all lets and impediments which may fall out as the reproches and indignities which men Satans complices wil be readie to cast vpon him neither will he thinke the time long nor the labour too much for it but goe thorow and thorow trauell and paine that he may procure the glorie of God and aduance his worship and seruice Therfore whereas men pretend zeale let them examine themselues according to this affection and trie whether there bee this loue in the heart or not Thirdly he that hath true zeale he hath this affection of sorrow mourning when he cannot obtaine or procure the glorie of God as he would We haue begun to compare heauenly things with earthly and spiritual with carnal may we once more proceed It is written of Ammon that when he could not inioy Tamar whom hee loued 2. Sam. 13.2.4 hee was sore vexed and fell sicke and grew leane day by day because hee could not enioy her these effects had his loue in him So when there is true loue to God and his glorie there if men cannot further it as much as they would if they cannot enioy his word if they see him dishonoured and false worship established they will pine and grieue and fall away As it is said Psalm 69.9 The zeale of thy house hath eaten mee And as Elias said 1. King 19.10 I haue been very zealous for the Lord of hosts Hee was so stricken with sorrow that he was readie to die because he saw not the glorie of God go forward so that where there is true zeale there is also this affection of sorrow and mourning Then let euery man examine himselfe by these three rules whether he haue this affection within him or no and so whether he haue repented if he haue not this affection at the best he is but lukewarme and euen such an one whom God wil spue out of his mouth and cast out of his house but hauing it truly in himselfe he may be assured he hath truly repented and so is regenerate and holy and shall both abide in the house of God all his life and be afterwards receiued into his euerlasting tabernacles The seuenth signe or fruit of repentance is punishment The seuenth signe or fruit of repentance is reuenge or punishment yea what punishment which some restraine particularlie to the Corinthians 2. Cor. 7.11 as they did the former effect indignation vnderstanding it of that punishment which they inflicted vpon the incestuous person that whereas as before they spared him now admonished they executed the censure of the Church against him and excommunicated him Which admit it bee true that it may be so vnderstood yet it carrieth with it another generall sense seeing al sinne is to be punished wheresoeuer it is found and speciallie should men begin with themselues This being then a signe or fruit of repentance it must begin and bee in a mans selfe It differs from indignation because that is in the affection this is in the action that is a iust conceiued anger towards himselfe for his sinne and hatred of the sinne this the punishment of himselfe for those sinnes and a taking as it were a iustreuenge of himselfe for them Which is when men haue offended in yeelding too much to their owne desires pleasures delights and profits then for the freeing of themselues from the euill of sin they denie some things to themselues which otherwise they might lawfullie vse for their comfort which if they doe not they shall in the punishment which God shall bring vpon them taste the bitternes of that that seemed sweete vnto them The point then is this Punishment is the seuenth signe of repentance True repentance bringeth forth punishment or reuenge That is he that is trulie penitent doth holilie and iustly punish himselfe and is reuenged of himselfe for his sinnes Which as it is manifest in this place so also in diuers other places as first some doe not vnfitly applie to this purpose that place of S. Paul to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 11.31 If wee would iudge our selues we should not bee iudged Which though in the generall it be spoken of the whole conuersion and of the whole act of repentance with al the appurtenances yet the whole will carrie this particular Thus Dauid repenting 2. Sam. 12.16.17 punished himselfe in his humiliation for his child and his sinne who besought the Lord and fasted and lay a whole night vpon the earth and would not for that time receiue any meate for his refreshing Likewise another example in the same man may be seene when in giuing way vnto his lust 1. Chron. 11.18.19 he had desired the waters of Bethlehem and after did see it was brought with the liues of his three Worthies to take a holie reuenge of himselfe hee would not drinke of it but powred it vpon the ground for a sacrifice to the Lord. Likewise we haue the example of the woman Luke 7.38 that shewed the fruit of her repentance hauing before abused her eies to vncleannes and her haire to vanitie by laying it out to the inticing of youth to follie when she had repented she tooke a holy reuenge of her selfe and vsed her eies as a spring to yeeld water to wash Christs feete and her haire to be as a towell to wipe them So likewise those cunning men that were Necromancers Acts 19.19 being conuerted by the preaching of the word to repentance would burne those bookes that were before deare vnto them for a reuenge vpon themselues for their sinne shewing both an indignation in the affection and a iust reuenge in the action Thus then and in these and such like hath repentance brought foorth this reuenge or punishment and reason it should Reason 1. 