Two treatises concerning regeneration, 1. Of repentance, 2. Of the diet of the soule shewing the one, how it ought to be sought after and may be attained vnto, the other, how it being gotten, is to be preserued and continued.

CHAP. 1.

Sect. 1.

THe first thing to be done in Repentance is this, that the carnall man la∣bour to haue the true knowledge of his owne estate, the which (as it is in all other things) neither could be conti∣nued, if it were good, nor can bee amen∣ded, being now amisse, vnlesse it be fully and throughly knowne. And therefore we must endeuour in the first place to bring this our Nicodemus to know himselfe, to wit, how he standeth in respect of God and his fauour, whereon his good estate doth

wholy depend. For as the good estate of a subiect or seruant consisteth in this, that he liuing in the fauour and good liking of his king, or maister, procured by his loial obe∣dience & faithful seruice, is free frō al euils and iniuries, and enioieth all things either needfull, or pleasant: so the state of man be∣ing pure from sin, is good & happie: other∣wise, if by sinning, & rebelling against god, he incur his displeasure, most wretched & miserable. But what? doth not man knowe himself? how cā we suppose y^t he who know¦eth all things, is ignorant of his own estate, especially seeing this knowledge is most proper and pertinent vnto him, For, none knoweth the things of man, but the spirit of man which is in him. Surely, as the eye of the bodie, although it beholde all other things, yet it can not see eyther it selfe, or some other partes of the bodie, euen those which are nearest vnto it: so it fa∣reth with the mynde of man, the eye of the soule, it raungeth ouer the whole worlde, aboue the highest heauens, and beneath the bottome of the earth, and yet it is a straunger at home, most igno∣raunt of the owne estate, as the manifold doubts, cōtrouersies, and cōtentions, which haue from time to time troubled the heads,

schooles, and bookes, not onely of Phi∣losophers, but also of learned Diuines, about the originall creation, substaunce, infusion, infection or corruption, and se∣paration of the soule, do plainely testifie. Yea, in the soule of man, nothing is so vn∣knowne to man himself, as that which both of it selfe, and to all others is most appa∣rant, and conspicuous, as are the spots in a mans face, to wit, the wants, infirmities, and enormities of it. This cōmeth to passe; by reason of that self loue▪ engrauen by na∣ture in man, and in all other things, by the which it cōmeth to passe, that as he is better affected towards himselfe, thē to any other thing: so, (the iudgement following affec∣tion) he thinketh better of himself then he ought to do, being vnwilling to heare, and vnable to conceaue anie thing, tending to the disgrace of himselfe, especially of his soule, wherein his excellencie dooth con∣sist. And therefore, as Philosophers, know∣ing that men are altogither ignorāt of their owne faults and vices, set this precept& Nosce seipsum, in the beginning of their morall institutions: so the first lesson, which a diuine is to teach, and a Christian to learn is this, know, and acknowledge the sinful∣nesse of thy soule, wherof, of thy selfe thou

art altogither ignorant. And surely so it is: for although the soule of man bee so wholy infected with the leprosie of sinne, that there is no cleane part or piece from the top to the toe of it, yet it seemeth to it selfe most pure, beautifull and glorious, as by the receiued opinions of perfect inherēt righteousnesse, iustification by works, me∣rit, of pure naturals & free will, doth plain∣ly appeare. Reuel. 3.17. Thou sayest I am rich, and am enriched, (the one by nature, the other by freewil and industry) and haue need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, miserable, poore, blinde and naked. These are the opinions, & conceits which al mē haue of themselues, thinking far better of thēselues in euery respect thē they shuld do: yea, the errors before named, as they are natural to man, so they haue place cōmonly in most, if not generally in all carnall men, who, howsoeuer perhaps for cōpany and fa∣shions sake they make profession of the cō∣trary truth, yet in their minds they hold the puritie of mans nature, thinking it no more corrupt, then it was created by god, & then it was in Adam, during the time of his inno∣cēcie: yea, that it is impossible to shew how possibly, either his nature shuld be corrup∣ted, or his corruption deriued to his poste∣ritie.

