CHAP. I. What Repentance is.
REpentance is a worke of grace, arising of a godly sorrow: whereby a man turnes from all his sinnes vnto God, and brings forth fruits worthie amendment of life.
I call Repentance a worke: because it seemes not to be a qualitie, or vertue, or habit: but an action of a repentant sinner. Which appeares by the sermons of the Prophets and Apostles, which runne in this tenour, Repent, turne to God, amend your liues, &c. Whereby they intimate, that Re∣pentance is a worke to be done.
Againe, Repentance is not euery kind of worke, but a worke of grace; be∣cause it can not be practised of any, but of such as be in the estate of grace. Reasons are these. I. No man can repent, vnlesse he first hate sinne, and loue righteousnes; and none can hate sinne, vnlesse he be sanctified; and he that is sanctified is iustified: and he that is iustified must needes haue that faith which vnites him to Christ, and makes him bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. Wherefore he that repents is iustified and sanctified, and made a member of Christ by faith. II. He that turnes to God, must first of all be turned of God: and after that we are turned, then we repent.*Surely after I was conuerted I re∣pented: and after that I was instructed I smote vpon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, e∣uen confounded, because I did beare the reproch of my youth.
Some may obiect, that repentance goes before all grace, because it is first preached. The first sermon that euer was made, was of repentance, preached by God himselfe in Paradise to our first parents. And euer since the sermons of all the Prophets and Apostles, and of all faithfull ministers haue had re∣pentance for their beginning and scope. The answer hereto may be this: If we respect the order of nature, there be other graces of God which goe before repentance: because a mans conscience must in some sort be setled touching his reconciliation with God in Christ, before he can begin to repent. Where∣fore iustification and sanctification in order of nature goe before repentance. But if we respect time, grace and repentance are both together. So soone as there is fire, so soone it is hote: and so soone as a man is regenerate, so soone he repents. If we respect the outward manifestation of these twaine, repentance goes before all other graces: because it first of all appeares outwardly. Rege∣neration is like the sappe of the tree that lies hid within the barke: repentance is like the budde that speedily shewes it selfe, before either blossome, leafe, or fruit appeare: yea, all other graces of the heart which are needfull to saluation, are made manifest by repentance. And for this cause Repentance (as I take it) is first preached.
I adde further, that repentance riseth of a godly sorrow in the heart, as Paul teacheth.*Godly sorrow causeth repentance vnto saluation neuer to be repented of. It is called a godly sorrow, or a sorrow according to God, that it may be di∣stinguished from worldly sorrow: which is a griefe arising of the apprehensi∣on of the wrath of God and other miseries; as feare of men, losse of good Page 739 name, calamities in goods and other things, which in this life follow as punish∣ments of sinne: whereas the godly sorrow causeth griefe for sinne, because it is sinne. And it makes any man, in whome it is, to be of this disposition & minde, that if there were no conscience to accuse, no diuell to terrifie, no iudge to ar∣raigne & condemne, no hel to torment, yet he would be humbled & brought on his knees for his sinnes, because he hath offended a louing, mercifull, and long suffering God.
Further I say, that repentance stands in turning againe to God. Man at the first was made a goodly creature in the image of God, hauing fellowship with him, whereby he dwelt in God, and God in him. By sinne there is a partition made betweene God and man:* who is alienated and estranged from God, and is become the childe of wrath, a firebrand of hell, the prodigall child going from his father into a farre countrey, the straying, nay the lost sheepe. Now when men haue grace to repent, then they begin to renew this fellowship, and turne againe to God. And the very essence or nature of repentance consists in this turning. Which Paul doth seeme to intimate, when he saith,*That he shew∣ed both to Iew and Gentile, that they should repent and turne to God, and do works worthie amendment of life. In which words he sets downe vnto vs a ful descrip∣tion of repentance.
Againe I say, that repentance is a turning from sinne, because it doth not a∣bolish or change the substance of bodie or soule, or any of the faculties therof either in whole or part: but onely rectifie and amend them by remoouing the corruption. It turnes the sadnesse of melancholy to godly sorrow, choller to good zeale, softnesse of nature to meekenes of spirit, madnesse and lightn•sse to Christian mirth: it reformes euery man according to his naturall constitu∣tion, not abolishing it, but redressing the fault of it.
Further I put downe, that repentance is a turning from all sinne to God, that I may exclude many false turnings. The first, when a man turnes from God to sinne: as when one of a Protestant becomes a Papist, an Arrian a ••∣milist. The second, when a man turnes from one sinne to an other. As when the riotous person leaues his prodigalitie, and giues himselfe to the practise of couetousnes: this can be no repentāce: because it is a going from one extreame to an other, whereas repentance is to leaue the extreames & keepe the meane. The third is, not when a man turnes from sinne, but sinne turnes from him and leaues him. As when the drunkard leaues drunkennesse, because his sto∣macke is decaied: the fornicatour his vncleannes, because the strength of na∣ture failes him: the quarreller his fighting, because he is maymed on legge or arme. The last is, when men turne from many sinnes, but will not turne from all. As Herod did many things at the aduertisement of Iohn Baptist, but could not be brought to leaue incest, in hauing his brother Philips wife; This repentance is nothing. For as he which is truly regenerate, is wholly in bodie, soule, and spirit regenerate: so he which truly repents, turnes from all sinne, and turnes wholly to God.
Neither is this to trouble any, that they can not know all their sinnes: for sound repentance for one speciall sinne, brings with it repentance of all sinne. And as God requires particular repentance for knowne sinnes, so he accepts Page 740 a generall repentance for such as be vnknowne.
To proceede further, the conuersion of a sinner in repentance, hath three parts. The first, a purpose and resolution in the mind: the second, an inclinati∣on in the will and affections: the third, an indeauour in life and conuersation, to abandon and leaue all his former sinnes, and to imploy himselfe in obedi∣ence to Gods commandements.
Lastly, this repentance must bring forth fruits worthie amendment of life: because it cannot be knowne to be sincere, vnlesse it bring forth fruit. Repen∣tant sinners are trees of righteousnes of Gods owne planting:* and they grow by the waters that flow out of the sanctuarie, and therefore they must beare fruit that may serue for meate, & leafe for medicine:* otherwise the axe of Gods iudg∣ment is laid to their rootes to stocke them vp.