1. Because the repentant now discerneth two things which he saw not before 1. Gods loue to him 2. His dislike and hatred of his sinne Now then for his loue he taketh punishment and an holie reuenge of himselfe It is necessarie saith Ambrose Necesse est vt quis vindicet eum cuius erga se sentit assectum Am bros in hunc locum that euerie one should take reuenge and punishment for him whose loue and affection hee perceiueth to bee towards him For so shall he shew loue againe Reason 2. 2. Because by this he may preuent Gods punishment of it For the Apostle Paul saith 1. Cor. 11.37 Iudge your selues and yee shall not be iudged As if hee should say iudge not your selues and yee shall bee iudged of God but take this reuenge on your selues and iudge your selues and God shall not iudge you He doth not speake this as if it were any redemption or satisfaction for the punishment but because it was Gods counsell and purpose by chastening and correcting of them to shake them from their security that being put in minde of his anger they might bee more warie afterward Which man doing by this voluntarie reuenge
marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus And thus much may suffice for the parts of repentance in the next place wee must proceed to the causes of it Chrysostome hauing made three sermons vpon this matter of repentance beginneth the fourth thus Assiduè in eaâ—… c. Chrysost hom 4. de poenit It is the continuall cust ome of shepheads to turne their sheepe into those pastures where they see the grasse is long and plenteous and thence not to drine them before they haue eaten vp all Whom wee will imitate and this fourth day also feede our sheepe in this pusture of repentance and wee will not begin any other matter for the place affordeth much prosit verie much fruit and withall great store of ioy and comfort As that Father imitated those shepheards so will I follow his example and walke in his steps continuing in this fruitfull necessarie and comfortable matter till I haue communicated the whole vnto you The causes of repentance I must proceede then I say in the next place to the causes of repentance or of this change and conuersion namely to the efficient cause and finall for of the matter and forme hath been spoken in the description And first of the efficient which is either principall or instrumentall The first is God the second is either without man to wit the word or within him his faith or comming from him his prayer The efficient and principall cause of repentance is God For the first which is the principall efficient it is God he is the author of mans repentance and his conuersion whatsoeuer meanes may be vsed and applied for that purpose yet is he the principall worker of it in the heart of man For proose hereof wee know the speech of Ephraim Ierem. 31.18 Conuert thou me and I shall be conuerted Where she acknowledgeth God to be the author of her conuersion So like wise that honour was giuen vnto Christ that hee should giue repentance and remission of sinnes vnto men For so saith Peter of him Acts 5.31 That God had lift him vp with his right hand to bee a Prince and a Sauiour to giue repentance to Israel and forgiuenes of sinnes Likewise when Peter had shewed vnto the people the vision that he saw and the mercie that God shewed vnto the Gentiles Acts 2.28 They all glorified God saying Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance vnto life Hence is that of Paul to Timothie Instruct them saith he 2. Tim. 2.25 with meekâ—…esse that are contrarie minded prâ—oâ—ing of at any time God will giue them repentance c. So Noah prayed Gen. 9.27 God perswade Iaphet to dwel in the 〈◊〉 of Shem. That is God conuert his heart that he may be of the Church and not of the wicked Also it was the Acts. 16.14 Lord that opened the heart of Lydia that she attended to the things which Paul spake Paul spake for her conuersion and the Lord opened her heart and conuerted her And Christ in the Reuelation saith Reuel 3.9 I will make them of the Synagogue of Satan to come and worship before thee Meaning that he would make the wicked to be of the number of the Church and conuert them to himselfe By all these it is manifest that the principall worker of repentance in the heart of man is God himselfe And it must needs in reason be so Reason 1. First because true repentance hath as a principall part of it the conuersion of the heart and inward man and to doe this requireth as much power as to make it for there was then no resistance of corruption but here now are all contrarieties the whole man being corrupted when then it was an infinite power that created man it must needes bee an infinite power that also must conuert and create him anew Reason 2. The second reason is Because man is by nature dead hauing neither power nor will to be conuerted And as S. Paul saith to the