abolished wheras contrariwise the conscience with a shril voice proclaimes sin to be sin This fight was in Pilat who by the force of his conscience feared to condemne Christ yet was willing and yeelded to condemne him that he might please the people Furthermore this cōbat is in the regenerate but during the time of this life for they which are perfitly sanctified feele no strifte If any shal say that this cōbat was in Christ whē he said Father if it be thy will let this cup passe from me yet not my will but thine be done Indeed here is a cōbat but of another sort namely the fight of two divers desires the one was a desire to do his fathers will in suffering the death of the crosse the other a natural desire which was no sinne but a meere infirmity of humane nature whereby he in his manhood desires as the maner of nature is to seek the preseruation of it selfe to haue the cursed death of the crosse remooued from him The fift point is the effect of this combat which is to make the man regenerate that he can not doe the things which he would and this must be understood in things both good ill And first he can not do the evill which he would for two causes First because he cannot commit sin at what time soeuer he would S. Iohn saith He that is borne of God sinneth not neither can he sin because he is borne of God that is he can not sin at his pleasure or when he will Ioseph when he was assaulted by Putiphars wife to adultery because the grace of God abounded in him wherby he answered her saying Shall I doe this sin against God he could not then sin Lot because his righteous heart was grieved in seeing and hearing the abominations of Sodom could not then sin as they of Sodom did Hence it appeares that such persons as liue in the daily practise of sin against their own consciences though they be professours of the true religion of Christ haue no soundnes of grace in them Secondly the man regenerate can not sin in what manner he would And there be two reasons therof First he can not sinne with full consent of will or with all his heart because the will so far forth as it is regenerate resisteth and draweth back yea even then when a man is caried headlong by the passions of the flesh he feeles some contrary motions of a regenerate cōscience It is a true rule that sin doth not reigne in the regenerate For so much grace as is wrought in the mind will affectiōs so much is abated proportionally of the strength of the flesh wherfore whē he cōmits any sin he doth it partly willingly partly against his wil. As the mariners in the tēpest cast Ionas into the sea willingly for otherwise they had not done it yet against their willes too which appeares because they prayed and cast their goods out of the ship laboured in rowing against the tempest that very long before they cast him out And herein lies the difference betweene tvvo men cōmitting one the same sinne the one of them being regenerate the other unregenerate For the latter sins with all his heart with full consent so doth not the first Secōdly though he fall into any sin yet he doth not lie lōg in it but speedily recouers himself by reason of grace in his hart Hence it is manifest that sinnes of infirmitie are cōmitted only of such as are regenerate As for the man unregenerate he cannot sin of infirmity whatsoeuer some falsly think For he is not weak but stark dead in sinne And sinnes of infirmity are such only as rise of constraint feare hastines such like sudden passions in the regenerate Aed though they sin of weaknes often by reason of this spirituall combat yet they do not alwaies for they may sinne against knowledge cōscience of presumptiō To come to the secōd point the regenerate mā cannot do the good which he would because he cannot do it perfitly soundly according to Gods will as he would Paul saith To will is present with me but I find no means 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfitly to do that which I would In this point the godly man is like a prisoner that is gotten forth of the gayle that he might escape the hand of the keeper desires striues with all his heart to run an 100 miles in a day but because he hath strait and weighty boults on his legs cannot for his life creep past a mile or twain that with chafing his flesh tormenting himselfe So the servants of God do hartily desire indeavour to obey God in all his commādements as it is said of king Iosias That he turned to God with all his heart with all his soule with all his might according to all the lawes of Moses c. yet because they are clogged with the boltes of the flesh they perfourme obedience both slowly and weakely with divers slips falles Thus much of the combat now let vs see what use may be made of it First of all by it we learn what is the estate of a christian man in this life A christiā is not one that is free frō al evil cogitations frō rebellious inclinations motiōs of will affections frō all maner of slips in his life cōversation for such an one is a mere deuise of mans brain not to be found upō earth But indeed he is the sound christiā that feeling himselfe laden with the corruptions of his vile rebellious nature bewailes them frō his hart with might and main fights against them by the grace of gods spirit Againe here is ouerthrown the popish opinion of merit iustificatiō by workes of grace on this manner Such as the cause of works is such are works thēselves The cause of works in man is the mind will affectiōs sanctified in which the flesh the spirit are mixt togither as hath bin shewed before Therfore works of grace euen the best of them are mixt works partly holy partly sinfull wherby it is euidēt to a man that hath but cōmon sense that they are not answerable to the righteousnes of the law that therfore they can neither merit life or any way iustify a mā before God If any reply that good works are the works of Gods spirit for that cause perfitly righteous I answer it is true indeed they come frō the holy ghost that can not sin but not only or immediatly For they come also from the corrupt mind and will of man and in that respect become sinfull as sweete water issuing out of a pure fountaine is by a filthy channell made corrupt Thirdly we do hēce learn that concupiscēce or originall sin is properly indeed sin after baptism though it please the councel of Trent to decree otherwise For after baptism it is flat
