of Faith we met withall before and if there were not some other of Repentance as easie it were scarce possible for men to perswade themselves they have repented of their Sins without any actual sincere reformation of their lives Or to believe that the last hour of their lives is time enough for this work when they know such a reformation is altogether impossible But I am not in this place to enter upon the common place of Repentance or to discourse 〈◊〉 the various acceptions of the word My design iâ— only to shew what that Repentance is which iâ— necessary to be wrought out in order to a man's salvation And that will be learned most compendiously from a remarkable Text of Saint Pauls 2 Cor. 7.10 For godly Sorrow worketh Repentance to Salvation never to be repented of Where it is first to be observed that the rise or spring of Repentance is * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Godly Sorrow or â— Sorrow according to God which inports first a due sight and sense oâ— Sin secondly a hearty sorrow for it as it relatâ— to God that is as it is a transgression of the Law of God and so injurious and offensive â— Him and not only as it is noxious or perilous â— our selves There may be a true Godly sorrow as well foâ— the sufferings as the sins of others But the sorrow which is apt to bring forth repentance is a sorrow for our own sins And two things there are in Sin which are the just matter and motive of a Godly sorrow 1. The nature of it 2. The effects and consequents of it 1 Joh. 3.4 Rom. 2.15 The proper nature of sin is the transgression of Gods Law whether written in the Bible or in the Heart The Effects of sin do referre either to God or to our Selves and our Brethren Those which respect God are his displeasure and his dishonour For all sin is both displeasing and dishonourable to God upon the same account because it is a transgression of his will Those which respect our selves are â—ll manner of evils privative and positive that may accrue to us from sin either by the nature or by the punishment thereof Now albeit these â—atter events of sin be just matter of sorrow â—nd that sorrow may also conduce to the effect of â—epentance yet is not this properly called Godly sorrow because it is not a sorrow for Gods cause so â—uch as for our own And the root of it is self-â—ove rather than the love of God I conclude â—herefore that the proper object and motive of â—odly sorrow is sin as sin considered with â—â—e event that necessarily proceeds from it as such â—â—z the dishonour of God with his just displeasure â—hich being the greatest evil in the world is the â—â—â—test matter of Sorrow The glory of God and his â—â—vour are the most desirable good things and â—â—ght to be the highest ends that we should proâ—ound to our selves and most to be rejoyced in â—nd therefore the contraries of these things his â—ishonour and his displeasure ought above all â—â—ings to be averted and grieved for And the â—â—rrow for sin upon these considerations is the â—ost Godly sorrow because it implies a love to God with a conversion of our wills unto his will from which by sin it had been averted This is thaâ— Sorrow which is signified by the Scholastiâ— term of Contrition the abstract of the concreâ— word so oft used in Scripture Contrite to expresse the disposition of a penitent heart Thâ— Latin word Poenitere and the English to Repeâ— do first and most properly signifie to be sorry â— a thing done amiss And the word Repentanâ— in Scripture doth sometimes signifie no more thâ— this But in this Text and all others where 〈◊〉 hath the promise of salvation or remission of â— annexed to it Repentance hath a further signifiâ— tion Which is The second thing to be observed from â— Apostle's words towards the rectification of meâ— judgments concerning the notion of Christian Râ—pentance which is available to Salvation viz. that is not a bare sorrow for sin though it be a goesorrow much less every kind of sorrow A nâ— may have sorrow for sin more than enough aâ— yet be as far from repentance to Salvation as Juâ— was who is expresly said to have repented hâ—self Matth. 27.3 His heart was desperately 〈◊〉 mortally wounded with the sense of his â— and sorrow for it But a godly forrow it was â— that brings forth repentance to Salvation but â— quite contrary the sorrow of the world that brâ— forth death Act. 1.25 and hastened his dispâ— to his own place where there a good store of such penitents weeping and waing and gnashing their teeth without dâ— for their sins that brought them thither Judâ— case was indeed very miserable if we consider a repentance wherein there seems to be a distinct example of all three parts of the Scholastical repentance As first such a deep Attrition as by the Pontifician Doctrin seemed to want nothing to have turned it into Contrition but Absolution which considering his free and particular Confession the second part of his Repentance I have sinned in betraying innocent blood and that joyned with a voluntary satisfaction the third part in his bringing again the thirty pieces of silver was unmercifully denied him by the chief Priests Matth. 