do coun

fartheft from true repentance, that will not confefs and acknowledge their fins, nor yet bewail them, but rather do moft ungodlily glory and rejoice in them. Now left any man fhould think that repentance doth confift in outward weeping and mourning only, he doth rehearse that wherein the chief of the whole matter doth lie, when he faith, Rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God. For the people of the East part of the world were wont to rend their garments, if any thing happened unto them that feemed intolerable. This thing did hypocrites fometimes counterfeit and follow, Hypocrites as though the whole repentance did ftand in fuch outward gefture. He teacheth then, that another manner manner of of thing is required, that is, that they must be contrite in things their hearts, that they must utterly deteft and abhor fins, and, being at defiance with them, return unto the Lord their God, from whom they went away before. For God hath no pleasure in the outward ceremony, but requireth a contrite and humble heart, which he will never defpife, as David doth teftify. There is therefore none Pfal. lii, other use to thefe outward ceremonies, but as far forth as we are stirred up by them, and do ferve to the glory of God, and to the edifying of others.

terfeit all

not unpro

Now doth he add unto this doctrine of exhortation How recertain godly reafons, which he doth ground upon the pentance is nature and property of God, and whereby he doth teach, fitable. that true repentance can never be unprofitable or unfruitful. For as in all other things men's hearts do quail and faint, if they once perceive that they travail in vain; even fo moft efpecially in this matter muft we take heed, and beware that we fuffer not ourselves to be perfuaded that all that we do is but labour loft: for thereof either fudden defperation doth arife, or a licentious boldness to fin, which at length bringeth unto defperation. Left any fuch thing then should happen unto them, he doth certify them of the grace and goodness of God, who is always moft ready to receive them into favour again, that turn speedily unto him. Which thing he doth prove with the fame titles wherewith God doth defcribe and fet forth himself unto Mofes, fpeaking on this manner; For be is gracious and merciful, flow to anger, of great kind- Exod. nefs, and repenteth him of the evil; that is, fuch a one as is xxxiv. forry for your afflictions. First, he calleth him gentle and gracious, as he who of his own nature is more prompt and ready to do good, than to punish. Whereunto this faying of Ifaiah the Prophet feemeth to pertain, where

Gg 2

Ifa. lv.

where he faith, Let the wicked forfake his way, and the un righteous bis own imaginations, and return unto the Lord, and he will have pity on him; and to our God, for be is very ready to forgive. Secondly, he doth attribute unto him mercy, or rather (according to the Hebrew word) the bowels of mercies, whereby he fignified the natural affections of parents towards their children. Which thing Pfal. ciii. David doth fet forth goodly, faying, As a father bath compaffion on his children, fo bath the Lord compaffion on them that fear him; for he knoweth whereof we be made, be remembereth that we are but duft. Thirdly, he faith, that be is flow to anger, that is to fay, long-fuffering, and which is not lightly provoked to wrath. Fourthly, that be is of much kindness, for he is that bottomless well of all goodness, who rejoiceth to do good unto us: therefore did be create and make men, that he might have whom he should do good unto, and make partakers of his heavenly riches. Fifthly, He repenteth of the evil; that is to fay, he doth call back again and revoke the punishment which he had threatened, when he feeth men repent, turn, and amend. Whereupon Against the we do not without a juft caufe deteft and abhor the Novatians. damnable opinion of them, which do moft wickedly go

Mark iii.

about to perfuade the fimple and ignorant people, that if we chance, after we be once come to God, and grafted in his Son Jefus Chrift, to fall into fome horrible fin, repentance fhall be unprofitable unto us, there is no more hope of reconciliation, or to be received again into the favour and mercy of God. And that they may give the better colour unto their peftilent and pernicious error, they do commonly bring in the fixth and tenth chapters of the Epiftle to the Hebrews, and the fecond chapter of the fecond Epiftle of Peter; not confidering that in those places the holy Apoftles do not fpeak of the daily falls that we, as Matt. xii. long as we carry about this body of fin, are fubject unto; but of the final falling away from Chrift and his Gospel, which is a fin against the Holy Ghoft, that fhall never be against the forgiven, because that they do utterly forfake the known Holy Ghoft. truth, do hate Chrift and his word, they do crucify and mock him, (but to their utter deftruction) and therefore fall into defperation, and cannot repent. And that this is the true meaning of the holy Spirit of God, it appeareth by many other places of the Scriptures, which promife unto all true repentant finners, and to them that with their whole heart do turn unto the Lord their God, free pardon and remiffion of their fins. For the probation hereof, we read this: 0 Ifrael, faith the holy Prophet Jeremiah,

The fin

Jeremiah, if thou return, return unto me, faith the Lord ; Jer, iv. and if thou put away thine abominations out of my fight, then fbalt thou not be removed. Again, thefe are Ifaiah's words: Let the wicked forfake his own ways, and the unrighteous Ifa. lv. bis own imaginations, and turn again unto the Lord, and be will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he is ready to forgive. And in the Prophet Hofea, the godly exhort one another after this manner: Come, and let us turn again Hofea vi. unto the Lord; for he bath fmitten us, and be will beal us; be bath wounded us, and be will bind us up again. It is most evident and plain, that thefe things ought to be un-Note. derstood of them that were with the Lord before, and by their fins and wickedneffes were gone away from him.

