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A07287 The practice of repentance. Or A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse, the fifteenth of September last passed, by Radford Mavericke, preacher of Gods word in Devon Mavericke, Radford, b. 1560 or 61. 1617 (1617) STC 17682; ESTC S105958 30,434 48

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he that feareth alwayes The wicked all their care is to hide their sinne from man but the godly desire alwaies to haue a good conscience before God I will conclude therefore this point with a singular sentence of Saint Austen fitting for this purpose Austen Quum hoc diligeuter considero Domine Deus meus terribilis fortis When I consider this matter well namely how God looketh into the inmost intention of our hearts O Lord God saith he fearefull and terrible Timore pariter ingentirubore confundor I am sayth hee with feare and shame confounded quoniam nobis magna est indita necessitas iustè recteque viuendi because there is so great necessitie laid vpon vs to liue rightly and iustly quia cuncta facimus ante oculos Iudicis cuncta cernentis seeing whatsoeuer wee doe or intend to doe we doe the same before the eyes of our Iudge which seeth all things And so much also for the second circumstance the washing of the heart The third Circumstance The third followeth to bee considered From what we must wash or cleanse the heart namely from Wickednesse I trust I shall not neede to inlarge my speech very much vpon this point seeing all our speech hitherunto hath aymed at this to teach vs to wash our heartes from Wickednesse By wickednesse is meant in this place all sinne and vngodlinesse whatsoeuer that lyeth lurking in the heart of man The Word which our Prophet vseth is Ragnah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which may signifie malum malitia or ira Wrath malice or any wickednesse whatsoeuer and so it is diuersly translated Montanus saith Laua 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est a malitia cor tuum Wash thine heart from malice Hierome and others say Laua à malo cor tuum that is Wash thine heart from euill And agreeable to both is our translation Wash thine heart from Wickednesse from malice Whereby the Fathers are wont to meane the malignitie or poyson of sinne howbeit as I sayd before it may be taken for all sinne and iniquitie whatsoeuer yet because nothing doth poyson the heart of man more then malice and enuie therefore Saint Paul saith But now put you away all these things wrath anger crying and euill speaking farre from you with all maliciousnesse Ephes 4.25 Colos 3.38 And Saint Peter likewise exhorteth to lay aside all maliciousnesse and all guile and all dissimulation and all enuie and all euill speaking and as new borne babes to desire the sincere milke of the Word that wee might growe thereby vnto euerlasting life 1. Pet. 2.1 Vse 1 The summe of all is and this is the vse that wee must make of this point as of the whole exhortation to teach vs that wee must make a conscience of euery sinne and wash our hearts by Faith and true Repentance from all vngodlinesse not from one sinne or some sinnes but from all sinne as Dauid saith I haue turned my feete from euery euil way and all false wayes I vtterly abhorre Psal 119. Dissimulatio peccatum to dissemble with man is a sinne to equiuocate as Papists do in matters of Religion is a double sin but there is no mocking with God Non bonū nec tutum est ludere cum Sanctis there is no dallying with Saints Yet herein the most part of common Christians deceiue themselues thinking that God is well pleased with them yea beholding to them too if they can containe themselues within the lists or compasse of common Christians Some are of opinion that if they frequent publike prayers heare Sermons now and then when they can attend them receiue the Sacrament once or twice a yeere at the most though otherwise they bee giuen to many foule vices as Swearing Drinking Whoring Rayling and the like that then they may be taken indeed for good Christians notwithstanding they are as farre from the purity of the Gospel as Popish Recusants are from comming to the Church Others are of opinion that if they can giue themselues but leysure either from their profits or pleasures to heare Sermons if at least the Preacher please them though they neuer come to Prayers they can couer their couetousnes and many other sinnes vnder that mantle To be short I feare there be few liuing which haue not some Darling sinne or other which they both couer and cocker wherein they flatter themselues