27.3 4 5. But Judas his conscience could not be satisfied much less his sin discharged with all this repentance which yet was a great deal more than that which is commonly presumed to be sufficient For most people think if their consciences be pricked with the sense of their sins so that they can say they are sorry for them let it be upon what consideration it will they are truly penitent especially if this sorrow be but distinguished from that of Judas by a presumptuous hope and confidence of pardon And much more if they can but deceive themselves into a present sleight purpose of some amendment of their lives Then they think they are out of danger and may build upon the promise of the Gospel for a certain Pardon Whereas by the necessary sense of this Text it is perfectly evident that the most sincere sorrow for sin is not in it self a compleat repentance but a cause and a preparative to it For Godly sorrow worketh repentance But the cause and the effect cannot be the same thing nothing can produce it self But because Godly sorrow if it be right will work repentance therefore it may in some case where there is no time for any works to be brought forth be accepted for Repentance upon the same account by which the will is accepted for the deed when it is a sincere firm and ratified Will which God only can judg of and which it is scarce possible for any man to know of himself without some reasonable trial And therefore there is small comfort for any man in a repentance that hath proceeded no farther God may
grossest acts of moral impiety such as prophane swearing cursing and all kind of uncleanness riot and drunkenness may be professedly done to the Glory of Gods free grace is no more than hath been owned and asserted by our Ranters and Libertines Not to mention the horrid opinions and expressions of Gods being the cause of Sin by necessitating effectually and irresistibly moving and determining the wills of men to the worst of sins by an efficacious decree first ordaining the sin and then the eternal punishment thereof in hell torments and all to the glory of God in his absolute Dominion and Justice I hope the men who have held forth such expressions have not meant so ill as their words seem to signifie to common sense And therefore it is not my intention to parallel them to the forementioned ranks of profane mockers of God and his Glory Only I heartily wish such Teachers would sadly consider whether those Doctrines be like to produce any such glorious conceptions of God in the minds of other men as they pretend they do in theirs 4. But my Reprehension cannot without partiality determine in such a list of persons as I have hitherto described because it may most justly be extended to a better sort of Christians and indeed to the best which are to be found amongst us For doubtless We are all to blame in that we have so little regarded the Glory of God in the general course of our thoughts words and actions In that we have sought our selves and our own ends so much and Gods glory so little How few of us can say but that other ends have been more regarded by us than this How seldome and how slightly do we mind this end how little care have we to secure it or zeal to procure it Were this indeed our chief end we would be more careful of our waies we would not be so loose so carnal vain and worldly in our common Actions so negligent cold lazy and sleight in our Religious Actions Were the glory of God more pretious to us other ends would not be so much over-sought by us We have all cause to be humbled before the Lord for this general sin of neglecting his glory hath the Lord deserved so to be sleighted by us nay Which of us can say but he hath infinitely deserved we should have had all the zeal that is possible for his Glory Should he regard us and our welfare no more than we do him and his glory what would become of us With what face do we expect to appear before this glorious God whom we have so much sleighted How can we pretend we love him with all our hearts and all our might whiles we have no more Affection for that which we know to be his only Interest and that which is so infinitely dear to him is so little valued by us How can we expect to be eternally glorified by him and with him that regard his Glory no more than we have done Oh let us take the shame of this unkind and ingratefull neglect upon our selves And let me close the Application of this point with a pressed Exhortation of all that profess to love and fear the Lord from henceforth to be more mindful of this Rule in all their doings To which purpose considering the generality of indisposition thereunto which hath been already declared by way of Reprehension I cannot think it needless to re-inforce the Exhortation by some addition of Motives and Arguments to the reasons before alledged 1. As to know the end of his actions distinguisheth a man from a beast so to chuse and propose a good end distinguisheth a good man from a bad As men and reasonable creatures we are to have some end in all our doings and as godly men the glory of God ought to be our chief end to which all others are to be subordinate and therefore ought we not to have any end inconsistent with this Nothing