2

For we do not turn again unto him with whom we were never before, but we come unto him. Now, unto all them that will return unfeignedly unto the Lord their God, the favour and mercy of God unto forgiveness of Ecclef. vii. fins is liberally offered. Whereby it followeth neceffarily, that although we do, after we be once come to God, and grafted in his Son Jefus Chrift, fall into great fins, (for there is no righteous man upon the earth that finneth not; and if we fay we have no fin, we deceive our-1 Johni. felves, and the truth is not in us;) yet if we rife again by repentance, and, with a full purpofe of amendment of life, do flee unto the mercy of God, taking fure hold thereupon, through faith in his Son Jefus Chrift, there is an affured and infallible hope of pardon and remiffion of the fame, and that we fhall be received again into the favour A&ts xiii. of our heavenly Father. It is written of David, I have a Sam. vii. found a man according to mine own heart; or, I have found David, the Son of Jeffe, a man according to mine own beart, who will do all things that I will. This is a great commendation of David. It is alfo moft certain, that he did fteadfastly believe the promife that was made him touching the Meffias, who fhould come of him touching the flesh, and that by the fame faith he was justified and grafted in our Saviour Jefus Chrift to come; and yet afterwards he fell horribly, committing moft deteftable adultery and damnable murder; and yet as foon as he cried Peccavi, I bave finned unto the Lord, his fin being a Sam. xi. forgiven, he was received into favour again. Now will 2 Sam. xxii, we come unto Peter, of whom no man can doubt but that he was grafted in our Saviour Jefus Chrift, long before his denial. Which thing may easily be proved by the anfwer which he did in his name, and in the name of his fellow Apoftles, make unto our Saviour Jefus Chrift, when

John vi.

Matt. x.

Aas ii.

he faid unto them, Will ye alfo go away? Mafter, faith he, to whom hall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life; and we believe and know that thou art that Chrift, the Son of the living God. Whereunto may be added the like confeffion of Peter, where Chrift doth give us moft infallible teftimony: Thou art bleffed, Simon, the fun of Jonas; for neither flesh nor blood hath revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in beaven. Thefe words are fufficient to prove that Peter was already juftified, through this his lively faith in the only begotten Son of God, whereof he made fo notable and fo folemn a confeffion. But did not he afterwards moft cowardly deny his MafMatt. xxvi. ter, although he had heard of him, Whosoever denietb me before men, I will deny him before my Father? Nevertheless, as foon as with weeping eyes and with a fobbing heart he did acknowledge his offence, and with an earnest repentance did flee unto the mercy of God, taking fure hold thereupon, through faith in him whom he had fo fhamefully denied, his fin was forgiven him, and, for a certificate and affurance thereof, the room of his apoftlefhip was not denied unto him. But now mark what doth follow: After the fame holy Apoftle had on Whitfunday with the reft of the Difciples received the gift of the Holy Ghost most abundantly, he committed no fmall offence in Antiochia, by bringing the confciences of the faithful into doubt by his example, fo that Paul was fain to rebuke him to his face, becaule that he walked not uprightly, or went not the right way in the Gospel. Shall we now fay, that, after this grievous offence, he was utterly excluded and fhut out from the grace and mercy of God, and that this his trefpafs, whereby he was a ftumbling-block unto many, was unpardonable? God defend we should fay fo. But as thefe examples are not brought in, to the end that we fhould thereby take a boldness to fin, prefuming on the mercy and goodnefs of God, but to the end that if, through the frailnefs of our own fleth and the temptation of the Devil, we fall into like fins, we fhould in no wife defpair of the mercy and goodness What we of God; even fo muft we beware and take heed, that we do in no wife think in our hearts, imagine, or believe, that we are able to repent aright, or to turn effectually unto the Lord by our own might and ftrength. For this must be verified in all men, Without me ye can do nothing. 2 Cor. i. Again, Of ourselves we are not able as much as to think a good thought. And in another place, It is God that worketh in us both the will and the dead. For this caufe, al

Gal. ii.

muft beware of.

John xv.

Phil. ii.

though

viii. cap. 9.

though Jeremiah had faid before, If thou return, O Ifrael, Jer. vi. return unto me, faith the Lord; yet afterwards he faith, Turn thou me, O Lord, and I fhall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God. And therefore that holy writer and ancient father Ambrofe doth plainly affirm, that the turn- Ambrof. de ing of the heart unto God is of God, as the Lord himself Vocat. doth teftify by his Prophet, faying, And I will give thee Gent. lib. an beart to know me, that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God; for they shall return unto me with their whole heart. These things being confidered, let us earneftly pray unto the living God our heavenly Father, that he will vouchfafe by his holy Spirit to work a true and unfeigned repentance in us, that, after the painful labours and travails of this life, we may live eternally with his Son Jefus Chrift: to whom be all praise and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The Second Part of the Homily of Repentance.

H

TITHERTO have ye heard, well-beloved, how needful and neceffary the doctrine of repentance is, and how earnestly it is throughout all the Scriptures of God urged and fet forth, both by the ancient Prophets, by our Saviour Jefus Chrift, and his Apoftles; and that forafmuch as it is the converfion or turning again of the whole man unto God, from whom we go away by fin, thefe four points ought to be obferved; that is, from whence, or from what things we must return; unto whom this our returning must be made; by whofe means it ought to be done, that it may be effectual; and laft of all, after what fort we ought to behave ourselves in the fame, that it may be profitable unto us, and attain unto the thing that we do feek by it. Ye have alfo learned, that as the opinion of them that deny the benefit of repentance unto thofe, that, after they be come to God, and grafted in our Saviour Jefus Chrift, do through the frailnels of their flesh, and the temptation of the Devil, fall into fome grievous and detestable fin, is moft peltilent and pernicious; fo we muft beware, that we do in no wife think that we are able of our own felves, and of our own ftrength, to return unto the Lord our God, from whom we are gone away by our wickednefs and fin. Now it fhall be declared unto you, what be the true parts of repentance, and what things ought to move us to repent,

Gg 4

and