Thomas Adams
Virtus sine patientia vidua est; All vertue is a widow without Patience. The Apostle in the behalfe of God, promiseth eternall life, to them Rom. 2▪7. that by patient continuance in well doing seeke for glory: As if wee could not come to Heaven by well doing, without Patience in well doing. Faith without Patience is but precipitancie: Zeale without Patience is but furie: Hope without Patience is presumption: Humilitie without Patience is dejection: Charitie without Patience, fils the vessell with Milke from her brests, and then kickes it downe with her heeles. Patience to the Soule is as Bread to the body, the staffe of either the naturall or spirituall life: we eate bread with all our meates, both for health and rellish; bread with flesh, bread with fish, bread with brothes and fruits: Such is Patience to every Vertue, we must hope with Patience, and pray in Patience, and love with Patience, and whatsoever good thing wee doe, let it bee done in Patience. When our eyes be wearied with any other colours, wee seeke to refresh them with greene: in all our troubles we refresh our soules with Patience. Vertue is faire, rich, and lovely; but beset with many difficulties; wee can neither get nor keepe her without much Patience. Saint Paul would never have gloried in his tribulations, but for his Patience. The devill implied so much in his challenge to Iob: God commends him for a perfect and upright man, fearing the Lord, and eschewing evill: Satan grants all this, but questions his Patience: therefore hee doth good, because nothing but good is done to him: but doe thou crosse him a little, Iob 1.11. and he will curse thee to thy face. Strip him of his Robes, and clothe him with ulcers; and see what hee will doe then. This was the forest tryall: had Iob kept his Righteousnesse, his Innocencie, his Integritie, his Fidelitie, and feare to sinne, and lost his Patience, he had lost the day: but keeping that sound, the old Serpent stinkes away with shame, confessing a feeble man too hard for him. It was not so much what Christ suffered, as with what Patience he suffered, that did nobilitate the merit of his sufferings. Admit an Apologue: Foure Graces were walking together, Zeale, Iustice, Temperance, and Patience: three other Vertues meet with them, Innocencie, Hospitalitie, and Meekenesse: while Patience went aside some little way, the other sixe conferred about the super-eminence of their owne worth. The argument grew so hot, that words were ready to beget blowes: Zeale out-faceth Innocencie, Iustice trampls upon Meekenesse, and Temperance threatens to turne Hospitalitie out of doores. But on the suddaine steps in Patience, and there ends the quarrell. If the vertuous may fall out, much more sinners: but the matter will soone be compounded, if both sides admit of Patience. This is one of those Graces, that is never seene but in distresse: Valour and Fortitude is not knowne, while there is no enemie: Repentance appeares not, till we have sinned: nor is Patience visible to others, or sensible to our selves, till we are exercised with sufferings. These vertues in the time of miseries and exigents shine brightest, as the starres doe in a darke night. But it is time to shut up this point: My argument is Patience; make me the first Object of it: if I have beene tedious, digest it with your Patience.
Not willing that any should perish.] There is no man that hates the Effect of his owne worth: If the Painter have drawne a counterfeit, or limmed the resemblance of a Creature, hee regards it as the Effect of his owne curious art. If a man begets a Sonne, hee is tyed in Affection to him by the bond of Nature. If a Preacher convert a profligate, and beget a Soule unto Christ; hee loves him in a higher degree of Relation, than those of Art or Nature; even of Grace. And will the most wise and good Creator of all things, hate the workmanship of his owne hands? No, The Lord hateth nothing that he hath made. There is something in the Creatures he hath made, which he hateth: but the Creature it selfe, as it is a Creature, hee loveth. Our weakenesse doth often faile to distinguish Inter virum & vitium; so we hate the man together with his vice, whereas we should hate the vice, and love the man. But God can distinguish betwixt the metall which is his, and the drosse of the metall which is not his: hee rejecteth the drosse, but he wisheth well to the metall. If a mans wife bee an adulteresse, he puts her away, because shee then ceaseth to bee a wife: but if shee repent, God doth not put her away, because shee does not cease to be a woman. Adulterie may make her no wife, Death it selfe cannot make her no Creature. Both God and her husband detest her sinne; yet God doth, and her husband should love her Soule.
But if God bee not willing that any should perish, how then doe any come to perish? Can they perish against his will? Shall any bee lost, whom hee will save? I might answere this Objection, that the question here is not concerning Gods secret will; but so much of it as is revealed to us in his holy Word, whereby he affords meanes of Salvation to all, declaring himselfe not willing that any should perish. But let us soberly examine this point: for Scripture seemes to contradict Scripture. 1 Tim 2.4. God will have all men saved, and come to the knowledge of the Truth: And here, he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to Repentance. On the contrary, Rom. 9 18. Whom he will, he hardneth: and, Exod. 7.3. I will harden the heart of Pharaoh. Is the Spirit divided? If Truth be against Truth, how can it stand? Who will harden? That God which is rich in goodnesse, whose Mercie is above all his workes, will he? He which is grieved for our offences, and willeth not the death of a sinner, will he harden? And of all places, the Temple for his holy Spirit to repose in, the Exchequer and Store-house for all his Graces; will hee harden the heart? He saies, he will: yet dares the blasphemous sinner rub his filthinesse on that immaculate puritie of his Maker? Does he live by his Mercie, and yet charge him of injustice, making it the midwife of so foule a progenie? Evill could never be the childe of goodnesse, nor can sinne (so basely descended) lay claime to omnipotencie. Doth pure water, and puddle, flow immediately from the felfe-same spring? or light and darkenesse from the same Sunne? How then comes it to passe? Consider with me these Positions.
1. The Devill was Primitivus peccator, and sinned from the beginning. From him, Ioh. •.44. sinne first boiled up, as out of the maine sea: being thence derived to Adam, it ariseth as out of a spring: from the spring, it is reserved in Nature, as in a Conduit: from Nature, it is conveied to concupiscence, as by a Pipe: and from thence doth flow all the mischiefe and wickednesse, that is in the life of man. Thy destruction is of thy selfe.