so much dignifies an Action as the end of it and no end so worthy as this by which all actions are sanctified even the commonest actions while they are though remotely truly and sincerely designed to this end are hallowed and without it the most Religious action is profaned Herein consists the form essence and spirit of Religion properly so called Godliness both name and thingâ— is nothing else but a Religious affection to God expressed by such acts as are agreeable to his will and honour and done for this end because they are so he that counts or calls any thing Godliness which hath not this end that is which hath not God for its end doth not understand what he saith This also is true Holiness in the most distinct and proper notion which imports a separation from the world with a devoting of a thing to the sacred Majesty of God Look how much a man is sequestred from sin and from the world and devoted to God and his glory so much Holiness is there in him Holiness is commonly distinguished into inherent and relative but to speak strictly all holiness in a creature is relative importing a singular consignation unto God Not but that there is such an inherent quality as that which is called Holiness in all true Saints but because the reason of the name and the formality of the thing consists in the reference of this quality to God as the rule and end of it That kind of holiness in men which is commonly called inherent or practical consisting in dispositions habits or acts is such only in reference to God and his glory which is the object or end of them And therefore no such vertuous Habits or Acts as have not this reference principle and end have any thing of the nature of true holiness in them For this reason moral vertues and good actions of meer heathens amount not to the nature of holiness A relative holiness may be and is in Scripture attributed to other things both natural and artificiall but no creature is so truly capable thereof as Man because he is not only capable of being separated and consecrated to the service of God by a power or will Extrinsecal to himself as other things are but by a proper design dedication and devotion of his own Man by by nature is a Sacred Creature Ovid. Sanctius his annimal having a kind of natural Consecration to God from that image of the Creator which is stamped upon him in the Indowment of Reason Ratio res Dei Tertul. which the Father truly calls a Divine thing So Man may be called the Priest of the visible world out of all the Tribes of living Creatures elected qualified and appointed to celebrate the glory of God nor only for himself but as it were in the name of all the Creatures of this lower world This was his office and dignity according to the prime intention of his Creation But all mankind being now by original and personal sin profaned become unworthy of
that men should do unto you do you unto them likewise And though this Self-love be no where commanded in express terms because it needed not yet the immediate effects and instances of it are As when we are commanded to lay up for our selves treasures in Heaven to seek those things which are above to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling to use all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure c. But to return from this Digression Though it be manifest by the premised discourse and without it by the direct light and law of nature That there is a kind of self-love which is more than innocent and consequently which can be no impediment to that love of God which is to be exercised in the seeking of his glory but may be subordinate and subservient thereunto Yet that which is commonly understood by the name of self-love is indeed the greatest Enemie to the love of God And the seeking our Selves inordinately is in truth the only thing that diverts us from the seeking of God and his Glory For though a man may be turn'd aside from his duty of obedience to God by an irregular love or fear of men And though the pleasing of men be an ordinary temptation to that which is displeasing to God yet both that love and fear of men is reducible to self-love as its principle and end And this vitious Self-love though it be not the only thing which is understood by the name of Original sin yet may it fitly enough be so called in as much as upon strict examination it may be found to b◠the root and original of all actual sin both of omission and commission So that in what degree 〈◊〉 man is able to overcome this Lett in such degre◠he is free and prepared to seek and serve the glor◠of God And he that is throughly willing and able to deny himself shall find nothing to lett him from serving of God And yet so true it is that whiles God wills us 〈◊〉 have such an universal respect to his glory as 〈◊〉 expressed in this Rule he doth not inhibit us the love of our selvs that upon a right understanding 〈◊〉 the matter it will be evident to a true believer That he loves himself best that loves God better And this is most manifest upon the account of that finall happiness which is promised in the life to come to them that love God And because this is the chief and highest interest of a believer it