because it is first preached The first sermon that ever was made was of repentance preached by God himselfe in paradise to our first parents And ever since the sermons of al the prophets and Apostles and of all faithful ministers haue had repentance for their beginning and scope The answere hereto may be this If we respect the order of nature there be other graces of God which goe before repentance because a mans conscience must in some part be setled touching his reconciliatiō with God jn Christ before he can begin to repent wherfore iustificatiō sanctification in order of nature go before repentāce But if we respect time grace repentance are both togi ther. So soone as there is fire so soone it is hot so soone as a man is regenerate so soone he repents If we respect the outward manifestation of these twaine repentance goes before all other graces because it first of all appeares outwardly Regeneration is like the sap of the tree that lies hid within the barke repentance is like the bud that speedily shews itself before either blossom leaf or fruit appeare yea all other graces of the heart which are needfull to salvation are made manifest by repentance And for this cause Repentance as I take it is first preached I adde further that repentāce riseth of a godly sorow in the heart as Paul teacheth Godly sorow causeth repentance unto salvation never to be repented of It is called a godly sorow or a sorrow according to God that it may be distinguished from worldly sorrow which is a griefe arising of the apprehension of the wrath of God and other miseries as feare of men losse of good name calamities in goods and other things which in this life follow as punishments of sinne whereas the godly sorrowe causeth griefe for sinne because it is sinne And it makes any man in whome it is to be of this disposition and minde that if there were no conscience to accuse no devill to terrifie no iudge to arraigne and condemne no hell to torment yet he would be humbled brought on his knees for his sinnes because he hath offended a loving mercifull and long suffering God Further I say that repentance standes in turning againe to God Man at the first was made a goodly creature in the image of God having fellowshippe with him whereby hee dwelt in God and God in him By sinne there is a partition made betweene God and man who is alienated and estraunged from God and is become the child of wrath a firebrand of hell the prodigall child going from his father into a far countrey the straying nay the lost sheepe Now when men haue grace to repent then they begin to renew this fellowship and turne againe to God And the very essence or nature of repentance consistes in this turning Which Paul doth seeme to intimate when he saith That he shewed both to Iewe and Gentile that they should repent and turne to God and doe workes worthy amendment of life In which wordes he sets downe unto us a full description of repentance Againe I say that repentance is a turning from sinne because it doeth not abolish or change the substance of body or soule or any of the faculties thereof either in whole or parte but onely rectifie and amend them by remooving the corruption It turnes the sadnesse of melancholy to godly sorow choller to good zeale softnesse of nature to meekenesse of spirit madnesse and lightnesse to christian mirth it reformes every man according to his naturall constitution not abolishing it but redressing the faultes of it Further I put downe that repentance is a turning from all sinne to God that I may exclude many false turnings The first when a man turnes from God to sinne as when one of a protestant becomes a papist an Arrian a Familist The second when a man turnes from one sinne to another As when the riotous person leaves his prodigalitie and gives himselfe to the practise of covetousnesse this can be no repentance because it is a going from one extreame to another whereas repentance is to leave the extreames and keepe the mean The thirde is not when a man turnes from sinne but sinne turnes from him and leaves him As when the drunkard leaves drunkennesse because his stomacke is decayed the fornicatour his uncleannesse because the strength of nature failes him the quareller his fighting because he is maimed on legge or arme The last is when men turne from many sinnes but will not turne from all As Herod did many things at the advertisement of Iohn baptist but coulde not be brought to leave incest in having his brother Philips wife This repentance is nothing For as he which is truly regenerate is wholly in body soule spirit regenerate so he which truly repents turnes from all sinne and turnes wholly to God Neither is this to trouble any that they can not know all their sinnes for sound repentāce for one speciall sinne brings with it repentāce of all sinne And as God requires particular repentance for knowen sinnes so he accepts a generall repentance for such as be unknown To proceed further the conversion of a sinner in repentance hath three partes The first a purpose and resolution in the mind the second an inclination in the will and affections the third an indeavour in life and conversation to abandon and leave all his former sinnes and to imploy himselfe in obedience to Gods commandements Lastly this repentance must bring foorth fruites worthy amendement of life because it can not be knowen to be sincere vnlesse it bring forth fruit Repentant sinners are trees of righteousnesse of Gods owne planting and they grow by the waters that flow out of the sanctuarie and therefore they must beare fruite that may serve for meate and leafe for medecine otherwise the axe of Gods iudgement is laid to there rootes to stocke them vp CAP. II. Of the causes of Repentance THe principall cause of Repentance is the Spirite of God as Paul saith Instructing them with meekenesse that are contrarie minded prooving if God at any time wil give them repentance And Ieremie Convert thou me and I shalbe converted The instrument of the holy ghost in working repentance is the ministerie of the Gospell onely and not the Law Reasons hereof are these I. Faith is ingendred by the preaching not of the Law but of the Gospell as Paul saith The gospell is the power of God to salvation to all that beleeve from faith to faith therefore repentance which followes faith as a fruite thereof must needes come by the preaching of the gospell only II. The Lawe is the ministerie of death and damnation because it shewes a man his wretched estate but shewes him no remedie therfore it can not be an instrumentall cause of that repentance which is effectuall to salvation III. The doctrine of repentance is a part of the gospell which appeares in this that
