baptized of thee and commest thou to me There were other causes therefore besides sinne for which it pleased Christ to bee baptized First as himselfe saith that he might fulfill all righteousnesse Mat. 3.15 As in his Circumcision hee had fulfilled the law of Moses so hee was also to submit himselfe to Baptisme which hee knew to bee the ordinance of God Secondly that hee might sanctifie the element of water for our sanctification and for the washing away of our sinnes d Christi care ipso Iordane sanctior invenitur vt magis aquam ipsa descensu suo mundauerit quā ipsa mundata sit Opt. in Donar lib. 1. Christs flesh saith one was holier then Iordan it selfe so as it rather cleansed the water by going downe into it then was cleansed by it And Bernard saith e Baptizatus est Christus non se in aquis led aquas in se Sanctificans vt per cas Sanctificaret nos Bern. Ser. 6. in Parase Christ was baptised not to sanctifie himselfe in the waters but to sanctifie the waters in himselfe and in them to sanctifie vs. Thirdly to commend vnto vs this humility As St. Augustine saith c Christus de Spiritu Sācto generatus regeneratione no eguit In aqua autem voluit baptizari à Ioanne non vt eius iniquitas vlla dilueretur sed vt magna commendaretur humilitas Aug. Enchir. cap. 48. Christ being begotten of the holy Ghost needed no regeneration And yet hee would bee baptised of Iohn not that any iniquity of his might be washed away but to commend vnto vs his great humility Last of all he was baptized for our example that wee might not shunne baptisme which our Sauiour was content to vndergoe As the same Father saith d Baptizatus est Dominus propter superbiam futurorum vt nemo aspernaretur baptizari Aug. in Psal 91. The Lord was baptized to preuent the pride of them that were to come that no man might thinke scorne of baptisme This serueth first to commend the exceeding loue of Christ towards vs that hee would bee contented to suffer such vnspeakeable torments for our sakes Greater loue saith he then this hath no man that a man bestoweth his life for his friends And yet this loue of his was greater for we were not friends but enemies to him And therefore the Apostle saith Herein God setteth out his loue to vs that when we were sinners and enemies Christ dyed for vs. When the Iewes saw our Saviour Christ shedde a few teares for the death of Lazarus his friend * Vse 1. Joh. 15.13 Rom. 5.8.10 Ioh. 11.36 Rom. 12.1 Demus illi vitā nostram qui nobis dedit vitam suam Behold say they how he loued him But farre greater was his loue to vs which caused him to shed euen the dearest drop of bloud in his heart for vs his enemies And therefore we should be carefull to loue him againe and to testifie the same by consecrating our selues an holy and an acceptable sacrifice vnto him as the Apostle exhorteth Vse 2. Secondly it setteth vs see the hainousnesse of our sinnes in that nothing in the world could satisfie the wrath of God conceiued against vs but only the sufferings of Christ which should make vs mourne for our sinnes aboue all things and for euer after detest and abhorre the same When wee shall consider that our sinnes did pierce the very heart of Christ Iesus and shed his bloud it will make our hearts rise within vs at the committing of the least sinne whatsoeuer What is that to vs. This was the answere which the high Priests made to the confession of Iudas In the distresse and discomfort of his soule he came to them For he knew that the Priests lips should preserue knowledge Mat. 2.7 and that men should resort to them for comfort and direction he knew that they sate in Moses his seate Mat. 23 ◠Luke 11.52 and that they had the key of knowledge as our Sauiour Christ saith and therefore should be able to relieue men that stood in neede of comfort But see how little they respected him What is that to vs say they see thou to it As if they should say In that thou hast sinned in betraying innocent bloud it is nothing to vs but thou art too blame for it And therefore there is no reason why thou shouldest obiect the matter to vs. Looke thou to it how thou maiest escape it is thy sinne it is none of ours Here was cold comfort These were miserable comforters as Iob saith Iob. 16.2.5 They should rather haue strengthened him with their mouth and the comfort of their lips should haue asswaged his sorrow But let vs a little consider this speech of theirs It is strange they should make so light of the matter as they doe for it is most certaine their hand was deeper in the fact then his Ioh. 7.1.11.32 Mat. 26.3.4 Ioh. 11.47.53 Mat. 26 15. Luke 22.4.5 Ioh. 18.3 They often laid wait for innocent bloud sometimes seeking for him themselues and sometimes sending their Officers to take him And before hee was apprehended they had consulted and determined to put him to death They had couenanted with Iudas for money to betray him into their hands They receiued a band of Souldiers of Pilate and appointed them to Iudas for the apprehending of him They suborned and produced false witnesses against him that they might seeme to obserue some shew of iudgement Mat. 