is certain that the best way to secure and promote a man◠own interest is to secure the Interest of Gods glory with the utmost of fide lity and holy zeal Secondly He that hath such a true respect to Gods glory as this Text requires will be grieved at and for the dishonour of God whether it be done by himself or by others 1. As oft as his conscience shall charge him with the doing of any thing contrary to the glory of God he will be heartily grieved for it And this is that which the Apostle calls Godly sorrow or sorrow according to God namely that only whereby a man is sorry for the displeasing or dishonouring of God Godly Sorrow is the Scripture-name for that which the Schools call Contrition and is the proper effect and therefore an infallible signe of love to God A carnal man and he that is worse a reprobate and a devil may be grieved for sin as it is the cause of Mischief or misery to himself but not at all as it is dishonourable and offensive to God The carnall man's sorrow which he pretends for his sin is not so much nay not at all indeed for the sin as such but for the events and consequences thereof which he either feels or fears And yet this is the only sorrow which the School Doctors understand by the term of Attrition which some of them maintain to be sufficient to Salvation if it be joyned with Absolution or but the Vote of it By which Doctrine all necessity of love to God or respect to his glory is perfectly excluded 2. But whosoever hath a true respect to the glory of God will not only be grieved for his own sinnes but also for the sins of others upon the same account because thereby God is dishonoured Psal 119. 136. Rivers of tears run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law and v. 158. I beheld the transgressors and was grieved because they kept not thy word Other mens sins were his sorrows He was more grieved for other mens sins than they were for their own Lot in Sodom was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked 2 Pet. 2.7 8. A faithfull servant or well disposed Son cannot indure to see and hear his Master or Father dishonoured Nor will any true friend be unconcern'd in the reproach of his friend He therefore that hath the patience to stand by and hear or see the Name of God blasphemed or his holy Will violated without any sentiments of displeasure can neither be the servant child nor friend of God And he that hath any intire affection to the glory of God will desire and indeavour as much as in him lies to prevent the impeachment thereof by others as well as by himself and that not only by removing of scandal as in the case of the Corinthians which Saint Paul here speaks of but by all the offices of spiritual charity viz. by admonishing reproving exhorting counselling c. and by performing all the duties of his place towards such as relate unto him He that truly loves God will desire as many rivals and make as many friends for God as he is able 3. He that is truly desirous of and solicitous for the promoting and maintaining God's glory will rejoyce in it more than in any thing else If God be glorified in any thing that is his he will rejoyce in it more than at the improvement thereof to any advantage of his own He will not be contented only but glad God is glorified though no other end of his be served nor benefit ariseth to himself yea though it be with the crossing of his own interest though he suffers much by a good action yet his heart is comforted and abundantly satisfied in the Glory of God And not only when God is glorified by his own doings or sufferings will a godly man rejoice but likewise to see the same event procured by others whosoever they be He that is truly good would have other men better than himself And he is no Saint indeed that envies an other should deservedly obtain that name Phil. 1.18 Moses out of his zeal for Gods glory Num. 11.29 wished that all the Lords people were Prophets Hezekiah rejoyced to see the liberality and forwardness of the people for the service of God 2 Chron. 29.36 and 31.8 David was glad when they said unto him Come let us go into the house of the Lord Psal 122.1 4.
you both to will and to do of his good pleasure Whereby we are taught that the work which is to be done by us in order to our own salvation doth indeed necessarily depend upon the good pleasure of God that is upon his preventing operating and cooperating grace without which nothing can be done by us available to this end But so far is thâ—â— in the judgment of St. Paul from being any reasonable excuse for our negligence or any grounâ— of presumption for us to sit down and leave thâ— whole work to God as if we had nothing to dâ— towards it but to believe it and be thankful foâ— it that this same Doctrine concerning the necessity and efficacy of divine grace is by him alledged as a strong reason why we should work 〈◊〉 our own salvation As appears by that Causal Particle For For it is God that worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure The force and fitness of which reason shall be shewed in its place viz. when we have opened the whole matter of the Exhortation Wherein are these 3. particulars to be considered 1. 