The miscellanie, or, A registrie, and methodicall directorie of orizons Exhibiting a presentment of the soules requestes in the high court of the heauenly parliament: prefaced with meditations of a three-fold distinct nature, preparatiuely instructing the Christian soule ...

A Meditation of Peni∣tencie for the addressing, and Prepa∣ring our mindes vnto a true, godly sorrow for our sinnes.

To depart from euill is a thankefull thing to the Lord. And to forsake vnrighteousnesse is a reconciling to him.

COnsider then, that it is most needfull to bee truely sorrowfull for thy sinnes vnto amendement, be∣fore thou crauest pardon and for∣giuenesse of the same, as witnesseth Peter.

Amend your liues, and turne, that your sinnes may be put away, &c.

As a Bourd or Plancke of a Ship dashed in pieces, is vnto a man in that perilous time of shipwracke distressed; so to a sinner seeking to bee relieued and refreshed out of the feare of danger for his sinnes, is a godly Repentance, and contrition of the broken heart, and hum∣bled soule, feeling inwardly the heauie iudgement of God, and crying outwardly, as it were, from the depth of his sor∣row to God, for mercy, and grace: for mercie against dispaire; and for grace, vnto amendement and newnesse of life. And so doeth Turtullian account Repentance, to bee a happie and fortunate Plancke after Shipwracke: for this, wil hold vs vp, as it were by the Chinne, that we sincke not, though see∣ming to be plunged, ouer the Eares in the floods of our sinnes, and so at the length, after some conflicts and struggling, for recouery, bring vs euen to the Hauen of God his clemencie, and goodnes, assisted thither by his onely mercie and fauour, because he wil not that we perish in our sinnes.

Know therefore, and let it bee thine earnest Meditation, that till thou art chastised of the Lord, thou art no better then an vntamed calfe, disobedient and vnruly in all thy workes, stubburne and wilfull not to be subiected vnto the yoake of Christ▪ though it be light and easie, and all this while, thou canst not repent, because thou art not conuer∣ted: much lesse, as yet smite vpon thy Thigh, because thou hast not bin instructed, to detest thy sinnes, and to forsake them. For thou canst not of thy selfe take vnto thee, the least thought of Repentance, much lesse worke in thy soule the habite thereof; for it is a worke of the mighty and merci∣full hand of God, As witnesseth Ieremie, saying, Turne thou vs vnto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned. Therefore in vs there is no power at all, to turne vnto God, wee must im∣plore and craue, by heartie, earnest, and constant prayers, God his speciall and o••ely powrefull aide herein.

It is a worthy saying of S. Augustine.

We beleeue none to attaine vnto saluation, but God first inuiting and calling h••m thereto: None being so called, to worke his saluation, but God also ayding and asisting him in the sayd worke, and yet, none to deserue to haue God his helpe therein, but himselfe crauing it most f••ruently, by hear∣tie faithfull Prayers.

Pray therefore for it, according to that measure of faith, which God hath giuen thee; it shall suffice to procure that it be powred vpon thee, as it were from that Throane of his grace most aboundantly in a fitting measure, though vn∣deseruedly without thy merite.

Say with Dauid, Teach mee to doe thy will, for thou art my GOD. Let thy good Spirit leade mee vnto the Land of Righteousnesse.

And bee well assured, that God will be ready to heare thee, and helpe thee, to teach thee, and to leade thee, whosoeuer desirest the same in the Spirit, by faith, for his mercy is aboue his workes.

Manifested in these three Parables of Christ. Of the

Lost sheepe, and recouered Of the Groat lost and found. Of the Prodigall sonne, voluntarily and wilfully offending, and yet by acknowledging Gods free mercie, receiued into fauour againe, and restored into his former state of blisse, yea, made most happie, being now called to Repentance, vpon his confession vnto God, that he had Sinned against Heauen, and was no more worthy to be called his sonne.

The summe is as you see, yet let vs not rest so, but for our better instruction, aswell to stirre and incite our mindes to hope wel of Gods mercies, as also to confirme our consciences therein through a true acknowledge∣ment of our sinnes; let vs insist in the obseruation of the particulars of this worthy example, for the laying it fourth in the circumstances, giueth a more cleare sight to our vnderstanding for vse in the application very necessarie.

It is said of the prodigall sonne, that he came to himselfe. This argueth, that he began then to haue an inward fee∣ling of his miserable state, vnto a godly sorrow and pur∣pose for a true repentance: hereupon was inferred pre∣sently an acknowledgement and confession of his sins. For he rose and came to his father.

In this was his hope of pardon manifested: hee came to his Father, to the end hee might obtaine Remission and forgiuenesse of his former sinnes, and hee was not deceiued in his hope, for his father saw him a great way off, and had Compassion, heere was mercy and louing kindnesse, euen that whereof Dauid speaketh, that a Fa∣ther hath on his children, yea, hee ranne, and fill on his necke and kissed him. Heere was shewed a readinesse, and most ioyfull willingnesse, to forget, and forgiue his sonnes former wickednesse and sinnes, and wholy to take him into his blisfull fauour for euer, For whom God loueth, he loueth to the end.

Now when this Prodigall sonne was come to his fa∣ther,

Hee said, I haue sinned against heauen, (viz. Against the seate of thy Maiestie, where thou dwellest) and before thee (from whose eyes it was impossible to hide my na∣kednesse) and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne.