foiles receiued I say the spirit prevails not in one instant but in the whol course of a mans life So S. Iohn saith He which is begotten of God sinneth not for he preserveth himselfe the grace of God in his heart ordinarily prevailing in him And Paul makes it the property of the regenerate man to walk according to the spirit which is not now then to make a step forward but to keep his ordinary course in the way of godlines As in going from Barwick to London it may be a man now and then will go amisse but he speedily returnes to the way againe his course generally shall be right Again the spirit prevails in the end of a mās life For then the flesh is utterly abolished sanctification accōplished because no uncleane thing can enter into the kingdom of heaven This further must be conceived that when the spirit prevailes it is not without resistance striving As Paul testisieth I do not the good which I would but the evill which I would not that do I. which place is not to be understood only of thoughts inward motions as some would haue it nor of particular offences but of the generall practise of his duty or calling through the whol course of his life And it is like the practise of a sickman who having recovered of some grieuous disease walkes a turn or twain about his chamber saying ah I would fain walk up and down but I cannot meaning not that he can not walke at all but signifying that he cannot walke as he would being soone wearied through faintnesse I added further that this prevailing is with foyles A foile is when the flesh for the time vanquisheth subdueth the spirit In this case the man regenerate is like a soldier that with a blow hath his brain-pan cracked so as he lyes groueling astonished not able to fight or like him that hath a fit of the falling sicknes who for a time lies like a dead man Hence the question may be mooued whether the flesh preuailing doth not extinguish the spirit so cut off a man from Christ till such time as he be ingrafted again The answer is this There be two sorts of christians one who doth only in shew name professe Christ such an one is no otherwise a member of Christs mystical body then a wooden leg set to the body is a mēber of the body The second is he that in name deed is a liuely part mēber of Christ. If the first fall he cānot be said to be cut off because he was never ingrafted If the secōd fall he may be is cut off from Christ. But marke how he is not wholly cut of but in some part namely in respect of the inward fellowship communiō with Christ but not in respect of coniunctiō with him A mans arme takē with the dead palsie hangs by receives no heate life or sense frō the rest of the members or frō the head yet for all this it remains still united coupled to the body may again be recovered by plaisters phisicke so after agrievous fall the childe of God feeles no inward peace and comfort but is smitten in conscience with tbe trembling of a spirituall palsie for his offence and yet indeed remaines before God a member of Christ which shall be restored to his former estate after serious repentance And God permits these foiles for weighty causes first that men might be abashed confounded in thēselves with the consideratiō of their vile natures learne not to swell with pride because of Gods grace Paul saith that after he had bin rapt into the third heaven the angell Satan was sent to buffet him and as we said to beat him black blew that he might not be exalted out of measure The secōd that we may learn to deny our selues cleaue unto the Lord frō the bottom of our hearts Paul saith that he was sick to death that he might not trust in him selfe but in God who raiseth the dead Thus much of the maner of the combate now followes the cause of it The cause is the contrariety that is between the flesh and the spirit As Paul saith The wisdome of the flesh is enmitie to God Hēce we are taught that since the fall there is no free wil in mā in spiritual matters cōcerning either the worship of God or life everlasting For flesh is nothing els but our naturall dispositiō mā is nothing els but flesh by nature for the spirit comes afterward by grace yet flesh is flat contrary to the spirit which makes us do that which is pleasing unto God wherfore the wil naturally is a flat bōdslaue unto sin Again hence we may learne that it is not an easie matter to practise religiō which is to liue according to the spirit to which our naturall disposition is as cōtrary as fire to water wherfore if we will obey God we must learne to force our natures to the duties of godlines yea even sweat and take paines therein Lastly here we may learne the nature of sin The spirit is not a substance but a quality and therfore the flesh which is nothing els but originall sinne and is contrary to the spirit must also be a quality for such as the nature of one contrary is such is the other There is in euery man the substance of body and soule this cannot be sin for then the spirit also should be the substance of man There is also in the substance the faculties of body soule they can not be sinne for then euery man should haue lost the faculties of his soule by Adams fall Lastly in the faculties there is a contagion or corruption which carieth them against the law and that is properly sinne and the flesh which is contrary to the spirit The fourth point is touching the persons in whom this combat is Paul shewes who they are whē he saith So that ye can not c. where it appeares that such as haue this cōbat in them must be as the Galatians men iustified sanctified And yet not all such but only they that be of yeres for the infants of the faithfull how soeuer we must repute them to belong to the kingdom of heauen therfore to be iustified sanctified yet because they do not commit actuall sin they want this cōbat of the flesh and spirit which stāds in actiō As for those which be unregenerate they neuer felt this fight If any say that the worst man in the world when he is about to cōmit any sinne hath a strife fight in him It is true indeed but that is another kind of cōbat which is between the conscienceand the heart The cōscience on the one part terrifying the man frō sinne the will and the affections haling pulling him therunto the will the affections wishing desiring that sin were no sin Gods commandement