such as were men of God only but by such as were holy men of God Peter denyed Christ of knowledge against his owne conscience and that with cursing and banning and yet came to repentance afterward as appeares by the testimony of Christ I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not therefore when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren Obiect I. Matth 10. 33. Whosoever shall denie me before men him will I denie before my father which is in heaven Answere The place is only to be understood of such a deniall of Christ which is finall Obiect II. Hebr. 6. 4. It is impossible that they which were once lightened and haue tasted of the heavenly gift c. if they fall away should be renewed by repentance And Heb. 10. 26. If we sinne willingly after that we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaines no more sacrifice for sinne Answere These places must be understood of the sinne which is to death in which men of desperate mallice against Christ vniuersally and wholly fall away from religion For the holy ghost saith not if they fall but a if they fall away and it is added that they crucifie the sonne of God and make a mocke of him that they trample vnder foote the sonne of God that they accompt the blood of the new testament an unholy thing that they despise the spirit of God And the word translated a Willingly imports somewhat more namely to sinne because a man will that is wilfully II. Case of Recidivation WHether the child of God after repentance for some grievous sin do fall into the same again come to repentance the second time Answere The case is daungerous as we may see by comparison in the body If one fall into the relapse of an ague or any other stronge disease it may cost him his life and the recovery will be very hard Christ said to the man that had bene sicke 38 yeeres after that he had healed him Beholde thou art whole sinne no more lest a worse thing befall thee And the unclean spirit returning takes to him other seven spirits worse then himselfe Indeed we finde no particular example of recovery after a relapse in the scriptures yet no doubt a recovery may be Reasons are these I. Promise is made of remission of sinnes in Christ without any tearme of time without any limitation to any number or kindes of sinne saue only the blasphemie against the holy Ghost Therfore there may be repentance and salvation after a relapse II. Christ tells Peter that he must forgiue not till seven times only which peradventure hee thought to be very much but seventy seven times and that in one day if one returne seventie times and say it repents me Now if wee must doe this which haue not so much as a drop of mercie in us in comparison of God he will no doubt often forgive even for one sinne if men will returne and say it repents me considering that with him is plentifull redemption and he is much in sparing III. Case Of Restitution WHether he that repents is to make restitution if hee haue taken any thing wrongfully from his neighbour Answere Yea Zacheus when he repented and received Christ gaue halfe of his goods to the poore and if he had taken any thing by forged cavillation he restored it foure fold It is but a badde practise when a man on his death-bedde will very devoutly bequeath his soule to God and his goods euill gotten as his conscience will often cry in his eare to his children and friends without either restitution or amends making Question But what if a man be not able to restore Answere Let him acknowledge the fault and God will accept the will for the deed As Paul saith in the like case If there be a willing minde it is accepted according to that which a man hath not according to that he hath not Question When a man by restoring shall discredit him selfe how shall he both restore and keepe his credite Answere Let him if the thing to be restored be of small moment make choise of some faithfull and honest frend who may deliver the thing in the behalfe of the partie concealing his name IIII. Case of Teares WHether doeth repentance alwayes go with teares or not Answer No For very pride and hypocrisie will draw foorth teares for some there are that can weepe for their sinnes in the presence of others whereas being alone they neither will nor can Some againe are of that constitution of body that they haue teares at commaund And a godly man with drie cheekes may mourne to God for his sinnes and intreat for pardon and receive it Yet in all occasions of deeper griefe for sinne teares will follow unlesse men haue stony and flinty hearts And yet againe though the greatest cause of sorow be offered the softest heart that is sheds not teares at the first but afterward it will When the body receiues a deepe wound at the first yee shall see nothing but a white line or dint made in the flesh without any blood stay but a while then comes blood from the wound in great aboundance So at the first the mind is astonished and gives no teares but after some respit and consideration teares follow V. Case of death WHether the repentant sinner can alwayes shevve him-selfe comfortable on his death bedde Answere Though the comfort of Gods spirite shall never be abolished