The time of repentance is the time present, without any delay at all: as the holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice. And,1 Exhort one another daily, while it is called to day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Reasons hereof are these. I. Life is uncertain: for no man knows at what hour or moment, & after what manner he shall go forth of this world. Be ye also prepared therefore, 2for the son of man will come at an hour when ye think not. This one thing should make a man to hasten his repentance; and the rather, because many are dead, who purposed with them selves to repent in time to come; but were prevented by death, and shall never repent. II. The longer a man lives in any sin, the greater danger: because by practise sin gets heart & strength. Custom is of such force, that that which men use to do in their life time, the ⟨p. 56⟩same they do and speak when they are dying. One had three pounds owing to him to be paid three several years: when he was dying, nothing could be got of him, but three years, three pounds. Again, by deferring repentance, men treasure up wrath against the day of wrath. As if a malefactor for his punishment, should be appointed to carry every day a stick of wood to an heap, to burn him twenty years after. III. The more the time is prolonged, the harder it is to repent: the longer a man goes in his sickness without physic, the harder is the recovery. And where the devil dwells long, he will hardly be removed. The best way to kill a serpent, is, to cruse it in the head when it is young. IIII. It is as meat and drink to the devil to see men live in their sins deferring repentance: as on the contrary, there is great joy among the angels of god in heaven, when a sinner doth repent. V. Late repentance is seldom or never true repentance. For if a man repent when he cannot sin as in former time, as namely in death: then he leaves not sin but sin leaves him: wherefore ⟨p. 57⟩the repentance which men frame to them selves when they are dying, it is to be feared least it die with them. And it is very just, that he should be contemned of God in his death, who contemned God in his life. Chrysostom sayeth, that the wicked man hath this punishment on him, that in dying he should forget himself, who when he was living did forget God. VI.
THe time of repentance is the time present, without any delay at all: as the holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will heare his voyce. And,1 Exhort one another daily, while it is called to day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfullnesse of sinne. Reasons hereof are these. I. Life is uncerten: for no mā knowes at what houre or moment, & after what manner he shall goe forth of this world. Be ye also prepared therefore, 2for the sonne of man wil come at an houre when ye thinke not. This one thing should make a man to hasten his repentance; and the rather, because many are dead, who purposed with them selves to repent in time to come; but were prevented by death, and shall never repent. II. The longer a man lives in any sin, the greater danger: because by practise sin gets heart & strēgth. Custome is of such force, that that which men use to do in their life time, the ⟨p. 56⟩same they doe and speake when they are dying. One had three pounds owing to him to be paid three seuerall yeres: when he was dying, nothing could be got of him, but three yeres, three pounds. Againe, by deferring repentance, men treasure up wrath against the day of wrath. As if a malefactour for his punishment, should be appointed to cary every day a sticke of wood to an heape, to burne him twentie yeeres after. III. The more the time is prolonged, the harder it is to repent: the longer a man goes in his sicknesse without phisicke, the harder is the recoverie. And where the devill dwells long, hee will hardly be remooved. The best way to kill a serpent, is, to cruse it in the heade when it is young. IIII. It is as meat and drinke to the devill to see men liue in their sinnes deferring repentance: as on the contrary, there is great ioy among the angels of god in heaven, when a sinner doth repent. V. Late repentance is seldome or never true repentance. For if a man repent when he cannot sinne as in former time, as namely in death: then hee leaves not sinne but sinne leaves him: wherefore ⟨p. 57⟩the repentance which men frame to them selues when they are dying, it is to be feared least it die with them. And it is very iust, that hee should be contemned of God in his death, who contemned God in his life. Chrysostome sayeth, that the wicked man hath this punishment on him, that in dying hee shoulde forget himselfe, who when hee was living did forget God. VI.
- 1Heb. 3. 7, 13.
- 2Luke 12. 40.