Ephesians Ephes 2.1.2 That euen then when wee were dead in sinnes God hath quickned vs together in Christ Then as no man can raise vp a dead man nor he quicken himself no more then Lazarus could being in the graue but it must bee the voice of Christ and his power that must doe it so must it be only God that must conuert the heart and worke this repentance in it Question Why doth God then in many places command men to repent and returne vnto him if they haue no power or abilitie of themselues to doe it but it bee his gift onely which they cannot haue vnlesse they receiue it from him Answer I answere with Augustine O homo in praeceptione intellige quid debeas habere De corrept grat cap. 3. Iubet aliquae quae non possumus vt nouerimus quid ab illo petere debemus De libero arbit ad Valent. cap. 2 O man vnderstand in these commandements of God what thou oughrest to haue So what thou oughrest to do And againe he saith God commandeth some things which wee are not able to doe that wee might know what we ought to big of him And therefore when he saith Returne vnto mee hee would haue our hearts sound with an echo againe Lord conuert thou vs and we shall be conuerted Lord turne thou our heaâ—â—s and we shall bee turned So that the Lord doth not command because wee can doe but because we ought to do and should seeke to him for grace to do it Vse 1. God is then the worker of euerie mans repentance and conuersion which first serueth to confute a point of Poperie which teacheth that men haue a great hand in their owne conuersion And that they may take and resist the grace of conuersion which we say is false because as I haue alreadie proued God giueth repentance Therefore these speeches and comparisons of theirs wee reiect as false when some of them make man by nature like one in fetters so him in his corruptions which being strucken off by grace he can presently goe of himselfe Some as the halfe dead passenger from Ierusalem to Iericho others like a sicke man which hath the power of walking but being faint he cannot vnlesse hee haue one to helpe him or to leane vpon So man hath power say they but it is a little languishing which if it be helped but a little by grace he can will and doe of himselfe that which is good But all these such like if there were a thousand of them are ouerthrowne with this one point that it is God and his grace which conuerteth the harts of al men Neither feare we to affirme this notwithstanding that they obiect that by this meanes wee make a man as a blocke and a stone for so we say hee is by nature in respect of any goodnes and that by the warrant of Ezekiel who saith in the person
thirst more presently prayed him saying Master giue me of that water that I may thirst no more nor come hither to draw vnderstanding and dreaming of materiall water such as shee daily needed for the bodie So doe many men now for when wee talke of the desire of spirituall riches they will talke of earthly and whereas they should desire those things that concerne the spirit all their desire is for the world how should there bee true grace in these men how should they haue any assurance that they haue repented when they are like vnto those in the Gospell that were inuited vnto the kings feast who had their seuerall excuses that they might absent themselues Luke 14. One said that he had taken a farme and he must goe and see it another had bought a yoke of oxen and hee must goe and prooue them and another had married a wife and he could not come So many a man saith my profits let mee that I cannot come to heare the word of God and my pleasures carrie mee another way Some other againe will say when I haue done seeking the world when I haue ouercome such a businesse another time or another yeere will I come to heare the word O miserable estate where is that loue and desire and that longing after the word which is required in all repentants Ambrose saith If I should offer thee gold thou wilt not say I wil come to morow but this day thou wilt take it no man will deferre no man will excuse Redemptio anima promittitur nemo festinas Ambrose But the redemption of the soule is proffered and promised and no man hasteneth How truly may that speech of the Father be spoken of our times for earthly things no man wil take time til to morrow but greedily they will seeke for them and not stay till they bee offered them But for spirituall things most mens states are weake and like men readie to breake they are taking order for two three foure and sixe moneths and then are they as farre from any good sufficiencie or further then they were before But to conclude if true repentance bring forth desire of these spirituall and heauenly things as their condition is fearefull who haue it not so is theirs happie and comfortable who vnfainedly find it in their hearts for it doth certainely seale vp vnto them their true conuersion and new birth by which they are liuing creatures in Christ here through his grace and shall liue with him in glorie through his merits in the life to come The sixth signe and fruit of repentance is zeale The sixth fruit and effect of repentance is zeale yea what zeale This zeale is opposite