so discompose body and mind that one is but in an ill posture at such a time to take care for his soul. In sickness a man is scarce fit to make his will much less to make his peace The Apostle saith Is any sick among you let him call for the Elders of the Church Iam. 5. 14. He doth not say is he sick let him pray but let him call for the Elders that they may pray over him A sick man is very unfit to pray or repent he is like to make but sick work of it When the body is out of tune the soul must needs jar in its devotion Upon a sick bed a person is more fit to exercise impatience than Repentance We read that at the pouring out of the fourth Vial when God did smite the Inhabitants and scorched them with fire They blasphemed the Name of God and repented not Rev. 16. 9. So when the Lord pours out his Vial and scorcheth the body with a Feaver the sinner is fitter to blaspheme than repent 4. How dost thou who puttest off all to a sick bed know that God will give thee in that very juncture of time grace to repent The Lord usually punisheth neglect of Repentance in time of health with hardness of heart in time of sickness Thou hast in thy life time repulsed the Spirit of God and art thou sure it will come at thy call Thou hast not taken the first season and perhaps thou shalt never see another spring-tyde of the Spirit more All this considered may hasten our Repentance Do not lay too much weight upon a sick-bed 2 Tim. 4. 21. Do thy diligence to come before winter There is a winter of sickness and death a coming therefore make haste to repent let thy work be ready before winter To day hear Gods voice Heb. 3. 7. CHAP. X. The Trial of our Repentance IF any shall say they have repented let me desire them to try themselves seriously by those seven Adjuncts or Effects of Repentance which the Apostle laies down 2 Cor. 7. 11. 1. Carefulness The Greek word signifies a solicitous diligence or careful shunning all temptations to sin The true penitentiary flies from sin as Moses did from the Serpent 2. Clearing of our selves The Greek word is Apology The sense is this though we have never so much care yet through strength of temptation we may slip into sin now in this case the repenting soul will not let sin lye festring in his conscience but doth judge himself for his sin he pours out tears before the Lord he begs mercy in the Name of Christ and never leaves till he hath gotten his pardon Here he is cleared of guilt in his conscience and is able to make an Apology for himself against Satan 3. Indignation He that repents of sin his spirit riseth against it as ones blood riseth at the sight of him whom he mortally hates Indignation is a being fretted at the heart with sin The penitent is vexed with himself David calls himself a fool and a beast Psal. 73. 22. God is never better pleased with us than when we fall out with our selves for sin 4. Fear A tender heart is ever a trembling heart The penitent hath felt sins bitterness this Hornet hath stung him and now having hopes that God is reconciled he is afraid to come near sin any more The repenting soul is full of fear he is afraid to lose Gods favour which is better than life he is afraid he should for want of diligence come short of salvation he is afraid lest after his heart hath been soft the waters of Repentance should freeze and he should harden in sin again Prov. 28. 14. Happy is he that fears alwaies A sinner is like the Leviathan who is made without fear Iob 41. 29. A repenting person fears and sins not a graceless person sins and fears not 5. Vehement desire Sowre sauce sharpens the appetite So the bitter herbs of Repentance sharpen desire But what doth the penitent desire he desires more power against sin and to be released from it 'T is true he hath got loose from Satan but he goes as a prisoner that hath broke Prison with a fetter on his leg he cannot walk with that freedom and swiftness in the waies of God he desires therefore to have the fetters of sin taken off he would be freed from corruption he cries out with Paul Who shall deliver me from this body of death Rom. 7. 24. In short he desires to be with Christ as every thing desires to be in its centre 6. Zeal Desire and zeal are fitly put together to shew that true desire puts forth it self in zealous endeavour How doth the penitent bestir himself in the business of salvation How doth he take the Kingdom of Heaven by force Matth. 11. 12. Zeal quickens the pursuit after glory Zeal encounters with difficulty is imboldened by opposition tramples upon danger Zeal makes a repenting soul persist in godly sorrow against all discouragements and oppositions whatsoever Zeal carries a man above himself for Gods glory Paul before conversion was mad against the Saints Act. 26. 11. And after conversion he was judged mad for Christs sake Act. 26. 4. Paul thou art besides thy self But it was Zeal not Phrenzy Zeal doth spirit and animate duty it causeth fervency in Religion which is as fire to the sacrifice Rom. 12. 