parts of holinesse the more they are practised by the bodie in life and action the more they are confirmed and increased inwardly in the soule so the more that a man giueth himselfe to the vse of all outward exercises of humiliation before men the more doth hee humble himselfe in the sight of God Therefore labour for this that thou maist increase thy true humiliation to thy comfort All this while I speake of particular and ordinarie outward humiliation and repentance which is not necessarily required that it should be done publikely It is a thing that hath beene obserued in many that they breake forth into teares and sighings in the congregation I simplie condemne it not I would iudge charitablie of it but yet if I may aduise them I thinke it fit they abstaine from such outward things in publike place and doe it betwixt God and themselues rather when they are alone knowing not what construction others may make of it Sighs may come suddenly vpon a man but to doe as some doe to sit in the face of the preacher one whole houre together sâ—ghing and sobbing and their eies shâ—l of teares will breede some suspitions as if they did it to be seene of men Let particular mourning then be in the secret chamber betwixt God and thy selfe but when the whole congregation hath cause of mourning and doth sanctifie an assemblie for that end it may well be done and ought to be performed of particular men in the publike place neither can it be iustlie censured in an euill sense Verball humiliation is confession Now to the particulars of this humiliation and first of that which is in word which is called Confession Confession Confession of sinnes is a part of humiliation and euer ioyned with true repentance they can not be truly humbled and repent who confesse not their sinnes vnto God And they who repent must and doe confesse Hence is that saying of Salomon Prou. 28.13 He that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall haue mercie Thus Dauid confesseth his sinnes vnto God and saith Against Psalm 51.4 5. thee against thee onely haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight Behold I was borne
in sinne and in iniquitie hath my mother conceiuedme So the same Dauid 2. Sam. 24.10 after he had sinned by numbring the people and was touched in heart for it he confessed vnto the Lord that hee had sinned exceedingly in that hee had done so Nehemiah bewailing the captiuitie of Ierusalem said Nehem. 1.7 We haue grieuouslie sinned against thee and haue not kept thy commandements nor the slatures nor the iudgements which thou commâ—odest thy seruant Moses So Danel confessed and said Dan. 9.5 We haue sinned and haue committed iniquitie and haue done wickedly yea we haue rebelled and departed from thy precepts and from thy indecent Reason 1. Now the reason of this truth is first because confession is a part of humiliation For euery man is charie of his owne credit and estimation and cannot indure from any other to heare any thing that may impaire the same but it is vtterly against his owne stomacke to vtter any thing any way tending to his owne disgrace to cast mire in his owne face Hence he couereth his faults by all meanes possible but if he cannot stay that hee will be sure to keepe his owne counsell So that whensoeuer a man is brought willingly and plainely to confesse his sins it is a great argument and proofe of his humiliation Reason 2. 2. Because there is no repentance without this for he will neuer forsake and turne from his sinnes who wil not confesse then for as it is with the bodie hee that will not confesse to the Physitian the meat where of he surfeited it is apparent he neuer meaneth to forsake that meate so hee that will not confesse his sinnes and acknowledge that to be the cause of his hurt will neuer come to forsake them Reason 3. 3. Because there will be no pardon else for God couers when men vnâ—…uer and acknowledge hee iustifies when men condemne hee pardons when men accuse themselues And if any man pleade non est of actâ—m and denie his deed and his debt there is no reason he should haue the 〈◊〉 of grace Q. To whom must this confession be made Ans To God But is theâ—… no confession at al to be made 〈◊〉 Yes there is â—…ciuill confession and an Enclesiasticall confession Ciuill confession is when a malefactor confesseth to the Iudge a seruant to his master or a child to his father So Achan confessed to Iosuah Gehazi confessed to his master But there is besides another ciuill confession when one man confesseth vnto another an offence committed against him which is also lawfull and taught by the Apostle S. Iames when he saith Iames 5.16 Acknowleege your faults one to another which is not meant of a sacramentall confession as the Papists would haue it witnes euen their owne Cardinal Caietan who in his Commentarie vpon that place obserueth that it cannot be vnderstood of the sacrament of Confession because the Apostle doth not say acknowledge your faults to the Priest but one to another therefore the meaning of the Apostle is that when a man lieth sicke to the intent that they