Yea, thinking it to be the most ex∣cellent nature, or little inferior or different frō it: wherof it commeth that they do so v∣sually resemble the diuine nature vnto it: honoring, fearing, worshipping, trusting & inuocating it as god, yea, ascribing to it what soeuer is glorious in god, making saints of sinful men, & gods of saints, wheras in truth it is not only not most excellent, but euen very base and meane: not onely corrupt in sinfulnesse, but euen filthy and loathsome, not weake or sick, but dead and rotten, not happy, but of all natures (if wee except the the diuel & his angels) the most wretched & wofull. Likewise for outward actiō, he thin∣keth y^t those works which haue any shewe of goodnes, although they be neuer so im∣perfit, corrupt and hipocriticall, are merito∣rious before god, yea, to be a sufficiēt price of eternal saluation, both for himself, & al∣so for others. For meane & ordinary sins, he thinketh them venial, & light offences, not to be accounted, or auoided: his good mea∣ning is as good as perfit holinesse, his owne righteousnes perfite and absolute: yea, this blindnes and ignorance of their own estate appeareth, euen in the natural gifts of men, who vsually iudge themselues of all other the wittiest, most wise, and most worthy of

honour, although there bee no such cause: yea, althogh they be most simple, & vnlear∣ned, yet they are as stifly addicted to their owne opinions and fashions, as they who haue the surest ground for their actions, & course of life. In these & other like respects, our naturall blindnesse is to be considered, and so to be applied to our spiritual estates, in respect whereof, this blindnesse is grea∣test and most hurtful.

Sect. 2,

BVt how shall wee bring the naturall man to see his owne sinfulnes? Surely, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 by setting before his eyes the glasse of the morall law, wherein if he will open his eies (for of himself by nature he hath some knowledge of good and euill remaining in his minde) he may see himself to be a most vgly and filthy leaper, defiled in nature, soule and bodie, in minde, will and affec∣tions, in worde, deed, and in all his actions, with all maner of sin. The which exercise of comparing the puritie of the law of god, to wit, the obedience commanded in it, with the sinfulnesse of their owne soules, and the sins of their liues, we do earnestly cōmend vnto all those who desire to walke

aright in this way of repentance, leading to regeneration, and saluation. And not only to consider the bare wordes of the tenne commandemēts, the whch being of set pur∣pose made short & cōpendious, for memo∣ries sake, do onely mention the principall duties, & forbid grosse and capital sins: but also to learne the meaning of them, by rea∣ding, marking, and remembring those ma∣nifolde expositions which are made of the sayde commaundements, both by Christ himselfe, the head doctour of the Church. Matth. 6. and also by his Ministers, in their wrytings, according to the measure of grace receaued from him. In the which thou (who soeuer thou art, that takest in hande this happie worke of Repen∣tance) shalt see the greate varietie and multitude of thy sinnes, thy originall sinne (which is the totall corruption of thy na∣ture, prone to all euill, and abhorring from all goodnesse) and thy actuall sinnes, thy inwarde sinnes, to witte, the wicked, vn∣iust, and filthy motions of thy minde, will, and affections: and thy outwarde sinnes, to wit, thy vaine, foolish, and filthy talke, thy lewde behauiour, dishonourable to God, and iniurious to thy brethren, thy sinnes of ignorance, and thy wilfull and

rebellious sins committed with a high hand and obstinate purpose, and a shamelesse face against God and man. The sins of thy youth, and the sins of thy ripe age, thy smal sinnes (although the least may be counted great, in that it bringeth vvith it the endles wrath of God) and thy hainous and horri∣ble sins, as are atheisme, idolatrie, periurie▪ murther, incest, and adulterie: all these and many other sorts of sins, thou shalt find in euery one of the ten cōmaundemts, and in euery part of thy bodie & soule, if it please thee to take the paines (for it wil be a pain∣full and greeuous peece of worke, painfull indeede for the present, but ioyfull in the ende) to ransacke the secret corners of thy sinfull soule, and to search euen to the bot∣tome the festered sores thereof: yea, to lay open before God and thy owne con∣science the story, chronicle, & day booke of thy life past, by calling to minde the course of life which thou hast followed, and to examine it without flattery or par∣tialitie, by the straight line of the law and word of God. In the which examina∣tion there must great care be had, that we bee not blinded by any meanes, and so made corrupt iudges, as namely by an o∣pinion and conceit of our own good parts,