from his heart yet hee can not alwayes testifie it For he may die of a burning ague and by reason of the extremitie of his fits be troubled with idlenesse of head and breake out into raving speeches blasphemies Likewise hee may die of sicknesse in the braine and be troubled with grievous convulsions so as his mouth shall be writhen to his eares his necke turned behind him and the very place where he lyes shall shake through his trembling as daily experience will testifie Neither is any to thinke this strange For Salomon saith All things in outward matters come alike to all the same condition is to the iust to the wicked to the good and to the pure and to the polluted and to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not CAP. XI Of the contraries to Repentance COntrarie to Repentance is Impenitencie whereby men continue in one estate neither sorowing for sinne nor turning from it It is one of the most grievous iudgements that is if it be finall For as a sick man then is most sicke when he feeles the lest sicknesse saith he is well so miserable man is in most misery when he feeles no misery and thinks himselfe in good estate This sin befalls them that iudge themselves righteous needing no repentance As the Pharises in the daies of Christ the Catharists in the Primative Church the Anabaptistes in our age Adde unto these such as haue hardened their hearts so as
whō this combat is noted in these words So that yee the Galatians The last is the effect of the cōbat in the last words that they cānot do c. Touching the combat it selfe diuers points are to be cōsidered The first what these two which make combat namely the flesh and the spirit are They haue diuers significations First of all the spirit is taken for the soule and the flesh for the body But so they are not taken in this place For there is no such combat betwene the body the soule both which agree togither to make the person of one man Secondly the spirit signifies naturall reason the flesh the natural appetite or concupiscence But they cānot be so understood in this place For the spirit here mentioned doth fight euen against naturall reason which though it serue to make a man without excuse yet is it an enemy to the spirit Thirdly the spirit signifies the godhead of Christ and the flesh the manhood but it must not be so taken here For then euery man regenerate should be deified Lastly the spirit signifies a created quality of holines which by the holy ghost is wrought in the mind will affections of man the flesh the naturall corruption or inclination of the mind will and affections to that which is against the law In this first these twain are taken in this place Secondly it is to be considered how these twain the flesh the spirit can fight togither being but mere qualities And we must know that they are not severed asunder as though the flesh were placed in one part of the soule the spirit in another but they are ioyned mingled togither in al the faculties of the soul. The mind or understanding part is not one part flesh and an other spirit but the whole mind is flesh and the whol mind is spirit partly one and partly the other The whole will is partly flesh and partly spirit the flesh and the spirit that is grace and corruption not seuered in place but distinguished As the aire in the dawning of the day is not wholly light or wholly darke as at midnight and at nooneday neither is it in one part light in another part darke but the whole aire is partly light and partly dark throughout In a vessell of luke-warme water the water it selfe is not onely hot or only cold or in one part hot in another part cold but heat and cold are mixt togither in every part of the water So is the flesh and the spirit mingled togither in the soule of man and this is the cause why these two contrary qualities fight togither Thirdly in this combate we are to consider what equality there is betweene these two combaters the flesh and the spirit And we must know that the flesh usually is more in measure then the spirit The flesh is like the mighty gyant Goliah and the spirit is litle and small like young David Hence it is that Paul calls the Corinthians which were men iustified and sanctified carnall I could not saith he breethren spkake unto you as unto spirituall but as unto carnall as unto babes in Christ. And none can come to be tall men in Christ according to the age of the fulnesse of Christ till after this life And the speech which is used of some divines that the mā regenerate hath but the reliques of sin in him must be understood warily els it may admit an untruth As for the measure of grace it can be but smal in respect whereas we do receiue but the first fruites of the spirit in this life must wait for the accomplishment of our redemptiō till the life to come For all this the power efficacy of the spirit is such that it is able to prevaile ordinarily against the flesh For the flesh receiues his deadly wound at the first instant of a mans conuersion and continually dyeth after by litle litle therfore it fights but as a maimed soldier And the spirit is continually confirmed increased hy the holy ghost also it is liuely stirring the vertue of