2. The Eternall Decree of God is unsearchable: To love his Children, and neglect his enemies, can neither impaire his Mercie, nor impeach his Iustice. But why he should love this as his Childe, and neglect that as his enemie; Nec possibile est comprehendere, nec licitum investigare; is beyond the lawfulnesse of inquiry, and possibility of apprehension. That is a saucy and curious eye, which will be too nicely prying into the Closset of Gods secrets. These should rather bring us on our knees, in the humble acknowledgement of his infinite wisdome and power, than prompt us to ransacke his bosome, for the revealing of his intents. It is blessednesse enough to be made Gods Stewards, though we be none of his Secretaries. Will no Mansion in Heaven content us, but that which is the Throne and Chaire for Omnipotencie to sit in? No Cabinet, but that which is the Treasurie and Store-house of his owne Counsels? If Angells fell for pride and emulation, what place can bee low enough for such busie inquisitors? Though God from all Eternitie, knew how to reward every man, either with blisse or paine; yet he never imposed upon any man either a necessity, or a will to sinne. Farre be it from us, to lay the buden of our sinnes on the shoulder of Predestinaion, and to make that the wombe of our foule enormities.
3. God is the cause of Good, but in no respect of evill. By his Grace, Multi, ut laberentur, Retenti; nulli, ut laberentur impulsi: He upholds many, Aug. Tho. 1.1. q. 23. ar. 3. he pusheth none downe. He is said indeed to harden, but it is, because he does not soften. Impios cum non retrabit à malo culpae; dicitur dimittere. As the conferring of Grace is the effect of his Election, so the withholding of his Grace is the effect of reprobation. Fieri non potest, ut per quem à peccatis surgitur, per eum ad peccata decidatur. For one and the same goodnesse to be the rise and fall of the same sinnes, is impossible. Gregor. Dei claudere, est clausis non aperire: God is then said to shut, when hee does not open. Ab illo est quod statur, non ab illo quod ruitur. Our pravitie is the Reed that deceives us; Gods Providence is the staffe that supports us. If hee hardens any, Aug. it is not Malum obijciendo, sed gratiam non concedendo; not by causing us to commit sinne, but by not granting us the Grace to overcome sinne. In a word, Ambr. God never hateth, but where he is first hated. Nemo potest Christum tibi auferre, nisi te illi auferas: no man can take Christ from thee, unlesse thou first take thy selfe from Christ. Aug. Confess. Nemo eum amittit, nisi qui dimittit: we cannot lose him, but by putting him away.
4. GOD affords the meanes of Salvation to All, therefore Hee would have None to perish. Hee offers his Gospell, his Gospell offers CHRIST. CHRIST offers his Merits, his Merits offer Iustification. If wee bring Willingnesse, his Gospell is ours: if wee bring Faith, CHRIST is ours: if wee joyne with it Repentance, his Mercy and Merits are ours: if wee adde to all new obedience, salvation is ours. Why else are those affections attributed to God, which are properly and formally found in us, not in him? Sometime he will not be hindred from punishing: Exod. 32.10. Let me alone, that I may destroy them: Why, what can hinder him? At another time, hee desires to bee hindred, Ezek. 13. and would have some stand in the gap, to save his people from his wrath: as a kinde father being ready to correct his childe, beckens to some neighbour to take him off. Othertimes he complaines of his lost endeavours to bring them to repentance: Ier. 2.30. I have laboured in vaine. What doe all these signifie, but his unwillingnesse to have any perish? Why then does he punish with perdition? No otherwise than as some just Iudge, that would have all men live regularly, and free from disorders: but having transgressed the lawes, Iustice compells him, and that by a good and rectified will to punish them. Some would have this Will of God to be velleitatem rather than voluntatem; not so much an absolute will and resolution, as a willingnesse and desire: Not unlike a Merchants casting his Fraight overboord in a dangerous tempest: Vult efficaciter eas jactare, sed vellet efficaciter eas retinere: He would willingly save them, and yet hee is willingly content to lose them.
But if God be willing that none should perish, why then are not some made partakers of his grace, as well as others? Saint Augustine answeres, some men therefore want grace, Non quia Deus non dat, sed quia homo non accipit; not because God does not proffer it, Mat. 14. but because they will not receive it. Peter walking on the Sea, and beginning to sinke, cries out to his Master; and hee tooke him by the hand, and saved him. This world wherein we walke, is a Sea, stormes arise, and we are ready to perish: while we doe not cry unto Christ for helpe, is it his fault if we be drowned? Thou liest sicke, an excellent Physician comes to thy doore with soveraigne remedy, and knockes for admission: if neither thy will nor ability can let him in, blame thy selfe, not him for thy perishing. Wee are all mortally sicke of sinne; Christ our saving Physitian profers his helpe; but if either we want will to admit his presence, or power to take his medicines, or skill to follow his direction; we may die with the meanes of our salvation by us. Meritò perit aegrotus qui medicum non vocat, Muscul. sed ultro qui venientem respuit. The Patient is worthy to die, that will not invite the Physitian to come; but more worthy he, that will not accept of his helpe when he is come.
5 The willingnesse of God that none should perish, is proved by innumerable evidences. He made us once; certainely he did not make us, because he would damne us. Yea, he hath often made us; when he redeemed us, that was a second making; when he renewes us by his grace, that is, another making: every one of his deliverances is a kinde of faciamus hominem. If our sinnes have made us our Makers offenders, have they also made us that we are not his creatures? If the Devill hath bereaved us of our purity, hath hee also bereaved God of his pity? Though justice might rightly damne us, cannot mercy possibly save us? If the Lord reject a sinner that cries to him for mercy; where is his willingnesse to have none perish? His Word is a Will, and his Will is a Power: Hee does promise nothing but what hee does purpose, and hee does purpose nothing but what he does performe. If he would have none perish, what necessity is there of our being damned? If he desire that a sinner should live, what difficulty is there of our being saved? What power of enemies, or number of sinnes, can either hinder what he would, or constraine what he would not? He will not so looke upon us sinfull wretches, as not to see himselfe: nor so regard our wickednesse, as not to behold his owne goodnesse: nor so remember the sinnes that we have done, as to forget the creatures that he hath made.