of nature, our vertues gotten by good edu∣cation and industrie, our good works which we haue done to God, and to our brethe∣ren, how many waies, and with how great charges we haue maintained learning, set forward religion, serued God, and releeued the poore. These conceits, if they runne in our heades, they will blinde our eyes, and so ouershadow all our sinnes, that wee shal iudge and pronounce our selues not sinfull, but holy, iust, and innocent. And then especially this commeth to passe, when as we compare our selues with those who are more sinfull, and in some respect notori∣ously wicked: then the opinion of our owne holinesse, which before was doubt∣full, is put out of all controuersie, and wee not onely exempted from the ranke and state of sinfull men, but euen canonized Saints in our owne conceits. This delusion of the diuell and vanitie of our mindes, we haue notably painted out vnto vs in the ex∣ample of the Pharisee Luke. 18.11. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus: O God I thanke thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, vniust, adulterers, or as this Pub∣lican. There is the second delusion, nowe followeth the first, of good works: I faste twise in the weeke, I giue tithe of all that I pos∣sesse.

But this mischieuous errour, by the which many mens repentance is nipt in the head & broken off in the beginning, must be remoued, by knowing and considering, that other mens sins will condemne them∣selues, but cannot iustifie vs, that in sinful∣nes we are as far & further beyond others, then we are short of them, and that our good deeds though neuer so many & glo∣rious, comming from the corrupt fountain of an irrepentant and vnbeleeuing heart, are accounted sinnes before God, as the scripture teacheth vs, Rom. 14.23. yea, as defiled and filthie clouts, loathsome and abhominable in his sight. And further, that they comming (as our owne consciences knowfull well, and as others haue suffici∣ent ground to suspect) not from any man∣ner of loue, either to God or man, but from selfe-loue, pride, and vaine glorie, we intending & desiring nothing but onely to purchase vnto our selues credit & cōmen∣dation in the world, deserue not to be com∣mended, but to be abhorred euen of men.

This fight of sin consisteth in knowing two things. First our selues to be so sinfull as we are indeed, secōdly, that in regard of our sin we are vnrighteous in the sight of God. Mans sinfulnes is this, that wheras he

ought by the lawe of God to be holy and pure in nature, soule and bodie, hee is in all these respects wholly corrupted & defiled with sin. His natural sinfulnes consisteth in this, that he is of himself by nature, without any outward tentation, allurement, or per∣swasion, inclined to euill, & altogether vn∣able to do good. The inward sinfulnesse of the soule is, in that all the secret motions of it, which should be onely toward God, and the doing of that which is agreeable to his law, are altogether from Godward, and toward sin and disobedience. These (how∣soeuer some thinke & teach them to be no sins) yet God doth account otherwise of them, & so must this our repentant do. For why? as god is a spirit, so he wil be worship∣ped and serued not onely outwardly in bo∣dily actions, but also inwardly in the spirit and soule: and abhorreth the secret filthi∣nesse of the soule, as much as the outward and apparant filthinesse of the bodie, the one being as apparant & manifest to him as the other. Thus we must esteem the cor∣rupt thoughts, lusts and concupiscences of the soule as sins, that so we may see & ac∣knowledge the multitude of our sins to be greater thē the haires of our heades. And lastly, for our outward actions, y^t we be not deceiued w^t any opinion of our good works