euen to the beguiling of their owne soules Let euery one therefore examine well his owne heart as the Apostle exhorteth and be a seuere officer in his owne house leauing no corner vnsearched and so labour by all meanes possible to wash and cleanse his ovvne heart from Wickednesse Obiect But heere may be obiected that as it is not in man as our Prophet saith elsevvhere to direct his ovvne vvaies Ier. 10.23 So is it not in man to vvash or cleanse his ovvn heart from vvickednes though he wash himselfe with Nytre take vnto himselfe much sope to vse the vvords of the Prophet in the second Chapter of this prophesie Ier. 2.22 I answere by a distinction that man must bee considered either as he is regenerate or not regenerate as hee is vnregenerate he can doe nothing in the worke of grace but indeed as he is Regenerate he is not altogether passiue in the workes of grace as mortification sanctification and the like but actiue also and working together with Gods grace who hauing renewed our wills doth will vs and command vs to repent to conuert to turne to worke out our saluation to wash our hearts from wickednesse and the like and yet this doctrine is so farre from Poperie as Poperie is from puritie or veritie it selfe howbeit we must know that euen this our working with God is a speciall worke of Gods Spirit working with vs and in vs the great worke of our Regeneration Therefore let Prayer and Repentance euer goe together by true Repentance we must turne to the Lord by Prayer we must craue grace to returne For this cause therefore though our Prophet in the beginning of this fourth chapter exhort Israel to returne vnto the Lord yet after hee betaketh himselfe vnto prayer saying Turne thou vs good Lord and wee shall bee turned conuert thou vs good Lord and we shall be conuerted Therefore godly Dauid purposing true repentance betaketh himselfe to earnest prayer saying Haue mercie vpon me O God according to thy louing kindnesse according to the multitude of thy compassion put away mine iniquitie Wash mee throughly from mine iniquities and cleanse me from my sinne Purge me with Hysope and I shall be cleane wash me and I shall be whiter then snow Create in me a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within me Psal 51.1 Heere beloued is a perfect patterne for all poore Penitents that sobbe and sigh for their sinnes to exhort them to often zealous and faithfull Prayer which preuayleth euen with God also to teach vs to whom we must direct
God not of workes lest any man should beast Ephes 2.8 but yet so as followeth in the same Text that God hath ordayned good workes for euery good Christian to walke in And therefore let euery one that beleeueth in Christ be carefull to bring forth good workes to testifie his Faith Repentance without which he cannot be saued Vse 1 The vse of this point may then serue To teach all people to take heede that they linger not their Repentance and put it off from day to day because euery houre they are in danger of death and if they dye without Repentance they cannot be saued Vse 2 To teach vs all neuer to soothe our selues in any sinne though neuer so sweet though neuer so pleasing though neuer so profitable for that is not Repentance that only sorroweth for sinne but that which causeth vs to hate all sinne and to labour to leaue the same to the vttermost of our power In a word true Repentance or conuersion as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth is the whole conuersion of the minde vnto God with a full purpose and holy resolution to denie all vngodlinesse and worldly lusts and to liue soberly righteously and godly in this present world Vse 3 Lastly seeing except we thus repent we cannot be saued let vs pray night and day for this grace of Repentance for it is not in our selues to turne vnto the Lord for euen Ieremie himselfe prayeth Conuert thou vs good Lord and we shall be conuerted turne thou vs good Lord and we shall be turned Let vs know that this is a businesse that of necessitie must be done whatsoeuer be left vndone if we will be saued and the sooner it is done the easier it is to be done and the better accepted put not off thy Repentance therefore any longer lest Gods wrath fall vpon thee to thine euerlasting destruction Thinke vpon the end of thy Creation thinke vpon the price of thy Redemption it was to this end that thou mayest be saued for this end was Prayer Preaching and Sacraments commanded and ordayned that thou mayest be saued In a word this is the end of thy faith as S. Peter saith The saluation of thy soule Therefore not without