A Golden Chain

And therefore we esteem of repentance only as a fruit of faith: and the effect, or efficacy of it, is to testify remission of our sins, and our reconciliation before God. It will be said that remission of sins and life everlasting, are promised to repentance. Ans. It is not to the work of repentance, but to the person which repenteth, and that not for his own merits or work of repentance, but for the merits of Christ, which he applieth to himself by faith. And thus are we to understand the promises of the Gospel, in which works are mentioned; presupposing always in them the reconciliation of the person with God, to whom the promise is made. Thus we see wherefore we dissent from the Roman Church touching the doctrine of repentance.

And therefore we esteeme of repentance onely as a fruit of faith: and the effect, or efficacie of it, is to testifie remission of our sinnes, and our reconciliation before God. It will be saide that remission of sinnes and life euerlasting, are promised to repentance. Ans. It is not to the worke of repentance, but to the person which repenteth, and that not for his owne merits or worke of repentance, but for the merits of Christ, which he applieth to himselfe by faith. And thus are we to vnderstand the promises of the Gospel, in which workes are mentioned; presupposing alwaies in them the reconciliation of the person with God, to whō the promise is made. Thus we see wherefore we dissent from the Romane Church touching the doctrine of repentance.

Special abuses do concern Contrition, Confession, and Satisfaction. The first abuse concerning contrition is, that they teach it must be sufficient and perfect. They use now to help the matter by a distinction: saying, that the sorrow in contrition, must be in the highest degree in respect of ^avalue & estimation. Yet the opinion of ^bAdrian was otherwise, that in true repentance a man should be grieved according to all his endeavour. And the Roman Catechism saith as much, that the sorrow conceived of our sins must be so great, that none can be conceived to be greater: that we must be contrite in the same manner we love God, and that is with all our heart and strength in a most vehement sorrow: and that the hatred of sin must be not only the greatest but also most vehement and perfect, so as it may exclude all sloth and slackness. Indeed afterward it follows, that true contrition may be effectual though it be imperfect: but how can this stand, if they will not only commend but also prescribe and avouch, that contrition must be most perfect and vehement. We therefore only teach, that God requires not so much the measure, as the truth of any grace: and that it is a degree of unfeigned contrition to be grieved, because we cannot be grieved for our sins as we should. The second abuse is, that they ascribe to their contrition the merit of congruity. But this can not stand with the all-sufficient merit of Christ. And an ancient Council saith, God inspires into us first of all the faith and love of himself, no merits going before, that we may faithfully require the sacrament of baptism, and after baptism do the things that please him. And we for our parts hold, that God requires contrition at our hands, not to merit remission of sins: but that we may acknowledge our own unworthiness, and be humbled in the sight of God, and distrust all our own merits: and further, that we may make the more account of the benefits of Christ, whereby we are received into the favour of God: lastly, that we might more carefully avoid all sins in time to come, whereby so many pains and terrors of conscience are procured. And we acknowledge no contrition at all to be meritorious, save that of Christ: whereby he was broken for our iniquities.