Faction and Indulgences; of the Old and New Man; of the Power or Strength of Men, and the Other Things Pertaining to Repentance. The Second Sermon
I proMISED in my last sermon, that I made of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to add a discourse of repentance; which by the help of God and your good prayers I purpose in this sermon for to perform.
They among the Latins are said to repent, which are rorepent. aggrieved at or ashamed of the thing that they have done. Thou hast done a good turn, and thinkest him unworthy of it for whom thou hast done it, and for that cause art sorry to thyself: that sorrow of thine is repentance. We Germans call it Den reuen. The Greeks do name it Metanaam. Now they which are skilful of that tongue say, that μετα- νοεῖν signifieth to bethink afterward: so that Metanea is there properly used, where a man, having once slipped by doing something foolishly, doth notwithstanding at length come to himself again, and verily purpose to correct his own error. It is therefore referred, not to the thought of the mind only, but also to the deed done. For he that perceiveth that he hath offended, doth devise with himself how to amend it. So now the thing beginneth to displease thee, which before did please thee: so now thou eschewest the thing that before thou ensuedst’. Moreover the Hebrews call repentance 7’heschubal’, that is, a conversion, or returning to the right way or mind again. The metaphor seemeth to
[3 Bullinger here refers to Erasmus’ annotation on Matth. 111. 2:]
[μετάνοια dicta est a μετανοεῖν, hoc est, a posterius intelligendo, ubi quis]
[lapsus, re peracta, tum demum animadvertit erratum suum. ] [4 cupidissime, Lat. omitted; most eagerly.] ἘΣ ΩΝ]
be taken of them which once did stray from the right path, but do again at length return into the way: which word is translated to the mind, to the manners, and deeds of men.
But now this word is diversely used; for repentance signifieth the changing of the purpose once conceived, or of any other thing. For by Jeremy the Lord saith: If they turn from evil, I will also repent me of the evil which I meant to lay upon them.” Therefore God doth then repent, when he changeth his purpose: he repenteth not, when he doth not alter it. Paul saith: “The gifts and calling of God
4.1 are without repentance.” And David said: The Lord hath SWOrN, and will not repent.” Elsewhere repentance is figuratively attributed to God, like to the affection of mortal men: as when he saith, I repent me that I have made man.” For God of his own nature doth not repent as men do, so that he should be touched with grief, and that the thing should now mislike him which he before did like of; but he doth barely alter that which he hath done. Among ecclesiastical writers they are said to repent, which after a prescribed manner of punishment do penance for their sins which they have committed. The scripture in another place doth use it for the whole effect and matter of the gospel:
18. for in the Acts we read, that God gave to the Gentiles repentance unto life. But we, in this disputation of ours, will use repentance for a converting or turning to the Lord, for the acknowledging of sins, for the grief conceived for sins committed, for mortification, and the beginning to lead a new life; and finally? for the change, correction, and amendment of the life from evil to better: that which we Germans call Bekeerung, Enderung oder Besserung?.
And as diversely too is repentance defined of the ecclesiastical writers: howbeit all agree that it is a conversion or turning to the Lord, and an alteration of the former life and opinion. We therefore do say, that repentance is an unfeigned turning to God, whereby we, being of a sincere fear of God once humbled, do acknowledge our sins, and 50, by mortifying our old man, are afresh renewed by the
[1 Τὸ repenteth, ed. 1577.] [2 breviter, Lat.; shortly] [3 bekehrung, conversion; aenderung, changing; besserung, cor-]
[rection. ]]
Spirit of God% This definition doth consist upon her parts, which, being somewhat more largely opened and diligently expounded, will declare unto us and lay before our eyes the whole nature of repentance.
First we say, that repentance is an unfeigned turning unto God. For I will hereafter shew you, that there are two sorts of repentance; to wit, feigned and unfeigned. And the apostle Peter saith: “Repent, and turn, that your sins may be blotted out;” expounding, as it were, the first by the last, to wit, repentance by returning; (he meaneth) to him from whom they had turned themselves away. For there is a certain relation betwixt turning to and turning fro. If thou hadst never turned away, then hadst thou had no need to have turned to again. But we have all turned away from the true, just, and good God, and from his holy will, unto the devil and our own corrupt affections. And therefore must we again turn us from the devil, and from our old naughty life and will, unto the living God and his most holy will and pleasure. We do here significantly say, to God, and not to creatures or any help of man, For the Lord in Jeremy doth say: “If, Israel, thou wilt return, return to me.” Whosoever therefore do not turn to God, nor make themselves conformable to his holy will, howsoever they do turn to creatures and other means of man’s invention, yet are they not to be esteemed or counted penitents.