A most liuely confession of an humble penitent sinner▪ acknowledging his owne miserie, dispoiled of Gods fa∣uour, and crauing his pardon to bee receiued into •••• againe. Therefore the futher commandeth his seruants to bring foorth the best Robe, and to put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feete, and to kill the fat calfe, and said, Let vs eate, and be merry.

Well, and truely agreeable to this, spake Ioel, that God is gentle, and mercifull, patient, and of much mercy, and such a One, as is sory for our afflictions So much testified also by Christ, out of his owne mouth, Who came to saue that which was lost It is not the will of your father which is in heauen, that one of these little ones should perish. Well may •••• chide, and shew his iudgement for a while, euen for the disciplining vs in the Schoole of faith, to our amende∣ment: yet vpon our true repentance and humble sub∣mission, which is our vnfained turning vnto him, he al∣so presently without delay, yea before we doe craue his fauour, turneth to vs, and embraceth, and receiueth vs into his mercy. So saith Dauid, Hee will not alwayes chide, Neither keepeth he his anger for euer argued by the verse fol∣lowing; Hee hath not dealt with vs after our sinnes, nor rewar∣ded vs according to our iniquities.

To come to the application of this Parable, it may be obserued in the person of this Prodigall sonne: First, that the state of all wilfull sinners is very miserable, yet not remedilesse, as desperate and without all hope of re∣couerie and helpe: For by repentance through Faith, God the onely recouerer of their state, is reconciled vn∣to them, and in that reconciliation, is contained their most happy blisse for euer, and this is the second point

here to be obserued.

As concerning the first, Willfull sinners, &c, voluntari∣ly falling from God, and casting behind him his graces, are causes of God his iudgements against themselues, which must needes bring vpon them distressed miserie, and wofull calamitie, neuer ceasing to afflict them, till thereby being humbled to an inward feeling of their wretchednesse occasioned by their sinnes (iustly deser∣uing the same) they enter into some true account of their life wickedly passed, and by examining it, finde the pu∣nishment to be iustly layd vpon them for their sins, yea, & were it infinitly great, yet to be proportioned to them in weight, and measure, which exceed both the sands of the sea, and the starres of heauen. And now being thus deiected throughly with an inward feeling of their sins, into a sanctified and blessed sorrowe, prostrate them∣selues before Gods throne of grace, acknowledging out of contrite and broken hearts, that they haue offen∣ded most grieuously, and are worthily punished, cra∣uing instantly pardon at Gods hand, as most humbly submitting themselues to his mercie, which is farre a∣boue all his workes.

Of this, the whole world may exemplifie to vs, in∣finite specialties, for it is full of manifest, and euident signes of his mercies, which the faithfull his children feele, whose sinnes he hath remoued; for then he healeth all their infirmities, redeeming their life from the graue, in which till then they seemed to bee as dead men; as ap∣peareth plainely prooued in this Prodigall sonne, and lost Childe. I doe willingly insist the longer in it, for that it containeth the fit matter of comfort and consolation to the conscience of a godly penitent Sinner, wounded for his Sinne.

This Prodigall Sonne, would needs take his iourney into a farre Countrey; (This noteth his wilfull falling from God,) and there wasting his goods with riotous

liuing, (By this foule meanes, hee cast away Gods gra∣ces, which hee had receiued,) and now when hee had spent all, hee began to bee in necessitie, for he fed swine, and would faine haue filled his belly with the huskes, that the Swine eate, but no man gaue him them, and so was ready to die for hunger, (here was miserie procu∣red vnto him, through his owne folly:) All this time, was a time of anger, and Iudgement, which Dauid no∣teth in this word, (Chiding.)

But now that God had shewed himselfe vnto him, to be a Father; to looke vpon him with the Eye of Pietie, to humble him by the acknowledgement of his infirmities, vnto his feare; that hee could say in faith, Father, I haue sinned, hee was taken to mercie, and pardoned all his sinnes, and was crowned with compassions and louing kindnesses: For he was dead, and is aliue againe; and was lost, and now is found, and his Father was merie and glad thereof.

An Example of hopefull comfort, and worthy our best obseruation, instructing vnto a godly feare in Christ, by whom, and for whom onely, wee are pardo∣ned, and receiue mercy. The which being truely ac∣knowledged, giueth the first step vnto Repentance, which because it cannot be without a feeling of our sinnes, and this feeling, must of necessitie breed both sorrow and shame for them.

Then also followeth, an humble Confession of Sinne vn∣to God, wherein we are to shew our Nakednesse, and to desire to be clothed, with that best Robe of this Prodigall Sonne, euen with the Righteousnesse of Christ; and so no doubt we shall obtaine a full remission of all our sinnes: Which he grant, for his Names sake.

Amen.

Notes

• Eccl••s. 35. 3.
• Acts 3. 19.
• Lib. de poeni.
• Ezek. 18. 32.
• I••re. 31. 18.
• Matth 11. 30.
• Iere 31. 19
• Lam. 5 21.
• De Dogma. Eccle.
• Psal. 143. 10.
• Luke 1. ••. Exod. 34. ••.
• Luke 15 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, ••5, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.
• Luke 15. 17.
• Ʋerse 20.
• Psal. 103. 13. Luke 15. 20. Ezech 18 21, 22.
• Iohn 13. 1.
• Luke 15. 21.
• Ver. 22. Ver. 23.
• Ioel 2. 13.
• Matth 18. ••1, 14.
• Psal 103 9.
• Ʋers. 10, 11▪ 12, 13.