26.59.60 At the last when by a solemne oath they had extorted from him a confession of the truth namely Mat. 26.63.64.65.66 that he was Christ the sonne of God without any further examining of the cause they condemne him most guiltlesse And hauing rashly condemned him they deliuer him ouer to the Deputie Mat. 27.1.2 that hee might put him to death How then doth all this nothing concerne them But be it so Let it be graunted that they are without blame in this case and that Iudas only was the cause of betraying of him why then doe they not reuoke the iudgement and deliuer the innocent person from condemnation why doe they not reuerse that which they had corruptly iudged why doe they not now that they know the truth alter their wicked sentence Moreouer being Priests of the Lord to whom it appertained by their sacrifices to purge the sinnes of the people why doe they thus scornefully reiect this confession of a sinner especially considering that themselues had caused him to sinne why doe they not comfort him in his repentance and by their expiations procure him the pardon of his sinne Or if his sinne be vnexpiable as it is why doe they not being Iudges and Elders of the people punish him according to the law for being guilty of innocent bloud Here are then diuers sinnes bewrayed in this answere of theirs a Accusatio Sacerdotum est quod poenitētiam non egerunt etiā Iuda poeaitente Hugo Cardin.
wickednes out of his remēbrance Yea there are many that haue neuer a word of Scripture besides which yet haue this sentence at their fingers ends for they make it the very Necke-verse of their soules It cannot be denied but the saying is true for it is the holy word of God c Omni homini in hac vita potest vtilis esse paenitentia quam quocunque tempore homo egerit quam libet ini quus quam libet annosus si toto corde renunciauerit peccatis praeteritis pro ijs in conspectu Dei non solum corporis sed etiam cordis lachrymas fuderit malorum operum maculas bonis operibus diluere curauerit omnium peccatorum indulgentiam mox habebit Nunquam peccanti indicta esset pro peccatis deprecatio si deprecanti non esset remissio concedenda Aug. de fide ad P. Deacon And without all doubt repentance may bee very profitable for euery man in this life which at what time soeuer a man shall performe though he bee neuer so wicked and haue neuer so long continued in his sinne if with his whole heart he renounce his sinnes past and in the sight of God shed for them the teares not of body only but of his soule and shall endeauour to wash away the staines of his ill deedes by good works he shall straightway obtain the pardon of all his sinnes For God would neuer haue enioyned a man to craue the remission of his sins if he had no purpose to grant it c But as God is true in his promises to such as doe repent so is he also true in his threatnings to impenitent sinners And d Qui verus est in promittendo verus est etiam in minando Aug. de vera faals paenit cap 7 though he haue promised pardon to him that repenteth f Firmissimè tene nullatenus dubites neminem hic posse hominem paenitentiam agere nisi quem Deus illuminauerit gratuita sua miseratione conuerterit Aug de fide ad Pet. Diaconum cap. 28. 2. Tim. 2.24.25 Jere. 31.18 Lament 5.21 Psal 80.3.7.19 Rom. 9.18 yet he neuer promised repentance to him that continueth in his sinnes Neither is it in any mans power to repent when hee will No as all other good gifts came downe from aboue from the Father of lights so repentance also is his gift e Qui promisit paenitenti veniam non promisit peccauti penitentiam And we are to beleeue it as an article of our faith that no man can heere repent vnlesse God enlighten him and conuert him by his free mercy And therefore the Apostle exhorteth Timothy to suffer euill men patiently prouing if God at any time will giue them repentance c. And for this cause the Church of God doth so often vse this prayer Conuert thou me and I shall be conuerted Turn us againe vnto thee O Lord and we shall be turned Turne vs againe O Lord God of hosts c. And as repentance is Gods gift so is he a most free giuer he is not tyed to any man But hee giueth it as it pleaseth him selfe For he hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardneth And as Esau could not obtaine the blessing which once hee contemned though hee sought it with teares Heb. 12.17 So if a man contemne the meanes of repentance in his helth it may bee hee shall not obtaine it when he lieth a dying But there is say they one example in the Scripture of the theefe on the crosse who had spent all the course of his life in sinne Luke 22.43 and yet repented at the last gaspe and was receiued to mercy But alasse one swallow maketh not summer And of one example without a precept nothing is to be concluded The Lord in greate wisedome that men at the last gaspe might not altogether despaire hath left one example of extraordinary mercy in this case and he hath left but one that no man should take occasion to presume And yet such is the peruersenesse of our nature that this one though but one in all the Bible and that an