come to visit him may the more carnestlie pray for him there should passe a mutuall confession of the offences committed one against another The Ecclesiasticall confession is when a man hath committed some publike offence as adulterie or periurie c. he is censured by the Church to stand in an appointed place in the publike assemblie and in a publike maner to make confession of his fault and to â—estifie his repentance that the congregation may be satisfied and he receiued into their fauour and loue againe Q. But is there none other particular confession Ans There is no other of any absolute necessitie but by consequence it may be necessarie that is when a man is distracted in his minde and is discomforted and can finde no comfort in himselfe nor is able to apply vnto himself the comforts of God he is bound to confesse his griefe to some who is able to applie vnto him the promises of the Gospel for the delaying of his spiritual malady as much as a man that is bodily sicke and cannot cure himselfe is bound to send for a Physitian and shew him his griefe that he may helpe to cure him But so as he is not bound to any one man or that he must needes be a Preacher or a Minister so he make choice of an able man well experienced trustie and secret for often times in the matter of conscience or distraction of minde a priuate man may giue more comfort then many a good Preacher As in the bodie in many diseases an experienced man who hath been subiect to and cured of them can better tell how to helpe and cure another then a learned Physitian who is without that home-bred experience so many a priuate man by his owne experience of the terrors of his conscience and the gratious comforts he found from God in due time can better tell how to administer a word of comfort and shall more fitly doe it then many a learned Minister who neuer had the like terrors and so not the like experience As the Apostle speaketh generallie 1. Cor. 1.4 God hath comforted vs in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any tribulation by the comfort wherewith we our selues are comforted of God And this confession wee speake of is a necessarie thing for all such as bee in the condition mentioned whether they be learned or ignorant whether of the Laitie or of the Clergie euen to one as well as to another For oftentimes it may fall to a Minister to haue this trouble of conscience and distraction of mind so that he shall not be able to administer comfort to himselfe Basil hath such a saying That a Physitian bee hee neuer so skilfull or expert yet being fallen into some disease may by reason of the passion or extremitie of his sicknes which may breed and bring obliuion of his Art be often not able to helpe himselfe but bee forced to seeke helpe of another so a Minister may be in that condition that he may be driuen to seeke helpe and comfort of another man and so had need to confesse as well as another But some will demand what I think of the confession of Poperie which is pressed vpon men to be made of al sins and that to a Priest vpon paine of damnation Answer I thinke of it as an excellent policie and full of humane wisdome and as the greatest meanes for the vpholding of Poperie that the world affoordeth except the Inquisition for by this means they know the harts affections and dispositions of men by which they can tel how to prouide for themselues either for the greater increasing of themselues or for the preuenting of a mischiefe comming vpon them but for the thing it self there is no tittle in the Scripture to prooue it for that in the Epistle of Iames Iames 5.16
account the preaching of the word after the Church is gathered not so necessarie supposing it a needlesse thing that the people should haue so much knowledge But I must tell them that knowledge is not so much gotten by preaching as by reading and that the speciall end of preaching is not so much for knowledge as for grace and sanctification and that a man may haue knowledge and want sanctification yea hee may in part bee sanctified and yet be farre short of that he ought to haues which doubtlesse is to bee increased by the same meanes it is begotten which is preaching There is then perpetuall necessitie of it which made God say of his church I wil water it euery moment Esay 27.3 that is make it bring forth fruit and increase yea and the rather seeing a man is subiect to a continuall decrease in his soule as hee is in his body and to lose of the degrees of grace and sanctification which haue bin begotten in him by the preaching of the word Where upon Chrysostome saith Non sicut reliquae artes ita est docendi vis Argentarius enim qualecunque vas excuderit reposuerit tale postridie reuersus iterum inueniet aerarius marmorarius artificum quisque quale proprium opus dimiserit tale rursus recipiet Non tales vos inueniamus quales relinquimus sed postquam susceptos labore multo reformauerimus correxerimus effecerimus feruentiores egressos negotiorum circumstantia vos vndique circumcurrens rursus peruertit maior em nobis praebet difficultatem Chrysost hom 13. ad