the perfitnesse, number, excellencie, and merite of them, but rather thinke & know that as sauory water cannot come from a stinking puddle, or sweete fruit from a sow∣er roote, no more can any one good worke come from an vnregenerate man, from a corrupt and sinfull soule, who although he giue his bodie to the fire for the profes∣sion and maintenance of the truth, and all his goods to the poore, in a tender compas∣sion of their miserie, yet hee being desti∣tute of faith, loue, & the rest of the parts of regeneration, dooth not by these workes please God, or fulfill his lawe. For that, where they are fewe and seldome perfor∣med, they should bee continuall, where they should be done onely for Gods glo∣ry, they are done onely in vaine glory, and in desire of the applause of men, or which is worse, in a presumpteous opinion of me∣riting saluation at the hands of God, if not in hypocrisie or in some euill and wicked intent. How much lesse then can we think that our vnlawfull actions forbidden and condemned by the law and word of God, are any way veniall or iustifiable. The o∣ther part of the sight of sinne, is to know, that by it we are made vniust and vnrigh∣teous, not onely by a sinfull and wicked

life, but euen by one sinfull action: not onely by great and grieuous crimes, but e∣uen by the least offences which wee com∣mit: not onely by outward sinful actions, but euen by the most secret motions of our corrupt minde and will: not onely by these actuall sinnes, but euen by our natu∣rall inclination and pronenesse to sinne, which the yongest infant hath, and brin∣geth out of his mothers wombe. For hee that breaketh any one of the commande∣ments by any meanes, breaketh the whole law, and is as guiltie of sin, as he who brea∣keth all the commandements. So that, to cōclude this point, this our Nicodemus, de∣siring to repent, and so to be sanctified and saued, must in the first place learne vvhat sinne is, how many kinds, differences, and degrees are of it, yea, all the doctrine be∣longing to this head, and secondly so ap∣plie it to himselfe and his owne estate, as that hee make it as a glasse wherein to see and know himselfe to be sinfull.

Sect. 3.

Thus wee hauing brought this repen∣tant to the sight of his sin, which is the first part of the knowledge of his estate, we are in the next place to bring him to the sense

of sinne, which is the second part of it. By the sense of sinne, wee meane the know∣ledge of that punishment, which is due vnto him for his sin: For most men make so little account of sinne, that although they know in their owne consciences, and will not sticke to confesse to others, them∣selues to be both sinfull by nature, and sinners in the whole course of their liues: yet their sinnes are not a heauie burden or a clog vnto their consciences, not as sharpe pricks wounding and galling their hearts, but as small and light matters wherof they haue no sense or feeling: they thinke that as they themselues, so also God himselfe maketh small reckoning of it, and though he haue commanded men to liue in obedi∣ence to his law, and to abstaine from com∣mitting of sin, yet he is not by the commit∣ting of it prouoked to anger, or to inflict any punishment vppon the offendant, as plainely appeareth by that great patience which he vseth towards men, who although generally they go on in al maner of disobe∣dience and wilful breaking of his comman∣dements, adding one greeuous sinne to an∣other, and open contempt of him, & of hi•• word to al, yet they escape vnpunished, & liue as merily in the worlde as the holiest

man doth, who dare not suffer an euill thought to enter into his minde. Thus (that we may answere this prophane and pernitious error with the words of the apo∣stle, Rom. 2.2) men contemne & abuse the patience and long suffring of God & are by it kept back frō repentance, the which they should know and think to lead them to repentance, in that God doth not con∣found them in their sins, as he might iustly do, but suffering them to liue, giueth time of repenting: yet they, according to the obstinacie and hardnesse of their hearts, which cannot, or rather which will not re∣p••nt heape vp to themselues wrath a∣gaynst the day of wrath, and the de∣claration of the iust iudgement of God. Thus God speaketh to the wicked person, Psa. 50.21. These sins thou hast committed, & I haue held my peace, that is: I did not punish thee as thy sins did deserue, wherupon thou thoughtest that I was like vnto thee, that is, that I liked and approued sinne, and was as little offended with it as thou thy selfe: But I will reprooue and punish thee for thy sinne, & so I will take this error out of thy mind. For so we are to interpret this patience of GOD, esteeming impunitie to bee the greatest punishment of all other, and