extraordinary one and that for this one many a thousand haue perished serueth to encourage vs to loosenesse of life What folly is this against all sense and reason to set our selues in a way wherein so many haue miscarried Would not all men condemne him of madnesse that should go about to spurre his Asse till he speake because Balaams Asse did once speake Num. 22.28 Iosh 10.13 2. King 20.11 or him that should thinke to haue the Sunne in the firmament either to stand still or to go backe againe because it did so to Ioshuah and Hezekiah So it is as great madnesse in any man to harten himselfe in his sinne by this one example And if we mark it well we shall find in this one for that little time that hee liued more excellent good works then many of vs performe in all our liues For he confesseth his sinnes and earnestly prayeth for pardon of them Hee sheweth a meruailous strength of faith in Christ that he did acknowledge him to be his Sauiour and a King when hee was in the lowest degree of his humiliation euen when hee hanged vpon the Crosse He reprooueth his fellow-theefe for blaspheming of Christ and patiently submitteth himselfe to his deserued punishment These and many other notable fruits of faith appeared in this Conuert euen in this short time wherby it is likely that if he had liued he would not haue beene inferior to any of the Saints But because God hath neuer made any such promise that a man may repent at his owne pleasure a Multos solet serotina paenitentia decipere Aug. de vera falsa paenitentia cap. 17. Vit vt fiat fructuosa non sit sera Aug. in Psal 52. Psal 32.6 2. Cor. 6.2 and because late repentance is seldome true repentance therefore it is good for euery man to lay holde of repentance whensoeuer God offereth any meanes thereof The scripture giueth vs no day at all in this case but alwaies vrgeth the present time There is indeed an acceptable time as Dauid saith and a day of grace But the Apostle telleth vs it is presently to be imbraced Now saith he is the accepted time now is the day of saluation and it may bee either now or neuer And therefore the Prophet exhorteth saying Seeke the Lord while he may be found and call vpon him while he is neer Isa 55.6 Is there a time then when the Lord will not be found and is there a time when he will be far off from men yes doubtlesse there is a time when God will absent himselfe as the Prophet Hosea saith Hos 5.6 c. Prou. 1.28 They shall goe with their sheepe and with their bullocks to seeke the Lord but they shall not find him for he hath withdrawne himselfe from them And therefore to conclude this point
them all for they would haue scoffed at him but he betaketh himselfe into such a place where hee might doe it most freely I doe not denie but that Gods children many times doe weepe in the presence of others but it is because the abundance of their sorrow is such as they cannot otherwise choose As the woman that washed our Sauiour Christs feete came into the Pharisees house and wept before all that were at table And in publique humiliation when the Church meeteth together to preuent or turne away some iudgement of God there is qublique and open weeping But especially when a man is alone his teares haue full scope Then hee pulleth vp the sluces and flood-gates of his eyes and guiueth them free passage As wee see in Dauid who wept not so much in the day time when he was among others but when night came that hee was alone in his bed then he wept so abundantly that hee watered his couch with his teares Psal 6.6 And that good King Hezekiah lying sicke on his bed though hee could not goe from those that stood about him Isa 38.2.3 yet it is said hee turned his face to the wall that hee might weepe as priuately as hee could Indeede it is a true saying though it were spoken with a prophane mouth a Ille dolet verè qui sine teste dolet Mart. lib. 1 Epigr. 34. hee sorroweth ttuely that hath no witnesse of his sorrow no witnesse I say but God and his owne conscience Againe we must not thinke that a little sorrow or a few teares will serue the turne But wee must haue great measure of griefe and with Peter in this place wee must weepe bitterly b Quam magna deliquimus tam granditer defleamus Alto vulneri diligens longa medicina non defit paenitentia crimine minor non sit Cypri Serm. 5. de lapsls Looke how grieuously wee haue sinned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so greatly should we bewaile our sinnes A deepe wound must haue a large plaister and our repentance must not bee lesse then our fault It is true it is no matter of merit for a man to weep more or lesse We may say in this case as the Apostle saith of meates It is not our sorrow that maketh vs acceptable to God 1. Cor. 8.8 But yet much sorrow is a token of great repentance and on the other side where there is but a little sorrow there is but a little repentance And therefore S. Augustine hath described repentance c Est paenitentia quaedam dolentis vindicta puniens in se quod dolet commisisse De vera sal paenit cap. 8. 