Chapter 15: Removing the Impediments of Repentance
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 they need Repentance; they thank God all is well with them, and they know nothing they should repent of, (Revelation 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 physic prescribed. This is the mischief sin has done; it has not only made us sick, but senseless. When the Lord bade the people return to him, they answered stubbornly, Wherein should we return? (Malachi 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 to 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 does 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 has 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, (Jeremiah 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.
3. Presuming thoughts of Gods mercy. Many suck poison from this sweet flower. Christ who came into the world to save sinners, 1 (Timothy 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 [illegible], a stone of stumbling, 1 (Peter 2:7). * To some his blood is sweet wine, to others the water of Marah. Some are softned by this Sun of Righteousness, others are hardned. Oh says one, Christ has died, he has 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 says, there is mercy with God, that he may be feared, (Psalm 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.
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, (Proverbs 19:24). A slothful man hids his hands in his bosom; he will not be at the labor of smiting on his breast. 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 labor and diligence, and would we have that which is more excellent ? Sloth is the canker of the soul, (Proverbs 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 has 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 Repentance is the tickling pleasure of sin, [illegible]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 does not so terrifie him, as the delight bewitchs him. Plato calls love of sin, a great Devil. 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 sin is a silken [〈1 page duplicate〉][〈1 page duplicate〉] halter, 2 (Samuel 2:26). Will it not be bitterness in the latter end?
6. An opinion that Repentance will take away our joy; but that is a mistake; it does 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 [illegible]—
Worldly mirth is but like a feigned laugh; it has sorrow following at the heels. As the Magitians Rod, it is instantly turned into a Serpent: But divine Repentance like Sampsons Lion, has an hony-comb in it. Gods Kingdom consists as well in joy, as in righteousness, (Romans 4:17). None are so truly cheerful as penitent ones.
—Est quaedam flere voluptas—
The oyl of joy is poured chiefly into a broken heart, (Isaiah 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? (Isaiah 55:17). I dwell with a contrite spirit, to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Repentance does not take away a Christians musick, but raises it a note higher, and makes it sweeter .
7. Another obstacle of Repentance is, despondency of mind. Oh says 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 me, (Jeremiah 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 colors, 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. Judas 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 has bowels of love to repenting sinners , (Joel 2:13). Mercy rejoycs over justice. Gods anger is not so hot, but mercy can cool it; nor so sharp, but mercy can sweeten it. God counts his mercy his glory, (Exodus 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 bowels. No sooner do we mourn, but Gods heart melts: no sooner do our tears fall, but Gods repentings kindle, (Hosea 11:8). Say not then, there is no hope. Disband the army of your 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 [illegible]ead was a fountain of tears, God grew propitious.
8. Hope of impunity. Men flatter themselves in fin and think God having spared them all this while, he never intends to punish; because the Assizes are put off therefore, surely there will be no Assizes, (Psalm 10:11). He has said in his heart, God has forgotten, he hids 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 says, My Spirit shall no longer strive. A creditor may forbear his debtor, but forbearance does not excuse the payment. God takes notice how long the glass of his patience has been running, (Revelation 2:21). I gave her space to repent, but she repented not. Iezabel added to her incontinency, impenitency, and what follows? verse 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, is, fear of reproach: If I repent, I shall expose my self to mens scorns. The Heathen man could say, when you appliest your self to the study of wisdom, prepare for sarcasms and reproaches. But consider well who they are that reproach you: they are such as are ignorant of God , and spiritually phrantick; and art you troubled to have them reproach you, who are not well in their wits? who minds a mad mans laughing at him?
What do the wicked reproach you for? is it because you repentest? you are doing your duty; bind their reproaches as a Crown about your head. 'Tis better that men should reproach you for repenting, than that God should damn you for not repenting.
3. If you can not bear a reproach for Religion, never call your self Christian; Christianus quasi crucianus. 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 heart .
10. The last Impediment of Repentance, 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 does 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, (Luke 14:18). One said, I have bought a piece of ground, and must needs go see it, I pray you 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 souls : 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.