that as the water is deepest, where it is the stillest: so where God is most silent in threatning, and patient in sparing, there he is most inflamed with anger, and purpose of reuenge: and lastly, that the fewer iudg∣ments are poured foorth vpon the wicked in this life, the mo are reserued in store for them in the life to come. And yet the anger of God, and the punishments of sin, are not so deferred to the world to come, but that they are euen in this life felt of the wicked, and may be acknowledged by all men. For beside spirituall plagues, as blindnesse of mind, hardnesse of heart, im∣penitencie, the adding of one heinous sinne vnto another, a reprobate sense, and a des∣perat outrage in sin (the which howsoeuer they be lightly esteemed of, yea, not at all perceiued by carnall eies, yet they are of all others most fearefull, and grieuous) the cur∣ses of God do euidently fal & seaze vpō the bodies, goods, vpon the wiues, children, and friends, vpon the name, memorie, and po∣steritie of wicked and vngodly men, as they are at large rehearsed, and most fearefully threatened, Deuter. 28. He shall be curs••d in the towne, and in the field, in his basket, and in his dough, in the fruit both of his bodie, and of his land, in his kine, and in his fl••cks of sheep,

in his going out, and in his comming in. And, (for breuitie sake, referring the reader to the place it selfe) the heauie hand of God shall be vppon all his actions, endeuours, and enterprises, vpon all things whatsoe∣uer do any way belong vnto him: yea, al the creatures both small and great, weake and strong, good and euill, in heauen and on the earth, shall bande themselues togi∣ther in huge armies against him for his confusion, as executioners of the wrath of God due vnto him for his sinne. Yea, whilest they are deferred, the expectatiō of them is more fearefull (if more may be) then the suffering of them is greeuous, and if (the conscience being seared and benum∣med) there bee no feare, that state is of all other desperate and fearefull.

This part of repentance (as also all the rest) is vsually wanting in carnall men, who passe on their daye in mirth, pleasure, and securitie, and so blessing themselues in their prosperous estate, put farre from themselues the euill day: yet sometimes it may be found in them, vppon occasion ei∣ther of some hainous sinne committed, or some great crosse or miserie sustained. For the first, lesse sinnes do not trouble mens consciences, or worke in them these ago∣nies

of horror and desperation: for men see∣ing them to be cōmitted daily, both by thē selues, and also by others, without anie punishment, make no reckoning of them. But as for hainous and extraordinarie sins, as murther, incest, adulterie, oppression, and such others, which all men condemne, and fewe commit, these are not so easely swalowed ouer, but do often leaue behinde them a pricke in the conscience, and feare of punishment. But especially this com∣meth to passe, when as togither with anie such sin, some outward misery doth concur, the which will easely put a man in mind of his sinne, and in feare of further punish∣ment: hereof it commeth that this sense of Gods wrath due to sinne, is oftnest seene in the tyme of some daungerous sickenesse threatning death, in the which manie are brought to see and acknowledge, both their sinne, and the desert of it, who as long as they enioyed their health, liued in sense∣lesse securitie, and Atheisme. This vse wee are to make of all those miseries and euilles which befall vs, gathering by the smart of them, what the anger of God due vnto sinne is, which bringeth with it, not that onely, but all other plagues and torments. And ghessing by that

sorrow, and those euils and iniuries, which wee sustaine at the handes of men, howe fearefull a thing it is to fall into the hands of God, and by that paine of bodie, and griefe of minde, wherewith wee are afflic∣ted for a short time, what it is to liue for euer in paine and griefe.

Sect. 4.