He that lends the Sunne of Light to all, would have none perish in darkenesse: and he that sends the Sonne of his Love unto all, intends the redemption of a many as Ioh. 1.12. will receive him. Why doth hee not deny the knowledge of Christ? Why did he not hedge up that flower in some private Garden? Why not locke up that Iewell in one principall treasury? Certainely hee would never have communicated it, if he did not purpose an universall benefit by it. Why is the Gospell forbidden to none, if any bee debarred from the comforts of it? To whom doth not the bosome of the Church lie open? To what convert is the Baptismall water denied? To what confirmed Christian is the Sacramentall communication of the body and blood of Christ not offered? We are not only admitted, but even invited to that blessed Table. To what end are those gratious invitations, Come ye that thirst, and drinke Come yee that are heavy laden, and have ease: If any guest were excepted? He that bids all, forbids none. When a Prince proclaimes free audience to all sorts of Clients, who can complaine that his cause may not be heard? Those that seeme such terrifying speeches, as The gate is narrow, Few are saved: bee rather meant for spurres to our devotion, than barres to Gods compassion: They doe not contract his mercy which is so infinite, but they would enlarge our hearts which are so contracted. His nature is now as apt to forgive, as his Power will bee seene hereafter able to punish. When did the distribution of his Treasure cease? When was the doore shut to his faithfull Clients? when we did sinne, he did spare; when we did defer, he did exspect; when we shall returne, he will meet and embrace. He that doth all this, is not willing that any should perish.
6 There is no necessity that any man, any this or that man should perish. Some thinke they have gone farre enough in the clearing of this point, to say, that God is no cause of our perishing, though we must perish: they determine it in this: It is true, your damnation is unavoidable, but you must blame your selves. Others more fairely and comfortably carry it thus much farther, and conclude out of this Text, that there is no such unavoydablenesse, no such necessity of your damnation at all. The former onely teach, that how desperate soever our case bee, how irremediable soever our state, wee our selves, and not God, are the cause of this desperate irremediablenesse. The other say better; There is no such peremptory sentence, there is no such desperate irremediablenesse declared to any particular conscience; but whensoever wee repent, the Lord will receive us. Psal. 62.12. Once hath the Lord spoken, and twice doe wee heare him: wee heare him once speaking for his owne Honour. He does not damne us, if we be damned. And we heare him speaking a second time for our comfort, wee neede not be damned at all. Ier. 4.18. Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; and destruction is of thy selfe: this fully dischargeth God from being the Author of our ruine. But howsoever God be thus discharged, He does not kill me if I die; yet it is but poore comfort to me, if I must die, to bee told that I have killed my selfe: therefore he gives us here a stronger consolation, by telling us, there is no such necessitie, we need not die at all. What can make our case so desperate, that he hath not left us wayes of returning to him? What can make our state so irrecoverable, that he hath not left himselfe wayes of redeeming us?
It is not for us to dispute, what God of his absolute power may doe, nor what by his unrevealed decree he hath done: but this we gather here, that he hath not allowed me, nor thee, nor any to conclude against our selves, a necessitie of perishing. Esai. 49.14. Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me: But why will Zion say so? My Lord, and hath forgotten me? Can shee remember that God is hers, and not thinke that she is his? Can she remember him, and thinke that he hath forgotten her? What contradictions are these? If he have forgotten her, how is he then her Lord? If he be her Lord, how hath he then forgotten her? Can Zion retaine her bowels of Pietie, and thinke that God is disembowelled of his? Every where in the Scriptures we meet with Gods Venites; both the Testaments are full of invitations to come unto God. There is a venite non habentes, Esai. 55.1. Come and buy, though you have no money, no merits of your owne: yet come, and dilate your measures, and according to that dilatation, fill them with the Merits of Christ. There is a Venite & revertimini; Hos. 6.1. Come, though your comming be but a returning: be not ashamed of your returning, though it bee a Confession of your former running away: Come in a Repentance, though you cannot come in an innocencie. There is a venite & consulite; if you finde it hard to come, or though you know not the way to come, yet come, that you may know the way: Consult with God how you may come, and how you may stay when you are come. There is a venite & arguite, argue, pleade, dispute, expostulate. Esai. 1.18. Come, though you come to reason with God: come upon any conditions. There is a Mat. 11.28. venite laborantes, how heavie soever the burden of your sinnes, or the pressure of Gods Iudgements lie upon you, yet come for your owne ease; Come ye that labour, and I will give you rest. There is a venite sitientes, Come you that thirst for my Righteousnesse, and be satisfied with it, be justified by it. There is a Luk. 14.23. Venite pauperes; let the lame and the blinde come, that my House may be filled: I have roome enough for them all; Compell them to come. Rev. 22.17. The Spirit and the Bride say, Come: And let him that heareth, say, Come: And let him that is athirst, Come: There is a world of venites, and the Gospell abounds with infinite invitations to come. And there is a Venite that closeth up all the rest; Mat. 25.34. Come, ye blessed of my Father: you have obeyed my first venite, in comming to my Kingdome of Grace; you are now blessed with my last venite, Come into my Kingdome of Glory. But there is but one Discedite; that same Ite maledicti, Goe, ye cursed, is but once heard from the mouth of God, and that not in this World neither; as long as we are in this world, we are safe from rejection; God doth not cast us off, for he is not willing that any should perish. But if thy tender Conscience, and thy startling soule, should mis-imagine the hearing of such a voice, or in thy melancholy distemper, dreame of such a sound from Gods lips, as Depart thou sinner; a voice of separation, a voice that bids thee goe: Say thou with Peter, to his and thy Saviour, Domine, quò ibimus? Ioh. 6.68. Lord, whither shall I goe? Thou hast the Word of Eternall Life. Mat. 16.16. And I beleeve and am sure, that thou art that Christ, the Sonne of the living God. And that Christ, the Sonne of the living God will call thee backe, and call backe his owne word, and entertaine thee with Mercy and Peace.