2. Cor. 7.11 Magis corde fundendae sunt quam corpore Fulg. ad Probam Epist 4. Joel 2.13 to be a certaine kind of reuenge whereby a sorrowfull man doth punish that in himselfe which it grieueth him to haue committted And Saint Paul saith that reuenge is one of those blessed fruits that doe accompanie true repentance euen a cruciating of all the body and a sobbing to make the heart to ake that the teares that a man sheddeth in this case may seeme to come from the heart rather then from the body And hence is it that the Lord calling the people to sorrow for their sinnes doth not require some light sorrow or some small measure of griefe but such a sorrow as should euen rent their very bearss And Dauid saith that a mans heart must bee contrite and broken Psal 51.19 euen beaten to powder as it were with godly sorrow or else his repentance will neuer bee acceptable to God This is not onely required but hath also beene practised by Gods children for other mens sinnes 2. Pet. 2.7.8 Righteous Lot had his soule vexed with the vncleane conuersation of the wicked Sodomites And the Prophet cryeth out in like manner My leannesse Isa 24.16 my leannesse woe is me the transgressours haue offended yea the transgressours haue grieuously offended he did so grieue at the transgressions of the people that hee beecame exceeding leane withall as the doubling of the word importeth The Phrophet Ieremie likewise is full of passion in this behalfe Iere. 4.19 Sometimes he cryeth out as if hee were in great perplexitie My belly my belly I am pained euen at the very heart my heart is troubled within me I cannot be still c. 9.1 Sometimes hee wisheth that his head were full of water and his eyes a fountaine of teares that hee might weepe day and night c. 13.17 And he telleth them his soule shall weepe in secret for their pride and his eye shall weepe and drop downe teares Psal 119.139 And Dauid saith that his eyes did gush out with riuers of water Luke 19.41.42 because men kept not the law Yea our Sauiour Christ himselfe wept for Ierusalem bewailing the stubbornnesse of the people that would not be reclaimed yea which is more the Lord had absolutely forbidden the Priestes in the law Leuit. 21.10.11 that they should not mourne vpon any occasion no not for the death of their Father and Mother but they must euen ouercome their owne naturall affection in that case And when God had fearefully slaine Nadad and Abihu 10.2.6 the sonnes of Aron with fire from heauen for offering strange fire vpon the Altar Aron is commaunded that for his life hee shall not mourne nor shew any token of sorrow for them And yet marke they that might not weepe for any worldly matter Ioel. 2.17 are commaunded not onely to weepe but euen to howle and cry for their owne sinnes and the sinnes of the people If this be required of vs for other mens sinnes much more must wee striue to a great measure of sorrow for our owne sinnes Our sinnes should be our greatest sorrow Nothing in the world should come so neare our hearts as they And therefore the Lord saith that when men are once brought to a true sight of their sinnes they shall mourn for them euen as one that mourneth for his onely sonne Zech. 12.10 and bee sorry at one is sorry for his first borne As nothing more woundeth the heart of a tender father then to loose his onely sonne the Image of his name and the hope of his house so nothing should peirce the heart of a man so deepely as the consideration of his sinnes And hence is it that all the penitentiaries in the Scripture are not brought in with a sigh or a teare or two but with exceeding great sorrow to giue vs to know that slender sorrow in repentance is but hypocrisie The people of Israel that lamented after the Lord for their sinnes are said to haue powred out buckets of teares 1. Sam. 7.2 7. as it were vnto the Lord. Psal 6.6 And Dauid saith that hee wept in such abundance as hee caused his bed to swimme and watered his couch with his teares In both which places
though there be an Hyperbolicall excesse of speech for it is not possible for men to fill buckets with teares nor to cause themselues to swimme in their beds yet it signifieth that there was an exceeding great and vnspeakeable measure of griefe a Cura dolorque animi lacrymaque alimenta fuere Ouid. Met. li. 10 Againe he saith his teares were his meate day and night Psal 42.3 And in an other place hee saith hee was bowed and crooked together and made euen blacke with mourning all the day Psal 38.6 hee was naturally of a very good complexion ruddie and of a good countenance and comely visage 1. Sam. 16.12 but his continuall mourning had so changed bim as if he had beene disfigured with sickenesse Isa 38.3 And good Iosiah that his very heart did melt within him for griefe And that poore penitent woman in the Gospell 2. King 22 19. Luke 7.38 shed such plenty of teares as she washed our Sauiour Christs feet with them And indeed it is no small measure of sorrow that is sufficient in respect of the greatnesse of our sins For if we had an hundred eies and should weepe them all out and if wee had a thousand hearts and they should all breake a sunder with remorse and sorrow for our sinnnes it were too little b Lacrymae nobis doerunt antequam causae dolendi Senec. de breuit vitae and we should sooner want teares then matter of mourning Neither must this sorrow bee onely for feare of punishment For such kind of sorrow proceedeth from selfe loue and may bee in the reprobate As wee see in Saul Ahab Iudas and others In regard whereof the Lord told the Iewes that when they fasted and humbled themselues they did it not to him neither did he approue it Zech 7.5 But this sorrow must onely bee for the displeasure of God And therefore the Apostle calleth it godly sorrow 2. Cor. 7.