Pious tears, a serious deploring of former destruction, and a just care of living a better life, with all other pious exercises, are things, which we do not thrust away, nor put out of their place, only we search what is the place, what is the peculiar office of those things. And in the first place this is a thing that 1should not be doubted of by any Man, that Repentance, as it is an excellent gift of God, so it brings forth fruits not to be repented of, according to its Office; the Office ⟨p. 66⟩or duty whereof I reckon to be 2twofold. The first is, that which duly detests the sins committed. The other, that which diligently endeavours the Reformation of the life, from which follows both great praise, and greater fruits, and also very great incitements to virtue. For he that being weary of his former wickedness applies his mind wholly to amend his ungodly Life by a future reformation; verily he hath made a great progress towards Salvation, but he is not therefore as yet put into a certain possession of Salvation, or because of that, taken up with the Penitent Malefactor into Paradise. For it is one thing to weep for the things that one hath done amiss, and another thing to obtain the pardon of them. Verily he that seriously purposes with himself to amend his life, I judge that he ought justly to be praised; but yet that is not enough, as I suppose, to turn away the anger of an offended God, to put away the heinous nature of Sin, to procure a clear tranquility of 3Conscience, and to shake off the tyranny of death; for to obtain that Victory, we will need another Panoply, or complete Armour than Repentance, or the forces of our virtues; for nothing that we can do is sufficient to bring this to pass, but only faith in the Son of God. And therefore Repentance with Charity, and other Offices of that kind, have a necessary connection with faith; not that they may give form ⟨p. 67⟩to this as to a dead matter, but that rather they may receive life and Spirit 4from it: not that Faith hath need of these for justification, but that they themselves may be justified by the value received by Faith in Christ, which unless they were recommended upon the account of that Faith would all be abominable in the sight of God; and though they may be called works, yet cannot be called good works in Gods account, unless they are supported by Faith.
Pious tears, a serious deploring of former destruction, and a just care of living a better life, with all other pious exercises, are things, which we do not thrust away, nor put out of their place, only we search what is the place, what is the peculiar office of those things. And in the first place this is a thing that 1should not be doubted of by any Man, that Repentance, as it is an excellent gift of God, so it brings forth fruits not to be repented of, according to its Office; the Office ⟨p. 66⟩or duty whereof I reckon to be 2twofold. The first is, that which duly detests the sins committed. The other, that which diligently endeavours the Reformation of the life, from which follows both great praise, and greater fruits, and also very great incitements to vertue. For he that being weary of his former wickedness applys his mind wholly to amend his ungodly Life by a future reformation; verily he hath made a great progress towards Salvation, but he is not therefore as yet put into a certain possession of Salvation, or because of that, taken up with the Penitent Malefactor into Paradise. For it is one thing to weep for the things that one hath done amiss, and another thing to obtain the pardon of them. Verily he that seriously purposes with himself to amend his life, I judge that he ought justly to be praised; but yet that is not enough, as I suppose, to turn away the anger of an offended God, to put away the heinous nature of Sin, to procure a clear tranquility of 3Conscience, and to shake off the tyranny of death; for to obtain that Victory, we will need another Panoply, or compleat Armour than Repentance, or the forces of our vertues; for nothing that we can do is sufficient to bring this to pass, but only faith in the Son of God. And therefore Repentance with Charity, and other Offices of that kind, have a necessary connexion with faith; not that they may give form ⟨p. 67⟩to this as to a dead matter, but that rather they may receive life and Spirit 4from it: not that Faith hath need of these for justification, but that they themselves may be justified by the value received by Faith in Christ, which unless they were recommended upon the account of that Faith would all be abominable in the sight of God; and though they may be call'd works, yet cannot be call'd good works in Gods account, unless they are supported by Faith.
- 1What Repentance doth by it self, what together with Faith.
- 2Repentance consistsof two parts.
- 3How far the fruit of Repentance […]How far the fruit of Repentance 〈…〉
- 4Faith in Christ justifies Charity, but Charity doth not justify Faith. Augustin in quinquage, Prolo. Psal. 31.Faith in Christ justifies Charity, but Charity doth not justifie Faith. Augustin in quinquage, Prolo. Psal. 31.