For use and application of all this; here is matter of reprehension, of Instruction, of Consolation.
1. It reprehends those rigid and stoically-disposed Christians, that would contract the Mercie of God within their owne limits, and make the gate of Heaven straighter than it is. Malicious foole, is thine eye evill, because God is good? Wilt thou confine the goodnesse of thy Maker, and set downe what he shall doe for his Creature? thus much, and no more? These Heires of the old Caetharoi see men sinne foully and fearefully, they doe not see them repent visibly; therefore they inferre upon them damnation. O uncharitable censure! I would not pronounce it of the greatest sinner that I should see die; though I perceived his sinnes to cover him like a cloud, as if they would keepe him from looking up to God, and God from looking downe upon him; the devill waiting for him, as for a certaine prey; yet I would not pronounce it. The wayes of thy Mercies, O God, are past finding out; more unknowne than the way of a Ship in the sea, or of an Eagle in the Aire. Let them shew me how a flash of lightning melts the Sword, without making any impression in the scabberd: And I will shew them as well, how at the instant of our death Mercy more suddaine and more penetrating than the lightening, may melt our hearts into Repentance, though this be not visible to mortall eyes. Of the two, the Pope seemes to me to off nd the lesse, because more charitably, in canonizing them for Saints, who for ought he knowes are damned: than these men doe in damning them, who for ought they know are Saints. But if I might advise them, they should bestow more time in saving of their owne soules: lesse, in damning of the soules of others. I know how frivolous a tale it is, that S. Gregory drew Trajans soule out of hell: and how groundlesse an opinion is father’d upon Origen, that at last, the Devill shall be saved: But if they could perswade me the one halfe, that Trajan or the divell came to repentance in hell; I might bee induced to beleeve the other halfe, that they might be delivered out of hell. Farre bee it from us to cut short the Mercie of God, or to weaken the credit of the merits of Christ, which so manifest his unwillingnesse that any should perish.
2. This teacheth us to understand the Scriptures aright. There be too many that presse heavily to their owne damnation, every sentence of Menace or terrour: as, Rom. 6.23. The wages of sinne is death: Eph. 5.6. The wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience: Heb. 6.4. It is impossible for him that fals after Grace, to be renewed: with these, and the like, they affright their owne Soules. On the other side, a great number flatter themselves with the Promises of Mercie; as Christ suffered for all: God would have all men saved: At what time soever a sinner repents, he shall be forgiven: and with these they batten their owne wantonnesse. But let us know, that it is not a few mis-understood sentences out of Gods Booke that must try us, but the whole Booke it selfe: the tenour and purpose, the scope and intention of God in his Scriptures. His Booke is a Testament, and in the Testament the Testator is dead, and dead for us: and will he that died for us, suffer us to perish? His Booke is Gospell, and Gospell is good Tydings, a gracious Message: and will God under the colour of a Message of Grace and Life, send us the fatall Errand of death? The Scriptures may seeme to jarre in the weake apprehension of our braines: our best way is to reconcile them in our hearts. Luk. 13.3▪ except ye repent, ye shall all perish; there is terrour: God would have none at all perish here is comfort: that threatning, and this Promise, are both reconciled in our Repentance. The soule that sinneth shall die; saith God by his Prophet: The soule that beleeveth shall live; saith the same God by his Apostle. He that hath sinned, may beleeve; therefore he should live: Hee that beleeveth, hath sinned; therefore he should die. How shall we atone those? how reconcile death and life? Yes, though wee have sinned, and therefore deserve to die; yet if wee beleeve in Christ, that died for our sinnes, and now forsake them, we shall live. Thus both the sentences of God shall stand, and we shall not fall. When thou art tempted to transgresse, consider that part of Gods Word which threatneth vengeance to sinne: when thou art broken with remorse of sinne, remember that part of his Word which promiseth Mercie to Repentance. Thus let us doe our best to save our selves, for God would not have us to perish. Why will you die, O ye house of Israel?