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a sorrow according to God namely such a sorrow as respecteth no other thing but this that a man hath by his sinnes displeased and offended so good a God and so mercifull a Father And indeed Estque pati paenam quam meruisse minus Ouid. de Ponto to an ingenuous nature it is a greater griefe to deserue them to suffer punishment As appeareth plainely in the example of Dauid and other of Gods children But wee shall haue occasion to speake more of this point when wee come to intreat of the repentance of Iudas Last of all this sorrow must not be for a time Stella in Luc. 22.26 but it must be perpetuall Stella reporteth of the Apostle Peter vpon what ground or by what authoritie I knowe not that in all the rest of his life it was his manner to rise out of his bed euery night at the crowing of the cocke and to spend the time till morning in prayer weeping so abundantly that his face was withered with teares Whether this bee true or no it is not much materiall But howsoeuer wee are to knowe that forasmuch a Est paenitentia assiduè peccantibus assiduè necessaria Aug. de vera falsa panit cap 8. as wee sinne euery day therefore repentance is necessary euery day b Quid praeter plorare restat quid nisi semper dolere in vita vbi enim dolor finitur deficit paenitentia ibid cap. 13. And indeed what can a man doe in regard of his manifold sinnes but weepe and mourne all his life for where sorrow ceaseth there repentance faileth c Sit paenitentia continua amara comes aetatis meae Aug. de contrit cordis in oratione ad finem Psal 6.6 Iere. 9.1 And therefore let vs make repentance a continuall and sorrowfull companion vnto vs through our whole life as Dauid did who did not onely weepe now and then for his sinnes but it was his continuall practise Eeuery night he caused his bed to swimme And the Prophet Ieremie wisheth that he could weepe day and night for the sinnes of his people Much more no doubt would he doe it for his owne sinnes And as there is required this sorrow for sinnes past and present so there must bee also a forsaking of sin for the time to come As wee doe not read that euer this Apostle denyed his Master any more after this but as it is euident in the Acts hee was most bolde and constant in confessing him and his truth euen to the beardes of the greatest enemies thereof It is not sufficient for vs to bee inwardly sorrowfull but withall wee must put away our sinnes and testifie the inward repentance of our heartes by the outward reformation of our liues a Frustra dolemus praeterita nisi iusta accedat emendatio Aretius proble loc 34. de paeuit Nay it is in vaine for vs to bewaile our sinnes past vnlesse there follow a due amendment afterwardes As Bernard writ to Eugenius the Pope b Non ambigo te quoque ista deplorare at frustrà istud si non emendare studueris Bern. de Considerat l. 1 I make no question saith hee but thou bewailest these things but that is to no purpose vnlesse thou doest also labour to reforme them c Vera confessio vera paenitentia est quaendo sic paenitet hominem peccasse vt crimen non repetat Bern. de cons aedif ca. 53. And therefore hee describeth true repentance to bee this when a man so repenteth that he hath sinned as he will doe so no more And in his meditations hee hath a sweet saying to this purpose d Verus penitens semper est in labore dolore Dolet de praeteritis laborat pro futuris eauendis Sic plangit commissa vt non cōmittat plangenda Jrrisor enim est non verus paenitens qui adhuc agit quod paeniteat Sergiò vis esse verus paenitens cessa a peccato noli amplius peccare quoniam inanis est paenitentia quam sequens coinquinat culpa Meditat. cap. 4. A man saith hee that truely repenteth is alwayes in labour and sorrow hee is sorrowfull for his sinnes past and laboureth to take heed of sin to come he doth so bewaile the sinnes he hath committed as he will no more commit things that are to be bewailed For he is but a mocker and not truly penitent that still doth that whereof hee repenteth If therefore thou wilt be a true penitent person cease from sinne and sinne no more for that repentance is vaine which after-sinnes doe defile e Si permanent opera frustra voce assumitur paenitentia Mag. sentent lib. 4. Dist 15. G. Yea so long as a mans former euill deedes doe remaine it is in vaine for him to talke of repentance f Qui agit penitentiam non solum diluere lacrymis debet peccatum suum sed etiam emendatioribus factis operiro tegere delicta superiora vt