THAT the exhortation to Repentance may be more quickned, I shall lay down some powerful Motives to excite Repentance.
Motive 1. 1. Sorrow and melting of heart, fits us for every holy duty. A piece of Lead while it is in the lump, can be put to no use, but melt it, and then you may cast it into any mould, and it is made useful: So an heart that is hardened into a lump of sin, is good for nothing, but when it is dissolved by Repentance, now it is useful. A melting heart is fit to pray. When Pauls heart was humbled and melted; then, Behold he prayes, Act. 9. 11. It is fit to hear the word: Now the word works kindly. When Iosiahs heart was tender, he humbled himself, and rent his cloths at the hearing the words of the Law, 2 Chron. 34. 19. His heart, like melting wax, was ready to take any seal of the word. A melting heart is fit to obey. When the heart is like metal in the Furnace, it is facil and malleable to any thing. Lord, what wilt thou have me do (Act. 9. 6)? A repenting soul subscribes to Gods will, and answers to his call, as the eccho to the voice.
Motive. 2. Repentance is highly acceptable. Then our hearts are a garden of Eden, delightful to God, when a spiritual River runs to water this garden. I have read that Doves delight to be about the waters; and surely Gods Spirit who descended in the likeness of a Dove, takes great delight in the waters of Repentance. The Lord esteems no heart sound but the broken heart, Psal. 51. 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit1. Mary stood at Iesus feet weeping, Luke 7. 38. She brought two things to Christ (saith Austin) unguentum & lachrymas, tears and oyntment; her tears were better than her oyntment. Tears are powerful Orators for mercy; they are silent, yet they have a voice, Psal. 6. 8. Hear the voice of my […]eeping.
Motive 3. 3. Repentance commends all our services to God. That is Gods savoury meat, which is seasoned with the bitter hearbs of godly sorrow. Hearing of the word […]s then good, when we are pricked at the heart, Act. 2. 37. Prayer is delightful to God, when it ascends from the Altar of a broken heart. The Publican smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner; this prayer pierced Heaven: He went away justified rather than the other, Luke 18. 14. No prayer toucheth Gods ear, but what comes from an heart touched with the sense of sin.
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Without Repentance, nothing will2 avail us. Some bless themselves that they have a stock of knowledge, but what is knowledge good for without Repentance? It is better to mortifie one sin, than to understand all mysteries. Impure speculatists do but resemble Satan, transformed into an Angel of light. Learning and a bad heart, is like a fair face with a cancer in the breast. Knowledge without Repentance, will be but a torch […]o light men to Hell.
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Repenting tears are delitious; they3 may be compared to myrrhe, which though it be bitter in taste, it hath a sweet smell, and refresheth the spirits: So Repentance, though it be bitter in it self, yet it is sweet in the effects; it brings inward peace. The soul is never more enlarged, and inwardly delighted, than when it can kindly melt. Alexander upon the safe return of his Admiral Nearchus from a long voyage wept for joy4. How oft do the Saints fall a weeping for joy! The Hebrew word to repent, signifies5 to take comfort *. None so joyful as the penitent. Tears (as the Philosopher notes) have four qualities; they are moist, salt, hot, bitter. ‘Tis true of repenting tears; they are hot, to warm a frozen conscience; moist, to soften an hard heart; salt, to season a soul putrifying in sin; bitter, to wean us from the love of the world. And I will add a fifth they are sweet, in that they make the heart inwardly rejoyce, Ioh. 16. 22. Your sorrow shall be turned into joy. Let a man (saith Austin) grieve for his sin, and rejoyce for his grief. Tears are the best sweet-meats6 David who was the great weeper in Israel, was the sweet singer of Israel. The sorrows of the penitent are like the sorrows of a travelling woman, Ioh. 16. 21. A woman in travel hath sorrow, but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembreth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. So the sorrows of humbled sinners bring forth grace, and what joy is there when this manchild is born!7
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Great sins repented of, shall find mercy. Mary Magdalen, a great sinner, when she washed Christs feet with her tears, obtained pardon. Some of the Jews, who had an hand in crucifying Christ, upon their Repentance, the very blood they shed was a soveraign balm to heal them, Isa. 1. 18. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Scarlet in the Greek is called […], because it is twice dipt, and the art of man cannot wash out the dye again. But though our sins are of a scarlet colour, Gods mercy can wash them away. This may comfort such whom the hainousness of sin discourageth, as if there were no hope for them; yes, upon their serious turning to God, their sins shall be expunged and done away.