11. As fear is a bridle to sin so Zeal is a spur to duty 7. Revenge A true Penetentiary pursues his sins with an holy malice he seeks the death of them As Sampson was avenged on the Philistines for his two eyes He useth his sins as the Jews used Christ he gives them gall and vinegar to drink he crucifies his lusts Gal. 5. 24. A true child of God seeks to be revenged most of those sins which have dishonoured God most Cranmer who had with his right hand subscribed the Popish Articles was revenged on himself he put his right hand first in the fire David did by sin defile his bed after by Repentance he watered his bed with tears Israel had sinned by Idolatry and afterwards they did offer disgrace to their Idols 1 Sam. 30. 22. Ye shall defile the covering of thy graven Images of silver Mary Magdalen had before sinned in her eye by adulterous glances and now she will be revenged on her eyes she washeth Christs feet with her tears she had sinned in her hair it had intangled her Lovers now she will be revenged on her hair she wipes Christs feet with it The Israelitish women who had been dressing themselves by the hour and had abused their Looking-glasses to pride afterwards by way of revenge as well as zeal offered their Looking-glasses to the use and service of Gods Tabernacle Exod. 38. 8. So those Conjurers who used curious Arts oâ—… Magick as it is in the Syriack when once they
of Christs Righteousness 3. Paul discourseth of the manner of his life after his conversion He who before was a persecutor now became a Preacher ver 16. Arise for I have appeared unto thee to make thee a Minister and a Witness of those things which thou hast seen When Paul this vessel of election was savingly wrought upon he laboured to do as much good as before he had done hurt Before he persecuted Saints to death now he preacheth sinners to life God first sent him to the Jews at Damascus and afterwards enlarged his-commission to preach to the Gentiles And the subject he preacht upon was this in the text That they should repent and turn to God A weighty and excellent Subject deos Judaei Verum Deum sed non sicut oportebat I shall not dispute the Priority whether Faith or Repentance goes first doubtless Repentance shews it self first in a Christians life yet I am apt to think the seeds of Faith are first wrought in the heart As when a burning Taper is brought into a room the light shews it self first but the Taper was before the light So we see the fruits of Repentance first but the initials of Faith were there before That which inclines me to think that Faith is seminally in the heart before Repentance is this because Repentance being a grace must be acted by one that is living Now how doth the soul live but by Faith Heb. 10. 38. The just shall live by his Faith So that there must be first some seeds of Faith in the heart of a penitent else it is a dead Repentance and so of no value But whether Faith or Repentance go first sure I am Repentance is of such importance as there is no being saved without it After Pauls shipwrack he did swim to shore on planks and broken pieces of the ship Act. 27. 44. So in Adam we all suffered shipwrack and Repentance is the only plank left us after shipwrack to swim to Heaven It is a great duty incumbent upon Christians solemnly to repent and turn unto God Mat. 3. 2. Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Act. 3. 19. Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out Act. 8. 22. Repent of this thy wickedness In the mouth of these three witnesses this truth is confirmed Repentance is a foundation-grace Heb. 6. 1. Not laying again the foundation of Repentance That Religion must needs fall to the ground which is not built upon this foundation Repentance is a grace required under the Gospel Some think it legal but the first Sermon that ever Christ preached nay the first word of his Sermon was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Repent Mat. 4. 17. And his last farewell that he left when he was going to ascend was that Repentance should be preached in his Name Luke 24. 37. And the Apostles did all beat upon this string Mark 6. 3. They went out and preached that men should repent Repentance is a pure Gospel-grace The covenant of works admitted no Repentance There it was sin and die Repentance comes in by the Gospel Christ hath purchased in his blood that repenting sinners shall be saved The Law required personal perfect and perpetual obedience it cursed all that could not come up to this Gal. 3. 10. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them It doth not say he that obeys not all things let him repent but let him be cursed So that Repentance is a Doctrine brought to light only by the Gospel CHAP. II. Shewing how Repentance is wrought THE manner how Repentance is wrought is 1. Partly by the Word Act. 2. 37. When they heard this they were pricked in their heart c. The Word preached is Gods Engine he useth to effect Repentance 'T is compared to an Hammer and to a Fire Ier. 23. 29. The one is to break the other to melt the heart How great a blessing is it to have the Word dispensed which is of such noble vertue And how hard will they find it to escape Hell who put out the lights of Heaven 2. Repentance is wrought by the Spirit Ministers are but the Pipes and Organs it is the Holy Ghost breathing in them makes their words effectual Act. 10. 