Ecumenical Christian Library

  • Loading…

The Removing the Impediments of Repentance

166813 min read

BEfore I lay down the Expedients and Means conducing to Repentance, I shall first remove the Impediments. In this great City, when you want water, you search the cause, whether the Pipes are broken or stopped, that the current of water is hindered: So when no water of Repentance comes (though we have the Conduit-pipes of Ordinances) see what the cause is; where is the stop that these penitential waters do not run. There are ten Impediments of Repentance.

  1. Men do not apprehend that they1 need Repentance; they thank God all is well with them, and they know nothing they should repent of, Rev. 3. 17. Thou sayest, I am rich, and have need of nothing. He who apprehends not any distemper in his body, will not take the Physick prescribed. This is the mischief sin hath done; it hath not only made us sick, but senseless. When the Lord bade the people return to him2, they answered stubbornly, Wherein should we return? Mal. 3. 7. So when God bids men repent, they say, wherefore should they repent? they know nothing they have done amiss. Surely no disease worse than that which is Apoplectical.

  2. People conceit it an easie thing to3 repent: It is but saying a few prayers; a sigh, or a Lord have mercy, and the work is done. This conceit of the easiness of Repentance, is a great hinderance to it. That which makes a person bold, and adventrous in sin, must needs obstruct Repentance; but this opinion doth make a person bold in sin. The Angler can let out his line as far as he will, and then pull it in again: So when a man thinks he can lash out in sin as far as he will, and then pull in by Repentance when he list, this must needs imbolden him in wickedness. But to take away this false conceit of the easiness of Repentance, consider, 1. A wicked man hath a mountain of guilt upon him, and is it easie to rise up under such a weight? Is salvation per saltum? Can a man jump out of sin into Heaven? Can he leap out of the Devils arms into Abrahams bosom? 2. If all the power in a sinner be employed against Repentance, then it is not easie. All the faculties of a natural man joyn issue with sin, Ier. 2. 25. I have loved strangers, and after them will I go. A sinner will rather lose Christ and Heaven, than his lusts: death, which parts man and wife, will not part a wicked man and his sins; and is it so easie to repent? The Angel rolled away the stone from the Sepulchre; but no Angel, only God himself can roll away the stone from the the heart.4

  3. Presuming thoughts of Gods mercy. Many suck poison from this sweet flower. Christ who came into the world to save sinners, 1 Tim. 1. 15. is accidentally the occasion of many a mans perishing. Though to the Elect he is the bread of life, yet to the wicked he is […], a stone of stumbling, 1 Pet. 2. 7. * To some5 his blood is sweet wine, to others the water of Marah. Some are softned by this Sun of Righteousness, others are hardned. Oh saith one, Christ hath died, he hath done all for me, therefore I may sit still and do nothing. Thus they suck death from the Tree of Life, and perish by a Saviour. So I may say of Gods mercy, it is accidentally the cause of many a ones ruine: Because of mercy men presume, and think they may go on in sin: But, should a Kings clemency make his subjects rebel? The Psalmist saith, there is mercy with God, that he may be feared, Psal. 130. 4. but not that we may sin. Can men expect mercy by provoking justice? God will hardly shew them mercy, who sin because mercy abounds.6

  4. A supine sluggish temper. Repentance is looked upon as a tedious thing, and such as requires much industry, and men are settled upon their lees, and care not to stir: They had rather go sleeping to Hell, than weeping to Heaven, Prov. 19. 24. A slothful man hideth his hands in his bosom; he will not be at the labour of smiting on his breast (Chrysost). Many will rather lose Heaven, than ply the oar, and row thither upon the waters of Repentance. We cannot have the world citra pulverem, without labour and diligence, and would we have that which is more excellent7? Sloth is the canker of the soul, Prov. 19. 15. Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep. It was a witty fiction of the Poets, when Mercury had cast Argus into a sleep, and with an inchanted Rod closed his eyes, then he killed him. When Satan hath by his witcheries lull’d men asleep in sloth, then he destroyes them. Some report, while the Crockadil sleeps with his mouth open, the Indian Rat gets into his belly, and eats up his entrails: So while men sleep in security, they are devoured.