3. This poures Oile into the wounds of a contrite heart. Were our soules in such a straight, as Israel betweene the red sea and the Egyptians; the spirits of vengeance, like those enemies pursuing us behinde; hell and death, like that red sea, ready to ingulfe us before: yet would I speake to you in the confidence of Moses, Exod. 14.13. Stand still, and see the Salvation of the Lord. Thou that art opprest with the violence and clamour of thy sinnes, and wantest an Advocate either to intercede or pitie, heare the voice of the Lambe; Cry unto me, I will heare thee out of mine holy hill. Doth any Soule hunger after Righteousnesse? Behold, I am the bread of life: Take, eate, here is my body. Doth any thirst after the waters of Grace? Lo, I am a living Fountaine; come, and drinke; here is my blood. Art thou not yet quite dead in trespasses? are not thy ulcers past cure? are there any seedes of life remaining? Is there any motion of Repentance in thy Soule? Will thy pulse of remorse beat a little? Hast thou but a touch of sorrow? a sparke of Hope? a graine of Faith? Be comforted; the God of Mercie will not have thee perish. Not a teare of Repentance drops from thee, either unpitied, or unpreserved: God puts it into his bottell. Qui seipsum excipit, seipsum decipit. Doth the Lord say, I would have none perish? And dost thou say, Nay, but he will have me to perish? Thee? why thee? He saies, None: and dost thou except one? and that one, Thy selfe? What is this but to crosse the Crosse of Christ? He would have All men saved: 1 Tim. 2.4. and thou commest in with thy exceptive; All but me. What is this, but in Effect, and at a distance, to give the lie to Truth it selfe? There be many that flatter away their soules in sport: but that a man should cast away his soule in wilfull earnest, is a prodigious desperatenesse. Not so; but God would have none to perish, therefore not me: this is a safe and comfortable inference. We are all naturally given to favour our selves where we should not: why then doe we not favour our selves where we should? Iustice thinks on us in the heat of our rebellions, but then we thinke not on Iustice: and in our sad remorse, when Mercie thinkes on us, cannot wee thinke on Mercie? If the greatnesse of thy sinnes, which is commonly heightned by thine owne dejections, and exalted by thine owne sinking, grow so strong against thee, that thou canst not quench the Ielousie, nor devest the scruple of Gods desertion; doe but consider who should occasion it; It must be God, or thy selfe. God it cannot be, for he is not willing that any should perish. It is then thy selfe, it is thy fault, if it bee done: and if thou humbly acknowledge that fault, it is not done: For God doth never so irrevocably threaten Iudgement for sinne, but the penitent Confession of that sinne cancels and avoides the sentence. If our clamorous Conscience, like some sharpe-fang’d officer, arrest us at Gods suite; Let us put in baile; two subsidy-vertues, Faith and Repentance, and so stand the triall. The Law is on our side, the Law of Grace is with us: and this Law is his that is our Advocate, and he is our Advocate that is our Iudge, and hee is our Iudge that is our Saviour, even the Head of our selves, Iesus Christ.
But that all should come to Repentance.] The end of a thing is first in Intention, though it be last in execution. The Salvation of mankinde was Gods first end, next to his Glory, why he made man: and the accomplishment of that Salvation is that other end, whereunto in time he brings him. There is Finis propositus, the end propounded; as we build a house to dwell in: and Finis absolutus, the end accomplished, when that house is made fit for our dwelling. There is Finis terminans, the end of a mans life; when he dies: and Finis pradeterminans, the end fore-appointing his death, why he shall die then. There is Finis Cujus, and Finis Cui: the end of which, and the end for which? Finis Cujus, as wee call that the end of a Dinner, when we have done eating. Finis Cui, as the end of eating our Dinner is for strength and health. There is Finis medius, and Finis supremus: The Physician perswades his Patient to walke: the end is to get him an appetite to his meat, that is Finis medius: But why does hee seeke to procure this appetite? that this appetite may procure health: Health then is Finis supremus. God cals all men to Repentance; the end is that they might amend their lives; that is Finis medius: But why would he have them amend their lives? that they might not perish, but have everlasting life: their Salvation then is Finis supremus. Hee is not willing that any should perish: How should they scape it? By comming to Repentance. The end of his Gospell is, that men might repent: the end of their Repentance is, that they might bee converted: the end of their conversion is, that they might be saved.
This then is the point, the force of the argument, the summe and scope of the place: The intent of Gods long-suffering towards us, is to bring us to Repentance. The principall End is, that wee might be saved: the subordinate End is, that we might come to Repentance, the onely Way to be saved. Thus we have all the passages of the Text: The Lord is not slacke to helpe us; there wee set out: much lesse is He slacke to performe his Promise; that way we went: But He is long-suffering toward us; thither we came: and the purpose of this long-suffering is, that none should perish; so farre wee are gone: but that all should come to Repentance, and with this we conclude. For Method in our proceeding, these five conclusions will naturally arise from the words. First, that Repentance is the necessarie Way to Salvation. Secondly, that it is the Will of God, wee should repent. Thirdly, that this Will extends not to some, but to all. Fourthly, that we must come to Repentance, and npt expect that Repentance should come unto us. Fifthly, that the intent of Gods long-suffering and forbearance, is our conversion and Repentance. Of these briefly in their Order.
1. Repentance is the necessary way to Salvation: It is the Will of God that none should perish: yet withall, it is his Will, Luk. 13.3. that all, except we repent, shall perish. There was, in the Law, an Altar for Propitiation, and a Laver for Purgation: hee that partooke of the Altar, must first wash in the Laver. So in the Gospell, Iohn began to Luk. 3.3. preach the Baptisme of Repentance, for the Remission of sinnes: Before we can have Remission of our sinnes, wee must wash our soules in the Fountaine of Repentance. Teares must not onely wash out our sinnes, but stand in the place of our sinnes. Psalm. 56.8. My teares are in thy Booke: our sinnes were in Gods Booke before: but our teares comming, doe both blot them out, and fill their place. If there were any other way to Heaven than sorrow, Vel faelix mundus, vel fallens Christus; the world happy, and Christ had mis-taught us: For Hee saith, Ioh. 16.20. Ye shall weepe, but the World shall rejoyce: but your sorrow shall bee turned into joy, and their joy into sorrow. Yee shall mourne in this world; This is a perpetuall Prognostication: the Wisedome of Heaven teacheth us what Weather wee must looke for; Wet and Rainie, to the End of our Iourney. Saint Augustine askes the price of the Kingdome of Heaven: and answers himselfe, that it is Dignum aeterno labore, worthy of long labour: yet it is gotten Brevi dolore, with a short sorrow. Rev. 21.4. God shall wipe away all teares from our eyes: but dry cheekes have no need of wiping. The Papists speake wonders of their holy Water: but the right holy Water is the teares of a sanctified heart: A repentant eye is the true Cisterne of holy Water. Pro brevibus lachrymis, gaudia longa metent. The sights of our sorrowfull spirits on Earth, makes the spirits joyfull in Heaven. Paulin. God that is grieved at our sinfull joyes, will rejoyce to behold our penitent griefes. Psalm. 126.5. This is the happy Harvest that growes out of the holy seed of our teares: wee plough groning, but wee shall reape our Croppe singing. The Ancients in their sorrowes were used to rend their garments: the Prophet diverts us from that Custome, to the Ioel. 2.13. renting of our hearts. The Priests of Baal did lance their flesh, as their heires, the Romists doe now macerate their bodies: But there may be a broken heart under a whole skinne, under a whole garment: as under torne clothes and hides, there may bee untouched hearts. A whole garment is more handsome to men, than a broken one: but a broken heart is more pleasing to God than a whole one. Wee are wont to cut and slash our apparell, in pride: O that we would deale so with our hearts, in humility, and repentance! A robe that is thus artificially mangled, if the scissures and breaches be reconciled with Cant. 1.11. borders of Gold and studdes of Silver; or knit together with the ties of Silke and precious stones; appeares more glorious, than the former continuity could have made it. The contrite heart, which the remorse of sinne hath cut out into peeces, after it is redintegrated with the Spirit of consolation, and made up with Grace, Peace, and Remission; Iewels so precious, that the Pride of Nature and Art are basenesse to them: it is most lovely in the Eyes of God, and reserved for the Wardrobe of Heaven. The Israelites must crosse the River Iordan, before they enter into Canaan: and necessarily, Repentance is our way to that blessed Ierusalem.