it is like musk one graine wherof wil giue a stronger smell thē many unces of other perfumes Some may say that the godly man doth more feele the flesh then the spirit therfore that the flesh is euery way more then the spirit I answer that we must not measure our estate by feeling which may easily deceiue us A man shall feele a paine which is but in the top of his finger more sensibly then the health of his whol body yet the health of the body is more thē the pain of a fingar Secondly we feele corruption not by corruption but by grace therfore men the more they feele their inward corruptions the more grace they haue Thus much of the combat it selfe now let us come to the maner of this fight It is fought by Lusting To lust in this place signifies to bring forth to stir up motions inclinations in the hart either to good or euil Lusting is twofold the lusting of the flesh the lusting of the spirit The lusting of the flesh hath two actions the first is to ingender euill motions passions of selfe-loue envy pride unbeliefe anger c. S. Iames saith that men are enticed and drawen away by their own concupiscēce Now this inticing is only by the suggestion of bad cogitations desires This action of the flesh made Paul say that he was carnall solde under sinne The second action of the flesh is to hinder quench overwhelm all the good motiōs of the spirit Paul found this in himselfe when he said I see another law in my members rebelling against the law of the mind leading me captive to the law of sinne By reason of this action of the flesh the man regenerate is like to one in a slumber troubled with the disease called Ephialtes or the mare who thinks that he feeles something lying on his breast as heavy as a mountaine would faine haue it away wherupon he striues labours by hāds and voice to remoue it but for his life can not doe it On the contrary the lusting of the spirit containes two other actions The first is to beget good motions inclinations desires in the mind will affections Of this David speaketh Myreines teach me in the night season That is my mind affection and will and my whole soule being sanctified and guided by the spirit of God do minister unto me consideratiōs of the way in which I ought towalk Isaias prophecying of the Church of the new testament saith When a mā goeth to the right hand or to the left he shal he are a voice saying here is the way walke ye in it Which voice is not only the outward preaching of the ministers but also the inward voice of the spirit The second action of the spirit is to hinder
they can not discerne between good and euill nor tremble at Gods iudgements but rather fret and rage against them till God in his wrath either destroy them or cast them to finall despaire As it befell Iulian the Apostata who died blaspheming and casting his own blood into the aire Between the two extremes Repentance Impenitencie is placed counterfeit repentance For the wicked nature of man can dissemble counterfeit Gods grace As the Lord complains of the Iewes Her rebellious sister Iudah hath not returned vnto me with her whole heart but fainedly saith the Lord. Ierem. 3. 10. Counterfeit repentance is either Ceremoniall or Desperate Ceremonial when men repent in outward shew but not in the truth of heart As Saul Then said Saul to Samuel I haue sinned for I haue transgressed the commandements of the Lord thy words because I feared the people obeyed their voice Now therfore I pray thee take away my sin turn again with me that I may worship the Lord c. Again I haue sinned but honour me I pray thee before the elâ—ers of my people Of Ahab When Ahab heard these words â—e rent his clothes and put on sackcloath fasted went softly And the word of the Lord came to Elijah saying seest thou how Ahab is humbled before me Dissembled repentance may be discerned because men after a time returne to their old byas againe Pharao king of Egypt said unto Moses Aaron Pray unto the Lord that he may take away the frogges from me from my people And when Egipt was smitteÌ„ with haile he saide I have now sinned and the Lorde is righteous but I and my people are wicked pray ye unto the Lord that there be no more mighty thunders and baile Againe troubled with grashoppers he said I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you and now forgive me my sinne onely this once c. Now marke the issue of all when Pharao saw that he had rest given him he hardened his heart and harkened not unto them as the Lorde had said This is the ordinary common repentance that most men practise in the world Desperate repentance is when a man hauing only gods iudgements before his eyes is smitten with horrour of conscience wanting assurance of Gods mercy despaires finally This was Iudas Repentance who when he had brought again the 30. peeces of silver confessed his fault went and hanged himselfe CAP. XII Of corruptions in the doctrine of Repentance THe Church of Rome at this day hath corrupted the ancient doctrine of repentance being one of the speciall points of religion The corruptions are specially sixe The first that they make repentance or penance to be a sacrament which can not be because it wants an outward signe