  5. Another obstruction of Repentance8 is the tickling pleasure of sin, […] Thes. 2. 12. Who take pleasure in unrighteousness. Sin is a sugred draught, but mixed with poison. The sinner thinks there is danger in sin, but there is delight, and the danger doth not so terrifie him, as the delight bewitcheth him. Plato calls love of sin, a great Devil9. Delighting in sin hardens the heart. In true Repentance there must be a grieving for sin; but how can one grieve for that which he loves. He who delights in sin can hardly pray against it; his heart is so inveagled with sin, that he is afraid of leaving it too soon. Sampson doted on Dalilahs beauty, and her lap proved his grave. When a man rolls iniquity as a Sugared lump under his tongue, it infatuates him, and is his death at last. Delight in sin10 is a silken halter, 2 Sam. 2. 26. Will it not be bitterness in the latter end?

  6. An opinion that Repentance will11 take away our joy; but that is a mistake; it doth not crucifie, but clarifie our joy, and take it off from the fulsom lees of sin. What is all earthly joy? it is but Hilaris insania, a pleasant phrensy.

—Falsa inter gaudia noctem […] (Virgil)—

Worldly mirth is but like a feigned laugh; it hath sorrow following at the heels12. As the Magitians Rod, it is instantly turned into a Serpent: But divine Repentance like Sampsons Lion, hath an hony-comb in it. Gods Kingdom consists as well in joy, as in righteousness, Rom. 4. 17. None are so truly chearful as penitent ones.

—Est quaedam flere voluptas— (* Ovid)

The oyl of joy is poured chiefly into a broken heart, Isa. 61. 3. The oyl of joy for mourning. In the fields near Palermo, grow great plenty of Reeds, in which there is a sweet juice of which sugar is made: So in a penitent heart, which is the bruised Reed, grow the sugred joys of Gods Spirit. God turns the water of tears, into the juyce of the grape, which exhilerates and makes glad the heart. Who should rejoyce if not the repenting soul? he is heir to all the Promises, and is not that matter of joy? God dwells in a contrite heart, and must there not needs be joy there? Isa. 55. 17. I dwell with a contrite spirit, to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Repentance doth not take away a Christians musick, but raiseth it a note higher, and makes it sweeter13.

  1. Another obstacle of Repentance is,14 despondency of mind. Oh saith a sinner, it is a vain thing for me to set upon Repentance; my sins are of that magnitude, that there is no hope for me15, Ier. 18. 11, 12. Return ye now every one from his evil way, and they said, there is no hope. Our sins are mountains, and how shall these ever be cast into the Sea? Where unbelief represents sin in its bloody colours, and God in his Judges Robes, the soul will sooner fly from him, than to him: This is dangerous: Other sins need mercy, but despair rejects mercy; it throws the cordial of Christs blood on the ground. Iudas was not damned only for his treason and murder, but it was his distrust of Gods mercy destroyed him. Why should we entertain such hard thoughts of God? he hath bowels of love to repenting sinners16, Ioel 2. 13. Mercy rejoyceth over justice. Gods anger is not so hot, but mercy can cool it; nor so sharp, but mercy can sweeten it17. God counts his mercy his glory, Exod. 33. 18, 19. We have some drops of mercy our selves, but God is the Father of mercies, who begets all the mercies that are in us. He is the God of bowels18. No sooner do we mourn, but Gods heart melts: no sooner do our tears fall, but Gods repentings kindle, Hos. 11. 8. Say not then, there is no hope. Disband the army of thy sins, and God will sound a retreat to his judgements. Remember, great sins have been swallowed up in the Sea of Gods infinite compassions. Manasseh made the streets run with blood, yet when his […]ead was a fountain of tears, God grew propitious.

  2. Hope of impunity. Men flatter themselves19 in fin· and think God having spared them all this while, he never intends to20 punish; because the Assizes are put off therefore, surely there will be no Assizes, Psal. 10. 11. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten, he hideth his face, he will never see it. The Lord indeed is long-suffering towards sinners, and would by his patience bribe them to Repentance, but here is their wretchedness, because he forbears to punish, they forbear to repent. Know, that the lease of Patience will soon be run out. There is a time when God saith, My Spirit shall no longer strive. A creditor may forbear his debtor, but forbearance doth not excuse the payment. God takes notice how long the glass of his patience hath been running, Rev. 2. 21. I gave her space to repent, but she repented not. Iezabel added to her incontinency, impenitency, and what follows? vers. 22. Behold I will cast her into a bed: Not a bed of pleasure, but a bed of languishing, where she shall consume away in her iniquity. The longer Gods Arrow is drawing, the deeper it wounds. Sins against patience, will make a mans Hell so much the hotter·