to luke-warmenesse contrary to cold it is heate He is cold which is prophane an enemie to pietie and the workes of holines He is luke-warme that hath some phansie or loue to good things some righteousnesse in the outward act or some common or cursorie inclination therwith contenting himselfe as iudging his case to be as good as the best and can endure to go no further He is hot or zealous who is feruent for the glorie worship of God and the works of pietie is sorrowful when he seeth the defect of thē in himself or others Our point then to be noted is this Zeale is the sixth signe and fruite of true repentance True repentance bringeth foorth zeale that is maketh men zealous for God and his worship zealous of pietie and good workes not to do them carelesly and negligently but it maketh them do though with great labour and cost yea danger and hazard those things which they see they ought to doe This is manifest in this place as also in many other As in the Reuelation Christ saith to the Church of Laodicea Reuel 3.19 Be zealous therefore and amend noting that where zeale is there will also bee repentance and amendment of life Did not Dauids repentance bring forth this zeale 2. Sam. 24.24 when he would be at cost with God to procure his worship and would not offer a burnt offering vnto the Lord that should cost him nothing for whereas if he would hee might haue offered a free offering vnto him yet he would not receiue it for nothing but would giue the price thereof Acts 19.18.19 So may we see this zeale in those men that were conuerted by the preaching of the Gospel at Ephesus they were enforced to take their bookes which were of a great price and to burne them that thereby they might glorifie God by spoyling of those things which were before the cause of his dishonor The like may be said of Paul and Peter Marie and other repentants who haue had this zeale as is at large recorded in the Scripture and how in reason should it be otherwise Reason 1. 1. Because the true repentant is Gods and chosen to life honor and happinesse which this thing namely that he is repentant doth manifest vnto him Then may wee allude to that which Dauid saith in defence of his dancing before the Arke in his zeale when he was derided by Michol giuing the reason why he did it because saith he 2. Sam. 6.21 The Lord hath chosen me rather then thy father and all his house So in this case if he for an earthly kingdome was so zealous for God how much more ought those so to be that are chosen to a heauenly kingdome Reason 2. 2. Because he is regenerate made again and if the first creation required as much as Dauid saith Psal 100.2.3 Serue the Lord with gladnes and he addeth the reason Because he hath made vs not we our selues much more doth this second The more excellent the one is than the other the more zeale is required for the one than for the other Bernard compareth them thus Qui primò secie secundò refecit in primo dedit me mihi in secundo dedit se mihi cui debeo me propter me debeo plusquam me propter se Bernard de diligendo Deo He that made mee first did secondly remake me in the first he gaue me my selfe in the second he gaue me himselfe to whom I owe my selfe for my selfe I owe more then my selfe for that hee gaue me himselfe He that is first set vp by a man ought to bee maruellous careful as it were zealous for him how much more he that being a bankrupte and many pounds worse than nothing is discharged of all and set vp againe So is it in this for men by sinne are worse than nothing and being as it were set vp by God againe what zeale for the Lord ought they to haue c. Reason 3. 3. Because he being redeemed knoweth the price of his redemption how deere it cost God and Christ and why they paied so deere for him Namely as Paul to Titus saith Titus 2.14 That the redeemed might bee a peculiar people to God
zealous of good workes That is the ende why God gaue so great a price as the blood of his owne sonne that we might be a peculiar people zealous vnto him Then they that know this in liew of that mercie will grow zealous and think that they cannot be too zealous for him that hath paid so great a price for them Vse 1. Now by this truth for the vse of it we may first condemne our age as that which promiseth or performeth little repentance because there is so little zeale amongst vs for seeing repentance bringeth forth zeale where there is little zeale there is little repentance and where no zeale there no repentance And that I may iustly challenge our age of want of this zeale appeareth thus because it is growne to that in our times that nothing is so much condemned as the zeale here spoken of Zeale for any thing and any person saue for God and his truth is reputed commendable and in any course saue in the way of pietie They are commended who are zealous so their prince and his crowne and accounted good subiects so they who are zealous for their captaine and his honour and esteemed good souldiers so they who are zealous for their father and master and his credit and are reckoned good sonnes or seruants but if they bee zealous for God and his glorie or seruice they shall be reuiled and derided yea