fRepentance from dead works, is one of the foundations and principles of the doctrine of Christ. gNothing maketh repentance certain, but the hatred of sin, and the love of God. and without true repentance all the Priests under heaven are not able to give us a discharge from our sins, and deliver us from the wrath to come. hExcept ye be converted, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. iExcept ye repent, ye shall all perish: is the Lords saying in the new Testament. and in the old: kRepent, and turn from all your transgressions: so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from ⟨p. 152⟩you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed, and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye dye, O house of Israel? Now put case one cometh to his ghostly father, with such sorrow of mind as the terrors of a guilty conscience usually do produce, and with such a resolution to cast away his sins, as a man hath in a storm to cast away his goods, not because he doth not love them, but because he feareth to loose his life if he part not with them: doth not he betray this mans soul, who putteth into his head, that such an extorted repentance as this, which hath not one grain of love to season it withal, will qualify him sufficiently for the receiving of an absolution, by I know not what sacramental faculty that the Priest is furnished withal to that purpose? For all do confess with S. Augustin, that lthis fear which loveth not justice, but dreadeth punishment, is servile, because it is carnal, and therefore doth not crucify the flesh. For the willingness to sin liveth, which then appeareth in the work, when impunity is hoped for: but when it is believed that punishment will follow, it liveth closely, yet it liveth. For it would wish rather, that it were lawful to do that which the Law forbiddeth, and is sorry that it is not lawful: because it is not spiritually delighted with the good thereof, but carnally feareth the evil which it doth threaten. What man then, do we think, will take the pains to get him a new heart and a new spirit, and undertake the toilsome work of crucifying the flesh with the lusts thereof;
fRepentance from dead workes, is one of the foundations and principles of the doctrine of Christ. gNothing maketh repentance certaine, but the hatred of sinne, and the love of God. and without true repentance all the Priests under heaven are not able to give us a discharge from our sinnes, and deliver us from the wrath to come. hExcept ye be converted, ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heaven. iExcept yee repent, yee shall all perish: is the Lords saying in the new Testament. and in the old: kRepent, and turne from all your transgressions: so iniquitie shall not be your ruine. Cast away from ⟨p. 152⟩you all your transgressions, whereby yee have transgressed, and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will yee dye, O house of Israel? Now put case one commeth to his ghostly father, with such sorrow of minde as the terrours of a guiltie conscience usually doe produce, and with such a resolution to cast away his sins, as a man hath in a storme to cast away his goods, not because he doth not love them, but because he feareth to loose his life if he part not with them: doth not he betray this mans soule, who putteth into his head, that such an extorted repentance as this, which hath not one graine of love to season it withall, wil qualifie him sufficiently for the receiving of an absolution, by I know not what sacramentall facultie that the Priest is furnished withall to that purpose? For all doe confesse with S. Augustin, that lthis feare which loveth not justice, but dreadeth punishment, is servile, because it is carnall, and therefore doth not crucifie the flesh. For the willingnesse to sinne liveth, which then appeareth in the work, when impunitie is hoped for: but when it is beleeved that punishment will follow, it liveth closely, yet it liveth. For it would wish rather, that it were lawfull to doe that which the Law forbiddeth, and is sorry that it is not lawfull: because it is not spiritually delighted with the good thereof, but carnally feareth the evill vvhich it doth threaten. What man then, doe we thinke, will take the paynes to get him a new heart and a new spirit, and undertake the toylsome worke of crucifying the flesh with the lustes thereof;
- fHebr. 6.1.
- gPoenitentiā certam non facit, nisi odium peccati, & amor Dei. August serm. 7. de Tempore.Poenitentiā certam non facit, nisi odium peccati, & amor Dei. August serm. 7. de Tempore.
- hMatth. 18.3.
- iLuk. 13.3, 5.
- kEzech. 18.30, 31.
- lTimor namque iste quo nō amatur justitia, sed timetur poena, servilis est, quia carnalis est, & ideò non c•ucifigit carnem. Vivit enim peccandi voluntas, quae tunc apparet in opere, quando speratur impunitas. Cùm veró paena c•editur secutura, latenter vivit, vivit tamen. Mallet enim licere & dolet non licere quod lex vetat: quia non spiritaliter delectatur ejus bono, sed carnaliter malum meruit quod minatur. August. in Psalm. 118. conc. 25.Timor namque iste quo nō amatur justitia, sed timetur poena, servilis est, quia carnalis est, & ideò non c•ucifigit carnem. Vivit enim peccandi voluntas, quae tunc apparet in opere, quando speratur impunitas. Cùm veró paena c•editur secutura, latenter vivit, vivit tamen. Mallet enim licere & dolet non licere quod lex vetat: quia non spiritaliter delectatur ejus bono, sed carnaliter malum meruit quod minatur. August. in Psalm. 118. conc. 25.