The next Impediment of Repentance,21 is, fear of reproach: If I repent, I shall expose my self to mens scorns. The Heathen man could say, when thou appliest thy self to the study of wisdom, prepare for sarcasms and reproaches (Epictetus). But consider well who they are that reproach thee: they are such as are ignorant of God22, and spiritually phrantick; and art thou troubled to have them reproach thee, who are not well in their wits? who minds a mad mans laughing at him?

What do the wicked reproach thee for? is it because thou repentest? thou art doing thy duty; bind their reproaches as a Crown about thy head. ‘Tis better that men should reproach thee for repenting, than that God should damn thee for not repenting.

  1. If thou canst not bear a reproach for Religion, never call thy self Christian; Christianus quasi crucianus (Luther). Suffering is a Saints livery; and alas what are reproaches? they are but the chips of the Cross; which are rather to be despised, than laid to heart23.

  2. The last Impediment of Repentance,24 is, immoderate love of the world. No wonder Ezekiels hearers were hardned into rebellion, when their heart went after covetousness, Ezok. 33. 31. The world doth so engross mens time, and bewitch their affections, that they cannot repent; they had rather put gold in their bag, than tears in Gods bottle. I have read of the Turks, that they mind neither Churches, nor Altars, but are diligent in looking after their tillage. So many scarce ever mind Repentance; they are more for the Plough, and breaking of the clods, than breaking up the fallow ground of their hearts. The Thorns choke the word. We read of them who were invited to Christs Supper, who put him off with worldly excuses, Luk. 14. 18. One said, I have bought a piece of ground, and must needs go see it, I pray thee have me excused; and another, I have bought five yoke of Oxen, &c. The farm and the shop so take up peoples time, that they have no leisure for their souls25: Their golden weights hinder their silver tears. There is an Herb in the Country of Sardinia, like Baulm, which if they eat much of, will make them die laughing: Such an herb (or rather weed) is the world, if men eat too immoderately of it, instead of dying repenting, they will die laughing. These are the obstructions of Repentance which must be removed, that the current may be clearer.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Imped. ↩

  2. Revertimini ad me per resipiscentiam, & revertar ad vos per beneficentiam. ↩

  3. 2 Imped. ↩

  4. 3 Imped. ↩

  5. […] Lapis in quem gravitèr impingunt. Estius. ↩

  6. 4 Imped. ↩

  7. Ut rosa de spinis nascitur, sic de tristibus, & asperis fructus capitur jucundissimus. Erasm. ↩

  8. 5 Imped. ↩

  9. Magnus Daemon. ↩

  10. Momentaneum est quod delectat, aeternum quod cruciat. ↩

  11. 6 Imped. ↩

  12. Extrema gaudii luctus occupat. ↩

  13. […] in […] sanctis vultus […]rum nunquam gratiori serenitate splendere, quando gratia comp[…]ctionis corda […]orum amaricav[…]rit & lachrymis org perfuderit. […] Pariens. de virtute. ↩

  14. 7 Imped. ↩

  15. Desperare est in infernum descendere. Isidor. ↩

  16. […] Commiserans ex intimis visceribus, […]. Si multa sunt peccata, multa est misericordia, & adhuc de spe decidis O peccator? Quistorpius. ↩

  17. Quanta esset vis mellis quae fel dulcoraret? longè major vis […]onitatis Dei, &c. ↩

  18. […] est misericordia visceralis, cum scilicet q is alterius miseriâ ex intimis medullis ita tangitur, ut videatur velle sua viscera in eum effundere. ↩

    1. Imped.
    ↩
    • Impii benignitate Dei abutentes gaudent impunitate. Pareus.
    ↩

  21. 9 Imped. ↩

  22. Quid enim iniquius, quam ut oderint homines quod ignorant? Tertull. ↩

  23. Quid iste faceret in igne, qui Christum rubuit in nube? ↩

    1. Imped.
    ↩

  25. […] ↩

Backlinks