2. It is the Will of God, that wee should repent: His commanding Will, wee speake not of his decreeing Will: That Will of his which He tels us; we may not meddle with that part of his Will which He keepes to Himselfe. All Righteousnesse, all Happinesse, is the Will of God to his Creature. 1 Thes. 4.3. This is the Will of God, your Sanctification: Holinesse is the Daughter of Repentance. 1 Tim. 2.4. This is the Will of God, your Salvation: That is the end, whereunto Repentance is the meanes: wee must goe by the meanes unto, the end. It is my Fathers Will, that none of these little ones should perish: wee must all perish, little and great, if we repent not. Luk. 12.32. It is your Fathers Will, to give you a Kingdome: that Kingdome hath been opened to deplored Impiety, it is alwaies barred against Impenitency. This is not onely a declaratory Will, to all: but an efficacious Will, to all that embrace it. God affords many proofes of his Willingnesse to bring us to Repentance. First, his Word preached: Why doth Hee call us, but that Hee would have us come? Why is the Cant. 2.12. Voyce of the Turtle heard in our Land? But that as one Turtle ecchoes to another, in their mourning accents, so our sorrowfull consideration of your sinnes in our Sermons, should be answered with a reciprocall Repentance in your hearts. Vox Turturis non dulce sonat, sed dulce signat: our voice is not alwaies pleasing to our eares, but it is alwaies profitable to our soules. This is the scope of all our Preaching, to bring you to Repentance: not to win your eares but your teares: we would not have you commend us, we would have you amend your selves. This is the honour of a Sermon, when the Hearer goes weeping home: and in stead of Hee said well; cries out to God in secret, I have done ill. Therefore is the word called Fire; that it might melt your hearts: Therefore is Christ compared to Mal. 4.2. the Sunne, and the holy Ghost to Ioh. 3.8. the Winde; that they may both dissolve your Cloudes into teares. Secondly, the Sacraments, both which are the reall Oracles of Repentance. Baptisme is a Sacrament of Faith, the Lords Supper a Sacrament of Love; both are Sacraments of Repentance. Baptisme is a Key to let us in, the Lords Supper a Locke to keepe and seale us up: both are in effectuall without Repentance. The former is precisely called Luk. 3.3. The Baptisme of Repentance: Baptisme is a Sacramentall Repentance, and Repentance is an allegoricall Baptisme. In the former wee are Patients, Agents in the latter: There, another baptiseth us, here, wee baptize our selves: In Baptisme we promise Repentance, by Repentance wee performe our Vow in Baptisme: That was Semel factum, wee were but once baptized at the Font: this is Sapè iteratum, yea quotidianum, we must daily baptize our soules in the fountaine of our teares. That was one showre of grace falling from Heaven above us: this is a continuall running Spring of compunction within us. To the other Sacrament, Who dares approach without Repentance? The Bread of life will choke him: and that sacred Wine, the Symbole of Christs Bloud; which is so soveraigne and cordiall to all Beleevers, will run like poison through his veines, without Repentance. Yea therefore, therein, and thereby, doth the Lord seale unto us the Remission of our sinnes, upon the fore-granted condition of our Repentance.
I might adde to these, many other demonstrations: but, Pondere, non numero argumentorum, I had rather presse you with weight, than oppresse you with number of arguments. Wherefore doth the Spirit of Grace knocke at our doores, with such infinite holy motions, but that He would come in? He will not come in till Repentance hath swept the House; therefore his first knocke is for Repentance. All Gods Blessings are like so many Sutors, that wooe us to Repentance: yea, they put on even the formes of Clients, and petition us for Repentance. All his judgements are so many claps of Thunder, to waken us to Repentance. His afflictions are Ambassadours, that treat with us about a League; which cannot bee had without Repentance. All the Creatures of God, ordained for our use, are so many silent Sermons, so many Trumpets, that summon us to Repentance. Nothing can be plainer, than that the Lord would have us come to Repentance. Is He willing, and are wee unwilling? Is it not for our good? Why then doe we not consent? We should continually beg this favour on our knees, though it were hard to be granted; and doe we despise it, being so graciously offered? No, let us present our selves to him, whom we have provoked, if not in innocency, yet in humility: if not with a cleane, yet at least, with a broken heart: and seeing we cannot by our righteousnes, let us endevour to be saved by our repentance.