44. While Peter spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word The Spirit in the Word illuminates and converts When the Spirit toucheth an heart it dissolves into tears Zach. 12. 10. I will pour on the Inhabitants of Hierusalem a spirit of Grace and they shall look on me whom they have pierced and mourn 'T is wonderful to consider what different effects the Word hath upon men Some at a Sermon are like Iosiah their heart is tender and they let fall tears others are no more affected with it than a deaf man with mufick Some grow better by the Word others worse The same earth which causeth sweetness in the Grape causeth bitterness in the Wormwood What is the reason the Word works so differently it is because the Spirit of God doth carry the Word to the conscience of one and not another One hath received the divine Unction and not the other 1 Ioh. 2. 20. Oh pray that the dew may fall with Manna That the Spirit may go along with the Word The Chariot of Ordinances will not carry us to Heaven unless the Spirit of God joyn himself to this Chariot CHAP. III. Discovering the Deceits of Repentance IT will next be enquired what Repentance is I shall first shew you what it is not There are several Deceits of Repentance which might occasion that saying of Austin That Repentance damns many He means a false Repentance A person may delude himself with a counterfeit Repentance 1. The first Deceit of Repentance is legal Terrour A man hath gone on long in sin at last God arrests him shews him what desperate hazard he hath run and he is filled with anguish within a while the tempest of conscience is blown over and he is quiet then he concludes he is a true penitent because he hath felt some bitterness in sin Be not deceived this is not Repentance Ahab and Iudas had some trouble of mind It is one thing to be a terrified sinner and another thing to be a repenting sinner Sense of guilt is enough to breed terrour infusion of grace breeds Repentance If pain and trouble were sufficient to Repentance then the damned in Hell should be most penitent for they are most in anguish Repentance depends upon a change of heart There may be terrour yet no change of heart 2. Another Deceit about Repentance is resolution against sin A person may purpose and make vows yet be no penitent Ier. 2. 20. Thou saidst I will not transgress Here was a resolution but see what follows under every green tree thou playedst the Harlot Notwithstanding
patience to be content to live any longer O blessed Repentance that hast such a light side with thy dark and hast so much sugar at the bottom of thy bitter cup. 15. The next Motive to Repentance is to consider the evil of impenitency An hard heart is the worst heart it is called an heart of stone Ezek. 36. 26. If it were Iron it might be mollified in the furnace but a Stone put in the fire will not melt it will sooner fly in your face Impenitency is a sin grieves Christ Mark 3. 5. Being grieved for the hardness of their hearts It is not so much the disease offends the Physician as the contempt of his Physick Not the sins we have committed do so much provoke and grieve Christ as that we refuse the Physick of Repentance which he prescribes This aggravated Iezabels sin Rev. 2. 21. I gave her space to repent yet she repented not An hard heart receives no impression it is untuned for every duty It was a sad speech Stephen Gardner uttered on his death-bed I have denied my Master with Peter but I cannot repent with Peter O the plague of an obdurate heart Pharaohs heart turned into stone was worse than his waters turned into blood David had his choice of three judgements plague sword and famine but sure he would have chosen them all rather than an hard heart An impenitent sinner is neither allured by entreaties nor affrighted by menaces Such as will not weep with Peter shall weep with Iudas An hard heart is the Anviâ—… on which the hammer of Gods justice will be striking to all eternity 16. The last Motive to Repentance is the day of judgement is coming This is the Apostles own Argument Act. 17. 31. God commands men every where to repent because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world There is that in the day of judgement which may make a stony heart bleed Will a man go on thieving when the Assizes are nigh Will the sinner go on sinning when the day of judgement is so nigh Thou canst no more conceal thy sin than thou canst defend it and what wilt thou do when all thy sins shall be written in Gods Book and engraven on thy forehead O direful day when Jesus Christ clothed in his Judges Robe shall say to the sinner stand forth answer to the Indictment brought against thee What canst thou say for all thy oaths adulteries and thy desperate impenitency O how amazed and stricken with consternation will the sinner be and after his conviction he must hear the sad sentence Depart from me Then he who would not repent of his sins shall repent of his â—…olly If then there be such a time a coming wherein God will judge men for their impieties what a spur should this be to Repentance The penitent soul shall at the last day lift up his head with comfort and have a discharge to shew under the Judges own hand CHAP. IX Exhorting to speedy Repentance THE second branch of the Exhortation is to press persons to speedy Repentance Act. 17. 