pop Antioch The Art of teaching and hearing is not like other artes For the goldsmith what worke soeuer he frameth and casteth in a mould and laieth a side the next day when he returneth to his worke hee findeth it as hee left it and so the Blacke smith and the Mason and eueâ—ie artificer looke in what condition they leaue their worke in the same they find it But wee doe not find you as we lefe you but after that with much labour we haue reformed you and corrected you and made you more zealous you are no sooner departed but the multitude of businesses doth beset you on all sides and corrupt you and maketh our worke more diffioult then before Reason then and good cause is there that as men cate againe and often for the repairing of the decaies of the bodie so they should heare often for the renewing and repairing of the breathes and decaies which Satan and the world haue made in their soules But how should they heare without a preacher and preaching men euen after their rene wing and repentance are still subiect to sinne and sall and as subiect to lie long in it euen many a weeke and many a moneth and yeeres if there be not meanes affolded to waken them though they bee very grieuous and fearefull falles and sinnes where with they are ouertaken as it was with holy Dauid who for the space of 40. weekes or there abouts lay in his sins that he had committed both adulterie and murther And howsoeuer hee was a Prophet of God and enlightned by the spirit of God yet lay he all that time in security neuer soundly repentiug nor renewing himselfe till by the voice of Nathan hee was awaked and recouered And if he so rare and excellent a man how much more may others lie in their sins without euer returning or renewing themselues if they haue not some Nathan some Seer some Preacher or other to awaken them out of their sleepe and securitie As necessarie then as their repentance is and the perpetuall vse and exercise of it so necessarie is the preaching of the word especially seeing men may not stand at a stay but as hath been shewed they ought daily to increase more and more till they come to that age and perfection whereunto God hath appointed Hitherto you haue heard of the nature parts and causes of repentance and lastly of the parties to whom it belongeth and who haue neede of it Seuen signes or effects of repentance Wee must now proceede in the next place to speake of seuen things inseparable from repentance which the Apostle Paul hath in his epistle to the Corinthians His words are these 2. Cor. 7.11 For behold saith he this thing that ye haue bin godly sorie what great care it hath wrought in you yea what clearing of your selues yea what indignation yea what feare yea hoy great desire yea what a zeale yea what punishmet Whether we shal cal them effects or fruits qualities or properties affections or consequences of repentance the learned differ the name is not greatly materiall when it is manifest they are things inse parably ioyned with repentance so that there is no repentance where they are not in some measure and where they are there is certainly repentance of them then will I speake in order If I may acquaint you sinst with the conceit of some who thinke that the first of these seuen respecteth both good and euill which is cara The three next euill onlys the first which is cleering of your selues respecteth euill pastethe second which is indignation euill present the third which is feare euill to come The three last they will haue to respect good onely which are desire 〈◊〉 punishment But I meane not to tye my selfe to thier sense neither would I binde others And I will speake of them as the Apostle hath laid them downe The first the Apostle called care or some interpret it studie It is thought to be that which is opposite to sloth and securitie So that where as a man that is without true faith repentance and sense of sin is maruellous secure and carelesse either to auoide euill and sinne or to doe the good that he ought hee that hath this is on the contrarie full of care and full of thoughts how to auoid euill and sinne and keepe himselfe from being corrupted and defiled and to doe the contrarie good whence we may gather this The first signe or effect of repentance is care or studie That euery one that hath a godly sorrow and true repentance is not slothfull but diligent nor carelesse but carefull to auoid all sin especially such as he hath humbled himselfe for and hath repented of so that hee doth not only leaue them but he is also studious carefull to auoid theÌ„ which is manifest by this place of S. Paul to the Corinthians What care it hath wrought in you which place Ambrose interpreteth thus Qui poenitet solicitus est ne denuo peccet He that repenteth is carefull he sin not againe As also he is most carefull to doe that which is good and not onely doth but is carefull to doe This our Sauiour Christ perswadeth the Church of Ephesus vnto Reuel 2.5 That repenting she should remember from whence sne was fallen and repent and doe her first workes Not only workes but first workes alluding vnto