3 Neither doth he will this good to some, but to All: he would have All come to repentance: this is the infinite latitude of his Mercy. God looketh downe from Heaven upon the Children of men, and Psal. 14.3. There is none that doth good, no not one: And yet is his goodnesse so immense, that he would have none perish, no not one? Rom. 3.23. All men have sinned, and yet would he have all men saved? All have come short of the glory of God; and yet would hee have all come home to the glory of God. What, All? There be some, Lord, that mis-beleeve thy Truth, some that abuse thy Word, some that despise thy Name, some that blaspheeme thine Honour; and yet doest thou except none. Wouldst thou have All come to repentance? That extreeme malice, Sathan, would have All perish: The infinite goodnesse, GOD, would have All blessed. How well bee their names fitted to their natures, in our language; Good, and God: Evill, and Devill? In the Creation, when God had made all things, he reviewed them, and saw that All was good: And such is the goodnesse of his Love, such his Love of goodnesse, that he would have All good againe. I will not diminish the mercies of God, by admitting here of any of these distinctions; of Sufficiency and Efficacy, of the Generalls and Individualls, all of every kinde, or every kinde of all: Let no man straighten, what God hath enlarged. Oppresse not thy selfe, with what God can doe by his absolute Power, nor with what he hath done by his inscrutable decree; but comfort thy soule with what he reveales of his incomparable mercy. He tells thee, that he would not have thee perish; that he would have thee repent; when if thou doest, in a thousand places he hath told thee that he will save thee: but no where, at no time, hath he peremptorily told thee, that he will damne thee. Esa. 50.1. Where is the bil of your mothers divorcement, whom I have put away? or to which of my creditors have I sold you? Though I might have done both, and left you without just cause of complaint; yet I have not done it. Vbi libellus? If I have forsaken you, If I have sold you, shew me your bil of Divorce, shew me your bil of Sale. Do I wish well unto all, and dost thou exclude thy selfe, ô thou wrangling soule? Vpon what canst thou ground this jealousie and suspition in thy Maker? If I have rejected thee, ubi libellus? Where is the Bill? shew me if any where under my hand In the 66. books of both my Testaments, what one Chapter canst thou picke out, what one verse, what one sentence, wherein I have peremptorily and definitively condemn’d thee? every leafe abounds with the proffers of Gods mercy to All; without limitation, to All that embrace it, But that he hath rejected thee, or mee, or any name amongst us; this I am sure wee never found. No Lord, thou willest good unto All; O that All would will good to themselves, and give all glory to thee, for thy tender mercies in Iesus Christ.
4 Wee are directed to come to repentance, and not to looke that repentance should come unto us. Seeke for wisedome as for silver, and as thou diggest for gold: we expect not that gold and silver should seeke us out: if we doe, our purses will be light, and our hearts heavy: and we may take up Saint Peters ditty, Act. 3.6. Silver and gold have I none. It is true that without Christ we can doe nothing: but having Christ, will we doe nothing, neither? we may say of comming to Repentance, as to that great Supper: Neither all they that were bidden were willing to come: nor they that came, could have come without calling. They that came, cannot ascribe merit to themselues, because they were called: they that came not, may well attribute blame to themselves, because they were called. But how should we come to repentance? Our feete are our desires: we are what we desire to be, and where we desire to be: Maria non erat, vbi erat: Mary was not where she was, but where her desire was, and that was with Christ. When wee earnestly desire repentance, we are at it: There may be a faint languid wish of repentance; O that I were another man! this is a foote, but a lame foote; the soule cannot walke upon it. There may bee an unwilling willingnesse to repent, which is a preposterous foote turned backeward; Faine I would repent, but I am loth to lose the sweetnesse of my sinne: so watermen looke one way, and row another: they give a looke toward repentance, but their actions move toward wickednesse: they would arrive in the East, but they steere their course westward. We cannot goe upon such stilts and crutches to Heaven. Hearty prayer and diligent endeavour; these are the two sound legges, whereon wee must come to repentance.
5 The intent of Gods long suffering towards us, is that we might not perish: His patience invites our penitence. Rom. 2.4. Knowest thou not that Gods goodnesse and forbearance leadeth thee to repentance? Why doth hee spare us so long, but that our amendment might procure him to spare us for ever? Repentance, thither he leads us, and by his Patience, so he leads us. O let us have ductile spirits, willing to follow so sweet a manuduction! Rev. 2.21. I gave her space to repent of her fornications, but shee repented not. The Lord strucke Ahab, her husband, with a violent death, her elder Sonne Ahaziah perished, her younger sonne Ioram, had twelve yeeres unfortunate raigne: will Iesabel take no warning by all this? No, for still she repented not. God is offended, it is he that suffers the injury and proffers the mercy: yet still she repented not. While he stands waiting, she is painting her cheeks threatning his Prophets, renting his holy Name with blasphemies; but still shee repented not. He doubles her daies of forbearance, that might hasten her day of vengeance: hee lets her breath out reproaches against him, whiles hee allowes her breath to repent and coole her torment: and yet she repented not. The Divell gapes to devoure her, and solicites God that shee might be turned over to him for punishment; who would use her worse than the Dan. 6.24. Lions did the enemies of Daniel, breaking her bones before shee could fall to the bottome of the Denne: still the Lord puts of Satan, and enlargeth her terme; but yet shee repented not. May we not paralell this city with that woman? Those two daughters of the great king, have come hand in hand to wooe us: Mercy and Truth have met together, Righteousnesse and Peace, have kissed each other: Mercy going before with Peace to you, if you embrace it, Iustice following after with woe to you, if you refuse it: The one with an open bosome, ready to receive the penitent; the other with a drawne sword to devoure the obstinate; and yet we repented not. One while Peace hath planted Laurells and Palme trees round about our Coasts, and Plenteousnesse hath kept her court within our borders: Another while, fire hath demolished our buildings, Plagues have emptied our walls, losses by Sea hath diminished our Estates, strange proceedings hath distracted our mindes: in the meane time, the Prophets of GOD have told us the causes and the remedies of all these sorrowes: yet as if our hearts were Sermon proofe, were Shot-proofe, were thunder-proofe too, truely is it said of us, That wee repented not.