30. Now God commands men every where to repent The Lord would not have any of the late Autumn fruits offered to him God loves early penitents that consecrate the spring and flower of their age to him Early tears like Pearls bâ—…ed of the morning dew are more orient and beautiful Oh do not reserve the dregs of your age for God lest he reserve the dregs of his cup for you Be as speedy in your Repentance as you would have God speedy in his mercies 1 Sam. 21. 8. The Kings business required haste So Repentance requires haste 'T is natural to us to procrastinate and put off Repentance We say as Hag. 1. 2. The time is not yet come No man almost is so bad but purposeth he will amend but he adjourns and prorogues so long till at last all his purposes prove abortive Many are now in Hell that purposed to repent Satan doth what he can to keep men from Repentance when he sees they begin to take up serious thoughts of reformation he bids them stay a while longer If this traitor sin must die saith Satan let it not die yet So the Devil gets a reprieve for sin it shall not die this Sessions at last men put off so long that death seizeth on them and their work is not done Let me therefore lay down some cogent Arguments to perswade to speedy Repentance 1. Now is the season of Repentance and every thing is best done in its season 2 Cor. 6. 2. Now is the accepted time Now God hath a mind to shew mercy to the penitent he is on the giving hand Kings set apart daies for healing Now is the healing day for our souls now God hangs forth the white flag and is willing to parley with sinners A Prince at his coronation as an Act of Royalty gives money proclaims pardons fills the conduits with wine Now God proclaims pardons to penitent sinners now the conduit of the Gospel runs wine now is the accepted time therefore now come in and make your peace with God now break off your iniquities by Repentance 't is wisdom to take the season The Husbandman takes the season for sowing his seed now is the seed-time for our souls 2. The sooner you repent the fewer sins you will have to answer for Were you at the death-bed of an old sinner when conscience begins to be awakened and should hear him crying out here are all my old sins come about me haunting my death-bed as so many evil spirits and I have no discharge here is Satan who was once my tempter is now become my accuser and I have no Advocate I am now going to be dragg'd before Gods judgement-seat where I must receive my final doom Oh how dismal is the case of this man he is in Hell before his time but you who repent betimes of your sinful courses this is your priviledge you will have the less to answer for nay let me tell you you will have nothing to answer for Christ will answer for you your Judge will be your Advocate 1 Ioh. 2. 1. Father will Christ say here is one that hath been a great sinner yet a broken-hearted sinner if he owes any thing to thy justice set it on my score 3. The sooner we repent the more glory we may bring to God 'T is the end of our living to be useful in our generation better lose our lives than the end of our living Late converts who have for many years taken pay on the Devils side are not in a capacity of doing so much work in the Vineyard The thief on the Cross could not do that service for God as St. Paul did But when we do betimes turn from sin then we give God the first-fruits of our lives we spend and are spent for Christ. The more work we do for God the more willing we
shall be to die and the sweeter death will be He that hath wrought hard at his day-labour is willing to go to rest at night Such as have been honouring God all their lives how sweetly will they sleep in the grave The more work we do for God the greater will our reward be He whose pound had gained ten pounds Christ did not only commend him but advance him Luk. 19. 17. Have thou authority over ten Cities By late Repentance though we do not lose our Crown yet we make it lighter 4. It is of dangerous consequence to put off Repentance longer Mora trahit periculum It is dangerous If we consider what sin is Sin is a poison it is dangerous to let poison lye long in the body Sin is a bruise if a bruise be not soon cured it gangrenes and kills If sin be not soon cured by Repentance it festers the conscience and damns Why should any love to dwell in the tents of wickedness They are under the power of Satan Act. 26. 