1. Finis 2. Opus 3. Moduâ— operandi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The end or design and concern of every Christian which is his own salvation 2. The work that is to be done for the effecting this design or obtaining this end signified by the word work-out 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The manner of pursuing this work with fear and trembling These are the parts of the Text which to serve the common method I shall reduce into a Doctrinal Proposition viz. That it behoveth every Christian to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling Of this Proposition my purpose is to speak plainly by way of Explication and Application First By way of Explication we shall enquire 1. What this salvation means which is to be wrought out 2. What it is to work out our own salvation or what is the full importance of that Phrase 3. How or whereby this salvation may or ought to be wrought out 4. What is meant by those words which concern the manner of this work with fear and trembling First We are to consider what this Salvation means That being rightly understood and unfainedly believed contains so powerful a Motive of the duty which the Text requires as makes it scarce possible to be neglected especially if the Philosopher Arist 2. Phys Thom. 1. q. 82. a. 1. and the School-man be not deceived whil'st they teach us that every one doth naturally and necessarily desire his own Happiness For if that be so how can it be that a man should wholly neglect that thing wherein he understands and believes his onely happiness to consist So that the general reason why this work is so much neglected seems to be because either the end or the work which is necessary to it is not rightly understood or not duly believed My business therefore shall be as plainly as I can to inform the understanding in each particular that is both what this salvation is and what work is absolutely necessary to the attainment thereof But when this is done to undertake also to perswade the belief of it by any other evidence than will be contained in the respective explication and declaration of the matter of it from Scripture from whence onely it can be declared is not to be expected by Christians because their being such supposeth their belief of that evidence and is no less than a contradiction to the want of that faith Come we then to the first of our Enquiries viz. What this salvation is which the Text speaks of For the understanding of that word a fit rise may be taken from the interpretation of the blessed Name of Jesus given by the Archangel to the Mother of our Saviour the Author of this salvation Matth. 1.21 Thou shalt call his Name JESVS for he shall save his people from their sins There can be no doubt but that this is the salvation which our Text speaks of For salvation properly signifies preservation or deliverance from evil And all the evil that is in the world is either sin or the consequent and punishment of sin The first and the greatest evil is that of sin which being the cause of the evil of punishment that also is comprehended under the name of sin by an ordinary Metonymie But then to confine the signification of the word Sin in the Angel's Speech to this secondary and figurative sense wherein it 's taken for the punishment of sin with exclusion of the first and most proper sense cannot be reasonable except it may appear to be necessary which cannot be unless the design of this Jesus were onely to deliver men from the punishment and not at all from the dominion and practice of sin The contrary whereof is evident by those many Texts of Scripture wherein we are taught Matth 9.13 Acts 3.26 That he came to call sinners to repentance That God sent his son Jesus to bless us in turning away every one of us from his iniquities That we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies Luke 1.74 75. might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the dayes of our life That God hath exalted him with his right hand Acts 5.31 to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins That he gave himself for our sins Gal. 1.4 that he might redeem us from this present evil world i. e. from the corruption and wickedness of the world That Tit. 2.14 he gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works That he loved his Church Eph. 5.25 and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish That he died for all that they which live 2 Cor. 5.15 should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them and rose again That he was manifested to take away our sins 1 John 3.5 8. and that he might destroy the works of the Devil 1 Pet. 1.18 That we are redeemed by his blood from our vain conversation unto God Rev. 5.8 Who his own self bare our sins i. e. 1 Pet. 2.24 25. the punishment of them iâ— his own body on the tree that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness By all these Texts and many more of like import it appears that the design of Christ was to save us not onely from the punishment of our sins but also and first from that which makes us liable to punishment that is from the power and practice of sin And as the word save is thus to be