God is patient, that we might be penitent: All men continue, but with what heart? Behold the aged worldling, that hath overlived all the teeth of his gummes, the haires of his head, the sight of his eyes, the taste of his palate: yet he is loth to die. Why? Either he hath not yet enough, and would live to get it; or hee hath too much, and would live to spend it. Most men would neither die, nor be old, nor are yet content in being young: To whom it may bee said, as the Vision spake to the shrinking professors of the primitive times: you would neither live to be old, nor die while you are young; What shall doe with you? We see old age, an embleme of misery; a burden uxori, natis que sibique: yet being asked what yeere we would die, we still shuffle it off to the next; and rather than want excuses, we would live to repent. This were well if it were true. But does not the greater number rather ad to the heape of their sins by continuance, than diminish it by repentance? As if they coveted time, to swell the cup of their torment to the brimme: or that Hell-fire could not bee hot enough for them, unlesse they had more space allowed them to blow it? The sinne which our birth brought with it into the world, though wee had never done actuall trespasse, is worke enough for us to repent of. Besides we sinne too much actually every day, for that daies repentance. Mat. 6.34. Sufficient to the day is the sinnefull evill thereof. O that sufficient to the day were the godly sorrow thereof. yea, the sinne of one houre may well taske the repentance of many dayes. Lay all these together, and see if thy time be not rather of the shortest, for this great worke of repentance. He that commits one sinne, hath hath broken Totam legem, though not Totum legis: but we have broken every one of Gods tenne Lawes ten thousand times, and tenne thousand waies. Iob. 7.20. We have sinned, what shall we doe unto thee, O thou preserver of men? What should you doe, replies our gracious God? Make use of my patience; I allow you time; doe you lay hold of repentance. Have we so many sinnes, and so few dayes; and shall we not set apart one houre of a day, one day of a weeke, for this weighty businesse? Wee sinne enough in one day, to repent all our lives: and doe wee thinke, that for the sinnes of all our lives, we can sufficiently repent in one day? If we have seene many rising and setting Sunnes, and beheld the wheeling Heavens turne over forty yeeres; they say, we have had a faire time; yes if we have repented: otherwise it may prove a foule time to us. Pleasure we have little need of, repentance is necessary: our time is too short for both, one of them can onely possesse it: Detur digniori, give it to the worthier. Before we came into the World, we had sinne: after we are gone out of the world, (except Christ by his satisfaction cleare the skore) our sinne remaines in Gods debt-booke: in neither of these states is there place for repentance: onely Tempus vitae, tempus poenitentiae. Time was when God did gently admonish men, Quid statis? Mat. 20.6. why stand you all the day idle? The day shall come, when hee will terrifie their soules with a Quid stetistis? Why have you stood all the day idle? O then, let us not adde to our other sinnes, this sinne also; that we have lost the time of repentance. Let us humbly prostrate our selves before the Throne of grace; and begge not onely space for repentance, but the grace of repentance; that after Gods allowance of time to repent, we may never be driven to repent that we had such an allowance. O let it never bee said of us, as it was of that cursed Iesabell, that we repented not.
The use of all this teacheth us, not to abuse the Divine patience, but to take the first opportunity of repentance. If sinne be fostered in youth, it will hardly be dispossessed in age. Quem juvenis admisisti socium, Senex habebis dominum. That which the young man tooke in for his play fellow, when he is aged he shall finde his Master. Suppose that sicknesse surpriseth a man in the heat of his blood, and height of his jovialty; though he had rather live to enjoy his pleasant sins, yet he would repent if he must die: August. Poenitentiam dare possumus, non securitatem: we neither deny him mercy, nor afford him security. Vis ergo à dubio liberari? Tene certum, dimitte incertum. Wouldest thou be put out of doubt? lay hold on that which is certaine, let goe that which is uncertaine. Repent presently, now in thy health; this is good: Quia eo tempore poenituisti, quo potuisti peccare: because in the time when thou mightest have sinned, thou hast repented. But then onely to beginne to be sorry, Cypr. when thou hast no further stomach to sinne; Peccata te dimiserunt, non tu illa: thy sinnes have cashered thee, not thou them. If wee see no flowers in the Spring, we looke for no fruits in Autumne. The Philosopher being asked neere his end, why he had not married in all his life, answered thus: In youth I was too yong, now I am too old, betwixt both these times I had other businesse. In like manner doe wee shuffle off repentance, as he did marriage. In youth we thinke our selves too yong, and need not: in age too old, and cannot: in middle age we have other businesse and will not. But as the bloody Tyrants in the dayes of Queene Mary, gave our forefathers a round and peremptory choice; Either turne or burne: So we tremble to speake it, but we must: Let dissolute sinners either hasten their turning to repentance, or expect their burning in the fiery lake of vengeance.
Thus wee have all the parts of this verse in every passage whereof wee meete with Mercy: Zach. 4.7. that as at the repairing of the Temple, the people shouted to Zerubbabel; Grace, Grace unto it; so let our thankefull hearts acknowledge in every piece of this Holy building; Mercy, Mercy, there is nothing but Mercy in it. Wee may breath upon every word, as that Psalme closeth up every verse, with this bearing, For his mercy endureth for ever. First, The Lord is not slacke to save and deliver us, for his mercy endureth for ever. Secondly, much lesse is he slacke concerning his promise to doe us good; for his mercy endureth for ever. Thirdly, But hee is long suffering toward us, full sweete is his patience, for his mercy endureth for ever. Fourthly, He is not willing that any should perish, hee desires not the death of a sinner, for his mercy endureth for ever. Fifthly, But he would have all men come to repentance, and by repentance to forgivenesse, and by forgivenesse to salvation, for his mercy endureth for ever, Amen.