18. And it is dangerous to stay long in the enemies quarters It is dangerous to procrastinate Repentance because the longer any go on in sin the harder they will find the work of Repentance Delay strengthens sin and hardens the heart and gives the Devil fuller possession A plant at first may be easily plucked up but when it hath spread its roots deep in the earth a whole team cannot remove it 'T is hard to remove sin when once it comes to be rooted The longer the Ice freezeth the harder it is to be broken the longer a man freezeth in security the harder it will be to have his heart broken the longer any travel with iniquity the sharper pangs they must expect in the new birth When sin hath got an haunt it is not easily shaken off Sin comes to a sinner as the elder Brother came to his Father Luk. 15. 29. Lo these many years have I served thee neither at any time transgressed I thy Commandment and wilt thou cast me off now what in mine old age after thou hast had so much pleasure by me See how sin pleads custom and that is a Leopards spot Ier. 13. 23. It is dangerous to prorogue and delay Repentance because there are three daies may soon expire 1. The day of the Gospel may expire this is a sun-shiny-day it is sweet but swift Ierusalem had a day but lost it Luk. 19. 42. But now they are hid from thine eyes The Asian Churches had a day but at last the Golden Candlestick was removed It would be a sad time in England see to the glory departed With what hearts could we follow the Gospel to the grave To lose the Gospel were far worse than to have our City Charter taken from us Gray hairs are here and there Hos. 7. 9. I will not say the Sun of the Gospel is set in England but I am sure it is under a cloud That was a sad speech Matth. 21. 43. The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you therefore it is dangerous to delay Repentance lest the market of the Gospel should remove and the vision cease A mans personal day of grace may expire What if that time should come wherein God should say the Means of Grace shall do no good Ordinances shall have a miscarrying womb and dry breasts Were it not sad to adjourn Repentance till such a decree came forth 'T is true no man can justly tell that his day of grace is past but there are two shrewd signs by which he may fear it 1. When conscience hath done preaching Conscience is a bosom-Preacher sometimes it convinceth sometimes it reproves It saith as Nathan to David Thou art the man But men imprison this Preacher and God saith to conscience preach no more He that is filthy let him be filthy still This is a fatal sign a mans day of grace is past 2. When a person is in such a spiritual â—…ethargy that nothing will work upon him or make him sensible There is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the spirit of a deep sleep poured on him Isa. 29. 10. This is a sad presage his day of grace is past How dangerous then is it to delay Repentance when the day of grace may so soon expire 3. The day of life may expire what security have we that we shall live another day We are marching apace out of the world we are going off the stage our life is a taper soon blown out Mans life is compared to the flower of the field Psal. 103. 15. which withers sooner than the grass Our age is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as nothing Psal. 39. 5. Life is but a flying shadow The body is like a vesâ—…el tunned with a little breath sickness broacheth this vessel death draws it out O how soon may the scene alter Many a Virgin hath been dressed the same day in her bride-apparel and her winding-sheet How dangerous then is it to adjourn repenting when death may so suddenly make a thrust at us Say not you will repent to morrow Remember that speech of Aquinas God who pardons him that repents hath not promised to give him to morrow to repent in I have read of Archias a Lacedemonian who being among his cups one delivered him a Letter and desired him to read the Letter presently being of serious business he replyed seria cras I will mind serious things to morrow and that day he was slain Thus while men think to spin out their silver thred death cuâ—…s it Olaus Magnus observes of the Birds of Norway that they fly faster than the Birds of any other Country not that their wings are swifter than others but by an instinct of nature they knowing the daies in that climate to be very short not above three hours long do therefore make the more haste to their nests So we knowing the shortness of our lives and how quickly we may be called away by death should fly so much the faster on the wing of Repentance to Heaven But me-thinks I hear some say they do not fear a sudden surprizal they will repent upon their sick-bed I do not so well like a sick-bed Repentance He runs a desperate hazard who will venture his salvation within the circle of a few short minutes Thou that puttest off Repentance till sickness answer me to these four queries 1. How dost thou know thou shalt have a time of sickness Death doth not alwaies shoot its warning-piece by a lingring consumption some it arrests suddenly What if God should presently send thee a summons to surrender thy life 2. Suppose thou shouldest have a time of sickness how dost thou know thou shalt have the use of thy senses Many are distracted on their sick-bed 3. Suppose thou shouldest have thy senses yet how dost thou know thy mind will be in frame for such a work as Repentance Sickness doth