And though some say that the words which the priest rehearseth in absolution are the signe yet that can not be because the signe must be not only audible but also visible The second that a sinner hath in him a naturall disposition which being stirred-up by Gods preventing grace he may and can work togither with Gods spirit in his owne repentance But indeed all our repentance is to be ascribed to Gods grace wholly The soule of man is not weak but starke dead in sinne therefore it can no more prepare it selfe to repentance then the body being dead in the grave can dispose it self to the last resurrectioÌ„ The third corruption that contrition in repentance must be sufficient A thing impossible For sinne doth so greatly offend Gods maiesty that no man can ever mourne enough for it The fourth that contrition doth merit remission of sinne An opinion that doth derogate much from the all-sufficient merites of Christ. The fift that he that repents must confesse all the sinnes that he can remember with all their circumstances to his owne priest or one in his stead if he will receive pardon This kind of confession is a mere forgery of mans brain I. There is neither precept nor example of it in the Scriptures II. David and others haue repented and haue receiued remission of their sinnes without confessing of their sinnes in particular to any man The last that the sinner by his workes and sufferings must make satisfaction to God for the temporall punishment of his sinnes A flat blasphemie The scriptures mention no other satisfaction but Christs and if his be sufficient ours is needlesse if ours needful his imperfect Papists write that both may stand togither Christs satisfaction they say is as a plaister in a boxe unapplyed mans satisfaction as a meanes to apply it because it prepares us to receiue it Ah good divinity for euen in common sense the satisfaction of Christ must first be applyed to the person of man that it may please God before the workes which they terme satisfactions can any way be acceptable to God To conclude the Romish doctrine of repentance is the right way to hell For when a sinner shall be taught that he must haue sufficient sorow for his sinne and withall that he must not beleeue the remission of his owne sinnes particularly when sorow comes upon him and he wants sound comfort in Gods mercy he must needs fall into desperation without recovery Therfore the papists in the houre of death as we haue experience are glad to leaue the trumpery of humane satisfactions and to rest only for their iustification on the obedience of Christ. LAVS DEO THE COMBAT OF THE FLESH AND SPIRIT Gal. 5. 17. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh these are contrary one to another so that ye can not doe the things which ye would THe Apostle Paul from the beginning of this chapter to the 13. verse exhorts the Galatians to maintaine their christian liberty froÌ„ theÌ„ce to the end of the chapter he perswades theÌ„ to other speciall duties of godlines In the 13. verse he stirs them up to be serviceable one to another by loue in the 15. verse he disswades them froÌ„ contentions doing of iniuries In the 16. verse he shewes the remedy of the former sinnes which is to walk according to the spirit In this seventeenth verse he renders a reason of the remedie the force whereof is this The flesh and the spirit are contrary wherfore if ye walke according to the spirit it will hinder the flesh that it shall not carry you forward to do iniuries liue in contentions as otherwise it would In this verse we haue to obserue 5. points The first that there is a combat betwene the flesh the spirit in these words The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh The second is the maner of this combat which stands in the contrary lusting of the flesh and the spirit The third is the cause of the combat in these words and these are contrary The fourth is the subiect or person in
aud suppresse the bad motions and suggestions of the flesh S. Iohn saith he that is borne of God sinneth not because his seed remaineth in him that is grace wrought in the heart by the holy ghost which resisteth the rebellious desires of the flesh That the manner of this fight may more clearely appeare we must examine it more particularly In the soule of man there be two speciall parts the mind and the will In the mind there is a double combat The first is betweene knowledge of the word of God and naturall ignorance or blindnes For seeing we doe in this life knowe but in part therefore knowledge of the truth must needs be ioyned with ignorance in all that are inlightned one of these being contrary to an other they striue to ouershadow and ouercast ech other Hence we may learn the cause why excelleÌ„t divines do vary in divers points of religioÌ„ and it is because in this coÌ„bat naturall blindnes yet remaining prevailes more or lesse Men that are dim sighted cannot discerne without spectacles if they should be set to discry a thing a far off the most of them would be of divers opinions of it And men inlightened regenerate in this life do but see as in a glasse darkly Again this must teach all studeÌ„ts of divinity often to suspect