THe last thing, which this repentant is to learne, and knowe, as touching his owne estate, is this, howe vnable hee is of himselfe, or by any meanes which hee can vse, to free himselfe, eyther from his sinne, or from the anger of GOD due vnto it For there is no condition so mi∣serable, but that the hope of amending it (if there bee anie) will asswage the paine and griefe of it. But in this case, there is no hope, and therefore no comfort left to man, to whom it is altogither impos∣sible, if hee respect himselfe, or any thing that any creature can do in his behalfe, ey∣ther to shake off his naturall sinfulnesse, or to escape the punishment of eternall death belonging vnto it. For the former of these two, a carnall man may foster in his minde what conceytes hee will of his

owne excellencie and naturall strength, supposing himselfe to bee, although per∣haps for the present, both outwardly wic∣ked, and inwardly sinfull, outwardly fil∣thy, and inwardly vncleane, yet able at his own pleasure to purge himself both frō the naturall corruption and from the outward act of sin: but the truth of Gods word tea∣cheth the contrarie, to wit, that sin being by the fall of Adam made naturall to man, cleaueth vnto him as vnseparably, as the skin doth to his body, and as the spots to the skin of the leopard, which hauing their ori∣ginall in the bones, marrow and most secret parts, cannot by any force or deuise be gotten out. He may indeede by his na∣turall strength represse the rage of it: hee may prune and loppe it, cutting off the su∣perfluous boughes and branches of it, yet the roote, yea, the whole bodie of it will re∣maine vnmoueable in the secret parts of his soule, & send forth plentifull fruit in all the parts and members of his bodie at one time or other, as occasion is offered, as hath beene declared more at large else where. Likewise, for the punishment due vnto sinne, that can no way bee auoyded, not by hiding our selues in some secret place from God, for whether shall wee go

from his presence who is euery where? hee is in heauen, and in hel, in the towne, and in the desart, he seeth as well at midnight, as at noon day. Psa. 139. If we say to the hu∣gest mountains, fal vpon vs, and couer vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne, & from the wrath of the Lambe. Reue. 6.16. yet the eyes and hands of God will pierce tho∣row the highest hils and the hardest rocks, for they laide the foundations of them. But we hope perhaps to escape punishmēt, yea, though we cannot eschew his presence, & that by meanes of the great mercy and in∣dulgencie of God, who delighteth not in the misery, anguish, and confusion of men, but in their saluation and happie estate, and therefore will no doubt bee easely entreated by the humble sute and pittifull mone of men, to pardon their sinnes, and if not to bestowe vppon them the crowne of eternall glorie, they hauing not deser∣ued it, yet to remitte the punishment due vnto their sinnes. Thus doo many men imagine of God, and thus they imagin him not to bee God, who as hee is mercifull, so also he is iust: yea, hee is as iust as hee is mercifull, being in both respectes infi∣nite, and therefore equall. And there∣fore it is no lesse impossible that GGD

should remitte the punishment due vnto sinne, then that he should do that which is contrarie to his owne nature. If it be here asked, how then doth God shew mercie on the elect: we answer, that he doth it not by remitting the punishment of their sin, but by taking it vpon himselfe, euen by puni∣shing their sin in his owne person: and ther∣fore there is no hope of impunitie left for the carnall man, but a fearfull expectation of wrath, the which although perhaps it bee in part deferred for a time, yet assured∣ly the day of iudgement, and of vengeance will come at length. Thus we haue brought this vnregenerate man to the sight or true knowledge of himselfe, and of his owne estate, to wit, the knowledge first of his sinfulnesse: secondly, of the punishment due vnto his sinne: and thirdly, of his im∣potencie, or inabilitie, of mending this his euill estate. This is the first part of Re∣pentance, and may fitly bee called by the name of the whole, to wit, Repenting, fore∣thinking, or rather after thinking, and an after minde. For, in steade of that fonde conceate, which he had of his owne puri∣tie, righteousnesse, and happinesse, he now seeth himselfe to be sinfull, guiltie of eter∣nall death, and subiect to all maner of pla∣gues,

miseries, and curses, both in this life, and for euer in the life to come. So that now he is in the same case with the Iewes, Act. 2.37. who being pricked in their consci∣ences by a sight & sense of sin: asked Peter what they should doo: the answere follo∣weth in the next verse, Amende your lyues, and be baptized for the remission of sinne, and ye shall receaue the holy Ghost.