great cause is it that our Text saith Wash thine heart from wickednesse that thou mayest be saued And so much for the Exhortation being the first generall part of our Text. Wherein we haue obserued first Who exhorteth Ieremie secondly Who is exhorted Ierusalem thirdly Whereunto to Repentance fourthly For what end That they may be saued Second part Now come we to the second and last part of our Text which is the Reprehension in these words How long shall thy wicked thoughts remayne within thee The Prophet hauing so louingly exhorted vs to Repentance by willing vs to wash our hearts from wickednesse he falleth now to reprouing vs for lingring so long our Repentance saying How long shall your wicked thoughts remayne within you Wherein we may obserue things worthy of obseruation both in the manner and in the matter of this reproofe The manner In the manner I obserue the dutie of a good Pastor and Teacher who must often-times ioyne with Doctrine and Exhortation Reproofe and Reprehension as also the Apostle S. Paul exhorteth when he saith Improue rebuke exhort 2. Tim. 4.2 Examples of this kinde of teaching we haue store in all the Prophets Euangelists and Apostles which being so well knowne to all I shall not neede to relate any of them but in stead thereof will take vp a reproofe which I thinke euery one of vs must be cōtent to beare of what estate or calling soeuer we are of either in the Church or Common-weale that is That euery one almost can be contented to heare the Preacher patiently so long as he is in his generall doctrine and exhortation or if sometime he reproue sinne in some generall sort for that which seemeth to be spoken to all is taken many times as spoken to none But if the Preacher once begin to fall vnto more particular reprehension As haply when there is great cause to reproue the Magistrate and Gouernors of some remissenesse in their duties that they suffer sinne and sinners as Idolaters Adulterers Drunkards Swearers Prophaners of the Sabbaths and the like to goe vnpunished yea vncontrolled and that not in corners but in publike places to the great offence of Almightie God and to the scandall of our holy profession Or when sometimes many zealous Preachers taxe others of their owne profession for neglecting of their callings or reproue Merchants and men of Trades for their seuerall deceits or Land-lords for inhansing their Rents or Lawyers for delaying of their Clyents or mightie Men for oppressing the poore or Noble men and Gentlemen for sacriledge or Rich men for vsurie or Gentlewomen for their excessiue pride in their apparel or women of lower degree for following of the fashion or any one of these or the like for their seuerall sinnes whatsoeuer Oh then that Preacher is either too precise or peremptorie he leaueth his Text and falleth to rayling as some thinke Notwithstanding like a paynefull Silke-worke he draweth his reprehension out of the very bowells of his Text and doth no more then God commands him To shew the people their sinnes and the house of Iacob their transgressions Esay 58.1 O beloued if this gentle kinde of preaching vsed in our dayes be so hard to be digested how would you take it if Preachers should take libertie by the example of the Prophets to reproue sinne and sinners in such playnenesse and boldnesse that they single them out by name as Esay Amos Ieremie Iohn Baptist haue done though it cost them full deare for their labour But they knew their reward was with the Lord and their labour with the Almightie One thing more we may not passe vnremembred in the manner of the reproofe and that is the vehemencie of the interrogation which our Prophet vseth when he saith How long shall your wicked thoughts remayne within you Text. for it is a reproofe with a certayne kinde of indignation striking to the very heart of them whom he reproueth such force doth the Maiestie of Gods Word carry with it When it is preached with authoritie and in the zeale of Gods Spirit It is then liuely and mightie in operation Heb. 4.12 as the Apostle speaketh and sharper then any two-edged sword and entreth through euen to the diuiding asunder of the soule and the spirit and of the ioynts and the marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart How long shall your wicked thoughts remayne within you Vse 1 The vse drawne here-hence may be First to teach Preachers which are to fight the Lords battell against the sinnefull Amalekites to take courage vnto themselues and like Samuel the Lords Prophet in pieces To cut and hew Agag 1. Sam. 15.33 with the sword of Gods Spirit and not to