themselues in their opinions and defences seeing in them that are of soundest iudgemeÌ„t the light of their understanding is mixed with darknes of ignoraÌ„ce And they can in many points see but as the man in the Gospell who when our Saviour Christ had in part opened his eyes saw men walking not as men but in the forme of trees Also this must teach all that read the scriptures to invocate cal upoÌ„ the name of God that he wold inlighten theÌ„ by his spirit abolish the mist of natural blindnes The prophet David was wor thily inlightned with the knowledge of Gods word so as he excelled the ancient and his owne teachers in wisdom yet being privy to himselfe touching his owne blindnes often prayeth in the Psalms Inlighten my eyes that I may vnderstand the wonders of thy law By reason of this fight when naturall blindnes prevailes the child of God truly inlightened with knowledge to life everlasting may erre not only in lighter points but euen in the very foundation of religion as the Corinthians the Galathians did And as one man may erre so an hundred men may also yea a whole particular Church and as one Church may erre so an 100. more may For in respect of this combat the estate and condition of all men is alike Whence it appeares that the Church militant upoÌ„ earth is subiect to error But yet as the diseases of the body be of two sorts some curable and some incurable which are to death so likewise errours are And the Church though it be subiect to sundry fals yet it can not erre in foundation to death the errours of Gods children be curable Some may here say If all men Churches be subiect to errour then it shall not be good to ioyne with any of them but to separate from them all I answer though they may and do erre yet we must not separate from them so long as they do not separate from Christ. The second combat in the mind is between faith unbeliefe For faith is imperfect and mixt with the contrary unbeliefe presuming doubting c. As the man in the Gospell saith Lord I beleeve help mine unbeliefe By reason of this fight when unbeliefe preuailes the very child of God may fal into fits pangs of dispaire as Iob David in their teÌ„ptations did For David once considering the prosperity of the wicked brake out into this speech Certenly I have clensed mine heart in vaine washed mine hands in innocencie yea this dispaire may be so extreme that it shal weakeÌ„ the body consume it more then any sicknes No man is to think this strange in the child of God For though he dispaire of his election saluation in Christ yet his desperatioÌ„ is neither total nor final It is not totall because he doth not dispaire with his whol heart faith euen at that instant lusting against dispaire It is not finall because he shall recouer before the last end of his life To proceed the combat in the will is this The will partly willeth and partly nilleth that which is good at the same instant so likewise it willeth nilleth that which is evill because it is partly regenerate partly unregenerate The affections likewise which are placed in the wil partly imbrace partly eschew their obiects as loue partly loueth and partly doth not loue God and things to be loued feare is mixed not pure as schoolemeÌ„ haue dremed but partly filiâ—l partly servil causing the child of God to staÌ„d in awe of god not only for his mercies but also for his iudgements punishments The will of a man regenerate is like him that hath one leg sound the other lame who in every step which he makes doth not wholly halt or wholly go upright but partly go upright partly halt Or like a man in a boate on the water who goeth upward because he is caried upward by the vessell at the same time goes downward because hee walkes downward in the same vessell at the same instant If any shall say that contraries caÌ„ not be in the same subiect The answer is that they caÌ„ not if one of them be in his full streÌ„gth in the highest degree but if the force of them both be delaied weakned they may be ioyned togither By reason of this coÌ„bat wheÌ„ corruption prevails against grace in the wil affectioÌ„s there ariseth in the godly a certain deadnes or hardnes of heart which is nothing els but a waÌ„t of sense or feeling Some may say that this is a fearfull iudgement but the answer is that there be 2. kinds of hardnes of heart one which possesseth the heart is never felt this is in them who haue their coÌ„sciences seared with an hot iron who by reason of custome in sin are past all feeling who likewise despise the meanes of softning their harts And indeed this is a fearful iudgement There is another hardnes of heart which is felt this is not so dangerous as the former for as we feele our sicknes by contrary life health so hardnes of hart when it is felt argues quicknes of grace softnes of hart Of this Dauid often coÌ„plained in the Psalmes of this the childreÌ„ of Israel speak when they say Why hast thou hardned our harts froÌ„ thy waies Thus much of the maner of the câ—mbate in particular before we proceed any further let us mark the issue of it which is this The spirit prevailes against the flesh at two times in the course of a mans life and at his end but yet with some