Papists if they be deuout and zealous in their superstitious vanities are commended of many and yet Protestants if they bee zealous and forward in the way of truth and godlines they are scorned and mocked as Isaac was of Ismael euen of those who liue in the same kingdome citie Church and house The people condemne thir Minister as too zealous and on the contrarie the Minister the people as too forward so the master the father the husband condemne the seruant the child and the wife and these againe the other How may wee thinke then that they are zealous themselues verily if they were they would not condemne zeale in others nay they could not For though a man in his hypocrisie may condemne that euill in another which he allowes in himselfe yet can hee not condemne the good hee is indued withall for good cannot but reloyce and delite in her like Therfore to prooue these voide of zeale we neede no further proofe or euidence then their condemning of zeale in others When then we haue so many condemners of zeale wee must needs haue many voide of zeale Few we haue who can say as Iehu when he met with Iehonadab saying vnto him when he took him vp into his chariot 2. King 10.15.16 Is thy heart vpright as mine is towards thine then giue me thy hand and come and see the zeale that I haue for the Lord of hosts Few I say that can take others into their houses chambers and companie and shew them how zealous they are for God and his glorie in reading and conferring of the scripture in prayer and other practise of pietie nay they can rather shew them how zealous and feruent they are for their pleasure and profit for themselues and their owne states But the zeale for the Lord of hosts they condemne in others and therfore cannot haue it in themselues and so cannot haue true repentance Vse 2. 2. By this may euery one trie whether they haue repentance or not euen whether they haue fire or no by this heate If they be not cold nor luke-warme but striue to bee hot and zealous in Gods seruice and in the way of piety respecting rather what God calleth for then fearing what men condemne Obiect But there may well be zeale without repentance neither is al zeale good for there is a bad as well as a good zeale how will zeale prooue it then Answ I answere it is true that as the sea water and the raine water agree in the matter yet they differ by diuers qualities and properties as sweet and salt thicke and thin light and heauie So a good zeale and bad are both affections but they differ in many seueral things And first as the Moralist speaketh of other affections that they are so farre good as they are guided by wisdome and kept within the bounds limited by it and on the contrarie they are euill when they passe those bounds So in this zeale it is so farre good as it is gouerned by true knowledge and faith and so far bad as it is depriued of this As the Apostle Paul saith of the Iewes Rom. 10.2 I beare them witnes that they haue the zeale of God but not according to knowledge that is their zeale was not ruled by reason nor grounded vpon the word of God but according to their owne fancie teaching vs thereby what is good and what is bad zeale Zeale is then euill and bad when it will not be nor is ruled by true knowledge that is not subiect to the word but by custome tradition our own affections and wils and of this may be said as before Rom. 10.2 that such haue zeale but not according to knowledge and they may be prayed for as Christ prayed for the Iewes Luke 23.34 Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe And this zeale argueth no repentance but that which is according to knowledge submitted to the word of God is good and wil prooue a man to haue repentance Againe zeale consisteth of two affections loue and sorrow loue for the glorie of God and his seruice sorrow when it is not performed May wee compare spirituall things with earthly things wheresoeuer there is this loue it is speedie for the compassing of that it desireth Therefore wee reade when Shechim loued Dinah Iacobs daughter Genes 34.19 he was speedie in compassing that by which he might obtaine her though the thing was very sore and grieuous which he was to doe so where there is this affection in the heart of man it maketh a man forward and speedie to procure the glorie of God and to accomplish his seruice Secondly loue hath another propertie wheresoeuer it is notwithstanding all difficulties discouragements or dangers yet will that man goe forward for the procuring of that hee loueth and dreadeth not for any feare or discouragement so he may obtaine the thing hee affecteth So it is said of Iacob he serued seuen yeeres for Rachel and being deceiued by her father in giuing vnto him Leah in stead of Rachel hee was content to serue seuen yeeres more Gen. 29 20. and yet those yeeres seemed vnto him but a few daies hauing borne the cold of the winter the heate of the summer the chilling of the Moone and the burning of the Sunne the dangers both by night and day and all this was because he loued her So if there be this loue of God in men it will neuer shrinke for all difficulties that may be he that hath it will not faint nor be hindred with